How can you become a star without money?

Chapter 28 Supermodel
"Ah Yao, you haven't graduated from university yet, have you? How old are you?"

"Sis, I'm a year older than you, I just turned 20 this year."

"Oh? Hahaha, trying to make me happy? Mr. He said you used to be a genius photographer at the branch office. You have to take a set of photos of me after I lose weight. I've already booked it."

"Sister, you're not fat, you're beautiful with weight, you don't need to lose weight."

"Hahaha, you little rascal, you have such a sweet tongue! You're so good at making people happy. You must have tricked quite a few girls before, right?"

Let me tell you, young girls are easily swayed by emotions. Many people in charge at Meishe (a photography studio) act on a whim and end up making a mess of things. You'd better be careful.

"Sister, I'm not good with words, I only speak the truth, and I have a strong backbone and never lie to people."

"Hehehe~ I believe you, but your fingers are really long and soft, they must be very strong when you press the shutter."

"I learned to play the pipa for a while when I was a child, and I was pretty good at it."

"Would you like to perform for me sometime?"

"No problem, but I haven't played for many years, I'll go back and practice."

"Why is the gear shift lever on this BMW 5 Series a bit soft?"

"Sis, what you're touching isn't a BMW, it's mine."

"Haha, sorry, sorry."

Wang Yao chatted and laughed all the way to Chi Xin's destination, a somewhat secluded upscale club.

"Sis, call me when you're done. I'll find a place nearby to wait for you, and then I'll take you home," Wang Yao said with a smile.

"I brought you here so you could come in, sit down, and meet some people. You think I really want you to be my driver?" Chi Xin rolled her eyes at Wang Yao playfully.

"Huh?" Wang Yao looked surprised.

“I know that Qu Shou’s proposal was your idea. It’s a bit of a waste for you to work with He Ming. The company is going to focus on business in Korea recently, and I think you are very suitable.” Chi Xin stared at Wang Yao with teary eyes.

"Thank you for your consideration, Mr. Chi, but Mr. He has been kind to me, and my abilities are limited; I still need to learn and improve," Wang Yao said firmly and righteously.

"Silly boy, you're too naive. You'll be sold out and still be counting the money for the seller." Chi Xin chuckled and patted Wang Yao's shoulder.
"Come inside with me first, I'll explain your situation to you in detail later."

Wang Yao followed Chi Xin into the club. The interior was decorated in an elegant style, clearly designed to cater to female clients.

After a waitress in a cheongsam inquired about Chi Xin's information, she led Wang Yao through a winding, dimly lit corridor before finally entering a private room. The room was about 300 to 400 square meters, resembling a small bar.

Despite the large size of the private room, there weren't many people. Only four or five figures, mostly women, were scattered around the booths. Below, several muscular male dancers were performing a masculine dance on the dance floor.

"Alright, you can go and rest for a while." The woman in the center of the booth clapped her hands, the lights in the private room came on, the music stopped, and several muscular male dancers left the private room upon hearing the sound.

"Amelia, it's been a long time!" Chi Xin warmly hugged the woman.

“President Chi is elusive, it’s really not easy to catch you. And who is this?” Amelia looked Wang Yao up and down.

"Come here, Yao, let me introduce you to the queen of Shanghai's entertainment circle, Amelia, the head of WMA Company's Shanghai branch." Chi Xin pulled Wang Yao and said with a smile, "This is our branch's junior vice president, Wang Yao."

Amelia is likely of mixed race, around the same age as Chi Xin, but has a more assertive presence and a somewhat androgynous style of dress, making her a strong possibility that she is LGBT.

“Hello, Ms. Amelia, I’m Wang Yao, nice to meet you.” Wang Yao extended his hand.

“Amelia, her Chinese name is Chen Yun, you can call her whatever you like.” Chen Yun gently shook hands with Chi Xin and smiled, “Your Meishe is getting bolder and younger in hiring people.”

“Young people have drive,” Chi Xin chuckled.

Wang Yao sat quietly to the side and searched for what WMA Company was. He was shocked by what he found.

This company is actually one of the top five talent agencies in Hollywood, and it's a century-old establishment founded in 1898. It's still active today. Because it's an international company, there isn't much information about it online, but several of its representative artists are indeed household names.

