Global Film Emperor

Chapter 47 Signing the Contract (Part 2)
"Sister Gao, I'm not really comfortable with the contract length. I'm a bit timid, so..."

Lu Ze's meaning was simple: he dared not sign such a long contract, dared not entrust his youth to Qian Shijia. What if, just what if, something really happened to him in the future, he would be thirty-five years old when the contract expired, and it would be much harder to make a name for himself at that age than it is now.

He has to leave himself a way out, even if it's a narrow one.

Gao Wanzhi held a carbon pen in her hand, rested her chin on her hands, and maintained her ever-present kind smile, which made Lu Ze feel a little helpless. This woman was really hard to deal with.

"Are you lacking confidence in yourself? Then you've disappointed us a bit. After all, you're currently the only one with a C-level contract at Qian Shijia, and newcomers start with a C-level contract. You can see how much the company values ​​you, right?"

Well, Gao Wanzhi easily shut down what Lu Ze was trying to say with just one sentence, just like that annoying phrase that everyone hates, "I'm doing this for your own good."

“I can feel that your company values ​​me, but I need to have a backup plan after ten years. You may not know about my family situation, Sister Gao, but I need to support my family.”

"So, what length of contract would you like to sign?"

The ball was thrown back to Lu Ze. Now that Lu Ze was in a stronger position, he had no choice but to be cautious. After thinking for a long time, he gave a specific year.

"I think about six years is more appropriate."

"I'm sorry, that's impossible."

Lu Ze was taken aback, not expecting Gao Wanzhi to refuse so decisively this time. He could only listen silently to what Gao Wanzhi was about to say.

"Let me put it this way, Qian Shijia is different from those companies that just want to make a quick buck. Our star-making plan is implemented step by step, unlike other companies that launch flashy but impractical artists just to make a quick buck. We will give you a plan that lasts for four or five years, or even longer. If you sign a six-year contract, you can think about it. If the company really makes you a big star, when you are at the peak of your career and your contract with the company expires, won't all the promotion and resources the company has invested in you over the years go down the drain? This is not in the interest of any company, including companies in other industries."

"But Sister Gao, that's under ideal circumstances. Right now, I'm not an artist under Qian Shijia. Whether I or the company can decide whether I become a big star or not is still up to us. After all, it depends on market demand, right? If things don't go well, Sister Gao, I'll be thirty-five by then."

Lu Ze's tone remained unchanged, but Gao Wanzhi understood what he meant by "I am not an artist under Qian Shijia now." Lu Ze's thinking was simple: if this condition couldn't be negotiated, then he wasn't going to negotiate at all.

The meaning behind his words made Gao Wanzhi frown slightly. Although she knew that Lu Ze was very mature, unlike other silly girls and boys who were obsessed with fame and would give up money for it.

She just didn't expect Lu Ze's attitude to be so tough. If you don't talk about the time limit, I won't talk about it! Only now did she realize that Lu Ze's interview was fundamentally different from the others.

People who come for job interviews all want to become famous, to be popular, to become big shots.

But what he was really thinking was, "I don't care about fame or fortune, all I want is money."

It is precisely because of this fundamental difference that Lu Ze and Gao Wanzhi have a huge conflict in their ideologies; or rather, he is not so easily fooled.

This made Gao Wanzhi somewhat unhappy, but she could only curse Lu Ze in her heart. Qian Shijia was short of people, and Lu Ze's performance yesterday showed that he was a good prospect.

They had high expectations for Lu Ze's future career development, and the profits he could bring to the company should not be small. Therefore, Gao Wanzhi could not let him off the hook, so she had no choice but to back down and not take a hard line with Lu Ze. Instead, she would try a different approach, like water dripping on a stone, to wear it down slowly.

"Lu Ze, the term is negotiable, but turning ten years into six is ​​impossible. Let's put ourselves in each other's shoes. If you were to spend five years training an artist, would you sign a six-year contract? The profit sharing, term, and penalty for breach of contract were all set by President Hu. I am his subordinate. Do you think I have the right to change too much?"

