Quan Jiu, who had been following the Hei Li Entertainment incident, breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the list of terminated artists exposed by the news.
Not long after, she received word from Bai Lin that he was bringing Lu Lian to the company.
Quan Jiu instructed HR and administration to prepare the contracts and reception arrangements. As soon as she was ready, Bai Lin and Lu Lian arrived at the company entrance.
Guo Xiao, already aware that Lu Lian would be coming, had mentally prepared many reception procedures. However, when that dazzling figure appeared at the door, she was still rendered speechless and her hands and feet went numb with excitement.
Quan Jiu went to the entrance to greet them and extended her hand, "Congratulations."
Lu Lian looked at Quan Jiu, as elegant and graceful as an orchid in a secluded valley, and his heart skipped a beat. It was this woman, who appeared as gentle as flowing water, who in just one week not only solved his problems but also left Hei Li with no chance of recovery.
What a chilling and terrifying power this was.
Lu Lian shook hands with Quan Jiu, expressing his sincere gratitude, "Thank you, thank you so much."
Quan Jiu smiled slightly, "I actually didn't do anything." It was her son who gathered evidence, the newly hired finance team who spotted the accounting issues, the relevant departments who pursued the case, and the reporters who broke the story. She truly hadn't done anything.
"Let's go, into the conference room to chat," Quan Jiu led Bai Lin and Lu Lian into the conference room.
As soon as the door closed, the administrative, HR, finance, and office staff erupted in excitement.
Guo Xiao's face flushed red, "Now I finally feel like I'm actually working at an entertainment company."
Yan Tong adjusted his black-rimmed glasses, "There will definitely be more and more artists in the company in the future." He then looked at his plaid shirt and jeans and laughed, "This makes me feel so out of place."
Guo Xiao winked, "We can't lower the company's visual appeal. Let's go shopping together this weekend."
"He's so handsome, so handsome. Up close, he's even more handsome than on TV," the HR manager gushed, her eyes sparkling like hearts.
"But my favorite is still Xing Di's style, very individual. Lu Lian just feels... like a typical national heartthrob, gentlemanly and polite, a bit distant." Guo Xiao pulled out a recent close-up photo of Xing Di she had taken and showed it off to her colleagues.
...
In the conference room, Quan Jiu handed two separate contracts to Lu Lian and Bai Lin.
After reviewing them and finding no issues, they immediately signed and affixed their handprints.
"Quite a few artists and agents have withdrawn from Hei Li, many of whom I thought highly of. If you don't mind, President Quan, I can bring them over," Bai Lin said.
Quan Jiu was delighted, "That would be great. Currently, besides Lu Lian, the company only has four signed artists and two registered agents, Ping Yang and Liao Wei. That leaves only you."
Bai Lin was surprised, "Ping Yang and Liao Wei have joined too? Both of them are outstanding independent agents, especially Ping Yang. At least three out of ten Best Actress and Best Actor awardees were brought out by him."
He then laughed, "It seems I've gotten a great deal this time, having the opportunity to work alongside someone of Ping Yang's caliber."
Quan Jiu smiled politely, "They probably feel the same way. You are all equally matched. I'm the one who truly found a treasure."
Lu Lian also knew of Ping Yang and curiously asked, "Who are the artists Ping Yang is managing?"
"A newcomer, from the performance department of A University, graduating next week," Quan Jiu explained.
"That girl must have quite a background," Bai Lin remarked. After a pause, he added, "So, Han Zhao will also graduate next week. I should go and see." As he spoke, he made a call.
"Hello, Old Wei, I've joined Chu Xin Entertainment. Are you interested..."
Quan Jiu gave Lu Lian a slight nod and left Bai Lin and Lu Lian to themselves in the conference room.
Returning to her office, Quan Jiu opened her computer and continued working on the tailored script for Xing Di. However, after typing only a few words, she received a call from He Nian.
"The crew starts casting tomorrow. Be sure to have those new recruits there on time at eight tomorrow morning."
Quan Jiu thanked him and hung up. She quickly notified everyone in the group chat.
Zhuang Yu was the first to respond, "Teacher, I told my agent that you arranged a role for me with Director He, and he didn't believe me. I've practically memorized my lines over the past month. It's finally happening."
Ren Kui also chimed in excitedly, "My first female lead role is about to be born. Boss, don't worry, I've been working tirelessly this month. I won't disappoint you in the audition and won't bring shame to Chu Xin."
Han Zhao also sent a diligent emoji. Following that, several other students posted their responses.
Seeing everyone's energetic spirits, Quan Jiu was also encouraged. After all, they were the people she had chosen, and she felt responsible. She said, "Are you all still at school? Let's run through our lines tonight, and I'll come to watch."
The students in the group chat immediately applauded and cheered.
Zhuang Yu couldn't help but jump up in the classroom and give a thumbs-up to Xiang Fei and two other selected classmates.
The four of them gathered together. Xiang Fei exclaimed excitedly, "With Teacher Nine's guidance, I feel much more at ease."
Since graduation was only a few days away, everyone was busy preparing for their final graduation performances, and the teachers were not in class.
Cui Min scoffed dismissively, "Nothing is set in stone yet. Some people shouldn't speak too soon, lest they be embarrassed if they don't get selected."
Xiang Fei paid no mind, but the strong hint of jealousy in Cui Min's words made him feel quite pleased.
Gu Cheng looked at the smug Zhuang Yu with displeasure. He opened his chat with Li Jing and typed, "Sister Li, I want to try out for Director He's drama."
After a long wait, Li Jing finally replied, "Director He's caliber is not something you can aspire to at this stage. You have no works, and your skill level is insufficient. Going there would be a waste of time. I've already selected a Xianxia drama for you, which is very suitable. The director is Yang Shuo, and the project will start in a while."
Yang Shuo was a second-rate director, with some fame in the industry, but nowhere near He Nian's level.
Gu Cheng's mood grew more sullen. Why could Zhuang Yu and Xiang Fei, who were worse than him, audition for He Nian's drama, but he couldn't? Especially Xiang Fei, who lacked in looks and physique, why should he be compared to him?
However, despite his thoughts, as a newcomer who hadn't graduated yet, he could only follow his agent's arrangements.
"What about the screenwriter?" he asked again.
"Zhao Zhen. Although she had a scandal recently, she only served as a script assistant. And I've read the script, it's very good, completely different from her previous creative style. The audience won't care about such details."
It turned out to be a screenwriter with a scandal. Gu Cheng became even more resentful. Why did the laggards like Zhuang Yu and Xiang Fei get a great screenwriter like Nine, who was also a beauty?
Thinking of this, Gu Cheng felt a deep sense of regret. A single misstep had led to eternal regret. If he had chosen class B back then, he would definitely not be lacking good resources now.
As he was thinking, he heard Tian Cheng say sarcastically, "Didn't you say you were going to join 'Laughing Out Loud'? It's been over a month, why haven't I seen you go in? Hmph, naive. Tomorrow, you'll at best just be filling a spot. Don't you know your own capabilities?"
"Can you shut up?" Suddenly, a roar came from the classroom, startling everyone into silence.
Yu Zhuang's chest heaved with anger. "If you don't want to attend class, get out. This is a classroom, not a marketplace for your discussions." After speaking, he stood alone in the corner, continuing to rehearse his own performance.
Gu Cheng's inner turmoil suddenly vanished, and he even felt a sense of relief and exhilaration.
At least, compared to Yu Zhuang, he was already doing very well. Hei Li Entertainment, even if it made a comeback, would never regain its former glory.