How can you become a star without money?

Chapter 239: Eighteen That Year, Standing Like a Minion

In the early days of the Chinese entertainment industry, Zhao Baogang was probably the only TV drama director who truly had the ability to promote new talent.

Countless male and female artists have been made famous by him.

Moreover, he is one of the few directors who can control the quality even with new actors.

The most typical example is Sun Honglei. The fact that Zhao Baogang was able to find a suitable approach for his face and bring out its unique characteristics shows that he is indeed quite capable.

Therefore, Perfect World International was willing to spend 2 million yuan to acquire Zhao Baogang's two film and television companies in order to expand its entertainment industry.

The reason is that Zhao Baogang is a director-centric type, rather than an artist-centric type like other artists in the industry. Zhao Baogang has certain requirements for artistic works. He believes that the most important thing is the director's expression of the work's ideas, and only secondarily the artist's contribution. Therefore, his works can basically maintain a stable quality.

However, with the increasing influx of capital and the use of artistic works as bargaining chips for profit, celebrities have become the main players, while directors and screenwriters have been marginalized. As a result, Zhao Baogang's works have also become marginalized in the later stages.

With the acquisition of Zhao Baogang's company by Perfect World, aside from core artists Sun Honglei and Yao Di, most of the other artists under their management were given free rein. Fu Rui is one of Zhao Baogang's oldest contracted artists.

Although Zhao Baogang basically had no more demands on her, and she was originally going to follow the director, after meeting Wang Yao and working part-time at Tianhuo for almost a month, Fu Rui suddenly felt that being a part-time actress was not bad.

She was indeed interested in acting, but she couldn't understand the rules of the industry, and she was unwilling to compete with others, so she missed many opportunities. The roles she got were basically due to her "good connections," with Zhao Baogang or Sun Honglei recommending them to her. Over time, she accumulated a lot of favors, but her career didn't improve, which put some pressure on her.

So, with this company change, she also wanted to try a different lifestyle, and taking advantage of Qin Lan's invitation to dinner, she wanted to hear Wang Yao's opinion.

Qin Lan invited Wang Yao to dinner not only to thank him for taking care of her after his drunken misbehavior last time, but also to see if there was an opportunity to be affiliated with Tianhuo. Her management contract with Mango/Qiong Yao was about to expire. Originally, she was thinking of opening her own studio with Lu Chuan's connections, but now that the two had broken up, Qin Lan needed to re-plan her career path.

After acquiring Tianhuo, it became one of the top five large entertainment companies in the industry. There are also rumors that Wang Jinhua may return. In terms of resources and management, it is now in a class of its own.

Qin Lan felt she could shamelessly hitch a ride ahead of time, since she had broken up with Lu Chuan in the first place, and it was to help Wang Yao back then.

No meeting is a good meeting, and no banquet is a good banquet.

Two older single women invited a young and strong man to dinner. Wang Yao knew very well that they were either after his looks or his money, and he happened to have both. Moreover, Wang Yao did have ulterior motives towards Qin Lan.

Tianhuo Entertainment can finally be considered a legitimate film and television company. Artist management and model management are two completely different fields. Artists still need to network in the industry. Wang Yao currently does not have any capable assistants who are well-connected in the industry.

Zhang Meng was too low-profile in the early days, with little connection or influence in the industry. Moreover, her clothing brand business required her full dedication. Other newcomers like Gulnazar had never even entered the industry before being propelled to stardom. Zhao Liying was lucky if she didn't offend anyone, let alone make it in the industry.

The remaining ones are Ji Jin, the former vice president of Chengtian, who currently controls Tang Yan and Yang Mi, the leading figures of the new generation, and Wang Jinhua, who is about to return to Tianhuo.

Ji currently has an advantage in the record/TV drama field, while Wang Jinhua has an advantage in TV drama/film and television. Although the two groups have different directions, they will definitely have disagreements in the competition for certain resources.

A triangle is the most stable relationship, so Wang Yao needs to support a new faction as his own, mainly using variety show/commercial resources to balance the entire Tianhuo Entertainment artist sector.

Currently, the person Wang Yao has been in contact with and values ​​the most is Qin Lan.

Actually, there was another candidate, Li Bingbing's younger sister, Li Xue. After the "Snow Secret" incident, and with Ren Quan's recommendation, the Li sisters' company, Hesong, was temporarily affiliated with Tianhuo Entertainment.

