At eight in the morning, Ou Yunchen arrived at the company much later than usual.
He listened to his secretary's report as he walked towards his office.
Secretary: "Mr. Ou, a manager from JC Entertainment wants to schedule a meeting with you."
Ou Yunchen, head down, looking at the document in his hand, replied without looking up, "No."
If a manager from an entertainment company wanted to meet, it definitely wouldn't be about business.
Having been in this circle for a long time, he knew they would try to send their little stars or models to the boss's side, perhaps for banquets that required female companions.
Secretary: "Okay, understood. Also..."
Ou Yunchen: "Go on."
Secretary: "Huaming Capital is saying that they want to deduct half of the commission again."
Ou Yunchen stopped in his tracks. The secretary also lowered her head and fell silent. Huaming Capital was already urinating on ATL's head!
Under the guise of a strategic partnership, they repeatedly exploited ATL's profits. Ou Yunchen's tolerance would only fuel their ambition.
Ou Yunchen: "Call Chen Yuyong to see me."
***
A few minutes later, Chen Yuyong entered Ou Yunchen's office with a laptop.
Ou Yunchen: "Sit."
Chen Yuyong: "Boss, you sent for me?"
Ou Yunchen: "Make a separate income statement for me for the Huaming Capital project."
Chen Yuyong started to get up to leave.
Ou Yunchen: "Sit here and do it. I want to see it immediately."
Chen Yuyong hurriedly opened his computer and quickly brought up the spreadsheet he had already prepared to send to Mrs. Su.
Ou Yunchen: "How much profit can this project bring to the company now?"
Chen Yuyong: "Besides the initial net profit of fifty million, the subsequent ones have been less than ten million."
Ou Yunchen: "How much is left after deducting commissions?"
Chen Yuyong quickly opened another spreadsheet, which meticulously itemized the profits from the Huaming Capital project, distributed them across the company's operations, and ultimately calculated a very unsatisfactory number.
Ou Yunchen: "Is it breaking even, or are we losing money?"
Chen Yuyong: "It appears to be breaking even at the moment, but if Huaming Capital continues to deduct fees, we will lose money on this project within a year."
Ou Yunchen: "Understood. You can go now."
Chen Yuyong nodded and prepared to leave.
Ou Yunchen: "Director Chen."
Chen Yuyong quickly turned back: "Yes, boss."
Ou Yunchen: "Delete the projected loss statement before sending it to Mrs. Su. Until we're actually losing money, sending it to her will only make her worry that the company has no future. If she shuts down the company, you'll be unemployed again."
Chen Yuyong broke out in a cold sweat. So, Ou Yunchen had known all along that he had been secretly reporting to Mrs. Su!
Chen Yuyong: "Okay, okay, boss..."
The secretary knocked on the door and saw Director Chen wiping his cold sweat while clutching his laptop, leaving the office in a panic.
The secretary felt a bit strange, but she dared not ask.
The previous CFO had been abruptly fired by Ou Yunchen. Although a considerable sum was paid in compensation according to the contract, the internally promoted Chen Yuyong naturally left everyone with the impression of being a very capable individual.
However, no matter how capable, it seemed he still had to bow his head and work diligently in front of his boss, being lectured from time to time.
Secretary: "Mr. Ou, the receptionist called to say that the manager from JC Entertainment claims to have something very important to see you about."
Ou Yunchen: "No."
Secretary: "Okay."
However, shortly after leaving, the secretary returned, this time holding a folder she had received from the reception.
Secretary: "Mr. Ou, the manager from JC asked me to give you this and urged you to look at it."
Ou Yunchen: "Leave it there."
Overwhelmed by Huaming Capital, Ou Yunchen truly had no intention of wasting time on such an entertainment agency!
He was still convinced that the material contained nothing more than a list of celebrities, and he felt it was unnecessary to even open it for a second.
When it was time to leave work in the evening, the secretary notified the employees who weren't working overtime that they could leave.
Secretary: "Mr. Ou, the driver is waiting at the main entrance."
But as soon as he stepped out of the main door, a woman darted out and blocked the way between Ou Yunchen and the secretary.
