Of the three originally selected artists, two were popular artists under Du Ze, the manager of the company's top star, and the other was an ordinary, relatively unknown artist. After considering factors such as resources and performance ratings, Zhang Chaohe removed one of Du Ze's artists from the list.
When Du Ze and Xu Shen left to start their own business, these minor celebrities also defected. How could Zhang Chaohe possibly raise a tiger that would become a threat?
It's understandable that Du Ze had ulterior motives. Jiasheng Capital made its fortune by capitalizing on the early success of talent shows, but its management's rigid thinking and agents' focus on short-term gains prevented it from achieving comprehensive development. Especially in recent years, with the talent show market becoming increasingly saturated, Jiasheng can no longer replicate the nationwide voting frenzy, and the company is now relying entirely on its past popularity to make ends meet.
Hengxiang's top management has basically given up on Jiasheng. After all, Jiasheng's current profit is at the bottom of the group. If it weren't for the second son, Zhang Chaohe, going undercover to the grassroots level, Jiasheng might have been sold off soon. Du Ze, who single-handedly created stars, actually felt that with Xu Shen as a cash cow and his accumulated network of connections over the years, he could succeed as well.
Therefore, before Xu Shen's contract expired, Du Ze had already done many things that harmed the company's interests, such as privately intercepting resources and manipulating dual contracts. He may even bleed his former employer dry to expand his own studio in the future.
For Zhang Chaohe, such behavior was absolutely intolerable. The original owner had only taken over Jiasheng for half a month, and Du Ze was currently observing the Second Prince's power and was unlikely to make any rash moves, which gave Zhang Chaohe time to deal with his betrayal.
Du Ze was indeed thinking that way. He had recently taken Xu Shen and others to lay low for a while, hoping to see if the Second Prince could "bring his own investment" into the production and provide him with some high-quality freebies. He had connections throughout the company and naturally knew that two of the spots in the recent "Dream Training Camp" challenge segment were reserved for artists under his management.
After waiting and waiting, they didn't receive any help from the second prince; instead, they witnessed the second prince ruthlessly seizing the resources of his artists.
As the saying goes, a small success depends on promotion, but a big success depends on fate. The company has given Song Fei a lot of resources, but Song Fei's professional skills are average, and he has never become a big star. Du Ze thought to himself that the Second Prince was really not a fool. He immediately called Song Fei, who had been kicked out: "Little Fei, about that Dream Training Camp I mentioned to you before, the resources have been given to a newcomer. You can wait for next time."
Du Ze has always been good at making empty promises. Although the company has not yet issued a specific notice to finalize the artists, he already considers the spot to be his own, so he speaks with great certainty. Who knew that Zhang Chaohe, who had originally delegated authority, would suddenly stand up and kick him out.
But Song Fei was unaware of all this. Under Du Ze's subtle hints, he only thought that the resources that had been secured for him had been snatched away by a newcomer. Song Fei was stunned and said in disbelief, "A newcomer—huh? Who?"
Du Ze looked at the information he had obtained through connections—Cheng Jixue had not yet officially signed a contract, and had only performed in private theater troupes before. There was no record of her in the encyclopedia, so the information contained neither a photo nor any training experience. It only stated that she was a Peking Opera actress who sang female roles.
Song Fei was speechless: "Singing Peking Opera is one thing, but that's an old-fashioned thing. Young people don't buy into that at all. And she's singing female roles, so isn't that neither male nor female?"
Du Ze smiled without saying a word. He didn't care about such a trivial matter at all, but this was his first encounter with the parachuted-in Second Prince. He had to let the Second Prince know that he, Du Ze, was a veteran in Jiasheng for many years and was not someone to be trifled with.
"Alright, Ze-ge, don't worry about it. If it's gone, it's gone. I don't need this opportunity."
As soon as Song Fei hung up the phone, he quickly called Li Yimao, who had originally been scheduled to appear on the show with him. He casually told Li Yimao that he had been kicked out and that the higher-ups were going to send a newcomer who was neither male nor female and had no experience to train him.
Li Yimao was even more speechless. He had fewer resources than Song Fei, so he naturally cherished this opportunity. He even prepared an original Chinese-style rap song in advance to try to make a splash. But it seemed that the company's higher-ups wanted him to sacrifice himself to promote the newcomer.
Cheng Jixue was unaware that even before he showed his face, his business partners already viewed him as a tiger, leopard, and jackal.
Meanwhile, after making his decision, Zhang Chaohe called Cheng Jixue and briefly explained the details of the program. He added, "I don't think you're suited for this kind of short-term popularity route, so this time I just want you to leave an impression on the audience. I'll only let you appear on the collaboration stage, and leave the two solo stages for others. Is that okay?"
What a considerate boss, even asking for the employees' opinions!
