Chapter 16
Shen Mingzheng: ...
He was skeptical about this theory and felt that what Su Ning said was really mysterious.
"We have to give it a try after all." Su Ning looked at him and happened to meet his eyes. He smiled again, "Mr. Shen, please trust me this time."
Shen Mingzheng didn't respond.
Of course, everyone can say nice things. From his perspective, he really hoped that Su Ning could make this deal. So he asked Chen Tao to compile a copy of Liang Xiaoliang's information and send it to Su Ning.
A special assistant of Chen Tao's status can collect a lot of information that others cannot find.
In fact, things were not going well for them after they arrived in Guijiang.
The threshold for admission to Qilin Entertainment was really high. Mr. Liang first made excuses to avoid meeting them. He must have known very well why they came here, and was annoyed by Guangying Entertainment's previous behavior. Therefore, it was useless even if Chen Tao, who had a wide network of contacts, went to find them in person.
The other party's secretary was very polite, but when asked, he said that Mr. Liang was not in. He kept saying the same thing until the afternoon. People from Qilin Company went off work one after another. Su Ning drank tea in the reception room on the first floor of the company for the whole afternoon, from dawn to dusk, but did not see anyone.
He could sit still.
However, to Su Ning's surprise, Shen Mingzheng did not leave. He waited there for Special Assistant Chen to come back. Not long after, he set up a laptop computer next to him and started working on the computer he brought from the car.
In addition to the investment matters of Ou Tu Si, he has many other tasks to do.
Su Ning did not interrupt. Knowing that he would hit a wall, he simply sat there and did his own thing. He looked at the information collected by Chen Tao and asked Qilin to borrow a pen to take notes. The environment in this waiting room was not bad, and the two of them lived in harmony.
As the sky gradually darkened, Su Ning stretched out his body, propped up his arms and looked at him, and said, "Mr. Shen, are you waiting for me here? Is that so nice?"
"I brought you here," Shen Mingzheng said without even looking up. "Didn't you say you had no money? If it doesn't work, I can still send you back so that I can report to Chen Yuan."
The young master, who looks bright and beautiful but is actually very poor, was a little touched.
There was no sign of anger or sadness on his face. He said, "Then I'll treat Mr. Shen to a meal. I can't always take advantage of you. Haicheng is a food desert, and Guijiang has a lot of delicious food. Don't worry, I still have money for a meal."
Shen Mingzheng thought for a moment and put away his computer: "Where are we going?"
Su Ning pointed across.
There is a well-known Sichuan restaurant diagonally opposite Qilin Company. I don’t know why this Sichuan restaurant, which is famous for its innovative and spicy flavor, is opened opposite the company of idols who need to maintain their figure. However, the decoration is very good, and you can see the river view from the seat next to the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Su Ning took Shen Mingzheng and Special Assistant Chen in, and then chose the best seat by the window. That place was a corner, and the screen was pulled up to cover Su Ning's face, which was extremely popular and easily spotted.
After he sat down, he slowly flipped through the menu and seemed to be in no hurry.
Seeing this, Chen Tao comforted him, "Good things take time. It's okay. At most, you can stay here for one night and go again tomorrow. You will always be able to see someone."
Su Ning waved his hand and said, "Let's eat first." He ordered the dishes very familiarly, and then asked for four sets of bowls and chopsticks, as if he had been prepared.
When the dishes were halfway served, Su Ning looked at the time and kept looking at the door until he saw someone coming in. He stood up and called out with a smile, "Boss Liang, what a coincidence."
Liang Xiaoliang, who weighed more than 200 pounds and had not been seen for the whole afternoon, stood there like a mountain, unable to hide, and stared at them.
"You..." Liang Xiaoliang stared at him, "Su Ning? You've become more capable now, you're following me?"
"What are you talking about, Mr. Liang? I've been sitting in the reception room of Qilin waiting for you all day," Su Ning waved his hand and said bluntly, "I just followed your account on social networks. Mr. Liang's hobbies are very similar. In addition to forwarding company news, he also likes delicacies from all over the world."
