star of the peninsula

In the president's office of C headquarters, Jin Liuran served tea and quickly left. Even she felt the atmosphere here was a bit unbearable.

"Want to talk to me?"

Chen Chen, who had been silent the whole time, created tremendous pressure on Ren Shiwan on the opposite side as soon as he opened his mouth.

"Yes." Ren Shiwan admitted it bravely, trying to make excuses, "Because I have always admired you very much, I unconsciously made the arrogant request to meet you."

It's not a lie that Ren Shiwan deserves the word "successful" in the entertainment industry, but when he came to C headquarters and approached Chen Chen step by step, the pressure kept approaching his brain, and he began to recall Chen Chen's achievements and majesty in the information in his mind.

If he could be considered successful, Chen Chen would have been a person from another world long ago, the kind who could reach out and manipulate the fate of people in his circle.

This thought made Chen Chen's image in his mind even taller, because Chen Chen's question, which sounded normal, was not normal at all to him, but rather sounded more like a reproach.

"When will the contract with PLUM A&C expire?" Chen Chen asked directly, "What kind of promise do you want from me before you are willing to switch to C headquarters?"

"what?"

"..."

Ren Shiwan was stunned, and after he uttered an "ah", his eyes began to become cloudy.

"Isn't this what we can talk about?" Chen Chen continued, "Why are you so surprised?"

"Your straightforward statement has put me under a lot of psychological pressure." Ren Shiwan smiled bitterly and said, "I didn't expect that we would talk about this at the beginning."

"That's okay." Ren Shiwan rubbed his face vigorously, "I feel relieved to see that your personality is the same as the rumors say."

"Rumors?" Chen Chen asked casually, "Where did you hear these rumors?"

"You have worked with Guangxi before, so I carefully consulted Guangxi's opinion before coming here." Ren Shiwan relaxed a little and said a little embarrassedly: "I know Guangxi very well. We are both members of the Empire of Heroes."

"Haha, what did Guangxi say about me?"

Chen Chen wanted to laugh just thinking about such an interesting person.

"Gwang Hee asked me to introduce him to C headquarters after I enter C headquarters, otherwise he would expose me."

Ren Shiwan touched his nose and his head drooped unconsciously.

These words have a very Huang Guangxi flavor, and Chen Chen seemed to be able to see the funny look on Huang Guangxi's face when he said this.

"That's what Guangxi would say on variety shows. It's probably not what you would say when you talk to him privately on the phone, so you're making up a story to simplify our conversation. But it doesn't matter. I'm not such a strict person. You can make it up if you want." Chen Chen started chatting, "What is Guangxi busy with recently? Where is he working?"

"Kwang Hee has been staying at BONBOO, and he's probably busy with variety shows." Im Si Wan replied, "He's doing pretty well, he's received quite a few invitations to shows, and he even received a commercial endorsement a few months ago."

"Alas, I was thinking of asking Guangxi to come to C headquarters since he's not doing well. C headquarters is in great need of its own hosts." Chen Chen shook his head with a hint of regret, "Since he's doing well, there's nothing I can do."

This is not a lie. Huang Guangxi has the ability and he can really digest the resources given to him.

If Hwang Kwang-hee works for an entertainment company like C Headquarters, which has abundant resources and tends to be younger and more networked, he might be able to thrive and show new vitality.

In addition, Chen Chen inexplicably felt that he and Li Yongzhi were a good match and wanted to put them together to see the effect.

"I will convey your opinion to Guangxi. He will be very happy to know that you approve of him so much." Ren Shiwan nodded and said happily.

"Okay, we've finished our digression, let's get back to your question." Chen Chen started again, "The fact that you're here means that you're thinking about joining the C headquarters after your contract expires, right?"

"Yes." Ren Shiwan's words became more straightforward. "As a strong new star in the film and television industry, C headquarters is extremely attractive to me."

"PLUM A&C treats you very well and is willing to invest resources in you." Chen Chen said casually.

“Humans are always attracted to something better.”

Ren Shiwan answered vaguely.

"That makes sense." Chen Chen didn't think there was anything wrong and asked, "What are your requirements for the C headquarters?"

"No requirements."

Ren Shiwan answered without hesitation.

"Puff~" Chen Chen spat out a mouthful of water, "You kid actually know what the highest requirement is! You're really smart!"

Having no requirements is actually a super high requirement, and it even reveals one's ambition.

It's very simple. There is no male actor in C headquarters, so Lim Siwan is the boss.

There is no point in making any requests in this situation, and the best solution is to try your best to win Chen Chen's favor.

"Hmm," Chen Chen smacked his lips, "Then why didn't you respond to the invitation from Headmaster Ma of our C Headquarters?"

