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

We ate lunch at the company cafeteria. The group quickly ate a few bites, their minds focused on the meeting in the afternoon.

Ten minutes before the appointed time, there was a knock on Zhang Hui's office door. "Mr. Zhang, the person has arrived. Director Li is accompanying them to the conference room."

Zhang Hui responded, straightened his shirt cuffs, and then looked Li Xiang up and down.

He was wearing a casual outfit today, made of high-quality material that was clearly carefully selected and not from a sportswear brand.

Zhang Hui nodded, and the two walked side by side into the conference room.

Just as they arrived at the door, they saw Li Qing leading a group of people towards them.

After the two groups met at the conference room door, Li Qing first stepped aside to introduce them to Li Xiang:

"This is Mr. Colin Currie, Vice President of Marketing and Sales for Adidas Greater China. This is the Business Director, and this is the Legal Director."

Then, turning to Gao Jiali, he added with a smile, "This is Mr. Li Xiang from our company. Mr. Gao must have heard of him."

Li Xiang smiled and extended his hand: "Hello, Mr. Gao Jiali."

Gao Jiali reached out and shook hands with him, his blue eyes holding a scrutinizing smile, but he spoke in Cantonese with an accent:

"Mr. Li, I've heard so much about you. 'Under the Hawthorn Tree' is a wonderful film." His Chinese wasn't fluent, but his pronunciation was fairly clear.

Li Xiang had anticipated that foreign executives would lead the negotiations—after all, these days, international brands like Adidas...

In the past, most of the core positions in the Greater China region were held by foreigners, unlike a few years later when Chinese executives gradually became the mainstream.

But he's not afraid of that.

Those in the industry know that there's a key characteristic to collaborating with foreigners: they don't skimp on the small details of money, but rather care about achieving the desired outcome.

What they want is impressive performance to report to headquarters. As for whether the budget is a little more or a little less, as long as it's within the framework, they're not that concerned.

Unlike some local executives who always try to minimize costs, revealing a stingy attitude of treating company money as their own.

After both parties were seated, Gao Jiali spoke first, immediately launching into a set of skillful rhetoric.

First, it acknowledged Li Xiang's recent popularity, then pointed out his rapid rise despite his short time in the industry, and finally subtly mentioned:

"Adidas has always been willing to give opportunities to promising newcomers..." The words reveal a hint of condescension from an international brand.

Before Li Xiang could even respond, Li Qing, as the director, spoke with a smile, her tone neither too soft nor too hard:

"Mr. Gao Jiali, as far as I know, Adidas, as a top global sports brand, seems to have seen a decline in its market share in China."

Is this one of the reasons why your company has designated Greater China as a separate one of its six major global markets, on par with Europe and the United States, starting this year?

Gao Jiali's smile faded slightly, but Li Qing's little mouth didn't stop:

"Adidas Originals' retro line has always focused on high-end trends and fashion, rather than purely on sports attributes."

Your company's choice of Li Xiang is presumably based on his ability to accurately reach the target user group.

After all, having athletes endorse a retro fashion line is unlikely to be very effective.

Among the younger generation of artists, Li Xiang's popularity and image are continuing to spread as his films' box office revenue continues to climb...

It will likely become increasingly in line with the image of top international brands like Adidas.

Therefore, it's never been your company giving a newcomer a chance; it's a choice where both parties get what they need.

His words were neither humble nor arrogant; they pointed out the other party's market predicament while also highlighting Li Xiang's suitability.

Behind them is a large company that is about to go public, so naturally they will not lower themselves to beg for food, especially in front of Li Xiang, they must first establish their dignity.

Otherwise, given the gossipy and unreliable mouths in the fashion industry, rumors would likely spread the very next day about Huace artists currying favor with brands.

In fact, not being obsequious is a quality that top stars should have.

Foreigners, in particular, seem to fall for this kind of thing; just look at Gong Li alone:

She is casual and approachable during domestic interviews, but when she goes to international occasions, she has a perfect command of her presence and exudes a majesty like Mother Earth.

