How can you become a star without money?

Chapter 2 Try Your Best

Wang Yao transferred 2000 yuan to Zhang San, telling him to fly directly to Shanghai.

I also lamented how troublesome online banking transfers are, and there's even a chance the money won't arrive in real time. Looks like I should find some time to urge Malaysia to get the online banking license as soon as possible.

Then I carefully organized some basic information, such as where I currently live and my main social circle.

"This is our company. Today is New Year's Day, and most employees are on holiday. The company just moved here recently, so it's a bit messy. Please don't mind."

The sound coming from the office door startled Wang Yao, and he instinctively got up and looked over.

A muscular man wearing a red sweater, brown jeans, and slicked-back hair led the way in.

Wang Yao stared intently at the blurred face, a sinister glint in his eyes.

Round face, buzz cut, and full beard—that's Ruby Lin on Chunxi Road.

I never noticed before, but Lao He's style was so obvious. Back then, this was a standard accessory for fashionistas in the fashion industry.

However, it's quite normal that Lao He is a former model.

"Oh? Yao, you're still at the company so late?" He Ming was also a little surprised to see Wang Yao, but he turned around and introduced him to the people behind him with a warm smile.

"Let me introduce you, Xiao Ai. This is our company's genius photographer. Don't let his good looks fool you, the photos he takes are even better. Have him take your wedding photos; his skills are just as good as Lao Huang's."

Wang Yao looked in the direction of the sound and found that He Ming was followed by three women, one of whom was tall and looked to be about 180 cm, with a typical model's face.

I'd crossed paths with Li Ai a few times in my past life. Like He Ming, she was a model from the new creative industry, and she should have successfully transitioned into a host in the entertainment circle by now.

Li Ai wasn't particularly beautiful, but she wasn't ugly either. However, compared to the exquisite and beautiful face behind her, she appeared quite lackluster.

Gulnazar, who is almost eighteen, still has some baby fat on her face. Although she is beautiful, she is not as bright and generous as she has grown up. She is more immature, shy and timid.

Her clear, bright eyes paused for a few moments when they looked at Wang Yao, then she looked away in a fluster, like a fawn.

The last woman, a plump middle-aged woman with typical features of northern Xinjiang, should be Nazha's mother.

"Wow, what a handsome young man! He's a total heartthrob!" Li Ai's eyes lit up when she saw Wang Yao.

"That's right, the apprentices I chose have to be good-looking. Ah Yao, come here. You should know this lady. Just call her Sister Ai. We're family." He Ming waved with a smile.

Wang Yao smiled warmly and nodded, saying, "Hello, Sister Ai. I often hear President He mention you."

"They must not have said anything good about me. Here, leave your phone number, and I'll recommend you to suitable jobs in the future." Li Ai seemed to be a social butterfly, asking for contact information right away.

"Hey, hey, what do you mean? My apprentice needs you to introduce him to a job? Don't underestimate A Yao just because he's young. He's already a department manager and he's very busy every day." He Ming calmly deflected the question.

Hearing this, Nazha, who was hiding behind Li Ai, glanced at Wang Yao with some surprise.

Unexpectedly, this young man who looked about the same age as me was actually the manager.

"The young man is quite promising," Nazha's mother remarked casually.

"It's all thanks to Mr. He's help. Let me pour you some tea," Wang Yao said with a smile.

"No need, we just finished eating. We brought them to the company for a look around. It's New Year's Day today, Yao, you don't need to work overtime, go home and celebrate the holiday," He Ming said with a smile.

"Okay, Mr. He, see you next time, Sister Ai." Wang Yao understood, put his laptop into his bag, and left the office.

After watching Wang Yao disappear from sight, Nazha's mother asked, "Is this child also a model for your company?"

"He was originally a contracted photographer for our company. I saw that he was quite professional, so I've been taking him under my wing," He Ming explained simply.

"It's a shame she's not a star, she's so beautiful," Nazha murmured.

"Haha, being a celebrity isn't just about being good-looking; it's about having resources," He Ming laughed upon hearing this.

Naza's mother also reached out and tapped her daughter's forehead.

This little fangirl is hopeless.