Liu Jinhua: "Mr. Ou, I am a manager from JC Entertainment, my name is Liu Jinhua. This is my business card. Could you spare me a moment? I really have something I need to discuss with you."
The secretary called for security to prevent Liu Jinhua from approaching.
But Liu Jinhua was relentless. She was desperate, and ATL was the only hope for her and those children.
Liu Jinhua: "Mr. Ou, please just give me a chance to explain who I am. I've been waiting for you since five this morning until you leave work."
Secretary: "Ms. Liu Jinhua, Mr. Ou is unavailable today. Please..."
Ou Yunchen stopped. He turned back and looked at the anxious, almost pitiful woman. Was she begging Ou Yunchen to listen to her?
Ou Yunchen checked his watch. He had a dinner appointment with Mo Qingyun. This was their first date, and he didn't want to be late.
Ou Yunchen: "Get in the car with me. If what you have to say isn't what I want to hear..."
Liu Jinhua: "I'll get out of the car immediately!"
Although Ou Yunchen agreed to let her in the car and listen to her, which should have been a happy occasion, Ou Yunchen's mere glance at Liu Jinhua made her feel that everything that followed would be precarious.
Liu Jinhua understood that she had been given a chance to speak, but it could also be a door that would be shut forever.
Not daring to waste another moment, Liu Jinhua opened her tablet as soon as she got in the car.
She started by explaining entertainment capital, as she had researched ATL's profile. Despite being a company that dealt with capital, ATL had never ventured into the entertainment industry!
Such a clean investment company was exactly what she needed, and she was confident that Ou Yunchen did not understand the capital operations within the entertainment industry!
Indeed, Ou Yunchen listened intently for over ten minutes. This was indeed a very enticing field, a paradise for capitalists to evade taxes and make money!!!
Seeing a glimmer of hope, Liu Jinhua finally led to her main topic: K-Pop Star.
Liu Jinhua: "For this season of K-Pop Star, we are launching a strong combination of four female group members. They are..."
Ou Yunchen immediately noticed that one of the four girls' faces seemed familiar.
He reached out and took the tablet from Liu Jinhua's hand, enlarged the photo of that girl, and asked, "What is this girl's name?"
Liu Jinhua: "Xiya. Her information is here."
Ou Yunchen suddenly remembered the girl who had cried profusely at the convenience store entrance over spicy hot pot!!!
Wow, as she had said, her signature was indeed worth some money.
Liu Jinhua: "Xiya is the most outstanding dancer among our trainees. Her image also perfectly fits the aesthetic standards of modern young people. I hope to launch a representative girl group that is youthful, energetic, natural, and not fake."
Liu Jinhua knew that Ou Yunchen would be interested in Xiya, otherwise, he wouldn't have been photographed by paparazzi sitting together with Xiya!
Ou Yunchen: "You've told me about JC's capabilities, and they've launched very famous girl groups before. Why do you still need a manager to seek investment?"
This question hit Liu Jinhua's weak spot. If she said JC was no longer doing well, she might be at a disadvantage, or even make investors lose confidence in the K-Pop Star project. After careful consideration, she offered a more compelling reason.
Liu Jinhua: "I hope to cooperate with ATL on a personal level, independently."
Ou Yunchen: "You mean you don't want JC to handle K-Pop Star?"
Liu Jinhua: "Yes!"
"To be frank, this project is the culmination of my years of hard work. As you can see, once these four girls debut, they will generate immense traffic!"
"In the entertainment industry, traffic is capital. I want to earn this money with a more valuable company."
Ou Yunchen: "Then why choose ATL?"
Liu Jinhua thought for a moment and took out the paparazzi photo from her bag.
She was a little scared, but she had to do it!
Ou Yunchen was a bit angry. What did this mean? A threat? He didn't fall for that!
Liu Jinhua: "Mr. Ou, please don't be angry. This was taken by paparazzi. They often secretly photograph the daily lives of trainees..."
"If they get something juicy, they can sell it for a good price in the future. I have already bought this photo and signed an agreement with the paparazzi not to let it be exposed."
