Although he is a singer, Ye Cang's job is not just to write and release songs. In between releasing songs, he still needs to have enough media exposure to ensure that the audience remembers him, as well as various business activities.
Shen Huai originally wanted to get him a relatively lighthearted variety show, but considering Ye Cang's personality, he figured that without his help, the new assistant probably wouldn't be able to keep him in check. Rather than letting him go out and offend people, it was better to let him maintain a bit of mystery.
That being said, there are still some announcements that need to be attended.
For example, we need to repay the favor done to Zhang Li, the producer.
Zhang Li is the producer of "Rising Star". After the great success of "Rising Star", she also gained a firm foothold. Because she got along well with Shen Huai, she returned the favor by providing him with many opportunities, such as recommending Chu Meibo to "Travel with History".
Shen Huai was also happy to cultivate a good relationship with Zhang Li, after all, for an agent, connections are built step by step in this way. In addition, Ye Cang wanted to mentor newcomers, and nowadays very few newcomers can release albums directly, so sending them to a talent show to hone their skills is not a bad thing.
Coincidentally, Zhang Li was someone who specialized in this.
Zhang Li is now preparing for the second season of "The Rising Star," and Shen Huai is keen to send Xue Chengge in to give it a try.
However, Zhang Li came to find Shen Huai not because of the second season of "The Rising Star", but because of a new program - an idol group talent show.
Idol groups are a necessity in the entertainment industry. In Japan and South Korea, the idol market has formed a complete and mature industrial system, but in China, this is still a blank industry.
Zhang Li had already keenly realized this two years ago. For any industry, the first person to try something new always gets the biggest slice of the pie. The so-called golden age is only at the very beginning. Once the hype dies down, most people can barely make ends meet.
Zhang Li is an ambitious person. A large part of the reason she resigned was to get her hands on this crab.
The success of "The Rising Star" gave her a lot of confidence. She watched how Ye Cang went from being universally disliked to becoming a hot star. She even had a strong feeling that Ye Cang would continue to be popular for a long time.
That's why she approached Shen Huai, wanting to invite Ye Cang to join and leverage his reputation to expand the new program's popularity and influence.
Shen Huai frowned slightly: "Let Ye Cang be the mentor?"
Zhang Li nodded: "I am currently preparing a new girl group talent show. I know that Ye Cang is not only accomplished in rock music, but also has experience in other music genres, so I hope he can participate and become one of the mentors."
“But Ye Cang has no prior experience as a mentor, especially not for a girl group,” Shen Huai calmly reminded her.
Zhang Li quickly said, "With Ye Cang's abilities, being a mentor is definitely not a problem. You don't need to worry about the editing being messed up; I'll be watching everything."
Since she had given such a guarantee, Shen Huai mentally calculated Ye Cang's schedule and the remuneration offered by Zhang Li, and nodded in agreement.
Zhang Li breathed a sigh of relief and finally had the mind to take a sip of coffee. She smiled and said to Shen Huai, "If your company has suitable trainees, they can also participate in our program. As long as they are sent by Mr. Shen, they do not need to go through the selection process and can be directly included in the recording list."
Shen Huai currently only has Ye Cang, Chu Meibo, and Xue Chengge under his command, so there really isn't anyone suitable. Nevertheless, he still thanked Zhang Li for her kindness.
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After finishing their business, Shen Huai went to pick up Ye Cang. While waiting, he casually scrolled through Weibo, and then his gaze froze.
The latest top trending topic is that film star Fu Cheng terminated his contract with his original agency, Yixing Film Company, and signed with Guanrui Media, a major company in the industry.
Guanrui Media Group is one of the leading comprehensive entertainment groups in China, with remarkable achievements in investment and operation of films, television dramas, artist management, and entertainment marketing. Especially in the film industry, Guanrui Media has invested in numerous films over the years, achieving not only extremely high box office returns but also winning many awards at domestic and international film festivals, giving it a significant voice in the Chinese film industry.
Fu Cheng is young and promising, having won the Best Actor award at a young age. Now that he has signed with Guanrui, it is easy to foresee a smooth and successful path ahead for him.
Many fans congratulated Fu Cheng in the comments section of the official Weibo post from Guanrui.
However, Shen Huai's gaze remained fixed on "Yixing Film Company" for a long time without shifting away.
At that moment, the car door opened, and Ye Cang got in: "I knew it was you. Why didn't you call me before you came?"
Behind him was his new assistant, Xiao Zhao, who greeted Shen Huai somewhat reservedly: "Brother Shen."
Shen Huai snapped out of his reverie and gave a curt reply.
Ye Cang realized something was wrong, leaned forward, and asked, "What's wrong? What happened?"
Shen Huai didn't answer, but said directly, "I have something to do later, you can have Xiao Zhao take you home."
"What is it? Can't you tell me?"
Shen Huai paused for a moment, then said, "I'm going to see a friend." He glanced at Ye Cang, "If you don't mind, you can come along."
"I'll go." Ye Cang made the decision immediately. "Xiao Zhao, you drive back yourself."
Shen Huai was not surprised by his decision, so he drove Ye Cang out of the city.
Ye Cang asked curiously, "Is your friend not in Zhongjing City?"
Shen Huai nodded: "He's not in good health and is recuperating in Yunshui City."
Yunshui City is a famous health resort, not far from Zhongjing City, about an hour and a half drive away.
There aren't many people Shen Huai considers friends. Ye Cang noticed that Shen Huai's expression wasn't particularly serious, so he thought for a moment before asking, "Is this friend very important to you? Is it... the friend you mentioned before who made you choose to become their manager?"
Shen Huai glanced at Ye Cang in surprise before nodding.
"He is the owner of a film company and used to be an agent. He has brought out many famous actors, such as Du Yuping, the 'golden supporting actor,' who was discovered and cultivated by him."
“When I met him, he was visiting his daughter in the United States. We somehow started chatting. He told me that the most fulfilling thing about being an agent is not making a star famous, but seeing the desire in the other person's eyes and the satisfaction of helping them realize their dreams.”
Shen Huai said with some emotion, "I was just curious at first, thinking I'd try it for a month or two, but I never expected to be doing it all this time."
Ye Cang nodded, then asked somewhat cautiously, "Is he staying in a sanatorium? Is he in poor health?"
“He is getting old and has some heart problems, so he hasn’t been at the company for the past few years and has been recuperating at a nursing home.”
Shen Huai sighed. If he were in the company, Yi Xing Film Company wouldn't have fallen into such a miserable state.
Ye Cang nodded and didn't ask any further questions.
The two drove all the way to Yunshui City. Shen Huai bought a bouquet of flowers and a fruit basket by the roadside before driving with Ye Cang to the sanatorium.