Translator: Larbre Studio Editor: Larbre Studio
When they arrived at the office building for Yuelun Entertainment, there was already someone waiting at the entrance to receive them. The man took a moment to look Yan Huan over, but unlike most other actors her age, she did not feel uncomfortable or nervous as he silently assessed her. Instead, she greeted him with a pleasant, easygoing smile; she was already a battle-hardened veteran, after all.
The man appeared to be impressed with her. He led the two women to a tastefully decorated office. Yuelun was not yet the world class entertainment agency Yan Huan remembered from her previous life, but it was on its way there. The company did not have a lot of artists, but all of the young performers under its label showed great potential. Some of them were already moderately famous, and these artistes were the prized jewels of the company.
Someone was waiting for them in the office: Li Changqing, one of the business managers in Yuelun. Both his name and face were easy to remember. His eyes lit up at once when he saw Yan Huan.
“Director Jin has a good eye. You have an extremely photogenic face, Ms. Yan. You were born to be on camera.”
“Thank you.” Yan Huan lowered her eyelashes modestly over her clear, placid eyes. She was pleasantly surprised; she had not expected Director Jin to actually keep his word.
“Haha…” Li Changqing chuckled amiably. He looked like a kind, easy-going person, but Yan Huan knew better than to be fooled: the man had to be a shrewd businessman to be a manager at Yuelun. All businessmen were sly foxes by default, and the businessmen in showbiz were practically demons.
The entertainment industry was not a place for the naive. Yan Huan knew she had to be extra careful when navigating the deep, treacherous waters of showbiz; one mistake, and she would sink like a rock before she knew it.
“This is the contract, have a look. If you don’t agree with some of the terms, let me know and I’ll see what I can do.”
Yan Huan took the contract and began to read it. It was similar to the last contract she had signed with Chengcheng in her previous life. A lot of the terms were generous; she could tell that Yuelun was not trying to exploit her just because she was new to showbiz. Instead, it gave her plenty of freedom to decide the direction of her career for herself. It was in fact a lot more generous and flexible than her first contract with Chengcheng in her past life.
So long as Yan Huan complied with the company’s regulations, Yuelun would do their best to assist her in developing her career. At the same time, they would respect her choices in her roles.
She handed the contract to Yi Ling, and then placed her hands neatly on the table as she waited patiently for Yi Ling to read through it.
“Ms. Yan, do you want to make any adjustments to the contract?” Li Changqing felt that Yan Huan was a worthy investment. Director Jin had praised her acting, and Li Changqing trusted the director’s judgment. More importantly, she was only 20 years old, she was brimming with untold potential.
Li Changqing knew that signing Yan Huan would be a win-win situation for them. The investment would pay off for the company, even though some of the terms in the contract were actually highly favorable to Yan Huan. For example, the company would only take a cut from the acting roles she secured through the company’s connections. She would be able to keep all of her earnings from the jobs she landed on her own, such as ads and product endorsement deals.
“I have a request,” Yan Huan looked directly into Li Changqing’s eyes. It was clear that this was actually a condition, and not simply a request: if he refused her, she would walk away from the contract and wait patiently for another agency to express an interest in her.
“Go on.” Li Changqing nodded slightly. He was able to accommodate most requests, so long as they were reasonable.
“I want…” Yan Huan paused briefly. “I want Yi Ling to stay on as my manager.”