Li Xue is a very capable person. She majored in journalism management and joined Wang Jinhua's team to become Li Bingbing's full-time agent in order to help her sister give up her dream of becoming a reporter. Even Wang Jinhua acknowledged her abilities.

Originally, Li Xue was the best candidate for Wang Yao's support, but Li Xue had a major problem: she was a sister-obsessed person with a strong sense of self-interest. Even though Li Bingbing was highly respected, she would inevitably be criticized in the future, and conflicts would arise in terms of impartiality.

Therefore, it was destined that Li Xue would be difficult for Wang Yao to trust her to enter the core of the Heavenly Fire in a short period of time.

Qin Lan has the typical personality of a Northeastern girl: cheerful, kind, and responsible with organizational skills. Otherwise, she wouldn't have such a complex little team as the Teddy Sisters. She also has a good business sense and the ability to weigh options.

Most importantly, Qin Lan is very dignified and has a very high emotional intelligence. Even someone as sensitive as Wang Yao would subconsciously relax when he is with her. This kind of "big sister" personality is most suitable for leading an early team and has a strong sense of cohesion.

Most importantly, Qin Lan has a relatively clean and uncomplicated background, unlike Wang Jinhua, Ji Jinru, Li Xue, and others who are difficult to control.

"Baosteel Directors Company was acquired by Perfect World. Did Sister Rong go with them?" Wang Yao asked casually.

Just as Fu Ru was struggling to find a starting point, his eyes lit up. He swallowed the rib in his mouth and said, "The director wants me to go with him, but I heard that a new team will be arranged after I get to the new company. I may not be as free as before. After all, the company signs us to make money."

"Ranzi isn't very business-savvy, and he's not good with words. He might not be able to adapt to the new company," Qin Lan added.

“If Sister Ru is thinking of giving up, you can also consider Tianhuo. We are more free and the competition for resources is relatively fair. In addition, I read your recent report on your part-time public relations work at the company. It’s not bad. You have a talent for handling this kind of problem.” Wang Yao smiled.

"I'm just helping out, but this public relations work is more complicated than I imagined. It's quite tiring to coordinate back and forth, but it's much more comfortable than attending drinking parties in the industry," Fu Huang said with a simple smile.

"She's too slow to warm up and introverted," Qin Lan said with a smile.

“That’s true, but Sister Ru has a calm demeanor that’s suitable for this kind of work. However, with so many opportunities, you still have choices. You can work in front of the camera or behind the scenes. At least supporting yourself won’t be a problem,” Wang Yao said with a smile.

"Mr. Wang is right. The atmosphere at Skyfire is perfect for your quiet, reserved personality. You can take on work when there's work, and just laze around at home when there isn't. Isn't that great?" Qin Lan said with a smile.

"If Mr. Wang doesn't mind that I'm dragging down the company's KPIs, I'd be very willing to join Tianhuo," Fu said with a shy smile.

"That's not a big problem, but I have a side question. I heard that Wang Ziwen was recommended to your company by Wang Shuo?" Wang Yao asked with a smile.

"President Wang is also a gossip?" Qin Lan became interested upon hearing this and began to recount the rumors about Wang Ziwen and Wang Shuo in Beijing's social circles.

Fu Huan was dumbfounded: "How come I didn't know?"

"You didn't know? You've been in the same company for so long, haven't you heard any rumors?" Qin Lan was taken aback.

"I knew she was hardworking, but she only joined last year. I heard she was badly screwed over by her previous company," Fu said with a smirk.

"I was assigned to the 'Driverless' crew right after joining. I guess Director Baogang thinks highly of me," Qin Lan said with a smile.

"Oh, this movie seems to be doing pretty well at the box office." Fu Huan blinked.

"It'll probably cost less than 20 million. Riding on the coattails of Li Xiaoran's news for the film's release is like getting free publicity," Wang Yao laughed.

“Oh right, Xiaoran is pretty pitiful too. I used to have a good relationship with her, but a few months ago she signed with Xingmei Entertainment along with Wang Luodan. If I join Tianhuo, will I be considered their colleague again?” Fu Rui was taken aback.

Xingmei Entertainment holds about 30% of the shares in Tianhuo Entertainment. It seems that all the artists who were promoted by Zhao Baogang before are now here.

"Looking at it this way, Director Baogang is quite pitiful too," Qin Lan said with a smile.

