Cynthia Murong is willing to sign with his company, but since his entertainment company hasn't been officially established yet, Ian calls Cynthia again and asks her to wait a little longer.
Cynthia doesn't show any dissatisfaction at all; instead, she laughs and says she can use this time to rest a bit more.
After ending the call with Cynthia, Ian calls Charles Zhao to follow up.
Charles tells him that he has already found three manager candidates and was just about to call Ian.
Since building the entertainment company is urgent, Ian meets all three candidates that same day.
The first candidate is Tonia Tong, who used to be the Artist Division Director at an entertainment company. She personally developed three A-list stars, but her old boss was extremely stingy—after the artists became popular, he only wanted to squeeze them for money without improving their treatment.
So when the contracts for those three A-list stars expired, all of them jumped ship. Even quite a few second-tier stars left as soon as their contracts were up.
Tonia repeatedly suggested to her boss that they should improve the treatment of successful artists, but he always argued, 'They were trained by our company, so it's only natural that they earn money for me.'
This left Tonia both speechless and helpless.
Watching the artists she had personally developed leave one by one, and after failing to persuade her boss repeatedly, Tonia grew disheartened and eventually left the company herself.
She's now been unemployed at home for over three months.
Of course, with her abilities, finding a new job wouldn't be hard, but she's worried about running into the same problems as before. Plus, now that she's over forty, she doesn't have the same drive she once did, so she hasn't made a decision.
After Ian asked Charles Zhao to help find manager candidates, Charles spread the word.
One of Tonia's former A-list stars happened to hear the news and told Charles about her situation. Charles then had someone investigate Tonia's background, found her to be quite capable, and called her personally.
Although Charles comes from a prominent family and likes to mingle in the entertainment world—he enjoys sleeping with starlets but never forces anyone—Tonia had heard of him and knew he had a powerful background.
However, she didn't agree right away. Instead, she insisted on meeting Ian face-to-face before deciding whether to join his company.
Ian and Tonia arranged to meet at a tea restaurant.
Tonia wore a professional suit and had short hair. Her skin was fair, her looks only average, but she gave off a very capable vibe.
"Hello, Mr. Song!"
"Hello, Ms. Tong."
They shake hands and sit down.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, they get straight to the point. Ian says, "I've reviewed your background, Ms. Tong. Honestly, I really admire you."
"You're too kind, Mr. Song," Tonia replies with a faint smile. "I've heard about your reputation too."
Ian's expression turns serious. "Alright, let's skip the small talk. If you're willing to join my company, I'll give you full authority over the Artist Division!"
Hearing this, Tonia's eyes light up with interest. At her previous company, even though she was called Artist Division Director, she didn't have much real power—her main role was still as a manager.
After a brief pause, Tonia asks, "Does this authority include control over artist treatment as well?"
Ian smiles, "I can promise you that any artist signed to my company will enjoy treatment that's better than anywhere else! Money is just a string of numbers to me—otherwise, I wouldn't casually give away a hundred million yuan in Weibo red envelopes."
"I believe that!" Tonia thinks of the news about Ian's one-hundred-million-yuan red envelope giveaway, and the crazy advertising for his ready-to-eat foods. Clearly, this boss isn't short on cash.
"How many artists have you signed so far, Mr. Song?" Tonia asks again.
Ian shakes his head, "Not a single one yet. But Cynthia Murong has already agreed to sign with my company. If you join, I'll let you handle Cynthia's contract!"
"Cynthia Murong!" Tonia is surprised. Cynthia isn't just an A-list star—she's right at the top. With just one good project, she could become a superstar.
In this world, celebrities are ranked as: unranked, third-tier, second-tier, A-list, and superstar.
Knowing Cynthia Murong is signing with Ian's company makes Tonia even more eager. If she can help Cynthia become a superstar, her career will be complete.
Suddenly, she recalls something—Cynthia was viciously slandered not long ago, and no one stepped up to help her. But half a month later, everything flipped: even the police in Flame City supported her, and the president of Starry Sky Entertainment ended up in jail.
No one knows exactly who helped her, but everyone guessed that a big shot was backing Cynthia.
And as for who that big shot is, people have been guessing all along.
Now it seems clear—the big shot is this young boss right in front of her.
He has connections, money, and he's generous. Most importantly, he's willing to give real authority. Where else could you find a boss like this?
So Tonia doesn't hesitate for even a second—she immediately agrees to join Ian's company.
"Welcome aboard, Ms. Tong! You won't regret your decision today!"
Ian stands up and extends his right hand.
"I'm honored to join your company, Mr. Song!" Tonia replies with a smile.
Once they're seated again, Ian says, "Let me explain your compensation: an annual salary of twelve million yuan, plus five percent commission on all Artist Division earnings, a five-million-yuan car, and an eight-million-yuan villa. If you're not satisfied, we can negotiate further!"
"This...!"
Tonia is stunned—she never expected such a generous offer. At her last company, she only got a fixed salary, and even with bonuses, her annual pay never exceeded five million.
But now, Ian has more than doubled her salary, plus a five-million-yuan car and an eight-million-yuan villa. Most importantly, there's the artist commission. She couldn't possibly ask for more.
"What? Not satisfied, Director Tong? Want me to add more?" Ian jokes.
Tonia quickly says, "No, Mr. Song, this is already more than enough—please, don't add anything else!"
She can't help but marvel—this really is a rich boss, so generous with his offers.
Ian nods, "Alright, we'll leave it at that for now. If we need to adjust later, we can. Oh, and I'll need you to handle Cynthia Murong's contract. Since she's our first signed artist, the signing bonus will be ten million yuan, with a fixed annual salary of twenty million. The profit split will be twenty percent for the company, eighty for the artist. She'll get a sports car worth at least five million, a luxury van worth eight million, and if she needs housing, we can provide a top-tier villa!"
Hearing Ian's terms for Cynthia's contract, Tonia is dumbfounded. "Mr. Song, if we really sign her like this, the company might not just fail to make money—we could end up losing a lot!"
A top A-list star like Cynthia Murong can bring in three to five hundred million yuan a year.
Even if it's five hundred million, the company only gets twenty percent—one hundred million. But with a signing bonus of ten million, a fixed annual salary, plus the car and villa, and the salaries for her assistant, manager, and bodyguards, the company will lose at least fifty million a year.
And that's assuming five hundred million. If it's only three hundred million, the loss would be close to a hundred million.