Ch 219: Young Master Cao: They’re Trash!!

“Hello, my name is Zhao Jinmai, you can call me Mai Zi.”

“My name is Zhang Zifeng.”

“Then I’ll call you Crazy, uh, Crazy, hahaha… Sorry, I’m sorry…”

“???”

At Miracle Media’s office building, the young ladies met for the first time.

Their personalities differed; one was a bit of a crybaby, the other listened with a smile.

Both mothers got along well. A little inquiry revealed that both had been invited by Young Master Cao.

Zhang Zifeng’s mother’s expression shifted slightly, but she didn’t say much, only considering some matters in her heart.

Zhao Jinmai’s mother, however, didn’t have many thoughts. Her only worry was her daughter’s studies.

She knew her daughter well; she was very wild, loved socializing, had countless friends, and found everything new and exciting.

She certainly couldn’t refuse the temptation of becoming a child star, but what about her studies?

She’s only ten or so years old.

She can’t just quit school and constantly film, can she?

Is that reasonable?

Mother Zhao asked, “Is yours still in school now?”

Mother Zhang nodded, “Yes, in Beijing.”

“Beijing? Then why are you in Zhonghai?”

“It’s because the little one wanted to visit, mainly because Mr. Cao invited us.”

“Oh, I see. We were also invited, but I’m worried. If the child really becomes a star, what about school?”

“It’s fine. They should go to school. Even if they sign a contract, they should still go to school normally. At most, they’ll have some professional training during summer or other vacations: acting, singing, dancing, instruments, posture, lines, and so on!”

“So much to learn?” Mother Zhao was surprised.

Mother Zhang nodded, “Mine has been in the Children’s Palace since she was little. She hasn’t learned a lot, but she’s been exposed to many things.”

“Yours is so well-behaved. Unlike ours, such a crybaby, it gives me a headache.” Mother Zhao said with a headache.

At that moment,

the meeting room door opened.

A woman in an elegant dress walked in.

“Fourth Sister!” Zhao Jinmai jumped up and exclaimed.

“Fourth Sister!” Zhang Zifeng also quickly stood up and softly called out.

Ren Yuege nodded with a smile, “You call me Fourth Sister too? Fans?”

“Yes, I’m a fan of Fourth Sister. Hello Fourth Sister, I’m Zhao Jinmai, you can call me Mai Zi.”

“Hello, I’m Zhang Zifeng.”

“Fourth Sister, you can call her Crazy.”

“…”

After some pleasantries,

Fourth Sister Ren Yuege had figured out the two girls’ personalities: one was more lively, outgoing, and unafraid of strangers.

The other was more reserved.

But to be fair, from what she’d seen so far, Fourth Sister Ren Yuege thought Zhang Zifeng looked good—cute and well-behaved. At that age, she could play various “daughters” or “younger sisters.”

This is the kind of girl that Chinese parents love most; she’ll definitely be popular with the audience.

Who doesn’t like their daughter or younger sister to be well-behaved and obedient?

Zhao Jinmai, on the other hand, seemed a little mischievous.

And…

she wasn’t as pretty as Zhang Zifeng.

At least, not at the moment. Especially her eye bags, which greatly affected her overall appearance.

Her features weren’t bad; it was just the eye bags.

Ren Yuege didn’t know how her stinky younger brother, Fifth Brother, could like her, even saying she had spiritual energy.

Ren Yuege said, “My brother is at the research institute in the Eco-Park. He’ll come over for lunch, and we can all have a meal together. Whether we cooperate or sign a contract is actually irrelevant.”

“After all, we’ll all be in the same circle, constantly seeing each other. Hua Xiong is also a very good company.”

Ren Yuege spoke much more pleasantly than Young Master Cao.

If it were Young Master Cao, he would definitely call Hua Xiong trash.

…

In the next half hour, Ren Yuege became familiar with the two girls.

She mainly became close with Zhao Jinmai, talking and doing everything with her, a crybaby…

Until noon.

Ren Yuege took the two mothers and daughters to a private room at the company’s downstairs restaurant.

Cao Cheng arrived late.

He had spent the day handing over some new things to the research institute, especially in the areas of drones and chips, and they had developed some good things.

Continue research.

It’s not the time to reveal them yet.

Cao Cheng knew very well what gradual progress meant.

If you reveal everything at once, it can indeed shock the world, but then what?

Before everything is ready, you reveal your cards. Are you trying to die?

This death doesn’t mean being assassinated.

Cao Cheng wasn’t worried about dying at all.

It’s about the overall strategy; it’s not the right time yet.

At least, they need to get through the standoff of 2016.

After that stage, it will be the time for the East Region to truly rise. By then, any “high tech” or “black tech” will be irrelevant.

It just can’t be now.

Now is the time to accumulate technology, accumulate a few years of time, and then have a big breakthrough.

…

Young Master Cao entered the private room.

The two girls excitedly stood up.

Zhang Zifeng, originally reserved, now had a sparkle in her eyes.

Clearly a fan of his looks.

“Sorry, something came up and delayed me.” Cao Cheng apologized, then asked Fourth Sister, “Have you ordered?”

“Yes.” Fourth Sister nodded.

“Okay.”