“He has a somewhat aloof personality and manages us like an old father. He won’t let us take on many resources that he doesn’t think are good. Moreover, he is selective about investors and projects, so the company’s internal resources have never been abundant. Some ambitious kids naturally want to venture out into the world.” Fu Rui saw things clearly.

"He's not a good boss, but he's a good director," Wang Yao commented.

"Mr. Wang, don't set your expectations too high. Bosses like you who can both support artists and continuously provide resources are extremely rare. Zhi Lei mentioned it last time; she never thought that acting in plays could support her."

She'd been signed with her former company for almost three years, and had only taken on one proper advertisement and one digital film that hadn't even been released yet. After that, she'd been supporting herself by studying and working part-time. She clearly entered the entertainment industry to make money," Qin Lan said, subtly flattering Wang Yao.

In 07, Xin Zhilei signed with Liang Ting, the agent of Zhen Zitan, who owned his own agency in mainland China. At that time, Zhen Zitan had just entered the mainland market and had not yet filmed "Ip Man" to become a "Grandmaster". The company's resources were not enough for its own use, let alone to support its artists.

However, his agent, Liang Ting, was very shrewd. In the early days, he used Zhen Zi's status as a Hong Kong star to fabricate many projects to recruit actors, and then selected suitable talents to sign into the company as reserve forces. But in reality, the company did not have the ability to provide suitable opportunities for these newcomers at that time.

However, she is good at creating an atmosphere of abundant resources. As long as there is an audition within the industry, regardless of whether the audition is successful or not, she will basically let her artists try. She brainwashes the newcomers by making them experience numerous setbacks in auditions and facing various external risks from industry unspoken rules, so that they will obediently stay in the company and wait for opportunities.

This situation continued until Zhen Zitan's "Ip Man 2" became a huge hit, and the situation improved after receiving investment from other investors. However, Liang Ting's abilities were indeed limited, and he failed to discover many promising talents, wasting a lot of their time.

Before Xin Zhilei went to participate in the casting for "The Last Supper," she had been out of school for almost a year and had hardly received any income from the company. She relied entirely on part-time jobs to support herself. So when she heard that Tianhuo Artists had a stable income, she was willing to pay a penalty of 200,000 yuan to terminate her contract.

After Tianhuo acquired Kaixin Mahua, the demand for offline stage actors increased significantly. Wang Yao didn't care about the profit sharing from offline stages and used all the profits to support the actors. As long as they were selected, even if they were just backups for rehearsals, they could still receive a minimum guaranteed salary of 5000 yuan per month.

In addition to the extra income from the company's online auctions, newcomers with slightly better qualifications can generally earn more than 8000 yuan a month, which is already considered a high income for newcomers in the entertainment industry.

In its early days, the entertainment industry was similar to the antique industry. For many newcomers, it was all about enduring hardship. They might not make any business for a year, but when they did, they could live off it for the rest of the year. Tianhuo's advantage was that it had abundant e-commerce-driven business resources, which could at least support these newcomers.

"The entertainment industry relies too much on nepotism. Tianhuo's advantage lies in the fact that its business dealings are not greatly affected by the entertainment industry, which is quite friendly to newcomers who want to become full-time artists," Wang Yao said with a smile.

"That's because Mr. Wang is kind-hearted. Generally, talent agencies in the industry don't treat newcomers like human beings. Either they have some background themselves, or they have to mingle in the circle and attend drinking parties," Qin Lan said with a light laugh.

"Sister Lan debuted at her peak, so she shouldn't have this kind of trouble, right?" Wang Yao said with a smile.

Qin Lan was selected by Hunan TV to play the female lead right from her debut, and then the following year she starred in "The Love Story of Tang Dynasty" alongside Tang Guoqiang as Wu Zetian.

Later, she was directly selected to star in the hugely popular "Princess Pearl 3". She was noticed by Qiong Yao and signed to her company, becoming a representative of the new generation of Qiong Yao girls. During this period, she basically had 1-2 leading roles every year, and her career was very smooth.

"I'm afraid people will beat me up if they find out. I do have a lot of resources, but having a lot also brings a lot of troubles. If I take your roles and don't take hers, it's easy to offend people. This industry is incredibly small."
You never know who you offended that caused a chain reaction, leading to being blacklisted by a group of people. That's why I've been walking on thin ice all these years." Qin Lan brought out the wine at some point and started drinking it herself.

