Traffic Star Development Program

Chapter 92 Please Answer Chapter 1988

Zeng Hao didn't respond. He pushed open the office door, sat down, and pulled out the document with the six clauses. He stared at the sixth clause for a long time.

Xu Wen stood at the door and asked, "Boss, will iQiyi really agree to the data verification requirement?"

"He has already agreed."

"Why?"

Zeng Hao put down the documents: "When he goes back and reports internally, he can boast that he secured the clause to protect the credibility of the platform's data, which will greatly benefit his career."

Xu Wen pondered for a moment: "So this isn't just protecting us?"

"There is no such thing as a contract that benefits only one party. If it were, the other party wouldn't sign it in the first place."

At 2 p.m., Xue Zhijian entered the recording studio on time.

The recording engineer was already in place, the mixing console was powered on and ready, and the monitoring headphones were hanging on the back of the chair. The screen showed the file of "Like the Wind" recorded yesterday, with a red note at the end of the chorus: "Ending word transition, a new version needs to be polished."

He took off his coat outside, hung it up, pushed open the soundproof door, went inside, glanced at the notes, stood in front of the microphone, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled.

The engineer leaned out from behind the mixing console: "Teacher Xue, I reviewed yesterday's version several times, especially the ending melody of the chorus—"

"I know what I'm doing." Xue Zhijian put on his in-ear monitor. "Let's start from the beginning, following the intro."

As the melodious prelude flowed gently, he closed his eyes.

He didn't want to dwell on the controversy surrounding the Spring Festival Gala stage. After the show aired, he came across a highly-rated comment that said his singing wasn't about his vocal skills, but rather a deliberately crafted persona, which garnered over four thousand likes.

He stared at the screen for a long time, then locked it, put it in his pocket, and plunged into the recording studio.

He understood the principle that one must respond to gossip with better works when he was seventeen.

The chorus arrived as scheduled, and he began to sing.

At the end, he didn't raise his pitch this time. Instead, he deliberately suppressed his voice, tightened his breath, and gently suspended the tone in mid-air for half a beat before neatly ending the sound.

The engineer next to the monitor speakers sat up straight instinctively, his eyes wide with amazement.

"Let's do it again," Xue Zhijian said first.

"Okay."

Around 7 p.m., Bai Lu finally made it back to her rented room.

The premiere of "Ning An Ru Meng" is still a while away. This afternoon, while waiting for her turn at a convenience store outside the Hengdian film set, she accidentally saw a screenshot from the trailer. In the comments section, many netizens were discussing it, saying that the character's eye acting was incredibly well-captured.

She played this character.

She saved the screenshots and added them to her phone's dedicated photo album. Currently, the album contains twenty-three screenshots, all of them from passersby praising her outstanding acting skills.

Some of the screenshots were seen by her mother, who silently forwarded them without saying a word.

She never replied, quietly saving the files as a memento.

The rented room was cramped and small, with a single bed and a window facing the wall of the neighboring apartment building. There was nothing to see at night, only the yellow paint on the old walls, which gleamed dimly under the lamplight.

She sat on the bed and took out the screenshot again to examine it closely.

"Your eyes are so expressive."

She put down her phone, washed her face, lay down on the bed, and stared blankly at the ceiling.

In 2012, she went to Seoul to participate in SM Entertainment's audition, but was eliminated in the final round.

On the afternoon of her return trip, she sat alone on the departure level of Incheon Airport, waiting for two hours. People came and went, and she was surrounded by strangers; not a single one of them recognized her. Before boarding, she posted a message on her WeChat Moments, without any caption, just a picture of the airport's high white ceiling and lighting.

Now, she lies in a cheap rental room, with a low, gray ceiling above her head and a lonely, yellowish ceiling light.

There's not much to compare; they're just two ordinary rooftops.

She closed her eyes, the compliment from the netizen flashing through her mind. She tried to suppress the upward curve of her lips, but after a few seconds, she couldn't help but let them curl up slightly.

That's fine too.

He believed that the light would eventually come, and it would come soon.

That afternoon, Tian Xiwei practiced hard in the rehearsal hall until after six o'clock before finishing.

It's currently winter break, and she's staying on campus for intensive self-training, setting a strict rule for herself: practice from 3 PM to 6 PM every day. Today marks the fifth day of this commitment.

