Huayu96: My Thirty Years of a Prodigal Son

Chen Heping looked at Qin Sheng and said, "A signing fee of 100,000 yuan, and according to industry practice, I will give Miss Zeng 10% of the album's revenue share."

The contract is for a total of five years, and the company promises to release at least two albums for Ms. Zeng within those five years.

How about these conditions?

After stating his conditions, Liu Huan opened his mouth, as if to say something.

To be fair, this revenue sharing ratio isn't high; it's a standard newcomer contract.

When I bought "Heroes' Song" before, I talked to Qin Sheng about giving him a high commission of 10%.

But the reason that revenue share is considered high is because it's not based on a contract.

Qin Sheng only released a song, and he even kept the copyright himself, yet he could sit back and enjoy the benefits and receive a 10% cut.

Ten percent is certainly a high price.

But signing a contract is different.

Signing a contract is tantamount to selling yourself to the company.

Therefore, a 10% share is actually not high for a signed singer.

But there's no way around it; according to industry practice, a newcomer's first contract is usually this price.

Chen Heping was an old friend of mine, so I really couldn't break the rules and ask him to help Zeng Li.

However, while it's difficult to negotiate a share of the profits, it's still worth trying to secure the signing bonus.

Just as he was about to step forward and speak, Liu Huan suddenly looked at Qin Sheng, who was standing in front of him with a calm expression, and immediately stopped in his tracks.

Sigh, I'm really getting senile!

Ah Sheng and I were having a good talk, why did I have to rush to show up?

Let Ah Sheng talk first. If he can't get through to the conversation, then I can step in and smooth things over.

So Liu Huan simply put his hands behind his back and looked at the field with a smile.

After hearing Chen Heping's quote, Zeng Li's mind went blank.

She's twenty this year and has worked in the Peking Opera troupe for many years, so she's no longer a child without any social experience.

But in the Peking Opera troupe, her salary was a paltry five hundred yuan a month.

My total annual income is only six thousand yuan.

One hundred thousand is the amount of money she would have to work for more than ten years without eating or drinking to save!

Although Zeng Li doesn't care much about money, she is by no means a naive and innocent girl who doesn't understand the ways of the world.

Of course she knew the importance of money.

Just like before, if we weren't broke, why would I work with Yuan Quan until 2 a.m. just to earn some extra money?

If it weren't for the lack of money, why would Yuan Quan and I have to endure the harassment of thugs and live in the village just because of a little rent?

Isn't it all because they don't have money?

So now they're giving away 100,000 yuan just for signing a contract?

Be nice!

Get rich!

No wonder Yuan Quan was so determined to get into film school.

They said that if you get accepted, you can make a lot of money in the entertainment industry!

It seems there's a lot of money in this industry now!

However, after the initial shock, Zeng Li looked at Qin Sheng with a tender expression.

Such treatment was more for Qin Sheng than for himself.

She herself was not particularly outstanding, but he tailored each song to her, which is how she secured this lucrative contract!

Her face flushed slightly, and a feeling of tenderness welled up in Zeng Li's heart.

How can I possibly repay such a great kindness from them...?

Zeng Li was shocked, but Qin Sheng smiled and shook his head at Chen Heping's "generous" contract.

"Mr. Chen, everyone here is an industry insider. I understand the rules for dividing this business, so I won't go into too much detail."

But the quality of these three songs speaks for itself, and you've also seen Zeng Li's personal image.

With her qualifications, isn't it a bit of a waste for her to only accept the industry's lowest signing bonus?

Chen Heping revealed a calm smile, as expected.

My offer was just a test.

Let's see if this kid on the other side knows anything about this business.

If you don't know anything about the industry, your price will be absolutely unreasonable, so you might as well take the opportunity to snag a bargain.

If you're knowledgeable, then let's talk again!

Contracts just need to be negotiated several times to satisfy both parties!

"Haha, young man, Ms. Zeng is certainly excellent, and her works are very good, but Ms. Zeng's singing skills..."

Everyone here is a master; you can let them judge. To be honest, Ms. Zeng's singing skills are still a little lacking.

We will need to invest heavily in hiring a teacher for her to improve her singing skills.

These are actually all hidden benefits included in the contract.

Qin Sheng smiled calmly and said, "President Chen, you're right, Zeng Li's singing skills are a bit lacking."

However, if Zeng Li's singing skills are top-notch, then Mr. Chen, to be honest, your signing fee would have to be ten times higher before we can even discuss it.

Chen Heping seemed to have his fighting spirit ignited by Qin Sheng's eloquent speech.

"Haha, good, young man, it seems you know your stuff."

Since that's the case, I won't beat around the bush with you.

I'll add another 100,000 to your signing fee, 200,000, how about that?

For newcomers without prior achievements to prove themselves, 200,000 is definitely not a low amount.

Qin Sheng remained calm and composed.

"Mr. Chen, 200,000 is indeed a lot, but that's for an ordinary newcomer."

Don't forget, Zeng Li signed the contract with three high-quality works of her own.

To put it bluntly, if these three songs were sold on the market, they would easily fetch over 300,000 yuan.

Chen Heping seemed very satisfied that Qin Sheng could go toe-to-toe with him.

After taking a sip of water, Chen Heping said leisurely, "Young man, I've already given you my price. You've said so much, shouldn't you give me your price too?"

After pondering for a moment, Qin Sheng extended one hand.

"Mr. Chen, this is a friendly price of 500,000. It's definitely a price you can accept, and it's definitely a price you won't lose out on."

Chen Heping made an exaggerated expression as he looked at Liu Huan.

"Old Liu, look at the young people these days, how much more daring are they to speak up?"

I had already given him my bottom price, but he actually doubled it by more than two times!

Who negotiates like this?

No way! I absolutely cannot accept this.

At most 300,000, that's all.

Young man, don't try to bargain with me for 400,000. 400,000 sounds bad, and besides, I can't offer that price.

Qin Sheng pondered for a moment, then finally nodded.

Just when Chen Heping thought Qin Sheng had agreed to his offer, Qin Sheng smiled and said:

"Mr. Chen, 400,000 doesn't sound good, so how about 388,000?"

It sounds auspicious and pleasant.

After a moment of surprise, Chen Heping burst into laughter.

"Good lad, where do you get signing fees in such round numbers?"

Do you think this is like giving a bride price when getting married?

However, despite the joke, Chen Heping did not object to the condition.

Four hundred thousand was indeed his ultimate psychological bottom line.

Actually, this price is not high at all.

If you're in Hong Kong or Taiwan, signing a top new talent would cost at least 500,000 in signing fees.

Some cost over a million.

However, this is in mainland China.

The salary levels in mainland China mean that the signing fee for new employees here will not exceed 500,000 yuan.

Liu Huan noticed Chen Heping's interest, so he smiled and stepped forward to smooth things over.

"Old Chen, your younger siblings have had a tough time, so please loosen your grip a little!"

"It's company money anyway, why are you so upset?"

With Liu Huan smoothing things over, Chen Heping finally had a way out.

So he smiled and said, "Since you, Lao Liu, have spoken, I can't refuse you this favor."

Three hundred and eighty-eight thousand it is!

Consider it a case of me spending a fortune to buy a horse bone.

"Old Liu, if you come across any more promising talents like this in the future, please continue to introduce them to me!"

And so, amidst the pleasant atmosphere, the terms of Zeng Li's contract were settled.