After taking advice, I became a top male idol.

Yanjing, Cloud Top Restaurant.

The elegant sound of a violin flowed through the air, and a crystal chandelier cast a soft glow.

Three people were sitting in the booth by the window.

To be precise, it was a man engrossed in his work, and two beautiful women who seemed a little lost in thought.

Lin Zhixing, knife and fork in hand, was launching a fierce attack on a steak.

He glanced at Chen Xi's rosy cheeks from left to right, and thought, "Hmm, cute."

Looking at Zhou Xuan's impressive figure for a moment, I thought, "Wow, it's good to be rich."

With beautiful women before my eyes and delicious food in my mouth, this is the pinnacle of life!

"Hey, Zhixing, eat slowly..." Chen Xi couldn't help but whisper a reminder as she watched Lin Zhixing wolf down his food, afraid he might choke.

Chen Xi was clearly dressed up carefully today.

She wore a light blue off-the-shoulder dress, revealing her delicate collarbones and rounded shoulders.

Her skirt was very short, just covering the top of her thighs, and her two long, straight, white legs were faintly visible under the table. Her hair was styled in a princess curl, paired with light makeup and those big, watery eyes, making her look exactly like a runaway princess from a fairy tale.

She started preparing for this meal three hours in advance, and even changed her perfume three times.

Zhou Xuan, who sat next to her, had a completely different style.

As the "crown princess" of Tianyue Entertainment, Zhou Xuan's aura is noticeably stronger.

She wore a black fitted dress with a perfectly designed deep V-neck that showcased her impressive figure without appearing vulgar.

Her long hair was styled in an updo, revealing her slender swan neck, and her makeup was exquisite and glamorous.

"Mr. Lin, the foie gras here is quite good, isn't it?" Zhou Xuan picked up her wine glass, swirled it elegantly, and smiled politely.

"Hmm, not bad." Lin Zhixing swallowed a mouthful of meat and nodded. "It's just that the portion is a bit small, not even enough to fill a tooth gap."

"Pfft—" Chen Xi almost burst out laughing and quickly covered her mouth.

Zhou Xuan's lips twitched slightly, but looking at Lin Zhixing's angular face, she held back.

After all, it's normal for talented people to have some quirks.

Moreover, it must be admitted that although Lin Zhixing eats in a bold manner, he is not rude, and he is much more pleasing to the eye than those male celebrities in the industry who only eat grass in order to maintain their figure.

Let me give you a formal introduction.

Seeing that Lin Zhixing had almost finished eating, Chen Xi quickly spoke up, "Brother Zhixing, this is our company's... cough, Sister Zhou Xuan. You should have heard of her, right?"

"I've heard of it." Lin Zhixing wiped his mouth and smiled at Zhou Xuan. "'Summer Sparkling Water,' number three on the new song chart, it's good."

Zhou Xuan's face froze for a moment.

Why bring up something you shouldn't talk about?

If it weren't for your songs "Red-Clad Lament" and "Lone Warrior" dominating the charts, I'd be number one right now!

However, thinking about today's task, Zhou Xuan silently chanted in her heart, "I'm not angry, I'm not angry, I'm not angry."

Taking a deep breath and maintaining a smile, I said, "Mr. Lin, you flatter me. Compared to your 'Red-Haired Girl,' mine is just a catchy pop song."

"I think so too." Lin Zhixing nodded, looking serious.

"..." Zhou Xuan almost crushed the wine glass in her hand.

This is impossible to talk about!

"Ahem." Chen Xi quickly smoothed things over, "Well, Sister Xuan is actually the daughter of the boss of Tianyue Entertainment. She invited Brother Zhixing out today mainly to get to know him."

"Tianyue Entertainment?"

Lin Zhixing raised an eyebrow.

He knew this company. Although it couldn't compare to giants like Xinghuang Entertainment, it was still considered a leader in the second tier of the industry.

In recent years, they have made many popular young male and female celebrities famous, and their resources and channels are quite good.

"So you're the young lady, my apologies for not recognizing you." Lin Zhixing raised his wine glass in acknowledgment.

Zhou Xuan regained her confidence, leaned forward slightly, revealing her beautiful cleavage, the glimpse of snow-white skin dazzling Lin Zhixing's eyes.

"Mr. Lin, let's be frank. I've seen you on stage and I greatly admire your talent. I believe that if you join Tianyue, we can definitely make you a top star."

Lin Zhixing nodded, his gaze shifting from the snow-white expanse. He leaned back in his chair and asked with interest, "Oh? How should I hold it?"

Zhou Xuan held up two fingers. "A-level contract. Signing fee of two million, at least two albums per year, a leading role in a web drama, and unlimited variety show appearances. How about it? Even Xinghuang might not be able to offer this, right?"

"Furthermore, I can make you my personal producer. From now on, you'll write all my songs. How about that? Pretty good deal, right?"

