After all of them were reborn, who would still be an actor?

Chapter 686 I'm even more awesome as a producer than as a director!
"This ledger is so beautifully done! Not a single detail is wrong!"

"Godmother is awesome."

"Why are there so many kinds of beef... Does Bouquet Hotel only serve Western food?"

Li Mingyang flipped through the ledgers while complaining.

The meaning is quite clear: it means falsifying accounts.

Xia Yuhe said with dissatisfaction, "Yangyang, are you suspecting me of falsifying accounts?"

"I didn't say that, I just think the accounts are done so well." Li Mingyang closed the ledger and handed it to Zhang Wei next to him.

Zhang Wei has a background in finance and is a professional auditor; she is far more capable than Li Mingyang in auditing accounts.

"You come back and immediately start checking the accounts. It's obvious you don't trust me. I'm so angry! I quit!" Xia Yuhe was furious and slammed her hand on the table, ready to leave.

Seeing this, Li Mingyang's mother quickly smoothed things over, saying some kind words before Xia Yuhe sat back down.

With his godmother so strong-willed, Li Mingyang stopped complaining and silently flipped through the account book.

More than two hours later...

Aside from feeling that the ledger was strange, Li Mingyang couldn't find any problems.

"What did you find out?" Li Mingyang asked in a low voice.

Zhang Wei shook her head. "No problem."

"impossible."

“Why is it impossible?” Zhang Wei retorted.

Li Mingyang had considerable trust in Zhang Wei's vetting abilities; some things are innate.

For example, when it comes to auditing accounts, Zhang Wei is extremely meticulous and particular about details.

She said it was no problem, and Li Mingyang naturally believed her.

The meeting continued, and Li Mingyang changed his demeanor, communicating with the senior executives in a friendly and approachable manner.

As the meeting was drawing to a close, Li Mingyang, as the boss, poured everyone a glass of champagne.

"Thank you all for your contributions to Bouquet Hotel. I have seen all your hard work. Therefore, starting next month, everyone's monthly salary will increase by 10%."

"thank you boss."

"Will the monthly salary of ordinary employees also increase by 10%?"

"of course."

"Yangyang, this salary increase is too much!"

"A general price increase is not good; a larger year-end bonus would be fine."

"Yes, yes, with this kind of price increase, hotels won't make much money."

"It's okay, I know what's going on."

Li Mingyang overruled everyone's objections and gave everyone a raise, which immediately made the atmosphere in the meeting room even more cheerful.

A 10% increase in monthly salary feels like a lot.

In reality, over the course of a year, it's just an extra month's salary.

The meeting ended after 10 p.m. Li Mingyang declined the welcome banquet, citing exhaustion, and returned to his room on the top floor.

Zhang Wei, Bai Bin, and Wu Zhikui also went back to their room with him.

"Why are you so late?" Jing Tian asked, lying on the sofa watching TV, looking a little drowsy.

"There's a lot to do, so if you're sleepy, you should go to sleep first."

"Hmm..." Jing Tian stretched and went upstairs.

She was accompanied upstairs by a dozen maids dressed in uniform.

When Jing Tian returned to China this time, she also brought some of the maids from the Korean mansion back with her.

You must persuade the servant.

Domestic celebrity assistants are not even in the same league as Korean maids.

One has human rights, the other doesn't...

Of course, there are also assistants in China who disregard human rights, but they are a minority. Once they turn against their former masters, the consequences can be dire...

Being a celebrity is a high-profile industry, and most celebrities treat their assistants like friends.

Some are even no different from biological sisters or brothers.

Some of them later became the wives of celebrities.

A huge number of male celebrities marry their agents or assistants.

"You two stay here and make some tea and coffee."

Li Mingyang left behind two maids.

He then invited the others to sit down in the living room. "Bouquet Entertainment is facing serious problems right now. There are thousands of people, but the output is low, the quality is low, and there is serious homogenization. Sometimes I can't even understand how those garbage films are made."