“Nazha, as someone who’s been there, let me tell you, you absolutely must stay away from good-looking guys like that, or it will really hinder your career,” Li Ai said meaningfully.

Naza blushed instantly.

Upon seeing this, He Ming narrowed his eyes and smiled.

"Yes, if you want to be a star, you have to prioritize your career. But Yao's photography skills are really amazing. I'll arrange for him to take a set of model photos for Nazha tomorrow, and you'll see."

2010 was the first year of the Internet of Things and also the first year of self-media.

With the increasing popularity of 3G networks in China and the improvement of supporting hardware such as internet and smartphones, the internet penetration rate has reached 35%, with 4.6 million internet users and 3 million mobile internet users, which has begun to completely change the lifestyle of all Chinese people.

The term "internet celebrity" has officially entered the 3.0 era, from the 1.0 text era and the 2.0 image and text era, becoming a major factor influencing public opinion and giving rise to a new industry: self-media.

The success of Sister Furong and Sister Feng has made many people realize the value of online traffic.

As a result, many public relations firms transformed into promotion companies, stirring up trouble on the internet, and were eventually acquired by the platforms.

Some ambitious individuals, unwilling to be outdone, broke free and started their own businesses, establishing self-media companies. They selected individuals with potential, topicality, and value, packaged them, and gradually turned internet celebrities into an industry.

The Tianhuo Media company where Wang Yao works is a self-media company responsible for packaging internet celebrities and generating traffic. It is essentially the earliest prototype of an MCN company, only it is not as professional and sophisticated.

The founder, He Ming, was once the mastermind behind the rise of "Fairy Sister" (a popular internet celebrity). After being acquired by Meishe Company, he served as the head of the model packaging project. Last year, after Meishe Company received a $200 million investment from Hafim Group, he spun off the company and established a subsidiary, Tianhuo Network Media.

Therefore, Wang Yao, who was then a photography intern, had the opportunity to serve as the legal representative.

Meishe Media is a vertical social platform.

In a brutal environment where Tencent and Sina had already divided up the Chinese internet social networking market, Meishe still managed to secure a $200 million investment from Hafim Group in 2010 with an exceptionally high profit margin, valuing the company at $3000 million.

The main reason is that Meishe is a vertical, specialized platform that also acts as a model agency.

This company has two publicly stated profit models.

First, it acts as an intermediary platform. Meishe.com has the largest number of fashion industry resources nationwide, including models, photographers, and makeup artists. Prices are clearly marked, and the platform earns a commission.

Secondly, there's the paid economy. Meishe.com's social section is paid, where signed models post a series of photos or updates, and the analysis is unlocked by paying.

However, in reality, the real money is made from offline O2O business.

Talent scout discovery → amateur talent development → promotion and packaging → exposure and traffic generation → attracting members → paid conversion.

This forms a closed loop of "online customer acquisition - offline service - online customer return".

Of course, it doesn't just serve regular paid members, but also some high-end clients, such as wealthy businessmen and celebrities from various fields in China.

Freud believed that sexual motivation is one of the main driving forces of human behavior, a point that has long been proven in the social sphere.

The earliest way any social product spread and became profitable originated from this.

Meishe Media has become one of the largest model training and packaging companies in China, second only to New Ideas Group, which has trained international supermodel Liu Wen and Miss World Zhang Yin.

It relies on its strong social attributes.

Therefore, Meishe Media has high-level members behind it. These people are characterized by their willingness to spend money, hoping not only to enjoy the service but also to receive a return on their investment.

After realizing the potential of the traffic economy, Meishe Media gradually began to explore influencer packaging and incubation services in order to give its models more 'premium power'.

Tianhuo Media is specifically responsible for packaging and promoting models with potential selected by Meishe Media.

Some of them, if successfully packaged, have the opportunity to be introduced into the entertainment industry. Notable examples include football babes, Little Aunt, Shen Meizhuang, and Consort Qi.

Early packaging techniques were crude, and the character designs were basically either riding on the popularity of celebrities, such as Xiao Shuqi, Xiao Gongli, and Xiao Ziyi, or borrowing from Japanese character designs, such as the girl next door, flight attendant, and female colleague.

