Zhou Lan walked past the noisy corridor and entered the fire escape.
Behind the door, it finally became a bit quieter.
Her face, like a solemn sculpture at this moment, took a deep breath before picking up her phone to dial He Yong’s number.
"Zhou Yun refuses to take the beauty instrument ad."
"Why? She’s turning down money—is she crazy?" He Yong’s tone held a hint of mockery.
Zhou Lan: "She’s worried about the risks associated with this ad. Many beauty products have been exposed for quality issues, and there have been numerous consumer complaints."
He Yong: "Whether she wants to take on this endorsement or not, she has to."
"President He, after the ’Eighth Heartbeat’ incident, she’s already quite dissatisfied with me; I can no longer persuade her."
"You’re her agent; can’t you handle this minor issue?" He Yong’s tone started to show displeasure.
Zhou Lan furrowed her eyebrows, subconsciously wanting to defend herself, but she didn’t know what to say.
"Zhou Lan, I’ve already promised the other party this endorsement; you must get Zhou Yun to take it on. If you can’t even handle this little matter, then you might as well just leave."
He Yong snorted coldly and hung up the phone.
Zhou Lan put down her cell phone.
Her face was now silent, shrouded in the shadows cast by the overhead lighting, her expression inscrutable.
Zhou Lan stayed in the fire escape for a while before finally pushing the door open and walking out.
The backstage of a program recording is always busy, yet orderly.
She looked at the people shuttling back and forth in the corridor; the hustle and bustle in her field of view composed a most common scene of a recording backstage.
Once upon a time, she too had dreamt of debuting as a celebrity.
But constrained by her own circumstances, Zhou Lan did not debut, instead becoming an agent.
This decision was suggested by He Yong.
Initially, He Yong called her into his office and said in the same haughty tone he uses now: "Your personal assets are too ordinary, and there’s little hope for you to debut. Even if you did, without great opportunities, you would just blend into the crowd. Now I am giving you a second choice: stay and become an agent. If you’re willing, sit down, and let’s talk. If you’re not, then you can leave now."
He Yong is a prideful man, which everyone in Chengqian Entertainment knows. But he’s also known for his keen eye and ruthless tactics within the industry. The main business of Chengqian Entertainment is managing artists, working in tandem with other companies of the group to complete a segment of the overall entertainment industry chain. Originally, this was just a piece of the puzzle to expand the business landscape, but He Yong quickly made three top-tier celebrities famous within three years. Not only had he shocked the industry, but he also substantially increased the revenue of Chengqian Entertainment, making it an indisputable figure within Chengqian Group.
Faced with He Yong’s proposal, Zhou Lan didn’t hesitate for too long. The reason she was chosen by He Yong was due to her rationality, decisiveness, and ambition.
After that, Zhou Lan briefly worked as an agent for a few artists of the company, but none for too long.
Some lose hope and leave the industry when they don’t become successful after a long time.
Others sign with different companies, leaving Chengqian Entertainment.
When Zhou Lan met Zhou Yun, she sincerely wanted to help her climb to the peak of the pyramid.
But she was well aware that it was overambitious to shoot for the impossible.
Before they became famous, they were just two people; no matter how tough or difficult, they could continue forging ahead, harboring hope. This time, with their sudden rise to fame, the company wanted a slice of this unexpected windfall and hoped to share in the profits.
Zhou Yun didn’t want to be a puppet, and the company disliked artists who don’t follow orders. With Wei Ruxue overseeing them and having to consider He Yong’s perspective, Zhou Lan couldn’t stand by Zhou Yun unconditionally.
She is a powerless ant, just as Zhou Yun is.
Zhou Lan was willing to accompany Zhou Yun as she climbed upwards, but she wasn’t willing to accompany her in a head-on collision with insurmountable obstacles.
From beginning to end, she has always been a rational, decisive, and ambitious person.