Guo Yang said, "Xiao Su, go ahead, I'll just grab something to eat outside."
Su Xiaosu said, "Alright then."
At this point, Zhao Ling finished reviewing the remaining documents and felt that none of the celebrities listed were appealing, so she simply left the interview room, leaving the HR manager to conduct the interviews himself. Outside, she saw Su Xiaosu talking to a man, and Zhao Ling was somewhat displeased. She said, "Su Xiaosu, don't you say you don't have a boyfriend? Do you know the consequences of lying to the company?"
Su Xiaosu was very nervous. After all, a guaranteed annual salary of 500,000 yuan was no small amount. The most important thing was that she had heard from her friend that the company had a very humane management style and was very generous with its spending. In the entertainment industry, the worst thing is not having enough money to burn. The more money you burn, the more famous you become. If she worked hard, she might become famous. Now, she was being questioned by the interviewer about how she wasn't nervous.
"I...I'm not lying, he's my friend, but not my boyfriend," Su Xiaosu explained.
Zhao Ling said, "I think highly of you and hope you will keep a clean reputation. I'm doing this for your own good. You've been in the entertainment industry longer than I have. Apart from artificial hype, negative news is a killer for a celebrity."
Su Xiaosu lowered her head: "I understand."
Zhao Ling reminded him, "Don't forget to eat at the restaurant." After saying that, Zhao Ling left.
Guo Yang looked somewhat dejected, probably because of Zhao Ling's comment that he was "not her boyfriend." Su Xiaosu whispered to comfort Guo Yang, "Guo Yang, I know what you're thinking, but I still stand by what I said: I will never like any man again. I'm sorry, I can only be your friend. If you want to scold me, then scold me."
Guo Yang shook his head: "Xiao Su, I know, I just can't let it go. I'll go now, we'll keep in touch by phone."
Zhao Ling entered the observation room. Zhao Qiang sat motionless in his chair. Zhao Ling asked, "What's wrong? Are you not satisfied with these interviewees?"
Zhao Qiang said, "You should focus on training that Su Xiaosu."
Zhao Ling originally wanted to make a joke. This was originally a girl that Zhao Mingming and Sun Dongming had their eyes on, but she didn't expect Zhao Qiang to also have designs on her. However, seeing that Zhao Qiang was very serious, Zhao Ling dismissed the unnecessary words and nodded: "I understand. The personnel department has studied the information she sent. Her voice is very good, and she has a good education. She is indeed worth training."
Zhao Qiang's eyes were a little red. He stood up and said, "I'm leaving now."
Zhao Ling pulled Zhao Qiang back: "No, let's go to the restaurant together for dinner later. After all, you are the art director of Lingdong Entertainment. It would be good for you to meet everyone."
Zhao Qiang considered for a moment and said, "Alright, to encourage these celebrities, I'll allocate another 500 million yuan. You'd better burn it all before the end of the year, don't leave a single penny."
Zhao Ling knew that Zhao Qiang's 500 million was most likely for that Su Xiaosu, and she was a little disappointed, but she quickly came to terms with it: "Okay, I will announce it during the dinner."
Su Xiaosu was also disappointed. By the time she entered the restaurant according to the floor plan, almost everyone had arrived, and even the interviewing leaders were already in place. Su Xiaosu blushed. Fortunately, the banquet had not yet started, so she hurriedly found an empty seat and sat down. In less than five minutes, the dishes were served and looked very sumptuous.
The HR manager stood up and said, "Good morning, everyone. Before we eat, let's have our General Manager, Ms. Zhao Ling, announce some good news."
Amid applause, Zhao Ling stood up. Many of the new actors gasped in surprise. During the morning's audition, they had assumed she was just an ordinary staff member, perhaps an assistant to the boss. They never expected such a young woman to be the general manager of Lingdong Entertainment.
Zhao Ling said, "Dear colleagues, Lingdong Entertainment is a relatively new company, and we need everyone's hard work and participation in many areas. Those who remain here today are all outstanding individuals. The future glory of Lingdong Entertainment depends on everyone's joint efforts. For the better development of the company in the future, our investors have made a major decision today: they will invest 500 million RMB in Lingdong Entertainment before New Year's Day this year."