“Without a powerful backer to keep things under control, it’s easy to offend people, so I’m afraid of getting into trouble, so I’ll just wait for the company to make arrangements.” Fu Ru shrugged.

"That's only if the company is doing well. If you encounter a lousy company that just wants to make money, they might just assign you any job and ruin your future. That's why I really admire Fan Bingbing. Her ability to navigate social situations is something most people can't match," Qin Lan said with a smile.

"Has Sister Lan been affected by the last party?" Wang Yao squinted.

"It's alright. Although we broke up, it was a peaceful separation. However, it's highly likely that I won't get the role in 'The Banquet'." Qin Lan poured herself another glass of wine upon hearing this.

While he might say he regrets the lack of resources, he's probably actually regretting the relationship.

"Looking back, it's my fault." Wang Yao scratched his head.

"It has nothing to do with President Wang. Even if it didn't happen this time, it would happen again. Men, especially men in the entertainment industry, are all unreliable," Qin Lan sighed softly.

"Drink less, I don't have the energy to serve you anymore," Fu Rui advised.

"Anyway, I don't have a job recently, so I'm not worried," Qin Lan said with a smile.

"Actually, you can't treat relationships like a life question, because there's no fixed answer," Wang Yao said with a smile.

“But when women get older, they instinctively look for a standard answer, you know. I’m over thirty now.” Qin Lan smiled bitterly.

"The standard answer Sister Lan gave is marriage and having children? With your qualifications, that should be easy to achieve, right?" Wang Yao asked.

"How could it be easy? First, you have to find someone suitable and someone you like, and then go through a long period of getting to know each other before you can finally make up your mind," Qin Lan said, frowning.

"Then your standard answer becomes complicated, doesn't it?" Wang Yao asked again.

“But the solution process itself is complicated,” Qin Lan said with a smile. “Is there a simpler solution process?” Wang Yao asked.

"This?" Qin Lan was stunned.

“Women don’t necessarily have to get married to be the standard answer,” Fu Rui also said.

"Besides, you said it yourself, men in the industry are unreliable, but men outside the industry aren't necessarily reliable either. You feel that the process of pursuing the answer is wrong, so how can you find the right answer?" Wang Yao laughed.

"There will still be reliable men, right?" Qin Lan said with a forced smile.

"That's true, but it's a matter of probability. But don't you think it's a bit irresponsible to gamble your whole life on buying lottery tickets?"

"Look, you're young, beautiful, have a career, and friends. You have so many certainties, yet you choose to gamble on an uncertain answer. Isn't that a bit too much of a gamble?" Wang Yao laughed.

"Mr. Wang seems quite pessimistic about relationships." Qin Lan stared blankly at Wang Yao.

Because of the alcohol, her vision was a little blurry, and Wang Yao's face appeared blurry yet strangely alluring, causing her to subconsciously swallow.

“It’s not that I’m pessimistic about relationships, but rather optimistic about my life.” Wang Yao smiled and shook his head, then asked, “Assuming you live another 40 years, and you get married now, are you confident that you can spend the next 40 years with the same person, and are you confident that you won’t fall for someone else during those 40 years?”

Qin Lan was taken aback, coughed lightly, and raised her hand: "Well, the concept of 'being moved' is too broad. I can't guarantee that, but I can guarantee that I will never have a physical affair!"

“So you’ll still have emotional affairs,” Fu Rui said with a laugh.

"Okay, according to the principle of 'Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you,' if you don't have confidence in the relationship, then you probably don't have confidence in the other person either. This means that the relationship is definitely something with a lot of uncertainty."

"So, assuming you have 40 years, are you confident that you can continue acting or pursuing a career you love until you die?" Wang Yao asked again.

"That's a broad term. For example, if you're talking about career, I could be an actor this year and a host next year. Those are all careers, right?" Qin Lan blinked.

“What I mean is, whatever you do, you have to do things, right? You can’t really stand still like a stone,” Wang Yao rephrased.

"That's for sure, otherwise what would we eat and drink?" Qin Lan nodded.

"So, in the next 40 years, the only thing you can be sure of is your career, not love. Theoretically speaking, the probability of finding a career you can dedicate your life to is far greater than the probability of finding a marriage."
And most importantly, a career won't leave you on its own, but marriage is dynamic. Instead of managing something uncertain, why not focus on doing what you can be sure of? Between the two, which seems like the standard answer?" Wang Yao chuckled.

“A career is clearly more reliable than a man.” Fu Huan nodded in agreement.

