Perfect Superstar.

Lu Chen was still young and hadn't spent much time gaining experience in the industry.

But he had a rich life experience equivalent to three different lives, and possessed maturity and insight far beyond his years.

So it was easy for Lu Chen to see the disdain and impatience hidden in Zhu Minghe's eyes. It was clear that Zhu Minghe had no real intention to cooperate; he was simply throwing out all sorts of conditions to make Lu Chen back down.

Unless Lu Chen agreed to everything outright.

But how was that even possible?

The demands Zhu Minghe made were fully controlled by Baolong Pictures: the director and main actors were chosen by them, most of the funding had to come from Lu Chen, while they wanted to take all the profit and risk nothing.

Lu Chen wasn't a fool. For one thing, he would never agree to simply change the story's ending as they demanded.

In truth, there was nothing to negotiate.

Situations like this were extremely common. Even though he had pulled some strings, Lu Chen was the one actively seeking this meeting. Baolong Pictures was no ordinary production company; bigger companies often bully their clients.

If Chen Fei'er herself had come forward, things might have gone better, but unfortunately, she only passed the matter on to a friend.

Lu Chen alone simply didn't have enough clout.

If he were just an ordinary screenwriter submitting a script to Baolong Pictures, forget about investment or picking the director and actors, he probably wouldn't even get a meeting with Zhu Minghe.

The entertainment industry, including film and TV, was strictly hierarchical. Status determined everything.

In this world, Lu Chen had no status at all.

How could he make Zhu Minghe take him seriously? But Lu Chen didn't feel angry or upset about this. After all, his own demands were quite high. If Zhu Minghe had no objections, that would have been unusual. At the end of the day, it was just a matter of unrealistic demands versus practical compromises.

But now even bargaining was off the table.

Lu Chen patiently listened to Zhu Minghe finish his points, then paused thoughtfully and said, "Manager Zhu, it seems the differences between us are quite large. I really appreciate you taking the time to meet with me. Thank you."

In business, even if deals don't work out, maintaining goodwill is important; everyone should come away feeling respected. There's no need to sour relationships over disagreements.

Being polite and respectful keeps the door open for future conversations.

Many newcomers don't understand this and only learn the hard way after suffering setbacks.

Lu Chen wasn't about to make that mistake.

Zhu Minghe clearly understood this too, and his attitude toward Lu Chen softened. Smiling, he said, "No need to thank me. Sister Li from Rainbow Agency in Capital City knows our company's boss well. If you have other good scripts in the future, come find me directly."

The "Sister Li" Zhu Minghe mentioned was the general manager of Rainbow Agency in Capital City, a friend of Chen Fei'er.

It was through Sister Li that Chen Fei'er had introduced Lu Chen to Baolong Pictures, who then sent Zhu Minghe to meet him.

But this favor wasn't enough to make Zhu Minghe compromise his principles for Lu Chen.

And Zhu Minghe had no idea that Chen Fei'er was the real connection behind the scenes.

Luckily, Lu Chen was sensible enough to let both sides save face.

"Thank you!" Lu Chen stood up and shook Zhu Minghe's hand. "I hope we'll have the chance to work together next time."

Zhu Minghe smiled. "You're welcome. Goodbye!"

With that, they parted ways. Zhu Minghe left with his assistant, while Lu Chen stayed behind. He thought about calling Chen Fei'er, but hesitated after pulling up her contact, he didn't want to trouble her again.

Or maybe it was his pride as a man, he didn't want to complicate their relationship.

He scrolled through his contacts looking for Chen Jianhao's number, wanting to ask the big boss if he knew any familiar production companies.

"Hello, Mr. Lu Chen."

Just as Lu Chen found Chen Jianhao's number, a sudden greeting came from beside him.

It was unfamiliar.

He turned his head and saw a slender middle-aged man smiling at him.

The man looked to be in his forties, with smooth dark skin, unremarkable features, small eyes, a flat nose, and slightly buck teeth. His smile gave off a cheerful vibe, but his eyes revealed sharp intelligence.

"May I ask who you are?" Lu Chen asked, momentarily taken aback. He didn't recognize the man.

The man stepped forward and extended both hands. "Hello, I'm Lu Yi, the business manager of Qiande Brothers Pictures. May I have a moment to talk?"

Lu Chen quickly stood and shook his hand. "Hello, Manager Lu, please have a seat."

Qiande Brothers Pictures was also unfamiliar to Lu Chen.

There were so many production companies and workshops in the Capital City, especially with the explosive growth of the entertainment industry over the last decade. Agencies and production companies had sprung up like mushrooms after rain, fiercely competing for a bigger share of the market.

