With funds in place, paperwork complete, and Song family connections, registering a company was no big deal. The only thing troubling Song Shuling now was that Bai Yinyue had come knocking, demanding to invest.
Seeing this "love rival" of her brother's, Song Shuling was on high alert.
Don't think I can't see what you're trying to do with my sister-in-law! You want to invest too? What are you up to! Are you going to try and take advantage of my sister-in-law later?!
It was all because of Grandma. The other day when she was having tea with Bai's grandma, she let slip about Song Shuling starting an entertainment company. Bai's grandma passed along the news as idle chatter to Bai Yinyue. As perceptive as Bai Yinyue was, putting together recent events, she immediately guessed that this move by Song Shuling was for Zhong Ruanxing.
So she had shown up with money in hand!
Song Shuling didn't care about the money at all! If she needed investors, she could just ask her own grandma! But Bai Yinyue's attitude of “if you don't agree, I'll just go to your sister-in-law” really troubled her!
Bai Yinyue also knew what the little sister across from her was thinking. Holding her coffee cup, she laughed out loud and teased, “Don't worry, I just sincerely want to invest. I won't do anything to your sister-in-law.”
Song Jinxing looked at her doubtfully.
Really? I don't believe you.
Bai Yinyue patiently advised, “I'll just be an investor, no decision-making power. You'll still be the boss, I'll just work for you. How about it?”
Song Shuling: “Really?”
Bai Yinyue: “Really!”
Considering that the Song family had previously rejected the Bai family's marriage proposal, and Bai Yinyue had also been emotionally hurt by “Big Brother,” if Song Shuling rejected her again now, it would seem a little too ungracious. And to be fair, Elder Sister Bai had spoken up for sister-in-law quite a bit on that variety show, so consider this her repaying the favor to sister-in-law!
After much struggle, Song Shuling finally made up her mind: “Fine! I'll give you a share!”
Bai Yinyue smiled and reached out her hand to her: “Then Boss Song, it's a deal. When do we sign the contract?”
Soon after, an entertainment agency called Tianyao Entertainment was registered in the capital city.
From location selection to recruitment, Tianyao Entertainment perfectly displayed its wealth and extravagance. The company's office building was rented in the busiest area of the CBD. As the company was still relatively small, they only rented one floor. But to be able to rent out a whole floor in this location, in this office building, was already quite impressive.
Thanks to ample funding and the Song family's covert assistance, a complete team was quickly assembled. Fu Ling was also temporarily lent to Song Shuling as an assistant, and he handled all the company's administrative affairs in an orderly manner.
Song Shuling didn't idle around either. Although Fu Ling was helping her, she was actually following him to learn how to manage the company and gain experience. Whenever she had free time, she would read the books Zhong Ruanxing had given her, like that book “If You Don't Know How to Lead a Team, You'll Just Work Yourself to Death.”
It must be said, the Song family did have some innate talent for business management. Song Shuling picked it up very quickly. By the time of the morning meeting, when the new team met formally in the company for the first time, and Song Shuling walked in wearing a ladies’ suit and high heels, while employees were amazed by the boss's beauty, they were equally in awe of the chilly, imposing aura she exuded.
Song Shuling: Thanks for the invite. I learned it from my brother.
I've only learned less than thirty percent so far.
It's enough to awe them.
After introducing each other and talking about the company culture to give the employees a vision, Song Shuling got to today's main topic: “Next, let’s welcome the first and only signed artist of our company so far, Ms. Zhong Ruanxing.”
Employees: “???”
What?! Our company already has an artist signed?! And it's the currently super popular Zhong Ruanxing?!
They were all industry insiders. Over these days, who hadn't heard about the drama surrounding Zhong Ruanxing and Sheng Entertainment? The industry had been very focused on who her next agency would be after she terminated her contract with Sheng. Many veteran agencies had reached out to her, but Zhong Ruanxing had been quiet, not making any moves. But with her current popularity, she could have easily chosen one of the major companies.
They never imagined she would end up at their new company!
Although Tianyao looked quite rich, it was still a brand new company! The office walls were still shiny and new! Could it be that Boss Song of Tianyao was so good at selling dreams that she not only sold dreams to them, these employees, but also to Zhong Ruanxing?
The employees looked at the gorgeous beauty and broke into bewildered yet enthusiastic applause.
From then on, Tianyao Entertainment was officially in business.
After meeting the company employees in the morning, Song Shuling went with Song Jinxing in the afternoon to meet the author of “A Letter For You”. They were meeting at a bookstore cafe near the university where Professor Chen taught.
When Song Jinxing went in wearing a hat and mask, the staff looked at her several times, but Song Shuling took her arm, and they quickly walked to the inner book nook where Professor Chen was already waiting as agreed.
Seeing the two beautiful young ladies, the professor who had spent his whole life in academic research seemed a bit stiff.
Song Jinxing reached out to shake his hand first, introducing herself: “I contacted you before. My surname is Zhong.”
Professor Chen shook her hand awkwardly. After mutual introductions, Song Shuling got right to the point, taking out a contract prepared in advance: “Professor Chen, you should already know why we’re here. This is a copyright purchase contract. Please take a look. For ‘A Letter For You’, we have absolutely put forward our utmost sincerity.”
In the past few days, Professor Chen had also learned about the film and TV rights field through the younger generation in his family and students, and found out that his original work was being plagiarized and about to be made into a TV series without his consent. He was angry of course, but for him, his academic career was more important. ‘A Letter For You’ was just a hobby and creative work, not something he would go to great lengths to fight for. He didn’t even understand all this talk about color pallets and trope fusion that he was hearing.
But now these two had stepped up, taking the initiative to turn “A Letter For You” into a screen adaptation before “The Female Lead”, and previously he had worried it was a scam. After all, nowadays there were lots of telecom frauds targeting middle-aged people like him!
But upon seeing the people before him now, he knew they weren't scammers.
They were too beautiful. Looking like this, they could do anything successfully, how could they possibly resort to scamming?
It could only be said, the author of “A Letter For You” still had such a simple outlook on the world. Beautiful scammers like this definitely existed as well.
After looking over the contract Song Shuling handed over, Professor Chen paled in shock. “You want to pay 5 million to buy the adaptation rights for my book? It's worth 5 million?”
Song Shuling said, “Of course. We are using ‘The Female Lead’ as a benchmark. ‘The Female Lead’ sold its rights for 3 million, and we believe the value of ‘A Letter For You’ far exceeds it, so 5 million is an appropriate price.”
Professor Chen pushed up his glasses with a trembling hand: “I haven't earned that much teaching for 10 years.”
Song Jinxing spoke up: “The academic value of your work cannot be measured by its price.”
Professor Chen was comforted by her words and looked at her gratefully. He hadn't come unprepared either. Before coming, he had also gotten students to help check on this celebrity called Zhong Ruanxing, so he naturally also knew about the sensational matter from before.
What an upright person who wasn't afraid of power!
Matching the cold, stern face in the videos he had seen to the well-mannered, courteous person before him now, Professor Chen nodded to himself. From his breast pocket, he took out a pen and signed his name stroke by stroke at the end of the contract.
“I'm entrusting 'A Letter For You' to you, I can rest assured. And thank you very much, for allowing the world I created in writing to be visualized through the film and TV medium. In the future, I will tell my students that it is my work.”
“It’s been a pleasure cooperating with you, Professor Chen.”
