Huayu: Starting with Xiang Yu, the Hegemon of Western Chu

"Mr. Ma," Chen Mo began, his tone calm and even, "let me introduce you. This is Ms. Shen Yuzhuo, the founder of Pushi Culture."

Ma Hongzhi had already stood up, and the smile on his face had become somewhat stiff.

"Mr. Shen, I've heard so much about you. I'm Ma Hongzhi from Xingchen Entertainment."

He stretched out his hand.

Shen Yu glanced at him, nodded lightly, and briefly shook his hand.

Then she turned to look at Chen Mo, her tone very gentle.

"I've arrived at an inopportune time, I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation. Please continue, I'll just listen from the side."

Chen Mo shook his head.

"It's not an intrusion. Mr. Ma and his team just finished explaining their terms, and I'm currently considering them."

Shen Yu nodded and didn't say anything more.

She sat quietly next to Chen Mo, her hands folded on the table, like an observer.

But in that instant, all five people in the conference room had their attention focused on her.

Mr. Li, the legal director with the gold-rimmed glasses, became wary.

He knew about the culture of unpolished stones.

Everyone in the legal profession knows about Pushi Culture.

It wasn't because of the company's size, but because the company's boss, Shen Yuzhuo, was notoriously "difficult to talk to."

She personally reviewed every contract she negotiated, and her terms always contained details that others wouldn't expect.

Artists from Pu Shi Culture who sign contracts with her are usually very happy in the end, but the brands, production teams, and investors she has worked with all think, "This woman is too smart; you have to be careful when dealing with her."

This person was sitting next to Chen Mo at that moment.

He sat on Chen Mo's side.

Mr. Li already had a very bad feeling.

But he's a professional general counsel, and he has to steer things in the direction he wants.

"Hello, Mr. Shen." Mr. Li nodded politely. "We just finished explaining the main terms of the contract to Mr. Chen Mo. Since you are here, I can briefly summarize them again."

Shen Yu smiled and made a "please" gesture.

"I'm listening to what Mr. Li has to say."

Mr. Li opened his notebook and read the long list of conditions again.

The signing bonus was 12 million.

It's divided into 70/30.

We guarantee three top-tier films and two leading TV dramas every year.

An independent studio with a team of ten.

A CBD office and a business vehicle.

He read it even more carefully than the first time, making sure every number reached Shen Yu's ears clearly.

After reading it aloud, President Li looked up at Shen Yu.

The meaning behind that look was: This is our company's top-of-the-line product. If you want to sign a contract with Chen Mo, can you afford this price?

Shen Yu turned her head slightly and glanced at Chen Mo.

Chen Mo did not look back at her.

He was looking at Ma Hongzhi across from him.

"Mr. Ma," Chen Mo said, "You've kept Ms. Shen waiting, let her also tell us her terms. Let's all listen together."

Ma Hongzhi's expression changed slightly.

He knew what Chen Mo meant by saying that.

Chen Mo is putting them on the same competitive footing.

Star Entertainment and Pushi Culture presented their terms in front of Chen Mo, forcing him to make a choice on the spot.

This situation puts Star Entertainment in a very passive position.

Because Star Entertainment has already revealed all its cards.

PuShi Culture's true colors haven't been revealed yet.

But Ma Hongzhi had no choice but to refuse.

He couldn't very well say, "Don't let President Shen speak," that would seem too petty.

"Of course." Ma Hongzhi forced a smile. "Please go ahead, Mr. Shen."

Shen Yu then turned around to face the five people opposite her.

Her expression remained gentle.

"My conditions are very simple," she said.

"Just three."

The five people in the conference room all perked up their ears at the same time.

"Firstly," Shen Yu said, "Pu Shi Culture is only responsible for connecting Chen Mo with high-quality resources. What roles he takes, what characters he plays, and how he plans his career path are entirely up to him. I will not interfere."

Mr. Li's eyebrows twitched slightly.

"Secondly, there will be no fixed signing bonus. Chen Mo will receive 95% of the film's salary, and the company will receive 0.5%."