"You all need to think about how to reform Bouquet Entertainment next."

Li Mingyang raised the question.

Zhang Wei, Bai Bin, and Wu Zhikui all once held power at Huashu Entertainment for a period of time, and each had their own opinions on the company's issues.

Especially Shirahama.

She has worked on many period drama production teams and is very familiar with the production process of period dramas, as well as the model of Bouquet Entertainment.

The three men each expressed their own opinions.

Li Mingyang sat on the sofa, his arm resting on the armrest and his hand supporting his chin, seemingly listening attentively to the three people.

In reality, all his thoughts were on his mother, Chen Fang.

My mom is a middle-class elite in the US, and she admires foreign things and believes deep down that the grass is always greener on the other side.

He is currently being targeted by Wall Street capital.

Wall Street capital has gone to great lengths to suppress him, even going so far as to publicly reveal his Asian streaming plans.

However, what puzzled him was that he clearly had a mother with an American elite mindset, but Wall Street capital did not use it, which was really strange!

My mother has deep connections with Wall Street capital.

My mother's former colleague, Hughes Prey, was a prominent lawyer who worked for Wall Street.

He was ostensibly checking the accounts of the Bouquet Hotel.

Actually, I wanted to investigate my mother's connections with Wall Street capital.

Bouquet Hotel served as a ticket for my mother to enter the Shanghai capital circle. There must be something happening in those foreign-funded hotels in Pudong that she doesn't know about.

Many foreign-owned hotels are ostensibly hotels.

In reality, it's a base for overseas capital, and those invited to certain parties by these capital entities are no ordinary people.

My mother, as a yellow-skinned, white-hearted American elite, is a key figure to be cultivated, which is very beneficial for promoting the image of the American elite.

This is precisely why my mother is able to thrive in Shanghai's social circles.

He had heard about these things, but he had never paid attention to them.

Because at that time he hadn't yet clashed with Wall Street capital.

Now he has to be on guard...

Once domestic capital reaches a certain level, it naturally seeks to expand overseas, and there are compelling reasons for this.

Wahaha is like this...

One can imagine.

After the three people finished sharing their opinions...

Li Mingyang wasn't really listening and had no idea what the three of them were saying.

However, this did not prevent him from understanding what the three people were saying.

"You guys discuss whose proposal is better," Li Mingyang said.
“There is no best solution. The biggest problems now are vetting and talent. The talent drain is too serious. As soon as there is a slight improvement, they are poached, either by our own people or by outsiders,” Wu Zhikui said.

“The turnover rate at Bouquet Entertainment is very high. While this can certainly cultivate good new talent, they will eventually all flock to better platforms. I suggest signing performance-based agreements to retain outstanding talent,” Zhang Wei said.

“Most people wouldn’t dare sign a performance-based agreement… I think my plan is the best: increase recruitment efforts. Those who drift through Hengdian have no future; they easily lose their way after a little success. Academics are all elites; they have good stress resistance and big goals and dreams. Talent diversion is inevitable, but as long as they stay with the company, it’s not a problem,” Bai Bin said.

“I don’t agree,” Wu Zhikui objected.

"reason?"

"There's no reason needed; I know better than you do."

Shirahama was rebuffed, pursed his lips, and fell silent.

She'll be acting soon, so offending someone with real power like Wu Zhikui would be incredibly stupid.

Bouquet Entertainment has several thousand people involved! There are just too many problems, and if I say too much, I'll easily offend someone.

For example, Yang Mi particularly likes to poach talent from Bouquet Entertainment, and eventually poached them to Jiaxing Media.

They euphemistically say, "We shouldn't let the good stuff go to outsiders."

This isn't a secret, and nobody seems to care.

"Old Wu, so you mean to use your own method?"

“My approach is the same as Zhang Zhao’s, but it’s not suitable for the current flower bouquet entertainment industry. Flower bouquet entertainment is too big…” Wu Zhikui glanced at Zhang Wei, “Let’s use Manager Zhang’s approach, it’s a new way.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wei rolled her eyes. "I'll just tell you two what you're planning. Don't pull this stunt."

