I became famous in the entertainment industry by burning incense

Chapter 483 Going solo or opening a personal studio?
March Sky and the others were prepared. When He Yan called them to his office, they followed him.

For reasons unknown, He Yan deliberately took a longer route, allowing many staff members at Tianding Entertainment to see him.

After they left, the staff gathered together and discussed the relationship between March Sky and He Yan, the head of the public relations department.

"They left together chatting and laughing; their relationship wasn't as strained as rumored, was it?"

"Yes, I heard that He Yan would also recommend the show to March Sky and the others in private, and March Sky even went to participate!"

"Where did you get this information? I've never heard of it before. I only know that March Sky doesn't have much contact with this new public relations manager."

“He Yan himself said it. He recommended the announcements to March Sky, and March Sky participated in them all. I checked the announcements that He Yan mentioned, and March Sky did indeed participate.”

"hiss--"

Some people, as if struck by a sudden thought, gasped and cautiously said:

"I heard from others that this new public relations manager is no ordinary person and won't stay in the public relations department for long. He will soon be promoted and climb the ranks."

The higher-ups intend for him to become the president of Tianding Entertainment, or in a position with more real power than the head of public relations. Given his close relationship with March Band, could it be that he wants to take over their gigs and personally manage them?

Upon hearing this, others muttered, "What about Zhang Guang? If the higher-ups really do this, wouldn't that be undermining Zhang Guang? Everyone knows that Zhang Guang was the one who brought March Sky to its feet."
March Band is a popular boy band, and changing managers at this crucial juncture means that all the benefits are being snatched away by others.

Despite the grumbling, everyone knew that this was the norm in the company.

In many large companies, it's not always a matter of you fighting for my resources and me fighting for your customers; it's about the most capable taking over.

Although we understand this, it doesn't mean we can accept it rationally.

In a company devoid of human warmth, who would be motivated to work hard? In the end, everyone is just doing the work for someone else's benefit.

March Sky and He Yan arrived at the office.

March Sky had no idea that simply walking with He Yan would attract so much discussion.

Even if they knew, they wouldn't care. Guang Ge had already told them everything, and San Yue Tian and the others had already had their own ideas.

If the company really wants to change their agents, they will definitely refuse.

It wasn't out of gratitude for Zhang Guang's kindness in recognizing their talents, but rather because they simply looked down on He Yan.

He is ambitious and never considers the artists' interests; he only wants to exploit them and is not fit to lead them.

Having caught the opportunity in March, He Yan was no longer in a hurry. He leisurely brewed tea and told them not to be shy and to sit wherever they pleased.

Yan Xingdong still remembered that Gu Cheng was going to attend a family meeting. Gu Cheng was a cold person who didn't give face to others and was capable of walking away directly.

To avoid an awkward situation, Yan Xingdong took the initiative to speak: "Minister He, I don't know what you need us for. We have a briefing to attend later, and we don't have much time left."

He Yan frowned: "Didn't you only have that variety show show left tonight? It's still afternoon, why are you going to participate in other shows?"

Yan Xingdong said without changing his expression, "Brother Guang arranged a notice for us at the last minute."

He Yan stared intently at them and said, "Brother Guang is being unfair. If I were in charge of you, I definitely wouldn't exploit you like this. I would give you plenty of rest time."

The others smiled faintly and remained silent.

Yan Xingdong continued, "What does Minister He want with us?"

He Yan pondered for a moment and said, "You've all seen the announcements I recommended to you before, right?"

Chen Lin thought to himself: Can't I just not see this?

Other people send announcements to their agents' WeChat accounts or to the team's designated email address for receiving invitations. But He Yan does it this way, sending them directly to the artist's WeChat account and insisting on getting a reply from the artist.

The cold shoulder didn't work. After three hours without a reply, he kept pressing him on WeChat. Chen Lin almost blocked him several times.

Yan Xingdong, prioritizing the overall situation, created a group chat and had He Yan post the message there.

Yan Xingdong: [Minister He, we're so busy, constantly running around for gigs. We often don't have time to check our phones, and our assistants have to hold them for us. Our phones are always on vibrate, and we're worried they might peek at them. From now on, if you have any gig recommendations, just post them in the group chat.]

Only after Yan Xingdong's blunt reminder did He Yan stop bombarding him with WeChat messages.

Yan Xingdong smiled and said, "We watch it in our spare time."

He Yan stared intently at him: "Since you've seen it, why don't you go and participate?"

Yan Xingdong immediately shifted the blame: "We asked the agent, and the agent said that none of them are very good, so there's no need for them to participate."

He Yan's expression instantly turned ugly.

He said, "Your agent has no vision. The appearances I arranged for you are all for well-known international brands, but they are not famous in China. They want to make a name for themselves in China, so they thought of using well-known domestic celebrities for promotion."

Yan Xingdong shrugged and said innocently, "Minister He, I understand your thinking, but it's impossible for us to accept announcements without going through our agents."

Tianding Entertainment has had issues with this before; they have a very strict set of procedures and regulations, and we will be fined if we act on our own initiative.

He Yan asked meaningfully, "Have you ever thought about changing your agent?"

These words were so direct that Yan Xingdong and the others were momentarily stunned.

They exchanged glances, realizing that the competition within the company was becoming increasingly fierce, and He Yan was no longer hiding his ambitious plans.

Yan Xingdong pondered for a moment and quickly came up with a solution.

To be honest, one is a senior executive of the company, and the other is the company's cash cow.

The higher-ups don't want to offend the cash cow, but the cash cow doesn't want to offend the higher-ups either.

The relationship between the company and the artist is mutually supportive; if one party is at odds, it will be difficult for the other party to make any progress.

If he could, he didn't want to offend He Yan, which was why he had been taking a roundabout approach.

Although they were determined to scheme this time, they didn't want to offend anyone on the surface, so they put all the blame on Brother Guang.

As their manager, Guang Ge was supposed to protect them.

Yan Xingdong also said meaningfully, "Minister He, I don't quite understand what you're saying. If the company has any other arrangements, we will try our best to cooperate with the company."

He Yan curled his lips into a smile. That was enough.

He thought to himself that Zhang Guang's relationship with March Sky was just so-so, not as close as the rumors suggested. Otherwise, why would Yan Xingdong have accepted the olive branch he casually extended?

He Yan said, "I have resources for several foreign brands here. If you see any you like, just tell me and I'll talk to Zhang Guang. As long as you're willing to participate, Zhang Guang can't stop you, so don't worry."

Yan Xingdong nodded. "Okay."

He Yan joked, "You'd better actually go and participate, unlike in the past when you ignore me after I send out the announcement and stand me up." Yan Xingdong smiled and said, "Minister He, don't worry about that. As long as the announcement is really good, we will definitely participate."

He Yan pressed further, "Are you really going to participate?"

Yan Xingdong nodded with unwavering determination, displaying all his acting skills: "Really!"

He Yan smiled with satisfaction.

He said cryptically, "In three months, everything will be settled."

Because there was an announcement afterward, Yan Xingdong and the others left quickly.

Chen Lin, Luo Yi, and Gu Cheng remained expressionless, keeping their heads down while Yan Xingdong and He Yan talked, appearing indifferent to the situation.

But once they got in the car, Chen Lin couldn't wait to ask, "What does He Yan mean by this? Is he giving up being a CEO to become a talent agent instead?"

Luo Yi scoffed, "From the very beginning, I didn't think He Yan was good enough to be president. He's too young and inexperienced. Less than a year of experience as the head of the public relations department is not enough for him to become president."

Chen Lin: "Being a manager is so hard. They don't have any real power in the company. They just deal with the artists a lot. Why would you want to become a manager?"

Gu Cheng pointed out incisively: "Agents can better control artists. Tianding Entertainment has made its fortune by relying on artists. As long as they control the artists, they control the money and can make money more easily."

Yan Xingdong said in a deep voice, "Given He Yan's qualifications, it's impossible for him to start by mentoring newcomers."

His words today clearly revealed his intention: he wants to take over us. I suspect that he might not only take over us, but also other popular A-list celebrities or boy bands in the company.

Chen Lin shook his head immediately upon imagining the scene: "I don't want a manager like that!"

Just as Yan Xingdong was about to say something, his phone suddenly vibrated. It was a message from He Yan in the group chat.

