CH 9

Chapter 9: Agent

Ye Li was an agent of Xingyao Entertainment. He had graduated from a prestigious university, ambitious and ready to build up a career.

He had entered the industry for a year and a half, and he didn't have a single artist under him.

This wasn't an issue with his abilities as an agent. He had a good reputation in the industry, but he wasn't very well-known. In other words, he wasn't well-known among artists.

Many actors and celebrities knew about the most capable agents like the back of their hand—a good agent can boost their careers with only half the effort—but very few of them knew about Ye Li.

However, their agents definitely knew of Ye Li. His network consisted of other agents, directors, show producers, and investors.

When Ye Li terminated the contract with his artist, many people contacted Ye Li, wanting to help him connect with an artist, but Ye Li refused them one by one.

Ye Li's professional abilities were very strong. He was exceptionally experienced when it came to interpersonal relationships, not at all like a newcomer to the industry.

He could keep calm in any bad situation, handle it in an orderly manner, and make a clear and concise plan of action in the face of any emergency on the spot.

The reason why he was not well-known was because of one of his weird demands.

Ye Li would only sign newcomers, and he would only sign one at a time. He had a lot of requirements for his artist, one of which being that they absolutely had to be someone who had just entered the industry.

Be it an actor or an idol, it didn't matter.

Whether it was a professionally trained actor who had just entered the industry or a reserve idol trainee that shined above the rest, Ye Li has signed them both before.

Since joining the industry, Ye Li had only signed two newcomers in total, and, every time, the contract period was set to be one year.

Both chose not to renew the contract. In fact, the second one even chose to cancel the contract in advance.

At the time, both of them were considered excellent seedlings. One was an up-and-coming actor, and the other was an idol capable of breathtaking high notes.

They spoke highly of Ye Li's professional ability, but they all complained that he was too harsh.

Ye Li didn't particularly care about renewing the contract either. The decision to cancel the contract was two-sided. He also had no intention of continuing the contract. In fact, towards the end, he was also tired of it. It was due to professional ethics that he was able to see it to the end.

Towards the end, Ye Li could almost see how they would end up. At most, they might be able to barely squeeze into the very bottom of the A-list. This kind of future withered his enthusiasm. No, without him pulling the strings, they might not even be able to reach that.

Especially the one who ended the contract, an idol, who was now in a relationship.

Ye Li was not very optimistic about his future.

When he first started in the industry, his attitude was fairly upright, but, later, he started having inappropriate contact with his fans and got a girlfriend. This situation happened at least two or three times. Ye Li warned him, but he was incorrigible.

Later, because of this, the two fell out with each other. Finally, he proposed to terminate the contract on the grounds that Ye Li interfered too much with his private life.

Ye Li agreed. He could see very clearly.

Unless the other party is able to change in a short period of time or unless they managed to hide the relationship very well, everything he had now could be easily destroyed.

Not everyone could be as efficient as Ye Li, spurring themselves to keep moving forward.

Ye Li was very demanding. He would only sign one artist at a time, putting all of his energy on them. He would select the best path of development for his artist and would require to be in control of everything for them.

Newcomers could accept it at first, but they started to slack off once they had some degree of fame.

In fact, more flexible management could also get a good result. The artist would be happy, and he could get both fame and fortune.

But Ye Li's goal was much bigger than that. He wants much, much more. He wanted to create history's brightest star.

Just like Xie Luyu.

At the age of nineteen, he debuted and won the Best Newcomer Award for his supporting role in a movie from the same year.

At the age of twenty, the film he starred in was nominated for an Academy Award, which gave him a firm foothold in the film and television industry.

At the age of twenty-two, he starred as the lead actor in Director Chen's film and won the most sought-after film award in China. At the same time, he won numerous awards, large and small.

At the age of twenty-three, he had become a top-tier star. Even if countless real and fake scandals plastered the web, even if entertainment media criticized him for his supposed nasty temper, his career still flourished.

At the age of twenty-seven, he won the Golden Globe Award, the highest honor an actor can get, and he was crowned "movie emperor".

The film and television industry was very particular about qualifications and seniority, but Xie Luyu was an exception. From the very beginning, he was the favorite of many famous directors.

He did not try to please his fans. He did not try to please anyone, nor did he need to please anyone. His words and actions can almost be considered arrogant, but his capabilities proved that he deserved to be that arrogant.

His fans both love and hate him. Even his anti-fans, who cannot stand him the most, have to recognize his achievements.

His most iconic scenes had been used in classrooms, both at home and abroad, and had been analyzed and studied repeatedly. His most recognizable roles were still beloved by the audiences. At only twenty-seven years of age, he had become the benchmark, the standard in the performing arts world. He had a very high reputation, not just domestically, but globally.

It could be seen that he still had a long and prosperous career ahead of him. He was still far from his peak.

This was the brilliance Ye Li wanted to achieve.

Even though he failed twice, Ye Li was not discouraged, but rather he started looking for suitable candidates again.

This time, he was much more cautious than the previous two times. He was too arrogant before. He thought that, so long as his sculpting abilities were superb, even a stone can become an invaluable handicraft.

It turns out that he was wrong.

This time, he decided to look for a candidate who was a valuable, unpolished gem to begin with. That way, even if they begin to slack off later, at least it won't end with them hitting a ceiling.

Then one day, Ye Li saw Gu Qingchi on the trending list. At that time, he didn't care. He thought it was an idol who was about to debut. He subconsciously evaluated the other and thought that he would make a splash soon or later, but there was no news.

It wasn't until Gu Qingchi bombed Weibo again because of Treasure Hunt that Ye Li took notice of him. Compared with the short-lived flash in the pan from last time, this time, Gu Qingchi really entered everyone's field of vision.

