Chapter 46: Unexpected Joy
Da Qian Lai Le, a street interview blogger with millions of followers on Douyin, uploaded a new video.
Da Qian Lai Le: Hello, what are some of the large-scale enterprises in China you know?
The interviewees generally named top-ranked state-owned enterprises, real estate companies, and internet companies.
Da Qian Lai Le: Do you know anything about entertainment companies in the Chinese entertainment industry?
Da Qian Lai Le: What entertainment companies in the Chinese entertainment industry do you know?
Passerby A: Huari Entertainment? I often see that company name in movies.
Passerby B: I know Huan Yin Entertainment; many Golden Melody Award winners are artists from their company.
Passerby C: The very popular idol group’s company is called IMG Entertainment, I think.
Passerby D: The three giants, Huari, Huan Yin, IMG, and Yi Shang Entertainment.
…
Within half a day, the video had over 10,000 comments, with “Yi Shang Entertainment” mentioned most frequently.
:The heart-stirring offer, season N, Yi Shang Entertainment.
:Yi Shang Entertainment: I don’t know either; I was just unexpectedly mentioned.
:Yi Shang Entertainment, my new way to become popular—unrivaled benefits in the entire industry.
:Who stole my chance to join Yi Shang Entertainment?
The video was highly effective, further increasing Yi Shang Entertainment’s visibility, and the blogger, Da Qian Lai Le, received the final payment for the customized video from Yi Shang Entertainment.
Gu Wanrong, who frequently used Douyin, didn’t specifically search for Yi Shang Entertainment-related topics. The interview video appeared on her feed. Seeing the number of likes, comments, and shares, Gu Wanrong was extremely satisfied. The effect of her impromptu actions was surprisingly good.
Yes, all the publicity for Yi Shang Entertainment was orchestrated by Gu Wanrong and her employees.
Initially, Gu Wanrong wanted to solve Yi Shang Entertainment’s recruitment problems. Since she wanted to increase the reach of the recruitment news, why not increase Yi Shang Entertainment’s overall popularity? She had a sudden inspiration and gave the orders that led to the events described previously.
First, she had an employee post about the job openings on a relevant online forum posing as a job seeker. Because the post was unusual, it attracted a lot of attention. Since many of the people who browsed that forum were potential employees, Yi Shang quickly filled many of its positions.
Then, employee Zhou Zhou posted her payslip online, sparking widespread discussion that spread beyond the initial forum.
While applicants waited for responses, and their anticipation turned to frustration, Yi Shang Entertainment’s official Weibo account posted an announcement that the positions were filled.
The netizens’ anger turned to regret, leading to increased discussion and ultimately pushing Yi Shang onto the trending charts, increasing its visibility to the general public.
Finally, there was the customized Douyin street interview video. As a shareholder holding 20% of Tito’s shares, Gu Wanrong ensured the video received more views. More people learned about Yi Shang Entertainment through the interview video.
The success of the tasks assigned by Gu Wanrong increased the employees’ curiosity about her.
During this time, many job seekers expressed regret online for not applying to Yi Shang earlier. Gu Wanrong came across a video of a young man playing and singing a song with a guitar.
The young man’s real name was Jing Xiu. He had studied various instruments, music theory, sight-singing, and ear training since childhood and was currently seventeen years old.
On the online forum, an employee’s payslip pushed the thread’s popularity to a prominent position, catching Jing Xiu’s eye.
Curious, Jing Xiu clicked on the recruitment information for artists, which included a monthly basic salary of [amount], luxurious villas for artists’ accommodation, luxury cars for transportation, at least one personal assistant, and professional training by skilled instructors. It was tempting.
The next moment, Jing Xiu sent his resume, a self-recorded singing and guitar playing video, and a self-introduction video to Yi Shang Entertainment’s recruitment email.
After waiting and waiting without receiving a response, he became very discouraged, believing he lacked the appeal and skills needed to be signed by an entertainment company.
Finally, Yi Shang Entertainment’s official Weibo account announced that all recruitment positions were filled, causing regret among those who applied later.
