The Queen's Rumored Father

No, it cannot be said that it became a trend overnight.

Meng Xiaoxuan, on the other hand, has been a rising star ever since the Spring Festival Gala.

For the past month or two, entertainment news about her has been everywhere, both good and bad. An artist who is still acting and whose popularity should have faded has actually experienced a surge in popularity during her hiatus, which is completely illogical.

"Penguin didn't sign a contract with you?" Li Yuan was a little incredulous. How could Tencent Music be so careless as to not seize the opportunity to make a big splash with someone as popular as Meng Xiaoxuan right away?

Meng Xiaoxuan shook her head and said, "My previous cooperation agreement with Tencent was just a regular one, not exclusive. The company negotiated a 30/70 split for me, with Tencent getting 30% and Tencent 70%. I didn't agree to that; I demanded at least a 50/50 split. And that's been the stalemate ever since."

After Meng Xiaoxuan explained, everyone understood the specific situation.

That's why everyone was even more surprised.

Yang Ying has long been a senior partner of Tencent Music. Given this huge gap in resources, it's surprising that Meng Xiaoxuan was able to surpass Yang Ying and top the Tencent Music New Song Chart and Popular Song Chart.

This is pure, overwhelming strength!

"It seems that Huangyi Cloud Music found out about this and wants to compete with Tencent Music," Li Yuan analyzed.

As they chatted, Xu Yuan slowly left the room and dialed Ningmeng's number in the hallway.

"Hey, how was it? I think I met your requirements, right?" Lemon's voice was full of confidence.

"Not bad," Xu Yuan said. "How far have you and Huang Yiyun progressed?"

"I can't discuss the profit-sharing ratio with you since we haven't talked about it," Ningmeng said. "However, I've had a preliminary conversation with Huang Yiyun's people, and they've definitely signed a high-level cooperation contract with Meng Xiaoxuan, which will offer them the biggest concessions."

"For high-level collaborations, the revenue split is usually 50/50."

"A 50/50 split isn't enough." Xu Yuan shook his head. If it were a 50/50 split, Meng Xiaoxuan wouldn't have needed to leave Tencent Music at all.

Music platforms themselves are not biased, so even though Meng Xiaoxuan has a regular contract and Yang Ying has a high-level collaboration, Tencent Music treats them equally.

Even after Xu Yuan bewitched Ning Meng, the tide actually turned in Meng Xiaoxuan's favor.

To be fair, Penguin Music has done a pretty good job.

The reason I feel I can leave is because Tencent Music has a strong background and won't easily back down. Meanwhile, Huangyi Cloud Music is already showing signs of weakness in terms of copyright, and its attitude is somewhat hesitant when faced with large user bases.

On the other hand, Xu Yuan knew the quality of the music he brought, and with his own music, Huang Yiyun's future would be bright. He had no reason to let Huang Yiyun benefit for nothing, but he also felt indebted.

He knew these things, but others didn't, and he couldn't tell them.

"Go and negotiate a betting agreement with them. Within two months, Xiaoxuan will release another single. The outcome will be whether it tops Huang Yiyun's Hot Songs Chart. If it doesn't, we'll accept a 40/60 split, with us getting 40%. But if it tops again, we'll get 30/70, with us getting 70%!"

"Top the charts again?" Lemon's voice was unusually surprised. "Impossible. No singer can top the charts with two songs in a row, unless a superstar makes a comeback, but I think..."

Lemon didn't know how to explain these industry-standard knowledge to Xu Yuan, a complete novice.

This isn't a new song chart where anyone can stay on top for a while. This is a trending song chart, where even for top-tier and super-top-tier musicians, making it into the top ten is considered a success.

"I don't care what you think, I only care what I think! Do as I say on this one thing, and you can figure out the rest yourself. I've already transferred your salary to you, see you on Alipay."

Xu Yuan hung up the phone.

While everyone was still reveling in Meng Xiaoxuan's "A Little Happiness" topping Huang Yiyun's Hot Songs Chart, he was already considering how to top it again next time.

Xu Yuan offered Ning Meng a very high salary, even higher than initially promised.

Because Lemon's performance was better than initially predicted.

Meng Xiaoxuan's "A Little Happiness" once again topped the music charts, causing a sensation no less than its first time at the top.

The impact could be even greater.

The most direct impact is that... Haoyue Films finally couldn't hold back any longer.

