EFB Chapter 33 Poaching
Chapter 33 Poaching
"Director Liu," Wang Bo said politely, "I've made my decision. Thank you for the invitation. If there's an opportunity for cooperation in the future, we can contact each other again."
After saying that, he hung up the phone and let out a long sigh.
Rejecting Starlight Media means rejecting a seemingly glamorous shortcut.
But he doesn't regret it.
Because he had met a boss like Zhou Yuji who was rich and capricious, but genuinely kind to people.
I've also met business partners like Su Xiaoxiao, who are meticulous in their calculations but always keep their word.
He believed in his choice.
The phone rang again; this time it was Su Xiaoxiao.
"Wang Bo, did someone from Starlight Media contact you?" Su Xiaoxiao asked directly. "I received the message."
"I just hung up the phone," Wang Bo said truthfully.
"What conditions did they offer?" Su Xiaoxiao asked.
Wang Bo repeated it.
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, then Su Xiaoxiao laughed: "The offer is good, better than what I offered. Do you regret it?"
"No regrets," Wang Bo said decisively.
"Why?" Su Xiaoxiao asked, "Is it because of Yu Ji, or because you feel you owe me a favor?"
"Because," Wang Bo thought for a moment, "I believe that at Xiaoyi Culture, I can make real music. But at Starlight Media, I might just be another packaged product."
Su Xiaoxiao was silent for a few seconds: "Wang Bo, you won't regret it. I assure you, Xiaoyi Culture will give you no less than any big company—resources may be limited, but sincerity and respect are limitless."
"I know," Wang Bo said.
"Besides," Su Xiaoxiao's tone became more relaxed, "you've worked hard these past few days running around doing commercial performances. I had the finance department calculate it, and including today's three shows, you've already earned 86,000. In another two or three days, you'll have paid off the 100,000 debt, and there will even be some left over."
Wang Bo was taken aback: "So fast?"
Most of the payment did not pass through his hands.
"That's still relatively low; you haven't reached your peak of fame yet," Su Xiaoxiao laughed. "Your performance fees have gone up again, but I won't let you take on too many. Quality is more important than quantity. Once things are settled with your dad, we'll officially start making music."
"Okay." Wang Bo felt a warmth in his heart.
"Get some rest, you have two more shows tomorrow." Su Xiaoxiao paused, "Did you drink the rock sugar pear soup Yiyi made for you?"
"I drank it."
"That's fine, I'm hanging up now."
……
Ever since "Once You Were a Day" became a hit, Wang Bo's phone has been ringing non-stop from morning till night, like a tireless salesman.
I received interview invitations from the media, program announcements, inquiries from GG merchants, and various strangers claiming to be my ex-girlfriends requesting to add me as a friend.
The most outrageous thing was at 1 a.m. yesterday, when a sickeningly sweet female voice came on the other end of the phone and said, "Brother Wang Bo, I'm your loyal fan. I have a terminal illness, and my last wish is to hear you say to me, 'Squeeze tight, I'm going to go all the way'..."
At seven o'clock in the morning, when Wang Bo was dragged out of bed by his alarm clock, he felt as if he had been run over by a truck.
Several days of intense commercial performances led him to reflect philosophically on the word "sleep": Why do people need to sleep? Wouldn't it be great if we could charge our phones for five minutes and get two hours of sleep?
"Brother Wang, breakfast!" Assistant Xiao Lin rushed into the apartment carrying soy milk and fried dough sticks. Seeing Wang Bo sprawled on the sofa with messy hair, she couldn't help but sigh, "President Su said that after these two shows today, you're forced to take a day off."
Wang Bo waved his hand weakly: "What rest? I can still sing... I just need to get my voice back first, it seems to have run away from home last night."
Xiao Lin shoved breakfast into his hands: "Eat something first, we have to leave at 8:30 for the opening ceremony of that shopping mall in the next city. Oh, by the way, President Su asked me to remind you to wear that light blue shirt today. She specially chose it, saying it makes you look classy."
Wang Bo glanced down at his T-shirt, which was wrinkled like pickled vegetables, and resignedly got up to wash.
Just as he finished tidying himself up, his phone rang again.
It was an unfamiliar number.
He didn't want to answer, but his professional ethics and the urgency of paying off his debts made him press the answer button anyway.
"Hello, is this Mr. Wang Bo?" A male voice answered the phone, steady and with a professional gentleness. "I am Chen Liming, the vice president of the artist business department of Starlight Media."
Wang Bo raised an eyebrow.
Starlight Media is really persistent. They rejected the director yesterday, and today the vice president personally stepped in.
Judging by his demeanor, someone who didn't know better would think he was some fugitive superstar.
"Hello, Mr. Chen." Wang Bo walked to the window, looking at the morning rush hour traffic below. "What can I do for you?"
Chen Liming chuckled, his tone more composed than Liu Wei's yesterday: "Mr. Wang, let's get straight to the point. Starlight Media greatly admires your talent, especially the song 'Once Upon a Time' which showcases creative ability and depth of emotional expression, a rarity in today's Chinese music scene."
Wang Bo didn't respond, waiting for what would follow.
"We understand that you have signed a contract with Xiaoyi Culture Media," Chen Liming changed the subject, "but business cooperation is about win-win and the best choice. We would like to know what kind of treatment Xiaoyi Culture has given you? Starlight Media is confident and fully capable of providing even more generous terms on this basis."
"Mr. Chen," Wang Bo said casually, "the contract details involve trade secrets, which I cannot disclose. However, I can tell you that I am very satisfied with the current cooperation."
There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone, but Chen Liming's voice remained steady: "Mr. Wang, the entertainment industry is a realistic place. Small companies have limited resources and platforms, which may restrict your development. Starlight Media can give you nationwide exposure, a top-notch production team, and a systematic artist development plan. These are things that a new company cannot compare to."
He paused, then emphasized, "Moreover, we are willing to pay the termination fee for you."
"The termination fee..." Wang Bo's mind raced through the calculations.
The contract he signed with Xiaoyi Culture clearly states the penalty clause: if the artist unilaterally terminates the contract, he will have to compensate the company three times the actual investment, as well as 20% of the estimated revenue for the next year.
Su Xiaoxiao gave him a loan of 100,000 yuan, but that was a private loan and not considered a company investment.
The company's actual investment...recording studio usage fees? Band hiring fees? Press release fees?
At the moment, the total won't exceed 100,000.
Three times that is only 300,000, plus the estimated profit... Where does he have any stable income now?
But who is Wang Bo? He's someone who lived through the information explosion era and knows the essence of bragging without paying taxes.
"Well," his tone suddenly turned serious, "Mr. Chen, to be honest, Xiaoyi Culture has been very kind to me, and the contract was quite... meticulous. The termination fee might not be very attractive."