Night had already fallen.
A Mercedes slowly pulled up at the airport exit. The driver, dressed in a neat uniform, opened the rear door.
Li Fuchen, who had rushed back from Thailand, stepped inside, let out a long breath, and asked his attendant, "Have you confirmed Ye Qin's address?"
"There's a screenwriter in New City who's quite close to Ye Qin's manager. We got the information from him. Ye Qin has no commercial appearances scheduled recently and is currently staying at Huashuo Hotel!" The attendant nodded with certainty. "I also spoke with her manager on the phone!"
"Then let's go!" Li Fuchen rubbed his hands together. "Did you prepare the information I asked you to gather?"
The attendant professionally pulled several files from a folder and handed them to Li Fuchen. "Mingzhu Company in Tongzhou City has a market value of around one billion. Rumor has it that the backer behind it is the Li family of Tongzhou."
Li Fuchen opened the files resting on his lap.
After Wan Hao called him, he had made a series of arrangements, including finding out where Ye Qin was staying and investigating the endorsement company Wan Hao had mentioned.
"It doesn't look like anything special..." Li Fuchen frowned. The strength Mingzhu Company displayed on the surface clearly failed to satisfy him. "A company like this will have a hard time inviting Ye Qin for an endorsement!"
"Otherwise, Second Young Master wouldn't have asked you to return home." The attendant flattered him at just the right moment.
In the entertainment industry, veteran directors like Li Fuchen might not have the same public exposure or name recognition as wildly popular traffic stars, but when it came to real influence, those stars could never catch up to directors who controlled vast resources.
Whether it was connections or capital, they were simply not on the same level.
So the attendant instinctively assumed that Wan Hao had called Li Fuchen back to use his influence to pressure Ye Qin into accepting the deal.
But Li Fuchen scratched his head in frustration and sighed. "The problem is, the young master told me this: take it seriously in attitude, but don't force the result! Tell me, how am I supposed to negotiate like that?"
The attendant stood there stunned for quite a while.
"Is Second Young Master doing some face-saving project for another friend again?" the attendant asked, utterly confused.
Li Fuchen shook his head.
Thirty minutes later.
The Mercedes pulled up in front of Huashuo Hotel.
A middle-aged woman wearing the latest LV scarf stood at the hotel entrance. Smiling broadly, she extended her hand toward Li Fuchen as he stepped out of the car. "Director Li, I've heard so much about you! I'm Wang Fang, Miss Ye Qin's assistant. Someone from your company spoke with me on the phone!"
Li Fuchen shook Wang Fang's hand, but his gaze lingered briefly on the three large gold rings on her fingers before he nodded. "Time is tight. Let's get straight to the discussion, all right?"
"Please!" Wang Fang shifted aside, and the two walked into the hotel shoulder to shoulder.
After the two had gone far away, Li Fuchen's attendant snickered and patted the driver on the shoulder. "Hey, Little Wang, do you know the difference between nouveau riche and old money?"
"Huh?" The driver froze at the question.
"Old-money families are afraid people will know they're rich, while nouveau riche are afraid people won't know!" the attendant said sharply. "Look at Wang Fang. Those gold rings on her fingers must weigh at least two pounds! It's blazing hot, yet she's wearing black mink and a scarf. I really wonder how someone with that kind of taste became Ye Qin's assistant."
The driver raised his eyebrows. "Ah... Wang Fang is Ye Qin's relative. Ever since Ye Qin became famous, she's made quite a bit of money off her!"
The attendant nodded in sudden understanding.
Li Fuchen and Wang Fang went all the way to the top floor. After pushing open the door, Li Fuchen swept his eyes around and found no sign of Ye Qin inside the room. He frowned. "Where is Miss Ye?"
"Well, Miss Ye's affairs are entirely handled by me. Director Li, you can ask me any questions directly, and I can discuss any cooperation intentions on her behalf as well!" Wang Fang gestured toward the seats. "Please sit! Please sit!"
Li Fuchen frowned.
He had specially rushed back to Jingdu from Thailand, yet he could not even meet Ye Qin. If word got out, it would be utterly humiliating.
"Have Miss Ye come out. I should hear her opinion as well," Li Fuchen said in a low voice.
"It's just a commercial endorsement... It's the same whether I negotiate it or not!" Wang Fang chuckled. "You know Miss Ye has been very busy lately. She has too many fans, so it isn't convenient for her to show herself..."
Li Fuchen silently glanced at Wang Fang.
With his status, personally coming to see Ye Qin was already a concession, yet he had not expected his reputation to be so ineffective.
"Heh... Miss Ye has really become popular lately." Li Fuchen's tone turned somewhat cold.
