Seeing He Jinnian's attitude, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
They are all intelligent people, and He Jinnian has probably already guessed their purpose in coming. Under such circumstances, He Jinnian still showed them great goodwill, which means that the probability of success of this matter is very high!
Of course, we'll need to discuss the details first.
Xiao [N O V E L I G H T] Lou poured tea for everyone, and Liu Rulan didn't bring up the matter at the first opportunity. Instead, she chatted casually with He Jinnian for a few minutes.
After drinking about half of her tea, Liu Rulan finally got to the point: "Why haven't I seen Manager He today?"
"He went to take care of something."
He Jinnian said something ambiguous.
In reality, He Wenming returned to his former employer, Yunheng Entertainment.
He Jinnian was previously an artist under Yunheng Entertainment, and He Wenming was also assigned to him by Yunheng Entertainment. Later, the two gradually developed and gained confidence and influence. Because they did not want to continue to be bound by Yunheng Entertainment's script of "nurturing" newcomers, He Jinnian and He Wenming eventually started their own studio.
Although it is still nominally affiliated with Yunheng Entertainment, the two sides have little to do with each other anymore, and they have lived peacefully together over the years.
However, due to the immense popularity brought by He Jinnian, Banana Video, which is associated with Yunheng Entertainment, also gained huge traffic and has been thriving in recent years by relying on the copyright of He Jinnian's works.
Now that He Jinnian wants to move behind the scenes, their studio doesn't have any artists that He Wenming can take over, so He Wenming plans to go to Yunheng Entertainment first to explore potential talents.
However, now that He Jinnian has seen Shu Han, he feels that it is unnecessary.
He knew a little about Shu Han's situation, after all, he had only become famous a few years earlier than Shu Han, and they had even been competitors once or twice. It wasn't until Shu Han went to Hollywood that the two completely lost contact.
"When did Teacher Shu return?"
"It was probably before the Spring Festival. I went back to my hometown a while ago."
Are you still planning to leave?
"I'm not planning to leave."
"Ready to go solo?"
"Pretty much, but I'm currently considering joining the studio, so I'm still thinking about it."
He Jinnian was well aware of Shu Han's abilities and character. He originally wanted to invite Shu Han to their studio directly, but after glancing at Liu Rulan and Xiao He who were standing silently to the side, he probably knew that this would not be so easy.
Since the people were all brought in through Liu Rulan's connections, it was basically decided that they would be staying at Ling Hui's studio.
However, He Jinnian still asked persistently, "Is Teacher Shu interested in our studio? You know He Wenming, his abilities are very suitable for being your agent."
Shu Han shook his head firmly, politely declining: "I'm sorry, Brother Jin Nian, I don't currently have any plans to live in Beijing long-term."
He Jinnian's studio is in Beijing, and he himself resides in Beijing. He Wenming is from Shanghai, but when setting up his studio, he, as He Jinnian's agent, did not hesitate to choose Beijing.
Once Shu Han joins He Jinnian's studio, it means he will likely be active in Beijing from now on.
Shu Han still prefers Shanghai, mainly because he knows more people there, and most of his old connections are based there.
He Jinnian immediately said with some regret, "Oh, that's a real shame."
He Jinnian has no plans to disband his studio yet; this is his way of leaving himself an escape route.
Therefore, no matter how satisfied He Jinnian is with Shu Han, he cannot possibly give He Wenming away to another studio.
This isn't a question of whether the relationship is good or bad; it's a question of interests.
He Jinnian is not going to back down.
Fortunately, Liu Rulan had anticipated this and continued to say to He Jinnian, "I know Mr. He's concerns, but we really hope that Manager He can come to our studio. Our studio is currently simple in structure and has few artists. If Manager He is willing to come, he will naturally receive the highest treatment. Moreover, Mr. He, you should also know about Shu Han's current situation. He really needs a manager like He Wenming."
Liu Rulan began to unleash her silver tongue.
“Over the years, He has expanded his network considerably, but Shanghai is still his home base. It is a good thing for him to be able to return to Shanghai and stay here.”
He Jinnian's expression finally softened a little when Liu Rulan mentioned that He Wenming's family lived in Shanghai.
He Jinnian felt that he owed He Wenming a great deal.
Firstly, when they set up their studio, He Wenming chose Beijing as the location for him.
Secondly, when his career was at its peak, he wanted to move behind the scenes, and He Wenming did not complain. Not only did he not rush to scout new artists, but he also helped He Jinnian find connections and paved the way for He Jinnian in advance.
Therefore, He Jinnian felt both grateful and guilty towards He Wenming.
Liu Rulan's words really hit his weak spot.
But He Jinnian still shook his head: "I'm sorry, I won't agree unless He Wenming is willing."
Liu Rulan sighed inwardly: ...It's precisely because you disagree that he definitely disagrees too! You two are stuck in a dilemma!
Liu Rulan's mind raced, preparing to approach the matter from other angles, when Xiao He suddenly asked, "If we were to take over the studio under your management, Brother Jin Nian, would you have any related intentions or plans?"
"Take over my studio?"
He Jinnian was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled.
"That won't work either."
He doesn't even want to give up his agent, so why should he merge his entire studio, which he has worked so hard to build, into another studio?
He Jinnian isn't retiring from the entertainment industry; he needs to leave himself a way out.
“Brother Jin Nian will definitely focus on behind-the-scenes work from now on. Instead of spreading his energy across these things, why not just pass the pressure on to others?” Xiao He said.
"Given Brother Jin Nian's current situation, he probably wants to invest and start a project with his own funds, but this is extremely risky. No one knows what the future outcome will be. However, our Linghui Studio is very willing to share the risk with you and continue to provide funding and actor support."
Upon hearing Xiao He's words, He Jinnian's expression changed slightly, and she looked at Xiao He with a hint of inquiry.
How could he know... his plans?
Xiao He pretended not to notice He Jinnian's scrutiny and said slowly, "Our studio's current financial situation is good, and we can fully support Brother Jinnian to do the projects he wants without being interfered with by others."
“Over the years, I’ve accumulated some wealth, so I can naturally start projects with my own funds without having to smuggle in my studio,” He Jinnian said, staring at Xiao He. “Moreover, even if I don’t have enough funds, the investors I know in the Chinese entertainment industry are very willing to invest in my projects. What’s more, there’s my former employer, Yunheng Entertainment, which is backed by an even larger capital group. What makes you think that you can both take over my studio and invest in my projects?”
"Yes, Brother Jin Nian's connections are naturally no less than ours, but the main purpose of these connections is still your value as an actor. No matter how good their relationship with you is, they still have to consider costs and profits. As an actor, you don't have to worry about investment, but if you want to be a director, are you sure they are willing to invest in your project unconditionally?"
Xiao He asked the pointed question.
As an actor, Ho Kam-nin naturally has great investment potential.
But if he wants to switch careers and become a behind-the-scenes director...
Putting aside the fact that He Jinnian himself has no directing experience, his commercial value alone is enough to attract investors he knows to flock to his door. However, these people aren't stupid; they're not going to do something that loses money, so—
Investing is fine, but if you lose money, how about a contract of servitude?
