Reborn in the Hong Kong entertainment industry in the 1980s

Dong Peiyu printed out the email and left the office, her mind still foggy.

Huang Yuliang arrived at the company as soon as he returned to Baogang, still dressed in an elegant and well-fitting suit, with refined glasses on his face. Seeing that Dong Peiyu looked displeased, he walked over and asked, "Sister Yu, are you sick?"

Dong Peiyu snapped out of her daze. "You're back? How's work going on the mainland?"

Huang Yuliang nodded. "It went very smoothly. If you're not feeling well, go back and rest. You can leave the company matters to your assistant."

"I'm not feeling unwell or sick, I'm just overjoyed." Dong Peiyu was eager to confide in someone about her feelings and shock. She showed Huang Yuliang the printed email and told him about Hu Xiaoxiao adding a zero to her salary and changing it to US dollars.

"I thought it was completely hopeless, but I didn't expect them to be so willing to agree so quickly," Dong Peiyu exclaimed.

The email was short, and Huang Yuliang quickly read it. He then handed it back to Dong Peiyu, saying, "Businessmen don't do business at a loss. The fact that they're willing to pay this price means that Xiaoxiao is worth far more than she's worth."

Dong Peiyu took it, paused for a moment, then seemed to wake from a dream. "You're right, I was being too attached to appearances."

The Hamlet Company isn't a charity; their agreement to this fee must mean they believe it's profitable, which is why they responded so quickly.

Huang Yuliang said, "Sister Yu, Xiaoxiao herself has extremely high commercial value. Her box office influence is not only in Hong Kong and Taiwan, but can also affect other parts of Asia. Hamlet Company wants to enter the Asian market, and what it needs most is a superstar of Hu Xiaoxiao's caliber to open up the market."

Huang Yuliang further analyzed for Dong Peiyu, "Furthermore, Xiaoxiao is a shareholder of Shengshi Entertainment, which owns a cinema chain. By casting Xiaoxiao as the lead actress, they've secured the best screening slots in the Hong Kong market, and that revenue alone justifies the fee. Moreover, Shengshi Entertainment has already entered the mainland market and established a branch there. Hamlet Company has surely investigated the box office performance of 'Hong Kong Inspector Wears Skirts 3' in the mainland and Hu Xiaoxiao's popularity there, and they know how much potential Xiaoxiao has. In other words, it's them who need Xiaoxiao and need Shengshi Entertainment, not the other way around."

As the saying goes: a businessman will not do business at a loss.

Dong Peiyu finally understood why Hamlet Company was willing to wait for Hu Xiaoxiao again and again and was willing to pay such a high salary. It wasn't because they were good people, but because Hu Xiaoxiao was worth it.

Hu Xiaoxiao is the only superstar they need.

Therefore, Hu Xiaoxiao's value lies solely in this; whether it takes a year, two years, or three, Hamlet Films is willing to wait. The same goes for her salary; no matter how high, it's negligible compared to the entire Asian market.

Dong Peiyu is a seasoned agent. Once she figured one thing out, she understood and thoroughly grasped everything else.

The first reason Hu Xiaoxiao rejected Hamlet Film Company was because the film was a male-centric movie, with the female lead playing a supporting role to highlight the male lead. Hamlet Film Company's goal with this film was to help their male lead expand into the Asian market, and the film needed to include other artists from their company.

They wanted to use Hu Xiaoxiao to boost the influence of their company's artists in the Asian market.

Dong Peiyu suddenly felt a surge of impulse and wanted to add another zero to Hu Xiaoxiao's salary.

She felt that Hu Xiaoxiao had suffered a huge loss.

Even with an astronomical salary, it's still a huge loss.

She used to be intimidated by the reputation of Hollywood and idolized them, subconsciously believing that Hollywood was the best. Now that she has come to her senses, she realizes that Shengshi is actually just as good and powerful, and Hu Xiaoxiao is an irreplaceable superstar.

"Should we find an excuse to refuse again?" Dong Peiyu frowned as she looked at the email in her hand.

“We’ve already offered a price; refusing now would make our company seem dishonest and damage Xiaoxiao’s reputation. Going back on our word isn’t a good thing. It’s good for you to go; consider it a trip,” Huang Yuliang said. “When negotiating the contract, remember to have several legal counsel review it to avoid falling into traps. Two of our legal counsel studied there; bring them along so you don’t feel lost in the unfamiliar environment. Once you’re in Hollywood, hire some local lawyers as consultants. Don’t worry about the cost; money isn’t the issue. The important thing is being able to solve problems with money…”

Huang Yuliang calmly offered some advice, advising Dong Peiyu that no amount of caution was too much when dealing with them.

Dong Peiyu listened to everything and took the email to Hu Xiaoxiao's office. "Xiaoxiao, Philip replied to the email and agreed to your previous salary request."

Hu Xiaoxiao took it, but didn't immediately flip through it. Instead, she looked at the somewhat dejected Dong Peiyu with a puzzled expression and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Xiaoxiao, I was wrong." Dong Pei frankly admitted her mistaken view and shared her understanding with Hu Xiaoxiao. Besides being a star and her agent, they were also partners and friends; there was nothing they couldn't talk about. "You're right. In terms of macro-level perspectives and insight, I'm far inferior to you. I need to learn to observe and think more in this regard."

Hu Xiaoxiao laughed, "I thought something serious had happened, but it's just a small matter. Don't overthink it. We'll be going to Hollywood sooner or later anyway. Since we want to succeed in the film and television industry, Hollywood is the best place in the world for film and television culture, and there's a lot we can learn from it. It's a good opportunity to experience their unique film and television culture and advanced production standards. We won't have to spend any money ourselves, and we can even make a profit while learning. It's a great deal for us."

Dong Peiyu smiled, but the smile was faint. It was a small matter for Hu Xiaoxiao, but a big deal for an agent; she had made a grave mistake. Perhaps she should learn more during this trip to Hollywood. She'd heard Hollywood agents were very capable, and she wanted to observe and learn how they managed their artists and provided career planning.

Dong Peiyu is also the manager of the talent agency department, and she really needs to learn advanced knowledge in this area to better manage the company's artists and make more reasonable plans.

Dong Peiyu roused herself and reported the upcoming work schedule to Hu Xiaoxiao. She had previously accepted several advertisements from mainland companies, and she needed to arrange the shooting schedule for the commercials before Hu Xiaoxiao went to Hollywood.

After reading the email, Hu Xiaoxiao felt there were no problems and could have Dong Peiyu communicate with the other party to have Hamlet Company send over the full script. Once the script was reviewed and approved, they could then discuss signing the contract.