"The contract is still some time away from expiring, that's not a good idea." Ren Shiwan replied: "It's less than half a month away from the contract expiration, so it's not excessive for me to start contacting C headquarters."

"What will PLUM A&C think?" Chen Chen asked, "Do you think they will be sad? Do you feel pressured to leave them?"

"After working together for so long, it's understandable that I feel sad, but the Korean entertainment industry is a completely commercial industry, so it's understandable that I don't feel sad." Ren Shiwan raised his head, "To be honest, I feel a lot of pressure in my heart."

"The company talked to me about early contract renewal in April. I would have agreed to it because of my feelings for the company and the generous conditions."

"But it just so happened that news from Headquarters C's Minister Ma also came through, which disrupted my plans and made me waver."

"As an actor who mainly relies on TV dramas, I am not qualified to refuse the invitation from the TV King C Headquarters, so my contract renewal choice suddenly became a choice between loyalty and a better future."

"My acting career still seems to be long, and I want to choose my future." Lim Siwan said at the end and felt relieved. "It's rare that I still have the opportunity to make my own choices in such an entertainment industry."

"Okay, I'm satisfied with your statement. When your contract expires, you can contact Minister Ma." Chen Chen nodded at him, "The next matter is between you and him."

"Do I pass your interview?"

Ren Shiwan showed a relaxed expression on his face, and his tone of voice became three points higher.

"It's not an interview, just a simple chat." Chen Chen smiled, "And it was you who suggested this chat, otherwise this wouldn't have happened today. You can just come to the C headquarters when your contract expires."

There are no male actors in C headquarters, and Lim Siwan is an actor definitely worth recruiting, so there is no need for Chen Chen to serve as a threshold to block people from joining.

It can even be said that the conversation opportunity given by Chen Chen today was to give Ren Shiwan special conditions, but he did not mention it.

"..."

Ren Shiwan was a little speechless, but he couldn't find any reason to excuse himself.

"Goodbye!" Ren Shiwan stood up and said goodbye.

Chen Chen pushed the chair away, stood up and stretched out his hand.

“I hope we can have a pleasant cooperation in the future.”

Ren Shiwan stretched out his hand and shook it, gave Chen Chen a firm look, then bowed and left the office.

Chen Chen sat back in his chair, his palms twitching unconsciously as images raced through his head.

"Heh, he's indeed a promising actor."

……

"You left work early today?"

Bae Joo-hyun looks very intellectual as she works seriously with her glasses on, and she looks like a little rabbit when she is frightened by Chen Chen's hand suddenly placed on her shoulder.

"Because I have accomplished something big, I rewarded myself by coming to Branch I to see you." Chen Chen touched her face. "So many trainees? How long will it take to get all the information?"

"You don't know what the status of C headquarters is in the eyes of South Korean kids, right? It's a super invincible star factory! As long as you come here, you will definitely become a big star." Bae Joo-hyun complained: "And based on the previous model of C headquarters selecting trainees, in people's minds, isn't it that as long as you become a trainee, you will definitely debut? Look at what you have done!"

"They misunderstood, but it has nothing to do with me." Chen Chen said shamelessly: "Besides, it is the I Division that recruits trainees, not the C Headquarters."

"If it was C headquarters, there would be even more people signing up now!" Bae Joo Hyun was a little worried, "Once the overseas recruitment of trainees starts, I can't imagine how much more information we will have to process."

Dealing with trainee information is not an easy task. In addition to reading the text on the information carefully, you also have to carefully observe the person as a whole in the photo.

A person with a bad appearance cannot become a trainee, especially now.

It’s quite interesting to think about it. If Daesung from Bigbang wanted to be a trainee now, he probably wouldn’t even be able to get into the entertainment company’s door.

But he is a high-level singer, and in Chen Chen's opinion, he should have surpassed the idol level.

It's that face that really makes him look like he can sing really well. No wonder more and more male trainees signed up for Waiji after Daesung debuted, because they discovered that Waiji really doesn't care about looks.

"There should be much fewer people overseas than here. After all, the influence of C headquarters overseas is far less than here." Chen Chen was more positive than her. "And I think it's difficult for overseas trainees to produce good seedlings."

"Why?" Bae Joo-hyun asked curiously.

"People living overseas are less likely to be influenced by K-pop, and their families' abilities are probably better than those of people here. It's hard for children from such families to choose to be trainees." Chen Chen looked down at his girlfriend who seemed about to retort, and then said, "I know there are exceptions, but they are rare."

"The interview is about to start. How many people do you think will stay?" Pei Zhuxuan changed the subject. "20%? 30%?"

