Global Film Emperor

Chapter 157 "The Boss"

On November 1, 2018, Shanghai Qian Shijia Media Co., Ltd.

Good afternoon, Brother Lu.

Good afternoon, Coco.

Xiao Mei, the receptionist, had already resigned and left. Lu Ze wasn't very familiar with the current receptionist, Coco. He greeted her, walked to the vending machine, pressed the button for the instant coffee machine, picked up a disposable paper cup, and headed into the corridor.

Yesterday, Shen Jinghan informed Lu Ze that the contract for the new movie had been finalized and asked Lu Ze to come and sign it. Fortunately, Lu Ze didn't have any scenes to film this afternoon, so he came directly over.

Upbeat music was playing from the dance studio. I glanced inside and saw that most of the girls were sixteen or seventeen years old, and I didn't recognize any of them.

It's quite interesting. Although he's been filming in Shanghai, he hasn't been to the company for more than half a year. Newcomers have left one after another, and only about seventeen or eighteen people have actually made it into the industry.

Most of the other trainees couldn't hold on and chose to leave, and then a new batch of young girls and boys would enter the company to replenish its ranks.

It's cruel. Thousands of people are fighting their way across a single-plank bridge, battling with their best friends who eat, live, play, and train together every day, all for a chance to become famous. But even if they debut, they may not actually become famous.

"Brother Lu! It's been a long time."

As he passed by three girls, Lu Ze almost didn't recognize them. He looked them up and down a few times before he could identify two of them.

"Xue Xue and Ye Meiqi, it's been a long time."

These two girls are truly veteran trainees of the company, even earlier than Lu Ze. No, I heard they've already successfully debuted this year, so they've finally made it through the tough times.

"Hey! Brother Lu, you still remember us? I thought you had forgotten about us. It's been almost a year since we last saw each other. By the way, Brother Lu, let me introduce you. This is our group's newest member, Peng Qiunuan."

"Hello, Brother Lu!"

It seems that the trainees who learned the trainee model from South Korea all have some South Korean habits. When they met Lu Ze, they bowed deeply, their heads almost touching their knees.

"No need for that. You startled me. Qian Shijia doesn't follow that kind of thing. She's a good girl, and she speaks with her head held high since her debut."

Although there is still a class gap between seniors and juniors in China, it is not as severe as in the two neighboring countries. Lu Ze could not stand their harsh and abnormal hierarchical rule. The girl in front of him was tall, with a slim waist, long legs, and an outstanding face. This kind of thing was not very attractive.

Peng Qiunuan seemed surprised by Lu Ze's politeness. After all, she had only been a trainee for a little over a year and hadn't had much contact with the actors in the company. She usually interacted with seniors who were also trainees, so she was used to this kind of attitude.

At this moment, Xue Xue took over the conversation and cheerfully started chatting with Lu Ze about the next topic.

"Brother Lu, we can really be considered family now."

"How to say?"

"We were also raised by Aunt Han, so now we are truly from the same root and share the same seed."

It turns out that the three artists Shen Jinghan is now managing are these three. Lu Ze wasn't surprised. Looking at their looks, figures, and singing and dancing skills, as long as they have resources to promote them, it wouldn't be difficult for them to become famous. With Shen Jinghan's guidance and a bit of luck, it's not impossible for them to become hugely popular next year.

"That's great, we're really family now. Let me see. I have to talk to you now, I have something to do. We can chat again another time."

"Then let us take you there, Brother Lu."

"No need, I'm just going to the conference room. You all go about your business."

After Lu Ze parted ways with the three girls, he sighed. People do change. Xue Xue was a pretty good girl when she was seventeen or eighteen, but it's better not to mention her now.

Pushing open the conference room door, Shen Jinghan was studying something on his laptop. He nodded upon seeing Lu Ze, who crushed a disposable plastic cup and tossed it into the trash can before sitting down opposite Shen Jinghan. "You saw Xue Xue and the others?"

"Yes, I just saw it."

The two ran out of things to say for the time being. Lu Ze noticed Shen Jinghan's hands. Her hands were very beautiful. Although the signs of aging were visible on her face, her hands seemed unaffected. Her fingers were long, fair, and her skin was firm, just like a young girl's hands. She was typing quickly on the computer keyboard.

Five minutes later, she closed her laptop, crossed her arms on the table, and began the next part of the conversation.

"Director Song won't be here for a while. Let me talk to you about something else first. First, there's the issue of endorsements. I don't want you to take on too many endorsements. It's not good for your long-term development. Although it can bring in quick money, this kind of path is not suitable for you."