The restaurant was completely silent. Lingdong Entertainment was just an unknown small company, yet the investment was so huge. Was the investor out of their mind? Even if it could make a profit in the future, who could guarantee that it would recoup its huge investment?
In fact, Zhao Ling was quite reserved. When announcing the investment news, she said it would be done "gradually." But the truth is that Zhao Qiang never does anything complicated. The funds are provided all at once. After all, he earns hundreds of millions of yuan every time he sells a batch of perfume mother liquor. Money is nothing to Zhao Qiang.
After the silence came thunderous applause. The company needed funds to develop; otherwise, it would be a pipe dream to support newly recruited actors with just a nightclub, a casino, or even collecting protection money everywhere.
"Employees who passed the interview today, please pick up your apartment keys from the logistics department after lunch. Our company provides single apartments with two bedrooms and one living room, and water and electricity are all free. In addition, each person will also be provided with a car worth less than 100,000 yuan. Please choose your own car model and then report to the logistics department for unified procurement."
A single apartment and a car provided—this is an incredible deal for third-tier or even obscure celebrities and models. Plus, they get a monthly salary of 160,000 to 170,000 yuan, something they never dared to dream of before. This shows that Lingdong Entertainment isn't a scam company. Many people were initially worried about being cheated after signing the contract, but now many are even looking forward to signing it soon.
Zhao Ling said, "I won't say anything more, so as not to delay everyone's meal. But before we eat, I would like to introduce our company's art director, Comrade Zhao Qiang." Zhao Ling's gesture and gaze turned to Zhao Qiang. Although she couldn't reveal Zhao Qiang's identity as an investor, Lingdong Entertainment had obtained a large amount of original music and skits from Zhao Qiang, and the quality of these works was very high. Based on this alone, Zhao Qiang's position as director was not undeserved.
"Ah!" A gasp suddenly came from the corner of the dining table, and everyone's eyes naturally turned to this side. Su Xiaosu covered her mouth, then suddenly stood up and ran out of the restaurant without a word, leaving tear stains on the ground where her footsteps passed.
Several female models were already hostile towards Su Xiaosu, after all, she was prettier than them. Seeing Su Xiaosu interrupt the director's speech, they gossiped, "Who is this? She has no manners at all. What does she mean by acting like that when the director is speaking?"
The former employees of Lingdong Entertainment in the restaurant were also whispering among themselves. Zhao Ling was also unhappy. What was Su Xiaosu up to? However, after glancing at Zhao Qiang, whose expression was neither happy nor angry, Zhao Ling had no choice but to swallow her words.
The HR manager came over and whispered, "There's something wrong with this Su Xiaosu, Mr. Zhao, what do you think..."
Zhao Ling waved her hand, and the HR manager said no more. Zhao Qiang stood up and said, "Hello everyone."
"Hello, Director Zhao," everyone responded.
Zhao Qiang said, "I won't give a long report. I'll just say this: if you treat the company well, the company will treat you well. As for how well, you'll all find out later. Let's eat."
Zhao Qiang left his seat and walked out of the restaurant. The HR manager, trying to liven things up, was the first to raise his glass and say, "To celebrate our glorious tomorrow, cheers!"
Su Xiaosu ran to the entrance of Lingdong Building, where Zhao Qiang was already waiting for her. Su Xiaosu was surprised that Zhao Qiang had gotten there before her. She paused, then turned and ran back into the building, trying to find a way out from the back.
Zhao Qiang shouted from behind, "Don't bother, you won't find the back door."
Su Xiaosu could only stop, biting her lip for a long time before finally saying, "You... what are you doing here?"
Zhao Qiang smiled and said, "I think you've misunderstood. Although I'm also called Zhao Qiang, I'm definitely different from the Zhao Qiang you're imagining."
"Different?" Su Xiaosu couldn't understand the meaning of this sentence; she couldn't see any difference in her eyes.
Zhao Qiang said, "Because many people mistake me for Zhao Qiang from Donghai City."
Su Xiaosu exclaimed "Ah!" again: "What? You're not Zhao Qiang from Donghai City?"
Zhao Qiang remained completely unfazed: "No."
Su Xiaosu said, "How is that possible? You two look so alike, except for your accents."
Zhao Qiang learned the accents of Zhao Ling and Chen Xinxin; the original Donghai City accent in Mandarin had disappeared.