"I saw that you usually eat here on Mondays and you like the seats by the window. I took a lot of photos and posted them online, so I made a reservation. I didn't expect it to be such a coincidence that we bumped into each other. I'm really lucky. How about we eat and chat at the same time? It won't take up your time."
Liang Xiaoliang: “…”
He glanced at the people at the table and wanted to turn around and leave, but he didn't.
The people in front of him are all well-known in the circle, especially the one from the Shen family. He had heard rumors about him before, but had never seen him in person.
Before we met, you could use being busy with work as an excuse to push it away, but now that you’ve met and are turning away, that’s a whole other matter.
Looking at the current situation, he stood there for a while and had to sit down.
The store had a square table, and four people could sit on each side. Liang Xiaoliang adjusted his mood quickly, and since they were all seated, he didn't have a sullen face all the time.
He glanced at Su Ning, then at Shen Mingzheng, and politely said, "Mr. Shen, I've heard a lot about you." Then he picked up the chopsticks and put a piece of spicy shredded chicken in his bowl, and said to Su Ning, "I know why you became famous before."
Su Ning: "What do you mean?"
Liang Xiaoliang looked at his face carefully again and said, "The camera in the live broadcast this morning took a mediocre picture of you, not as good-looking as the real person. If you want to join Qilin and make your debut seriously, I will go to Haicheng to pick you up in person, so you don't have to bother coming here."
The spicy shredded chicken in this restaurant today is very good. It is the signature dish. Since we are here, we might as well make the best of it. Liang Xiaoliang filled his stomach with a few bites and his tone of voice became much better.
Su Ning also started to pick up his chopsticks, and did not forget to pick up dishes for Shen Mingzheng and Chen Tao. He honestly followed the principle of eating and chatting at the same time, and replied: "I am not that kind of person, and Mr. Liang knows that. I didn't come to you this time for this."
"I know. Chen Yuan told me that she wants Qilin to send someone to fill your vacancy," Liang Xiaoliang waved his hand, scooped another spoonful of hot pepper fried pork and poured it on the rice skillfully, then stuffed a large spoonful into his mouth, chewed and swallowed it, and then continued, "I watched the live broadcast. It was a good choice for you to withdraw from the competition. The plan for the replacement match you proposed is also interesting."
"Director Chen and I are old acquaintances, so I don't want to offend her. But to be honest, this really doesn't mean anything to Qilin. I think you can just deal with it on your own."
Su Ning said "Oh" but didn't refute immediately. They ate in silence for a while. When the ordered drink, iced sour plum soup, was served, he naturally took it, evenly divided it into four cups, and replied, "Why is it meaningless?"
Liang Xiaoliang said bluntly: "The quality of the trainees in the fourth group is indeed good, but compared with the traffic brought by Qilin, it is nothing. For our company, it is a bit embarrassing to compare with them. I let them go and just go through the process and then debut. It's not difficult."
"So, there's no point."
Qilin has never participated in any outside talent shows. It is a kind of arrogance, a kind of self-confidence, and a kind of character that cannot be given up.
Su Ning said "Oh", stretched out his hand and placed the drink cups in front of the four people, and said: "Does Mr. Liang think so? But now, Qilin may not be the number one in the industry."
Liang Xiaoliang was not angry. He snorted as if he had heard a joke and replied, "Nonsense. You are trying to provoke me, right? Su Ning, this won't work on me."
Su Ning did not refute directly, but was silent for a while, took two sips of the drink slowly, and changed the subject: "Guangying Entertainment also has a spot in the resurrection competition. We plan to let Li Chu participate, and he agreed."
When this name was mentioned, Liang Xiaoliang had an obvious special reaction, and the chopsticks he was using to pick up food paused for a moment.
Su Ning discovered this when he looked at Li Chu's information before. He was the one that Su Hongda poached at that time, and was also the person that Qilin wanted to sign but failed to sign. Liang Xiaoliang still remembers this and is still brooding over it.
When he spoke again, his voice suddenly turned cold: "What about Li Chu? I haven't settled the account with you yet."
