Huayu: You were supposed to be a top star, but you've become capital?

February 5st, 9 PM.

Inside a professional photography studio on the East Third Ring Road, the sound of camera shutters clicking was as dense as rain.

Under the intense ring lights, Lin Shen, dressed in a full suit from Gucci's early autumn collection, leaned back on a vintage velvet sofa, his gaze languid yet precise as he looked at the camera, a classic Gucci Interlocking G ring on his fingertip shimmering slightly in the light.

"Excellent! Lin Shen, maintain this pose, tilt your head slightly, yes... perfect!" the photographer exclaimed excitedly.

This is a set of key images shot for Gucci's upcoming online campaign.

Since his breakout role in "Swords of Legends," Lin Shen's rapid rise to fame and highly distinctive personal style have quickly attracted the attention of the fashion world.

As one of the first top-tier luxury brands to extend an olive branch, Gucci gave Lin Shen the title of "Gucci China Brand Ambassador" a month ago to test the waters of collaboration.

After several rounds of print advertising and social media exposure, the market response was surprisingly good.

In particular, Lin Shen's public appearances in casual outfits and magazine photoshoots have driven significant sales growth for similar items and even products in similar style lines, which has shown brands the amazing sales power and aesthetic appeal of this rising star.

"OK! That's a wrap! Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Lin Shen!" the photographer announced with satisfaction.

Lin Shen snapped out of the filming atmosphere, nodded to the staff, and headed to the rest area. Xiao Yang immediately handed him water and his phone.

"Brother Shen, President Jia just called, asking if you'd like to come back to the company after this is over. He says he wants to discuss something," Xiao Yang reported in a low voice.

"In addition, for the private appreciation dinner held by Gucci at The Opposite House at 7 p.m., you need to arrive an hour in advance to prepare your makeup and hair and communicate the process."

The brand would like to remind you that several important senior executives from the Asia-Pacific region and... several VVIP clients with outstanding spending records will be attending tonight. We hope you will be able to interact with them.

"Got it." Lin Shen took a sip of water and quickly glanced at the messages on his phone.

Tonight's private dinner, in addition to the media, also invited many top VIP clients of various brands, including many wealthy socialites who are known for their lavish spending.

The brand's intention is clear: to have this newly crowned "sales king" make an appearance and solidify the goodwill of their core consumers.

4:20 PM.

The black Mercedes slid into the underground parking garage of the office building where Lucky Media was located. The car door opened, and Lin Shen stepped out.

The elevator went up, the numbers flashing, and then "dinged" as it stopped at the floor where Lucky Media was located.

The moment the door opened, a bustling atmosphere hit me. The reception area and public areas were much livelier than before, with constant phone calls and discussions.

Several young men and women who looked like newcomers were listening to an agent explain something in the rest area. When they saw Lin Shen enter, they stopped talking and turned to look at him.

"Hello, Brother Shen!"

"Teacher Lin Shen!"

Greetings rose and fell in waves.

Lin Shen nodded slightly, but did not stop walking.

He could recognize one or two of them as old-timers who had come with Jia Shikai from Huanrui, but most of them were new faces, all with good looks and eyes that held both anticipation and scrutiny.

Lucky Film's momentum is indeed picking up.

Lin Shen walked straight to the innermost general manager's office, knocked symbolically on the door, and then pushed it open and entered.

Jia Shikai was frowning at something in front of the computer screen. When he saw it was me, his brows relaxed: "Gucci shoot finished? How did it go?"

"It's alright, I did what they asked." Lin Shen took off his coat and casually draped it over the sofa, rubbing his temples. "There's a private dinner tonight, I have to go and deal with it."

"I know, brand ambassador, right?" Jia Shikai smiled, getting up to pour a glass of water. "I heard your sales performance amazed them? That's good; that title might get promoted soon. But tonight's occasion..."

He paused, pushed the water glass forward, and said with a mocking look, "It's not just the media who's here; there's a bunch of wealthy socialites and socialites, the main consumers."

The brand sent you there to be their mascot, so be careful. Don't just focus on showing off your charm; otherwise, someone might have their eye on you, and that would be a real hassle. Be mindful of your boundaries and don't cross the line.

Lin Shen took the water, took a sip, and scoffed, "I'm going to work, not to sell myself. I know my limits."

"As long as you know what's going on," Jia Shikai sat back down and got down to business. "The company recently hired a few new people, and they're quite good. You should have seen them outside. There's something I'd like to hear your opinion on."

"you say."

"Yang Yang." Jia Shikai observed Lin Shen's reaction. "You should remember him, right? He's from Li Shaohong's company."

