Entertainment: 1990

Chapter 133 Using a Stick to Fight Wolves
The next morning.

In a teahouse in Beijing, Wang Luyao and Wu Yujuan sat facing each other.

“I never understood why anyone would like to visit teahouses.” Wang Luyao played with the Xiangfei fan provided by the shopkeeper and sighed, “Now I finally understand. It’s all about the peace and quiet. The audience in Beijing is just too enthusiastic. Last night, I had twelve security guards protecting me, and I almost couldn’t get out of the commercial performance venue.”

Why didn't they just crush you to death?!

Those audience members are shameless; instead of listening to the singer's voice, they're looking at the singer's chest—isn't that just selling sex?
Wu Yujuan secretly complained to herself that the thing she was most worried about had still happened. Even if she and Xu Fan were paired together, Wang Luyao's current popularity couldn't compare.

Acting skills and voice are indeed irrelevant; having someone to support you is the most important thing!
Wu Yujuan felt a pang of sadness, but said nonchalantly, "You'll get used to it eventually. When 'The Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain' first became popular, I felt uneasy for quite a while."

Is this a thing?
Wang Luyao felt somewhat displeased hearing Wu Yujuan's experienced tone.

Wu Yujuan used to be the eldest sister, so it was one thing for her to act high and mighty, but now it's obvious who's superior and who's inferior, so what's there for Wu Yujuan to pretend for?

So he couldn't help but say sarcastically to your face, "Yes, a lot of people scolded you because of Yuan Ziyi. I was really worried for you back then."

However, after finishing the dialogue, she felt she had gone a bit too far, so she added, "It's mainly because Sister Yujuan, your acting is so good that people can't distinguish between the character and the actor."

Caught in a dilemma by her words, Wu Yujuan felt frustrated, unable to lash out but also feeling stifled if she didn't.

Finally, Wu Yujuan chose to get straight to the point: "Your current popularity is mainly due to hype, which probably won't last long. Have you thought about how you plan to develop your career in the future?"

Come on, let's hurt each other!

When Wu Yujuan touched on her sore spot, Wang Luyao's smile froze instantly.

However, she quickly recovered and said, "What else can I think? I'll just follow Mr. Zhang's orders—after all, I'm a veteran of the company, and Mr. Zhang certainly won't treat me unfairly."

As the saying goes, "If you don't see eye to eye, even half a sentence is too much."

One of them wanted to show off in front of her former older sister, while the other came with a hostile attitude. It would be a miracle if the two of them could have a good chat.

They met at nine o'clock, and just after nine-thirty, they went their separate ways.

More accurately, Wu Yujuan watched Wang Luyao ride away on her Tiger Head Ben.

"This girl is truly remarkable."

As Wu Yujuan stood by the roadside with a complicated expression, she heard her boyfriend Jia Hongsheng sigh, "I heard that in order to secure Wang Luyao's first commercial performance, Boss Li offered a sky-high price of 30,000 yuan, and even promised to cover her food, clothing, accommodation, and transportation. He even brought out his own new car."

Hearing his apologies, Wu Yujuan felt even more choked up.

He turned around with a cold face and left without saying a word.

"Hey~ wait for me a minute!"

Jia Hongsheng caught up with her and, seeing that her expression was off, advised, "Don't compare yourself to others. Aren't we doing fine lately?"

“You didn’t say that last year!”

Wu Yujuan stopped in her tracks and asked irritably, "Where's your Mercedes-Benz? Wang Luyao is driving one now, but you can't even afford a Xiali!"

Jia Hongsheng's face flushed red. He had made those sarcastic remarks out of jealousy of Zhang Yan, but he never expected that his words would come back to haunt him after more than half a year.

Seeing her boyfriend speechless, Wu Yujuan silently turned and walked back.

Wang Luyao's sudden rise to fame has brought her even more stimulation than Gong Li, who was at the height of her popularity.

Gong Li, at least, climbed up the ladder step by step through her own abilities.

And what about Wang Luyao?
It's all thanks to men helping with the hype!

Wu Yujuan glanced at Jia Hongsheng beside her and realized that she had no chance of relying on a man, so she might as well do it herself and make herself famous!

…………

the other side.

Wang Luyao, sitting on the Tiger Head Ben, was also somewhat uneasy.

