“Of course, because your image has been very positive recently,” Assistant Chen added, “That was indeed a consideration back then, and the program team also gave you three spots to bring artists from within Jiasheng.”
Zhang Chaohe was silent for a moment: "Does this mean I'm being forced to do this?"
Assistant Chen: "We can't say that absolutely. After all, this is a public service program from CCTV, so it's still very meaningful."
Zhang Chaohe looked at him for a while, then suddenly revealed a sinister smile: "Assistant Chen, the production team didn't say that only celebrities could participate in this program, did they?"
Assistant Chen suddenly felt a chill run down his spine—the eerie cold wind blew left and right and in front of him, making him feel as if he were in a refrigerator. He quickly glanced at the proposal and then answered General Manager Zhang's question: "Indeed, it wasn't mentioned."
“That’s great!” Zhang Chaohe said, mimicking Cheng Jixue’s usual sweet tone. “In that case, I’ll bring you and Xiao Cheng to the show!”
Assistant Chen: !!
Assistant Chen stammered, "I can't do it, Mr. Zhang, you should consider other artists who need more recognition!"
Zhang Chaohe stood up, considerately took the folder from his hand, and then elegantly patted Assistant Chen's well-developed pectoral muscles with the folder: "We can't be so absolute. After all, this is a public service program from CCTV, so it's still very meaningful—"
Assistant Chen was internally screaming, but on the surface he still had to pretend to be aggrieved: "President Zhang, think about it, this program is a CCTV program, the traffic and popularity are so high. Taking me there won't bring me any economic value to the company. I dare to recommend Li Yimao to you. He is also very popular recently, and the variety shows he has participated in are very entertaining."
Zhang Chaohe smiled and put the documents away, then said vindictively, "Would you dare to do it again next time?"
Assistant Chen lowered his head in shame: "You still dare to do it."
Then he grabbed the documents that Zhang Chaohe had already approved on his desk and stormed out the door.
Zhang Chaohe was furious in his office: Jokes aside, he definitely couldn't bring Assistant Chen onto a variety show. Assistant Chen was just an assistant, and his privacy absolutely couldn't be leaked. Variety shows were better left to people who were interested in entering the industry.
Cheng Jixue was definitely his chosen one. After all, it was obvious to anyone with a brain that the conditions in Guyunhe County were particularly difficult, and he was determined to find an unlucky guy to go to jail with. Ideally, this "fellow inmate" would also be an expert in all ten household chores.
As for the remaining candidate, Zhang Chaohe decided to leave it to the netizens to decide. He had Jiasheng's official Weibo account reveal some details about the variety show and then called on fans to vote to select the third person to participate in the show based on the voting results.
Just as fans were getting ready to use some high-tech methods to boost their idols' votes, the official Weibo account added that a brand new voting engine had been installed and the threshold for counting valid votes had been raised—the cost of this engine was generously sponsored by Mr. Zhang.
Oh no, I'm doomed, I can't cheat anymore.
[It's alright, at least it's fair...]
[I'm dying of laughter! I'll use my in-game purchase method to prevent everyone from spending money on in-game purchases!]
Some people didn't believe in the danger, such as Song Fei's fans. They tried to cheat by doing so, but the engine detected it immediately, and the official Weibo account announced on the spot that Song Fei's voting qualification had been cancelled.
Song Fei tried to appeal to General Manager Zhang, but was ruthlessly blocked at the office door by Assistant Chen.
Song Fei still remembered what happened to Du Ze and Xu Shen after he came to the office to argue with Xiao Zhang last time. He didn't dare to force his way in and tried to persuade Assistant Chen with eloquent words: "It's all the fans' behavior. How can you disqualify me from the competition? That's not fair."
Assistant Chen smiled slightly: "You also know about the incident a while ago when they threw sulfuric acid at General Manager Zhang, right?"
Song Fei had a bad feeling. He hesitated and nodded, "Hmm?"
Assistant Chen nodded: "After that incident, Mr. Zhang's attitude became that fans' behavior is the celebrity's responsibility, and if fans can't be controlled, it's also the celebrity's problem—you can understand that, right?"
Upon hearing this, Song Fei felt as if he had been enlightened... He looked at Assistant Chen gratefully and said solemnly, "Thank you for reminding me!"
How can he be so forgetful! President Zhang was almost hurt by a fanatical stalker, and he's already eagerly sticking his head under President Zhang's guillotine... Is he crazy?
With Song Fei killing the chicken as an example, the voting environment for the other monkeys improved significantly. After the voting process became open and transparent, the number of votes actually changed dramatically.
