Chapter 115: The Celebration Banquet

Back in Yanjing, Lin Qihua met Liu Junxi.

This young man, who possessed a maturity far beyond his years, had reached out to Lin Qihua the previous week. Lin Qihua had arranged for Shen Manni to bring them to the company and settle them in temporarily. Having returned to the office, they finally met in person.

"Have you decided?" Lin Qihua asked with interest.

"Yes," Liu Junxi replied candidly. "If I didn't know how to make a choice at this moment, then we would deserve to live at the very bottom of society for the rest of our lives. Whether you were inspired by our story for your creative work, or whether you are doing this to repay us or simply to help us, it doesn't matter. What matters is that we have found the best opportunity to escape our old life. For this chance, I can do anything."

"Good, I'm glad you have that realization," Lin Qihua laughed, clapping his hands. "There is no need for you to 'do anything.' Just consider this an early investment because I believe in your future. For now, you should settle in. Your main task is to go to school and gain knowledge; only by understanding more can you help us more in the future. Of course, in your spare time, you are welcome to help out in any department here to find what you truly enjoy doing. If your sister likes playing the piano or singing, she can join our training camp while she studies. Cultivating talent from a young age is great—if she has the gift, debuting as a star would be wonderful. If not, learning a skill is still a good thing, right?"

"I am deeply grateful," Liu Junxi said, visibly moved.

"This is destiny," Lin Qihua said, turning to walk away. "Someone will arrange the rest for you. The level you reach depends entirely on you. As for the problems on your street, I think that should be left for you to handle according to your own vision when you are older. Is that okay?"

"That is exactly what I was thinking. When I have the ability, I hope to help more people like me."

"Then keep at it!" A faint smile appeared on Lin Qihua's lips.

"I will. I will definitely work hard," Liu Junxi called out from where he stood, not following him.

Shen Manni followed Lin Qihua up to the tenth floor. "Do you really believe in him?"

"It was just a small favor, wasn't it?" Lin Qihua laughed. "Besides, for someone like him, giving him a chance to grow—someone with exceptional intelligence and a willingness to put in the effort—makes his future worth anticipating. Whatever he does, it will be a good thing for us. At the very least, we have reduced a potential risk to society and added a talent who is willing to help others."

"Fine," Shen Manni shrugged. "I'll handle the rest."

"Thank you for your hard work." Lin Qihua knocked on Yu Fengqin's office door. "Hello, Sister Qin."

"Hello, you're back?" Yu Fengqin smiled radiantly. "A truly spectacular performance. It was beautiful to the extreme."

"It was the result of everyone's collaboration," Lin Qihua said modestly.

"Anyone can do the work, but not everyone possesses creativity. Your most valuable and outstanding quality is that astonishing creativity of yours. Every now and then, you come up with a new piece or a stunning stage performance. You know, even those superstars don't necessarily have that kind of energy."

"But they are superstars, and I am not," Lin Qihua smiled. "If I thought I was guaranteed to be a superstar just because I have a bit of creativity, I would be undervaluing what it means to be a superstar."

"I'm glad you can see that clearly. That's right—every superstar has reached the top only after weathering countless storms. You still have a long way to go, but you already possess the potential, don't you?"

"That is the goal I have always pursued."

"Hehe, that is also our company's goal: to cultivate a superstar and become a top-tier firm," Yu Fengqin said with a look of longing.

"We definitely will."

"Is Qihua back?" He Li pushed the door open and smiled. "Perfect timing. Thanks to you, our company's momentum is excellent right now."

"That is also the result of everyone's joint efforts."

"Hehe, you're being humble again," He Li laughed. "I have already implemented your proposals. We can't cover too much of the 'Blue and White' element market, but I have already arranged for brand registration, product design, and manufacturing. This time, we will definitely make a profit."

"That's good." Lin Qihua smiled. Among the fragments of memory in his mind, the song "Blue and White Porcelain" had sparked a craze for blue and white elements after it became a hit, with various industries developing products based on this trend. That was why he had suggested to He Li that the company should moderately develop products—at least in clothing, daily necessities, porcelain design, and brand/patent registration. It seemed to be going very well.

"So, the company's situation is great. Three newcomers will debut this month, and everything is prepared. The schedules for our other artists are completely full, and funds are flowing into our accounts. Compared to the first half of the year, it's night and day."

"That's the best news," Yu Fengqin sighed in relief. "Finally, we can relax a bit. Although we aren't short on cash for the moment, not having a fixed income always made me feel uneasy. Now that we are on the right track and the cash flow is normal, we can start doing many things."

"Yes, I've already made a plan. I'll bring it over another day," He Li said.

