Upon hearing Li Yuan's words, Wang Zheng's eyes revealed a look of envy and admiration.
"The number isn't important, quality is." He leaned against the doorframe, his tone full of admiration. "Both are stunning beauties. No wonder he's my godfather; his methods are remarkable."
Li Yuan and Zhou Hao nodded upon hearing this.
The two of them were already planning that when they were pursuing girls in the future, they would definitely seek guidance from Cheng Che.
The next few days will be dedicated to military training.
Therefore, Cheng Che did not go to Su Miaoyin's class.
Training during the day, completing daily tasks in the morning and evening, and taking time in between to practice tennis at the gym and run on the track to burn off training packs.
The days are as regular as a straight line.
Then came the last day of military training, and the review ceremony began two days later.
So they finally got to rest.
Cheng Che returned early this morning after finishing his workout.
He had taken a shower, changed into clean clothes, and was standing in front of the mirror adjusting his collar.
Wang Zheng, still half asleep, poked his head out from under the covers. Seeing this, he immediately woke up.
" Brother Che, are you going out on a date?"
Cheng Che thought for a moment.
Going to see Yan Ruanning and then meeting with a lawyer to discuss the endorsement contract—would that count as a date?
No, there's something going on.
He shook his head. "No, I have something to do outside."
Wang Zheng said "Oh," and then fell asleep again.
Cheng Che smiled, picked up his backpack and phone, and went out.
He had just reached the entrance of Peking University when his phone rang.
Yan Ruanning calling.
He answered the phone, and as soon as he said "hello," he saw a car parked across from the school gate. The window rolled down, and a fully armed woman waved at him.
A mask, a hat, and sunglasses—the three-piece set was complete.
You can tell who it is at a glance.
Cheng Che smiled and walked over; the car door opened from the inside.
He bent down and got into the car. After he sat down, Xiao Zhou, who was in the front passenger seat, turned around and smiled at him.
"Now I can at least make a living in one place," Xiao Zhou said. "Congratulations on getting a spokesperson!"
"It's not decided yet." Cheng Che shook his head. "We have to wait for Old Qin to come and talk. By the way, where are we going now?"
After he finished speaking, he realized that Yan Ruanning, who was standing next to him, had remained silent.
He glanced at her sideways. Yan Ruanning turned her head to look out the window, deliberately avoiding his gaze.
Cheng Che was taken aback for a moment, then he understood.
He greeted Xiao Zhou first when he got on the bus, but not her.
" Ningning," he said, "Where are we going?"
Yan Ruanning shivered.
She had already learned this form of address from their previous phone call.
But hearing it face-to-face has a completely different impact.
She turned her head, trying to keep a straight face, but the tips of her ears were already red.
"Come to my studio," she said.
Cheng Che asked in surprise, "You have a studio now?"
He was familiar with the concept of a studio.
While registering a celebrity's studio is simple, the studio comes with unlimited liability.
The studio is in debt, has breached contracts, or infringed on rights; the artist's house, car, and savings must all be covered.
Moreover, you need to maintain a team, ranging from a dozen to several dozen people, with various expenses adding up to hundreds of thousands or even millions of yuan per month.
Yan Ruanning has only been in the industry for four years, how could she be this rich?
I'm so envious.
A rich woman like that deserves to be held tight.
Yan Ruanning nodded. "That's normal. I'm a singer, not an actress, so I have a steady income."
Cheng Che thought that was pretty impressive.
The driver started the car and drove the three of them away from Peking University.
The traffic in Capital City is so bad it's utterly hopeless.
The red route on the navigation screen looked like a paralyzed snake, completely motionless.
An hour later, the car finally turned into a cultural and creative park outside the East Fifth Ring Road.
" Dongba Star Shadow Cultural and Creative Park ".
It is located away from the hustle and bustle of the city center and was transformed from an old industrial plant.
The red brick exterior and large floor-to-ceiling windows give it a blend of artistic and commercial feel.
Yan Ruanning's studio occupies a separate two-story building deep inside the park.
A rather unassuming black stone tablet stands at the entrance, with the words " Ruanning Music " engraved in white on it.
Cheng Che got out of the car and looked up to look around.
The building retains the original industrial style of its structure, with warm yellow light shining through the glass curtain wall.
There was a small security booth at the entrance, where a man in his forties sat. After seeing the license plate, he dutifully opened the gate.
He clicked his tongue inwardly in amazement.
A detached house outside the Fifth Ring Road in Capital City, with an area of at least five or six hundred square meters, would have a monthly rent starting at six figures.
In addition, the top-notch soundproof recording studios and mixing rooms that singers require, along with the investment in decoration and equipment, will easily cost at least several million.
No wonder they say a studio has unlimited liability.
With rent and team salaries alone, if there's no income one day, the financial losses alone could bankrupt them.
"What are you standing there for? Come in."
Yan Ruanning had already taken off her mask and was standing at the door waiting for him, a hint of smugness on her face.
Xiao Zhou led the way with a smile:
"This place was chosen by Sister Ning last year. She searched all over Capital City to build that recording studio, and finally settled on this spot. It's quiet, and the neighbors won't complain."
Push the door open and enter.
The first floor is a spacious open-plan office area, with more than a dozen workstations fully occupied.
A business team was on the phone coordinating endorsements, a publicity team was editing videos on their computers, and someone was hurrying by carrying a stack of documents.
The wall is covered with Yan Ruanning's album posters and large photos of her concert tours over the years, and in the corner are several music festival best singer trophies.
Hello, Sister Ning!
" Sister Ning is back!"