Lin Zhixing smiled. "Private producer? Isn't that making me work for you?"

A-level contract! Two million signing bonus! In-house producer!

Chen Xi listened with her heart racing and her eyes filled with envy.

She only signed a C-level rookie contract! The difference is too big!

But then I thought, Brother Zhixing is so amazing, he deserves this price!

After hearing this, Lin Zhixing did not show the ecstatic joy that Zhou Xuan had expected.

He simply looked at Zhou Xuan calmly and said, "The conditions are indeed quite good."

"Then sign it?" Zhou Xuan took out a letter of intent.

"No rush." ​​Lin Zhixing waved his hand. "Miss Zhou, there's something I'm not sure if I should say."

"you say."

"I don't want to sign anyone."

"You don't want to sign anyone?" Zhou Xuan was stunned. "Then what do you want to sign?"

"I want to sign with a studio."

Lin Zhixing said, emphasizing each word.

Chen Xi's mouth dropped open, and Zhou Xuan's wine glass hung in mid-air.

"A studio?!" Zhou Xuan exclaimed as if she had heard something out of the blue. "You mean... a personal studio affiliation model?"

"right."

Lin Zhixing nodded. "We'll be affiliated with Tianyue, sharing resources and profits. But I have absolute creative freedom and personnel authority; the company can't interfere with any of my decisions."

Chen Xi was also startled, her mouth slightly open, her face filled with disbelief.

In the entertainment industry, studios and signed artists are two completely different concepts.

Signed artists are essentially high-level employees; they follow the company's arrangements in everything, and the company takes the lion's share of the profits, leaving them with no autonomy.

A studio, on the other hand, is an independent entity affiliated with a company.

Although they also enjoy the company's resources, they have a high degree of autonomy and can decide for themselves what gigs to accept and what songs to sing, and their share of the profits is much higher.

The relationship between the two is more like that of equal partners.

Generally speaking, only superstars like Ye Lan, or big shots with their own capital, are qualified to set up their own studios.

A newcomer who has just debuted and has two hit songs but is still inexperienced is asking for studio treatment.

That's utterly delusional!

"Ha!" Zhou Xuan laughed angrily. "Lin Zhixing, are you still asleep? Do you know what a studio means? It's a privilege only top-tier stars and superstars get! You're just a newcomer, even if you have two hit songs, you're not qualified to talk about that!"

"Why does a company sign new talent? It's for control, for making money! If you give them your own studio, the control is too weak. What if they become famous and run away? What if they don't listen to you?"

Although Zhou Xuan had a bit of a spoiled princess temperament, she was still very clear-headed when it came to business logic.

The studio model, simply put, is a collaborative relationship where artists have a huge say. For investors, this is an extremely high-risk investment.

I know it's difficult.

Lin Zhixing wasn't surprised by her reaction. "But I'm confident. My songs and my talent are worth the price. Tianyue is good, but it's still the same old trick. Sign new artists, give them resources, make them famous, and then start squeezing out their value. I don't like this model."

He looked at Zhou Xuan with a firm gaze. "Miss Zhou, you can go back and ask your father. If Tianyue is willing to take the gamble, I guarantee the future rewards will far exceed your imagination. If you're afraid to gamble..."

He shrugged. "Then consider this as me just here to freeload a meal."

Zhou Xuan stared at Lin Zhixing.

This man is arrogant and conceited, but damn charming.

Maybe he really can do it?

"You..." Zhou Xuan gritted her teeth, "You're a madman."

"Thank you for the compliment." Lin Zhixing smiled.

Chen Xi watched Lin Zhixing from the side, her eyes filled with admiration.

So cool!

A man who dares to negotiate with capital is so cool!

And... if Zhi Xing really signs with a studio, then... will we be able to see him more often in the future?

In fact, if we're affiliated with Tianyue, then we're practically family!

Thinking of this, Chen Xi's face inexplicably turned red, and she secretly glanced at Lin Zhixing.

"I wish Zhixing were the boss..."

"OK!"

Zhou Xuan took a deep breath, stood up, and said, "This is too big a matter for me to decide. I need to go back and ask my father."

"But let me be clear from the start, the chances aren't great. My dad hates disobedient artists the most."

"It's alright." Lin Zhixing also stood up, straightened his clothes, and said, "Even if a deal falls through, we can still be friendly. Thank you both for your hospitality today, especially the foie gras, it was really good."

Zhou Xuan rolled her eyes. "Foodie."

"Xi Xi is gone."

Zhou Xuan pulled Chen Xi, who kept turning back to look at her, away from the restaurant.

Watching the two figures disappear into the distance, Lin Zhixing stroked his chin.

"Tianyue Entertainment... might be a good stepping stone, but if you can't take control of the situation, you'll just end up as a high-level employee."