"Do you know Zhao Qiang from Donghai City?" Zhao Qiang asked.
Su Xiaosu still didn't believe it: "You're really not Zhao Qiang?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Should we find someone from Donghai City to testify?"
After thinking for a moment, Su Xiaosu could only accept Zhao Qiang's explanation with some skepticism. She lowered her head and said, "I'm sorry, I may have mistaken you for someone else. But you look so much like my old friend. I was too excited just now, please forgive me."
Zhao Qiang said, "It's nothing. This isn't the first time this has happened, which is why I chased after you. Are you hungry? Let's go back to the restaurant for a meal."
Su Xiaosu nodded, and the two of them prepared to return to the restaurant one after the other. At this moment, two people rushed into the lobby, covered in sweat and running fast, "Brother Qiang, wait for us."
Zhao Mingming and Sun Dongming caught up. Zhao Ling had sent them away early that morning, otherwise they would have been there for the interview. "Brother Qiang, this must be our future colleague, Ms. Su Xiaosu." Zhao Mingming and Sun Dongming had seen Su Xiaosu's photo before, so they recognized her immediately.
Su Xiaosu didn't recognize the two men, but they didn't look like kind people, so she was a little scared.
Sun Dongming said, "My name is Sun Dongming, and this is Zhao Mingming. He already has a girlfriend. We are responsible for the security, casino, and nightclub businesses of Lingdong Entertainment. We were out on business today, so we couldn't attend the interview."
Zhao Mingming angrily punched Sun Dongming: "You bastard, do you have to announce to the whole world that I have a girlfriend?"
The four of them returned to the restaurant, laughing and joking. Of course, it was the two who were laughing and joking. Su Xiaosu still chose a corner, but she was destined to be the focus of everyone's attention in the restaurant. Putting aside her appearance, she ruined the atmosphere when Director Zhao was about to speak by leaving without saying hello. This was an unforgivable mistake. But now that Director Zhao doesn't seem angry, could it be that she...?
(Thanks to Baiyang's Moonlight for the 100-coin reward, and thanks to Lian~lianbushe and Shining Pig for urging me to update. However, I've been plagued by illness lately. First, I had vertigo, and these past two days I've had terrible headaches. It's probably because of moving and renovations. The new house is under renovation, and there are so many things to do. Suddenly, the landlord came to urge me to move out, so I have to go out and find a new place and move again. I thought I wouldn't have to move again before I moved into my own house, but I still have to go through all that trouble. I'm so dizzy. I'll try to update more often. Thank you everyone.)
(Thanks to Longfei200 and Youyouruoshui for their monthly ticket support)
Volume 2 [522] Accompanying the Drinker
【522】Accompanying guests for drinks
The speculations were not confirmed, because Zhao Qiang didn't even glance at Su Xiaosu once during the entire dinner. On the contrary, Zhao Mingming and Sun Dongming fawned over her, but Su Xiaosu never seemed happy, so the two of them left empty-handed.
After the meal, Su Xiaosu returned to her hotel. Her colleagues from the company who had come to Baiyuan City for the performance had already returned to the team. Su Xiaosu had not terminated her contract with her original company, but took advantage of her day off to go for an interview.
"Su Xiaosu, Commander Liu is looking for you." A staff member entered the room and called out to Su Xiaosu. Their team leader was named Liu Wen, and everyone called him Commander Liu. He held a fairly high position in the head office.
Su Xiaosu entered Liu Wen's room, looking dejected. Liu Wen was smoking, his expression somewhat unfriendly. Seeing Su Xiaosu come in, he threw down his cigarette butt and said, "Su Xiaosu, I heard you went for a job interview today?"
Su Xiaosu was taken aback. How did Commander Liu Wen find out about this? She didn't have many friends in the troupe, and she hadn't told anyone. Could it be that there were teammates from the troupe among the applicants that she hadn't seen?
"Yes, Commander." Su Xiaosu could not deny it and could only admit it.
Liu Wen snorted: "Su Xiaosu, if you have any opinions about me or the company, you can speak up. What do you mean by preparing to jump ship so quietly? Are you showing contempt for the company and looking down on me? If you leave the company while I'm in charge, what will the company's senior management think of me? Aren't you just smearing my reputation?"
Su Xiaosu said apologetically, "Commander Liu, I really didn't think that much about it. I just wanted to give it a try."