“You’re my right-hand man. I would never scheme against you!” Li Mingyang said with a smile.

Zhang Wei crossed her arms and didn't bother to speak.

A large part of the reason she didn't want to return to China was that she didn't want to take over the mess that Bouquet Entertainment had made.

Bouquet Group is a reorganization of Bouquet Entertainment.

Full name: Bouquet Entertainment Group Limited.

“I’m not capable of managing Bouquet Entertainment,” Zhang Wei stated directly.

“If you don’t want to get involved, I won’t force you…” Li Mingyang smiled. “Your main task going forward is to establish the corporate structure of the Bouquet Group.”

"all?"

"A higher level is fine."

“Actually… Bouquet Entertainment is more suitable for a large number of mid-to-high-level flat management structures,” Zhang Wei said.

Li Mingyang shook his head. "Hushu Entertainment has several thousand people. Although most of them are not very capable, there are too many of them. Flattening the hierarchy would only waste time. I will be in full charge of Huashu Entertainment from now on. I just need some capable subordinates."

Zhang Wei was taken aback and blurted out, "You're not making movies anymore?"

"Let's just wait it out. Luckily, there are government subsidies, plus a few top studios, which is enough to barely keep Bouquet Entertainment afloat. Your time is precious, and it's not worth wasting it on Bouquet Entertainment," Lao Wu said.

Li Mingyang took off his sunglasses and grinned, "Why do you think Bouquet Entertainment has such a bloated structure?"

"You did this on purpose?" Zhang Wei reacted the fastest, exclaiming in surprise.

"Seriously... How can you control this?" Wu Zhikui said speechlessly.

"Boss...aren't you going to film a Republic-era version of a young lady? We all know you're amazing, so please don't push yourself too hard!"

Bai Bin was startled. She was still hoping that Miss Republic of China would turn the tide and make a triumphant return. If the boss was busy with Bouquet Entertainment, then he definitely wouldn't have time to make movies!
Thousands of people! The number of employees is almost comparable to TVB...

If it weren't for the government's overseas subsidies capped at 50 million, how could Bouquet Entertainment have possibly been able to start filming so many movies...

"Don't be so nervous..."

The three of them became even more nervous.

"Actually... I'm more awesome as a producer than as a director."

……

The next morning, Xia Yuhe, who hadn't slept all night, went to the restaurant on the second floor of the Bouquet Hotel.

I sat down at my usual window seat, flipped through the menu, but had no appetite, so I ordered a bowl of plain porridge and a plate of pickled vegetables.

The Bouquet Hotel's accounts are problematic; it's not that it's losing money, but rather that it has a lot of overseas funds of dubious origin.

While others launder their money overseas, Chen Fang does the opposite, sending money from overseas back to China.

Chen Fang refused to say where the money went.

Xia Yuhe had dealt with overseas capital and had attended a high-end cocktail party hosted by Chen Fang at the Bouquet Hotel, so she guessed where the money went.

The money appeared to be operating funds, and was deposited into personal accounts under various pretexts.

This is perfectly normal.

Bouquet Hotel has benefited from this, receiving many orders from the government, private enterprises, and state-owned enterprises. Bouquet Hotel's occupancy rate has remained above 80% for a long time.

If it weren't for these orders.

Bouquet Hotel is located in a remote area with poor surrounding facilities, and it's right next to a construction site. How could it possibly make money?

Many things are the only way out when there's no other option...

Sometimes, saying things out loud will only make things worse.

"Neither of them is easy to deal with! Ugh, I'm just torturing myself. I'm going back to my hometown today." Xia Yuhe made up her mind and started drinking her porridge.

Suddenly, a figure flashed past her side. Xia Yuhe looked closely and saw that it was Jing Tian.

"Sweetie! Have you had breakfast yet?" Xia Yuhe asked warmly.

