star of the peninsula

Chapter 1171 I Want to Be Your Boss
After returning to headquarters C, when Chen Chen parked the car and got out, the young assistant suddenly ran up to him and bowed to him.

"I would like to ask you for a few days off."

"Sure, no problem." Chen Chen agreed before asking, "But why are you asking for leave? What's the matter?"

"I am also a college student." Jin Liuran smiled and tapped his chest. "This semester is about to end. I have to go back to school for a few days to deal with the things that students should do."

"Oh, I see." Chen Chen understood instantly, and his expression was also a little worried. "Are there enough days for you to handle it? If not, I will give you another week."

"No need, school is not such a scary place." Jin Liuran waved his hand, "I will finish the things over there as soon as possible and return to the company early. After all, my plan is to become a qualified trainee this summer."

"Okay, then you can hand over a note of leave later and go through the necessary procedures."

Chen Chen didn't interfere much. If someone handed you a leave note, you just approved it and that was it.

About five minutes after returning to the office, Jin Liuran came over with a leave note. With a simple stamp, the leave application was approved.

"I have an extra task for you. I hope you can find time to complete it."

Chen Chen thought about her summer vacation from the end of the semester, and suddenly thought of other things from the summer vacation.

"What mission?"

Jin Liuran asked curiously.

"Get a driver's license." Chen Chen knocked on the table and said with a smile, "You can't let me be your driver forever, right? Besides, you will definitely have to work independently in the future, and you can't always take a taxi. It's not easy to assign you a driver when Representative Cui doesn't have a dedicated driver."

"I see."

Jin Liuran showed a relaxed expression and nodded.

Getting a driver's license in South Korea is extremely easy and it is not something that will take her a long time.

……

"I'm going to make my solo debut in three days. I'm telling you in case you don't know."

During dinner time, Bae Joo-hyun reported to Chen Chen about the movements around her.

"I know. I even think it's a little late." Chen Chen looked regretful. "If it were earlier, I could have avoided IU. It would be too uncomfortable to debut a solo at the same time as IU's release of a song."

"If we go ahead and bump into Integrate, the result will be the same." Bae Joo Hyun glared at him, "Let me tell you, both of our Red Velvet solo players have been screwed by their dear brother-in-law. I hope this brother-in-law knows better."

"They can't do anything, and neither can I." Chen Chen smacked his lips. "Don't even mention Red Velvet. Aren't the solos of two members of BLACKPINK next door going to be disrupted by me? It's the same!"

"Are there two of them? Not just Rose?" Bae Joo-hyun felt the information gap.

"There will be Lisa's solo in two or three months." Chen Chen synchronized his information to her, "Only someone a little more powerful can know this news."

"I see." Bae Joo Hyun tugged at the hem of Chen Chen's T-shirt. "Hey, why are there so many solo debuts this year?"

"The economy is bad, what else could it be?!" Chen Chen chuckled and explained, "For entertainment companies, supporting individual members' comebacks consumes far fewer resources than a group comeback, and the pressure they bear is also much less."

"In contrast, the popularity it receives will not be much lower than that of a group comeback."

"It's not very profitable for idols to release albums. Of course, entertainment companies are willing to do this if they want to maintain the same level of popularity with lower costs."

"If you don't believe me, just think about the soy sauce bottle." Chen Chen nodded, "Tuwas can make a lot of money, and there is not much financial pressure at all, so of course they don't have to do things like solo debuts, they still play together as a group!"

According to the original development process, Tugas would enter a normal decline cycle in the next few years. In addition, ITZY's decline was even more exaggerated than Tugas. Jiangyouping began to release people from Tugas continuously, and all the solos, small teams and other things that should be done were done.

There are quite a lot of choices "now", and everyone should understand the difference between being forced and taking the initiative.

"So that's how it is. I thought this year was especially suitable for idols to debut solo." Bae Joo Hyun stuck out her tongue. "I still can't beat you guys who run companies. You're too filthy-minded!"

"You can rest assured about this one thing. You won't find a big boss in the circle who is not a dirty person." Chen Chen sneered, "It's the same in every circle!"

"Let's not talk about this." Pei Zhuxuan didn't want to talk about such a heavy topic at the dinner table, so she changed the topic, "Have you contacted SMART? What was the result?"