Michael Bay, Denzel Washington, and Natalie Portman are all international superstars, while Zhang Ziyi is the artist signed with China.

The company has a strong background, but I don't know what position Chen Yun holds.

A short while later, two more women entered the private room. Chen Yun and Chi Xin stood up to greet them, and after exchanging pleasantries, they sat down.

"Ah Yao, come sit over here a bit." Chi Xin beckoned.

Wang Yao got up and sat down next to her, his gaze sweeping over the faces of the women around Chen Yun, raising an eyebrow slightly.

Surprisingly, I knew a few of them.

"Ah Yao, this is General Manager Zhou from our Meishe Baodao Brother Company, Fengshang International, Sister Kimi, Zhou Yougen," Chi Xin introduced.

Wang Yao knew this Kimi, who was known as a supermodel goddess. She had managed many celebrities who started as models, such as Chen Weiting, Angelababy Yang Ying, Wen Yongshan, Xiong Dailin, Meng Guangmei, He Hui, and others.

He is also rumored to be one of the masterminds behind the training of the "King Killer Model Group".

However, it must be said that this person's marketing skills are amazing. At least in the entire Chinese entertainment industry, the successful cases of models turning into stars are all thanks to her.

"A newcomer? Looks like a new face from the mainland." Zhou Yougen looked at Wang Yao with a smile. She had a somewhat masculine appearance, and her smile was forced.

"Hello, Mr. Zhou, I'm Wang Yao from Tianhuo Media." Wang Yao nodded.

"The branch office's vice president is now in charge of Qu Shou's project," Chi Xin added with a smile.

"Oh, my apologies. Don't you mainlanders have a bit of a surplus of resources? With such good conditions, you've all been promoted to management positions. But with such a young leader in charge of Qu Shou's project, you're not going to come up with some new workplace scandal tactics, are you?"

Zhou Yougen paused for a moment, then laughed. "That sounds interesting, but it would break the rules of the industry," Chen Yun said, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course not, we at Meishe can't afford to play those scandalous games, the cost is too high," Chi Xin waved her hand and laughed.

Wang Yao realized that the relationship between the three of them was quite complicated.

"Since Sister Liu isn't here yet, you two can talk about your business first." Chen Yun leaned back, giving the table to Chi Xin and Zhou Yougen.

“These two are rising stars we’re preparing to enter the mainland market. Call them over.” Zhou Yougen patted the two young girls beside him.

"Hello, Mr. Chi and Mr. Wang. I am Angela Yang Ying. I have been a model for six years and spent the last few years developing my career in Japan. In the last two years, I have been trying to transition into acting. Last year, I had a cameo role in Huayi Brothers' film 'Hot Summer Days'."

Yang Ying, with her straight black hair, bangs, and slightly yellowish-black skin, stood up and introduced herself.

"Hello, Mr. Chi and Mr. Wang. I am Guo Biting. I have been a model for seven years. In the last two years, I have filmed an Extra chewing gum commercial. I am also interested in acting and have participated in the filming of two films in Taiwan."

Guo Biting also has bangs, long, straight black hair, and a baby face.

In 2010, the two were not much different in terms of status from Qu Shou and Zhang Xinyu; they were practically newcomers in the mainland market.

Youthful.

"Hey there, Yao, look, the models from Taiwan and Hong Kong are so much more stylish than ours. If they were on Meishe.com, they'd probably have tens of thousands of paying followers in no time," Chi Xin praised.

“If President Chi is interested, we can let them join Meishe first. We’re new here and not familiar with many aspects of the mainland,” Zhou Yougen said with a smile.

“Meishe’s motto is to embrace diversity, and the website is currently in a phase of rapid development. Joining at this time will definitely be beneficial to you,” Chi Xin smiled.
"As for development arrangements, it mainly depends on what kind of support you want to receive in the US."

"Has Meishe invested a lot in film and television this year?" Zhou Yougen asked.

“There are two big investments, but the resources have already been allocated. What’s left are some second-tier variety shows and fashion resources. President Zhou should also know that due to the economic crisis, the domestic market is also very conservative, and there aren’t many opportunities.” Chi Xin shook her head.