However, with increasing market competition, there is a need for more refined packaging, so Meishe and Tianhuo Media carefully selected three people.

Qu Shou, Ma Ruo, and Feng Jiao. After listening to Wang Yao's explanation and reviewing the three not-so-complicated standard brokerage contracts, Zhang San looked up at the handsome young man opposite him.

"Based on your description and these contracts, I don't think there's any particularly big risk."

Yesterday, after he agreed that he could fly domestically, the other party immediately transferred 2000 yuan for travel expenses, asking him to fly to Shanghai overnight.

Moreover, the fact that they arranged to meet directly at the hotel did indeed give Zhang San a sense of absurdity.

“The brokerage contract itself is fine, but these three individuals have other contracts in effect. If they breach these contracts, is there any way for me, as the legal representative, to avoid the risks?” Wang Yao asked.

“We need to see the contract to clarify the rights and responsibilities of both parties in case of breach of contract. However, what you’ve said does make sense. This standard economic contract doesn’t clearly define the ownership of the contract before the contract was signed by the party in question. There does seem to be some issues with that.” Zhang San frowned.

“I don’t have the contracts in my hand, but I know they have some contracts that are being fulfilled. For example, Ma Ruo and Yan Jiao participated in a dating show called ‘If You Are the One’ on Jiangsu TV this year as performing guests,” Wang Yao said, pointing to the program information on his laptop.

"I've seen this movie before, how did it turn into a dating show? And what does 'guest performer' mean?" Zhang San was taken aback.

“All television programs have scripts, so the participants are the guest performers,” Wang Yao explained.

"So, it's all staged?" Zhang San was stunned again. "Even talent shows like Super Girl?"

“Naturally, at least 90% of it is based on the script.” Wang Yao nodded.

"Judging from the host lineup of this program, it must be quite high-level." Zhang San gathered the key information.

"This program is Jiangsu TV's main prime-time slot this year, with an estimated budget of around 1500 to 2000 million yuan, and advertising revenue expected to be around 5000 million yuan," Wang Yao said in a deep voice.

"Hiss, so you mean that if these two people you signed have any extreme problems during the show, the penalty for breach of contract could be astronomical?" Zhang San frowned.

“However, there should usually be some kind of disclaimer clause. After all, exorbitant compensation is only one-way and will involve invalid and unfair terms. If we calculate based on limited compensation, do you think there is any way to avoid it?” Wang Yao nodded.

"You studied law?" Zhang San sized up Wang Yao. This young man gave him a strange feeling; he didn't seem like someone who came for consultation, but rather like a student who came with the answers in mind.

“I was interested in law when I was in school, and I audited some classes and studied it on my own,” Wang Yao said with a smile.

"Then I find it strange that you only have the financial contract and not the other contracts of these three people. Generally speaking, such brokerage contracts require the other party to provide all the commercial contracts that are currently being performed, or additional clauses to be added to the brokerage contract," Zhang San asked curiously.

“Because I am only the legal representative,” Wang Yao scoffed.

Zhang San frowned and stared at Wang Yao for a long time. "So you came to me not to avoid company risks."

"For me, the company is the biggest risk," Wang Yao said with a light laugh.

“If that’s the case, my suggestion is to resign as the legal representative directly. Even if the company is unwilling to negotiate, you can voluntarily submit your resignation as the legal representative. I’ll help you issue a resignation letter. According to regulations, the company must find a new legal representative within 30 days, and we can then file a lawsuit to terminate the cooperation.” Zhang San offered a simpler solution.

Wang Yao shook his head.

Zhang San frowned. "Do you have any other business dealings or agreements with the company? Do you need to pay compensation?"

Wang Yao shook his head again.

"So, you want to enjoy the company's benefits but are unwilling to take on the corresponding responsibilities?" Zhang San narrowed his eyes.

"I once heard a saying: 'We can only do the right thing and accept that things don't always go as planned,'" Wang Yao said with a smile.

Zhang San was stunned for a moment, feeling a strange sense of familiarity with these words. At the same time, he felt that the boy's originally dark and deep eyes suddenly burst forth with an unusual brilliance.

