Chapter 162: Taking Precautions

“One last thing,” He Li said. “Regarding the company’s future development plan, we didn’t call Lingling because she doesn’t like dealing with these matters. However, you reminded me earlier. After reporting to Sister Qin, both of us agreed with your perspective. Therefore, this matter is known only to the three of us.”

Lin Qihua nodded, knowing she was referring to the suggestion he had made earlier.

“Regarding our future plans, we have made a comprehensive blueprint—not just the intelligence aspect you mentioned, but a complete strategic layout for the future development of Galaxy Entertainment.”

“Oh?” Lin Qihua looked at Yu Fengqin. This implied a massive capital investment; did the company have the means?

Yu Fengqin nodded with a smile. “The matter with the Chen family has been settled completely. We didn’t keep a single percent of their 15% stake—we handed it all over and cut ties entirely. From now on, there is no relation between us.”

Though she spoke with casual indifference, the underlying desolation in her tone could not be hidden from the two people beside her.

“It is better that it’s in the past. After all, you didn’t have any good connections with the Chen family anyway,” He Li comforted her.

“Mm,” Yu Fengqin forced herself to perk up. “So, I do indeed have a massive amount of cash on hand right now. To buy back the shares I held, Chen Jian even transferred Xinghui Entertainment over. They wanted to use that company to offset a portion of the cash, but I wasn’t that foolish. I insisted firmly on cash, and they had no other choice. Because of previous events, they had no other ways to deal with us and could only agree to my terms.”

The two of them could easily imagine how tense the negotiations must have been. For Yu Fengqin to withstand the pressure and secure the best possible outcome could only be described as remarkable.

“Therefore, I plan to pour all of this money into the company’s development, building Galaxy Entertainment into a top-tier entertainment agency. That was always A-Li’s and my greatest wish. In the past, I didn’t dare to do this, but now I have the confidence and backing. You see, the primary requirement for a top-tier entertainment company is the existence of a superstar. I believe, Qihua, that you will inevitably become a superstar in the future. With this foundation of confidence, I can pour all my efforts into building Galaxy Entertainment to become your ultimate backing, allowing you to charge toward the position of superstar without any distractions, breaking out of China, heading toward the world, and truly making Galaxy Entertainment world-famous.”

Lin Qihua was shocked. He had no idea how much a 15% share of a massive conglomerate was actually worth, but without a doubt, it was an amount measured in the hundreds of millions. To invest it all into the company without reservation—what kind of immense resolve was that? Yu Fengqin once again made him view her in a completely new light.

He Li adjusted the glasses on the bridge of her nose. “Following Sister Qin’s requirements, I have drafted the company’s comprehensive development plan. First and foremost is the company’s expansion. On the hardware side, this building can no longer meet the company’s future development needs, so we plan to relocate the company headquarters elsewhere. The location has already been chosen: the former Hailan Building, which has now been renamed Galaxy Building. It is a fifty-story structure, and we will officially relocate after the Spring Festival.”

“Second is the software side—simply put, talent. This includes trainers, makeup artists, and artists. Work on this front is already proceeding intensively. Staff members are recruiting through relevant talent agencies while also massively scouting from major specialized arts academies. We believe that with our current momentum, this will be no problem. As for artists, we will massively recruit trainees on top of our current foundation, striving to form a powerful, well-structured team of artists within three years.”

This was a very scientific plan. Lin Qihua didn’t fully understand all the details, but he still gave a thumbs-up.

“The second major priority is establishing artist-centric teams. Simply put, we are turning artists into studio-style entities. In the new company building, we will implement a brand-new layout. According to our plan, every artist will have their own dedicated team. Superstars will be assigned an entire floor as their office area, and all departments and personnel related to their work will operate within that zone. Except for matters involving company decisions or those requiring the company’s direct public representation, everything else will be decided and resolved by the artist’s team itself. In particular, each artist will organize a corresponding professional fan management team, which will also work within their private office area, with their salaries covered by the company.”

“Granting artists such a high degree of autonomy and flexibility while providing company assistance in decision-making, publicity, and finance is our strategy. Of course, artists of different tiers will have teams of different scales. First-tier artists will share a floor between two of them, and their teams naturally won’t be as extensive as a superstar’s. Second-tier artists will share a floor among five. Third-tier artists will not be assigned individual teams for the time being; instead, they will all share a single floor managed by a unified team handling their related affairs.”

This was an alternative studio system. To put it simply, it fused the currently popular studio-affiliation model with the traditional corporate artist-contracting system, forming a brand-new corporate architecture. This allowed artists to enjoy the convenience of the company’s formidable resources while retaining complete autonomy. If your ability was strong and you produced many works, your income would naturally be higher, and the company would also profit from it. Admittedly, it wasn’t quite as free as opening one’s own independent studio, and the income would be slightly lower, but having the backing of a company brought numerous benefits, greater safety, and significantly reduced risks. This was something most artists would likely find acceptable.

