Reborn in the Entertainment Industry: This Top Star Has Real Achievements

The plane landed smoothly at Xiaoshan Airport. As soon as Li Xiang and Uncle Wang stepped out, they were quickly greeted by two men in suits.

"Hello, Teacher Wang, Mr. Li." The middle-aged man at the head of the group greeted them with a polite smile and offered his business card.

"I'm Han from Huace Film & Television Brokerage Management Center. I'm here to pick you two up on orders from General Manager Zhang. The car is already waiting outside. Shall we go over now?"

Li Xiang and Uncle Wang exchanged a glance, both seeing a clear understanding in each other's eyes.

Huace's entourage clearly shows they take this negotiation seriously. The two men didn't say much and followed the staff into the car.

The car drove into Xixi Industrial Park and stopped in front of a modern office building.

When they were led into the conference room, there were already two people sitting inside.

The man was about forty years old, wearing a dark gray suit, and had a refined and scholarly demeanor.

The woman next to him was about thirty-five or thirty-six years old, with short hair that reached her ears. She had bright eyes and, despite her smile, exuded an aura that was not to be underestimated.

"Teacher Wang, Mr. Li, you must be tired from your journey." The refined man stood up first, shook hands with Uncle Wang, and then turned to Li Xiang.

"I am Zhang Hui, General Manager of Huace Film & Television Brokerage Management Center. This is Li Qing, Director of the Artists Department."

"Mr. Zhang, Director Li, thank you for waiting for us." Uncle Wang smiled and shook hands in return, and Li Xiang also greeted him, his attitude neither humble nor arrogant.

After taking their seats, Zhang Hui spoke first, his gaze falling on Uncle Wang:

"Teacher Wang, we've talked on the phone a few times before, and we've been communicating online for a long time. Today, I'm finally meeting you in person."

Then he looked at Li Xiang, his tone full of praise, "As expected of someone Director Zhang has chosen. Mr. Li's temperament is that of a natural actor."

Li Xiang quickly waved his hand: "President Zhang, please don't call me 'sir'. I'm only 19 this year. Just call me Li Xiang or Xiao Li."

If this deal goes through today, I'll be working for you two from now on. Calling me that would be too formal.

These words were both humble and witty. Zhang Hui and Li Qing exchanged a glance and nodded secretly—at least they weren't blinded by the title of "Zhang Yimou's leading man," which was better than expected.

Li Qing picked up the tea on the table and gently pushed it in front of Li Xiang: "Then let's get straight to the point."

Mr. Zhang and Mr. Wang had communicated several times beforehand, and the core conditions were basically clear. Today, the main purpose is to finalize all the details.

Zhang Hui chimed in, opening the folder in front of him: "The basic framework offered by the company is a ten-year contract."

The company guarantees at least two top-tier TV dramas every year—you two can rest assured about that. The company has a mature production team, and Li Xiang can be given priority in choosing the themes.

As for the film sector, to be honest, the company's film department is still in its early stages, and it is certainly not capable of handling major projects for the time being.

However, as long as it is a project that Li Xiang approves of, the company is willing to invest in it after evaluation, and then try to secure a role for you in the play.

Of course, this will definitely be written into the contract and is legally protected.

"In addition, the company has long-term cooperation with many well-known brands in terms of artist business."

Once "Under the Hawthorn Tree" gains popularity after its release, we will quickly connect you with suitable commercial endorsements, which will greatly help increase your national recognition and star power.

"As for profit sharing, the company will not treat you unfairly."

"For the first three years, the profit split will be 60/40, with the company getting 60% and you getting 40%; for the next three years, it will be 50/50; and for the last three years, it will be 30/70, with you getting 70% and the company getting 30%."

As for business collaborations, we'll calculate it according to this ratio—just because you're the first artist our company signs, we have to show our sincerity.

Li Qing, who was standing nearby, interjected, "Teacher Wang, you're a veteran in this industry, you should know how rare this ratio is in the entire industry..."

Even Huayi Brothers' top male and female stars only receive a 30/70 split; and I've heard that at New Pictures, the "Zhang Yimou girls" only get a 10/90 split with the company.

She subtly changed the subject, her tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible teasing:

"Luckily, Li Xiang didn't sign with New Pictures, otherwise he would really be working for the company for free. In the end, our company is more considerate of its employees."

These words were ostensibly meant to praise Li Xiang, but in reality, they were also a dig at Zhang Weiping and Little Yellow Duck, since, based on the information obtained, Li Xiang's relationship with these two was not very good.