Xia Yuhe had met Jing Tian, ​​Mimi, and Shishi... In any case, she thought Jing Tian was the best, with a face that looked like she could bring good fortune to her husband.

"Not yet." Jing Tian tilted her head and looked Xia Yuhe up and down. "Godmother, you look so haggard... you have dark circles under your eyes."

Jing Tian prefers Xia Yuhe to Li Mingyang's biological mother.

Without him.

Xia Yuhe likes him, but Li Mingyang's biological mother doesn't like him...

“Sigh… Yangyang checked my accounts as soon as he got back. It’s disheartening,” Xia Yuhe said.

"Um... what did you find out?"

"The profits of the Bouquet Hotel are there for all to see, and the working capital in the account is there for all to see, how could there be a problem?" Xia Yuhe said confidently.

Upon hearing this, Jing Tian laughed and said, "Godmother is really amazing. It's very difficult for a hotel to make a profit in the first few years. It's really impressive that Godmother was able to make a profit in the first year after taking over."

Xia Yuhe's heart skipped a beat as she realized the problem: if the flower shop didn't have those orders, it would be losing money!
"Godmother, your cheongsam looks beautiful. Was it custom-made?"

"Yes, an old friend helped me with it."

"Can we schedule a time? I'd like to order a few sets."

"Isn't it too early for you to wear a cheongsam at your age?"

"As an actress, of course I have to try different styles of clothing. Mingyang said I look good in a cheongsam, but I don't know if that's true?"

Xia Yuhe felt that Jing Tian was still too young to wear a cheongsam, but a school uniform with a Republican-era style would suit her better. She specifically asked Feng Hexiang's best friend to bring some modernized cheongsams with a youthful style.

After finishing the call, Xia Yuhe seemed to sense something and turned her head to see a dozen girls in black uniforms sitting at the long table opposite her.

They were all very beautiful, and strangely, when they ate breakfast, they ate their food in big bites, stuffing their mouths full.

"Godmother, these are my assistants," Jing Tian introduced.

"Korean?"

Jing Tian blinked, surprised, and asked, "How did you figure that out? They didn't say a word!"

"Koreans eat strangely and exaggeratedly. They stuff their mouths full and then chew in an exaggerated way to show their happiness."

Jing Tian was stunned; it really was true!

At this moment, Li Mingyang also arrived at the restaurant. Seeing his godmother and Jing Tian chatting and laughing, he sat down next to them.

My godmother immediately put on a stern face, put down her chopsticks, and got up to leave.

“You checked Aunt Xia’s accounts, and she felt that you didn’t trust her…” Jing Tian said softly, watching Xia Yuhe’s back.

“This hotel only makes a little over 20 million a year, which is less than what I could make in a movie.” Li Mingyang shrugged. “The problem isn’t the hotel, it’s everything else. Just pretend you’re talking nonsense.”

"You're always like this. You don't want to say what you want to say, and you always have to wait until the very end to say it," Jing Tian complained.

Li Mingyang said with a wry smile, "One is my mother, the other is my godmother, and the management is almost entirely composed of their people. What am I supposed to say?"

"I'll do it," Jing Tian said confidently, puffing out her chest.

Li Mingyang, who had been feeling quite depressed, suddenly burst out laughing.

Once I start laughing, I can't stop.

"You...you look down on me!"

Jing Tian was unhappy and kicked Li Mingyang's shin hard, but he easily dodged it.

"No……"

Li Mingyang waved his hand, took out two tissues, took off his sunglasses, and wiped away the tears of laughter.

Jing Tian snorted. If they weren't in a restaurant, she would have bitten Li Mingyang.

At this time, the restaurant gradually became more crowded, some of whom even brought cameras, which were placed on the table with their lenses aimed at Li Mingyang.

Many guests glanced in Li Mingyang's direction.

As some bold guests came to confirm Li Mingyang's identity, the restaurant suddenly erupted in chaos, with countless people surrounding him.

"Director Li, you're ten times more handsome in person than in the movies! Let's take a picture together!"