"You guys at Guangying Entertainment don't follow the rules. I was clearly the first one to spot him when he first returned to China. Your people knew his family was in debt, so they promised him a signing fee of 500,000 yuan and said they would help him debut as soon as possible. They were even willing to write this into the contract, and then lied to him, saying that as long as he had the talent, it wouldn't matter where he debuted. They snatched him away."
When talking about this matter, Liang Xiaoliang became very angry and glared at Su Ning, thinking that he was just adding fuel to the fire.
Guangying Entertainment really did pay a signing fee of 500,000 yuan, but it was not enough to pay off the debts of Li Chu and Zhou Chunqing's families, so they paid it back right away.
As for debuting as soon as possible, Li Chu was really deceived by the terms in the contract. Perhaps it was because he had received 500,000 yuan that the young Li Chu relaxed his vigilance. He only read the previous content and did not carefully distinguish the "force majeure" and "special circumstances" mentioned in the disclaimer of Guangying Entertainment, so he had no one to turn to.
This is what Li Chu experienced at the time. The internal information that Su Ning saw was written quite obscurely, but he knew it at a glance. Chen Yuan also mentioned this matter.
Facing his sudden emotion, Su Ning responded calmly: "Guangying Entertainment is not a very decent company. I know what my uncle is like better than you, Mr. Liang."
"But even if Li Chu signed with Qilin, will he definitely get what he wants and everything will go smoothly? I don't think so."
Liang Xiaoliang retorted: "That's better than your company."
Having said that, he also knew in his heart that Li Chu did have great potential, but facing his desire to debut quickly, Qilin could not make a promise.
In other words, even if Li Chu signed with Qilin, he should still be in the trainee stage. He is still young and has been in the industry for too short a time, so he needs more experience. Any normal businessman would think so.
At this time, Su Ning also had something to say: "Mr. Liang, I can see that you admire Li Chu very much. I believe that Qilin definitely does not lack this 500,000 yuan, and even you personally do not lack this 500,000 yuan. But compared to these, you also felt that the most important thing at the time was not to break this exception, right?"
He is right.
Qilin has many talented and gifted trainees. Li Chu is excellent, but in the eyes of Liang Xiaoliang, who has promoted many people, he is not good enough to make an exception.
The other trainees who chose to sign the contract are not bad either, and there are even many people in the company who signed the contract at their own expense.
Five hundred thousand is indeed not a big deal. It is just a small amount of money for Qilin. But what will the other trainees think if they give this money? How will they view this unfairness? Can they still maintain their mental balance? Can they still persist like this? Li Chu gave five hundred thousand and set a precedent. What if the next trainee who signs in asks for one million?
Kirin signs quite a few trainees every year. These people had a very hard life before their debut, with a monthly salary of only two to three thousand. The legend of top idols earning over 100 million yuan a year is just a dream after their debut.
It is precisely because of this vision that those trainees work so hard and continue to contribute one miracle after another to this idol company. Even if they do not make their debut in the end, Kirin's salary of two or three thousand is "more noble" than that of the small idols of ordinary companies who have already debuted.
"Because of this nobility, or pride, only Qilin has ever chosen me. There is no reason for me to chase after people and give them money, right?"
Su Ning continued, "So the company's top management disagreed and was unwilling to engage in a price war with Guangying Entertainment. The loss of Li Chu is a pity, but compared to the high standards that the company has always upheld, it is certainly not worth mentioning."
"So what?"
Liang Xiaoliang lifted up the bowl and gulped down a big mouthful of lotus root soup, then put the bowl down on the table with a thump and asked, "What do you mean by saying so much? Why can't Qilin run without Li Chu? We have plenty of people in our company."
"Of course not," Su Ning motioned him to sit down and give him another bowl of soup, asking him to turn off the heat, and then said something even more infuriating, "But Mr. Liang, if Qilin really participates in the competition, he probably won't win this time."
Chen Tao's hands were shaking as he picked up the food, and he signaled him to shut up with his eyes, but Su Ning was fearless and continued to speak.
"I've seen the trainee videos posted by the Qilin official account. Your company is going to launch a new four-member group in two months. The top four trainees are preparing to debut. They will definitely not participate in the competition. The rest are not as good as Li Chu."