The employees greeted him one after another, their eyes glancing curiously at Cheng Che beside him.
Yan Ruanning nodded, then turned to Cheng Che and whispered:
"See? These guys, every month after they get their salaries, my bank account is completely empty. You think it's easy to make money as a singer?"
Cheng Che didn't reply, but silently added in his mind:
With this rent, this setup, this equipment, it would be impossible to operate without hundreds of thousands or even millions of yuan a month.
Looking at Yan Ruanning's "I'm so poor, pity me" expression, his gaze hardened even more.
A rich woman like this is someone you must hold onto tight.
"Come on, let's go upstairs," Yan Ruanning called to him. " Lawyer Chen is already here."
Cheng Che followed her upstairs to the second floor.
The second floor is much quieter than the first floor.
The corridor was carpeted in gray, and several black-and-white photographs hung on the walls, seemingly from a music festival.
At the end of the corridor was a conference room, the door ajar, with light shining from inside.
Yan Ruanning pushed open the door.
The meeting room was small, with a long table, a few chairs, and a whiteboard hanging on the wall.
A woman in her forties was already sitting inside. She had short hair, wore thin-rimmed glasses, and a dark business suit. In front of her was a laptop and a stack of documents.
"This is Lawyer Chen," Yan Ruanning. "She specializes in entertainment and sports agency contracts. She helped me review several endorsement contracts before."
Cheng Che nodded. "Hello, Lawyer Chen."
Lawyer Chen stood up and shook hands with him:
"Hello Mr. Cheng. Ningning told me about the situation; Wilson asked you to be their tennis racket spokesperson?"
"Right."
"Haven't you received the contract yet?"
"Not yet. My agent is in talks with them and should be over in the next couple of days."
Lawyer Chen sat back in his chair and opened his laptop:
"It's alright. Let me first explain the basic framework and points to note for this type of contract."
She pulled up a document and turned the screen towards Cheng Che.
"Commercial endorsement contracts generally don't have any hidden traps. Especially for big international brands like Wilson, their legal teams are very experienced, and the contract terms are standardized. You should mainly look at three things."
She held up one finger:
"First, the scope of the endorsement. Does it only include tennis rackets, or does it also include apparel and footwear? The endorsement fees for rackets and apparel differ significantly, so you need to be clear about that."
Second finger:
"Secondly, the endorsement period. A one-year contract and a three-year contract have different prices and different levels of binding force. If you sign a three-year contract, and another brand offers a higher price during that period, you cannot switch."
The third finger:
"Third, the exclusivity clause. After signing with Wilson, you cannot endorse other sports brands, even those in different categories. This needs to be clearly confirmed."
Cheng Che listened very attentively.
Although he lacked business experience, the logic behind these terms was not difficult to understand.
As he listened, he was making plans in his mind.
"One more thing," Lawyer Chen added, "Athletes' endorsement contracts usually include performance clauses. For example, if you achieve a certain ranking or win a Champion, your endorsement fee will increase. This could be advantageous for you; you can talk to your agent and try to get it included."
Cheng Che nodded.
He hadn't considered this, but it was indeed to his advantage.
"Okay, I've got it," he said. "I'll have Old Qin send it to you once I get the contract."
"No problem." Lawyer Chen closed his laptop. "I'll go with you then, and we'll go over the terms with the Wilson in person."
Cheng Che thanked him and stood up.
Yan Ruanning remained silent until Lawyer Chen left, then she spoke up, "So, how was it? Reliable, right?"
"Reliable," Cheng Che said. "Thank you, Ningning."
Yan Ruanning's lips twitched slightly when she heard the name " Ningning," but she didn't correct him as she had before.
She probably already said it in front of the lawyer, so she couldn't be bothered to argue further.
"Let's go." She turned and walked out. "I'll take you to see the recording studio."
Cheng Che followed her through the corridor to another door.
Yan Ruanning pushed open the door, and a faint smell of wood mixed with electronic equipment wafted out.
The recording studio was bigger than he had imagined.
At the very back is the recording studio, separated from the control room by a huge soundproof glass panel.
Behind the glass were various musical instruments, including a piano, guitar, bass, and a drum set.
The walls of the recording studio were covered with sound-absorbing panels, and the floor was made of wood, so there was almost no sound when you stepped on it.
In the control room, a huge mixing console occupies the most central position.
The countertop is covered with knobs and pushers, each row labeled.
Next to it were two large monitors, displaying audio waveforms on their screens.
The rack was piled with various devices, including microphone amplifiers, effects processors, and equalizers, each with countless indicator lights.
"This is an SSL mixing console," Yan Ruanning said, pointing to the large console. "It's top-of-the-line in the industry. This one alone is enough to buy a house."
She then pointed to a row of microphones in the corner:
"That's Neumann U87, the standard for vocal recording. The one next to it is an AKG, used for recording string instruments. And those microphones and compressors—none of them are cheap."
Cheng Che's eyes shone brightly as he looked at these things.
He's recently become obsessed with learning music theory, spending his days flipping through textbooks, taking notes, and pondering chord progressions.
But all of this remains on paper.
He had never seen real professional recording equipment up close before, let alone imagined that one day he would be standing in such a place.
"How was it? Not bad, right?" Yan Ruanning stood next to him, her tone filled with pride. "If you want to record a song, just come to me."
Cheng Che turned around and looked at Yan Ruanning, the light in his eyes still shining.
Then he reached into his bag and pulled out the well-worn " Music Theory Basics " book and a new textbook.
" Teacher Yan," he said, holding the book in both hands with a serious expression, "I want to play basketball... no, I want to study music!"