Li Xiang smiled but didn't reply, though he knew in his heart that this ratio was indeed generous, especially the later 30/70 split, which practically gave the lion's share to the artist.

It is clear that Huace truly intends to cultivate him as a "benchmark".

Uncle Wang tapped his fingers lightly on his knee, waiting for Li Qing to finish speaking before speaking himself:

"We have seen the sincerity of what General Manager Zhang and Director Li have said. But we have mentioned our thoughts on the time limit to you before."

After all, signing a ten-year contract would essentially tie this kid's entire prime to your company. If something unexpected happens in the future...

"We understand Teacher Wang's concerns," Li Qing replied, her tone as if she had expected it.

"But you two should also be aware of how high the cost of training film actors is. The company is willing to invest huge sums of money to pave the way for Li Xiang, all for the sake of long-term returns."

Besides, ten years seems like a long time, but Li Xiang is only 19 years old now—even if he signs a full ten-year contract, he'll only be 29, far from being truly mature.

"From sprouting and budding to flowering and fruiting, every step in between requires the company to invest money and effort."

The reason Huace offered such conditions was to set Li Xiang up as a benchmark to demonstrate the company's determination to transform from a single business to a diversified one.

Secondly, it's also a demonstration to the market—to prove that the company has the vision and ability to cultivate its own movie stars.

"But if the contract expires right after we've trained them, not only will all the investments over the years go down the drain, but the potential stock market volatility alone would deter the company from agreeing to it."

It's a paradox: if you don't invest heavily in training him, he won't succeed, and the company will suffer heavy losses; but if you invest in training him, the opportunity might go to someone else, resulting in even greater losses.

She shrugged, her tone softening: "So whether it's for Li Xiang's future or for the company's development, we all think ten years is a reasonable number."

Of course, we are also aware that this period is not short, so the company promises to continue to promote him as a top artist.

Mr. Zhang and I sincerely hope that in ten years, a top superstar will emerge from our Huace.

His speech was devoid of empty promises; it was a concrete analysis of the pros and cons, both addressing the company's concerns and offering ample hope for the future.

She was clearly sticking to her stance, but her words sounded exceptionally sincere. Even Uncle Wang couldn't help but agree with her explanation and turned his gaze to her.

Li Xiang knew it was his turn to make this decision. He looked up, smiled, and glanced at Zhang Hui and Li Qing:

"Before I came here, I was really determined to sign an eight-year contract."

But what you two just said not only explained the reasoning clearly, but also made me feel the company's sincerity.

If I keep harping on the age limit, it would make me seem ungrateful.

At this point, he bowed slightly, his attitude sincere: "Then from now on, I'll ask Mr. Zhang and Director Li to take good care of me."

I believe the resources the company has invested in me will not be wasted, and I will repay the company with solid efforts and achievements.

After those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the meeting room completely relaxed.

Zhang Hui laughed loudly, "Good lad, that's great! Just for those words, the company will definitely not treat you unfairly."

Li Qing nodded in agreement, her appreciation growing even stronger: "It's rare to see such a sense of responsibility in a young person. Don't worry, we'll provide the resources; the rest is up to you."

With that, he pushed the revised draft in front of Li Xiang and Uncle Wang: "Take a look, if there are no problems, we can finalize it now."

Zhang Hui added, "The legal department needs to handle the procedures. Our lawyers from both sides will meet to clarify the details and avoid any oversights later."

"I've already arranged that," Uncle Wang said at the right moment, glancing at the time on his phone. "My lawyer should be outside; I just need to call him."

The legal team from Huace arrived quickly. After exchanging a few pleasantries, the two groups of lawyers huddled together and began to scrutinize the contract word by word.

About half an hour later, the two groups of lawyers finally looked up.

"The terms have all been reviewed and are in good condition. The supplementary terms are well-written and the division of rights and responsibilities is clear, which is in line with the previous agreement."

"Alright." Zhang Hui stood up, his smile deepening. "Since the legal department agrees, let's finalize this today."

Once the official version is printed, we'll sign and stamp it, which will mark a successful conclusion to our negotiations over this period.

This afternoon, I'll take you to the film and television base for a look, so Li Xiang can see our strength and it will give him more confidence.

Li Xiang smiled and agreed, knowing in his heart that he had taken this step firmly.

The road ahead is long, but at least for now, he and this company, which is on the rise, are truly on the same boat.