Ou Yunchen: "Then what do you want to say?"
Liu Jinhua: "It was precisely because I saw this photo that I felt I had to come and discuss cooperation with you. Isn't this fate?"
Ou Yunchen smiled. As expected of a top manager from an entertainment company, this was indeed a wonderful twist of fate. He never imagined that this girl named Xiya could also help him open up a new business domain.
Ou Yunchen asked the driver to stop by the roadside. Liu Jinhua looked at Ou Yunchen nervously. Had she said so much without being able to impress this cold capitalist?
If other investment companies took on this project, it would still be successful, but it wouldn't be as easy for her to have her way as it would be to go it alone.
Liu Jinhua: "Mr. Ou, is there anything I haven't explained clearly to you?"
Ou Yunchen: "I've taken the photo. As for the K-Pop plan, I need time to consider it."
The driver got out of the car to open the door for Liu Jinhua.
Liu Jinhua dared not say more and obediently got out of the car.
As Ou Yunchen's car started to move, Liu Jinhua anxiously shouted after the car, "Mr. Ou, once you've made up your mind, feel free to call me!"
At this moment, Liu Jinhua's phone rang. It was a text message from JC's HR department.
-Liu Jinhua's text message content-
"Ms. Liu Jinhua, I am from JC Human Resources. Due to the negative impact you have previously caused our company, we have decided to terminate your employment contract at the end of this month. Please proceed to the Human Resources department to complete the resignation procedures before the end of this month."
-End of text message content-
Liu Jinhua sighed. She had been too humble today...
What was even more upsetting was that she was about to be dismissed by JC, with whom she had fought battles together, and she couldn't even argue!
Looking at the calendar, she only had twenty days left. Would ATL give her hope during this period? 138 Reading Network
She didn't know, but she had to persevere, otherwise, who would protect the dreams of those children?
She looked at the car that had long since disappeared down the road. Ou Yunchen's behavior today hadn't given her much hope...
Did she really have to send the female stars to him, just like JC?
Liu Jinhua opened her phone's contacts. When she scrolled to Xiya's name, she hesitated...
Xiya was still a trainee waiting for her debut. She had already worked so hard to get this opportunity. Liu Jinhua didn't know if she should do it.
With a resolute heart, Liu Jinhua dialed Xiya's number.
-Liu Jinhua on the phone-
Xiya: "Jinhua-jie."
Liu Jinhua: "Mm, Xiya, did you train with everyone today?"
Xiya: "Yes, we trained. We practiced the title song a few more times."
Liu Jinhua: "Mm, that's good. You have to be fully prepared for your debut!"
Xiya: "But, Jinhua-jie, do we really have a chance to debut? Didn't the company also give up on this plan?"
Liu Jinhua: "You just focus on working hard. Leave the rest to me."
Xiya: "Thank you, Jinhua-jie! We will not disappoint you!"
A moment of silence. Xiya sensed Liu Jinhua's abnormality.
Xiya: "Jinhua-jie? Are you still listening?"
Liu Jinhua: "Oh, yes."
Xiya: "Jinhua-jie, is something wrong? You sound like you're not doing very well..."
Liu Jinhua: "Xiya, if... I mean, if you were given a chance to debut, what price would you be willing to pay?"
Xiya: "I'll pay everything! This is my dream. To achieve my dream, I'll do anything!"
Xiya was still very naive. She didn't realize that Liu Jinhua meant for her to do those unsavory things.
Liu Jinhua: "Even if..."
Xiya: "Even what? I didn't hear clearly."
Liu Jinhua: "It's nothing. Tell them that besides training, they also need to protect themselves and not get too tired. If you collapse from exhaustion and delay your debut, I won't forgive you!"
Xiya: "Ah! Yes!"
-End of call-
Liu Jinhua quickly hung up the phone. She couldn't bring herself to say the words about sending Xiya to be an escort...
But what did Ou Yunchen mean by keeping that photo?
She could only wait and see what time would reveal. Otherwise, she would have to overinterpret it...