Chapter 30: Chapter 28: Used as a Pawn?

“…transfer of 550,000.00 yuan. Current balance: 21,354.56 yuan.”

After Chen Jincheng transferred 550,000 yuan to Second-Life Star Company as capital, he was left with just over 20,000 yuan from the original 800,000 he’d received from Tiao Yin and the profits from a few livestreams.

After deducting the final payment for renovations and purchasing cell phones and various office supplies, there would be nothing left of the 550,000 yuan transferred to Second-Life Star.

’Money is tight!’

That’s why he had to make the most of this afternoon’s negotiations with Jinglan Clothing.

With the Clothing Series Heat Card (guaranteeing 3 million likes), he was confident about the video’s promotional power. He was essentially in an invincible position.

Any discerning manager would understand the immense value of a promotional video guaranteed to get 3 million likes and at least 50 million views.

That was on par with the view count for a single ad from an A-list, top-tier celebrity.

Meanwhile, under a standard oCPM model for targeted influencer ads, a campaign with that many views would only cost 500,000 yuan, based on a rate of 10 yuan per thousand views.

Even factoring in comprehensive pricing metrics like the influencer’s follower count and conversion rates, the total cost would never exceed 1.5 million yuan.

It was extremely cost-effective.

As for getting them to believe him, he could propose a performance-based deal: they would only pay once the video hit 3 million likes. If it failed, it would be free.

With a guarantee like that, anyone would be willing to give it a shot.

A short while later, Sister Hong arrived. “Boss, it’s time for our meeting with President Liu from Jinglan Women’s Clothing. We should head across the street.”

“Alright.” Chen Jincheng nodded and followed Sister Hong out of the Second-Life Star offices, heading toward Jinglan Women’s Clothing across the way.

As a women’s apparel company, the interior decor had a distinctly feminine touch, and most of the employees were women.

Sister Hong stated their purpose, and a beautiful secretary in office attire and black stockings immediately came out to greet them. “Ms. Chu Hong, please come in. President Liu is in her office.”

’Not bad, honestly,’ Chen Jincheng thought, admiring the secretary’s figure. ’She’s got the chest, the curves, and the long legs. Add a pretty face to the mix, and she’s got what it takes to be a mid-tier influencer.’

Of course, he was here to discuss a partnership, so he couldn’t very well poach their secretary.

Upon being led into President Liu’s office, Chen Jincheng was surprised to find that she was the same mature, beautiful woman he had seen leaving Jinglan Women’s Clothing earlier.

No wonder she carried herself with such a formidable air.

But when he saw the two other women she was hosting in her office, his brow furrowed slightly.

One of them was young and beautiful, with a pure and innocent look—it was none other than the recently popular singer, Li Yueling.

Though supposedly a singer, she was really more of an idol. The story behind her hit song wasn’t exactly reputable either; rumor had it that her ex-boyfriend wrote it for her, and she dumped him the moment she got famous.

The person beside her was likely her sister and manager. It wasn’t uncommon for celebrities to hire family as agents, partly for trust and partly to maintain control over their own careers.

As Chen Jincheng and Sister Hong walked in, Li Yueling was in the middle of saying to President Liu, “President Liu, this is the endorsement fee Jinghong Women’s Clothing upstairs offered. I’m only more willing to talk to you because I’m a bigger fan of your company’s designs.”

From that one sentence, Chen Jincheng gathered that two clothing companies were currently negotiating an endorsement deal with Li Yueling, and the other one was apparently located upstairs.

’She’s trying to play one off against the other,’ Chen Jincheng realized, ’pitting them against each other to start a bidding war. But her intentions are painfully obvious. The company upstairs definitely didn’t offer her that price, or she wouldn’t be here at Jinglan Women’s Clothing right now.’

Liu Qing clearly had no intention of taking the bait. Seeing the secretary lead Chen Jincheng and Sister Hong in, she stood up with a beaming smile. “Sister Hong, you’re here! And this must be Mr. Chen. Please, have a seat.”

Chen Jincheng’s brow twitched.