"Oh... Being too popular is a kind of trouble too! Little Ye has to wear several layers of masks whenever she goes out now. Even I get dragged into it. Whenever I leave the house, fans ask me for Little Ye's autograph!" Wang Fang seemed completely unable to hear the displeasure in Li Fuchen's words. She beamed happily, her smile blooming like a flower. "Oh, right, Director Li, I'll give you a few signed photos of Little Ye later! Those things can sell for several thousand online now!"
He took a deep breath.
Li Fuchen was speechless. Faced with an idiot who could not tell good words from bad ones, he really had no good solution.
He wanted to use his influence to wake her up, but remembering Wan Hao's demands over the phone, he could only swallow his anger.
"Here's the general idea... My people must have already discussed it with you," Li Fuchen said after some thought. If he continued arguing with Wang Fang, she might anger him to death, so he stated the purpose of his trip directly. "A friend wants to invite Miss Ye Qin to Tongzhou City for an endorsement. Their company mainly deals in cosmetics, luxury women's handbags, and other high-end goods... It may take around a week..."
Wang Fang nodded repeatedly, then suddenly interrupted Li Fuchen and asked, "Director Li, what would the fee be...?"
"Twelve million..." Li Fuchen hesitated for a second before naming the figure.
Wan Hao's standard had been ten million, but Li Fuchen knew that price was unrealistic for inviting a female star at Ye Qin's level, so he added another two million himself.
"I know this amount may not meet Miss Ye's expectations. So if Miss Ye agrees to this endorsement, within three months, I will hold a concert for Miss Ye at Jingdu Mingmen Stadium free of charge. I'll cover every expense, and all revenue will belong to Miss Ye!"
This was already Li Fuchen's bottom line. He wanted to complete the task Wan Hao had given him, but he could not possibly offer an astronomical endorsement fee just to hire Ye Qin.
That would be too humiliating.
If word spread, people would say that Li Fuchen had spent most of his life in the industry, only to shamelessly beg a female star for an endorsement and offer an astronomical price. It would be disgraceful!
Holding a concert for Ye Qin, however, might not save much money, but the significance was entirely different.
Li Fuchen could use the event to advertise his company again. Moreover, Ye Qin had not signed with an entertainment company. If the two sides could begin working together from then on, the benefits would be long-term.
Wang Fang quietly listened to the conditions Li Fuchen offered.
She swirled the teacup in her hand, slowly took a sip, and said, "Director Li, this... probably won't work. Twelve million simply doesn't match Miss Ye's status. And holding a concert..."
Wang Fang gave Li Fuchen a casual glance.
"Without exaggeration, given Miss Ye's popularity, there are at least eighty or a hundred companies that want to work with her! There are also plenty of companies willing to organize a concert without charging anything. Director Li, your terms really aren't very sincere!"
"Heh... Can their companies compare to mine?"
"No matter how big your company is, I'm not the one benefiting from it. I can't get a single advantage out of it..." Wang Fang reminded him bluntly.
If Li Fuchen still did not understand what she meant at this point, he would truly be a fool.
He was just somewhat dumbfounded.
After spending so many years in the industry, it was truly his first time encountering someone like Wang Fang.
After a moment of silence, he pulled out a check from his pocket, pressed it against the tabletop, wrote down a few numbers, tore it off, and handed it directly to Wang Fang. "How about this? Is that sincere enough?"
Wang Fang did not show the slightest embarrassment. She pinched the check between two fingers, looked at the number on it, and smiled from ear to ear.
"Oh, Director Li, this check won't bounce, will it?"
Li Fuchen's face darkened as he suppressed the anger in his heart. "How about I go cash it with you?"
"I'm joking! Joking!" Wang Fang happily tucked the check into her LV handbag, then said with a warm smile, "Director Li, I'll speak to Miss Ye about the endorsement. The specifics will have to wait until Miss Ye makes a decision."
"Are you playing me? Didn't you say you could represent Ye Qin in everything?" Li Fuchen froze.
Look at what you're saying. Miss Ye has to be informed, doesn't she...? Don't worry, I'll definitely make her agree!" Wang Fang promised confidently.
At that moment, Li Fuchen truly felt his anger surging.
After a moment of silence, he still nodded. "Give me an answer as soon as possible!"
"Take care!" Wang Fang was already preparing to see him out.
After Li Fuchen disappeared into the elevator, Wang Fang immediately pulled out the check for another look, then took out her phone and called a salesperson.
"Hello, Little Dong... It's Sister Wang. Is that R8 I looked at available now? It is? ...Mm, I'll come see the car tomorrow. If there's no problem, I'll take it away!... Do I need a loan? I'll pay in full, one lump sum!"
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