For example, Cheng Jixue is far ahead – the Qiuyue CP is in the clear blue sky, who wouldn't want to see a handsome older brother and a dashing CEO team up?
Mei Jinghan also received a very high number of votes – his schedule wasn't tight after leaving the film crew, and everyone wanted to see him on variety shows.
Although Li Yimao is now a rising star in the music scene and everyone is praising him a lot, surprisingly few people voted for him in this poll... In disbelief, Li Yimao posted on Weibo asking why, but his fans ruthlessly told him to hurry up and write a song and not waste time.
Li Yimao: I also want to make quick money from variety shows.
Then, at the weekly meeting the next day, Zhang Chaohe casually mentioned the salary for this program... CCTV was not as generous and wealthy as imagined. Compared with the million-yuan appearance fee for high-quality variety shows at the same time, the salary was practically charity.
Once the annual meeting ended, the voting speed of some artists slowed down significantly, and several others blatantly started to slack off on the spot.
Zhang Chaohe smiled slightly and asked his assistant Chen to write down the names of all those who were giving up, so that their resources could also be given up a few more times in the future.
The teaser for the collaboration apparel was also released, and everyone was pleasantly surprised to find that the model in the promotional image was none other than Mr. Zhang himself! Furthermore, this collaboration offers several styles, ensuring there's something for everyone, whether for daily commutes or casual outings, and the prices are very affordable!
Aside from one particular beautiful blue needle-knitted fur coat, it's clear that if this collaboration outfit were a prize pool, that fur coat would definitely be an SSR grand prize!
Handsome and expensive, Mr. Zhang looks cool and trendy in this outfit with sunglasses, without any of the stuffiness and old-fashioned impression that fur coats are associated with.
Zhang Chaohe let the news circulate for a while before daring to log into the comments section to check the latest comments—looking at the various affected and abstract poses he had struck, Zhang Chaohe even wished that all the photos and negatives would disappear from the earth…
He glanced at the comments section, looking somewhat dazed:
【OMG, this fur coat is so cool, everyone! Buy it!!】
[A single person wrote a petition in blood for this limited-edition fur coat to be available for a limited time – it's absolutely gorgeous!]
This is perfect for early autumn; it makes me feel like a queen.
Why only 3,000 pieces? Why not 30,000? (Confused) Why doesn't this person want to make money?
The overall quality is indeed very high. I always said that Xiao Zhang is a conscientious entrepreneur; he's very sincere in harvesting the韭菜 (a metaphor for retail investors). I'll be the first to harvest!
Zhang Chaohe: ...
He even did a quick online search to find his favorite jacket among the collaboration outfits—a jacket featuring the original weapon print of Drunken Blade, where swords, knives, and flowers are perfectly integrated into the design, making it both cool and stylish.
However, opinions on this matter are scarce.
Zhang Chaohe pinched his temples with two fingers and stared blankly: Is my aesthetic sense outdated?
The collaborating manufacturers did not expect the collaborative apparel series to be so popular... After consulting with the IP owner and company executives, the brand decided to heed the voices of netizens and change the limited edition to online flash sales, while opening a pre-order channel for the regular collaborative items.
Then, on the first day of sales, Zhang Chaohe witnessed the terrifying purchasing power of netizens—he hesitated even for a coat priced at 3999 yuan, but for netizens: buy it!
Within a second, the blue, moldy bearskin that he couldn't understand the most was sold out.
Zhang Chaohe didn't even see the purchase button light up from its grayed-out state the entire time: he once again felt that his aesthetic sense had been brutally attacked!
He had hoped for some comfort, but instead heard Cheng Jixue excitedly say that he had managed to snag one, and that if Mr. Zhang hadn't managed to get one, they could swap and wear it together.
Zhang Chaohe felt even more confused: "..."
Meanwhile, the voting results also closed that night. Jiasheng's top female streamer, Zhao Xinyue, came from behind and defeated Mei Jinghan on the spot, only second to Cheng Jixue, successfully squeezing into the variety show finals and winning the precious opportunity to appear on the variety show with CEO Zhang.
Zhang Chaohe's impression of her was still based on the image of Zhao Xinyue being called the "Desperate Tibetan Fox" during the last Jiasheng audition.
Sure enough, under the Weibo post announcing the voting results, someone posted a screenshot of the meme from that time, with the caption: "Classic remake, Goose and Tibetan Fox."
Zhao Xinyue arrived at Zhang Chaohe's office with a long face. She looked at the young manager with a gloomy expression, her face clearly saying "I don't really want to go."