President Liu’s welcome was a little too enthusiastic. It felt like she was putting on a show for Li Yueling.

’She was in the middle of a negotiation with Li Yueling but scheduled our meeting for the exact same time,’ he thought. ’Damn it, is she using us as a pawn?’

In his past life, he may have been an employee, but he was in management at a major corporation—otherwise, he wouldn’t have had the money to frequent nightclubs. He had seen tricks like this countless times and knew exactly what was happening.

President Liu not only gave Chen Jincheng and Sister Hong an effusive welcome, but after they were seated, she also made sure to introduce them to Li Yueling. “Miss Li, let me introduce you. These two are from Second-Life Star Media. Mr. Chen is quite famous online.”

Li Yueling immediately frowned at Chen Jincheng and Sister Hong.

She had never heard of an entertainment company called Second-Life Star.

After a moment, it clicked, and she scoffed, “Isn’t that just an influencer agency? President Liu, you’re not actually thinking of working with an influencer, are you? You’d be devaluing your own brand!”

Chen Jincheng wasn’t bothered by her contemptuous tone. In the current social hierarchy of the entertainment world, celebrities were indeed a tier above influencers. Even a D-list celebrity could look down their nose at an influencer.

And they were usually very blunt about it.

In his previous world, it was only with the rise of MCNs that celebrities finally realized traffic was king. When a top influencer could earn billions a year, even Oscar-winning actors had to pay to appear on their livestreams, desperately begging them to help sell movie tickets and chanting along with them: “Three, two, one, post the link!”

By that point, the line between influencer and celebrity had all but vanished.

Influencers could enter the entertainment industry and quickly become A-list stars. For example, in his previous world, Zhao Silu, Bai Lu, Liu Yuning, Zhang Ruonan, Wang Hedi… and so on, all started as influencers before becoming celebrities.

Conversely, former A-listers who had lost their relevance started adopting influencer catchphrases, shouting, “Fam! Three, two, one, post the link!”

So, Chen Jincheng couldn’t care less about a celebrity like Li Yueling, who hadn’t even solidified her B-list status. To him, she was just a pathetic clown putting on a show.

Hearing Li Yueling’s comment, Liu Qing simply smiled. “Miss Li, you know that Jinglan Women’s Clothing isn’t a massive brand. We truly can’t afford five million. Four million is our absolute limit. So, if that’s not enough, we’ll have no choice but to settle for the next best option.”

At this, Li Yueling gritted her teeth and said in a deflated tone, “Fine. Four million it is, just as you said, President Liu.”

After saying this, she shot an annoyed glance at Chen Jincheng and Sister Hong. If Second-Life Star hadn’t suddenly interfered, she was sure she could have gotten five million.

’Fucking influencers,’ she fumed internally, ’running around making trouble everywhere, thinking they’re real celebrities.’

“Since it’s settled, Miss Li, I’ll have someone prepare the contract.” After saying this, Liu Qing turned to Chen Jincheng and Sister Hong, her smile never wavering. “Sister Hong, Mr. Chen, I do apologize. I had intended to speak with you, but as you can see, we’ve just reached an agreement with Miss Li Yueling.”

Chen Jincheng was now certain: President Liu had used him and Sister Hong as pawns.

Their arrival had made Li Yueling lose her composure, saving Liu Qing a million yuan in the process.

He wasn’t angry, however. Instead, he retorted, “President Liu, you don’t even want to hear my proposal? It might just change your mind.”

Hearing this, Liu Qing’s smile returned. “Mr. Chen, I am willing to work with your company. I’ve looked into your three female artists. I can have them shoot a promotional video. Based on the current Tiao Yin market rates, how about a fee of 20,000 yuan per video?”

She had indeed used them as a tool in this affair, so this offer was essentially a small “errand fee”—a clear signal that she wanted to end the discussion and have them leave.

Li Yueling couldn’t help but laugh. “See? Some people need to learn their place.”

“Secretary Lin, please prepare a contract for Mr. Chen as well. You can handle the details with him.” Liu Qing’s words carried the clear subtext of a dismissal.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep