Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 145 Delusion
While Song Ci and Zhang Zhao were having a friendly conversation, two other people were in an office downstairs. Although the office was not large, it was decorated very elegantly.

Several minimalist paintings hang on the wall, their soft colors adding an artistic touch to the small space.

A small desk occupies a corner of the room, with neatly arranged documents and a computer emitting a soft glow on it. Next to it is a small, lush green plant, bringing a touch of life and vitality to the somewhat monotonous work environment.

Lu Yi, one of only two female artists at Tengda Culture, was dressed in stylish casual wear and sitting in her office, looking relaxed. She occasionally lowered her head to sip her coffee, enjoying a rare moment of leisure.

Across from her, her agent, Yang Tianzhen, sat upright at her desk, focused on the computer screen.

Lu Yi gently put down his coffee cup, leaned back lazily in his chair, a smile playing on his lips, and asked curiously, "President Yang, what news are you looking at so intently?"

Yang Tianzhen stared intently at the screen, dragging the mouse with her hand, and casually replied:
"I'm watching the latest campus beauty pageant on Toutiao.com to see if there are any promising candidates I can sign with the company."

After graduating from university, she joined Tengda Culture and was soon noticed by Wang Jing, who promoted her to deputy director of the artist management department. She and director Zeng Jia each led a group of people and became the agents of Lü Yi and Wang Kai. Later, she also served as deputy director of the publicity department, responsible for the company's artists' online publicity and marketing.

"Is the company planning to recruit artists?"

Yang Tianzhen nodded: "It's normal for film and television companies to sign new talents. Our company doesn't have many artists to begin with, but we definitely have enough resources."

To expand and strengthen our artist management business, we definitely need to recruit more actors. Mr. Zhang shares this view, and I've been looking for candidates lately.

Lu Yi frowned slightly. The addition of new employees to the company meant that things would become more complicated, unlike now when it was just her and Wang Luodan, and everyone kept to themselves and got along peacefully.

Yang Tianzhen seemed to understand the artists' concerns. She suddenly looked up and looked at Lü Yi with gentle eyes, her tone showing concern: "Don't worry, even if the company recruits new people, it won't threaten you for the time being."

"You and Wang Luodan are developing very steadily. The company won't put the cart before the horse; good resources will definitely be prioritized for the two of you." The voice was gentle yet firm, as if it could instantly bridge the distance between the two.

Lu Yi pouted, looking unhappy. A newcomer had joined the company; who knew what the future held? Tengda had its share of resources being lost before. The entertainment industry was a deep and murky place; they might just squeeze her and Wang Luodan out and overtake them.

"Don't worry too much about the future. Focus on the work at hand. I haven't even had a chance to ask you yet. How's the 'Legend of the Condor Heroes' crew doing? Has Cheng Yaojia finished filming her scenes?"

Lu Yi rested her chin on her hands, blinked her bright eyes, and muttered, "Don't even mention it. I had only been on set for two days when the male lead, Hu Ge, got into a car accident, and the whole crew had to stop working, so I came back first."

I'm in a bad situation too. The male lead for "Unrequited Love" is also Hu Ge, and I don't even know if the production will be able to start filming on schedule. But Hu Ge definitely won't be in it. Mr. Yang, do you know who the new male lead is? Could it be Brother Yu?

Yang Tianzhen thought for a moment and then instructed, "You don't need to worry about this. That's something for President Zhang and President Zhuang to consider. Just read the script more and do your preparation work."

Qiao Zhengyu definitely won't be coming back to act in campus idol dramas. He's currently a top-tier actor, busy filming movies, and will only focus on the big screen and serious dramas in the future.

"Fine!" Lü Yi hung her head, looking disappointed. She had wanted to act with Qiao Zhengyu again and use her senior's popularity to boost her status.

"Also, you should go and visit Hu Ge as well. After all, you've worked together on a few films, so you should at least pretend to care about your old friend."

Yang Tianzhen has a keen business sense and is good at accurately grasping the pulse of the market. This period is a good time to arrange for her own artists to ride the wave of popularity and create a persona of loyalty and righteousness.

"I've already been there." Lü Yi said listlessly. She had gone to visit Hu Ge with Liu Shishi and Lin Yichen as soon as possible.

"Then I'll arrange for someone to release a press release, and follow up on blogs and forums simultaneously to generate buzz."

After exchanging a few words, Yang Tianzhen turned her attention back to the screen, shaking her head as she looked at the photos of the school beauties; few of them satisfied her. "This year's class is no good; they're far inferior to those from two years ago."

The first annual College Beauty Pageant was truly a battle of the gods, with Liu Yifei, Liu Shishi, and two female artists from the company among the top ten.

