However, there were specific requirements that they were supposed to follow. They had to be discreet in creating intentional hype and were not allowed to pay for trending hashtags or top searches.
But all of them knew the current market conditions well. To become a superstar, the first step was to create enough media visibility and coverage for raising her profile. Also, in order to help with exposure, she had to be the top search term for at least five times a month.
As such, it was a well-known secret in the industry that almost all of the most popular celebrities had paid a sum to manipulate search engine results.
As Nan Chen had already stated that paying for trending searches was not an option, they could only think of means to deliberately create hype for the woman in a discreet enough way.
Under such stringent restrictions, it was extremely hard for the team to create a superstar out of Ning Ran, especially given her current almost obscure status.
However, none of the four dared to raise any objections in front of Nan Chen. They merely gave each other knowing looks.
Ning Ran herself was shocked as well. She did not expect Poker Face to summon her here to meet with the senior management team of Star Entertainment. Moreover, the purpose of tonight’s meeting was to mold her into an A-list celebrity.
“Mr. Chen, I’m afraid it’s an immensely challenging task,” Wang Xiaoou broke the silence.
Wang Xiaoou was a first-class artiste manager and was well-respected in the country’s entertainment industry. She was also known for her straightforward character.
As she spoke, the three men heaved a sigh of relief. Someone had to take the lead, and they were glad that it was Wang Xiaoou.
No response came from Nan Chen.
“If it was going to be easy, we wouldn’t have invited all of you to come here personally today,” Jiang Zhe replied on behalf of his boss.
“Each industry has its own rules. For ours, it would be extremely difficult for an artiste to gain popularity without intentional hyping activities. Paying for top searches is one of the most effective strategies the industry utilizes to help an artiste gain traction. It may be possible for an artiste to shoot to the top without doing any of those, but it would have to take longer, and we would have to catch the right timing. In fact, nothing would work without the right timing. There are many artistes who had waited for their entire career for such an opportunity but to no avail. Those people end up struggling at the bottom, despite having real abilities. There are also actors and actresses who had taken part in numerous films and dramas but were never recognized on the streets, even though they had displayed brilliant acting skills in the various productions. Mr. Nan, you should know that having solid abilities does not have a direct correlation to an artiste’s popularity. Some of today’s most popular celebrities are not good at their crafts at all. I’m not saying that… “
Nan Chan interrupted Wang Xiaoou with a wave and said, “I am already aware of everything you just mentioned.”
No one spoke after that. Since the boss had stated he understood how the industry worked, there was nothing more to be said.
“I am not expecting her to go viral overnight, but I would like to see consistent improvements,” Nan Chen clarified his intentions.
Everyone understood what he meant. Briefly speaking, although it posed a challenge, they were not expected to create miracles and raise her to the top within a short period of time. More accurately, they were supposed to groom her like a superstar.
“It can take two years, or even three. What I want to see is a real superstar, not short-lived fame,” Nan Chen added.
Everyone let out a huge sigh of relief. As long as there was no time constraint, things would be much easier.
“From now onward, Mommy Wang will be Young… Ms. Ning’s manager. The duration of the contract would be three years. When the three years are up, the renewal of the contract shall be discussed again,” Jiang Zhe said.
It would be a great honor for any artiste to be under Mommy Wang’s care. However, someone suddenly raised an objection. “I don’t consent to that.”
It was, of course, Ning Ran’s voice. She was not agreeable to Wang Xiaoou being her manager.
Everyone was shocked by her declaration, as Ning Ran had just rejected the best artiste manager the country had. What could her intentions be?
Even Nan Chen stared daggers at Ning Ran. It was incomprehensible to him that the woman had turned down such a rare golden opportunity.
She must either be ignorant and not aware of Wang Xiaoou’s status and value in the industry, or she was just set on staying as a small actress who would always remain unheard of.
It would be unforgivable if it was the former.
If her reason was the latter, it would be even more incredible. A good soldier always aspires to be a general. If Ning Ran did not have the ambition to become a popular actress, that only went to show that she’s a good-for-nothing. It had got nothing to do with being Zen or wanting to keep a low profile.