When the words "0.5%" were uttered, the expressions of the five people opposite them all froze.

The most ethical profit-sharing ratio among top artists in the industry is probably 80% for the artist and 20% for the company.

What does 0.5% mean?

This means that PuShi Culture hardly makes any money from Chen Mo.

Ma Hongzhi looked at Shen Yu with an incredulous expression.

He couldn't believe that a business owner would offer such terms.

Mr. Li's reaction was more professional; he immediately calculated in his mind what this ratio meant.

If Chen Mo takes on 50 million yuan worth of roles in a year, Pu Shi Culture can only take 250,000 yuan from it.

Two hundred and fifty thousand.

It's not even enough for an assistant's annual salary.

Shen Yu continued.

"Thirdly, if Chen Mo wants to leave at any time, he only needs to give one month's notice. There is no penalty for breach of contract."

After saying these three points, Shen Yu leaned back in her chair and quietly waited for the other person's reaction.

The five people on the other side were dumbfounded.

There was no signing bonus.

They almost never take a cut.

There is no penalty for breach of contract.

What kind of contract is this?

This is a contract that allows you to "come and go as you please."

This contract is fundamentally flawed in the operational logic of a professional brokerage firm.

Mr. Li was the first to come to his senses.

He looked at Shen Yu and asked a question very seriously.

"Mr. Shen, if I may ask, how does PuShi Culture make a profit under your conditions?"

Shen Yu smiled.

"I'll figure out how to make a profit myself."

"But......"

"Mr. Li," Shen Yu interrupted him, her tone still gentle, "the operating logic of our two companies may be a little different. When I sign contracts, what I value is not how much money the artist can make for me, but whether the artist can perform well in the way he wants. If he performs well, I will naturally have my own way of rewarding him. These rewards may not necessarily come from him, but may also come from other partners."

Before Mr. Li could say anything more, Ma Hongzhi had already stopped him.

Ma Hongzhi looked at Shen Yu, then at Chen Mo.

Then he laughed.

"Mr. Shen's terms... are quite unique, Xiao Mo. I have to remind you that the reason a contract needs a signing bonus and a penalty for breach of contract is because it is a guarantee for the artist and a commitment to the company's investment. Mr. Shen's terms sound very lenient, but from a professional point of view, it actually lacks the basic framework of a commercial contract. In other words, I have doubts about whether this kind of contract can truly help you manage your career well."

After saying this, Ma Hongzhi's expression relaxed slightly.

He felt he had turned the situation around a bit.

He was telling the truth.

From a professional business contract perspective, Shen Yu's terms were indeed too lenient, so lenient that they didn't resemble a proper contract.

He believed Chen Mo would understand this.

After all, the 12 million signing bonus, the 10-person team, the CBD office, and the business vehicle are all tangible things on the table.

And what did Shen Yu give?

A few very beautiful sentences.

A few words that sound respectful to the artist, but actually contain no hard promises.

Any normal artist would know how to make the choice.

Ma Hongzhi looked at Chen Mo, waiting for him to speak.

President Li also looked at Chen Mo.

Sister Lin also looked at Chen Mo.

Even the two men in suits sitting next to him who hadn't spoken before were looking at Chen Mo.

Chen Mo looked down at the bottle of mineral water in front of him.

Then he looked up and smiled.

"Mr. Ma, may I ask you one more question?"

"you say."

"If I sign your contract, I'd like to take on a low-budget art film directed by Zhou Mu for my next project, with a salary of only about 300,000 yuan. Would the company agree to that?"

Ma Hongzhi was stunned for a moment.

"A salary of 300,000?"

"right."

"Well... Xiao Mo, you're not worth 300,000 anymore. Our company's plan is for you to move towards top-tier commercial blockbusters and leading TV dramas. Those art films that cost a few hundred thousand are, from a career planning perspective,..."

"In other words, I disagree," Chen Mo interrupted him.

Ma Hongzhi's words caught in his throat.

He couldn't say "agree".