"Ahhh! I actually saw Li Mingyang in person!"

"Brother Mingyang, you're so handsome!"

"Idol, I've seen every one of your movies. I owe you a movie ticket. When are you going to come back to China to make a movie?"

"Director Li, congratulations on being nominated for the Cannes main competition. Are you confident about winning the Palme d'Or?"

The reporter mingled among ordinary people and asked Li Mingyang a question. Li Mingyang didn't say anything. When asked for an autograph, he took out a pen from his pocket and signed it directly.

They will also grant requests for photos.

No need to answer questions.

As more and more people flocked to the area, Jing Tian was quickly pushed out of the crowd.

Jing Tian stood in the corner, feeling extremely jealous. They were both celebrities, yet the difference was so vast; it was as if no one even noticed her…

After the security guards arrived at the restaurant, they quickly formed a human wall to prevent Li Mingyang from being pressed against the window and facing the enthusiastic crowd.

After working for more than half an hour, Li Mingyang satisfied most of the people's requests and left the restaurant.

After this little incident, Li Mingyang went to the 25th floor, the executive floor of the Bouquet Hotel, for a meeting.

In the morning, he met with each department head of the Flower Bouquet Hotel individually, except for his godmother and mother, and talked to each of them for fifteen minutes.

Including Uncle Zhou and Zhou Liang.

In the afternoon, the heads of various studios at Bouquet Entertainment arrived.

The meeting continued, and Li Mingyang proposed that the flower arrangement entertainment needed reform, after which he listened to everyone's opinions extensively.

Opinions are largely the same.

The issue of bouquet entertainment is almost public knowledge.

solve?

It can solve people's problems, but it can't solve the problems themselves.

Bouquet Entertainment is essentially a way to select outstanding talents by cultivating and nurturing them.

From the perspective of talent selection, Bouquet Entertainment is successful; however, the final destination of these talents is uncontrollable.

Internal staff are being absorbed, while external talent is being poached; the lower levels are undergoing a constant reshuffle.

Often, a system is overthrown and destroyed from within as soon as it is established.

This is human nature.

The entertainment industry is a place where only the fittest survive; opportunities are limited.

The more people competing, the less chance you have.

Those who climb up the path of entertainment through flowers will block, destroy, and demolish it.

Li Mingyang had always hoped that one or more people could break this cycle of human nature.

Unfortunately not.

A plate of loose sand.

Whether you're a struggling actor, a graduate of an academic school, or someone who came to the profession later in life, none of you will be accepted.

Around 6 PM, the meeting of all the studios at Bouquet Entertainment concluded.

Li Mingyang ate something quick in the conference room and then continued the meeting.

This is a meeting of senior executives from various departments of Bouquet Entertainment.

Mimi was supposed to attend this meeting, but she was filming "Midsummer's Love" and Zeng Jia attended in her place.

After the meeting began, Li Mingyang reiterated the need for company reform and solicited everyone's opinions.

After everyone had finished speaking, he said it was too late and the meeting would continue the next morning, and then he ended the meeting.

At 11:30 p.m., Li Mingyang arrived at the duplex apartment where Lao Wu was staying.

More than thirty people gathered together and sat around the living room.

Everything that could be sat on in the room was moved to the living room.

Some even sat on the steps.

Most of these people came from the One-Punch Man crew and were elites selected by Lao Wu from within Bouquet Entertainment.

The daughter of Zuo Shandiao, Han Jia Nu, was also there.

For the next two days, Li Mingyang was constantly in meetings, both large and small. He was either in a meeting or on his way to one.

He spent the last two days dealing with the mess that was Bouquet Entertainment.

From behind the scenes to the forefront, from production to publicity, from finance to administration, from makeup to costumes, from food and clothing to housing and transportation... he sorted out all the departments, big and small, and conveyed his decision to reform to everyone.

There are too many people entertained by bouquets.

We should first try to appease them before resorting to force, so that we can then launch a major offensive.

(End of this chapter)