"Then, Sister Gao, what do you think is a suitable number of years for me to sign?" Neither of them were easy targets, so Lu Ze kicked the ball that Gao Wanzhi had brought back back to her. You say six years is not enough? Come on, tell me how many years is acceptable?

Gao Wanzhi was a little out of breath, she was really angry! This bastard is a muddle-headed slickman, slippery and impervious to reason, what's even more infuriating is that he's quite good at talking back and passing the buck, is he a football player?
Now it was Gao Wanzhi's turn to ponder. She certainly didn't have the power to change the age limit too much, but she had the right to make appropriate adjustments without Hu Zhiguang's approval.

"If you really want me to give you a suitable term, I think eight to nine years would be more appropriate. Trust me, the company's requirements for artists aren't too strict, and once you become a big star, you'll definitely be able to get a better contract. The company might even let you set up your own studio outside. Think about the trend of big stars in recent years—aren't they all leaving to start their own studios? Maybe you'll be a boss in the future. So think about it carefully: if you were a boss, and you valued an artist, how many years would you sign them for? Put yourself in their shoes, right?"

Lu Ze couldn't respond to this; the two were on completely different wavelengths. Lu Ze was afraid of suffering a major setback during the development of his career, and then no one would pay for his lost youth.

Gao Wanzhi, on the other hand, skipped over development and started to dream about the future, talking about the wonderful blueprint after becoming famous and successful.

It wasn't that the two were stupid or couldn't understand what was being said; rather, they couldn't understand it. How could Gao Wanzhi possibly guarantee Lu Ze a stable income regardless of drought or flood? She couldn't, and dared not, so she skipped over the issue of development and started making empty promises.

Time flew by, and the two talked for three hours. It was already past noon. During this time, the two disagreed. Gao Wanzhi had been in this industry for more than ten years. She had previously jumped ship from another company and had seen at least eight hundred or a thousand newcomers, but this was the first time she had encountered such a stubborn newcomer.

"I can consider that eight-year contract."

Lu Ze was also tired, both mentally and physically. He took a sip of the coffee his assistant had brought him not long ago. He didn't want to go to another company because Qian Shijia was the most suitable for him, so he took the gamble of eight years.

Gao Wanzhi breathed a sigh of relief and called to the legal department staff who were almost asleep, asking them to rewrite two contracts, changing the term to eight years and increasing the penalty for breach of contract to ten million.

The previous penalty for breach of contract was eight million, and Lu Ze had no objection to this amount. No company you sign a contract with ever has a penalty for breach of contract that is less than seven figures. Now that it has been increased to ten million, he is numb to it. He has already signed an eight-year contract, so what's the difference between two million and that?
Taking advantage of this time, Gao Wanzhi invited him to have lunch at the cafeteria together. Lu Ze did not refuse and went with her. Last time he came, it was not lunchtime, but now, Lu Ze just wanted to check in at the cafeteria like crazy.

It's free, unlimited, like a buffet! Steak, prawns, seafood, crab, all kinds of stir-fries—the food is amazing! Just eat as much as you want, as long as you don't waste any.

I took a tall glass from the sterilizer, the kind with a wide rim, scooped out some ice, made an iced coffee, and then started eating the crab.

He didn't wolf down his food; he ate quite elegantly. However, one's eating manners don't match one's appetite. Afraid of being seen eating a table full of crab shells, he had no choice but to fill another large bowl with rice and stuff it into his stomach.

He let out a burp, finished the last bit of his drink, cleaned up his plate, and returned to the artist management department's room.

The contract had been printed out, but it hadn't been long since it was printed; it was still warm to the touch. Lu Ze reviewed all the terms again, confirming that everything was normal except for the adjusted term and penalty for breach of contract. He took a deep breath, calmed his pounding heart, picked up the pen, and his hand trembled slightly.

"Man, I'll still have to look up to you from now on. I hope you can give me a hand. These past eight years, whether it's a blessing or a curse, have all depended on you."

He silently praised the utterly incompetent system, then removed the pen cap and signed his name.

The contract has taken effect.

"."

(End of this chapter)