Chapter 19 Contracted Stylist

The news that the cast of "Grandma Taizu" would be attending the Jia Sha red carpet event that Saturday spread like wildfire within the company that very night.

Previously, their marketing plans were either online or small-scale offline fan meetings. This was the first time that Giant Entertainment had officially entered the large-scale arena of fame and fortune in the entertainment industry, and all employees instantly entered a state of tense combat readiness.

Upon receiving the notification, Tong Qinglu jumped out of bed in her company dormitory and pinched her cheek.

She could hardly believe that just two weeks ago she was helping to boost the popularity of a hot pot restaurant's opening event in a shopping mall. In just over ten days, she has skipped the long supporting role path that other young actresses must take and squeezed into the ranks of traffic stars.

It all felt like an unreal dream.

Tong Qinglu knew that she owed her success entirely to her boss's efforts, and she truly didn't know how to repay such a great debt of gratitude.

Anyway, if someone were to assassinate President Fang right now, she would definitely be the first to bravely rush out and take the bullets.

A message popped up on her computer; Jiang Yu had added her to a group chat called "[Short Drama: Grandmother Taizu's Red Carpet Announcement]".

The group chat included not only people from Giant Entertainment, but also staff from Jia Sha magazine, and even director Zhang Kaigang.

Film directors of Zhang's caliber rarely walk the red carpet. Tong Qinglu could hardly imagine how much money Mr. Fang had given Zhang to make him so willing to cooperate with all the promotional activities.

Sure enough, even a famous director couldn't refuse a sudden huge sum of money.

With Director Zhang's star power at the helm, their film crew was naturally placed last in the initial red carpet order list presented by Jia Sha.

Tong Qinglu was about to faint.

Her first red carpet appearance was as the closing act, a starting point that puts her ahead of 99.9% of other young actresses in the entertainment industry.

She quickly lay down and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her racing heart.

[Ms. Tong, please come to the company for a styling trial around 1 PM tomorrow.]

This time, it was actually General Manager Fang who messaged her personally. She replied quickly: [Okay, okay, I'll definitely arrive early.]

There was a half-empty glass of whiskey on the table. Fang Zhuo switched from the messaging interface and quietly looked out the window at the city night view of the main planet.

This suite is located on the top floor of the highest five-star hotel on the main planet, directly facing the main street of the busiest commercial district in the entire Star Federation.

Unlike the 139 Star, which is perpetually shrouded in industrial smog, the nights here are free of the hazy, indistinct feeling. The daytime-like lights make the bustling streets seem like a thoroughly revelrous, sleepless city.

The original novel, "Brilliance," also focused on describing this lively Gasa red carpet event. The author devoted more than ten chapters to detailing the encounter between the protagonists of each independent chapter on this red carpet.

The party following the grand ceremony was filled with laughter and toasts. Geniuses from different fields felt an instant connection and considered each other kindred spirits, a scene considered by readers to be one of the most classic moments in the entire book.

Compared to the original article, the guests this time are noticeably less glamorous.

Fang Zhuo leaned back slightly, half-reclined on the sofa, and carefully reread the corresponding part of the original text of "Brilliance".

The main characters alone, seventeen of whom were not on the list of invitees, not to mention the numerous minor supporting characters.

However, his purpose in revisiting the original work this time wasn't to analyze the main characters of each episode, but rather to find a stylist—

The description of her in "Brilliance" is only a little over a thousand words, roughly recounting how she was discovered by the Best Actor. On the eve of attending the red carpet event, the Best Actor introduced her to a well-known TV actress.

She personally modified Elia Calb's tulip-shaped gown for the Best Actress award, paired with delicate teal eyeshadow. The whole look was fresh and unique, and it became a trending topic before the ceremony even ended.

The name reappeared several hundred chapters later in the original book, by which time the stylist's studio had become one of the top in the industry, and she appeared as an official consultant in a model competition that attracted worldwide attention.

The actor mentioned in the original article is now nowhere to be found, and the talented stylist has obviously not entered the entertainment industry either.

Ruan Zihan most likely didn't care about a stylist at all, and there were countless people with the same name in the Star Federation, so even if he wanted to do something to her, he wouldn't be able to find anyone.

But with the original book in hand, Fang Zhuo found it much easier to find people.

He searched for the name of the wedding dress shop mentioned in the book on the StarNet homepage, and sure enough, he found its profile on the shop's official website.

At 10:30 a.m., the electronic gate of ES Wedding Dress Shop automatically opened.

Carrying the breakfast she had just bought, Liu Xiaolan casually greeted her colleagues.

As the store's top wedding stylist, she has been working non-stop for almost a month.

Often before dawn, she would drag her heavy makeup case to do the bride's makeup. After the main store opened, she would design a complete look for the couples who came to try on their dresses. After closing, she would immediately rush to the 6:10 pm bus to give a makeup demonstration class to the newlyweds, crossing most of the main city.

Although it was tiring, it was all worth it.

At the beginning of last year, she purchased a 75-square-meter two-bedroom apartment in a secondary urban area of ​​the main star with a mortgage. The high income brought by her high-intensity work greatly reduced her repayment pressure.

After all, isn't this how the ordinary people of the Star Federation live their lives?

"A big order has come in. When you become rich and powerful in the future, please don't forget your servant."

Xiao Zhou peeked into Liu Xiaolan's office, interrupting her breakfast.

She tapped Xiao Zhou on the head, completely bewildered: "What's wrong with you now?"

Xiao Zhou patted his chest and said, "Master, when you get out of here you'll find that I'm the calmest person in our shop. The boss of Giant Entertainment specifically asked to see you, and everyone else in the shop is going crazy."

Liu Xiaolan's heart skipped a beat, but as the person involved, she was far less excited than Xiao Zhou.

The short drama produced by Juyu has been very popular on Xingyu recently, and even though she's so busy, she managed to squeeze in some spare time to watch more than forty episodes.

Giant Entertainment's financial strength is undeniable, and its overly young boss is an extremely mysterious and influential figure. She doesn't think she has anything special about herself that would warrant such a personal trip.

"...Is there a mistake?"

Despite saying that, she still put the half-eaten bun on the table and nervously walked into the reception room.

The man in the reception room sat lazily on the sofa, his right hand resting on the armrest, casually flipping through the store's brochures.

"Hello, Mr. Fang. My name is Liu Xiaolan, and I am the chief stylist at ES. Would you like me to introduce the makeup and styling services offered at our salon?"

The man didn't answer directly. Instead, he spread the booklet out on the coffee table and asked, "Which of these looks did you design?"

When the conversation turned to professional topics, Liu Xiaolan became much less nervous.

She sat opposite Mr. Fang, carefully pointed to three of the outfits, then turned to the second page and fluently explained the styling concept to him.

Fang Zhuo nodded.

As one of the most sought-after stylists in the entire entertainment industry, Liu Xiaolan's style was indeed unique.

This bold styling is very selective; if the model is not in good condition, the overall effect will be drastically different.

For this reason, celebrities with superior looks can showcase her strengths more fully than amateur models.

"Ms. Liu, I'd like to ask if you're interested in switching jobs to Giant Interactive?"

"Our company's stars will be attending the Gesa Red Carpet tomorrow afternoon, and I would like to ask you to design a suitable look for them."

Seeing that Liu Xiaolan seemed hesitant to speak, he added, "Salary is not a problem. The base salary is 800,000 yuan per month without any performance targets. You will not need to share the profits with the company when you take on personal orders."

Even if there's no profit sharing, the system will still give Liu Xiaolan a tenfold return based on the actual value he generates.

As long as Liu Xiaolan's monthly income from personal orders exceeds 80,000 yuan, it will be enough to cover her 800,000 yuan salary expenses.

For a famous stylist, 80,000 yuan is just the income from a single magazine cover shoot. It's an investment that's hard to lose money on, and he's happy to pay a small cost to attract truly promising talent.

Noticing that the other person still seemed hesitant, Fang Zhuo continued calmly:

"If you need to bring people to set up a studio, the studio employees can enjoy the same benefits as Juyu employees. The company will pay a base salary of 100,000 yuan per month, and there will be corresponding performance bonuses when Juyu releases new dramas or movies."

