The entertainment industry is a big circle, accommodating countless people from all walks of life. Yet within this circle, everyone is intricately connected, there is no such thing as a completely independent individual.
Some will praise you, some will criticize, some will hype you up, others will throw shade, it's all bizarre and tangled.
The only true belief is interest!
Lu Chen launched a leukemia charity fund on Wave Blog, and Chen Fei'er's support for him needs no explanation.
Tan Hong, Liao Jia, Sister Li, and others are friends, mutual support among showbiz friends is normal. But those who join in voluntarily, whether known or unknown, mostly have ulterior motives.
However, no matter their motives, as the saying goes, "many hands make light work," and the momentum online suddenly surged.
Lu Chen really didn't expect it to get this big! He hurriedly posted a new blog thanking all supporters and stating he would complete the foundation's registration as soon as possible.
According to domestic regulations, individuals cannot conduct charitable fundraising by themselves. The approval and registration process for a charity foundation is very strict and requires high qualifications.
But since Lu Chen had made his decision, he was determined to see it through.
The status, fame, and money he now had came not only from his own efforts but mainly from the memories in the Dream World.
Lu Chen never thought of just squandering this vast wealth of memories to get by for life. He was grateful for this blessing and wanted to extend it to help many who needed it.
Setting up a charity foundation was the first step for Lu Chen. How far a person can go depends on how broad their heart is!
Chen Fei'er asked, "Who are you planning to appoint to manage this foundation? The manager is really important."
There are quite a few charity foundations in the country, but many suffer from mixed reputations. Some have poor reputations because of chaotic management and have become money-making tools.
As a star, Lu Chen obviously wouldn't have the time or energy to run a foundation himself, but the foundation's reputation was closely tied to his own.
If management problems or scandals arose, it would heavily impact Lu Chen.
So the manager is crucial! Lu Chen scratched his head: "My sister."
The person he trusted most, of course, was his own family. Having Lu Xi in charge would be reassuring.
Chen Fei'er smiled: "But Lu Xi isn't superhuman. Can she handle so much?"
"Uh…"
Lu Chen imagined his sister yelling at him until he looked like a mess.
As Lu Chen's fame grew, Lu Xi, manager and agent of Lu Chen Workshop, got busier and busier. The dream she once had to study for her graduate degree in Capital City was long gone, she didn't even have time to review her lessons.
Study further? Hehe.
If he added the heavy burden of the charity foundation on top of that… Lu Chen wiped cold sweat off his brow: "Do you have any good suggestions or recommendations?"
Chen Fei'er said, "If I were to recommend someone, it would be Sister Li. There's no one more suitable."
"Sister Li?" Lu Chen's eyes lit up: "Would she be willing?"
Sister Li was well respected in the showbiz community and was enthusiastic about charity. She had just pledged 500,000 yuan for Lu Chen's charity project on her blog. Most importantly, she was smart and capable, with broad connections outside the entertainment circle.
This was crucial. Compared to that, Lu Xi was really lacking. If Sister Li were to run the foundation, Lu Chen truly wouldn't have much to worry about. The problem was Sister Li had her own career. Her agency was thriving, and she was very busy.
Chen Fei'er smiled: "I'll ask her first. It probably won't be a problem."
Lu Chen couldn't help but hug her and praised, "What would I do without you?"
This kind of lovey-dovey, mushy talk that would make anyone cringe made Chen Fei'er blush faintly. She coquettishly gave him a side glance and said, "Smooth talker! I'm going back, A'Xuan messaged me."
Lu Chen looked at the time: "Ah, let's go have lunch together."
Unconsciously, it was already 1 p.m.
Chen Fei'er said, "No time, I have a shoot this afternoon. You go eat by yourself."
She kissed Lu Chen comfortingly: "A'Xuan is downstairs; you don't have to see me off."
Wonderful times always pass too fast. Lu Chen helplessly saw off Chen Fei'er, who wore a mask and sunglasses. He thought to himself that he should probably buy a new apartment, it was really inconvenient to keep living here.
After Chen Fei'er left, Lu Chen didn't stay long either. He grabbed a quick bite and rushed to the Workshop. As soon as he arrived, his sister called him into the office and scolded him so harshly he couldn't lift his head!
Lu Xi and the Workshop phones had been ringing off the hook. Some important decisions needed Lu Chen's approval, but his phone had been off. If it weren't for their contact earlier that morning, they'd think he'd gone missing!
"You didn't even discuss something as big as setting up a charity foundation with me first." Lu Xi reproached, "I don't have the energy or ability to help you manage it!"
Lu Chen explained, "I already discussed this with Fei'er. She recommended Sister Li to me."
