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

As soon as the official contract with Adidas was signed, Li Qing immediately called Shu Uemura.

The communication went surprisingly smoothly, or rather, the other party already had an intention to sign Li Xiang.

So when Li Qing mentioned "Adidas' premium line brand ambassador for Greater China," they immediately said they would send someone over right away.

However, he specifically mentioned that he wanted to see Mr. Li's condition on site first.

No one was surprised by this requirement. After all, it's a cosmetics brand; their livelihood depends on the face.

If your skin is in poor condition and your facial features can't support the makeup, even if you're a big name, the brand might not be willing to use you.

Zhang Hui, who was listening nearby, chuckled after hanging up the phone, "They're really taking advantage of Adidas's success. Maybe they're afraid of being outbid by other companies, which is why they rushed to finalize the deal."

And the speed over there was indeed very fast, but to Li Xiang's surprise, the people who came to discuss the matter this time were not from Shu Uemura.

Or perhaps Shu Uemura simply doesn't have any high-level figures in Japan who can make direct decisions.

So the person who came forward this time was the head of L'Oréal China's cosmetics department, a native Chinese.

Having gone through the same pace as the negotiations with Adidas a few days ago, this meeting was quite direct and without much formality.

However, compared to clothing endorsements, cosmetic brands are clearly more particular about the quality of the celebrities themselves.

Because just after the two groups were seated in the meeting room, the L'Oréal cosmetics manager, surnamed Han, spoke up and made a somewhat abrupt request:

"Would it be possible for Ms. Li to go to the restroom and clean her face thoroughly? Without wearing foundation."

Everyone in the room was stunned for a moment, and Li Xiang pointed to himself to confirm: "Wash your face now?"

Manager Han nodded, her tone sincere: "Yes. Perhaps your impression of Shu Uemura is still limited to its makeup."

But this time, we want to discuss with you the brand's upcoming expansion into the skincare landscape – the all-new Deep Sea Nourishing Series.

Therefore, the brand needs a clean-cut, sophisticated face, free of any artificiality, to break the stereotype that Shu Uemura only makes makeup.

She looked at Li Xiang and said, "The pure and natural quality you conveyed in 'Under the Hawthorn Tree' perfectly matches the natural and clear artistic feel that our skincare line pursues."

However, since GG will need to appear on camera with bare skin later, we also need to confirm your skin condition. This is a responsible thing to do for the brand and consumers.

She paused for a moment, then added, "Because Shu Uemura is a Japanese brand, it is inherently very particular about style and a sophisticated, bourgeois feel."

Therefore, this promotion must maintain the same tone, hence this presumptuous request. I hope you don't mind.

Li Xiang didn't mind.

As long as you speak clearly and aren't deliberately making things difficult, he's always easy to talk to.

Besides, the other party was also Chinese, and what he said made sense. If he wanted to make a living from this, he naturally had to nod and say, "Okay, everyone wait a moment, I'm going to wash my face."

Watching Li Xiang walk towards the restroom, Zhang Hui and Li Qing exchanged a glance, saying nothing, but secretly thinking to themselves:

If any female artists join the company in the future, they might find it difficult to work with Japanese skincare brands like this – after all, the requirements for skin type are too demanding.

As if sensing their thoughts, the manager, Han, gestured to his entourage to bring out several product brochures and a few bottles of exquisitely packaged skincare products.

Li Xiang also borrowed a facial cleanser and carefully washed his face in the restroom. When he returned to the conference room, his face was still clean.

The two groups looked at him—they couldn't tell the difference between whether he had washed his face or not.

"They're truly blessed." Someone murmured in admiration.

Manager Han and his entourage stood up and walked over to Li Xiang for a closer look, nodding as they observed:

"Teacher Li's skin is in such good condition, without any blemishes, and even her pores are so fine that they are almost invisible. It's better than those of us who have been taking care of our skin for years."

Given Li Xiang's emotional intelligence, he would naturally not say anything hurtful like "I have the advantage of being young."

Instead, he laughed it off and said, "Isn't that perfect? ​​Otherwise, I probably wouldn't have been able to take on this endorsement."