"That does seem to make some sense. It's more important to focus on things that are more certain." Qin Lan blinked. "But love is also quite important."

"I've seen a saying that there's no such thing as 'other-love' in human relationships; it's all narcissism. In other words, what you call love is mostly a conversation you have with yourself, not with an objectively existing person."

We can be optimistic that a match made in heaven truly exists, but there's no need to be so optimistic as to think we're destined to meet true love. Wang Yao chuckled.

"Mr. Wang, have you suffered a serious heartbreak?" Qin Lan asked curiously, speechless.

"Ahem, I apologize for being so forward," Fu Huan cleared his throat.

"I am a person with great love," Wang Yao said with a slight smile.

“I understand, I understand.” Qin Lan pouted. “But Mr. Wang also needs to understand that middle-aged women like us, who have been instilled with the idea of ​​‘true love above all’ since childhood, especially at my age, it is indeed difficult to get rid of the influence of worldly values.”

"It seems Sister Lan is still troubled by love. I was originally thinking of having you come to Tianhuo to help me manage the artist department," Wang Yao said regretfully.

"Hmm?" Qin Lan's dazed eyes cleared up considerably upon hearing this: "President Wang, please wait and explain in detail."

"Aren't you looking for the standard, conventional answer?" Wang Yao raised an eyebrow.

"It's because I don't have a better option. If my career could advance further, maybe my midlife crisis would be resolved," Qin Lan chuckled.

“After the restructuring of Tianhuo Entertainment, a new variety show planning department was added. The position is at the same level as Ji Jinru and Wang Jinhua, but it is mainly responsible for resources in the direction of variety shows. I looked around and felt that Sister Lan’s connections and experience in the industry are suitable. She can give it a try,” Wang Yao said with a smile.

"Management? On par with President Ji and Sister Hua? Me?" Qin Lan sobered up completely.

She had been laying the groundwork for so long hoping that Wang Yao would remember the favor she had done at the last dinner party and think of her when the opportunity arose.

But unexpectedly, Wang Yao did her such a big favor by directly transferring her to management.
Although it sounds like a role that balances the power between Wang and Ji, given the scale of Tianhuo and Wang Yao's strength, this management position definitely carries real power and resources.

In terms of seniority, she's just a mid-career artist; in terms of experience, she has absolutely no management experience; and in terms of connections, she does have some, but it's nothing compared to those who are professionals in the industry.

Why did you choose me?

"Sister Lan has a good reputation in the industry and many friends. The variety show department is mostly made up of newcomers, so they need an experienced and approachable senior to guide them, rather than the usual power management. Therefore, it really tests the leader's approachability and ability to balance things," Wang Yao explained.

"Mr. Wang has a discerning eye. I love making friends and I'm good at handling disputes as a referee, but I really have no experience in management. I can't even manage my own dog." Qin Lan was somewhat tempted, but she was also aware of her own limitations.

“Management matters are handled by professional agents; Sister Lan’s role is to reassure people,” Wang Yao said with a smile.

"Oh, playing the good cop and mediator? She's quite good at that," Fu Huan chuckled upon hearing this.

"Pretty much. Based on my expectations for the variety show department, we need at least 10 to 20 medium-to-large-scale variety shows every year, involving at least 60 artists in the industry, some from our company and some from external companies. We need to vet their temperaments and personalities, who gets along with whom, and their relationship entanglements," Wang Yao said with a smile.

The entertainment industry is a mess, and these inside stories are very important. They can determine the chemistry in variety show filming. Wang Yao wants excellent variety shows, not shows that are just copied and deliberately create topics. Therefore, the selection and control of personnel is very important.

Qin Lan was able to handle such a complicated interpersonal relationship as the Teddy Sisters, and she didn't suffer any setbacks or collapses later on. The fact that she was able to get away unscathed shows that she is indeed very capable.

"I'm actually quite good at this, but I'm not gossiping, I just like to ask questions," Qin Lan said with a smile.

“As for your own career, you can enjoy the same treatment as a Class A artist, but as your business grows, you may need to find a balance,” Wang Yao said.

"You can still act?" Qin Lan's eyes lit up.

“Of course.” Wang Yao nodded.

"If Mr. Wang really thinks highly of me, I will definitely do my best. But if I can't handle it, please don't blame me for quitting," Qin Lan said with a smile.

"No problem, I trust my judgment of people," Wang Yao said with a smile.