Lu Xi paused, then suddenly realized, "You were with Fei'er all morning, right? No wonder your phone was off."
She said sourly, "Now that you have a wife, you've really forgotten your sister!"
Lu Chen smiled wryly, life was hard enough; why make things harder by pointing that out? Lu Xi didn't want to bother with him anymore: "The latest work and business files are on my computer. Handle them yourself. I'm going to the hospital now."
Lu Chen was stunned: "To the hospital? For what?"
Lu Xi said, "I'm going to visit Manager Wang. You've taken over his Workshop; you should at least pay a visit, right? You don't have to go, I'll represent you for the visit."
Lu Chen's face flushed.
All the members of Nirvana Workshop had now been absorbed under his wing. He had known about Wang Changsheng's hospitalization for a while but was too busy these past days to visit.
Although it was a small matter, Lu Xi's thoughtfulness showed, she cared about Wang Jing and Wang Hui's feelings.
Just as Lu Xi was about to leave, Lu Chen called out hurriedly, "Sis."
She stopped at the door and turned around, "What?"
Lu Chen sincerely said, "Thank you."
Lu Xi snorted but her gaze softened considerably. After his sister left, Lu Chen sat at her desk and opened the work documents on her computer.
First up was the publication of the novel version of 'Autumn in My Heart'. Since the TV play's ratings had set records in recent years, combined with Lu Chen's recent serialized updates on his blog, the novel version was in high demand.
Over a dozen publishers had contacted him by phone or in person seeking collaboration. The strongest contenders were Mountain Sea Publishing House, Qunwen Publishing, and Jingdi Publishing.
So far, the private Mountain Sea Publishing House offered the most attractive terms: 15% royalties plus a 500,000 yuan advance!
Domestic authors typically receive royalties between 8%–12%. Newcomers might get as low as 5%. For a 150,000-word novel priced at 20 yuan, the author might earn only 1 yuan per copy, and the initial print run would usually be only 1,000 to 2,000 copies.
In literary publishing, Lu Chen was definitely a newcomer with no prior published works.
But the influence of 'Autumn in My Heart' made it impossible for any publisher to treat him as a rookie. Even so, Mountain Sea's offer far exceeded normal standards.
A 15% royalty rate is top-tier treatment reserved for famous writers. The 500,000-yuan guaranteed advance showed they were investing heavily. Signing the contract would immediately put 1.5 million yuan in the Workshop's account!
If sales exceeded expectations, the royalty percentage could increase further.
Such terms were something state-owned Qunwen and Jingdi Publishers couldn't match.
So Lu Xi's advice was to sign with Mountain Sea Publishing House.
Lu Chen had no objections. Whoever paid more got the deal, no reason to hesitate.
Additionally, the comic rights for 'Autumn in My Heart' were in sight. The previously contacted Color Impression Comics offered a final price of 1.2 million yuan.
Lu Chen also gave his approval.
Then a clothing company wanted the 'Autumn in My Heart' brand license, and two film companies were interested in collaborating with Workshop to adapt the story into a movie.
Glancing over the list, Lu Chen saw there were more than a dozen items related to the IP rights of 'Autumn in My Heart'. If all licensed out, the Workshop could earn nearly ten million yuan in additional profits!
This made Lu Chen marvel at the power of IP. The value of a hot IP was truly immeasurable.
All the copyrights to 'Autumn in My Heart' remained firmly in Lu Chen's hands. Chen Fei'er and Qiande Film Company only received revenue shares from the TV play.
Lu Chen felt like his hands were going to cramp from counting money, but then he thought about Chen Fei'er's house costing nearly 30 million yuan and felt like a pauper, buying a house himself was out of the question!
Knock, knock.
He was still thinking about money when someone gently knocked on the door.
Lu Chen cleared his throat and said, "Come in."
It was Wang Hui, who looked a bit embarrassed as he asked, "Brother Lu, I want to ask, when are we building the Recording Room?"
Lu Chen was surprised: "Didn't I tell you to prepare the budget? You have 5 million yuan to choose the equipment."
Wang Hui frowned: "But where are we going to build the Recording Room? This place is too small."
Lu Chen realized this was a real problem.
When he rented this Workshop, he never planned on building a Recording Room. Now that Nirvana Workshop had merged in and the scale was expanding greatly, the current space was truly too small.
To grow and strengthen Workshop, moving to a new location was imperative!
The new place would need to be at least three to four times larger, which meant a huge investment.
Lu Chen was seriously considering selling out to Chen Fei'er.
(End of chapter)
You can read ahead up to 60 chapters on my patreon https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395