After leaving the club and returning home, Zhang Yun called Cheng Lujin and told him that he wanted to sign a contract with Xingchen and asked him to come over for a face-to-face meeting.

The two sat down in Zhang Yun's living room, and Zhang Yun placed the brand-new contract directly in front of Cheng Lujin.

"That donkey... Li Cheng is so stingy, yet he's willing to offer you such favorable terms!" Cheng Lujin was shocked after reading the contract.

Zhang Yun nodded, "Of my 80% share, you get 30%."

"How can this be? How can I take so much!" Cheng Lujin was startled.

Generally, agents who have signed labor contracts with entertainment companies have their salaries paid by the company, and their commissions and bonuses are basically determined by the company. However, for agents like Cheng Jin, who were hired by Zhang Yun on their own, their salaries are determined by Zhang Yun himself.

He had previously paid for all the publicity and promotion for Zhang Yun out of his own pocket, and had never mentioned the matter of salary to Zhang Yun.

The original plan was to wait until after The Voice of China ended, and Zhang Yun had chosen a management company before signing a revenue-sharing contract.

Zhang Yun gave him a 20% cut.

For example, if Zhang Yunhe's agency signed a contract with a top-tier artist, then the revenue split between Zhang Yunhe's agency and the top-tier artist would be 50/50.

Let's say he gets a million for a TV series. Not counting taxes and other fees, the company and he each get 500,000. Zhang Yun has to give 20% of that 500,000, or 100,000, to Cheng Lujin.

A 20% commission is definitely a privilege reserved for top-tier agents. Generally, agents of A-list celebrities are lucky to get 10% commission, while agents of unknown names don't even get a commission and just receive a fixed salary.

But now, the 30% share that Zhang Yun gives to Cheng Lujin is the total share, not the artist's share. The money is directly distributed to him from the total remuneration.

In other words, of the one million yuan in film remuneration, Zhang Yun received 500,000 yuan, Cheng Lujin received 300,000 yuan, and the agency only received 200,000 yuan!

His agent earns more than the entire Starry Sky company.

Of course, this is an extremely rare case.

After all, no entertainment company CEO would give artists such a high percentage of their earnings (unless the CEO is a love-struck individual).

For top-tier artists, a 60/40 split with the company is the absolute maximum. As for second- and third-tier artists, the split can be as low as 30/70, 20/80, or even 10/90.

There are even those who refuse to share the profits, paying out of their own pockets or selling themselves out to accompany managers, leaders, and anyone who can help them, just to get resources and opportunities, all for the sake of fame.

By taking only 20% of the profits, Xingchen essentially only collected the initial investment, while all the profits went to Zhang Yun and Cheng Lujin. If Zhang Yun were to cause any scandals, they would have to clean up the mess and bear the risks.

When Cheng Lujin saw the dreamlike artist contract and his high percentage of total revenue sharing, he should have been happy, but for some reason, he felt a little sour.

Although he had only worked at Xingchen for a little over a year, he knew Li Cheng very well.

This person is extremely stingy, and he has squeezed the value of his employees to the limit.

This can be seen from the fact that he initially agreed to Gu Chen's conditions for clearing his name, but then added a five-year deadline.

If Zhang Yun hadn't intervened, Gu Chen would most likely have agreed, because he would have had no other choice.

Who would have thought that such a shrewd person would instantly become a foolish and rich sucker when he met Zhang Yun.

It's true that good-looking and talented people are successful everywhere.

Gu Chen was one, he was one, Li Cheng was one...

It seems that anyone who has come into contact with Zhang Yun is attracted by his temperament and appearance, and falls in love with him without realizing it.

The image of Li Cheng obeying Zhang Yunyan flashed through his mind, and the sour feeling in his heart suddenly intensified.

"What's wrong? Are you unhappy? 30% is a bit low?" Zhang Yun asked him, puzzled.

"Huh? No, of course not! I'm just too surprised to accept it right now."

Cheng Lujin quickly snapped out of her daze and put away her slightly off-topic thoughts.

He smiled at Zhang Yun and said, "That's 30% of the revenue! And that's the total revenue share. Even a second-tier celebrity only gets that much from the company, let alone you. You're worth a lot now. I feel like I'm about to strike it rich!"

Zhang Yun said, "I'm glad you're satisfied. By the way, Xingchen also allocated me a villa, saying it's closer to the company and offers better privacy. I plan to move there tomorrow."

Cheng Lujin nodded and said, "It's time to move to a different place. This old neighborhood of yours doesn't even have security gates, so anyone can sneak in. It's too unsafe. Your popularity is almost on par with top-tier celebrities now. It would be terrible if obsessive fans and paparazzi sneaked in and tried to harm you."

"Oh, right, there's one more thing."

Cheng Lujin adjusted his glasses. "I want to hire two trustworthy personal assistants and a driver for you to take care of your daily life and work. You can pay them your own salaries. It's best not to use people sent by Xingchen."

