After New Year's Day, Xiao He returned to the film crew.
As expected, he once again became the center of attention for the rest of the crew.
Iman'er was even more direct; she pinched Xiao He's shoulder, sizing him up and down with a puzzled expression: "How did you manage that?"
Xiao He was usually busy filming, so he had very little time for exercise. Although he did work out, he didn't have exaggerated large muscles; instead, he had a very well-proportioned physique, the kind that looked good in clothes. Iman'er really couldn't tell that this guy was a rock-climbing enthusiast.
Xiao He spread his hands: "Maybe saving someone activated my potential."
Iman'er: "...You're incredible."
After this incident, the relationship between the rest of the crew and Xiao He improved, but with one exception—
That, of course, was Su Shengxi.
Xiao He sometimes felt that as an ordinary person, he couldn't understand how someone like Su Shengxi's mind worked. Wasn't it just making people NG a few more times? Was it necessary to hold such a grudge?
Seeing Su Shengxi glare at him, Xiao He merely shrugged.
I'm too lazy to bother with you anyway; your manager is about to ditch you soon~
-
In the afternoon, Xiao He officially met with Liu Rulan at a coffee shop to discuss the upcoming signing.
As Xiao He had guessed, Liu Rulan was indeed preparing to strike out on her own.
"Currently, our newly established studio has no other artists. If you are willing to join, you will be our first artist, and all our focus and resources will be shifted entirely to you," Liu Rulan said very seriously, "You don't have to worry about resources at all. Over the years, I've built my own network and resource channels in the Inner Entertainment Circle. Your future resource treatment will absolutely not be worse than artists from other companies..."
Liu Rulan spoke voluminously, and Xiao He listened very carefully, having already made up his mind.
It had to be said, Liu Rulan was definitely his best choice at the moment.
Regarding Liu Rulan's situation, Xiao He had already thoroughly investigated online. Before managing Su Shengxi, Liu Rulan had always managed acting-focused stars. Several of her former artists had almost all received highly recognized industry awards. He naturally had complete faith in Liu Rulan's abilities.
Especially regarding Su Shengxi's relationship, although its exposure had a significant impact on Su Shengxi at the time, when Xiao He observed Su Shengxi's career now, he realized that he had truly not been affected in the slightest.
Fans still doted on him, Su Shengxi was still a top star, and not even one endorsement or announcement had been lost.
Xiao He certainly didn't believe that Liu Rulan hadn't painstakingly worked behind the scenes.
It's just—
"Why did you choose me?"
Xiao He asked.
This was also what he understood the least. As a small newcomer, Liu Rulan had shown great enthusiasm for him from the very beginning, even frequently extending olive branches to him. While he was flattered, he was also somewhat puzzled.
Before Liu Rulan, it wasn't that no other large companies or big managers had approached him. But these people saw him as a newcomer without a professional background, and the demands they gave were very strict. Contracts were basically an 80/20 split, no power to choose scripts, mandatory obedience to company arrangements, and a ten-year contract upon signing.
However, the contract Liu Rulan brought was a 60/40 split, script selection prioritized the artist's wishes, and a three-year contract.
The superiority and inferiority were clear at a glance.
Liu Rulan did not hide anything, frankly saying: "Signing you is indeed the optimal solution among all my choices."
As early as when Su Shengxi's relationship was exposed, Liu Rulan had noticed this newcomer. Although he didn't come from a professional background, his acting skills were no less inferior to other stars in the Inner Entertainment Circle. At the same time, he was very low-key, diligently moving between various film crews, and not blindly pursuing traffic and popularity. Liu Rulan used her connections to investigate and found that everyone had very positive evaluations of Xiao He.
A newcomer with strength, ambition, who doesn't blindly pursue traffic, has decent character, comes with a foundation of works, has a certain number of fans, hasn't signed with a company, and has no contract disputes behind him... Liu Rulan really couldn't think of a better choice than Xiao He.