"I heard that the wealthy people in Jinyang are going to make a lot of big moves this year. They are all major clients of Meishe. Haven't you received any good news?" Chen Yun asked with a smile.

"The coal bosses in Jinyang have indeed made a fortune due to the influence from above, and they are very generous. However, their projects are all customized. If President Zhou's people want them, it's not impossible, but it depends on how much they are willing to pay." Chi Xin's smile was gentle, but it sent chills down the spines of the two girls.

Wang Yao looked at the two girls, who were panicking inside but forcing smiles, with pity in his eyes, and then turned to the fruit plate on the table.

“President Chi, since I asked President Chen to arrange this meeting with you, it's because I want to cooperate properly. If it's suitable, we can discuss the terms.” Zhou Yougen also smiled broadly.

"I heard that Meishe has also cooperated with several domestic Internet companies? What are their plans for the film and television industry this year?" Chen Yun asked again.

“Yes, our Ah Yao is in charge of Qu Shou, and he filmed a test movie for the online market invested by Le Shi. The male lead is still Su Youpeng, but it will be released in March or April. They are quite generous with their money.” Chi Xin said with a smile.

"It's a pity that 'The Promise' hurt international investors quite badly, otherwise there would have been more opportunities," Chen Yun sighed.

"President Chen, you still bring this up? I offended a lot of people in Korea in order to help you build your team." Chi Xin rolled her eyes at her with a hint of resentment.

"Big productions are inherently risky," Chen Yun said with a wry smile.

"You have Hollywood backing you, how can your ability to withstand risks compare to our small family?" Chi Xin sneered.

"Well, you can talk about President Zhou's matter later. I'll be the one to make the connection today." Chen Yun glanced at her phone and changed the subject.

Zhou Yougen understood the other party's intention to ask him to leave, and stood up with a smile. "Thank you for your hospitality today, Mr. Chen. Mr. Chi, shall we make another appointment tomorrow?"

“Okay, I’ll probably be in Shanghai for a while. Mr. Zhou is welcome to visit anytime. Ah Yao, please see Mr. Zhou off for me.” Chi Xin stood up and said with a smile.

Wang Yao and Zhou Yougen walked out of the private room side by side, followed by Yang Ying and Guo Biting, who looked like little quails.

"How long have you been dating President Wang and President Chi?" Zhou Yougen inquired.

"I don't remember," Wang Yao said, scratching his head with a simple, honest smile.

"Mr. Wang is so young to be in charge of such an important project as Qu Shou. He must be both talented and good-looking. If there is an opportunity to cooperate in the future, I hope Mr. Wang can take good care of my two younger sisters."

"You two should add Mr. Wang's contact information. Feel free to ask him any questions you may have," Zhou Yougen said with a smile.

"No, no, I'm just a working person, I can't solve any problems."

Wang Yao verbally declined, but immediately pulled out his phone and they exchanged numbers.

After watching them get into the car, I turned and walked towards the private room.

Indeed, how much a person can achieve largely depends on the platform they are on.

It seems I missed out on a lot because I didn't connect with Chi Xin in my past life.

"You two should invite Wang Yao out to dinner more often. This kid is probably Chi Xin's kept man. Get to know him better."
"Let him whisper in your ear; you might get some information. But be careful about the boundaries. Things aren't as open in the mainland as they are back home. You two shouldn't cross the line; just keep it as friends." Zhou Yougen pondered for a moment after getting into the car before giving these instructions.

"Sister Kimi, does working with Meishe involve frequent social engagements?" Yang Ying asked cautiously.

"What are you afraid of? You've already broken up, right? You're single, so why wait for a windfall to fall from the sky to start a business and avoid socializing? Besides, wealthy businessmen in mainland China are much more disciplined. Maybe you can even make it back to the mainland. Do you think bringing you to the mainland is just for developing your career in the entertainment industry?"

Zhou Yougen rebuked him.

"This young CEO Wang looks quite young," Guo Biting whispered.

"Hmph, if Chi Xin can keep you around at such a young age, you must be even more capable. I've heard that Chi Xin is very possessive of her food, so you two better not cause any trouble and keep a low profile," Zhou Yougen warned again.

Yang Ying stuck out her tongue and exchanged a smile with Guo Biting.

(End of this chapter)