Who said this top flow is crazy! This top flow is awesome!

Chapter 343 Hermès's Top-Tier Stage
The so-called "money-making king" naturally combines the endorsements of major luxury brands and various manufacturers. If the previous Ikeno would still give everyone time to "pick and choose", then the current Goblin Uncle is priceless and unavailable. Whoever gets him first makes a profit.

Because "Goblin" has an undeniable positive impact on Ikeno.

Together with "My Love from the Star", it is not a simple 1+1=2 formula, but a thorough 1+1>2. In the words of fans, "Looking at the entire history of the Chinese entertainment industry, who can have a "resume" like "My Love from the Star" + "Goblin"?"
That's it. Ikeno's popularity has reached its peak, leaving behind a seemingly insurmountable height for future generations.

When traffic reaches its peak and surpasses its peak, the commercial value of the new era's domestic entertainment industry, which has always been tied to and matched with traffic, naturally needs no further explanation.

Appearance fees, film contracts, scripts, star power—anything that Ikeno lacked or declined before has not only increased but has surpassed its peak.

It's hard to describe Ikeno's state of mind in words, but the many endorsers and advertisers present knew that this was a golden opportunity.

The McDonald's representative was the first to go in. When he came out, his face was no longer apprehensive, but only had a faint, reserved smile. When he looked at his old rival with a confident gaze, there was even a slight hint of disdain.

KFC was so angry and cold that he gritted his teeth.

— McDonald's global brand ambassador, secured.

Moreover, Ikeno's endorsement deal is no longer the short-term contract that international fast food chains like KFC used to require of all their artists, but a genuine long-term contract—of course, not with KFC.

Initially, KFC signed a short-term contract with Ikeno. Although the contract was almost always renewed due to Ikeno's long-term success, KFC was almost the first major company to sever ties with Ikeno in the wake of several controversies, especially the recent building collapse incident.

This is normal. KFC's principle in selecting spokespeople has always been to choose the most popular artists and sign only short-term contracts. Last year, Yu Yan became a big star, so they signed Yu Yan. This year, Chi Ye rose to fame, so they signed Chi Ye.

As for who will be next year... we'll see which artist can reach the No. 1 position.

Clearly, Ikeno no longer met KFC's criteria for choosing a spokesperson, so their decision was obvious.

But fortunes change. When "My Love from the Star" became a huge hit, McDonald's also had some interest in Ikeno, but KFC snatched the spot first. Unexpectedly, today they have managed to acquire an "even better Ikeno".

As longtime rivals and friends, they are like old friends who think about each other every time they go to the toilet: why isn't what they excrete their old brother?

Therefore, McDonald's representatives now have every reason to stand in front of KFC and laugh: "Idiot."

KFC felt the contempt from its good friend and was furious: "What are you so arrogant about!"

"Dude, how long was your contract? What are the benefits?"

Another fast-food chain, Burger King, chimed in with a question.

McDonald looked at him with a puzzled expression: "Is that even a question?"

Burger King is embarrassed.

KFC pointed at him: "You sit at the same table as Wallace."

The Wallace agent, who was only there to join the fun, was a little dissatisfied upon seeing this: "We're not looking for Chi Ye, we have a more suitable spokesperson!"

"Pharmaceutical companies really shouldn't hire celebrities; nobody wants to act as their agent."

"Who said that? We're looking for top-tier celebrities!"

"..."

Meanwhile, with the competition in the "fast food sector" already concluded and McDonald's successfully winning the bid, looking quite pleased with itself, the remaining sectors—home appliances, luxury goods, snacks, digital products, and even urban markets—are now facing challenges...

They couldn't help but shudder and curse inwardly: Damn, those big brands from Japan really do act fast and ruthlessly.

To become a global brand ambassador right off the bat, a McDonald's global brand ambassador... this is the first time in the history of the Chinese entertainment industry.

The movie "Goblin" seems enough to make McDonald's do this, but it also seems not so...

There should also be the success of "Flu" in the West, and the completed film "The Martian" by Ikeno, which made McDonald's publicity team bet on it in advance.

Ugh…

Anyway, I'm so envious of McDonald's, what am I going to do...

Just then, Xiao Liu pushed open the door and came out. He glanced at everyone and said softly, "Brother Chi said that we will no longer cooperate with those who have endorsed our products before. Please go back now that you have come all here."

Everyone: "?!"

"Wait, no!"

"We made a promise, and we even showed our support for CEO Chi on Weibo!"

"...I am Hermès' Asia-Pacific agent. Mr. Chi, are you sure you won't consider us?"

Upon hearing this, the agents couldn't sit still any longer and stood up one by one. Among them was even someone from Hermès—she appeared to be of mixed race and wasn't on Ikeno's "rejection list," but she seemed a little impatient.

Not only Xiao Liu, but also many people present who did not recognize this agent were stunned.

— It's not that they're "not doing their job properly," it's just that Hermès is too low-key. As a true luxury brand that surpasses all other top luxury brands in the world, Hermès has always been known for its low-key approach.

As the world's No. 1 and the undisputed top brand, Hermès naturally possesses its own unique "prestige" and "aloofness".

Let's put it this way... Hermès has never had any brand ambassadors in its history, although it has had quite a few unofficial celebrity ambassadors.

With such an aloof demeanor, if Chi Ye were to actually secure an endorsement deal with Hermès, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she would instantly sweep across the Chinese entertainment and fashion scene, becoming an undisputed top-tier fashion darling.

Forget about Brother Chun and Brother Dong; if they dared to suppress Ikeno even slightly, without Hermès, the entire fashion industry would tear her and the event organizers apart.

If Hermès had offered a higher endorsement deal... Ikeno would have a place in the global fashion industry.

This…

Hermès actually sent someone?!
The Dior and Cartier agents exchanged bewildered glances, their eyes revealing their confusion—Hermes was too low-key, never using brand ambassadors, and it seemed like they didn't have anyone in charge of that department internally…

This is the first time I've ever seen this!
"Uh……"

“I contacted your company before I came here.”

Faced with everyone's gaze, Xiao Liu was stunned for a long time before realizing what was happening and hurriedly said, "Then... please wait a moment..."

As she spoke, she returned to her office.

"Finished?"

Inside the suite bedroom, Chi Ye was looking down at a script, occasionally marking something with a pen. Hearing the noise, he asked without looking up.

He's been in the spotlight a lot lately, so to avoid unnecessary trouble and to focus on writing his new script, he's been staying in his studio.

The group of people outside weren't invited by Ikeno Company—they all found out about it and came on their own.

To put it bluntly, Chi Ye himself doesn't need to negotiate these endorsement deals personally, so he wasn't showing off this time. It was mainly his team that was in charge of this part... He was just a little petty and felt that brands that had betrayed him in the past didn't need to continue cooperating.

Otherwise, if you suddenly go crazy and do something really out of control, wouldn't you be in big trouble?

Hmm... this situation should happen very soon; Ikeno feels it could happen at any time.

"Brother Chi, the Hermès people are here. They said they had an appointment with our team."

"Huh?" Chi Ye was taken aback and peeked out at the head of the brand ambassador team outside: "Hermes?"

"...We thought she was a fraud."

"..."

"Then please come in."

After thinking for a moment, Ikeno gave the order.

……

An hour later, the group of big-name agents who came uninvited today gradually dispersed... Tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and even the day after that, people will continue to come. While "Goblin" is still going on, Ikeno Company will likely become the biggest "gathering place for big names" in the Chinese entertainment industry.

Ikeno was already mentally prepared.

At that moment, in the outer reception room, Maria, the agent representing Hermès, sat demurely opposite Chi Ye, gently waving her hand to refuse the coffee offered by Teacher Shi: "Sorry, I don't drink instant coffee. I prefer hand-ground coffee made from Ethiopian coffee beans."

Teacher Shi paused for a moment, then silently withdrew her arm.

"Also, you smell very strongly of cooking oil. Next time you make coffee, please take a shower first. That would be much more polite."

Teacher Shi was taken aback, and her face instantly turned red.

Little Empress Dowager?
Ikeno glanced at Maria: "Chinese?"

Maria raised an eyebrow and lifted her chin: "Sorry, I am an overseas Chinese, born in the United States."

"That's quite a birthplace."

Ikeno nodded in agreement, but seeing the other party's expression, he lost interest in further discussion: "Ms. Maria, although you have very good taste, you are still not as good as me. I like hand-drip coffee. I'll treat you to a cup sometime."

Maria: "?"

Although I couldn't understand what they were saying, I couldn't help but feel that it wasn't anything nice.

Her impression of Ikeno worsened... As for why it was "worse," it's definitely not because she mindlessly disliked Ikeno. On the contrary, although she wasn't the main force behind the suggestion for Hermès to find a spokesperson, she had indeed admired Ikeno before.