"I will follow your instructions." Cheng Jixue had probably just finished practicing her skills; her voice was high-pitched, clear and bright.
To be fair, Cheng Jixue is a promising actor. Although he plays female roles on stage, Zhang Chaohe observed that Cheng Jixue's demeanor and overall presence offstage were completely devoid of any artificiality. This demonstrates that he effectively detached himself from the character; he was shaping the role rather than becoming it.
With a single phone call, Cheng Jixue was given professional lessons in dialogue, physical expression, acting, and vocal music. After all, every profession has its own secrets, and although his dialogue and physical expression skills have a solid foundation in traditional Chinese performing arts, far surpassing most of the mass-produced, quick-trained young actors on the market, he is still far from becoming an excellent actor.
Fortunately, although the original owner was stupid and wicked, he had at least graduated from a prestigious art academy and had excellent taste. The next morning, Zhang Chaohe casually picked out a set of clothes and accessories. The person in the mirror had broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and deep features. He looked cool and stylish just by casually grabbing his hair.
Mr. Zhang arrived at the company building today in his electric blue sports car. He was dressed in a low-key black suit with a pair of flamboyant and refreshing pink-blue gradient sunglasses, which made him look both trendy and cool. This softened the sharpness of his facial features to some extent, making him look like a handsome and stylish model. The receptionist smiled and greeted him, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
Even a young man sitting in the lobby couldn't help but glance at him several times.
Zhang Chaohe walked with a brisk pace and quickly took the elevator up. The man sitting in the lobby could no longer contain himself and turned his phone down to talk to the receptionist: "Sister Lily, was that a new employee in our company? Who was training her?"
The receptionist looked at him in astonishment: "That's our CEO, Mr. Zhang, not someone else's artist."
Song Fei: Holy crap!
Song Fei quickly put away his phone, got up and chased after him. He had been tossing and turning all night, unable to sleep—it seemed like no one had taken his resources for a long time, especially a complete newcomer who dared to steal his resources! This displeasure quickly overwhelmed the disappointment of losing resources, and with dark circles under his eyes, he dialed Du Ze's number to complain.
Du Ze was also annoyed. Who wanted to listen to Song Fei nagging like Xianglin's wife in the middle of the night? What was most infuriating was that he had no sense of the bigger picture and was simply upset because he had lost face!
Du Ze rolled his eyes frantically, advising him not to impulsively question the boss. He said the higher-ups must have their own considerations, and even said helplessly that he had made the promise without fully understanding the situation, and the fault lay entirely with him. Song Fei became even more agitated upon hearing this, as if he could already see his all-powerful agent being humiliated and trampled on by the newly appointed arrogant president, and he was filled with indignation.
Seeing that the atmosphere was already set, Du Ze pressed on, saying, "There's another mystery-themed variety show opportunity coming up. See if you can take advantage of the fact that Boss Zhang took one of your projects and play the victim a little to get this one."
Song Fei was impulsive and didn't realize that his agent was using him to test Xiao Zhang. He came to the company early in the morning with a swagger and waited for Xiao Zhang, only to find out that Xiao Zhang was some newly signed artist. He only realized he had mistaken him for someone else after Xiao Zhang had gone far away.
Although Assistant Jiang wasn't particularly interested in the entertainment industry, he had already memorized the faces of the main employees when he joined the company. Song Fei hadn't put on any makeup today; his face was caked with powder, making him look listless and greasy, a far cry from his professionally edited photo in his file. However, Assistant Jiang, with his excellent eyesight, still recognized him and politely asked if he had an appointment.
Are you kidding me? Just any employee can get a free meeting with the boss? Even the most glamorous celebrities are nothing more than tools for capitalists to make money; they don't deserve any special privileges in front of the CEO's office. Besides, this morning, Mr. Zhang is going to finalize contract paperwork with Cheng Jixue, and there are still many details to be settled. Who gave some monster the right to jump out and cause trouble?
Song Fei was rebuffed by Assistant Jiang again. In addition, he had just realized that even his proud face was inferior to that of President Zhang. A strange sense of defeat and grievance instantly overwhelmed him. He sat down next to the secretary's desk in a tantrum and said, "Then I'll wait outside. We'll talk when President Zhang is done. I must see him!"
Jiang gave a perfunctory yet indulgent smile, like a daycare nanny to a child pulling at his pockets, and then plunged into the swirling pile of documents without looking back; a slightly inexperienced young assistant brought him a cup of hot water—plain water, no tea bag or coffee.
The entire secretariat was bustling with activity, and no one paid him any attention.
Song Fei: He sat there for nearly an hour, until the water was so cold he could barely touch it. He sat there all alone, ignored by everyone, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Countless times he wanted to turn around and leave, but the resolute posture he had just displayed was still fresh in his mind, making him too embarrassed to get up.
