Internet moguls are being held hostage by the entertainment system!

Chapter 276 There's nothing wrong with talking about money.

Inside the reception room of Datang Film Studio, the three sat facing each other.

Chen Xiu glanced at Yang Ming beside her, then looked at Yang Mi sitting opposite her, wondering: Why haven't these two started talking yet?
Yang Ming was also glancing at Chen Xiu out of the corner of his eye, wondering: Yang Mi asked to talk to the boss, and the boss agreed. Could there be some hidden story I don't know about? I'd better wait and see.

Like them, Yang Mi's thoughts were also complicated at this moment.

"Damn it, Zeng Jia wasn't satisfied with just tricking me once, she kept digging traps for me to fall into, even a clay figure would get angry..."

Yang Mi thought to herself.

After waiting for quite a while, the new employer on the other side still didn't speak.

Left with no other choice, she had to take the initiative and say, "Mr. Chen, Mr. Yang, shouldn't we talk about cooperation?"

"This is not urgent."

Chen Xiu glanced at Yang Ming, inwardly scolding him for being insensible, but still continued to say to Yang Mi, "Tell me first, what's the current situation? Have you terminated your contract with Jiaxing?"

"No, not yet, but I have already submitted my request to terminate the contract."

Yang Mi changed the subject several times, and Chen Xiu felt that she was not entirely telling the truth, and that there must be another story behind her so-called job change.

Thinking of this, Chen Xiu glanced at Yang Ming again, signaling him to stop acting like a wooden doll.

Having received his boss's second "warning," Yang Ming had already guessed that the two people in front of him didn't have much of a romantic relationship, and instantly his professionalism kicked in.

"Ahem, Honey, if you haven't officially terminated your contract with Jaywalk Studio yet, then there's no point in discussing our cooperation, right?"

Yang Ming coughed lightly, while Chen Xiu remained silent and pondered.

Looking at the two who had switched roles, Yang Mi explained, "It's like this, I've already proposed to terminate my contract with Jiaxing Media, and all my work and endorsements have stopped. Now I'm just waiting for our lawyers to communicate, so I wanted to come and find out in advance what kind of treatment you can offer."

"That's it."

Yang Ming nodded, thinking: This situation is reasonable.

As a top-tier actress born in 85, Yang Mi's inherent commercial value naturally puts her in a seller's market when negotiating with her agency.

After thinking for a moment, Yang Ming saw that Chen Xiu didn't intend to speak, so he took the initiative to talk to Yang Mi about the treatment issue.

"Sister Honey, when you joined Datang Pictures, did you sign a personal contract or a studio contract?"

"Signing a contract with a personal studio."

"Okay, in that case, we'll sign a cooperation agreement. Datang Pictures won't be all the resources they'll invest in you, I hope you understand..."

"My bottom line is one film project per year, and the lead actress must be the main character."

Yang Mi stated bluntly that she currently has no shortage of TV drama and variety show resources, but she lacks movie resources.

Because she offended Chen Kaige and his wife by taking on multiple roles at the same time when she was young, and also because of Li Shaohong, Yang Mi has been effectively blacklisted by the Beijing entertainment circle.

Then, her actions of supporting Zhao Wenzhao on Weibo back then caused her to lose resources in the Hong Kong entertainment circle.

Both circles have been completely offended.

As a result, Yang Mi is currently ranked first in popularity among actresses born in 1985, but there are still very few offers for her to star in movies. Of course, this is also related to her acting skills.

Yang Ming hesitated for a long time before giving a reply to Yang Mi's conditions.

Just as he glanced to the left for the third time, Chen Xiu finally spoke up: "Yang Mi, your conditions are a bit too much."

"Ok?"

Yang Mi frowned in confusion, finding Chen Xiu's descriptive tone of voice rather strange.

Chen Xiu continued, "In the current film market, the main roles are still dominated by men. There are female leads, but they are rare. Let alone where Datang Pictures will find such resources for you every year, even if they do, the investment in the film will not be large. They are basically art films that compete for awards. Would you be willing to make them?"

"Don't you have your own film in development?"

"Yes, in the movies we're preparing, the female lead is usually only second or third in billing; it's rare for her to be first. In the new movie 'Brotherhood of Blades 2,' which is releasing next month, you're also the female lead, but your billing will probably be quite low, right?"

"Forehead……"

Yang Mi remained silent. In "Brotherhood of Blades 2", her name was listed second, but her screen time was behind Zhang Yi and Lei Jiayin, and she was far less outstanding than Xin Zhilei.

It's really hard to say exactly where it will be ranked.

After a moment of silence, Yang Mi suddenly looked at Chen Xiu with bright eyes and asked, "President Chen, have you been following the updates on my new film?"

"Datang Pictures has invested in Free Whale Cool, which is Lu Yang's company."

Yang Mi's smile froze, she forced a couple of fake smiles, and then got back to the main topic.

"I don't need to be the lead actress. Just give me one leading role in a movie every year from Datang Pictures, is that enough?"

"That's not a big problem."

Yang Ming took the initiative to pick up the conversation, saying that there had been discussions within Datang Pictures about the treatment of established artists who switched companies.

For a top star like Yang Mi, getting one movie role per year is not unreasonable, but she certainly doesn't get those roles for nothing.

Yang Mingdao asked, "Sister Mi, besides this, do you have any other requests?"

"nothing now."

"Okay, let me tell you what Datang Pictures requires of you."

Yang Ming sat up straight, his eyes fixed intently on Yang Mi, instantly adopting the demeanor of an artist management director. "First, there's the management commission ratio. Based on your current status, we'll take a 10% management commission. As for tax matters, your personal studio will be responsible for handling them. If any issues arise, Datang Pictures will unilaterally terminate our cooperation with you."