Cao Cheng shook hands with the two mothers, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then sat down.

After sitting down, he got straight to the point.

Cao Cheng looked at Mother Zhang, “Sister Li said you want to reduce the duration?”

Mother Zhang nodded, “Yes, I think fifteen years is too long.”

I don’t care what you think.

“Let’s be frank.”

Cao Cheng frowned and shook his head, “First, you’ve overlooked one thing: fifteen years is long, but it depends on who you compare it to.”

“If Zhang Zifeng were already famous, even a winner of Best Actress awards, I’d give her a contract of at most two years, because she could immediately star in various films and television dramas and endorse major brands.”

“It would be a win-win situation.”

“But how old is Zhang Zifeng? She’s ten this year, eleven by lunar age, and hasn’t even started middle school.”

“So her priority is school. She’ll study academic courses and film and television courses, but the focus is on academic courses. Let’s not talk about filming movies or endorsements. There isn’t much money, and it would disrupt her studies.”

“This…”

Mother Zhang stammered, “I know all this. Sister Ali also told me before, but… but fifteen years is still too long.”

“It’s not long.”

Cao Cheng shook his head, “Let’s say she becomes an adult at eighteen. Those eight years won’t bring any profit to the company. The company still needs to provide her with resources every summer and winter vacation to build her career as a child star.”

“How much money do child stars make? How much can the company get?”

“Of course,”

“we’re not talking about money. Let’s talk about channels, resources, and cultivation. The company will definitely have to invest. For those eight years, the company will essentially be losing money to gain popularity.”

“Then she’ll go to university at eighteen.”

“Central Academy of Drama or Beijing Film Academy. She can take on roles during university, but mostly it will be inconsistent, unable to take on more endorsements, at most some student supplies with low endorsement fees.”

“That’s twelve years.”

“The last three years are when she’ll truly debut and take on endorsements.”

“To be precise, we also need to consider whether the child will have acting talent after growing up. This is one of the risks the company needs to take.”

“You can’t deny this, right?”

“No matter how good the child’s acting is, look at all the child stars. How many are famous after growing up? Almost none.”

“Shi Xiaolong and Hao Shaowen were popular throughout China at age four, dominating Greater China at age five. But now… where are they?”

“Even if there are some who remain popular after growing up, it’s because they come from influential backgrounds and their fame is based on childhood memories, not necessarily indicating continued popularity as adults.”

“Do you still think fifteen years is too long?”

Cao Cheng’s words left Mother Zhang speechless.

Cao Cheng smiled, and continued, “I’m just being upfront; you should know this in your heart.”

“After talking about potential problems, let’s talk about the contract itself.”

“You must have seen the contract Hua Xiong gave you, right? I won’t even look at the level; I can guess that the contract Hua Xiong gave you is trash because their company is trash.”

“…”

“…”

The room fell silent.

Probably only Young Master Cao would dare to say this.

Even within the industry, people only say this secretly amongst themselves.

Otherwise, Hua Xiong would seek revenge, wouldn’t they?

But Cao Cheng wasn’t afraid of that. He had said even online that Little Steel Cannon was useless.

And he’s still the top director in the industry.

Didn’t he still back down in the end?

Cao Cheng chuckled, “Of course, I’m not criticizing them to elevate myself. Trash is trash, incomparable to us. What level is our contract? Just ask anyone in the industry, and they’ll give you the answer. I believe you know this too.”

Mother Zhang nodded.

It was precisely because Miracle Media’s contract was so good that she was hesitant.

In reality, she didn’t want to leave Beijing.

“Besides the contract, there’s also the status in the industry.”

“Miracle Media has connections, channels, resources, and cinema chains…”

“We can provide complete support for an artist.”

“And my personality is like this; everyone in the industry has to consider me. So if my artists are wronged, as long as we are right, I can settle it in a minute, even make the other party quit the industry, it’s that simple.”

“…”

“…”

These words moved the two mothers.

They both had daughters and had heard some things and rules in the industry.

If there’s a powerful person to protect them, the path would indeed be much easier.

The reason Mother Zhang considered Hua Xiong was that Hua Xiong was the first player, the former leader.

“I’ll only say this once. Let’s get everything out in the open so there won’t be problems after cooperation, because then I’ll turn my face.”

“So,”

“I’ve finished. You can consider whether to sign with Miracle or continue with Hua Xiong, but regardless, we’ve met, and I’ll still treat this girl as my younger sister.”

Cao Cheng smiled, “After all, when I argued with Little Steel Cannon, I truly saw this girl’s spiritual energy. It’s good fortune to have her, but it’s also fate if we don’t. It’s all fate. Besides, if we don’t cooperate, it doesn’t mean we are enemies.”

After speaking,

the food arrived.

Cao Cheng smiled, “Let’s eat. Let’s chat while eating. Jinmai, too. This girl’s acting is still very immature, but I really have high hopes for her, or I wouldn’t have invited you two all the way to Zhonghai.”

“It’s also the end of the year, and I’m really busy, or I might have visited Northeast in person.”

“To everyone, this toast is to your hard work!”

“You two can drink juice.”

“Thank you, Brother.” The two girls were well-behaved, raising their glasses and standing up.

This matter.

Was settled!