About ten minutes later, a young man suddenly stepped out of the elevator. Compared to a standard model face, he was more handsome and refined, but he still had masculine features and a heroic air. He was exactly the kind of "god-like face" that young girls love these days. Moreover, he had a calm and elegant demeanor, so he was probably one of Mr. Zhang's wealthy friends.
When the young nobleman saw him staring blankly at him, he smiled brightly—Song Fei thought he had finally met a teammate, but the man just nodded, pushed open the door to the president's office, and went in.
Song Fei, who had at least 15 million Weibo followers, looked at the aloof and beautiful Assistant Jiang, who was rushing into the office with a stack of documents, and finally began to wonder if he was the most ordinary person on the floor.
A note from the author:
Du Ze: I'm not someone to mess with;
Mr. Zhang: *slap*
Chapter 4
Zhang Chaohe, who was in the office, knew that Song Feizheng was waiting outside, looking as angry as a pufferfish, but he had to review the contract and integrate the resource integration materials that Assistant Jiang had sent early in the morning, so he was really overwhelmed.
Upon seeing that Cheng Jixue had arrived, and knowing it was time to lead his legal department colleagues to sign this unprecedentedly huge contract, he remembered that there was a pufferfish still bubbling outside. Perhaps because Cheng Jixue's childhood had been so turbulent, he smiled and offered a way out when he saw Zhang Chaohe hesitate: "It seems there's another senior waiting for President Zhang outside."
Zhang Chaohe: "Call that...that one."
Song Fei was a nobody, and Xiao Zhang couldn't possibly remember his name overnight.
Assistant Jiang translated automatically and rushed out to summon Song Fei to see the president.
Song Fei was getting impatient and almost lost his temper. As soon as he entered, he saw the young master sitting upright on the sofa, greeting him with a warm and natural smile, while President Zhang, with a sullen face, was working on documents with his back to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, and Assistant Jiang was explaining something in a low voice.
The sound of his footsteps seemed to startle Mr. Zhang. The man looked up from the shadows, giving him a cold glance, his voice unreadable: "What is it?"
Song Fei smiled calmly, his expression carrying a hint of imitation he himself was unaware of—the person being imitated was sitting on a sofa to his side, propping his chin up and observing his expression.
"Hello Mr. Zhang, I am Song Fei, an artist managed by agent Du Ze..."
Zhang Chaohe held up the documents in his hand to indicate that he was busy: "Let's get down to business."
The brief surge of energy that Song Fei had managed to muster instantly vanished. He finally realized that the company probably didn't really think much of him. The reason why General Manager Zheng used to chat and laugh with him while holding a thermos was because Jiasheng was a place of laxity and idleness. General Manager Zhang's assignment here was clearly to prevent this bad trend from continuing to spread...
"What exactly do you want?" Zhang Chaohe really didn't expect that the other party was thinking so many things and was silently trying to win him over. He felt that the other party's silence was too sudden.
He appeared cold and assertive, but was actually highly focused, waiting to receive Du Ze's powerful attack while trying to maintain his aloof CEO demeanor. He shifted his position and noticed a crumpled piece of paper at his feet that hadn't been thrown into the trash can. In his nervousness, he did something he often did when skipping class in his school days—kicking the paper ball!
Song Fei suddenly realized: "Mr. Zhang, the main reason I'm visiting you today is..."
He tried to slow down his speech to buy time to reorganize his thoughts, but then he suddenly heard the young nobleman next to him let out a very soft, breathy laugh—then Mr. Zhang paused, and Assistant Jiang rubbed his forehead, revealing a seemingly helpless expression.
The language template that Song Fei had just assembled was shattered instantly!
He stiffly recalled what he had said and what he was going to say, and whether he had offended the boss in any way. He didn't notice at all that a few seconds earlier, a light paper ball had slipped through the slightly wider gap under the president's desk and flew with a whoosh to the feet of the seated young master.
Zhang Chaohe wanted to cover his face, but he couldn't. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Cheng Jixue thoughtfully moved her toes, gathered the elementary school toy that had shattered his domineering CEO dignity under her feet, and even gave him a considerate smile, barely managing to piece his domineering CEO dignity back together.
Assistant Jiang couldn't stand it any longer, so she quickly spoke up, trying to put an end to the kindergarten incident: "Mr. Song Fei, are you here because of the 'Dream Training Camp'?"
Upon hearing her slightly stern question, Song Fei felt as if she had heard heavenly music and immediately denied it: "No, no, I fully obey the company's arrangements!"
“That would be best,” Assistant Jiang’s tone suddenly became calm, without any hint of criticism: “No matter whose artist you are under, you are an artist of the company. The company is determined to crack down on resource manipulation. Before the company announces its decision, all rumors are untrue. You should be able to distinguish these rumors correctly.”