"It's just so-so. Anyway, half of the song has been released. I don't know what will happen next." Chen Chen said casually: "In the next two days, Li Chengzhu will contact me once, and then I will test it."

"What do you want to do to SMART?" Pei Zhuxuan pinched her thumb and index finger, and the Korean man's angry gesture appeared vividly, "Can you tell me a little bit?"

"I want to be your boss." Chen Chen looked at her and smiled, "No matter if you are the big boss or the second boss, you always want to be your boss."

"Starship, Cube Entertainment, now it's SM Entertainment's turn, right?" Pei Zhuxuan said with a sour smile, "Aren't you taking a big step?!"

"I can't help it. If I don't look up, SMART can't just copy Hybe and acquire some small guys, right?" Chen Chen spread his hands helplessly. "Although there are better Soy Sauce Bottle and slightly inferior Crooked Chicken in the same class, Soy Sauce Bottle is a good friend and Crooked Chicken is a poisonous and seductive thing. I can't touch either of them."

"..."

Pei Zhuxuan was speechless for a moment. She felt that Chen Chen was absolutely right and there was no point in refuting it.

"Then you have to be careful. Stupid Company should be the most difficult one to deal with. It is completely different from the opponents you have encountered before."

Bae Joo-hyun gave a reminder from the bottom of her heart.

"I know. I will be on high alert and take the smallest steps to ensure that nothing goes wrong before taking any action." Chen Chen put down his chopsticks and gave Pei Zhuxuan a firm look. "In the early stages of C headquarters' development, we have always targeted SMART, so we naturally understand how scary it is."

"The development speed of C headquarters is really..."

Bae Joo-hyun felt confused and felt like she had a lot to say but couldn't organize herself properly.

"It's not bad actually. Look at the Hybe next door, they're running much faster than the C headquarters." Chen Chen picked up his chopsticks and started eating again. "It's just because this matter really involves you, so you feel particularly deeply about it. It's actually no big deal."

"Oh, by the way, I have to remind you." Chen Chen slowed down his eating. "During the period when the name of C Headquarters frequently appeared with the name of SMART, you and your sisters were not allowed to mention a single word about C Headquarters!" "You don't listen to the songs, you don't recognize the people, and don't dance our dance when you post the practice room dance clips."

"The bubbles should still be used, the same goes for C-cell and C-circle, this has no impact."

"Anyway, just stay away from places with obvious characteristics of C headquarters. It may cause public opinion. Other things don't matter." Chen Chen finally laid it out in plain language. "I'm not reminding you mainly to remind you, but to remind you to tell the people around you. Do you understand?"

Bae Joo-hyun can't get rid of her relationship with C headquarters no matter what. If the two sides fight, she will definitely be affected. But except for her, everyone else should hide if they can.

"understood."

Bae Joo-hyun replied sullenly, picked up the bowl and walked into the kitchen somewhat unhappy.

Chen Chen sighed and couldn't eat the food in the bowl anymore.

Bae Joo-hyun's unhappiness is understandable.

Although my sense of belonging to SMART has greatly decreased, the feelings we have had for so many years are still there. Now when I hear that my boyfriend is going to take action against my company, my feelings are a little complicated.

Chen Chen's sigh was just a pure sigh. How could there be a boyfriend who could act as if nothing happened when seeing his girlfriend is unhappy?

I couldn’t eat the food in the bowl because I was full.

……

Before Li Chengzhu came over, Chen Chen sat by the soy sauce bottle for a while.

"It's a pity that I didn't see Tzuyu this time." Chen Chen sat on the sofa and drank tea comfortably, "Where did you put Tzuyu?"

"Of course I went to work, otherwise there would be nothing to do." Park Jin-young replied: "Soy Sauce Bottle's idol is very hardworking."

"You're so nice to say that." Chen Chen was too lazy to complain about him. "The epidemic has been recurring recently, so we still have to be careful."

"We at Soy Sauce Bottle are not as wealthy as your C headquarters. We can't keep our signature idol group in the company and won't accept any orders for offline commercial performances. We will starve to death if we refuse." Park Jin Young joked.

"Alright, alright, your market value is so much higher than SMART and you still have the nerve to play the victim." Chen Chen suddenly sighed, "It seems that SMART has become the one with the lowest market value now, and Waiji has surpassed it without us noticing."

