38: domineering CEO

Lu Jin said, "You should know about Mingsheng Entertainment. Their CEO is a friend of my father's. Before I came to Black Pearl, they even invited me to join their company. If you're interested, Brother Xu, I can talk to them. With your professional skills, I'm sure they would be very eager to have you join."

Xu Dongcai certainly knew about Mingsheng Entertainment; it was one of the top five entertainment companies and much better than Black Pearl Entertainment. He had already reached the ceiling of his position at Black Pearl, but he was only forty years old and should be in the prime of his career. If there were a better platform—Lu Jin had originally come to Black Pearl Entertainment for Su Jixing because of his excellent reputation in the industry. He hadn't expected to be assigned to Xu Dongcai in the end. Since that was the case, it didn't matter whether he stayed at Black Pearl or not.

Xu Dongcai didn't say anything, but Lu Jin knew he was tempted.

Seeing this, Lu Jin added fuel to the fire: "Brother Xu, I don't think Black Pearl treats you well. You're clearly more capable than Su Jixing, but Chen Ting treats Su Jixing better than you. Why stay at a company like this?"

Sure enough, Xu Dongcai was moved. Lu Jin contacted Mingsheng Entertainment; as long as Xu Dongcai was willing to go, they would give him a five percent raise and a position that was at least as high as, if not higher than, the one at Black Pearl Entertainment.

Chen Ting was stunned when he found out. He looked at the contract termination papers handed over by Lu Jin and Xu Dongcai, thinking Xu Dongcai was joking.

"Old Xu, there's no need for this, right? It's just one resource. You're taking this too far."

Xu Dongcai said, "Boss, people move up. You can't stop me from seeking a promotion and making more money."

Only then did Chen Ting realize that Xu Dongcai wasn't joking, and his expression turned solemn.

"Old Xu, are you serious? We've worked together for nearly ten years. If there's anything you're unhappy with, you can just tell me."

Xu Dongcai had long been bought over by the terms offered by Mingsheng Entertainment and was eager to leave Black Pearl as soon as possible.

"Boss, I don't want to say anything more. Let's part on good terms."

Throughout the morning, Chen Ting was fuming. He hadn't expected someone he had worked with for over a decade to leave so resolutely. Xu Dongcai even took Lu Jin with him. Lu Jin's contract would be negotiated by Mingsheng Entertainment, following the terms of the agreement.

Su Jixing was hit with a triple shock when he heard the news. Holy crap, Xu Dongcai jumped ship!

To be honest, he had already prepared for Xu Dongcai to become the future CEO of Black Pearl Entertainment. Chen Ting indeed had that intention, as Xu Dongcai was very good at external relations and business affairs.

But if he's leaving, he's leaving. He didn't have much affection for Xu Dongcai anyway.

Before Chen Ting could grieve for too long, recording for Music Partner began.

The day before recording, Su Jixing took the opportunity to bring Lu Qingyu back to the company for an evaluation.

In the entertainment industry, many artists are double or triple threats. Su Jixing felt confident about Lu Qingyu's musical path, but he wanted to see Lu Qingyu's talent for acting.

After arriving at the company, Su Jixing found a professional acting teacher to evaluate Lu Qingyu. Lu Qingyu went in with the teacher, while Su Jixing waited like an old father whose child was taking the National College Entrance Exam.

Finally, half an hour later, Lu Qingyu and the teacher came out. Lu Qingyu had a confident look on his face, like a top student who had just handed in the paper early.

Su Jixing was delighted. Could it be that Lu Qingyu was also very talented in acting?

He pulled Lu Qingyu aside and asked, "How do you feel you performed?"

Lu Qingyu said with a face full of confidence, "The teacher even praised me for being good-looking."

Su Jixing looked at the acting teacher with great anticipation.

As soon as the acting teacher looked up, she met a pair of large, watery eyes. The words already at her throat were suddenly swallowed back down.

Looking back at Lu Qingyu, who was drinking Chrysanthemum and goji berry tea, the teacher sincerely gave him a thumbs up. This kid really didn't suffer from any internal conflict at all.

Just now, the acting teacher had given Lu Qingyu five prompts. For example, to act as a white-collar worker catching a bus during the morning rush hour. Lu Qingyu performed by throwing a stack of RMB into the coin box and then saying to the driver, "Driver, I've chartered this bus."

The acting teacher was instantly speechless. What kind of plot direction was this? You could say he lacked common sense, but he knew to put money in the box. You could say he understood, but he wanted to charter a public bus!

The acting teacher thought Lu Qingyu was being difficult on purpose, so she later had him play a gambler who owed twenty thousand yuan. Lu Qingyu didn't understand; he had never owed money. Should he cry at a time like this?

The acting teacher: !!! "Hey, why are you so arrogant when you owe money?"

Lu Qingyu: "Teacher, you don't understand. Nowadays, the one who owes money is the boss."

The acting teacher was driven crazy.

Under these circumstances, Lu Qingyu tormented the acting teacher for half an hour. She now somewhat regretted not letting Su Jixing come in for the evaluation together.

"It's fine. The kid is photogenic and has a good image."

Su Jixing strongly agreed with the acting teacher. He had noticed it when Lu Qingyu was on Love Journey—the kid's image on screen was truly outstanding.

"Yes, yes. So, Teacher, how is his acting? How long will it take for him to be ready for roles?"

Normally, trainees recruited by the company can start taking on simple roles for practice after three months of classes. Later, if a trainee gets better resources, the teacher will provide one-on-one guidance.

Even trainees with little talent can usually be ready for the screen in at most half a year. But remembering Lu Qingyu's performance just now, a look of unprecedented conflict appeared on the acting teacher's face as she said euphemistically,

"Acting is a slow process. Two or three years should be about right."

When Su Jixing heard this timeframe, a look of disbelief flashed across his face. "Two or three years? Might as well send him to a media school. Why bother with expensive private lessons?"

The acting teacher euphemistically expressed the idea that Lu Qingyu was not suited for acting. Su Jixing had a bit of a headache.

He looked back at Lu Qingyu, who was sitting on the sofa scrolling through his phone, and for a moment didn't know what to say.

When he had managed his first artist, that person's acting talent was also quite average. The acting teacher said he needed six months of training. Su Jixing remembered comforting him for a long time not to lose heart. But looking at Lu Qingyu, this guy's mindset was so good that he certainly didn't need any comfort.

Fine, having a mentally strong artist is also quite good.

However, good resources don't wait for anyone. Su Jixing had received quite a few film and television resources for the next quarter today. It would be a real shame to miss out.

"Teacher, would it be better if we gave him extra classes?"

Acting teacher: "What I said was already based on the premise of extra classes."

Su Jixing: !!!

"Does it really have to take that long? Teacher, the resources won't wait!"

Seeing Su Jixing's dilemma, the acting teacher thought for a moment and said, "If you absolutely must take on roles, get him some parts as a Wealthy young master, an Overbearing CEO, or a Playful rich second generation. I think he won't need much technique to play those."

Su Jixing: !!!