After reaching a preliminary cooperation agreement, Chen Jing and Chang Jihong stopped haggling, and the atmosphere became harmonious.
"Right, before we sign the contract, I need to confess something to you so it doesn't affect our subsequent cooperation," Chang Jihong said.
Hearing this, Chen Jing raised an eyebrow. "Please go ahead."
"Here is the situation: my contract with Hairun is expiring in a few months," Chang Jihong said. "We've discussed renewing, but we couldn't reach a consensus. Hairun wants to bring in capital, expand the company's management scale, and recruit more managers and artists. But I feel that's too risky. Mainly, the pressure on me would become immense, and I simply wouldn't be able to look after everyone. Instead of doing that, I feel it's better not to grow so large. After all, if you sign people but can't take care of them, that's irresponsible. Because of this point, the two sides have never been able to reach an agreement, so in a few months, I should be leaving Hairun."
Chen Jing nodded and smiled. "I don't mind. Anyway, I'm signing with you. Wherever you go, I go."
The connections held by Chang Jihong and Jiang Wenli were what Chen Jing valued most. With the two of them around, resources would never be lacking, and he would have a much better chance of securing the resources he had his eyes on. Moreover, the fact that Chang Jihong could bring this up before signing the contract fully demonstrated her sincerity.
Hearing this, Chang Jihong couldn't help smiling. She was becoming more and more satisfied with Chen Jing. He was handsome, popular, and his interpersonal manners seemed decent enough for now. More importantly, he had a clear plan for his future, and his judgment of people was spot-on.
"Then I can rest easy," Chang Jihong said. "I'll tell you in advance: I should be cooperating with SMI next to establish SMI Chianyi Culture Brokerage. Didn't you want movie resources? It just so happens that SMI is involved in movie investment, so you've hit the jackpot."
Hearing this, Chen Jing's eyes lit up. SMI! This was one of the top three large-scale cinema chains in the mainland! Cooperating with SMI would give him a massive advantage in theatrical distribution down the line, and since SMI participated in film investment and production, it would indeed provide many great movie resources.
"Well, arriving early isn't as good as arriving at the right time," Chen Jing smiled. "It seems, Sister Chang, that you truly are my lucky star!"
"A lucky star, maybe not, but your manager, definitely," Chang Jihong said. "You're staying at this hotel right now, aren't you?"
"Yes!" Chen Jing nodded.
Chang Jihong thought for a moment and said, "Then we'll just have to wrong you for a short while. If I let you move into Hairun's artist apartments now, you'd just have to move out again in a few days. We might as well wait and arrange it when you come with me to SMI!"
"It's fine, I'm used to staying in hotels," Chen Jing said casually.
Chang Jihong nodded and said nothing more. Having done her homework, she knew Chen Jing was an orphan. "Then let's talk about your upcoming development. I figure you must already have a preliminary plan in mind. Tell me about it, and let me hear it."
"I want to release an album first; this is my foundation," Chen Jing said. "I write songs myself, but I need a professional music company to help produce them."
Chang Jihong nodded. "Go on."
"After the album, I want to star in a TV series called "Palace: The Lock Heart Jade". It should be a collaboration between Xiangnan Satellite TV and Yu Zhen, rumored to be the domestic historical time-travel drama. I hope you can help me secure the male lead. As for movies, I'm not forcing that—even a second or third male lead or a cameo is fine, just to accumulate experience and prepare for the future," Chen Jing said.
Among the hit television series of 2011, Chen Jing only remembered "Palace: The Lock Heart Jade" and "The Temptation to Go Home". "The Temptation to Go Home" had higher viewership ratings, but lines like "How you seduce me!" and the drama's genre didn't really fit Chen Jing's idol image. As a costume idol drama, "Palace: The Lock Heart Jade" was undoubtedly much more suitable for Chen Jing. To this day, Chen Jing still remembered Yang Mi's song "Offering of Love", which practically drove people to suicide!
As for movies, there was actually a breakout hit called "Love is Not Blind". Before its release, this film wasn't well-received, and its budget was pitifully small; the male lead didn't take a salary and instead took a cut of the profits to make it happen. But the same reason applied: the male lead did not fit Chen Jing's idol persona. If the Elves saw Chen Jing playing an effeminate character, they probably wouldn't be able to accept it. This was the limitation of being a top-tier idol—many roles could not be challenged lightly. It would be fine when he was older, or in later generations when fans were relatively more tolerant. Around 2010, however, fans were still quite extreme and lacked that level of tolerance, so Chen Jing had no choice but to pass on "Love is Not Blind"!
Hearing this, Chang Jihong nodded. "An all-around development in albums, TV series, and movies—no problem. But how did you know about this "Palace: The Lock Heart Jade"?"
Hearing this, Chen Jing paused for a moment, then spouted nonsense: "It was leaked when EE-Media wanted to sign me earlier. Although I didn't choose to work with them, I thought this show was quite interesting and very suitable for me right now. Oh, and Sister Chang, before you arrived, I received a lot of calls. Aside from talent agencies, there were quite a few offers for commercial endorsements, gig performances, and interviews. Have a look."
Whether Chang Jihong saw through Chen Jing's insincerity or not, she didn't ask further. Instead, she took the two pieces of paper handed over by Chen Hao. "Whoa, that's quite a lot."
Hearing this, Chen Jing smiled. Right now, he and Han Geng were definitely the focal points of attention in the industry; far too many people wanted to ride their coattails for clout.
After a quick glance, Chang Jihong said, "Here is what we'll do: I will carefully screen these before deciding who to work with. Your current priority is your first album. I'll find a good music company to coordinate with you, and you must get the songs you wrote ready. It's best if we can use them, but if not, don't force it—it's better to listen to professional guidance. Then, while you're preparing the album, you can just go shoot these commercial endorsements and so on. As for "Palace: The Lock Heart Jade" that you mentioned, I will go communicate about it. As for movies, I'll ask around too. If there's anything suitable, I'll do my best to fight for it for you."
"Alright, everything will be up to Sister Chang," Chen Jing said with a smile, nodding.
Chang Jihong looked at Chen Jing and smiled. It sounded nice, but Chang Jihong knew that the young man before her had a mind of his own and wasn't easy to fool. Still, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing; perhaps he really could accomplish something big.
"Tomorrow I'll arrange an assistant for you. If you have anything you need done, you can have her do it," Chang Jihong said. "Feel free to use her; she'll be leaving Hairun with me, so use her without hesitation. Also, I'll see about arranging a time for you and Tianzhen to meet; you two will inevitably have to work together in the future. Come the end of the year, I'll arrange for you to meet Sun Li, Yu Na, Yu Nan, Liu Ye, and the others. These can all be considered your senior brothers and sisters. Get along well with them; it will be beneficial for your future."