She wasn't idle in the morning either. She got up early for a run, then went over her lines with the script, and in the afternoon she focused on physical movements and positioning. She meticulously worked out the movement sequence of the first main scene in "Chasing Jade" countless times.

The official announcement of the start of filming for "Chasing Jade" was just released a few days ago, confirming that filming will officially begin in the second half of 2017.

She was eating in the cafeteria at the time, repeatedly checking the notifications on her phone. She hurriedly moved her plate aside and opened the attachments to review them. She flipped through the contract details, the pre-production schedule, and the character design plans, and immediately spotted her name: Fan Changyu, the lead actress in this drama, Tian Xiwei.

She finished her meal peacefully, took her tray to the recycling center, and hurried back to her dormitory, where she sent a message to Chu Ran.

Chu Ran replied instantly: "Treat me to a meal."

After reading the message, she put down her phone, reopened the script of "Chasing Jade," and began to carefully read and analyze it from beginning to end.

She was now all alone in the rehearsal hall; the other students who had stayed had long since left. She picked up her bottled water, took a couple of sips, and stood in front of the mirror, focusing on the areas where her movements weren't quite right.

Fan Changyu's entrance turn always seemed to lack a certain presence. Today, she tried a new landing position, which showed some improvement, but it still wasn't solid enough and needed further refinement.

My reflection appeared in the mirror.

She repeated the turn, this time with less force, and it looked much better.

As winter night fell early, the incandescent lights in the rehearsal hall were blindingly bright, and she had no intention of turning them off.

One last set of movement patterns is needed. Let's do it one more time until it's perfect.

Around 8 p.m. that evening, Zeng Hao was still busy in his office.

After the cooperation framework was finalized, he arranged for Xu Wen to prepare the draft materials for the formal contract, and he reviewed and sorted out the overall publicity and distribution rhythm of "Ning An Ru Meng".

Before Chen, the business manager, arrived, he had already predicted three possible directions for the negotiations: the other party would accept the 62 million offer in its entirety, stick to the 55 million bottom line, or offer a compromise and engage in a bargaining game over the terms.

Sure enough, the final result was the third one, which was exactly what he expected.

Article 6, the data verification clause, was agreed to by Chen Shangwu more readily than expected. This indicates that iQiyi is currently under intense public pressure regarding data, and this pressure does not originate from him, but rather comes from the entire industry at the center of a storm.

The chaos of data fraud has not yet fully erupted, but it is already brewing beneath the surface, and those inside the platform noticed the crisis earlier than outsiders.

He wrote this agreement perfectly.

According to the accounts, the company's previous payments are still more than 50 days away from arriving. If the "Ning An Ru Meng" contract is successfully finalized, the initial payment of 35% will amount to 20.3 million yuan, with the agreed settlement within ten working days.

Once this funding arrives, the company's cash flow pressure will be greatly relieved, allowing them to breathe a sigh of relief in their operations.

He turned off the office light, picked up his coat, and stood up. In the corridor, Xu Wen had long since left work, and the reception desk light was on alone, casting a yellowish, old glow on the passageway.

He went downstairs to the parking lot, where his car was parked in a corner. He opened the car door and sat down, but instead of starting the engine immediately, he remained quietly in the driver's seat, lost in thought.

Fifty-eight million.

He silently recited the number in his mind, his heart calm and unmoved, neither overjoyed nor relaxed.

A moment later, he started the car and slowly drove away from the parking lot.

Shortly after nine o'clock in the evening, Chu Ran received a message from Tian Xiwei.

Are you free tonight? Where are you going to be?

She was standing in the dormitory hallway waiting for her takeout when she casually replied:

"Waiting for late-night snacks in the stairwell."

Tian Xiwei: "Come over when the takeout arrives. Let's watch a show together. I've stocked up on some good ones."

Chu Ran: "What show is it?"

Tian Xiwei: "You'll see when you get here; it's guaranteed to be beautiful."

Chu Ran: "You're keeping us in suspense again."

The takeout arrived quickly. She carried the food container back to her dorm, ate it quickly, changed into a coat, slung her small bag over her shoulder, and knocked on Tian Xiwei's dorm door.

Tian Xiwei pulled her into the room, closed the door, brought out a laptop, and the two sat side by side on the bed. She turned the screen around: "Have you watched 'Reply 1988'?"