"Our office is located on the top three floors of the Federal Financial Building. There are many vacant spaces there right now, and you can choose any empty room as your workspace."

"If you are not satisfied with the office environment there, just send me the address of the workshop you prefer, and I will cover the rent."

Liu Xiaolan reached out and pinched her philtrum.

Are you serious about these conditions? You can't make money this fast even by scamming people.

She felt that if she didn't agree soon, the other party might escalate the demands to outer space.

Unlike artists who require marketing and management, most of Xingyu's styling teams work independently. It's unheard of for someone to be affiliated with a company and still receive a salary, especially since the salary offered is unusually high.

Liu Xiaolan considered herself to be a very stable person, but she was still stunned by such a large sum of money.

After taking a sip of water to calm herself, she quickly voiced her biggest hesitation:

"Mr. Fang, you may not be very familiar with the industry—in the entertainment industry, the professional skills of styling teams are actually secondary; the most crucial thing is connections."

"Since I'm new here, the quality of the dresses and jewelry I can borrow is really limited..."

Fang Zhuo sent the pre-prepared contract to her personal terminal: "Ms. Liu, please rest assured, this is not a problem."

Liu Xiaolan had absolutely no idea what to expect.

This is certainly a problem, and a very big problem.

She first greeted the store manager online, submitted her resignation to ES, and then signed the contract with Juyu with great anxiety.

The red carpet is not only a test of an artist's performance, but also a battle of wits between their styling teams.

Especially for artists who are new to the industry and have little foundation, the kind of dress they can borrow for their first red carpet appearance depends entirely on the stylist's social skills and connections.

The Star Federation's high-end custom-made dress brands have a strict tiered system, with each brand divided into three tiers based on its place of origin, scale, and the number of new designs released: official members, first-level members, and specially invited members.

There are only twelve designer brands that have been certified as official members by the industry association, and it's incredibly difficult to borrow their clothes.

Only top-tier celebrities from Star Entertainment can occasionally borrow these high-end custom-made gowns that are a few years past their prime. When they get to wear them even once, their fans are absolutely thrilled.

As for those ready-to-wear clothes from those obscure brands that aren't even considered special invitation members, they're easy to borrow, but if you actually wore them on the red carpet, you'd probably be ridiculed to death by the audience.

Liu Xiaolan had been working in the wedding dress industry and only knew a few stylists in the entertainment industry. She wasn't very familiar with them and didn't know if they would give her any face.

[Investment Target Number Five: Liu Xiaolan]

[Intelligence: 7][Stamina: 4][Appearance: 3][Emotional Intelligence: 5][Loyalty: 8]

[Recommended careers: Fashion designer, makeup artist, graphic designer, and other aesthetics-related professions]

[Skill Talents: 8]

[Initial valuation: 23900]

As soon as Liu Xiaolan signed the contract, Fang Zhuo quickly received a notification that the contract had been successfully signed.

He remembered the movie star who discovered her in the original book, and asked before leaving the meeting room, "Miss Liu, do you know Cen Yanhuai?"

Fang Zhuo roughly recounted the description from the book:

"About six years ago, he and his fiancée came to the store to try on wedding dresses once—he had just graduated from university then, was about 182 cm tall, and had a very rugged appearance."

Liu Xiaolan recalled for a moment, then shook her head and said, "I don't remember. I have a very good memory. I remember every customer who comes to the store very clearly. There is no one with this name on the list of orders that were not completed."

She noticed Fang Zhuo's concern and pulled up a visitor list of several hundred pages from her personal computer. After searching, she found nothing.

"It's alright, no need to investigate." Fang Zhuo pushed open the door and went out.

Since the movie star hadn't visited this wedding dress shop six years ago, it means he must have encountered some kind of misfortune before that.

This means that Ruan Zihan's rebirth happened earlier than he had previously thought.

As I came out of the meeting room, the doorway was already crowded with curious employees.

It was right when the store opened, and there weren't many customers yet. Everyone was sitting on the sofa outside, peeking through the crack in the door and gossiping about all sorts of things.