It wasn't that she didn't want to participate because she thought the pay was too low; it was just that she, Zhao Xinyue, felt utterly unworthy to compete on the same stage as Boss Zhang—and she had to say it several times…
She really can't beat a lunatic!
A note from the author:
Celebrities (scratching their heads): Let me be a high-quality idol!
Mr. Zhang suddenly received a stamp of approval from his father, an official: I really don't understand! Why are other wives' comment sections so active, rich, and insightful, while mine is just a row of "hahahahaha"?! Am I not aloof enough?!
The issue with the missing chapter today is 2,000 words short; it will be released along with tomorrow's variety show episode.
Thank you so much for feeding us, little ones!
Chapter 67
Question on Zhihu: Is the compensation and benefits good at Gain Capital? I'm thinking of working there.
Answer: It depends on your job. If you're an artist, it's pretty good. The company's benefits and procedures are completely transparent, the boss is considerate and protective, and the cafeteria is delicious. If you're in legal affairs, run, run, run! The legal department is busier than the law firm next door…
A Douban thread: The computer crawled the keywords of trending searches related to "CEO Zhang" and summarized the data analysis characteristics of "CEO Zhang" as "a very rich, handsome, law-abiding CEO who is deeply involved in an emotional vortex".
Pink Station: "Little Zhang's Personal Story", "Little Zhang's Harem Story", "Autumn Moon (Bad Ending)", "Tears of Love Behind Bars".
Assistant Chen placed the investigation results on General Manager Zhang's desk, praying that General Manager Zhang would control his temper and not kick him out of the office.
Zhang Chaohe covered his head with both hands: How could this be?
Assistant Chen asked considerately, "Does Mr. Zhang need the public relations department to delete the posts?"
Since we can't solve the problem, we can only deal with the people who created it!
Zhang Chaohe hesitated for a long time, but ultimately decided he couldn't suppress the netizens' outspoken nature: "Fine, let them say whatever they want."
Seeing that his boss's mood had eased up, Assistant Chen kindly added, "Mr. Zhang, the good news is that your ranking on the Star Power List has risen by three places!"
As Zhang Chaohe poked at the A4 paper on the table with his ballpoint pen, he casually asked, "Oh, so what's my ranking now?"
Assistant Chen: "Ranked seventh in the China region."
Zhang Chaohe: "..."
He asked earnestly, "Where do I rank on the Forbes list?"
Assistant Chen answered very carefully: "If we only look at the domestic market, you'll be in the top 100 very soon!"
Zhang Chaohe: "What about my dad and my brother?"
Assistant Chen smiled slightly: "Are you asking about the global rankings?"
Zhang Chaohe: Waaaaah!!
Devastated by this setback, Zhang Chaohe got back to work diligently—he even worked harder and approved several more project proposals, including several hit campus dramas and Mei Jinghan's new fantasy period drama.
Zhang Chaohe thought angrily, "Other people who transmigrate into books remember the plot where they become entangled with the protagonist, but what about me?"
I remembered the hit work and the company traitor... The plot has been going on for so long, and I finally figured out who the main character is—speechless!
⚹
At the end of July, Zhang Chaohe, along with Cheng Jixue and Zhao Xinyue, officially headed to Guyunhe County to begin filming the variety show "The Distant Place of Dreams." Before departing, Zhang Chaohe specially arranged for the clothing brand he was collaborating with to send over the latest collaborative T-shirts and shorts.
Like a Tibetan fox, Zhao Xinyue sold herself out of despair and resignedly put on the shirt of "Flowers and Swords".
I've never been this immature in my life. Zhao Xinyue was furiously applying makeup on Mr. Zhang's private jet when she pulled out a giant makeup palette bigger than a dinner plate—Zhang Chaohe peered curiously at it; the palette was so rich and beautiful, with colors ranging from glacier blue to jungle green…
Then Zhao Xinyue dipped her brush in some black ink and began to outline her eyebrows and eyes.
Zhang Chaohe glanced at Cheng Jixue again. The two of them were sitting on a massage chair by a table on the side. Cheng Jixue was resting with her eyes closed, relaxing in the massage chair.
So Zhang Chaohe leaned back a little... and the next second he jumped up as if he had been electrocuted. Cheng Jixue quietly curved the corners of her mouth without reacting, pretending not to know his little action.
Zhao Xinyue suddenly looked up and glanced at Zhang Chaohe from behind the fill light, her face full of doubt.
Zhang Chaohe was startled. He looked at Zhao Xinyue's panda eyes and couldn't help but sigh, "You're so rebellious."