"I don't want to see any more of Du Ze's artists causing trouble at headquarters. Do you understand?"
Song Fei nodded hesitantly, still unsure whether to bring up the mystery-solving variety show with President Zhang, when President Zhang suddenly looked up, his eyes seemingly carrying a hint of anger: "Is there anything else?"
Song Fei: ! !
"It's nothing, it's nothing!" He quickly excused himself, saying, "Mr. Zhang, you're busy, I'll be going now!"
From the moment Song Fei stormed in to his hasty retreat, the entire process took less than five minutes—Zhang Chaohe was fully armed, but the other party only threw a small stone at him before running away.
“A raise,” Zhang Chaohe declared decisively, “A raise is a must.”
Just as Jiang's assistant was about to throw a tantrum with the small paper ball, he blinked and instantly decided that Chairman Zhang and General Manager Zhang were too busy to know about such trivial matters.
Cheng Jixue didn't speak either. He smiled and watched Zhang Chaohe turn a page of the document at an absurdly slow pace: "Is Mr. Cheng's lawyer in the meeting room?"
His ears turned red. Cheng Jixue thought casually.
“Yes, Mr. Zhang can just have the legal representative present,” Cheng Jixue said considerately. “If my lawyer has reviewed the contract and there are no problems, I will sign it and then hand it over to Assistant Jiang.”
Zhang Chaohe really didn't want to look at that terrible contract. Just thinking about how much he had lost compared to his original profit calculations made his heart ache. But then he thought that it was like losing money to avoid disaster, so he felt that it wasn't unacceptable.
As long as he squeezes enough, he's not afraid of not getting his money back!
He stood up and shook hands with Cheng Jixue, only to realize that standing face to face, he actually needed to slightly raise his eyes to look directly into Cheng Jixue's eyes! Zhang Chaohe felt even more heartbroken, but his mouth was faster than his brain: "When you played Princess Daizhan, you must have been over two meters tall!"
Cheng Jixue: Cheng Jixue's expression was unusually blank.
Princess Daizhan is a character in the Peking Opera "Red Mane and Fiery Steed". She is Xue Pinggui's wife in Xiliang. In general, Peking Opera uses the Manchu dress of the Qing Dynasty to represent women of foreign ethnicity. Therefore, Princess Daizhan not only has to wear thick-soled shoes, but also a Manchu headdress.
Assistant Jiang wished she could cover Mr. Zhang's mouth—although she was also very curious about what Mr. Cheng looked like, it was truly offensive to ask such a question to a male actor specializing in female roles.
Cheng Jixue chuckled: "That's not how it's viewed. Peking Opera actors emphasize conveying the spirit. While gender and appearance are certainly important factors influencing the performance, the key is how to use performance techniques to overcome physiological limitations. I've also performed with excellent female senior actors specializing in old male roles, and the results were quite successful."
Zhang Chaohe regretted his words as soon as they left his mouth, his cheeks burning uncontrollably. His mouth seemed freshly installed; Cheng Jixue's calm and composed answer was so practiced that it was clear he had answered similar questions countless times.
Is it really inappropriate for a man to dress up as a woman?
Remorse almost overwhelmed Zhang Chaohe. He pursed his lips and said, "I'm sorry, I was just suddenly curious. Could you save me a seat for your next performance?"
Cheng Jixue was stunned for a moment, and a layer of loneliness appeared in his eyes, but it quickly disappeared: "After my partner had an accident, the troupe also disbanded, and I have nowhere to sing anymore."
“Then I’ll book a ticket for four years from now.” Zhang Chaohe patted his shoulder. “I hope I can see Princess Daizhan in person by then.”
Before Cheng Jixue could speak, Zhang Chaohe glanced at his watch in a flustered and affected manner: "I have a meeting soon, let Assistant Jiang take you there. Have a good acting class this afternoon, and then come to the company tomorrow to rehearse for the variety show stage."
After Cheng Jixue left, Zhang Chaohe lowered the back of his chair, leaned back silently, and raised his hand to shield his eyes from the glaring sunlight. He was not yet fully adapted to the role of Young Master Zhang, and could only try his best to use indifference to cover up his immaturity and naivety.
Is he really suited to be a decision-maker? Does he have the composure and decisiveness to handle such a role?
Zhang Chaohe was lost in thought when a phone call came in. He sat up and saw that it was Du Ze.
Oh.
Mr. Zhang coldly turned off the mute button, leaving only the incoming call screen flashing for a while before going dark. A moment later, his secretary asked on the intercom, "Mr. Zhang, it's Du Ze on the phone."
Zhang Chaohe answered with restraint. Despite all the commotion, Du Ze's voice remained unchanged, still warm and polite: "Did I disturb you, Mr. Zhang?"
Zhang Chaohe was also very earnest: "Brother Du, you're too kind. Is there anything I can help you with?"