Chapter 131: I, Li Shixin, Have Spent My Entire Life Being a Father; Why Would I Need Your Permission? (Seeking subscriptions and monthly tickets!)

After a twenty-minute interview, Li Shixin had successfully won over the three interviewers.

While waiting for them to sign his artist card, Li Shixin took the opportunity to inquire about the signing process at Huaqi. According to company policy, the talent management team performs an initial screening of all submitted artist profiles. Those deemed to have potential are then passed on to the interview department, where a panel of senior agents and operations staff conduct the interviews.

However, the interview itself is merely a way for the three interviewers to provide a rating and a comprehensive assessment based on their professional judgment; it is not the final stage of the signing process. Candidates who pass the interview must still face the final hurdle: the deliberations. This is where the agency's executives gather to weigh the company's current needs against the interviewers' feedback to decide whether or not to sign the artist, and at what tier and capacity.

Having learned this, Li Shixin felt he had a clear picture. It was essentially the same as his previous agency. Regardless of an artist's talent, one still had to pass the leadership's inspection. This stage was no longer about an artist's skill, but involved many other factors. Luck played a significant role.

Li Shixin's interview had concluded, but seventeen or eighteen other young artists were still waiting. After thanking the three interviewers, he walked over to the window. Seeing Chen Shi staring at him as if he were an alien, Li Shixin held out his hand. "My coat."

"Oh!" Chen Shi immediately handed it over, then hesitated before shaking it out and draping it over Li Shixin's shoulders. "Old man, where did you learn all those tricks? When did you pick them up?"

Faced with this absurd question, Li Shixin chuckled. "Didn't I tell you? I'm a trainee with forty-five years of experience."

Watching the young man stand speechless, struggling to find a rebuttal, Li Shixin smiled and strode away. Behind him, several trainees watched his retreating figure and curled their lips. "What's the big deal? So what if you got four A's? Buddy, I'll just outlast you!"

Looking at his disgruntled companions, Chen Shi sighed. He silently uploaded the video of Li Shixin dancing to "Jing Wu Men" to his own Doushou account and grinned. "You guys, better focus on getting signed first."

At the mention of signing, the trainees—who had already suffered setbacks in their own interviews—immediately slumped. Signing was just too difficult.

Just as the group was wallowing in misery, a woman with short hair strode into the interview room. Seeing the three interviewers huddled together discussing something, she walked straight up to them. After whispering something to the trio, she pulled out a personal seal and stamped Li Shixin’s artist card.

"Hey, hey, look at that! That's blatant favoritism!" someone muttered under their breath. Chen Shi turned his gaze toward the group.

Seeing the shocked expressions on the interviewers' faces, Chen Shi furrowed his brow. "Hmm, looking at the teachers' reactions, it seems like his connections run deep. Sigh, I wonder who is so powerful, having such a strong backer to lean on..."

...

After receiving instructions from the interviewers to keep his phone on and wait for further contact, Li Shixin left the Huaqi headquarters and stood at the bustling main entrance. The interview was done; he couldn't control what happened next, so it was time to consider other matters. He needed a place to stay.

He pulled out his phone and searched for nearby hotels using an app. Seeing room rates starting at four or five hundred, Li Shixin hummed in amusement. He closed the app, scrolled through his contacts, and made a call.

The call was answered quickly. Hearing a confused voice on the other end, Li Shixin gave a kind smile. "Hehe, Xiao Kuan, are you busy? Oh, lunch break is almost here? What a coincidence, I happen to be in Shanghai; let's grab a bite! My treat!"

"Trouble?"

"No, no, not at all. Come downstairs; I'm right at the front of the Huaqi headquarters!"

"Tsk! This kid, you've been busy all morning, how can you not eat? If you don't have time, just wait there; I'll buy something and bring it up to you!"

"There we go, that's better! Hurry down, I'll be waiting."

Hanging up, Li Shixin raised an eyebrow. *Little rascal. Once you've been chosen by me as my godson, do you really think you can run away?*

After waiting for about ten minutes, Li Shixin saw Yang Kuan, whom he had parted ways with just a few days ago, emerge from the entrance. The young man was still as energetic as ever, though he looked somewhat deranged. It was late December, and while the temperature in Shanghai wasn't high, it was much warmer than in Rongdian. Yet, Yang Kuan was wearing a long down jacket!

Not only that, but the once fair-skinned and handsome young man was now covered in stubble, with dark circles under his eyes so deep they were terrifying. It was obvious that as soon as Yang Kuan stood by the entrance of the Huaqi headquarters, people within a three-to-five-meter radius automatically avoided him, assuming he was a lunatic.

Seeing Yang Kuan squinting his dazed eyes as he looked around, Li Shixin walked over with his hands behind his back. "Xiao Kuan, over here!"

"Oh." Yang Kuan turned around, froze for a moment upon seeing Li Shixin, and then gave an unnatural smile. "Old man, what brings you to Shanghai?"

"Taking care of some business." Li Shixin smiled slightly and patted Yang Kuan's shoulder. "Alright, let's not stand here. Let's find a place to get something to eat."

...

The area around Huaqi was mostly office buildings with few dining options. Guided by Yang Kuan, Li Shixin spent a long time winding through streets before finding a dumpling shop. After ordering, Li Shixin turned his gaze back to Yang Kuan. He pointed at the completely out-of-season down jacket and asked, "What's with this getup?"

"Sigh," Yang Kuan shook his head self-deprecatingly. "Isn't it because of the public service announcement we're rushing to pitch to CCTV?"

"CCTV public service announcement?" Li Shixin frowned. "Didn't you buy the rights to my 'Only You'? The script and dialogue are already there—just cut some scenes, shorten the plot, write a storyboard, and start filming!"

Seeing Li Shixin treat it so lightly, Yang Kuan gave a helpless smile. "Old man, Huaqi Advertising is a 4A agency. If the process were as simple as you say, we wouldn't be a 4A."

"How so?" Li Shixin had never dealt with a 4A advertising agency and couldn't help but be curious.

"We need a backup plan. We've already written the storyboard for 'Only You,' and I was planning to find you in the next couple of days anyway. But this CCTV New Year's exhibition of outstanding public service works is too important for our company. Relying solely on 'Only You' is too risky. Our team decided we need at least one backup plan."

"We're doing this to be safe, to ensure that Huaqi Advertising is guaranteed a spot in the exhibition!"

After listening to Yang Kuan's explanation, Li Shixin nodded deeply. "Good. Clear goals and ample backups—the young man has a future."

"Heh," Yang Kuan shook his head at this, tugged at his down jacket, and pointed to his beard, which he hadn't shaved in four days, sighing, "What kind of future? Because of this backup plan, I've been working three days and two nights straight since I got back from Rongdian. It's driving me crazy."

Hearing this, Li Shixin raised an eyebrow.

"Kuan'er?"

"Yeah?"

"Call me Dad. Call me Dad, and I'll give you an idea for free."

Looking at Li Shixin, who was watching him with an expression that was hard to tell if it was "kindly" or "desperate for talent," Yang Kuan's mouth hung open.

*Damn it, you're doing it again! What kind of trauma have you had that you have to go around adopting godsons everywhere? Do you have a compulsion to collect people?*