A company invested 12 million in signing fees, but the artist went and took on a small film worth 300,000. How should this be accounted for?

But he couldn't say "disagree".

The moment the words "disagree" were uttered, Chen Mo's earlier implication was confirmed.

Chen Mo did not press him for an answer.

He turned to look at Shen Yu.

"Mr. Shen, I have the same question. If I sign with you, I'd like to take on an art film for 300,000 yuan. Would you agree?"

Shen Yu looked at him and smiled very softly.

"As I just said, it's entirely up to you what roles you take on and what kind of roles you play; I won't interfere."

"You're not even going to interfere with 300,000?"

"You're not going to interfere even with 30,000?"

"You're not going to interfere even with three thousand?"

"I won't interfere with the thirty." Shen Yu caught up with him, her tone still calm. "As long as it's a role you want to play, I'll help you get in touch. As for whether it makes money or not, that's my own business."

The meeting room fell completely silent.

Ma Hongzhi sat there, his expression gradually crumbling.

He understood.

Shen Yu's contract was not "unprofessional".

Shen Yu's contract was "completely tailor-made for Chen Mo".

It doesn't make business sense.

But it perfectly meets the needs of someone like Chen Mo.

For Chen Mo, money has never been the most important thing; roles are.

The contract with Star Entertainment offered money but demanded output.

Chen Mo's life path has never been about "exchanging money for output".

His life path is to "act in my own way and let the play itself generate value."

Ma Hongzhi should have realized this a year ago.

But he didn't.

None of the management at Star Entertainment are involved.

So back then they felt that Chen Mo "had no commercial value".

Today they believe Chen Mo has "astronomical commercial value".

Both judgments are wrong.

Because they never truly understood this young man.

Chen Mo stood up.

The movements were very gentle.

He looked at Ma Hongzhi across from him, his tone very flat.

"Mr. Ma, thank you for Star Entertainment's sincerity. Twelve million is a very high number, I agree. The team, office, and business vehicle are all things we've really put our heart into."

Ma Hongzhi's eyes lit up slightly.

He thought Chen Mo was about to agree.

"But I have a concern," Chen Mo continued. "When the company terminated my contract a year ago, their assessment of me was 'no commercial value,' and I still remember those eight words clearly. At the time, the company made a decision very quickly, and the contract was signed faster than I could finish a meal."

"The company brought me back today and gave me a signing bonus of 12 million. A year has passed, and the company's evaluation of me has changed. Back then, the company judged me to have 'no commercial value,' and they made that judgment very quickly. Today, the company judges me to have 'huge commercial value,' and they made that judgment very quickly as well."

"Mr. Ma, do you know what this means?"

Ma Hongzhi opened his mouth, but no words came out.

"This means that within Star Entertainment's evaluation system, my value can be overturned and reassessed at any time." Chen Mo's tone remained calm, without any emotional fluctuation. "Today you think I'm worth twelve million because I have the Huabiao Award and Zhou Mu's film. But what if one day I take on a film that doesn't receive a great response? Would you then think I'm not worth it anymore?"

"A value that can be overturned at any time is not a source of security for me, but a burden."

Ma Hongzhi's mouth was open, but he couldn't say a word.

Mr. Li wanted to interrupt, but Chen Mo didn't give him the chance.

"Mr. Shen's terms seem very lenient. There's no signing bonus, almost no commission, and you can leave whenever you want."

"But there's something in this relaxed atmosphere that Star Entertainment can't provide."

Chen Mo paused for a moment.

"It's trust."

"President Shen doesn't need to pay me a signing bonus because she trusts I won't take on any roles indiscriminately. She doesn't need to offer high commissions to motivate me because she trusts I will perform well in every role. She doesn't need to impose a penalty for breach of contract because she trusts I won't leave for a little profit."

"This trust cannot be seen by looking at the contract terms, but by looking at the person. Only someone who understands me can offer such terms; someone who doesn't understand me can only offer money."

"Mr. Ma, it's not that twelve million isn't enough, it's that you still don't understand me."

"Just like a year ago."

The meeting room was eerily quiet.

