After being scolded by Zhang He, Wang Chuan returned to his office in a funk. Just then, Zhao Kuo called. Wang Chuan, not in the best mood, immediately said, "Old Zhao, it's not that I don't want to help you, but the company genuinely doesn't need anyone right now."
Zhao Kuo, on the other end of the line, could tell Wang Chuan was impatient. But when you need a favor, that's how it is. Though angered, he pretended not to notice.
He chuckled, "How about this, when you have some free time, I'll treat you to a meal, and we can talk then."
Seeing a message from his superior, Wang Chuan replied curtly, "I'm busy, we'll talk later." He hung up.
Standing on the street below Tianhua Entertainment Company, Zhao Kuo was furious. He kicked a concrete planter several times. Not only did he fail to vent his anger, but his foot hurt, and the tip of his leather shoe was scuffed. This only made him more enraged. He could only roar at the air, drawing the attention of everyone around him.
"Who the hell is getting in my way?" Finally, Zhao Kuo yelled at a tree, exasperated.
He knew a little about what was happening at Heili Entertainment. He just didn't expect such a large company to be investigated so abruptly. They hadn't made any obvious mistakes, so why did it collapse so quickly? He still couldn't quite believe it.
No, to be precise, he hadn't felt it until just before.
Wang Chuan's refusal made him clearly realize that Heili was truly gone, and he was unemployed.
He had considered becoming an independent agent, but he didn't have any artists worth mentioning, nor was his reputation particularly strong.
Zhao Kuo sat dejectedly on the edge of the flower bed. He recalled how much effort he had put in to replace Bai Lin, and after less than two years of enjoying it, it was all gone in an instant.
But what else could he do? He still had to find a job. He wouldn't look at small companies; his only targets were Tianyu and Tianhua.
Zhao Kuo found Li Jing's number again and dialed it.
Li Jing was discussing joining a crew with Gu Cheng. Although Gu Cheng was still a newcomer, his looks and physique were quite outstanding, and he was also obedient. This gave her some hope; nurturing one top star was better than many artists.
"...You have a lot of potential. I've handed over my other artists and will only focus on you. You mustn't let me down."
After sending the message, she answered Zhao Kuo's call.
Compared to Wang Chuan, Li Jing was clearly less considerate. She directly said, "Stop calling, the company isn't hiring," and hung up, leaving Zhao Kuo with a lump in his throat, almost suffocating him.
Gu Cheng replied with an emoji indicating he would work hard, and his mood finally improved considerably.
But hearing the chatter around him, that feeling of a lump in his throat returned.
"...I really envy you. How did you have such good foresight? I thought Chu Xin Culture was a new company back then, but it turns out I was the clown." A classmate said.
"You guys hit the jackpot today, the whole internet knows you. I see your Weibo followers have already reached three million." Another classmate said with envy.
Ren Kui laughed heartily, "Then you guys should join our company."
The surrounding classmates collectively scoffed.
"No sincerity. You only say that after we've all signed with other companies," one classmate joked.
Ren Kui held up the instant camera in his hand, "Come on, take more pictures. Later, when I'm famous, I'll allow you to sell them."
A group of people burst into laughter and started posing for photos.
"Ren Kui is really lucky. Her grades were always mediocre, and I never expected she'd be the first among us to become famous," a female classmate standing not far away murmured in admiration. "I really didn't expect Chu Xin Culture to rise so quickly."
Another female classmate winked at her and then glanced at a third person, her meaning obvious.
Tian Cheng saw their glances and said irritably, "What can't money do? Her agent was hired by her family for a lot of money. Others are paying players, and we ordinary players can't catch up even if we ride a rocket."
She scoffed inwardly, "Paying players with only three million followers, how embarrassing."
"Let's take photos," someone said, taking out a camera to ease the atmosphere.
The three then entered the photo-taking session.
Han Zhao, Zhuang Yu, and Xiang Fei also took photos together.
Zhuang Yu looked melancholic, "After today, we'll go our separate ways. I'm afraid we won't have many opportunities to meet in the future. Sigh... the first stage of our lives is over."
Student life was ending, and it was time to enter the working world.
Xiang Fei clapped Zhuang Yu on the shoulder and teased, "Aren't you joining a crew?"
Reminded, Zhuang Yu immediately put away his melancholy and laughed, "That's right! We still have over four months in the crew. Hahaha, it seems our brotherhood isn't over yet."
Xiang Fei added, "But no matter what, we have to have a farewell dinner tonight. After all, we're graduating."
However, after he finished speaking, Han Zhao looked apologetic, "I have to go to the company later to arrange work. It should end very late."
Zhuang Yu also looked apologetic, "I have to go to the company for arrangements too."
Xiang Fei's expression faltered slightly, then he smiled again, "You're all busy people. It's best for me, the free spirit, to be idle."
Han Zhao and Zhuang Yu could see his forced smile.
Han Zhao thought for a moment and said, "I'll go ask the boss at the company for you. Chu Xin Culture has only just been established and already has such trending searches. She said she would do it, and I believe her. You should believe her too."
"Yes, honestly, I envy you more. 'Smiling All The Way' is much more sophisticated than ordinary entertainment companies. It has many veteran artists and experienced actors. Getting in there would be truly amazing," Zhuang Yu also comforted him.
"I know, I understand. You don't need to comfort me," Xiang Fei grinned, "I have a great attitude. I just love acting, so I don't pick roles. At worst, I'll be an extra my whole life, and I can still act."
As he spoke, his voice choked, and his eyes welled up. Xiang Fei, embarrassed, turned his face away and cursed himself for being pathetic.
Hearing these words, Yu Zhuang's face contorted with distress. He had also terminated his contract with Heili two days prior, but after doing so, he couldn't find a suitable company. He had been rejected by several, and he didn't know what had gone wrong. Seeing his classmates already making plans, he felt nothing but envy and regret.
The beginning of all his mistakes was on the day of the training and class assignment. He shouldn't have chosen Jin Xue. He truly regretted it, but there was no medicine for regret in the world.
...
At four in the afternoon, at Guanghuan Building, Block A, one business car after another drove into the underground parking lot.
Seeing this, the reporters waiting by the roadside swarmed forward like ants encountering honey.
These were all celebrity cars! So many arriving one after another, they must be heading to Chu Xin Culture.
However, when they reached the entrance gate, they were stopped by a group of property security guards.
Helpless, the reporters could only keep taking pictures of the car tails.
The celebrities, after entering the underground parking lot, took a special elevator to the sixteenth floor.
Guo Xiao had already made preparations to receive them. As each person arrived, they were led into the conference room. By the time all the artists and agents had gathered, it was already 4:20 PM.
The meeting was scheduled for 4:30 PM.
During this interval, the artists and agents chatted with each other. As they talked, the topic turned to the boss.
When they signed their contracts, they hadn't met the boss. Even with today's trending searches, there were no photos of the boss online. It was quite amusing, really. As members of the company, they didn't even know what their boss looked like.
So, everyone turned their gaze to Bai Lin and Meng Long.
"Teacher Bai Lin, what kind of person is the boss?" someone finally asked, unable to contain their curiosity.