Needless to say, Wang Xiaoou was even more upset. She was the one manager every artiste wished to have. Where did this third-grade actress get the nerves to reject her?
This task which the team was given wasn’t an easy one, to begin with. Since Ning Ran had opposed to it first, it gave the manager an opportunity to pass the buck.
“Since Ms. Ding feels that I’m not suitable for the role, Mr. Nan should get someone else to take up the job instead,” Wang Xiaoou said nonchalantly.
Nan Chen had a grim expression after the woman stated her stance.
Since knowing he was the father of Ning Ran’s kids, Nan Chen had been thinking of ways to make it up to her.
He did not think she would accept an outright cash gift, as she might interpret it as an exchange for her children.
After careful deliberation, Nan Chen decided that the best compensation he could give Ning Ran was to help her with her career.
This way, not only could she have an identity that was separate from the Nan family and enjoy financial independence, but she could also tap on the Nan family’s abundant resources. It seemed to be the best option.
This evening’s meeting was a result of Nan Chen’s decision. The brilliant team, which was made up of the senior management of Star Entertainment, had gathered to devise a long-term plan for Ning Ran’s career development.
Even though Nan Chen had selfish motives for doing this, Ning Ran indeed had the potential to be a superstar, in terms of both looks and acting skills.
Right from the start, her acting abilities had already been validated by Nan Chen.
She was born to be an actress. Without much guidance or direction, she could enter into a character’s persona almost immediately, and portray the essence of the character perfectly.
It would be a waste for such a raw talent to be a full-time stay-home mom.
Ning Ran possessed the right qualities to soar to great heights in her career. Besides, a woman would be able to broaden her mind and horizons after surpassing a certain level career-wise. Her overall standards would naturally also improve.
In order to fly higher, there was a lot more she had to learn. The learning process itself was an essential part of achieving the long-term goal.
Ning Ran was different from Luo Fei. Luo Fei gained her popularity wholly through the hype and superficial packaging. There had been no visible improvement in her skills over the years. Even Nan Chen eventually started to find her extremely tasteless.
That was also why the man had hoped for Ning Ran to become an independent superstar with outstanding true abilities. The type who would be remembered by the public even with the passage of time.
He would hate to see her turn into one of those who earned a substantial income only through endorsements due to a huge fan base, without any iconic works that were representative of her career.
However, Nan Chen’s good intentions had landed himself in an awkward situation due to Ning Ran’s unwillingness to cooperate.
“Mommy Wang is the best manager in the entire country. No one else even comes close,” Jiang Zhe gently reminded the woman who was standing beside him.
“I know. Although we are not very well acquainted, I’ve definitely heard of Mommy Wang’s name. She’s someone whom I could only look up to and I’m indeed very honored to have this opportunity to work with her. However, I already have my own manager. Although she’s currently still a nobody, she was the one who sought out all my roles after I returned to the country. When I had nowhere to stay, she was also the one who offered me a roof over my head. Therefore, as long as I am still in this industry, she will be my one and only manager,” Ning Ran explained her reasons.
“Ms. Ding used to be an independent artiste and was free to decide on your manager. But since you are now signed under the company, the company has the rights to appoint your manager.”
The man who just spoke was the CEO of Star Entertainment, in other words, Ning Ran’s boss.
But of course, even the boss had a boss, and that was Nan Chen.
The CEO was not intentionally making things difficult for Ning Ran; he was merely stating facts. The woman was obliged to accept the company’s arrangements.
Besides, those were Nan Chen’s orders. No one had the audacity to disobey them.
The CEO of Star Entertainment was worried Nan Chen would deem him incompetent if the plan fell through. He could not afford the consequences.
However, the man was just senior managing personnel of a Nanshi Corporation subsidiary and was not aware of the intricate relationship between Nan Chen and Ning Ran. Naturally, it would seem bizarre to him that a small artiste had chosen to reject such a good opportunity offered to her by the company.
“I know. But even if that’s the case, I still can’t abandon my current manager. I won’t be one of those scumbags who turned their coats,” Ning Ran showed no sign of backing down.