Lu Ze naturally understood this principle. Shen Jinghan was right. For example, those Korean stars from a few years ago basically had the same person in all their TV commercials. Lu Ze found it annoying to watch, and other viewers would definitely feel the same way. So he nodded in understanding.

Seeing Lu Ze nod, Shen Jinghan continued, "I have received letters of intent for endorsements from Master Kong instant noodles, Douhua House, Xigua Used Cars, Jack & Jones, and the Hawaii Mate 20 series. My opinion is that I would choose Jack & Jones and the Mate 20 series."

She took two letters of intent out of her bag and placed them in front of Lu Ze, letting him read them himself.

There's no need to say much about Hawaiian mobile phones. They are a top high-tech enterprise in China, whose main business is laying cables in Africa, and their side business is selling mobile phones. In 18, they were the world's best-selling mobile phone brand.

The Mate 20 is a newly launched flagship phone this year. It's lucky for Lu Ze that the letter of intent was given to him, no matter how it came about. The endorsement fee is 15 million, and he will only endorse this one series of models.

Jack & Jones is a clothing brand that sells very well in China. It's popular, has a stable sales volume, and doesn't have any negative history in China. This already meets the specific reference standards for celebrity endorsements. As for the endorsement fee, Jack & Jones offered a two-year, 30 million yuan endorsement contract for the China region.

Lu Ze was somewhat astonished. This was much faster than making money by filming movies. He could earn tens of millions by shooting a few commercials and using his own photos for promotion.
But he can understand that endorsement fees are always the biggest source of income for artists, and these fees have always been somewhat inflated. Just like when filming TV dramas, they don't care how big a star you are, how great an actor or singer you are. They only consider one thing: your popularity.

A good endorsement can complement the artist, increasing the brand's public awareness of the artist and increasing the brand's sales, making the endorsement a worthwhile deal.

"I'll leave the choice to you, Aunt Han. I don't really understand this."

Lu Ze glanced at the letter of intent briefly, but the convoluted clauses inside gave him a headache. He had never been interested in terms of clauses or laws, and it made him sleepy as soon as he looked at it.

"Alright, I'll start the handover with the two companies in a bit. Wait, I need to take this call. Okay, please ask Director Song to come over. Director Song is here."

After hanging up the phone, Shen Jinghan told Lu Ze, and the two of them got up and went out to greet him. Song Qingmin was dressed very casually today, wearing a blue baseball cap and sportswear. After exchanging pleasantries for a while, the three of them returned to the conference room and began formal negotiations.

The contract template was provided by Song Qingmin, but it was printed by Qian Shijia. Therefore, both parties need to check whether the contract is correct, and then have Gao Jian, the minister of the Commerce Department, come over to sign it as Qian Shijia's business representative.

The contract had been finalized. Shen Jinghan simply emphasized to Lu Ze his responsibilities and obligations on set, as well as the obligations the production team should have towards him. Ultimately, the fee was ten million. It was no surprise that Lu Ze's value had doubled after winning the Best Actor award. If anyone still tried to hire Lu Ze with the price he quoted before winning the award, they would only be a laughing stock.

After Lu Ze had sorted everything out, he picked up a pen and carefully signed his name on the contract between the two parties. Subsequently, Gao Jian, as Party C, signed the contract.

At this moment, Lu Ze was considered Song Qingmin's man.

"I will pay a quarter of the fee in advance, which will be transferred to your company's account in the next day or two."

Lu Ze stood up and shook hands with Song Qingmin: "I am very happy to be a member of Director Song's crew. I have started working on the script these past few days, but I don't know if the title of the script has been decided yet."

Song Qingmin patted Lu Ze's hand with his other hand. He was naturally very happy to have found his ideal actor and laughed twice.

"I almost forgot, but it's already decided, it'll be called 'The Boss'."

"."

I have some things to do tonight for New Year's Eve, so the second update will be a little late. I've seen comments saying the recent plot has been a bit bland, and I don't deny it. Without any over-the-top, face-slapping moments and without being able to reveal too much about *The King of Fighters*, it's been difficult to make the story stand out. But now that I've received my payment for *The Boss*, I've met the system's upgrade requirements, and *The King of Fighters* is about to premiere. Starting with *The King of Fighters*, the next four installments are tentatively planned to be original scripts, written in a short story style. Please be patient, everyone.
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(End of this chapter)