There's no such thing as a free lunch. Li Cheng offered Zhang Yun such high terms, but Cheng Lu Jin still felt uneasy, fearing that the man might have some other tricks up his sleeve. In any case, it wouldn't hurt to be cautious.

Zhang Yun nodded, "Okay, you can hire people as you see fit."

After everything was settled, Cheng Lujin made an appointment with him to bring people over the next morning to help him move, and then went back.

After Cheng Jin left, Zhang Yun went back to her room alone to pack her things.

The sun had already set outside, leaving only dim light inside the room.

He looked at the empty bedroom, and the sweet memories they had shared there uncontrollably flooded his mind.

Even though Gu Chen had only been gone for three days, it felt like three years had passed.

Zhang Yun suddenly hugged the coat that Gu Chen often wore and lay down on the bed, burying her face in it.

I miss him so much, I really miss him.

...

Cheng Lujin was very efficient. The next day, he hired a driver and two assistants and drove the car that Xingchen had assigned to Zhang Yun to his building.

Cheng Jin let the three of them wait downstairs while he went upstairs to help Zhang Yun pack his things.

The main problem is that there are too many signs of Zhang Yun living with someone in this house, and some secrets are best kept to themselves.

Zhang Yun didn't need to take much with him—clothes and a guitar, which were already in the villa.

Gu Chen's clothes were all packed into boxes and stored in the closet to prevent them from getting dusty.

Lu Jin, who was helping him pack, said, "I had someone inquire yesterday. Gu Chen was sent by Mr. Gu to Harvard to study for an MBA, and it was said that he could only return to China after he graduated."

"I understand," Zhang Yun nodded. "Thank you."

Seeing that he looked normal, Cheng Lujin felt a little uneasy.

After packing everything up, Cheng Lujin called her assistant to come up and help carry the boxes into the car.

After driving to the villa, two assistants moved Zhang Yun's belongings to his room.

The villa has two floors and many rooms. After consulting with Cheng Lujin and the others, Zhang Yun invited them to move in together.

Zhang Yun's room is on the second floor, while the others are on the first floor.

"Brother Lu, how's the progress on contacting that female singer named Lü Jiaojiao that I asked you to do before?"

After packing his things, Zhang Yun sat on the sofa in the living room on the first floor and asked.

“I spoke with the HR department at Xingchen today, and they will arrange for someone to contact her. We should have a result in a couple of days, but she will most likely not refuse,” Cheng Lujin said.

Artists also have their own social circles. In the entertainment industry, supporting promising newcomers is a way to strengthen one's own power. However, one needs to be discerning when selecting and nurturing talent, otherwise, it is easy to promote ungrateful individuals.

It's considered good if someone ignores you after you become famous. If you encounter someone who repays kindness with enmity and turns around to kick you while you're down, you'll be the one who suffers. Gu Chen is a bloody example of this!

Cheng Jin was a little surprised. Zhang Yun was just an ordinary person before his debut. How could he know so much about the ins and outs of the entertainment industry?

"I have to go back to school tomorrow. The Voice of China program has ended, and I haven't reported back for so long that the school leaders have called to urge me to go."

If Zhang Yun hadn't been mentioned, Cheng Lujin would have almost forgotten that he was a freshman in college.

Zhang Yun usually appears too composed and calm, and seems to know more about the ins and outs of the entertainment industry than even a veteran agent like himself who has been in the industry for twenty years. This makes him often forget that Zhang Yun is only nineteen years old.

"Okay, once you get to school, send me a copy of your class schedule for this semester, and I'll arrange your schedule according to your class times."

“Okay.” Zhang Yun looked at him. “Brother Lu, thank you.”

Cheng Jin stared at him for a moment, then suddenly slapped him on the back: "You better pull yourself together! Conquer the entertainment industry! Become Gu Chen's solid support."

Zhang Yun smiled, a radiant smile, "Okay."

...

Three years later, the Champs-Élysées Film Festival.

"...The winner of this year's Best Actor award is Zhang Yun! Let's give a round of applause to the Best Actor Zhang Yun!"

Zhang Yun walked onto the stage and accepted the trophy from the award presenter.

"This is the fourth time he's come up this year, one more time than last year," the host joked with a smile.

“Yes,” Zhang Yun smiled, “I’ve already said what I needed to say, so I don’t think I need to say anything more, right? I’m afraid if I say anything more, the audience will say I’m padding the runtime.”

The scene was filled with barely suppressed laughter.

Zhang Yun accepted the "Best Music Award," "Best Screenplay Award," and "Best Director Award" on stage. There was no other way; he was the screenwriter, composer, and director of this award-winning film, and it wouldn't be appropriate for someone else to accept the awards.

Jiang Lu, a top actress promoted by Xingchen, won the "Best Actress" award; Lü Jiaojiao won the "Best Supporting Actress" award; and Zhong Yuming won the "Best Supporting Actor" award. Xingchen's people practically swept all the most important awards at the Golden Rooster Awards.

Artists from other companies watched this scene with intense envy and resentment, but they could only maintain a smile in front of the cameras.