It was too late, and it wasn't appropriate for a lone man and woman to be alone in a room, so Wang Yao made an excuse and left first.

"Quick, slap me, let's see if I'm dreaming!" Qin Lan said excitedly after seeing Wang Yao off.

"It's not a dream, congratulations, President Qin. From now on, I can also be a person with connections who can get on your good side." Fu Ru chuckled and pinched her cheek.

"Why do you think they chose me? If it's really to make up for what I did, the reward would be too great," Qin Lan said with a grin.

"What else could it be? They're either after your abilities or your body." Fu Huan looked Qin Lan up and down.

"That can't be right. In terms of figure, I can't compare to Zhang Meng, and in terms of youth, I can't even compare to those younger girls. They must have valued my abilities. Who would have thought that after being an actress for more than ten years, they would discover that I have the talent to be a manager? Tsk tsk, isn't that absurd?" Qin Lan chuckled.

"Didn't Zhu Li say you were Mr. Wang's first teacher when he was a child? Maybe she's just rewarding her childhood self? You'd better be careful not to bring work-related reports into your bedroom."

"The way you looked at Mr. Wang when we were chatting earlier made me afraid you might impulsively throw yourself at him. Sister, let me remind you, you're just single again after a breakup, that's not a reason to be reckless," Fu Rui suddenly said with a serious expression.

Fu Huan even suspected that if he hadn't been there today, the two of them might have actually ended up together. The way Qin Lan looked at Wang Yao was really terrifying.

"What are you saying! You're making me sound like a female hooligan." Qin Lan blushed instantly to the roots of her ears, and pursed her lips: "But I don't know why, I do find him somewhat inexplicably attractive."

“I can understand, but I don’t agree. Once a relationship between a man and a woman crosses the line, it’s easy for problems to arise, especially if you really become his superior and subordinate, and you’re a hopeless romantic.” Fu Ru said with some concern.

"No, I can tell the difference between being full at one meal and being full at every other meal. But this transition of me directly to management seems a bit too big a leap." Qin Lan suppressed her joy.

“I don’t understand, but many agents/producers in our industry are former artists. I think you’re quite good at it. But it’s okay, you’re not very close to President Ji and Sister Hua, so President Wang might trust you more,” Fu Rui said with a smile.

"Huh? After working here for a few days, I've noticed your mind has become quite sharp." Qin Lan raised an eyebrow slightly.

"I'm just too lazy to think about it, not that I'm really stupid, OK?" Fu Ru rolled his eyes.

Shanghu Gaoan Road.

Its history dates back to the French Concession in 1914. It is the earliest core area of ​​Shanghai, the first residential area in Shanghai, and one of the most representative areas of Shanghai. It is synonymous with top-tier luxury homes, and the current price per unit is as high as six figures.

The Huaxia Games 100-person conference was held in one of the villas, in a cocktail party/salon format, with the theme of "Opening the Next 10 Years of Online Games".

When Wang Yao and Cai Haoyu arrived at the banquet venue, they looked at the group of middle-aged entrepreneurs in suits who exuded success and raised their eyebrows slightly.

Those who could appear here were basically the top figures in some of China's industries, most of whom had been practicing for more than ten years. The appearance of Wang Yao and Cai Haoyu, two overly young faces, naturally made them the focus of attention.

However, most people are very familiar with Wang Yao's face, after all, he is a young talent who has appeared in various news reports with Ma Yun many times.

Moreover, with the title of "Shanghai's Pride," they can be considered the host in Shanghai.

But no one took the initiative to greet them. Instead, they all looked at the two of them with great interest or curiosity, discussing among themselves. They were mainly curious as to why Wang Yao, who was in the e-commerce business, would be here.

Led by the waiter, we found our spot at Xingyou's location, one of the most secluded corners of the entire venue.

"Tsk, you're being looked down upon, Mr. Cai," Wang Yao chuckled.

"At least there's a seat," Cai Haoyu said with a smile.

After waiting for a while, I saw the initiator, Lei Jun, go on stage with great enthusiasm to give the opening ceremony, looking very confident and authoritative.

"What are your thoughts on seeing so many industry veterans?" Wang Yao asked with a smile.

"Can he be replaced?" Cai Haoyu chuckled.

Wang Yao raised an eyebrow slightly and patted him on the shoulder.

"I was eighteen that year, standing there like a lackey."

(End of this chapter)