Rebirth is fine, but I get eight hundred dollars right from the start?

"Let me explain first."

Lin Shu took a pen and wrote an explanation in the first circle: "Miller, Wawa, Su Xiaoyan, and Bella, the four of them signed in a similar way, but Bella needs to have a separate clause added."

"What terms?"

"Bella is currently stuck with 7huang and can't get into the official tournament commentary booth for the time being. So her contract needs to clearly state that Navigator will be responsible for connecting her with non-official tournaments, commercial activities, and personal content production."

"As for the official commentary booth, once we've helped her resolve her contract dispute with Qihuang, then we'll help her push the official events. The timeframe is one year. If the official events don't get promoted within a year, she can unilaterally terminate the contract without having to pay compensation."

Gu Xinyue's pen flew across the paper: "What about profit sharing?"

"For commercial activities, it's a 70/30 split, with her taking 70% and me 30%. For sports commentary, if it's a job arranged by Linghang, it's a 50/50 split. For jobs she takes on herself, Linghang only takes 10%, which is considered a fee for helping her review the contracts."

"Where are Miller and the other two?"

"Same. 70/30 split for commercial activities, 10% for event recommendations. But there's one condition—during the contract period, they can't accept exclusive commentary contracts from competing platforms. Huya is allowed, Douyu isn't. Make that clause in the contract."

Since he's now a shareholder of Huya, he can't very well have his artists go to a competitor's place for meals.

After Gu Xinyue finished writing, she tapped the paper with the tip of her pen: "Where are the video creators?"

Lin Shu wrote "Creator" in the second circle, and then divided it into two columns: "Xiao Cang, Miss, Teacher Xu, Xiao Mo, these four people are signed in two different ways."

"Xiaocang and Miss are already considered top-tier, and they've signed co-production agreements. For the videos they create, Navigator doesn't interfere with the content, but Navigator has priority investment rights. In other words, if they want to create a new series or program, Navigator can fund it, taking a 30% share. If they don't want Navigator to invest and want to fund it themselves, Navigator won't stop them, but they'll still provide traffic support."

"What about Teacher Xu and Xiao Mo?"

"They'll sign a channel agreement. They'll manage the video content themselves, and the platform won't. But their Taobao store will be listed under 'Esports Goodies,' and the platform will take a cut of the channel fee, as previously agreed, between three and eight percent. If they're willing, they can also sign a co-production agreement, but it's not mandatory."

Gu Xinyue noted these two down separately, then asked, "What about Xiaozhi?"

"Let's talk to Xiaozhi alone."

Lin Shu drew an arrow outside the "Special Category" column with his pen. "His current traffic is greater than Xiao Cang's and the others, but his content is more entertainment-oriented and not so closely related to e-sports. I plan to sign a consulting contract with him. He will help Linghang come up with ideas in the area of ​​entertainment content, and Linghang will pay him a consulting fee. He doesn't need to be affiliated with them, nor does he need to change his creative direction."

How are consulting fees calculated?

"It will be paid annually. I'll discuss the specific amount with him later. Just remember the general outline for now."

Gu Xinyue ticked something in her notebook and turned to the next page: "Where are the professional players?"

Lin Shu wrote "Player" in the third circle, then drew a vertical line to divide the circle into two halves: "The left side is for active players, and the right side is for retired players. Mingkai is active and has signed a commercial agency contract. The navigation team will only help him get commercial endorsements and events; they won't touch his training or matches. I'll review his contract, but the decision rests with him. The signing period is the same as his contract with WE. If his WE contract expires and he wants to switch teams, the navigation team will help him negotiate."

"What about PDD, Ruofeng, and Wuwukai?"

"They've all said they'll retire after this year and sign full contracts." Lin Shu wrote "full" on the right half of the page. "Live streaming, business, content, teams—all-inclusive. PDD wanted to start a team, so Linghang helped him build the framework, find coaches, and connect with tournament resources. Ruofeng wanted to create content, so Linghang provided him with a team. As for Wuwukai's live streaming, Linghang helped him negotiate contracts with platforms, increasing the guaranteed minimum traffic and gift revenue share."

"How is the profit sharing determined?"

After Gu Xinyue finished writing, she turned the notebook around to show him: "Do you think this is okay?"

Lin Shu glanced through the text, then picked up a pen and added a line under "Player Contracts": "Add a clause—If a signed player retires, the team has the right of first refusal to renew the contract within three years. However, this is not mandatory; players can leave whenever they want, as long as they give three months' notice. Including this clause makes it seem like we don't hold players hostage."

The terms of cooperation offered by Lin Shu were all extremely favorable.

It could even be said that the terms are shockingly generous; an uninformed person might mistake them for charitable clauses.

But what gives Lin Shu his confidence? Esports is his core business. What he needs are not a few downstream businesses that can make money, but partners who can truly stand up with his support and expand this business.

Since we are collaborators, we shouldn't set high conditions. On the contrary, the lower and more reasonable the conditions, the longer the cooperation can last.

Gu Xinyue added the line and closed the notebook: "Okay, four commentators, four creators plus Xiaozhi as an advisor, and four players. That's thirteen people in total, divided into three types of contracts. I'll start drafting the official version tomorrow."

"Don't rush."

Lin Shu folded the second A4 sheet of paper and put it back in the drawer. "Tomorrow, let's get those two lines going with Huya and Tencent. As for the management contracts, we'll sign them after the first season of the show finishes airing. By then, the contestants' market value and popularity will have increased, giving us more room for negotiation."

……

The next morning, Gu Xinyue placed three draft contracts on Lin Shu's desk.

One contract each for commentators, creators, and contestants.

Each document is over ten pages long, with clear terms, including profit sharing ratios, contract duration, obligations of both parties, and termination conditions, all written out clearly.

Lin Shu flipped through the documents one by one, until he reached the last page. Gu Xinyue had already pasted a sticky note next to the signature column, which read "To be determined".

"What about Huya and Penguin?" Lin Shu asked.

"Old Zhao came over at 10 a.m. to sign the data package contract. I've scheduled an appointment with Tencent for next Monday. I sent them the renewal proposal for the peripheral packages, and their marketing department replied with an email saying, 'We agree in principle, but the details are to be discussed.'"

Lin Shu put down the contract, looked up at her, and asked, "What time did you go to bed last night?"

Gu Xinyue blinked: "A little after one o'clock."

"Three contracts, more than a dozen clauses, and you managed to get all that done by yourself past 1 a.m.?"

"I've written down everything you said yesterday in my notebook. Just fill it in."

Gu Xinyue picked up the notebook from the table and shook it. "Besides, why not use a psychology PhD's brain?"

Lin Shu chuckled and said nothing more.

He picked up a pen, signed his name in the "Party A" column of the three contracts, and handed them to Gu Xinyue: "Okay, keep these three copies for now. We'll show them to them after the first season of the show ends."