"And I dare say that it will be difficult for Qilin to find a trainee like Li Chu in the future."
Liang Xiaoliang had really met Li Chu. From Su Ning's professional perspective, he could not refute this point with confidence.
Li Chu was already very outstanding when he just returned to China. If he had been trained properly, he would have been even better. Guangying Entertainment is not as good as Qilin in other aspects, but it has become famous for its willingness to spend money in recent years.
Therefore, Su Ning was able to speak out his subsequent words more smoothly under his not-so-friendly gaze.
"I'm not exaggerating. You know the current situation of the industry better than I do. Various talent shows have been popular for four years now. They are becoming more and more formal. There are more choices for talented people. Qilin is no longer the only one. Even traditional film and television production companies like our Guangying Entertainment can't help but pay a price to snatch talents. The operations of major video platforms are also becoming more and more handy."
“The talent shows of the past two years can be said to have peaked as soon as they debuted, and could not compete with your Kirin’s long-lasting idols. However, the new albums of the talent shows that debuted last year have already defeated Kirin’s popular idols and successfully topped the list.
“Kirin is still the industry leader today, but it’s hard to say what will happen in a few years.”
"Times have changed, Mr. Liang."
"The idol industry is changing rapidly, and those who don't change will be abandoned. Do you really not consider the future of the company?"
Shen Mingzheng: ...
His hand holding the chopsticks stopped for a long while, because he had just heard these words not long ago - from a video of Liang Xiaoliang when he was young.
Su Ning...really learning and applying what you learn.
Liang Xiaoliang was silent for a while, then he poked the plum tomatoes in the dessert plate in front of him with his chopsticks, mashing them into a pulp, and then he stood up with a "whoosh".
But he just stood up and didn't leave.
When the next dish, wild pepper beef, was served, he stared at Su Ning for a long time, and then sat down with a bang.
"It's okay. We are not in a hurry. Mr. Liang can take his time to think about it," Su Ning said leisurely, and greeted others, "This signature dish is just right. Mr. Shen, would you like to try it?"
He knew when to stop and stopped just at that point, as if he had pushed things to a climax and then came to an abrupt end, and did not say anything more about the matter.
Su Ning looked like he was really hungry, and he ate seriously afterwards. However, Liang Xiaoliang sat down and couldn't help but think about it.
He understood what Su Ning was talking about. He had thought about this before.
Kirin has very strict requirements for its trainees, and the chance of debuting is only one in a hundred. It is because of its position as the number one in the industry that countless young people grit their teeth and endure. Therefore, Kirin's arrogance is necessary, just like luxury goods must maintain their style in order to attract people.
But is it right to always be like this?
What happened to Li Chu before has always been a thorn in his heart. Now it was brought up by Su Ning, and it spread from small to large to affect more aspects.
Liang Xiaoliang hates people who stick to the rules the most, but he suddenly felt that he seemed to be getting old and had unconsciously fallen into the trap of sticking to the rules.
He is a smart man, and there is no need for Su Ning to say more about the rest of the things. As long as he is given a start, he can figure it out by himself.
If Qilin really wants to try, the current replacement match of Idol Star Map Season 4 is the best choice.
First, the timing is right and the opportunity is right now. Second, the situation of this replacement match is special. It is right before the finals, which is unique in the draft model in recent years. If Qilin participates, it will not be too embarrassing.
Chen Yuan had said similar things to him, but her perspective was just to advise him to give his trainees more hope.
Those mobilized people from Guangying Entertainment were even more like clowns. Chen Yuan's rhetoric could beat them all, but it couldn't completely impress him because he looked down upon these so-called "benefits".
Liang Xiaoliang had experienced many business negotiations and was familiar with many routines. He knew that Su Ning was taking a different approach and not talking about any benefits, which was increasing his sense of crisis.
But he emphasized one thing, that Li Chu was in the competition, which was very important, so even though Mr. Liang was well aware of the routine, he would still look sideways at this matter, and then he was taken away by Su Ning.
Then he thought more.