Her qualifications are undeniable—beautiful, well-proportioned, and with great manners—but… she hasn't made much of a splash at Rongxingda, and her contract is about to expire.

Lin Shen quickly recalled the information in his mind: Yang Yang was indeed still in Rongxingda at this time, but it had only been about a year since he was "borrowed" to film Zhang Qiling in "The Lost Tomb".

Old Jia's connections and intuition are truly impressive; he's already started making contact.

"You want to sign him to Lucky Film?"

"We've had that idea, made some contact, and he's also interested. The problem now is that Huanrui also has someone they want to promote for the role of Zhang Qiling in 'The Lost Tomb.' If we can sign Yang Yang and then work on getting him to play Zhang Qiling..."

Jia Shikai didn't finish speaking, but his meaning was clear: this was a combination of measures that could both strengthen the talent pool of Lekai's actors and consolidate their influence in the "Daomu Biji" project.

Lin Shen thought about it and decided that signing Yang Yang was a good idea. He was one of the top stars for the next few years, capable of fighting and holding his own, and his image was also relatively positive.

Moreover, I will inevitably devote more energy to capital and production in the future, and it will be impossible for me to film at such a high intensity as I am now. Lucky Film needs a male artist who can take over and has the potential to become a hit.

"Okay." Lin Shen gave an affirmative answer without much hesitation. "Once the conditions are agreed upon, we should fight for what we should fight for. Zhang Qiling should also be careful with his approach when he's handling things. Don't be too forceful. After all, Huanrui is the copyright holder."

"I understand." Seeing that he agreed so readily, Jia Shikai felt relieved and his smile deepened. "It's good that you said that. I've seen that kid. He's got potential. He's willing to work hard and has a good heart. We can help him succeed."

"There's something else I need to let you know; I'll need your help too."

"Speak," Jia Shikai said, sitting up a little straighter.

"On the track side, we've integrated the resources of several shops we acquired before. The information on models, photographers, and makeup artists has been compiled. There are more people than expected, especially models. There are quite a few young girls, and their conditions are all pretty good."

"I've looked into it. It's a waste to just keep these people working as e-commerce models on the platform, and it's also troublesome to manage them. I'm thinking about whether I should set up a separate company to specifically manage these people."

Jia Shikai raised an eyebrow slightly: "Similar to... artist management? But they're not traditional actors or singers."

"We'll focus more on that. We could call it influencer or talent agency, mainly focusing on content creation, traffic monetization, and business connections. There aren't any established companies specializing in this yet, but I plan to get started. I've even thought of a name: Worry-Free Media."

"The initial investment isn't large; it's mainly about integrating existing resources and building a team. I'd like to involve you and reserve a share for you, making it an affiliated company of Lucky Film. I hope you can put in some effort."

Old Jia, quick-witted as ever, immediately grasped the key point: "You want to use this company to absorb those e-commerce models, then produce content to support the brand, and at the same time... also supply new talent to Lucky Film?"

"Yes." Lin Shen nodded. "We'll do incubation for Wuyou. We'll try short videos, live streaming, and text-based product seeding. Whoever stands out, has audience appeal, and has the potential to develop in film and television variety shows, we'll sign them directly into Lucky Film and provide them with training and acting opportunities."

Similarly, some artists on Lucky Film's side, whose acting careers might not be fully established yet, or who have other talents, can be sent to Wuyou to test the waters and explore multiple avenues. It's kind of like... self-production and self-consumption, taking advantage of both ends.

After listening, Jia Shikai pondered for a moment, then suddenly slapped his thigh:

"This idea is good! It's asset-light, flexible, and it hits the nail on the head! Young people are increasingly fond of watching these things online these days."

Okay, I'll take a stake. You come up with a plan, and I'll find someone to coordinate with you.

Coincidentally, among the new talents the company recently signed, two have yet to show their acting skills, but they have good looks and a good presence on camera.

You could try it out within your worry-free system first, let them do some appearances, and gain some fans and screen time experience.

"Then it's settled." Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Lin Shen stood up decisively, picked up his suit jacket from the sofa, and said, "Let them handle the details. I'm leaving now; I have to be a mascot tonight."

Jia Shikai also stood up, saw him to the door, and couldn't resist making another sarcastic remark:

"Remember, it's fine to show your charm, but sticking to your principles is more important. Being a brand ambassador doesn't include the service of sleeping with rich women."

Lin Shen didn't turn his head, waved his hand, opened the door and walked out.

In the corridor, several newlyweds were still there, their eyes following him. Lin Shen continued walking towards the elevator without stopping, where Xiao Yang was already waiting.