Reborn in the Hong Kong entertainment industry in the 1980s

Hu Xiaoxiao took a sip of tea and said half-jokingly, "I do want the production team to give me more screen time, but with so many contestants, we have to be fair, so I'm a little embarrassed to ask."

Charlie, being a shrewd person, immediately sensed that Hu Xiaoxiao was a clever woman and chimed in, "The production team is always very fair. They naturally give more consideration to contestants who sing and dance well. Xiaoxiao, you've been training at the TV station for so long, what do you think of our Baogang TV station?"

Hu Xiaoxiao placed the teacup on the table and said earnestly, "I think Baogang TV is very good. They take very good care of our contestants."

The TV station staff were exceptionally enthusiastic, and the atmosphere was wonderful. The trainers and cameramen were all very professional and patient. I felt very comfortable and at ease during my training there.

"So what do you think of the future of our Baogang TV station?" Charlie asked again.

"Of course it has a bright future!" Hu Xiaoxiao's words were not empty talk. She watched TV whenever she had time at home, watching both Baogang Channel and Baozhu Channel, but she preferred Baogang Channel a little more, feeling that Baogang Channel did a better job than Baozhu Channel in many aspects.

Hu Xiaoxiao said, "I've been following several programs on Baogang TV recently, and they're very engaging."

Regarding TV dramas, the recent series "Heroes" on Po Chu TV is quite good, but I've heard that in the past, Hong Kong TV produced more hit dramas than Po Chu TV.

Moreover, the artists on Po Kong TV are much more famous than those on Po Chu TV, so they have more commercial opportunities and activities..."

Charlie saw that Hu Xiaoxiao's words were insightful, indicating that she had indeed done her research and considered things carefully.

Satisfied, he revealed his purpose: "Would Xiaoxiao be interested in signing with our TV station as an artist?"

Hu Xiaoxiao jokingly asked, "Can I still get a signature even if I don't make it to the finals?"

Charlie laughed and said, "Given your conditions, even if you withdraw from the competition now, as long as you sign with our company, I can make you a star."

Of course, if you can achieve a good ranking in the finals, the salary and fee you can get when you sign the contract will be higher.

Most of the previous Miss Hong Kong winners signed with our company, and they were all highly promoted by us. Several of them are now household names and rising stars.

“I will think it over carefully, and I hope to have the opportunity to work under Charlie,” Hu Xiaoxiao said.

Hu Xiaoxiao's attitude was clear, and Charlie was very happy. He said, "No problem. If you sign with our company, you'll join my team. I have many male artists under my management, but I lack female artists with such a strong personality and distinctive style as you. I'll make you the female lead in your first drama."

The two had a pleasant conversation, and Charlie personally saw Hu Xiaoxiao to the door, saying, "You just need to know what we've said today."

"I know the rules," Hu Xiaoxiao said knowingly.

Charlie looked at Hu Xiaoxiao with newfound respect; dealing with shrewd people was so much easier.

The Miss Hong Kong pageant promotes fairness and impartiality, so the judges invited to the finals are all prominent and influential people who can represent fairness and impartiality.

Even so, if news of contract negotiations were leaked in advance, it would still be accused of being shady and would damage the company's image.

As for concerns that Hu Xiaoxiao might go back on her word, those concerns are unfounded.

There are only two influential television stations in the entire Baogang area. Baogang TV occupies half of the television market, and no entertainment company dares to offend Baogang TV.

In such a complex and chaotic place as Baogang, the directors of companies that manage to capture half of the market share are basically people with connections to both the legitimate and criminal worlds.

Hu Xiaoxiao certainly didn't intend to go back on her word. She did plan to sign with TVB after the finals, just like previous Miss Hong Kong contestants.

Hong Kong TVB is a great place to debut, especially for newcomers without a foundation.

However, it is also full of talented people. There are countless artists who have come from the Miss Hong Kong pageant, not to mention the performing arts talents who have come from the artist training class.

Therefore, despite Charlie's offer, Hu Xiaoxiao still needs to continue working hard to win the championship.

Hu Xiaoxiao is determined to win this year's Miss Hong Kong title!

After Charlie and Hu Xiaoxiao reached an agreement, and since he was certain that the other party was his person, he naturally wanted to add fuel to the fire.

Upon arriving at the program department, Charlie contacted Anna, an old acquaintance, and asked her to take good care of Hu Xiaoxiao.

Anna, understanding the unspoken meaning, said, "We won't give overly obvious shots, after all, we can't let the audience suspect there's something fishy going on. But I can think of a way to get shots from the sidelines."

“You’re the professional, you can make the decisions,” Charlie said.

Anna laughed and said, "You think so highly of Hu Xiaoxiao? There have been many good contestants in previous years, but I've never seen you so nervous. You're already giving her a head start before she's even signed a contract."

Charlie gestured in a certain direction, "There's nothing I can do. We only realized we were short of people when we needed them. Now I have roles but no talent, which is a huge loss."

Anna knew who he was talking about and said, "Good luck."

"Don't worry, I'm watching closely. Hu Xiaoxiao is sure to become a sensation. Not only will she become a sensation, but I'm also going to make her outshine all the female artists under her management. I'm determined to get my revenge."

Linda, with her keen eye, took a stroll around the program department during her free time and spotted something amiss. She went straight to Anna and said, "You can't just give Hu Xiaoxiao more screen time; I need the same amount of screen time for Athena too."

Anna was a little embarrassed, "There's only so much camera time, it's not enough to cover everyone."

There were already 36 contestants, and each of them needed to be shown on camera. The performance time was short, and if another person's screen time was added, it would be even more difficult to distinguish them, like dividing pork.

"I don't care about that. You're the professional, so figure it out," Linda said forcefully. "Whatever Charlie adds to Hu Xiaoxiao's stats, Athena has to take a share. In short, we can't let his influence overshadow mine."

Anna got a headache listening to this, so she simply said, "Don't drag your internal strife in the production department into our program department, or no one will get any screen time."

Linda said, "If no one is on camera, then it's fair and just, and I have no objection."

Anna nearly fainted from anger.

After leaving the program department, Linda called Athena aside, and the two whispered for a long time.

As Zhao Yanhong passed by, she saw Linda's high regard for Athena and muttered to herself: What's going on? Is this a pre-selection of the champion? It's not over until the very last moment, and we still don't know who will emerge victorious.

Zhao Yanhong's eyes darted around. She found an opportunity to bump into Linda and went up to greet her warmly.

"Sister Linda, I finally have the chance to meet my idol in person! You know, I admire you so much and I always look up to you. I came to participate in the Miss Hong Kong pageant hoping to become an amazing woman like you!"

I think you truly deserve to be called a heroine, and all women should learn from you!