He Yan specifically mentioned that the combination of Qi Guan Mingzhu and Ji Qinglian was particularly strong, emphasizing:

[If you don't take on more meaningful gigs, you'll soon be surpassed by these two girl group members. I'm doing this for your own good; I want you to maintain your current position.]

Even Chen Lin didn't believe these words.

Chen Lin said confidently, "Apart from Captain Qinglian, Sister Pearl doesn't want to do so many appearances. She just wants to retire. Where would she get so many ambitions?"

Yan Xingdong pondered for a while, "I don't know why, but many people in the company think that Qi Guanmingzhu and Ji Qinglian will compete with us. But the tracks of boy groups and girl groups are different, and these two have not officially become a group, so the path we are taking is even more different."

Gu Cheng thought for a moment: "After all, we always come in first place. This time we didn't, which surprised everyone. They had other ideas and realized that we could be surpassed. They saw hope and opportunity."

Luo Yi smiled and said, "It's a pity they don't know about our relationship with the pink-clad girl. Such a low-level attempt to sow discord won't work on us."

Little did they know, they were infected by the carefree attitude of the pink-clad girl and were already longing for a life of retirement.

When will I ever stop making money?
Living a life with low material desires is quite nice.

I'm thinking of giving up.

Yan Xingdong used to think that Tianding Entertainment had been developing for decades and had experienced many ups and downs, so it could remain stable.

But recently, the situation at the company has become increasingly tense.

He expressed his thoughts: "After the global concert tour ends next year, we will basically all develop independently. I have said before that you should consider how to develop in the future."

My initial thought was that Guang Ge had a lot of experience, so I would let him continue to lead us. But now it seems that the company is also in turmoil and needs to change its leader.

The new leader may not value us top-tier artists. The new president's attitude also determines our situation in the company. I have a feeling that things won't be so easy in the future.

Yan Xingdong paused deliberately at this point and sighed.

"This weekend, let's set aside one evening to get together and discuss what to do in the future. You should also go back and think it over carefully: do you want to continue signing contracts with the company, go solo and start your own studio, or open a studio affiliated with the company?"

These words were spoken very bluntly.

Yan Xingdong has never considered changing jobs. For a mature artist, switching to a new company is not a good option.

Unless, like the members of Pink Girls, they want to retire but don't want to manage the company themselves, so they find a retirement company.

With the band March Band having developed to its current level, they have connections, status, and popularity, and they could easily go solo.

Chen Lin hesitated and said, "Captain, is it really necessary to go this far? I still want Brother Guang to guide me."

Yan Xingdong laughed: "Let's consider our own future first, and then talk to Brother Guang. Maybe Brother Guang has other ideas too."

Aside from Chen Lin, who seemed to understand but not quite, Luo Yi and Gu Cheng both grasped Yan Xingdong's meaning, their eyes flashing slightly.

It seems like Guang Ge is also thinking about changing jobs?
Haha, that's going to be interesting.

After March Sky and the others left, He Yan couldn't wait to post a message in the alumni group saying that March Sky was willing to accept gigs.

Gerald: [March Band? They're a very famous boy band in China. I've heard of them in the US too. Farrar is really amazing; he managed to sign such outstanding artists!]

Ford: [Could you let my brand reserve a spot? I can cover their travel expenses to the US!]

Vincent: [I want to pre-order too, Far is amazing!]

He Yan's English name is Far. Seeing his classmates, who are all rich kids, flattering him, he couldn't help but smirk and laugh out loud.
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On the other side, here at Jinli's place.

Filming in Pond Village got back on track. After signing the supplementary contract, it was as if the actors were put in shackles again. No one dared to play around or joke around on set. Everyone took a very serious and dedicated approach to filming.

The crew's efficiency suddenly increased.

Thanks to the improved efficiency, Director Ye even gave the actors a day off to reward them for their hard work over the past few days.

The day they got the holiday was New Year's Day.

This New Year's Day, Jinli was still accompanied by books and started her learning livestream early.

Gu Cheng has a stage performance on New Year's Day and is very busy, but he will secretly video chat with her.

He asked Jinli to adjust the angle so that he could only see the book, so that Jinli wouldn't appear in the video and be noticed by others.

Jinli: ...

It's kind of like having an affair.

I have to say, it was pretty exciting.

Gu Cheng clearly wanted Jinli to watch over him and give him her best performance.

.