Chapter 161 - 152: Let Me Show You Something Good
"You’re great in every way, but you always have to beat around the bush."
Wei Shuojie grumbled before bringing up Wang Biao. "I worked with him for about ten years in the past. I can guarantee you, there’s no question about his ability."
Knowing what Bingyan was most concerned about, Wei Shuojie started by affirming Wang Biao’s competence.
But when Ni Bingyan heard this, she immediately frowned.
"He used to be on Sister Sun’s team?"
’Wei Shuojie had worked with Sun Lizhi ever since she started her career and had never managed any other artists. If Wang Biao had worked with her, he must have been on Sun Lizhi’s team.’
’Unlike a primary agent, an executive agent has to be with the artist constantly for work. If he was with her and that incident with Sun Lizhi still happened, then his ability can’t be that great!’
"Sigh. Don’t misunderstand. He didn’t know about any of that."
Wei Shuojie sighed. "His story is quite tragic, actually. A few years ago, his wife was diagnosed with cancer, so he quit his job to stay home and support her through the fight. But after so many years of hardship, she still didn’t make it. She passed away last summer. I saw how utterly demoralized he was and encouraged him to start working again. After all, he still has a daughter to raise."
’Fighting cancer is incredibly expensive. After so many years without a job, his savings must be nearly gone.’
Ni Bingyan got the picture, but she was still a little uneasy. "He hasn’t worked in so many years. His old network of contacts must be pretty much gone by now. I’m just not sure..."
’An executive agent isn’t just responsible for dealing with all the different parties; they also have to find resources for me.’
’Things like attending events.’
’Back in the day, before lucrative side gigs like livestream e-commerce, many celebrities relied on making appearances at various events to make their money.’
Since it concerned her own bottom line, Ni Bingyan was paying close attention.
’If he isn’t socially adept and well-connected, he won’t just be bad at handling these things, he might even end up offending people on my behalf.’
’Her team has to be centered around her. In the future, once her status rises, she’ll definitely open her own studio.’
’At that point, she’d be the boss and Wang Biao her employee. Naturally, she had to consider things from all angles.’
Wei Shuojie gave a dry laugh, her bright red lips twisting into a smile that revealed the cold-blooded nature of the powerful.
"His father is a TV station director, and most of his family works in the entertainment industry. Even if he were on his deathbed, he could just show his face and ask for a favor, and as long as his family isn’t completely wiped out, people will still give him what he wants! You know how this business works. Would I really try to screw you over?"
Wei Shuojie always had a sharp tongue, especially when she was in a bad mood.
Her perfectly good vacation had been cut short, she’d endured an exhausting journey, and she was putting her heart and soul into planning for Bingyan, only to be met with a barrage of questions. Wei Shuojie was seriously pissed off!
To put it bluntly, back in the day, even Sun Lizhi didn’t have this much of a say in things.
If Wei Shuojie hadn’t reflected on her last partnership and realized that being too despotic was detrimental to an artist’s development and could create future problems, Ni Bingyan wouldn’t even have the right to ask these questions.
Ni Bingyan just stared at her, stubbornly silent.
’They had already agreed on matters of personnel and work. Bingyan had the right to be informed and the right to refuse. She was no pushover to be molded by others.’
’She would rather move slowly and steadily!’
’The people on your team are crucial. If you don’t vet them carefully, you never know when you’ll crash and burn!’
’With the cautionary tale of Duanmu Li fresh in her mind, she had long ago told herself that no matter who she hired in the future, she had to investigate them thoroughly and not just blindly accept Wei Shuojie’s arrangements.’
’Although there were extenuating circumstances in the affair between Duanmu Li, Liu Yi, and Wei Hang, she had ultimately violated her professional ethics.’
’Having someone like that around is actually very dangerous.’
’If Duanmu Li hadn’t stuck her nose where it didn’t belong, she never would have come into contact with Wei Hang, she wouldn’t have been snapped by the paparazzi, a scandal wouldn’t have spread, and Wei Shuojie wouldn’t have had to trade away resources to fix it, only to resentfully take her anger out on her.’
’That feeling of being looked down upon was etched deep into her memory.’
’As an orphan in her past life, she had endured far too much rejection growing up!’
’She had always worked so hard precisely because she despised that feeling so, so much.’
’She hated when people told her, *You weren’t good enough, so you lost this or that.*’
’When she was little, it was, *Because you’re not good enough, they’re adopting her, not you.* When she grew up, it was, *Because you’re not good enough, she snatched this role from you.*’
’Often, things that Wei Shuojie might not consider a problem could be deal-breakers for her. It was better to get a clear understanding beforehand.’
’She had accepted what Duanmu Li did because it was still within the bounds of her bottom line, but that didn’t mean it hadn’t left her with a sense of resentment and wariness.’
Wei Shuojie sighed under her intense gaze.
’So stubborn!’
’Fine, fine.’
"Anything else you want to ask? I understand your concerns, and I took them all into full consideration when I was making the choice."
Looking at Bingyan’s still-youthful face, Wei Shuojie patiently explained, "This is just how the world works. It doesn’t matter how socially adept you are, you can’t compete with someone who has powerful backing!"
As someone who also had powerful backing, she spoke from experience:
"Other executive agents have to go around schmoozing and begging, getting drunk to the point of vomiting and still not getting things done. But when he goes out, people will only be polite and respectful to him. He’s a capable man, so naturally, everything will go smoothly. Believe me, Brother Biao is our best choice."
Seeing Wei Shuojie patiently explaining things to her, Ni Bingyan lowered her head, embarrassed. A moment later, she apologized sincerely.
"I’m sorry, Sister Wei! You know what happened with Sister Li. I got burned once, so I have to be more cautious. It’s better to deal with potential problems beforehand to avoid trouble later, right?"
In her heart, Wei Shuojie knew she was right, but she still felt a little resentful.
Anyone would be unhappy if their professional judgment was questioned by a partner.
"Besides, the more cautious I am, the happier you should be!"
"Alright, I can’t win an argument with you. Here, let me show you something."
With that, she took a thin book out of her handbag.
It had a pastel blue cover that looked charming and sweet.
Ni Bingyan took it curiously. A glance at the cover surprised her. "Is this a romance novel?"
She’d learned her lesson, so she immediately flipped to the back to see if it was a standalone story.
She had no desire to get sucked into another multi-volume series.
Once she got hooked, it would wreck her sleep schedule, and it would take days to recover. It just wasn’t worth it.
She was busy with filming right now and had no time to waste on such things, not even if Wei Shuojie herself had given it to her.
Wei Shuojie knew Bingyan didn’t like to read for pleasure, so she explained:
"The company is about to start production on a sweet romance drama based on this short story. I think the story is very heartwarming, and I strongly recommend you audition for it. I’ve read the script for *Soul Ferryman*, and it’s psychologically grueling. If you film that for too long, it’s bound to take an emotional toll. I think alternating between the two projects would be good for your mental health."
What Wei Shuojie said was very reasonable and considerate. Ni Bingyan nodded in agreement. "Alright, I’ll take a good look at it later. When is the audition?"