The root of all the unpleasantness can be attributed to the "waiting" before this meeting.

As a senior executive at Hermès in the Asia-Pacific region, Maria is not only extremely busy, but also incredibly high-ranking.

But even someone as "important" as her, upon arriving at Ikeno Corporation, was waiting to be "received" alongside other ordinary manufacturers... and waited for such a long time.

In the end, she had no choice but to reveal her identity. Even under these circumstances, Ikeno's side did not rush to meet her. Instead, they saw off the others and waited for more than an hour before she could officially "meet" Ikeno.

This made her very unhappy, so her feelings towards Ikeno were very smooth, without any past grudges or resentments.

"Mr. Chi, regarding our Hermès endorsement, our plan is to give you three evaluation periods. At your level, there's no need to start with those empty titles like brand ambassador/friend of the brand. That's all just empty talk from Dior."

"You can start with one of our Hermès brand ambassadors, but of course, the region can only be the Asia-Pacific region... As you know, Hermès has never actually used a brand ambassador before..."

Maria speaks very quickly, which shows that she has a rather capable and proud personality, which is why she is dissatisfied with the "neglect".

“Miss Maria…”

After listening to her finish speaking, Chi Ye smiled and brought up an unrelated topic: "You're of Chinese descent, you must have heard of Chinese Kung Fu, right?"

Maria was taken aback, not understanding why Ikeno asked that, and nodded: "Yes, Chinese Kung Fu, Bruce Lee, I know him."

"Then you'd better watch out, everyone in China knows kung fu."

Chi Ye gave Teacher Shi a serious look, indicating, "She's a boxing champion, you know that."

Maria was even more confused, and it took her a while to realize that Chi Ye was reminding her of her "rude" behavior earlier: "I... Mr. Chi, I think you don't understand what Hermes can bring you..."

Suddenly, Ikeno asked, "What is your position at Hermès?"

Maria paused for the third time, her expression calm: "I was previously in charge of a portion of the sales channels in the Asia-Pacific region, and I am currently a marketing assistant for the yet-to-be-established channel."

"Asia Pacific region, assistant, can you make the decision regarding our cooperation?"

"...No, but I'm here on behalf of Hermès, so I can offer some advice, though...it might not be of much use."

Maria had already sensed Chi Ye's attitude. Unlike other brand agents who would "bow and scrape," she stood up decisively and looked at Chi Ye calmly: "Then let's leave it at that, Mr. Chi. I understand what you mean."

Chiye nodded: "I won't send it away."

"..."

Xiao Liu and the sitting publicity director looked at Chi Ye, and even Shi Daifu blinked, signaling Chi Ye not to go crazy.

The potential benefits that Ikeno could gain from securing an endorsement deal with Hermès would be far beyond imagination, even if it wasn't the most prestigious deal and was just a series ambassadorship.

Maria noticed the gazes of others, smiled, and became even more arrogant: "President Chi, I still have to remind you that no one is irreplaceable. Originally, I came here with sincerity, but now... I am somewhat disappointed."

Ikeno: "Your disappointment is yet to come."

"?"

Ikeno didn't continue the topic, but asked curiously, "Then who do you think can replace me?"

Maria remained silent for a full ten seconds after hearing this before saying, "Not at the moment."

She changed the subject, looking down at Chi Ye with disdain: "But that doesn't mean there won't be any in the future."

"And that's it, goodbye forever."

Chi Ye didn't even bother to look at her, and waved his hand to signal Xiao Liu not to lick it either.

Hermès was indeed a pleasant surprise, and an enormous pie that most people wouldn't even dare to imagine... but the premise of the collaboration is mutual respect between the two parties.

This time, perhaps due to a "mistake" by Ikeno's team, they misunderstood Hermès and failed to communicate the timeline properly.

However, Maria's handling of the situation was not particularly skillful either. In fact, perhaps because it was her first time choosing a spokesperson and because of her previous position, she exuded an undeniable air of superiority.

That sense of superiority is not something one is born with, but rather something cultivated over a long period of time through work and the environment in which one grows up.

This behavior is considered very impolite by others, but because of her job or status in the past, no one dared to say anything and would tolerate her.

Ikeno won’t.

Judging from this attitude over such a small matter, if they were to actually cooperate, Ikeno would definitely be affected and "wronged" by countless similar incidents.

Coincidentally, Ikeno never considered himself a person who would suffer injustice.

This was true before she became famous, and it's even more true now that she's at the peak of her fame.

(End of this chapter)