Jing Xiu was also disappointed, but secretly relieved. The fact that Yi Shang hadn’t signed him wasn’t due to a lack of ability; it was likely that they hadn’t seen his resume.
In his spare time, he practiced a song until he was satisfied. Hoping that an Yi Shang agent might see it and sign him, he posted the self-recorded video to Douyin with relevant hashtags.
Yi Shang-related topics were trending, and Jing Xiu’s video’s views were rapidly increasing. He had hoped an agent or scout would notice him, but instead, several MCN agencies contacted him.
Then Gu Wanrong came across his video. She found the young man’s face familiar and recognized the song.
Gu Wanrong was surprised to realize who he was!
A natural idol!
A genius producer!
A hot search harvester!
Jing Xiu!
Two years later, he debuted as the center of the first idol competition show in China, “Trainee 101.” He wasn’t just the center of the group; he was also the group’s music producer. Every song he produced became incredibly popular.
The song in the video, with a younger, more youthful Jing Xiu, was the same song he performed at his debut stage in “Trainee 101” two years later. Gu Wanrong recognized the more polished version from two years later.
The video’s caption: “What if I’d seen Yi Shang Entertainment’s recruitment information earlier.”
Jing Xiu had actually sent an application to Yi Shang Entertainment! Sign! Sign! Sign! If she missed this chance, she’d miss out on such a talented idol!
Gu Wanrong mentally raged, immediately forwarding the video to Tong Shenwu.
“Tong Shenwu, find someone to sign Jing Xiu immediately! Give him the best treatment.”
She called Tong Shenwu, her tone unquestionable as she commanded her.
After receiving the task, Tong Shenwu quickly reviewed Yi Shang’s managers. She chose Lin Jing and instructed her to sign Jing Xiu.
Lin Jing learned from Tong Shenwu that Jing Xiu had sent a resume to the company email. She had someone search for his name and quickly found his resume. She called the number he provided.
“Hello?” A middle-aged woman’s voice answered.
Lin Jing was puzzled. “Hello, may I ask who you are in relation to Jing Xiu?”
“I’m his mother. Why are you calling his phone?” The woman was also confused by this unknown call.
Lin Jing breathed a sigh of relief; the number was correct. “Ms. Jing Xiu’s mother, I’m an artist manager from Yi Shang Entertainment. Your son sent us his resume the day before yesterday, and we’re interested in signing him.”
“He’s still at school. Can he call you back tonight?”
“What time tonight?”
“Nine o’clock.”
“Okay, thank you, Mrs. Jing Xiu’s mother.”
After hanging up, Lin Jing carefully examined Jing Xiu’s resume and the attached videos.
The young man had an excellent physique. His athletic attire showed the lean and upright figure of a teenager, with a long neck and striking peach blossom eyes.
His slender fingers played the electronic keyboard, singing a love song with a gentle and healing voice. When he raised his eyes, his expressive peach blossom eyes were captivating.
A beautiful voice and handsome face, Lin Jing thought.
At 9 p.m., Lin Jing received a call from Jing Xiu. “Hello, I’m an agent from Yi Shang.”
“Hello, Agent, I’m Jing Xiu,” Jing Xiu’s polite but slightly nervous voice came through the phone.
His natural voice was even more charming on the phone. Lin Jing rubbed her ears and said, “Did your mother tell you that Yi Shang wants to sign you?”
“My mother told me. Agent, I’m willing to sign with Yi Shang Entertainment,” Jing Xiu replied eagerly.
“Can you take a leave of absence tomorrow at lunchtime? Meet your mother outside school at a cafe, and we’ll have a detailed discussion.” Jing Xiu lived in a different city than Yi Shang Entertainment. To sign him quickly, Lin Jing planned to take the earliest flight to his city.
For Lin Jing, such sudden trips had been common.
Now that Gu Wanrong was the boss, though the work was the same, the benefits had improved significantly, and she could take paid time off. She didn’t mind such work anymore.
“Yes, I can.”
“My WeChat number is the same as this phone number. Add me, and send me the meeting location.” After hanging up, Lin Jing checked for flights.