Fang Zhuo rested one hand on the edge of the sofa back and joked to the manager of ES Wedding Dress Shop, "Sorry, I've poached one of your top talents."

The store manager waved his hand, holding a handful of sunflower seeds.

The relationship between stylists and offline stores in the industry is not very strong to begin with, and job hopping is a common occurrence.

Xiao Lan had just told her last month that she would be moving to a secondary urban area to find a new job after the new house was renovated.

Although this day came almost half a year earlier than the expected departure time, it didn't surprise her too much; at most, it was just a bit troublesome to recruit temporary workers.

The store manager chuckled and ran to the front desk to settle Liu Xiaolan's wages for the month's workdays. He winked and said, "If you become rich and powerful, don't forget us. If you do well, remember to give our store lots of advertising."

Fang Zhuo could tell they had a good relationship. He leaned against the high table at the front desk and smiled at the store manager, saying, "I'm sorry, the last-minute poaching has affected your store's business. Just transfer the rent bill for the second half of the year to my assistant, and Juyu will reimburse it."

The store manager was taken aback for a moment, then made a gesture of holding something with both hands: "Receive wealth."

Seeing several girls hug Liu Xiaolan one by one, making the atmosphere like a graduation farewell, Fang Zhuo leaned casually against the door and transferred 100,000 yuan to Jiang Yu: "Buy some snacks for everyone."

Jiang Yu was already used to her boss casually tossing out a few zeros, and quickly nodded: "Okay."

Although he had never seen snacks costing over 6,000 yuan per person, he would still buy souvenirs with a budget of 6,000 yuan.

Jiang Yu quickly placed an order on the StarNet website and, while Liu Xiaolan's apprentice was going through the resignation procedures, distributed the gift boxes to the shop assistants who were reluctant to part with her.

After watching the group leave the store, the shop assistants immediately opened the boxes in their hands, their faces filled with emotion as they tightly grasped each other's wrists.

"What's in there? I have a gold necklace with a star design."

"Damn, there's a 10-gram gold bar in this box. As expected, assistants from big companies know how to pick gifts."

"I cried when I hugged Sister Lan just now, but now the gold has made me hold back my tears. What's going on? Family, is there any way to get into Juyu as a cleaner?"

"You're dreaming. If I had that kind of connection, I would have gone there long ago."

"I'm so envious of Sister Lan's apprentice. She showed me the contract from Juyu Entertainment. It's a monthly salary of 100,000 yuan with no performance-related issues... I even suspected that I had added an extra zero."

"Oh my god, gold is falling from the sky! I've decided to become Fang Ge's most devoted fan starting today."

"I feel like when one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven. Holding gold in my hands is truly blissful. Sister Lan must be even happier than me now."

Liu Xiaolan was not happy at all. She sat in that iconic white spaceship, and the closer she got to Juyu's office, the more her heart sank.

The time allotted to her was far too tight. She had just been signed to Giant Entertainment today, and the artist was scheduled to walk the red carpet tomorrow afternoon. She wasn't confident that she could borrow a suitable dress in such a short time.

Male celebrities generally wear suits, and it's understandable if the brand is a bit low-end; but for female celebrities, the red carpet is a real battleground, a fierce competition where everyone is vying for dominance.

It's not just about competing on brand image; even within the same brand, there's a subtle competition about whether the borrowed garment is ready-to-wear or haute couture. And even among haute couture, there's a comparison of which year it was released.

Liu Xiaolan sat awkwardly and sullenly on the spaceship's sofa.

If someone could take her into the brand's warehouse and steal one item right now, she would go with that person without hesitation.

The financial building was even more bustling than she had imagined. Liu Xiaolan followed closely behind President Fang's assistant the whole way, while her apprentice carefully stayed close behind her, like two cautious shrews.

As the elevator ascended to higher floors, she could no longer resist the torment in her heart and reminded him:

"Mr. Fang, could you give me a little time later? I'd like to contact a friend and see if we can borrow a formal dress."

Fang Zhuo replied casually, "Why borrow something you can just buy?"

The elevator doors opened, and he pushed open the door to the secondary hall—