Even though she doesn't have as many awards as Leslie Cheung, she is still a golden brand for Chinese actresses on the international stage, thanks to her unwavering integrity.

There was a few seconds of silence in the conference room. A hint of amusement flashed in Gao Jiali's blue eyes, as if he hadn't expected the other party to be so direct.

The business director beside him quietly said something in English, but he raised his hand to stop him and looked at Li Xiang: "Mr. Li, do you agree with Director Li's statement?"

Li Xiang met his gaze, her tone calm yet firm: "I think Director Li's statement is perfectly correct."

Originals needs new faces that can interpret the retro trend, and I also need a high-end platform that matches my own development; it's a two-way selection process.

Gao Jiali suddenly laughed, this time with much more genuine emotion: "Mr. Li, you are different from many mainlanders I have met."

Not just you, but your company is also very different; it has a lot of confidence.

He leaned back, tapping his fingertips on the table, his posture visibly relaxed.

"Could you please tell me what specific requirements your company has regarding the details of the cooperation?"

Seeing that the other party had relented, Li Qing felt reassured and signaled Zhang Hui to come up with a supplementary plan:

"The core demands are twofold: first, the endorsement fee must be increased by 25%, and the specific data supporting this demand is in the attachment;"

Secondly, the omnichannel promotional resources in Greater China must be on par with those in the Asia-Pacific region, and various fashion matrixes should be introduced and connected with...

"Director Li's requirements are a bit too high."

You should know that Adidas Originals' global brand ambassador is David Beckham, while in the Asia-Pacific region, they have Li Xiaoli and Edison Chen.

Regarding compensation, we can agree to your increased demands, but resources and fashion promotion can currently only be limited to the domestic market.

Before he could finish speaking, Li Qing interrupted him crisply: "Mr. Gao, isn't that precisely why you chose Li Xiang?"

You know perfectly well what Edison's current situation means in the Chinese market.

Your company must be in dire need of a new face to fill the void in his domestic endorsement portfolio.

And our Li Xiang—

As a university student with a future in the film industry, she naturally possesses a clean and transparent aura, making it highly unlikely that she would make any controversial mistakes.

She paused, a faint smile playing on her lips: "To put it bluntly, we need the endorsement of the Clover brand, which has international backing."

Your company needs a representative who can reliably support the domestic market without any risk. You see, we actually need each other.

So, besides compensation, what's wrong with us demanding equivalent fashion resources?

These words were like a pebble thrown into water, and the Adidas team members were visibly taken aback.

Yes, they're just asking for fashion resources that match their status as brand ambassadors, what's wrong with that?

If there's anything "wrong" about them, it's probably just the lingering arrogance in their hearts.

After all, the goal is to completely replace that former "trendsetter" and "camera god" in the domestic market...

They subconsciously looked at the newcomer with a hint of "condescension," feeling that the newcomer might not deserve such treatment.

But are they really not worthy?

The meeting room fell silent for a few seconds, as if an invisible balance was shifting in the air.

Li Qing maintained a polite smile throughout, while Zhang Hui and Li Xiang tacitly refrained from interjecting.

The matter has been clearly stated; the rest is up to the other party to weigh the pros and cons.

Finally, Gao Jiali looked up at Li Xiang and suddenly switched to English, asking, "Mr. Li, what's your take on fashion?"

Li Xiang met his gaze without hesitation and replied in fluent English: "For me, fashion is never just a label."

It's a resonance—a resonance between the brand's history and the wearer's story.

Adidas Originals has its retro heritage, and my work happens to carry the warmth of youthful memories.

I think that's precisely why we were able to meet.

A hint of surprise flashed in Gao Jiali's blue eyes, which quickly turned into appreciation.

He turned and said something to his team in English. After a few moments of quiet conversation, he looked back at Li Xiang.

He said with a more serious tone:

"That's an interesting perspective. Let's talk about the details then."

(This is an interesting point of view. Let's discuss the specific details.)