After listening to Liu Rulan's words, Xiao He was silent for a second, then finally nodded: "Okay, then I wish us a pleasant cooperation!"
After signing the contract, Liu Rulan immediately began her work, taking over all of Xiao He's business affairs—although for now, Xiao He hasn't temporarily taken on these ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) business announcements.
"Should I call you Sister Liu from now on?" Xiao He asked.
"You can," Liu Rulan flipped through Xiao He's platform accounts, then nodded, "Currently, your main account has no major issues. Remember to switch to your alt account when logging into platforms in the future."
"Okay, Sister Liu."
"You haven't posted anything inappropriate on your alt account, have you?"
"No."
"Have you ever been in a relationship? Are you single now?"
"I haven't been in a relationship; I've always been single."
"Have you had any experiences with prostitution, gambling, or drugs? Were there any bullying behaviors during your school days? Have there been any relevant dark histories or principled mistakes in the past? Do you have any criminal records? What is your parents' family situation? Are there any untrustworthy individuals in your family?"
Liu Rulan then rattled off a barrage of questions, which left Xiao He a bit dazed. However, considering the current collapse rate in the Inner Entertainment Circle, he felt relieved and answered Liu Rulan's questions one by one very seriously and sincerely.
After confirming Xiao He's basic situation, Liu Rulan nodded with satisfaction.
Very good, no more cleaning up messes for people.
"Okay, I generally understand your situation. I hope you take responsibility for what you just said, otherwise, if any problems arise, I may not be able to cover for you," Liu Rulan clasped her hands on the table, staring at Xiao He, "You can recall again now if there's anything else you haven't told me."
Xiao He really thought back carefully, then remembered another matter: "Oh, by the way, I've been on trending searches a few times before, but I was never shown..."
"The matter with Su Shengxi, I know," Liu Rulan said, "You saved Xu Youyou at the time, but paparazzi photographed you and claimed you were Xu Youyou's secret boyfriend. Don't worry about this; I will handle it for you."
"Yes," Xiao He nodded, "There was also Ran Yunrui's car accident; I was in the driver's car at the time. Although I wasn't shown, I was half a witness and insider. Cheng Hongwen even gave me hush money then. Another time was a trending search online about a guy catching a cross-dressing thief; the person in it was also me."
"And then there's this time, Mu Ze saving someone on New Year's Eve."
Liu Rulan: "..."
No way, are newcomers this fierce these days?
However, fortunately, Liu Rulan was also professional and quickly adjusted her emotions: "I understand. You don't need to worry about any of these things; I will handle all of them for you."
"Okay, thank you, Sister Liu."
After discussing everything, Xiao He returned to the film crew feeling light.
The next day, Liu Rulan arrived at the film crew with a pile of things and distributed them to the rest of the crew on behalf of Xiao He.
In less than an hour, everyone in the film crew knew that Liu Rulan was now Xiao He's manager.
"What's going on?" Iman'er looked at Xiao He in shock, seemingly not expecting Xiao He to have such ability, "You can actually poach Su Shengxi's manager?"
Xiao He looked very innocent: "It has nothing to do with me, Sister Liu approached me."
"Thank you, Teacher Yi, for taking care of Xiao He during this time," Liu Rulan smiled and stepped forward to greet Iman'er, "Xiao He will trouble Teacher Yi and everyone else even more in the coming time."
Iman'er was quite flattered, taking the coffee Liu Rulan offered with both hands: "No, no problem."
Don't underestimate Liu Rulan just because she's a small manager; Liu Rulan's reputation and status in the industry are very influential. Even someone as proud as Iman'er didn't dare to offend Liu Rulan casually. She actively took a sip of the coffee in her hand, then carefully asked: "Sister Liu has left Jiaxing Entertainment?"
"Yes, I have some other plans," Liu Rulan explained calmly.
Iman'er understood.
And coincidentally, not long after Liu Rulan arrived at the film crew, Su Shengxi's new manager also came over.
Upon arriving, the person immediately headed straight for Liu Rulan and Xiao He.