In order to sign Meng Xiaoxuan, they made a lot of concessions, the biggest of which was that they almost didn't take any share of the music revenue!

This is the main reason why they were able to successfully sign Meng Xiaoxuan.

But now, Haoyue's CEO and Wu Jinlong are filled with regret.

However, they weren't without a backup plan.

Because of the profit-sharing arrangement in music, they received a higher percentage of the earnings from acting roles and endorsements. This is also why Wu Jinlong was so agitated after Meng Xiaoxuan rejected "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" and signed with "Chang'an."

The money is much less!

In terms of endorsements, due to Xu Yuan's lack of cooperation, there has been no significant income.

To possess a mountain of treasure yet be unable to realize its value is perhaps the most painful thing in the world.

So, when Meng Xiaoxuan was in the limelight once again, they took advantage of the situation to secure a high-end endorsement deal that would satisfy Xu Yuan.

Wu Jinlong couldn't wait to send the contract to Xu Yuan for his review.

Xu Yuan opened the file and a cold smile immediately appeared on his lips.

Donkey brand?

It's definitely high-end now, an internationally renowned luxury brand, and it certainly doesn't look cheap!

Brand ambassador for China!

The endorsement deal seemed high-level, but after carefully reviewing the contract, Xu Yuan discovered that wasn't the case.

Generally speaking, brand ambassadors, from highest to lowest rank, are: global ambassador, intercontinental ambassador, China region ambassador, full-line ambassador, series ambassador, single-product ambassador, brand ambassador, brand friend, and promotional ambassador.

With the rise of the Chinese market, luxury brands have flocked to it, and Louis Vuitton, one of the earliest entrants to China, has been severely impacted. Around the Spring Festival this year, Louis Vuitton's sales fell by more than 30% year-on-year, and this trend is still increasing.

To regain market share, they need a huge amount of traffic.

Their goal is to become one of the Four Little Heavenly Queens.

Meng Xiaoxuan has been gaining the most attention recently, with her popularity soaring to the top, which is why Louis Vuitton chose her.

However, they imposed harsh requirements in the contract.

time limit!

For brand ambassadors of this caliber in China, contracts are typically signed for one year, or even two years, reflecting the trust placed in the partner. However, in Meng Xiaoxuan's contract, Louis Vuitton only offered her a quarterly contract.

Three months!

This demonstrates the level of trust that Louis Vuitton placed in Meng Xiaoxuan.

In other words, although Meng Xiaoxuan is the spokesperson for the Chinese region, if it weren't for her popularity, Louis Vuitton would at most give her a brand ambassadorship or a single product endorsement opportunity.

This is Louis Vuitton's arrogance, and also the inexplicable sense of superiority of foreigners.

Earning money from China while looking down on China in the international community is truly despicable.

Furthermore, to persuade Meng Xiaoxuan to accept the contract, they added a clause: if the collaboration goes well, Louis Vuitton will offer her another endorsement deal afterward.

What does this mean?

It means, "I'm just going to pay this endorsement fee to use you for three months!"

Because Louis Vuitton was confident that within three months they could identify and retain the portion of Meng Xiaoxuan's traffic that belonged to their customers. After that, Meng Xiaoxuan would be useless.

The subsequent series of endorsements can be considered a "gift" for Meng Xiaoxuan!

Or rather, it means that Meng Xiaoxuan's endorsement in the Chinese region has been downgraded; a series of endorsements would be her true level.

Such contracts lack mutual respect and favor between the spokesperson and the brand being endorsed.

To put it bluntly, they just want to use your data.

Such endorsements might be accepted by some celebrities who are eager to make money or artists who lack confidence in their future. They might pretend to be glamorous on the surface, but they know their own worth in their hearts.

But Meng Xiaoxuan is definitely not that kind of person!

Neither Meng Xiaoxuan nor Xu Yuan will accept this endorsement! A downgraded endorsement three months later would be a fatal blow to Meng Xiaoxuan's commercial value and popularity!

"Hey, Xiaoxuan's accepted this endorsement!"

Xu Yuan dialed Wu Jinlong's number.

Laughter came from across the way from Wu Jinlong.

The voice was extremely harsh, as if it were saying, "So this is all you are!"

Unfortunately, Wu Jinlong cannot see it.

If he could see the cold smile on Xu Yuan's face, he probably wouldn't be able to smile.