The person in charge of the planning was a bit timid. He took a deep breath to gather his courage before saying, "Now that Jiang Li has terminated her contract, the company lacks a popular young actress. We need to promote a new star to attract traffic and brand partners."
For entertainment companies that rely on traffic and popularity, if there is no well - known popular star as the face of the company, the company's revenue will decline day by day. It will be difficult to maintain a stable position in the current situation. Leaving the position vacant for a long time will also affect the overall revenue and operation.
Launching a new top - tier star is currently the top priority for Jiang Entertainment.
"So you've chosen Yu Wan?"
His tone was very flat, and his face was extremely calm, but one could still detect a hint of anger.
"…She was recommended by Miss Bai," the person in charge finally couldn't bear the pressure and confessed. "She recommended Yu Wan internally and said we could consider giving her a try."
Xiao Yanzhi didn't say a word, but his eyes turned colder.
After a moment, he slowly said, "Isn't there any other suitable candidate?"
"No. Currently, the artists with good traffic all have contracts with their own companies, so it's not easy to poach them. Or we could train newbies, but the risk is relatively high."
The person in charge nervously swallowed his saliva. "Although Miss Yu has been out of the acting circle for many years, I've investigated and found that her fan base still exists. It should be more efficient than training newbies."
"I'm not considering training newbies," Xiao Yanzhi said faintly with his eyes half - closed. "Just sign Yu Wan. The contract period will be one year."
"One... one year?" The person in charge was about to be happy after hearing the first half of the sentence, but was shocked by the second half. "One year is too short..."
What could one achieve in one year? At most, the artist would just start to gain popularity, and the contract would expire right after the artist was trained.
"At the latest, in one year, there will be a new person to replace her," Xiao Yanzhi opened his eyes and looked at him. "Didn't you say the position is vacant? Let her fill in temporarily for a while."
"But if we only sign a one - year contract, the termination fee we'll have to pay Miss Yu will be very high."
The person in charge still tried to persuade him. "It should be at least three years. Only in three years can we get back our investment. It's the best option."
Xiao Yanzhi gave him a cold look, as if his look was saying, Are you the boss or am I?
"Three years is too long. One year is enough," Xiao Yanzhi looked down at his watch. His eyes seemed lost in thought. "You don't need to ask me about the subsequent matters regarding her signing and training. You'll be fully responsible."
The watch was custom - made by Jiang Li. Their surnames were engraved on it.
He smiled silently.
Such childish tricks of a little girl.
Before leaving, the person in charge reported to Xiao Yanzhi that the movie "The Embroidery Girl" that Jiang Li had filmed during her contract period might be affected in box - office revenue due to the negative impact caused by her self - disclosure of her illness.
"At that time, Jiang Entertainment invested some money in this movie and was also half of the producer. But since Jiang Li's personal reasons have affected the movie's revenue, we can consider asking her to compensate for part of the losses..."
"I didn't see you being so calculating when she was making money for Jiang Entertainment," Xiao Yanzhi looked up at him. "Moreover, she has already terminated her contract with Jiang Entertainment."
The implication was that there was no need to pursue this debt from her.
"But Mr. Xiao, the return rate of our capital investment is too low. It's not cost - effective," the person in charge still babbled on. Finally, Xiao Yanzhi's face darkened.
"You seem to have a grudge against Jiang Li," he raised his eyes and said casually. "Did Jiang Li offend you when she was in the company?"
This question made the person in charge's heart tighten.
It wasn't that Jiang Li had offended him before. It was just that she was quite stubborn when she was in Jiang Entertainment and often raised objections to his arrangements.
It was okay for her to have her own ideas, but as a leader, he naturally didn't like an artist criticizing his decisions. Over time, he developed a grudge against her.
Being asked this by Xiao Yanzhi, he instantly stiffened and forced a smile. "What are you saying, Mr. Xiao? I'm just considering the company's interests. I have no other intentions."
"I invested in her without considering the return on investment," Xiao Yanzhi's eyelashes drooped, and his eyes were as calm as water. "Do you understand?"
"Besides, no matter what the final movie revenue is, transfer the money to her personal account according to the original contract's sharing ratio."
The person in charge only dared to look down at his shoes. "I understand, Mr. Xiao."
He now wished he could bite off his own tongue.
If he had known that Mr. Xiao still cared so much about Jiang Li, he wouldn't have said those words.
Xiao Yanzhi didn't argue with him. He just took out a cigarette and inexplicably felt irritable and absent - minded.
He waved his hand, signaling the other person to leave.
After the office was completely empty, he took out his phone and called Bai He, asking calmly, "Who allowed you to place someone else in my company?"
Bai He said, "Cousin, Sister Yu Wan is not someone else. You know that clearly."
Xiao Yanzhi took a puff of his cigarette. After exhaling the smoke, he slowly said, "Bai He, if you keep acting recklessly like this, I'll ask Song Yu to keep an eye on you."
"He doesn't have the time to take care of me. He went to another city recently. He took on a new case and is very busy."
Since the wedding, Song Yu seemed to be even busier than before.
Halfway through, Bai He brought the topic back. "Cousin, you and Song Yu are good friends. Now that he's married, don't you consider your own marriage?"
As she said this, there was a hint in her words. "You're almost thirty. It's not easy to find a suitable partner at this age. You should hurry up."
Xiao Yanzhi flicked the ash off his cigarette. He looked calm and composed. "If you want to be a matchmaker and insist on getting me and Yu Wan together, you'd better give up that idea."
Seeing that he was being straightforward, Bai He didn't beat around the bush either. "Why? You and Sister Yu Wan have an emotional foundation. And she's divorced now. You're both single. Isn't it a perfect match?"
"Hehe, many things are not as they seem to you," Xiao Yanzhi coldly interrupted her enthusiasm. "There's not as deep a relationship between Yu Wan and me as you think."
Saying these few words was already the limit of Xiao Yanzhi's patience. "As your friend, letting her into Jiang Entertainment is my last concession and the only thing I can do to satisfy you."
Bai He was about to say something else when Xiao Yanzhi directly stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray. His face was dark and gloomy. "Moreover, I've already found a suitable marriage partner."
After saying that, he hung up the phone.
Bai He held the phone and fell into deep thought.
Her cousin had a marriage partner?
Now, Bai He was a bit at a loss. She thought of how she had painstakingly brought Yu Wan back to the country secretly and had sworn to get her and Xiao Yanzhi back together. But now, because of his words, she felt so embarrassed.
"Hehe, were you just on the phone with your cousin?"