Chapter 40: A Pleasant Collaboration

"So tall! This building!" Zhou Ran and Li Mi, after getting off the plane, went straight by taxi to the office address of Hua Entertainment Company.

In fact, they didn't need to be in such a hurry; they could have rested for a while first. But when the people at Hua Entertainment learned that Zhou Ran and Li Mi had arrived in the city, they immediately sent Li Mi a message: "I'm waiting for you in the office, no matter what time you arrive!"

This move from Hua Entertainment caught Zhou Ran and Li Mi completely off guard; they hadn’t expected such a grand reception.

Since the company was already waiting for them, Zhou Ran and Li Mi felt it would be inappropriate to go rest and make people wait for nothing, so they headed directly to Hua Entertainment after leaving the airport.

After more than twenty minutes, they finally arrived at the entrance of Hua Entertainment's tower.

Zhou Ran was utterly stunned by the building—it was simply too tall. It stood over seventy meters high, and what's more, the entire building was occupied solely by Hua Entertainment.

Seeing Zhou Ran's expression, Li Mi immediately began to explain, "The building before you is the Hua Entertainment Tower. It's the tallest building in the country owned by a single company. Construction began at the height of Hua Entertainment's glory seven years ago, and it's only in the past few years that it has been put to official use."

Just after the two of them got out of the taxi and messaged Hua Entertainment, they received a reply almost instantly, asking them to wait a moment as someone was coming down to meet them.

After a short wait, a man in a sharp suit walked out from the building.

Seeing him approach, Zhou Ran and Li Mi walked over to meet him.

"Hello, Zhou Ran! I'm Diao Hanwei, head of the entertainment division at Hua Entertainment!" The man reached out his hand to greet Zhou Ran.

"Hello, I'm Zhou Ran!" Zhou Ran shook hands with him, marking their first introduction.

Before coming to Hua Entertainment, Zhou Ran had heard a brief introduction from Li Mi about the company.

Hua Entertainment was divided into three main divisions. The first was the entertainment division, which managed all contracted artists, including the film, music, and editorial departments.

The second division was operations, responsible for promotion, planning, and project arrangements.

The third division was logistics, which included the legal department. Hua Entertainment’s legal team was particularly famous, nicknamed the "Infallibles"—they almost never lost a case.

Of the three, the entertainment division was by far the most important, with the other two divisions existing to serve its needs.

Li Mi didn’t know much about Diao Hanwei; only that he was parachuted into the company, and most likely a direct heir to the company. Otherwise, how could such a critical position in the entertainment division be given to an outsider?

Diao Hanwei first took Zhou Ran and Li Mi on a brief tour of the building, giving them a simple introduction.

Zhou Ran’s first impression after the tour was one of completeness.

Within the Hua Entertainment Tower, every step from the creation to the release of a song could be accomplished. The building housed everything from recording studios, dance studios, creative rooms, to piano rooms. All the equipment was top-of-the-line; even the pianos were the world’s best, from Stein.

After the tour, Diao Hanwei led Zhou Ran and Li Mi to his office.

Once inside, Zhou Ran could finally close his eyes and rest, as the task of contract negotiation would be handled directly by Li Mi. Zhou Ran's role was simply to be present—a mascot, so to speak.

When Li Mi took the contract from Diao Hanwei, she was a little surprised by its contents.

She had worked in the industry for over ten years, but had never seen a contract like the one Hua Entertainment was offering.

The full name of the contract was the "Hua Entertainment Anti-Dumping Plan." Li Mi had only heard of this plan before; this was her first time actually seeing it.

A glance at the contract left her somewhat alarmed—the ambition of Hua Entertainment’s plan was immense. If successful, it would change the entire structure of the entertainment world on Blue Star.

Uncertain, Li Mi decided to consult Zhou Ran.

"Xiao Ran, do you have the confidence to sing to the world?" Li Mi walked over and woke Zhou Ran, who was resting, to discuss the matter.

Meanwhile, Diao Hanwei, sitting in his office chair, was nervously rubbing his left thumb and forefinger together.

Truthfully, Diao Hanwei was just as anxious—this collaboration was of utmost importance to both himself and Hua Entertainment.

If the plan succeeded, Hua Entertainment would return to its peak, and Diao Hanwei would have every right to inherit the company and perhaps even surpass his predecessors.

After a period of anxious deliberation, Li Mi finally approached.

"Li Mi, what do you think?" Diao Hanwei looked at her with anticipation.

Li Mi nodded gently. She had been hesitant, but after consulting Zhou Ran, she made up her mind.

Zhou Ran's answer was simple: "I have confidence, because I am Zhou Ran!"

Li Mi found his response both arrogant and satisfying. What eighteen- or nineteen-year-old could succeed without confidence? At that age, one should be bold enough to try.

With Zhou Ran's answer, Li Mi readily gave Diao Hanwei a positive reply.

"Alright, let's work together. For the details, I'll come to the company to discuss them tomorrow," she said.

Though Diao Hanwei appeared calm on the surface, he was ecstatic inside.

This plan had been shelved for far too long. It had been difficult enough to find a suitable candidate—if they hadn’t been able to sign someone now, there would be an even longer wait ahead.

No one could predict the future, but Hua Entertainment could no longer afford to waste time. Although it was still the country’s top agency, internal problems had begun to surface: the company was aging, with no new generation ready to bear its flag.

Zhou Ran’s arrival was the perfect remedy. He was currently at the very top, in his prime. Hua Entertainment was ready to stake everything on him.