Liu Wendao: "You tried it? Did it succeed?"
Su Xiaosu nodded: "Commander Liu, now that you know, I would like to resign."
Liu Wen snorted, "Resign? You think it's that easy? You signed a contract; if you want to resign, you'll have to pay a penalty."
Su Xiaosu knew about this, but she also knew that her contract would expire in a few days, otherwise she wouldn't have dared to apply for the job. "Commander Liu, I just want to submit my resignation to the company and officially leave after my contract expires."
Liu Wen crossed his legs: "We'll talk about it later. It's clearly written in the contract that our company has the right of first refusal. As long as you are still in the entertainment industry and our company wants you, then you must sign with our company, otherwise it will be considered a breach of contract."
Su Xiaosu was startled: "Ah, how could this be? It wasn't mentioned when we signed the contract."
Liu Wen said, "Does this even need to be said? If you don't understand it yourself, who can you blame?"
Su Xiaosu knew there were many traps in the contract, and she had been very careful, but she still couldn't outmaneuver these seasoned players. There was no other way; it seemed that changing jobs would come at a price. Su Xiaosu gritted her teeth and said, "Commander Liu, how much do you think I should pay the company in breach of contract fees if I resign after the contract expires?"
Liu Wendao said, "This amount is determined by the company. I'm just a team leader and can't control that. What I said earlier was just a reminder. I wouldn't tell anyone else. If the company sues you, you'll be ruined."
Su Xiaosu said helplessly, "Thank you, Commander Liu. If there's nothing else, I'll head back now."
There's no point in saying anything more now that the contract hasn't expired. Su Xiaosu can only try to explain to Lingdong Entertainment first. If it works out, then they can talk about it. If it doesn't, there's nothing she can do.
Watching Su Xiaosu leave, Liu Wen picked up his phone: "President Wang, this is Liu Wen. Su Xiaosu wants to switch jobs..."
Zhao Qiang also had a worry because the Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching. It was his first time going to Shanghai, but it was an opportunity to get close to the core of the Chen family, and Zhao Qiang could not give it up. However, he had to decide what kind of gift to bring. It had to be unique and attract Chen Kezong's attention. Zhao Qiang tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
Zhao Ling, who was sleeping on the left, said, "Zhao Qiang, don't even think about it. You're already giving the Chen family face by agreeing to go. Why bring any gifts?"
Chen Xinxin, who was sleeping on the right, said, "That's right. We've already given him face by not going to ruin that old man's birthday banquet. It's not worth losing sleep over. Why don't you two perform another 'leaking' scene? I still have a few details to learn, especially the woman-on-top position."
Zhao Ling said, "Forget it, I'd rather you and Zhao Qiang perform, that would be more interesting to see."
Chen Xinxin pretended to be shy and said, "I'm still a virgin, Zhao Ling, don't misunderstand."
Zhao Ling pretended to vomit, "If you make me feel disgusted again, I'll make you feel so good tonight that you won't be able to get out of bed tomorrow."
When Chen Xinxin saw the leaked area, she couldn't control herself, so Zhao Ling helped her. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to control herself these days. It was as if she was being tested on her endurance. It's a miracle that Zhao Qiang hasn't had sex with her yet.
Chen Xinxin pleaded, "No, I have work tomorrow."
Zhao Ling said, "Who doesn't have a job? Those new models and celebrities are really troublesome. By the way, Su Xiaosu didn't come today."
Zhao Qiang snapped out of his thoughts, "What's going on?"
Zhao Ling said, "I'm not sure, her phone is off."
Zhao Qiang said, "Call Sun Dongming and ask him to investigate."
Zhao Ling asked, "At this time?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Mm."
Zhao Ling took her phone out of the bedside table, and it rang for a while before she answered, "Sister Ling, it's the middle of the night, are you calling me to go to the bathroom?"
Zhao Ling said, "Your brother Qiang asked you to investigate why Su Xiaosu didn't come today."
Sun Dongming was taken aback for a moment: "Didn't come? Okay, I'll have someone check, don't worry."
Su Xiaosu has a performance assignment in Baiyuan City. Her program is singing. Su Xiaosu doesn't have her own songs, but the troupe has many songs that have been approved by the copyright holders, so she can choose to sing them at will.