"The ability of the new group aespa to boost stock prices is ultimately limited." Park Jin-young shook his head. "It's not that SM Entertainment is retreating, it's that Soy Sauce Bottle and Waiji are running too fast."

"Waiji's BLACKPINK has a strong ability to lead the group, and Bigbang has been helping to support the market. Our new group ITZY is very strong, and it seems that they have chosen the right path."

"In the end, it still has to be our Rabbit Gas. No one can carry the soy sauce bottle like them." Park Jin Young's tone slowly changed here, "Speaking of which, I have something I want to confirm with you."

"What's the matter?" Chen Chen asked curiously, "The Soy Sauce Bottle is thriving, so it's impossible for someone to give you a problem at this time, right?"

"It's not the problems others give me, but the problems the market and reality give me." Park Jin-young answered seriously, "I will start thinking about the next steps for Tuwas from now on."

"Are you talking about what happens after the group's road reaches its end?"

Chen Chen asked directly.

There is an upper limit to the group path of Tuwas, and the market restricts them. The local market in South Korea plus the market in the neighboring country of Sakura are obviously not enough to support Tuwas to go further.

However, at this stage, it is very difficult for them to open up new markets. The European and American markets and the Chinese market are things they can only look at but not eat.

It's a bit late. If they had just debuted for a year or two, they would definitely have had a chance to make a breakthrough. But now Tuwas has been debuted for six years. It may be a better choice for them to maintain the current market so that they can continue to hold concerts in the future to retire.

"The team has no other options." Park Jin-young saw it clearly. "We didn't win the larger European and American markets and the Chinese market before, and now it's even more impossible. Trying our best to preserve the integrity and making the members earn more money is the last thing the name TWICE can do for the members."

"What I've been thinking about recently is how to let the members take a few steps forward as themselves, and whether to follow the trend and open up channels for solo debuts."

"Or, the feeling of being in a small team is also good, and it would be fine to get close to the actors." Park Jin-young looked at Chen Chen, "What do you think?"

"What do I think?" Chen Chen asked in confusion, "You've shown me the basic solution to idol group operations. What else do you expect me to say? If I can really come up with something, then wouldn't all the years of experience in the Kpop industry be trampled under my feet? You must be kidding me!"

"If you want to get inner comfort or support from me, that's fine." Chen Chen changed his attitude, "I can tell you for sure that your idea is correct and in line with the rules of the circle."

"I want to hear if you have any better ideas," Park Jin-young said, "better options than what everyone has been doing."

"No." Chen Chen shook his head decisively, "I'm not a god."

"Then we can only take it one step at a time." Park Jin Young took a sip of water and adjusted his attitude and tone. "Hey, why did you suddenly come to Soy Sauce Bottle to talk to me about something?"

"I have some new ideas about that AI project that was used as a cover." Chen Chen replied: "I plan to join in and have a try."

"You decide this matter yourself. There's no use asking for my opinion. You know I don't understand much of this." Park Jin Young was speechless, thinking Chen Chen was teasing him.

"Soy Sauce Bottle is one of the participants after all, so he must notify us if there are any changes in the project." Chen Chen touched his nose, "Also, SMART may come in and get involved."

"Oh, that's what you want to say." Park Jin-young suddenly realized, "No problem, if SM Entertainment is willing to participate, I have no objection. Even if I have an objection, I'm afraid you won't listen to me."

"If you have no objection, then there will be a follow-up." Chen Chen pretended not to hear his next words, "Since Stupid Hat Company has participated, does Soy Sauce Bottle want to participate in a real way as well? We won't just be a name on the list anymore."

This situation is very troublesome.

If Chen Chen really makes something in the future, the soy sauce bottle with his name on it will be eligible to have a share, but Chen Chen absolutely does not want people who have contributed nothing to share the harvest, which might lead to unpleasantness.

"I need to think about this, and then we have to hold a meeting to decide." Park Jin-young looked at Chen Chen with a smile, "But if the final result does not satisfy you, you will probably kick the soy sauce bottle out, right?"

"Don't joke, I'm not that kind of person." Chen Chen said seriously, "I will ask the soy sauce bottle to be 'invited' out."

……

(End of this chapter)