"Are there any promising talents? What beauties are in the 05 and 06 classes of the three major universities?" Lu Yi asked nervously. The entertainment industry is never short of handsome men and beautiful women. Every year, a large number of newcomers squeeze in, leaving the old guard behind.

"There aren't many that catch my eye. There's a girl named Yang Mi from Beijing Film Academy. She has very bright eyes, but unfortunately, she's already been snatched up by someone from Rong Xingda."

Lu Yi immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"I've always been optimistic about Chen Xiao, the runner-up in last year's campus heartthrob list, from the 05 class of the Central Academy of Drama's acting program. He's very handsome and photogenic, and I'd like to sign him to my company."

Unfortunately, the Central Academy of Drama is too strict with its freshmen, not allowing them to take on acting roles outside the academy. I was thinking of using the male lead of "Orange Born in Huainan" as a signing bonus to recruit him this year, and I'm waiting for President Zhang's final decision.

"If you think so highly of the runner-up, why not choose the champion?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Tianzhen stared intently at Lü Yi. Seeing that Lü Yi's expression remained unchanged, she realized that the silly girl genuinely didn't know, and replied irritably, "I can't afford to sign the champion!"

Lu Yi became curious: "Oh, how much is the signing fee for the champion?"

"If you have time, you can check last year's list of the most handsome students on Toutiao.com."

"Oh, Mr. Yang, I was busy promoting 'The Little Fairy from Heaven' last September, I didn't have time to go online. You could have just told me directly."

"Your boss is the champion!"

“Song Ci!” Recalling that handsome and otherworldly face, Lü Yi nodded subconsciously. The boss was indeed very handsome, and the title of the number one campus heartthrob was well-deserved.

"I really want to act in an idol drama with the boss. His face is so stunning, it would definitely charm all the young girls."

"Stop being so infatuated. I need to go upstairs to report to Mr. Zhang. Are you coming with me?"

"Go away, go away," Lü Yi replied. Although she was a little afraid of Zhang Zhao's imposing face, she still had to make an appearance in front of the general manager whenever she had the chance.

The two went upstairs, their steps light and quick, walking side by side, bright and dazzling.

As we approached the door of the general manager's office, we could faintly hear conversations coming from under the door, accompanied by soft laughter, indicating that a friendly meeting was taking place inside.

Yang Tianzhen stopped in front of the door, and with her unique keen intuition, she realized that the general manager was busy entertaining distinguished guests.

Just as he was hesitating whether to knock and enter, the door was suddenly opened, and he met the two people inside who were about to leave.

Yang Tianzhen took a closer look and knew without guessing that one of them was Zhang Zhao. The other person was unexpected; it was actually Chairman Song Ci, whom she and Lü Yicai had just mentioned. This was a rare guest.

As soon as Zhang Zhao opened the door, he was startled to see two grown men blocking the entrance. He said unhappily, "What are you two doing blocking the doorway?"

"Chairman! General Manager Zhang! I was just about to report to you when you opened the door to come out," Yang Tianzhen greeted him first, then quickly explained.

Lu Yi, standing beside her, also recognized Song Ci and forced a smile: "Hello, Chairman! Hello, General Manager Zhang!" Song Ci subtly sized her up. She knew Lu Yi; he was her childhood sweetheart's classmate. The person next to her looked familiar, but she couldn't quite place him. "Who is she?"

"Mr. Song, she is Yang Tianzhen, the deputy director of the artist management department."

Song Ci nodded. No wonder she looked familiar; it was Yang Tianzhen before she gained weight. At that time, she was a newcomer, with a touch of naivety on her face, and she still had a long way to go before becoming a future "top agent." Now that she thought about it, Zeng Jia, Yang Tianzhen, and others were all at Tengda Culture, a company full of elite talents.

"Since she needs to see you, Lao Zhang, you should stay here."

Song Ci waved his hand and stepped past the two of them. Zhang Zhao quickly followed.

Sunlight streamed in through the glass window at the end of the corridor. Yang Tianzhen and Lü Yi stood at the end of the corridor, looking at each other, unsure of what to do. They could only stand helplessly at the doorway and wait for Zhang Zhao to return.

Song Ci walked briskly past rows of offices, and as he turned a corner, he suddenly bumped into a girl.

"Ah!" A scream rang out, and the documents in the girl's hands fell to the ground.

Just as the woman was about to bend down to pick up the document, Zhang Zhao, who had caught up with her, saw what had just happened and couldn't help but frown: "Wang Luodan! What's wrong with you? You're so clumsy."

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!" Wang Luodan immediately bowed and apologized.

"Mr. Song, are you alright?" Zhang Zhao immediately looked at Song Ci.