None of the five people opposite them spoke.

Ma Hongzhi's face changed several colors within five seconds.

From stiffness, to paleness, to flushed red, to the final bewilderment of "I want to say something but I don't know what to say."

Sister Lin lowered her head, not daring to look at Chen Mo.

She was the only person in the conference room who accompanied Chen Mo through the entire contract termination process.

She remembered what the eighteen-year-old boy in the conference room looked like back then.

She remembered that boy sitting at the same long table, saying nothing, just pushing the contract over, signing it, stamping it, and leaving.

She thought the boy was very sensible at the time.

Now she knows.

That's not being sensible.

That's because from that moment on, the boy decided that he would never again hand himself over to any company that didn't understand him for money.

Chen Mo did not wait for the other party's reaction any longer.

He turned to Shen Yu.

"Mr. Shen, did you bring the contract?"

Shen Yu smiled and took a document out of her bag.

It was printed on A4 paper and only had three pages in total.

She pushed the documents in front of Chen Mo.

Chen Mo didn't even look at it, and took out a pen from his pocket.

He signed his name in the signature section on the last page.

The two characters "陈默" have very stable strokes.

After signing, he pushed the contract back to Shen Yu.

The whole process took less than ten seconds.

The five people opposite watched all of this unfold.

No one stopped them.

No one spoke.

Because they had run out of things to say.

Chen Mo stood up and bowed slightly to Ma Hongzhi.

"Mr. Ma, Ms. Lin, Mr. Li, we apologize for the delay today. We appreciate the company's sincerity and hope to see you again someday."

He turned and walked towards the door of the conference room.

Shen Yu also stood up, put the newly signed contract into her bag, and nodded politely to the five people opposite her.

"Farewell, everyone."

The two walked out of the conference room one after the other.

He walked out of the conference room where Chen Mo had signed the termination agreement a year ago.

He walked out of that corridor where no one looked at him a year ago, but today no one dares to look at him.

The meeting room door closed behind them.

A "click" sound.

Ma Hongzhi sat in his chair, staring at the unused contract in his hand for a long time.

Then he slammed the contract heavily on the table.

"Hold."

This was the last thing he said today.

Sister Lin watched him from the side, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

She remembered this conference room from a year ago.

She asked Chen Mo a question that day.

"What are you planning to do after you get out?"

Chen Mo's answer at the time was "Live first."

She remembers laughing to herself at the time, thinking that this young man was really out of touch with reality.

One year later.

She suddenly realized that the three words "live first" back then were probably the most resolute sentence she had ever heard.

First, stay alive.

And then, I ended up living the life I have today.

However, looking back, she also felt somewhat helpless. It was truly... frustrating that her own company had facilitated a contract with another company.

But it's alright, at least I can live with myself a little better.

In fact, she had some inside information about the company's motivations for signing Chen Mo.

With a signing fee of twelve million plus that tampered contract, if Chen Mo successfully signs the contract, an abyss awaits him.

The company had already planned ahead. Once Chen Mo signed the contract, they would arrange a large number of variety shows, live-streaming e-commerce, capital-funded film and television dramas, and investment endorsements. Given Chen Mo's current popularity, the company could easily cover the signing fee of 12 million yuan, and on top of that, they could make a huge profit.

At the same time, given Chen Mo's reputation, the company will definitely use Chen Mo as a guarantee of trust, bringing all the new employees into the company to enhance their credentials. Incidentally, it will also allow Chen Mo and Gu Chenyang to interact amicably and appear on variety shows, thus diluting Gu Chenyang's negative press.

It can be said that as long as Chen Mo signs the contract, it will be of great benefit to the company.

But this time, Chen Mo seems to have matured.

After all, this is how the company operated him when they first signed him.

The "expressionless man" at the time was actually a requirement from the director, since the company had made a request to the production team not to ruin Chen Mo's aloof persona.

I just didn't expect that "Huo Qubing" would have such a big impact when it aired.

The company wanted to take this opportunity to promote He Hong again, but Chen Mo refused.