"Good. Regarding artists, Lingling will definitely keep a tight check on quality. My opinion is the same as hers: character and ability must be solid. The company's traditions cannot be lost, and we certainly cannot have a repeat of the jokes from the first half of the year. Institutional safeguards must be kept up, and for that reason, it is appropriate to moderately improve the artists' benefits."

"I plan to let Lingling handle the vetting. For artists with high potential, good character, and significant room for growth, we will tailor-make development plans and provide corresponding contracts. For the exceptionally talented ones, using flexible clauses is fine, too—provided, of course, that the breach-of-contract penalties remain at the highest tier," He Li explained.

"That works," Yu Fengqin nodded. "We don't use predatory clauses, but we aren't fools either. Satisfy the artists with our systems and win their hearts with how we treat them in life. If we achieve those two things, I believe there will be no problems."

"Agreed."

"Qihua, the cocktail party is tomorrow. We'll go together," Yu Fengqin turned to Lin Qihua and smiled. "Usually, when attending these parties, the company head brings one 'face' of the company, and quite clearly, you are our face."

"I am honored," Lin Qihua replied with a smile.

"Be prepared. You are quite prominent now; there's no telling what kind of petty people you might encounter."

"I think that by standing next to you, it's impossible not to attract jealousy. I'm already prepared," Lin Qihua laughed.

"Smart-aleck," Yu Fengqin rolled her eyes at him.

The next evening, Lin Qihua, dressed in a silver suit, picked up the beautifully adorned Yu Fengqin with the help of her driver. She wore a royal blue evening gown with white sleeves, her long, wavy hair carefully styled, and a blue gemstone pendant hanging at her chest, looking dazzling.

"I'm going to have no peace tonight. The flies at the party will definitely be swarming around you," Lin Qihua said, opening the car door for her with a half-joking tone.

"Is that meant to be a compliment?" Yu Fengqin laughed softly as she sat in the car, her fragrance drifting through the air.

"Of course."

The tenth-anniversary cocktail party for Qingsong Entertainment was held at the Xiangmei Hotel in the Xiangmei District of Yanjing. It was a well-known hotel, a preferred venue for many companies to host banquets, which showed that Qingsong Entertainment had quite substantial financial resources. According to Lin Qihua's knowledge, Qingsong currently had two first-tier stars and several second-tier ones; their strength was decent. While they couldn't compare to companies like Huayi, they were on par with the former Galaxy Entertainment. Although Galaxy's current momentum was good, it still couldn't quite match them yet. No wonder Sister Qin had to attend in person; she likely expected to discuss many collaborations at the party. Everyone was in the same circle, and since they ran into each other constantly, there were rarely any irreconcilable grudges. Collaboration was something everyone was happy to see, and such celebratory parties were naturally great opportunities to discuss business.

The car stopped steadily at the hotel entrance. Lin Qihua stepped out and opened the door for Yu Fengqin.

"Thank you." Yu Fengqin ducked her head and stepped out.

"You're welcome."

A middle-aged man at the entrance saw Yu Fengqin approaching gracefully with Lin Qihua. A flash of admiration and eagerness crossed his eyes as he hurried forward. "General Manager Yu, welcome. Your presence brings great light to our humble gathering."

Lin Qihua walked to the registration desk and presented Galaxy Entertainment's gift—a large red envelope. It was a tradition that had been passed down, and it added to the festive atmosphere.

"Not at all," Yu Fengqin shook his hand skillfully and smiled. "General Manager Shang, building Qingsong Entertainment to this scale in just ten years makes you a role model for us to learn from. Today is your company's tenth anniversary, so Galaxy Entertainment naturally had to come to offer our congratulations and learn a thing or two."

"Thank you, please come in," Manager Shang said, beaming. "Your company is even more impressive. Despite a few setbacks early on, your current momentum is astonishing. We look forward to further cooperation with you."

"No problem, we would be very happy to," Yu Fengqin said softly. She noticed Lin Qihua standing beside her after completing the registration. "Let me introduce you: this is Manager Shang, the head of Qingsong Entertainment, and this is our company's artist, Lin Qihua."

"Hello, Manager Shang. Wishing your company great prosperity," Lin Qihua greeted him politely.

Manager Shang's eyes narrowed. Lin Qihua's name was currently at its zenith in the industry, hailed as a candidate with a high probability of breaking into the ranks of first-tier stars or even becoming a superstar. He hurriedly shook his hand and smiled, "I didn't expect our rising star to grace us with his presence. A pleasure to meet you."

"You're too kind," Lin Qihua smiled.

"Let's go in," Yu Fengqin said with a gentle smile, slipping her right arm through Lin Qihua's.

"Alright," Lin Qihua nodded. "Manager Shang, we'll head inside."

"Of course." Manager Shang watched their linked arms, a flash of regret crossing his eyes. He forced a smile as he watched them walk into the hotel, guided by a waiter.

"What a stunner," he murmured regretfully.