Song Ci shook her head, squatted down to help Wang Luodan pick up the documents and hand them back to her, and said, "I was walking too fast and bumped into her. It's my fault. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine..." Wang Luodan looked up, seemingly only then noticing Song Ci's appearance, and was immediately stunned. She couldn't help but exclaim, "You're Chairman Song! I'm a big fan of your books, could you please sign one for me?"

Song Ci nodded, "It's good that you're alright." Before anyone could react, she drifted away.

Zhang Zhao glared at Wang Luodan, his face turning ashen, but Wang Luodan ignored Zhang Zhao's displeasure and kept staring at Song Ci's back, as if hesitating whether to chase after her.

Several colleagues witnessed this scene in the work area, and immediately began to discuss it amongst themselves.

"President Song is so handsome!"

"Yeah, I didn't realize Wang Luodan was so cunning. I should have just run into her with the documents too."

Hindsight is always 20/20.

"No wonder you were wandering around the corridor with documents in your arms. I was wondering why the big star was so free today. Turns out she was trying to snag a rich husband."

"Wang Luodan, come to my office!" Zhang Zhao's tone was gloomy, clearly indicating that he was really angry.

The atmosphere in the office was heavy. Zhang Zhao sat in his boss's chair, his face serious and his eyes sharp as an eagle, looking at Yang Tianzhen and the two female artists from the company standing in front of him.

Lu Yi lowered her head, feeling uneasy. Her eyes occasionally stole glances at Yang Tianzhen beside her. They had just been angrily summoned into the office by Zhang Zhao, and she wondered what had happened.

Yang Tianzhen also looked frustrated, wondering what had just happened. The general manager seemed to be furious, and she and Lü Yi were caught in the crossfire and felt wronged.

Zhang Zhao first looked at Yang Tianzhen, his voice low: "What do you want from me?"

"President Zhang, Lu Yi and I came here to report on the male lead for 'Orange Born in Huainan.' Hu Ge can't play the role, so could we give the lead role to Chen Xiao?" Yang Tianzhen reported succinctly.

"Is that the runner-up from the school's most popular boy group that you've always wanted to sign?"

"Yes, yes, he's a sophomore this year. I met with him again this week when school started, and he's very interested in signing with the company."

Zhang Zhao nodded slightly: "I understand. Let me think about it. Is there anything else?"

"That's all, that's all!"

"Go back to work."

"I'm sorry to bother you, Mr. Zhang!" Yang Tianzhen said, and then she and Lü Yi were about to leave the office.

"Lu Yi, please stay for a moment."

Lu Yi subconsciously looked at Yang Tianzhen, only to see his manager with a "good luck" expression. He immediately turned around with a bitter face and returned to his original position, standing obediently next to Wang Luodan.

Zhang Zhao's eyes seemed to see through people's hearts. He admonished Wang Luodan in a serious tone, "I hope that similar things will not happen again in the future. In my opinion, such petty tricks are like those of a clown."

Wang Luodan pursed her lips, seemingly unconcerned about Zhang Zhao's reprimand.
Zhang Zhao narrowed his eyes, revealing an air of authority: "What, you're not convinced?"

Wang Luodan raised her head and argued, "If Liu Shishi can do it, why can't I! President Zhang, don't think I don't know that the man behind Liu Shishi is Chairman Song. She's an outsider who has managed to get close to the chairman and has repeatedly seized company resources. Why should I be convinced?"

"Liu Shishi and the chairman!" Lu Yi exclaimed in surprise, then quickly covered his mouth.

Instead of getting angry, Zhang Zhao laughed: "I underestimated you. What, you want to find a sugar daddy too? You should know that you actresses are probably just playthings in other people's eyes. Look at the women that coal mine owners support, what future do they have?"

Wang Luodan chuckled and said, "Boss, why does President Zhang have to put it so harshly? We're all single now, and love and marriage are free! Why can't I push Liu Shishi away and become President Song's woman?"

The chairman is so handsome, even if she doesn't become Mrs. Song, she won't lose out. If she can get pregnant, she'll be set for life, and she won't even need to care about Zhang Zhao.

Zhang Zhao sneered: "Lu Yi, did you hear that? Do you want to give it a try too?"

Lu Yi's head was buzzing at this moment, still digesting the shocking news he had just heard. When he heard Zhang Zhao's question, he subconsciously nodded, but then realized what he had said and quickly shook his head.

“Mr. Zhang, Liu Shishi is an outsider after all, while I am a member of Tengda Culture. Why don’t you help me?”

"Actually, I don't think much of your frivolous behavior just now, but I admire your ambition. I still want to give you a piece of advice: all your actions are wishful thinking."

In truth, Zhang Zhao didn't even think much of Liu Shishi. If it weren't for the fact that the young girl and the boss were childhood sweethearts with a strong emotional foundation, he wouldn't have believed that the two of them could have ended up together.

(End of this chapter)