Although Wu Yujuan's words were unpleasant to hear, they did indeed touch a nerve with her.

Zhang was largely responsible for her sudden rise to fame, and Wang Jinghua also contributed to it, while she herself seemed to have only played the role of a puppet.

This made Wang Luyao feel uneasy, even though she was enjoying the adulation. It was as if everything she had was a castle in the air, ready to collapse at any moment. Especially since Wang Jinghua was willing to give up her commission to stay by Han Hong's side and continue the competition, Wang Luyao felt even more anxious.

Although Wang Jinghua gave many reasons, and Liu Weidong was indeed more familiar with the business in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and better at handling the work of a "manager," it was clear to everyone that Wang Jinghua had higher hopes for Han Hong's future than for the wildly popular Wang Luyao.

Wang Jinghua is someone who can sit down and discuss philosophy with President Zhang!
Does her choice mean that in the future...?

Beep beep, beep beep~
Just then, a ringtone interrupted Wang Luyao's thoughts. She picked up her newly bought mobile phone, answered the phone, and said "Hello."

A pleasant voice came from the other end: "Luyao, how have you been these past few days?"

"Sister Chen Hong?"

Wang Luyao quickly sat up straight in the back row and said excitedly, "The audience in Beijing is incredibly enthusiastic. Almost every show is packed. I'm currently going to about three shows a day, and I can earn an average of 15,000 yuan for the company every day!"

"Haha, you can never earn all the money in the world."

Chen Hong laughed on the other end of the phone: "You should also take care of your health. If there's anything, discuss it with Lao Liu. If all else fails, just call me—our boss Zhang has already handed over the commercial performance business to me. From now on, Lao Liu and Jinghua will be under my management."

Being a boss's wife must be great.

Wang Luyao felt a pang of jealousy, because the money she earned from running around only accounted for 30% of the gross profit; the majority was taken by the company.

Although Mr. Zhang said that 30% of it would be used to pay taxes, and various fees would be deducted from the remaining 40%—tax evasion is common these days.

Moreover, the company has more than just one singer. After "I Am a Singer" ends, those singers will definitely start doing commercial performances, and the company will earn even more money then.

Chen Hong seemed to have guessed what she was thinking. She spent a long time on the phone asking about her well-being and then indirectly brought up the fact that Chen Jiantian's Red Star Music Production Company only had a 20% revenue share with Zheng Jun.

Even Dou Wei, who has already made a name for himself, only receives 35% of the profits—and that includes the compensation for the other members of the Dreaming Band.

This comparison made Wang Luyao feel much more at ease.

It seems that legitimate companies operate this way, unlike private brokers whose earnings depend entirely on the outcome of negotiations between the parties.

In addition...

Wang Luyao noticed that Chen Hong seemed to be treating her with more caution than before.

She wasn't really all looks and no brains; after thinking it over, she quickly figured it out.

The current situation is like a stick trying to catch a wolf – both sides are afraid. He worries that the company will pay more attention to those talented singers in the future; while Chen Hong is also worried that she, the company's only cash cow, will seek other opportunities.

In the past few days, a record company in Guangzhou did indeed contact Wang Luyao.

Although she has no intention of changing jobs, she might be able to use this to gain the benefits she wants.

Thinking of this, Wang Luyao's words became more probing.

…………

Jinmen.

After hanging up the phone, Chen Hong couldn't help but rub her temples.

Her biggest worry was that money could corrupt people's hearts, but she didn't expect Wang Luyao to have such a long-term vision, seeing the hidden worries for the future through Wang Jinghua's choice.

So what they're fighting for isn't immediate gains, but rather to seize the opportunity to obtain long-term security.

But how should I give it to them?
We can't just write it down in black and white, can we?
What if other singers also demand to follow suit?
If this continues, won't fulfilling dreams become a matter of everyone eating from the same pot?

Chen Hong believes this approach is absolutely unacceptable.

But Wang Luyao is currently the company's only cash cow, and also the company's first truly successful signed singer. Whether or not they can appease her is of benchmark significance for Yuanmeng Records.

Moreover, this was Chen Hong's first major undertaking after taking office, so she naturally hoped to do it as perfectly as possible.

Think left and right.

Chen Hong felt that she should talk to Wang Luyao in person first to confirm Wang Luyao's thoughts, and then work with Zhang Yan to develop a strategy.

(End of this chapter)