“But the right thing often comes with huge risks. Son, I think you are very smart, and your life has just begun. There’s no need to act impulsively out of youthful vigor.” Zhang San pondered for a moment before advising him.

Intelligent people don't need much information to communicate; they can discern each other's intentions from subtle clues and attitudes.

In Zhang San's eyes, Wang Yao was a stubborn young man. He was certain that Wang Yao had realized the harm the company was causing him, but he did not want to back down and wanted to fight back.

This is the nature of youth—rebellious yet innocent.

They've never been truly hardened by society.

Zhang San thought of himself when he was young.

“But Doctor, youthful spirit is a rare and irreplaceable quality.” Wang Yao grinned, revealing a set of neat white teeth.

We must realize that the past cannot be changed, but we can still pursue the future.

Since fate has given him a second chance at life, it certainly wasn't meant for him to escape.

Zhang San's heart skipped a beat, and he looked at Wang Yao with some doubt.

The other person had a warm smile and a bright gaze.

For some reason, all the persuasive words Zhang San had prepared stuck in his throat, finally turning into a sigh: "We law students generally think in terms of the worst-case scenario. Let's assume your client caused losses to the program..."
In the most serious scenario where the program is interrupted or taken down, your company should be liable for compensation of up to 300 to 500 million yuan. As the legal representative, you have a direct obligation to bear this responsibility.

As expected of Zhang San, even though it's not his specialty, he can still estimate a precise range.

In his previous life, Ma Ruo's materialistic remarks and Yan Jiao's coercion scandal led to a series of events, ultimately resulting in the program being shut down and taken off the air. Jiangsu TV sued Tianhuo Media for 1000 million yuan in compensation. This lawsuit was the last straw for Tianhuo. It dragged on for a year before being executed. After the judgment was finally upheld, He Ming and the investors disappeared. The court had to call Wang Yao back from Korea through his family.

Faced with the exorbitant compensation, Wang Yao couldn't even muster the thought of reacting.

Because he wasn't even qualified to meet the plaintiff.

Later, he kept reviewing and learning, and always felt that there were some problems with the judgment at the time. Even if he lost the case, it shouldn't have taken less than a year.

So this time, he really wanted to see what it was that made him a person who had broken his promise.

"Is there any way to control the risk?" Wang Yao asked.

“Yes, we can either renegotiate the disclaimer with Jiangsu TV, or not sign a brokerage contract at all, or avoid breach of contract,” Zhang San said seriously.

Correct nonsense.

Wang Yao rolled his eyes. "Is there any other way?"

Zhang San frowned, feeling a bit strange. Why did Wang Yao's tone make it seem like these potential signing partners were bound to go bust?
"If you really feel there is a risk, you don't have to sign. The legal representative has civil rights, the right to represent, the right to sign contracts, and the right to sue. Although you are not a shareholder, you still enjoy rights. Shareholders cannot force you to sign or stamp."

"Dr. Zhang, please take a look at this." Wang Yao smiled and shook his head, then opened a webpage on his laptop and clicked to play a video.

Zhang San glanced at the screen subconsciously, and frowned after seeing the video content.

This is a 19-second video.

“Although neither of you is guilty of disseminating obscene materials, I can still sue you for indecent assault.” Zhang San’s face was ashen.

"This is Qu Ling, the person we are about to sign," Wang Yao said in a deep voice.

"Hmm? You think there's something wrong with these three?" Zhang San's eyes flashed with a strange light.

His talent and experience made him keenly aware that this might not be a simple economic dispute.

“I hope you can accept my commission to sue those who disseminated this content and protect the rights of the parties involved.” Wang Yao did not directly answer Zhang San’s question.

“From an assessment perspective, based on these factors alone, it’s already possible to determine that this brokerage contract is high-risk and needs to be avoided,” Zhang San said, stroking his chin.

He won't make subjective judgments based on these things.

“But from a human perspective, I feel I should do something,” Wang Yao said with a slight smile.

"Let's start with three years," Zhang San said after a moment's thought.

"How about trying to get him sentenced to death?" Wang Yao grinned, his smile bright.

Zhang San's expression hardened upon hearing this.

interesting.

(End of this chapter)