What piqued Lu Chen's curiosity was why this Qiande Pictures person had taken the initiative to approach him.

Lu Yi revealed the answer directly: "Sorry to interrupt, I overheard a lot of your conversation with Manager Zhu just now. I wanted to ask if I could take a look at your script?"

Seeing the puzzled look on Lu Chen's face, he laughed and said, "Since I'm in a hurry, let me introduce myself first!"

Of course, Lu Yi wasn't talking about his personal identity; he was explaining the company he worked for, Qiande Brothers Pictures.

Qiande Brothers Pictures was founded in 2010, making it a relatively young company in the industry. However, it had already invested in and produced several film and TV projects, and managed dozens of signed actors and artists.

In terms of scale and strength, Qiande Brothers Pictures lagged far behind the veteran Baolong Pictures, but it had its own edge, it specialized in youth idol dramas set in the city.

Their 2013 youth idol drama "Still in My Heart" once reached a nationwide peak rating of 1.7%, which was considered a modest hit.

By coincidence, Lu Yi had come to the avant-garde café to wait for a client. The client didn't show up, but he overheard the conversation between Lu Chen and Zhu Minghe.

He wasn't eavesdropping on purpose; he just got curious about Lu Chen's script and couldn't help but approach him.

Lu Yi said frankly: "If you were just some ordinary screenwriter, I wouldn't be interested. There are at least eighty to a hundred thousand scriptwriters in Capital City, but you're different."

He smiled and added, "I've heard your song. I even bought your album on WeChat Music. I believe in your talent!"

That explained it!

Lu Chen suddenly realized, this guy was actually a fan! His songs, especially his folk ballads, carried a strong nostalgic vibe, which had earned him a dedicated fanbase mostly aged 30-40, people already well settled in their careers.

This demographic wasn't overly fanatical but was economically independent and a major part of the sales for Lu Chen's "My Old Classmate" album on WeChat Music.

With that connection, Lu Chen readily pulled out his script outline and handed it to Lu Yi.

Though the business manager of Qiande Brothers Pictures ranked a bit low in the hierarchy, this was still an opportunity that landed in his lap.

While Lu Yi carefully read the outline of "Autumn in My Heart", Zhu Minghe returned to Baolong Pictures. Baolong Pictures was located in the arts district, just a five-minute walk from the avant-garde café.

Back at the company, Zhu Minghe went straight to his office, he had just been notified of a meeting.

Many company executives were already seated in the conference room: deputy general manager, artistic director, head of talent management, PR manager, production manager, and others, but the general manager hadn't arrived yet.

Seeing Zhu Minghe, the talent management manager, who usually got along well with him, smiled and teased, "Old Zhu, where have you been? Your office was empty, not even the secretary was there. What's going on, huh?"

He gave that knowing grin all men understand, which made the other executives laugh, lightening the mood.

Zhu Minghe didn't know how to respond. "Old Chen, go ahead and give me a hard time!"

His female secretary was newly hired, pretty, but assigned by the company, not his personal assistant. Still, outsiders often jumped to conclusions.

Zhu Minghe explained, "Manager Wang asked me to meet a newcomer connected through Sister Li from Rainbow Agency. He wrote a script and wants to shoot a TV drama. I just went to discuss it."

Old Chen was curious: "Who is it? What script? How did it go?"

As head of talent management, he was especially sensitive to new scripts, because if the company started a new production, they'd prioritize their own contracted artists, keeping the profits in-house.

Baolong Pictures was indeed preparing some big moves, and this meeting was partly about that.

Zhu Minghe said, "It's a young vagabond singer named Lu Chen, writing a youth idol drama. He wants to star as the male lead himself and give it a try."

He was vague but everyone understood.

The production manager said, "Lu Chen? I know him. He's a pretty hot vagabond singer lately, even rumored to have a fling with Chen Fei'er. That video of him rescuing someone in Hangzhou went viral on blogs!"

"Yeah."

Zhu Minghe nodded. "That's him. I was somewhat interested, but his script is a tragic romance, the heroine dies at the end. And he wants to play the male lead, pick the director, and choose the heroine himself."

Old Chen scoffed: "How's that possible?"

If Lu Chen were a big shot in the show business community, those demands might make sense.

But he wasn't, he was a genuine newcomer in the film and TV world.

Not even a proper rookie.

Lu Chen's desire to break into the industry was understandable, but he needed to follow the rules.

Young people these days really don't know their place.

Zhu Minghe shrugged helplessly, "So I rejected him. There was no way to agree."

Everyone present understood, if Zhu Minghe had agreed, that would have been a joke.

They all laughed it off and quickly put it behind them.

(End of chapter)

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