He said it lightly, while giving the other person plenty of face.

Li Qing chimed in at the opportune moment, "Since both sides feel it's a good fit, shall we discuss the specific details of the collaboration?"

Manager Han nodded and gestured for his assistant to bring out the draft contract: "Shu Uemura is showing great sincerity. Firstly, Mr. Li's movie will be released in Japan soon."

As you know, the Japanese have always been receptive to Director Zhang's art films. Perhaps we can leverage this momentum to help the products you endorse enter the Japanese market.

Therefore, the brand will cooperate fully in promotion, and the endorsement fee will be calculated at the maximum rate for top-tier male stars. As for fashion resources, we can also…”

Before he could finish speaking, Li Qing interrupted him. Clearly, she had already found her place in the negotiation and proactively took over the conversation:

"Manager Han, please wait a moment. Is Li Xiang the spokesperson for the entire Shu Uemura line, or just the skincare line?"

"L'Oréal Group wants to invite Ms. Li to be the brand ambassador for Shu Uemura."

However, the group is currently focusing on promoting its skincare line, so the promotional efforts for this line will be greater than those for the makeup line.

After all, flagship products in the makeup line, such as makeup remover oil, already have stable channels and sales. Teacher Li only needs to take a few sets of promotional photos and doesn't need to spend too much effort.

But for the skincare line, we need Ms. Li to film dynamic promotional videos and also coordinate with offline promotional events.

The people at Huace understood – this was another full-brand endorsement, so the price would naturally be different from that of a single series.

Just as everyone was anticipating the outcome, Manager Han announced an unbelievable price: "The group plans to sign a two-year contract with Teacher Li, with an endorsement fee of 100 million per year."

If it weren't for Adidas's precedent of 500 million a year, Li Xiang might have been able to accept Shu Uemura's offer of 100 million.

But the current number is clearly far from what he, Li Qing, and Zhang Hui expected.

Li Qing wanted to confirm again, so she turned to look at Li Xiang with a questioning look in her eyes.

But Li Xiang seemed to be attracted by some noise outside the window, and gently turned his head away to avoid her gaze.

Li Qing immediately understood and turned back to Manager Han, saying, "We see Manager Han's sincerity, but you understand the weight of a full brand endorsement better than we do."

"One million per year..."

Before she could finish speaking, Manager Han interrupted with a smile: "Director Li thinks it's too low? Actually, I think it's fine."

In terms of brand alone, Shu Uemura enjoys global recognition, so having Mr. Li as its spokesperson will definitely benefit its brand awareness.

"Moreover, if they feel they are being shortchanged on endorsement fees, the group can make up for it in other ways."

For example, this high-end skincare line will require a lot of video ads, print ads, offline events, and advertising on airport screens.

With these resources invested, we can definitely promote Teacher Li's clean, naturally sophisticated youthful charm...

"To put it bluntly, Shu Uemura is just a stepping stone; L'Oréal's high-end portfolio is the real stage."

"And Ms. Li's face is naturally suited for top-tier skincare. As long as you maintain this, the resources for the next few years could all be yours."

Upon hearing this, a string of names instantly flashed through the minds of everyone present—

Helena Rubinstein, Lancôme, Armani, Yves Saint Laurent... these are all at the pinnacle of the global beauty industry.

Manager Han continued, "Two years from now, as long as Teacher Li performs well enough and her popularity among the public increases, and the skincare line sales meet the target, the group's contract can be upgraded."

At that point, it will be part of the Lancôme and Armani skincare lines, and might even have the potential to compete with the group's top luxury line. Naturally, the endorsement fee will increase accordingly.

She didn't reply immediately, but picked up the water on the table, took a sip, and said slowly, "Manager Han's promises are indeed tempting, but we also have to look at the present."

"Adidas pays 500 million a year, and if the Shu Uemura brand endorsement is significantly less, it might give the impression that... Li Xiang's commercial value is unstable?"

She looked up at the other person, her tone calm but barbed: "After all, they are all international brands, so we can't favor one over the other, can we?"

Or does Manager Han have some other ulterior motive...?