However, even as the topic continued to ferment, there was still no news on Gu Qingchi, even his name had yet to be revealed. Something wasn't right here. If they missed the right timing, then the public enthusiasm will eventually die down.

Ye Li keenly smelled a problem, and so he immediately called all of his colleagues to try and sniff out information. It turned out they didn't know anything about this Gu Qingchi who showed up out of nowhere either.

Most people thought that Gu Qingchi was a newcomer that Treasure Hunt was promoting, but Ye Li realized something was wrong. Gu Qingchi wasn't an industry newcomer. He was most likely just a normal person.

It was such a bold guess that Ye Li was almost taken aback by it. At the same time, however, he was also extremely excited.

In this day and age, a non-celebrity was able to get on the trending list twice all on his own, setting off a storm on the internet. It was simply incredible.

Ye Li went into action immediately. He didn't notify anyone and started an all-out investigation.

Finally, he got a clue from a western restaurant. Initially, he gave them a phone call, but the other party was very vigilant and did not leak any information. It seemed that they had already become used to dealing with this kind of thing.

Finally, Ye Li went there in person, and, after some setbacks, he finally got Gu Qingchi's contact information.

The real person surprised Ye Li even more than his photos. He had mentally prepared himself for the real person to not be as stunning as the photos and videos, but he couldn't find a single flaw in him even when he examined him with the most critical eye.

The process of signing Gu Qingchi was unexpectedly smooth.

It went so smoothly that Ye Li almost thought that it was a trap. Most people would hesitate and ask for the opinions of friends and family. Although Ye Li had prepared the contract, he had already prepared himself to have to wait for a while before being able to sign him.

This was their first conversation, which took no longer than half an hour, yet Gu Qingchi nonchalantly agreed.

Ye Li filed away the documents, stood up, and stretched out his hand.

"In that case, from now on, we'll be partners. Happy cooperation."

Gu Qingchi hesitantly stretched out his arm and shook Ye Li's hand. It felt rather novel. It had been a long time since he last shook someone's hand. He smiled at Ye Li.

"Happy cooperation."

Then, he picked up his own copy of the contract and casually folded it.

Regarding the contract, Ye Li had explained a lot.

However, Gu Qingchi's focus was completely stolen by the base pay of 20,000 yuan. Once he heard that, he had already decided to agree. As for what kind of contract it was, Gu Qingchi actually didn't really care much about it.

However, the A Contract he signed sounded a bit better than the B Contract.

Gu Qingchi absentmindedly slipped into thought

He seemed a little different from the usual Gu Qingchi who lived in his own little world.

Ye Li entered working mode right after signing the contract.

"Where do you live now? Did you buy it or are you renting it?"

"Wang Apartments B302, I'm renting it."

Ye Li hadn't heard of the place before. He glanced at his watch.

"Cancel your lease and move into the company assigned apartment as soon as possible. I just sent you the address. It has one bedroom, one living room, one kitchen, and one bathroom. The environment is good. The entire community is owned by our company. You don't have to worry about security."

Gu Qingchi had gotten used to being lazy.

After getting divorced, the first person he had gotten to know was Chen Jiu, this kind of hedonistic, pleasure-seeking person. Later, the extent of his interpersonal relationships was just his colleagues, none of which he knew particularly well.

This was the first time that Gu Qingchi had met someone as spirited and hardworking as Ye Li. It was rather new for him.

However, Gu Qingchi had always been a flexible person, and he didn't reject having his affairs managed by someone else. In fact, having his affairs managed by someone else rather suited him.

Gu Qingchi didn't have any friends or relatives in this world. He was like duckweed drifting on water. Two years was enough time to isolate him from the crowd. Even though he was starting to reintegrate, it still wasn't the same as before.

Later, he met Chen Jiu who was somewhat similar to him, but they still weren't the same. Chen Jiu pursued pleasure, but Gu Qingchi couldn't even be bothered to do that.

Gu Qingchi had gotten used to only being responsible for himself. However, he didn't particularly care about what happened to himself. Even if he died, it didn't particularly matter, so he had never had any goals.

He had lived a life without goals for too long.

Ye Li was like a fixed lighthouse, standing above the ocean's edge. He intercepted Gu Qingchi, who was drifting aimlessly among the waves, and gave him a feeling of having both feet planted on the ground.

"I can finish moving before nine o'clock today."

Ye Li gave Gu Qingchi another glance. His previous two artists had never been this obedient, even during the beginning when they had been most cooperative.

Ye Li was very satisfied, and his good impression of Gu Qingchi increased.

"I'm free today. I can drive to help you move."

Although Gu Qingchi was lazy, he was very efficient when he asked to do something. He was very suited to be managed by someone else.

He didn't have very many things. A single suitcase plus a pet carrier were all he had, so a single trip was more than enough.

After only half an hour, he moved to a new home.

The apartment wasn't very big nor small, about 45 square meters. There was one bedroom, one living room, one kitchen, and one bathroom. It was just right for one person and was already fully equipped. The main color of the interior decorating was a warm beige, which looked very cozy

It was much better than the partitioned room that Gu Qingchi lived in before.

Little Dragon Li was still a little unused to the new environment at first, so it stayed in the pet carrier, occasionally sticking its head out to see if Gu Qingchi was still there. Gu Qingchi didn't pay attention to it. It didn't take long before it started playing around in the new space.

Ye Li couldn't help but take a few more glances at the little Dragon Li who was following Gu Qingchi, determined to get in the way. He took his coat from the coat hanger by the door.

"It's getting late, so you just get settled in for today. I will start making plans for you tomorrow."