Three years ago, Huayu was the largest entertainment company in the industry, and Xingchen was just a junior compared to it.

But ever since Xingchen signed this man named Zhang Yun, they've been making rapid progress, as if they've been given a cheat code.

Songwriting, singing, acting, screenwriting, making TV series, making movies... it seems like there's nothing he can't do!

Zhang Yun not only became incredibly famous himself, but also helped launch the careers of more than ten artists from Xingchen Entertainment. Now, Xingchen and Huayu Entertainment are two strong contenders, and there is even a trend of Zhang Yun surpassing Xingchen.

The president of Huayu Entertainment offered Zhang Yun 1 billion yuan to switch companies two years ago, and was willing to pay the full penalty for breach of contract. He could name his own terms for the revenue sharing in the contract.

Zhang Yun refused.

There was nothing he could do; after all, he was already the second-largest shareholder of Xingchen at that time!

Li Cheng is a smooth operator!

Moreover, even if Huayu were willing to give up its shares to Zhang Yun, the composition of their board of directors was too complicated. Relatively speaking, Xingchen, with Li Cheng as the one-man rule, was more to Zhang Yun's liking.

...

After attending the awards ceremony, Zhang Yun returned to the hotel, took a shower, and lay sprawled on the massage bed.

Cheng Lujin came in carrying food and turned off his massage bed. "Get up, eat before you sleep."

Zhang Yun took off the blindfold and gave Cheng Lujin a resentful look. "I'm not hungry."

"You have to eat even if you're not hungry! Health is the foundation of everything. Do you know how many celebrities have developed stomach problems at a young age because of irregular eating habits? If you get sick, I'll be the one who suffers!" Cheng Lujin switched into motherly mode.

"Okay! Okay!" Zhang Yun sighed as he got off the massage chair, wondering to himself if all agents in the world were mass-produced from the same factory, before sitting down at the table to eat.

"This film has won so many awards, and you've won Best Actor for the third consecutive year. You can go back and take a good rest for a while. I've already canceled all your engagements," Cheng Lujin said.

"Hmm," Zhang Yun replied absentmindedly.

Cheng Lujin looked at the handsome young man next to her who was picking at the vegetables he hated on his plate, and she really couldn't connect him with the brilliant and talented director.

This world is so unfair!

How can someone be so good-looking, sing so well, act so well, write songs, compose music, write screenplays, and even direct?

When God created this person, did you consider the feelings of ordinary people like them?

"By the way, there's a piece of news I'm not sure if it's true."

Cheng Jin hesitated for a moment before saying, "Gu Chen is going back to China."

"Hmm." Zhang Yun's expression was calm.

"You knew all along?"

Zhang Yun nodded.

During the three years they were apart, Zhang Yun had the system report Gu Chen's news to him every day. Although there was no surveillance everywhere, he could roughly know his daily schedule.

Even Cheng Jin could find out about something as important as returning to China, let alone him.

"Then... you two won't meet?" Cheng Lujin asked cautiously.

Zhang Yun suddenly lost his appetite and put down his chopsticks.

In the past three years, although Zhang Yun has continuously expanded his influence in the entertainment industry and has cooperated with official media several times, accumulating official connections, he is ultimately too young and started too late. Compared with the behemoth that is Gu's Group, he is still far behind.

"We agreed that once Gu Chen had taken complete control of the Gu Group and shouldered the responsibility of the Gu family, Old Master Gu would not stop him from being with me."

"To take control of the Gu family, in addition to guarding against and dealing with those two treacherous branches of the Gu family, you also need to gain the support of at least half of the veteran shareholders. Those old men who followed Old Master Gu in building the empire cannot be fooled by just making empty promises. Gaining their approval will be quite difficult."

Cheng Lujin felt somewhat indignant on his behalf: "I think Gu Jianyun just wanted to use this method to break you two up."

Zhang Yun laughed, "We're not so easy to dismantle."

Separation only intensifies longing and deepens love.

Thinking that Gu Chen would be back soon, he couldn't help but smile: "There will still be a chance to see him!"

...

Five days later, at Haitan International Airport.

As Zhang Yun emerged from the airport terminal, she was immediately surrounded by excited fans who had been waiting outside.

Bodyguards quickly formed a protective circle around him, leaving only one opening for Zhang Yun to sign autographs for the fans in the front row.

A man in a suit stood on the second floor, facing the airport passage, his eyes fixed on the young man below who was smiling and signing autographs for his fans.

“Young Master Shen, it’s time to go,” Liang Wenxu said from behind the man.

Gu Chen didn't move.

After returning to the Gu family, his name was changed to Gu Shenzhi.

The man below, who was the center of attention, seemed to sense something and raised his head. Their eyes met, and Zhang Yun suddenly gave him a radiant smile.

"..."

Only after the car from Xingchen Company that came to pick him up drove into the traffic and disappeared from sight did Gu Shenzhi slowly withdraw his gaze, his expression cold: "Let's go."