"Fifty percent. This is my request. Keep one of the two."

Chen Chen gave a number that no one could have imagined.

"Why do you keep so much?!" Pei Zhuxuan opened her mouth in surprise, "How can you keep so much?!"

"We're afraid of missing out on geniuses, so we need to give them some time to grow under our noses." Chen Chen's reason was very good. "If we screen out a super genius who has never practiced, we'll curse ourselves when we think about it later."

"Do you know how much more money you're going to spend?" Pei Zhuxuan pulled Chen Chen back to the cruel reality, "Three to five times more than other entertainment companies!"

"C headquarters has money, if we don't spend it, would we be fools?" Chen Chen curled his lips, "How much money can we spend to support trainees? Besides, we will continue to screen out people later, so we can only support them for a short period of time at most."

"Where does C headquarters get the money?" Pei Zhuxuan reminded: "Are you not going to work on your artificial intelligence project?"

"Neither Shamao nor Soy Sauce Bottle wants to play with me, so there's no point in playing by myself." Chen Chen said confidently.

"What are the facts?"

Bae Joo-hyun saw through it at a glance.

"I can't afford it." Chen Chen was so angry that he burst into tears. "It's too expensive. Why is it so expensive?! I never thought I couldn't afford it, but the reality is too cruel. I really can't afford it!"

After studying the expenses in various aspects, Chen Chen confirmed one thing, that is, if C headquarters wants to play with artificial intelligence, it can only do so through Tik Tok. If it does it on its own, it won’t even be able to afford the equipment.

You can play if you really want to, but the equipment that Chen Chen bought with his financial resources can only cultivate artificial idiocy, and then it will really become a game.

You will definitely get something by using Tik Tok, but Chen Chen is unwilling to do it because it will use up all the favors.

Which is more important: the opportunity to play around with AI in advance or the connections with someone on Tik Tok?
Ha, these are not options that can be put together at all. It only took Chen Chen half a second to decide to give up the present and wait for that cheap and useful thing in the future.

"It's so expensive." Pei Zhuxuan obviously didn't care about that. She responded perfunctorily and changed the subject, "Your song "Celebrity" is amazing. It looks like the popularity will last for two months!"

"This is just perfect, it's for dealing with the new Hybe girl group. Two months of super high popularity is very comfortable." Chen Chen said casually: "It's just that the new Hybe girl group doesn't seem to need me to deal with it recently, so I wasted a song."

If Chen Chen had known the situation would be like this, he would have saved "Celebrity" for later use. IU doesn't lack such a song, but Chen Chen will lack it in the future.

"Hybe's performance is very poor, and it has dragged itself into it. Now the stock price has been falling." Pei Zhuxuan was a little curious, "If it were you, how would you save the situation?"

"Sacrifice Jin Jialan right here." Chen Chen looked at his girlfriend, "Didn't I tell you this?"

"No." Bae Joo Hyun shook her head, "I don't remember us ever talking about such a scary topic as 'sacrifice'."

"You can call it recycling, it's the same thing." Chen Chen said a lot, "Since it can't be saved, I might as well step on others to lift them up and get myself out of here."

"I apologized for my previous mistake of saying that the evidence was fake and mobilized public opinion to clear my name. Then I quickly fired Jin and deleted all related materials."

"In the end, the debut of the new group was postponed, and the members came out to play the victim, so that the new group would not be affected, and might even rise a little because of the existence of a victim."

"There's nothing much to say about the company. Apologizing and responding promptly are enough to satisfy everyone."

"You know, many entertainment companies' PRs are like dead people. Now the situation in the industry is that everyone is moved when they see a living PR."

"The stock price is the simplest. Just let BTS come out and do some activities and it will go back up."

"Anyway, as long as we give up saving Jin Jialan, Hybe will have many, many moves to use." Chen Chen concluded, "I'm just afraid it won't use them itself."

"If there are trainees like this in Division I in the future, you're going to do this, right?" Bae Joo-hyun finally returned to Division I.

"This is an unsolvable problem, and we can only do this." After Chen Chen finished his reply, he suddenly became a little depressed, "These days, it's easier for an artist to go viral than to eat or drink water. Alas, I suddenly don't want to recruit trainees anymore. I feel a little tired."

"Come on, I think your mood will change as soon as you see those energetic and beautiful girls!" Pei Zhuxuan glanced at him, "I don't know others, but I know you, right?"

"It doesn't matter whether I understand it or not, and it doesn't matter whether it's me or someone else." Chen Chen said seriously, "Isn't it normal to feel better after watching things that make you feel better? Otherwise, why are things that make you feel better called 'things that make you feel better'?"

...(End of chapter)