Li Chu's good qualifications are one thing, but the most important thing is that this person who rejected Qilin's offer is somewhat famous in the company's trainee circle. Many people in the company are privately discussing his switch to Guangying Entertainment. Although there has been no news since he went there, the 500,000 yuan is real money, especially after Guangying Entertainment invested in the four major hits of Ou Tu, there was a period of time when they were very willing to spend money on Su Ning, from buying various marketing accounts from the APP opening screen.
Although this person gradually fell from grace and lost fans, it was all Su Ning's own fault. If he was replaced by someone with ability and moral bottom line to support him, would he be able to continue to be popular?
The trainees were all shaken.
The reason why Liang Xiaoliang really felt a sense of crisis was that he knew that some trainees had been discussing privately recently, and some were even eager to run away.
Is Qilin still the best choice now? Without good seedlings, can Qilin maintain such a good situation?
If this time they really compete with Li Chu on the same stage, and the trainees sent by Qilin really defeat the opponent, this result will explain everything to everyone.
——No matter how talented a person is, he is nothing without Qilin.
Rather than giving trainees hope and opportunities, as a businessman, Liang Xiaoliang knows that in addition to opportunities, it is more important to give people warnings.
The art of controlling people is to use both kindness and severity.
It sounds cruel and inhumane, but it is perhaps these very cold facts that can most impress a businessman like him.
Liang Xiaoliang had thought about this matter a lot, and the meal was almost over.
It's not like he hadn't thought about this problem before, but he was often confused by it because he was involved in the issue. Now Su Ning pointed it out to him, and he suddenly became enlightened.
Su Ning ordered a table of signature dishes. Liang Xiaoliang's 200 kilograms of flesh were not in vain, as more than half of the dishes went into his stomach. Su Ning had been really hungry for the whole day, and he ate a lot in a very unpresentable manner.
On the other hand, Mr. Shen ate very slowly, and his eating habits were almost the same as those of celebrities who need to be on camera. There was not much food on the bone plate in front of him.
Su Ning noticed it.
He stayed with Shen Mingzheng almost the whole day and knew that the other party had not eaten much all day, so while Liang Xiaoliang was thinking, he thought about it and went out for a while. After a while, the waiter brought the last dessert and a hot steamed dish.
Liang Xiaoliang was full and just wanted to talk about business when his attention was suddenly drawn. He asked, "Wait, what is this? I've been eating here for two years, why haven't I seen it before?"
Su Ning explained, "I just asked the kitchen chef to make it. It's just a simple yam cake. The owner of this store insists on making it fresh. I looked at the dishes on the menu and thought their kitchen should have the ingredients, so I went to ask them to add a dish."
There was a thin layer of sweet osmanthus sauce on the jade-white yam cake, which was still warm. Although Liang Xiaoliang was full, he looked at it and felt that he could still eat a little more. Then he saw Su Ning turned to Shen Mingzheng and said, "I think Mr. Shen has a poor appetite and may not be used to it. This is my problem. Do you want to try this?"
Liang Xiaoliang: …
You didn't make this for me?
He didn't expect that Su Ning was still paying attention to whether other people at the table were eating well. He really didn't treat this as a business negotiation. It was as if it was a gathering of old friends, and eating well was the top priority.
Shen Mingzheng has never had much appetite, and the main reason he didn't eat much was that his mind was not on this. He was stunned for a moment when he heard this, but still reached out and picked up a piece.
After eating it, the taste of the pastry is relatively light and not sweet, and it warms the stomach. It is really comfortable to eat this in the slightly cool weather of early autumn.
He nodded, looked at Su Ning and said, "Okay."
A large portion of cake was made, enough for everyone to have as dessert after the meal. After the main owner tasted it, Liang Xiaoliang looked reserved for a moment, then stretched out his chopsticks to eat three small pieces of yam cake, very satisfied. Before leaving, he said to Su Ning: "I will seriously consider this matter. I will contact Chen Yuan after discussing it with other shareholders of the company."
"Master Su, can we add a contact number?"
Su Ning is an interesting person and is easy to get along with.
He thought to himself.
From that moment on, Liang Xiaoliang had made his decision.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
