73: Chapter 73 Everything is ready except for the east wind

And a 60/40 split on gifts and other earnings?

It’s the money he earned himself, so why the hell should he give them 60%?

What was he after?

After having a so-called company?

Or after having a so-called team?

Or was he just looking for them to treat him like a complete fool?

Clearly, the other party was indeed trying to play him for a fool.

Just look...

"Our company strictly abides by laws and regulations. Paying taxes is every citizen's duty, so all splits are after-tax."

"However, you can rest assured about this. Our company has a professional financial team. Within the bounds of the law, our financial team will reasonably strive for the maximum benefit for the company and for you."

Chen Sheng really didn't want to roll his eyes, but hearing this, he couldn't help but let one fly.

Buddy, your mask has already fallen; there’s really no need to keep dressing yourself up as a good person.

"Regarding the team the company provides for you, their salaries are paid by the company. However, bonuses and rewards will be your personal responsibility."

"There are many streamers collaborating with the company—some have many fans, some have few. The amount of bonuses for each team varies, so the company cannot make a uniform arrangement. You can understand that, right, Mr. Chen?"

"I can understand." Chen Sheng added in his heart, "But I don't accept it."

How much is a salary anyway?

If he truly became a big streamer, the commission from just one month would be more than enough to pay a year's worth of salaries.

The lion's share was all in the bonuses and rewards.

"From its inception, our company has always adhered to a people-oriented approach. After signing, we won't strictly require streamers to follow every arrangement; how you choose is entirely voluntary."

Chen Sheng: "Talk is cheap."

They say there are no strict requirements now, but once he joined, if he refused a task arranged by the company, they would have plenty of ways and means to force compliance.

The entertainment industry had already played this trick to death, and now it was being brought into the streaming world.

"Mr. Chen, after you sign the contract with the company, the company will create a professional plan for you. At the same time, the company—"

"—will also invest huge resources to help you grow."

"The company's resources don't just appear out of thin air; the company also has costs. So, to be safe, once the contract is signed, the account belongs to the company. When the contract is terminated, the company will initiate a resource audit, and once it's confirmed the company has recovered its costs, the account will belong to the individual."

"If the company hasn't recovered its costs, the account remains with the company. Mr. Chen, you should be able to understand this too, right?"

"I understand!" Chen Sheng thought to himself, "I understand your mother's twisted logic."

Seeing that Chen Sheng "understood," the other party paused for a few seconds before speaking again: "Mr. Chen, regarding the contract duration, our company has always benchmarked against the entire industry. Currently, the industry standard is 10 years, but our company only signs for eight."

What a "only." Chen Sheng almost wanted to clap; the man had truly mastered the art of language.

Seeing no objection from Chen Sheng, the other party continued: "Regarding the liquidated damages, different levels of contracts have different amounts."

"For a Class C contract like the one you'd start with, the penalty is only 1 million. Class B is 5 million, Class A is 50 million, Class S is 100 million, and Class SS is 200 million."

"The liquidated damages are established because every increase in an account's follower count is a gamble involving massive resource investment from the company. The company takes on huge risks."

"After we finally build up the account, if you decide to leave with it, the company would suffer a huge loss. You should be able to understand this too, right, Mr. Chen?"

"I understand!" Chen Sheng said casually.

"Then do you have any other questions, Mr. Chen? If not, do you think we could set a time to meet offline and have a good chat?"

"This collaboration is a big deal; I need to think it over carefully." Chen Sheng started thinking about how to reject him.

Although he wouldn't collaborate, there was no need to offend the guy. After all, if the other party messed with his account on a whim, he would be the one suffering in the end.

Although he was a man with an Intelligence System, it hadn't fully developed yet.

"That's only natural. You do need to discuss it with your family. Sorry for the intrusion today; I'll call you another day."

"Sure! Let's talk another day."

He had already made up his mind. When the other party called back, he would say his elders didn't agree and wanted him to find a proper job.

It's normal for the older generation not to understand or approve of the self-media industry, right?

Having figured that out, Chen Sheng put away his phone, lit another cigarette, and headed back into the studio. He spent over an hour drinking Kung Fu tea with Boss Liang. Finally, after his second trip to the bathroom, the employee in charge of heat transfer printing walked in carrying a stack of packaged T-shirts.

"Boss, all 25 T-shirts have been printed."

"Thanks for the hard work!"

At Boss Liang's gesture, the employee placed the T-shirts on the desk.

Once the T-shirts were set down, Boss Liang said to Chen Sheng, "Mr. Chen, see if you're satisfied?"

Chen Sheng stepped forward, randomly pulled one from the stack, unwrapped it, and spread it flat on the desk. After confirming the effect was the same as what he had seen earlier, he carefully folded it back into the bag.

Chen Sheng gave Boss Liang a thumbs up and said, "Boss Liang, the quality is top-notch. I'm very satisfied with this collaboration."

"Haha~" Boss Liang laughed. "As long as Mr. Chen is satisfied. Shall we...?"

Chen Sheng caught the hint and took the lead: "Boss Liang, it's getting late. Please tally up the bill."

"No trouble at all!" The smile on Boss Liang's face grew even wider. He liked straightforward bosses like this. He immediately pulled a memo pad from the desk and started calculating with a pen.

Design fee: 2,000 yuan.

T-shirts: 120 * 25 = 3,000 yuan.

heat transfer printing: 25 * 30 = 750 yuan.

Total: 5,750 yuan.

After calculating the total, Boss Liang explained, "Mr. Chen, because the design requirements were quite high, we charged a 2,000 yuan design fee."

Seeing Chen Sheng nod in agreement with the figure, Boss Liang continued, "The pattern uses color block patchwork and covers the entire back, which consumes quite a bit of material, so we charged a 30 yuan processing fee per piece."

"The total comes to 5,750 yuan. You can just pay 5,700 yuan, Mr. Chen."

Chen Sheng took the slip, glanced at it, and said readily, "No problem! How should I pay?"

"Bank transfer or green bubble are both fine, but if it's convenient for you, a bank transfer would be best."

"It's convenient!" Companies had tax incentives; he understood that. He was willing to do others a favor, as that was the way to get favors in return.

"Thank you so much. Just a moment, I'll call the accountant over." Boss Liang quickly went out to get the accountant, and Chen Sheng transferred the 5,700 yuan to the account provided.

For a four-digit transfer, it took less than a minute for the notification sound to chime on the other party's phone.

"The funds have been received," the accountant reported.

"Thanks again, Mr. Chen."

"No problem. This was a pleasant collaboration. I'll look for you again if there's an opportunity."

After shaking hands, Chen Sheng was about to leave with the T-shirts, but the accountant, whom Boss Liang had roped in for the task, carried them for him. They walked Chen Sheng all the way to the studio entrance before handing the T-shirts over. "Mr. Chen, we look forward to our next collaboration."

"I'll definitely look you up if there's a chance. See you!"

See you!

...