What items are included in this revenue sharing?

"Movie and TV series salaries, variety show fees, brand endorsement fees, commercial performance fees..."

"What resources can you arrange for me?"

Having navigated the ups and downs of the entertainment industry for over a decade, Yang Mi is well-versed in the tricks of agency contracts.

She knew that a 10% cut was reasonable, and even the brokerage commission was secondary. Based on her experience with capital logic over the past few years, Yang Mi had a clear understanding of how much her own IP could boost a company's valuation.

She knew that Datang Pictures must have something else to offer, otherwise her joining would have been too cheap.

Faced with a seasoned veteran like Yang Mi, Yang Ming didn't try to make empty promises. Instead, he stated the facts: "In addition to one film project per year, Datang Pictures can provide you with a web series project and a top luxury brand endorsement in the fashion industry."

"Can you secure endorsements from top luxury brands?"

Yang Mi asked suspiciously, "Endorsements with top luxury brands are one of the goals of female celebrities in the industry, and also a testament to the pinnacle of their careers."

During her years at Jaywalk Studio, she always wanted to land a top luxury brand endorsement to elevate her status, but unfortunately, Zeng Jia didn't perform well, and she was never able to achieve her goal.

“For top-tier luxury endorsements, as long as the celebrity’s status and national recognition meet the requirements, the rest is just a matter of the industry. In this respect, Datang Pictures has an advantage over Jiaxing Media,” Chen Xiu explained.

While the luxury brand circle may be somewhat distant for female celebrities, it still places them at the bottom of the social hierarchy among the wealthy.

If Yang Mi could really join Datang Pictures, it wouldn't be a big problem for her to secure a top luxury brand endorsement.

Upon hearing Chen Xiu's confirmation, Yang Mi nodded and pondered for a moment.

Frankly speaking, the terms offered by Datang Pictures were more reasonable than those offered by Jaywalk Studio, and they also provided more.

In terms of the specific conditions and rules, Yang Mi has nothing to worry about anymore.

"If, and I mean if, I'm in the process of terminating my contract with Jaywalk Studio, and Datang Pictures has suitable film resources, could you give me priority consideration for the role?"

Chen Xiu's answer to this request was unusually straightforward.

"cannot!"

"Why? Because we're going to cooperate anyway."

"How do I know if you're really going to terminate your contract with Jaywalk Studio, or if you're just joking around? Even if you are, can you guarantee that you'll definitely sign with Datang after the termination?"

"I……"

Yang Mi was about to make a promise, but after seeing the meaningful look in Chen Xiu's eyes, she immediately wilted.

When Yang Mi terminated her contract with Rong Xinda, she took advantage of Tangren Media's offer of "Chinese Paladin 3" resources for free. After promising a contract, she went on a trip abroad with Cai Yinong and then ran away.

It's no wonder she's being criticized by Tangren Media for her behavior of taking advantage of others without taking responsibility.

Chen Xiu's question, "Can you guarantee that you will definitely sign with Datang?" was a direct jab at Yang Mi, reminding her that she already had a criminal record and that it was impossible for her to eat first and pay later again!

Yang Mi awkwardly pursed her lips and said, "Then I'll come back and sign a contract with you after I've completely terminated my contract with Jiaxing."

“I heard that Perfect World Pictures is in talks with Jaywalk Studio for one-way financing. If this deal goes through, Jaywalk's valuation will be even higher. Why are you leaving at this time?”

Chen Xiu asked curiously, "Now that the cooperation terms have been agreed upon, there are still some things we need to clarify."

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this topic, Yang Mi suddenly looked up, her facial muscles twitching, as if she was about to slam her fist on the table and stand up at any moment.

Chen Xiu stared at her for two seconds, then nodded and said, "So, you want to switch jobs because of this collaboration?"

"I can only tell you this in private."

"Mr. Chen, I'll head out now."

Yang Ming got up and left, but before he left, he gave Yang Mi a very strange look.

After the door was closed, Chen Xiu looked up at Yang Mi, indicating that she could speak now.

Yang Mi took a deep breath and said, "After the performance-based agreement was completed, I asked Zeng Jia to liquidate my shares. Zeng Jia then found a third-party company that planned to use a loan as collateral to acquire my shares."

“A third party has made a demand that if the valuation decreases within three years, I will have to compensate for the loss. According to you, Jiaxing’s valuation is supported by me. If I leave the company, the valuation will definitely drop, and then I will have to pay out money.”

"Thinking back on it, I feel that Zeng Jia wanted to trap me in this way. Since I didn't want to work with her anymore, I planned to switch jobs first. I can talk about the shares later. Anyway, I have the fewest shares, so I can afford to wait. Let's see if they can hold out."

After listening to this long string of stories about the Jiaxing sisters scheming against each other, Chen Xiu couldn't help but look at Yang Mi with newfound respect.

Noticing the strange look in his eyes, Yang Mi said self-deprecatingly, "Our little schemes are all used for scheming against each other, which can't compare to the great business you, President Chen, have built."

"I understand that you're in a bad mood right now and that's why you're saying these things. Let's leave it at that for now."

Chen Xiu pushed the table aside and stood up, extending her hand to Yang Mi: "I wish you a smooth contract termination and that you can join Datang."

Looking at the hand in front of me, and at this man of extraordinary bearing.

A complex emotion flashed in Yang Mi's eyes, but she quickly regained her resolve, silently thinking: If the feelings are gone, let's talk about money! There's nothing wrong with talking about money!
She slowly stood up and took Chen Xiu's hand.

"I hope that Datang can help me take my career to new heights."

"Whether you want to make a transformation depends on yourself."

　Yang Mi's commercial value is indeed very high, and judging from her statement "It's all the same in the end anyway," she has given up on love and is focusing on making money is the right path for her.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)