The benefits to the company were also immense. By building a massive platform, revenues would naturally rise. The key was that the initial investment had to be large enough, and the talent pool had to be deep enough. For now, Yu Fengqin had already prepared everything.

“Third, we plan to set aside a portion of shares to reward staff members and artists who have made extraordinary contributions, allowing everyone to share in the dividends of the company’s growth,” He Li continued. “The preliminary plan is to allocate 12% of the shares: Sister Qin and Lingling will each hold 3%, and you are also slated for 3%—initially to be announced as 1% until you are promoted to the first tier, at which point the rest will be revealed. First-tier artist Lei Jing will hold 1%, and personnel from other departments plus second-tier artists will collectively hold 2%.”

“That certainly sounds like a good thing, but me taking 3% feels a bit inappropriate,” Lin Qihua said with a sense of trepidation.

“Hehe,” Yu Fengqin shook her head and said gently, “Qihua, don’t talk about just 3%; even if you took 5%, no one would say a word. This is what you deserve, so don’t worry about it. Besides, this requires you to work even harder. For now, it’s just in the preparation stage and will officially be implemented after you reach the first tier. That way, there won’t be any issues.”

Lin Qihua thought for a moment and nodded in agreement. He wasn’t lacking money, but the company’s high regard for him deeply moved him.

“The fourth matter,” He Li continued, “is the intelligence aspect you mentioned. We have thought about it carefully, and it is indeed necessary to have a specialized information-gathering team in advance. In fact, many large corporations have similar departments to stay timely informed for decision-making purposes. The public relations department generally maintains good relationships with the media so that media outlets will speak up for them at critical moments. This recent incident made us feel the sorrow of lacking media support. Therefore, we have decided to build up this capability as a precaution. As you said, once you reach the first tier and gradually head toward the world, there will be many storms at home as well. We cannot afford to constantly be ambushed from the blind spots.”

“Indeed. This time we got lucky because the other party had no concrete evidence, coupled with Su Zitong stepping forward at the last moment and the video released by an unknown friend that allowed us to turn the tables. Next time, we might not be so fortunate,” Lin Qihua sighed. “The feeling of information asymmetry and a one-sided narrative is too stifling.”

“Therefore, we have decided to adopt a two-pronged strategy.”

“I’m all ears.”

“First, regarding the media, we plan to have someone step forward to acquire an entertainment media institution—an entertainment website similar to Red Bean Entertainment Network will do. As long as the company does not have a direct administrative and financial relationship with the media outlet, it does not violate relevant regulations. Even if the website’s connection to us is exposed down the road, there is nothing to fear. Firmly holding onto a media outlet can grant us a voice in the narrative, which will be crucial in the future.”

“Yes, having a voice is vital. Every major company has its own spokesperson media, and we suffered simply because we didn’t have one.”

“Second, we will establish an information-gathering company known only to the three of us. We plan to have a friend of mine step forward to handle this. She is a friend I’ve known for a long time, our relationship has always been solid, and she is entirely trustworthy. I will maintain sole contact with her, and leave all the remaining operations to her. Her company will also be self-sufficient and financially independent, while simply keeping an eye out for information related to us during her research. Whatever intelligence we need to grasp, she will help us secure, expanding our network gradually.”

“That’s a good approach,” Lin Qihua nodded. “Even if tigers harbor no intent to harm people, people harbor fear of tigers being able to eat them. We must anticipate every conceivable possibility to ensure absolute foolproof safety. Intelligence undoubtedly allows us to understand developments in advance and prevents us from being backstabbed in complete ignorance.”

“When Sister Qin told me about her plan, I told her,” He Li nodded, “since we want to make the company large, it is inevitable that we will come into conflict of interest with other companies. If we make no preparations whatsoever, we might as well wait to be crushed to death by those corporate giants. After you step into the first tier—as long as your goal is to become a superstar—you will inevitably encounter all sorts of situations. If the company cannot offer you full support, how can you evade those hidden daggers and open arrows? We don’t want a repeat of what happened to Lingling to ever happen to you.”

A thought stirred in Lin Qihua’s mind. “I feel that Sister Ling could make a comeback. Her strength is so formidable, and I believe she has always kept up her training and maintained herself in top shape. If she makes a comeback, she will surely return to the first tier within a short time, and challenging for superstar status in the future might not be out of the question.”

Yu Fengqin and He Li wore expressions of helpless resignation. “It’s not that we don’t wish for it, but we simply can’t. You know as well as that she offended two superstars, and they put out word a long time ago prohibiting Lingling from ever appearing in the music industry again. Doing otherwise would be a challenge to both of them, and they would mobilize all their resources to sanction her.”