Chapter 102: Fame? Money? What Else Do You Think I Still Lack? (Part Two)

"In other words, for every commercial performance you take part in, every song you release, and every film or television production you join, we will give you a ninety-ten split. We take ten percent; you take ninety.

"Also, we are willing to sign a minimum guarantee agreement with you. We will ensure that your annual income never falls below two billion. If it does, we will pay the difference. Anything above two billion, we will share with you."

"..."

Once again, the entire room fell into silence.

This was nothing less than throwing money at a person.

And not just money, but two billion a year!

It was so outrageous it practically rewrote the worldviews of everyone present.

None of them had ever seen two billion in their lives. To them, even one hundred million was an astronomical figure.

No, even ten million was a sum that many people could only look up to for their entire lives.

But now Blue Light Entertainment was actually willing to spend two billion a year just to bring Yang Xiaofan on board.

What kind of value had Yang Xiaofan reached, exactly?

Yang's father and mother had already become so stunned that they could not utter a single word.

In truth, Blue Light Entertainment was not foolish.

Over the past few years, the nation's film and television industry had been in poor shape. Television dramas, variety shows, everything was uneven at best.

One could even say the whole field was a mess.

Making money now was nothing like it had been in the past.

Even the live-streaming industry was in the same situation.

Hadn't everyone seen it? Even the biggest streamers now, celebrities included, had started selling goods during their broadcasts.

They had to rely on the profits from those sales to make up for what they lost in gifts and tips.

The root of it all was simple: people these days were far too restless.

Many had not bothered to learn a real skill. They put on a beauty filter, built a persona, and then came out to coast through life.

The general climate had made everything worse and worse.

But Yang Xiaofan was different. Yang Xiaofan had real ability.

His painting skills had already reached the level of a master of traditional Chinese painting, and a single work could fetch an enormous price of twenty million.

His mastery of chess was even more extraordinary, standing at the very summit of the world; he had even defeated the artificial intelligence AlphaGo.

That was an opponent capable of defeating a world champion in an international Go tournament.

And as for singing, in the domestic market over the past few years, there had been very few rising stars in Chinese-language music worth paying attention to.

Even that recently popular young diva, Deng Qi, had risen to fame years ago.

What often topped the charts on the major music apps now were internet singers.

But their success depended more on the songs themselves. Many of them had never received professional musical training, or they did not truly possess natural vocal talent.

On this front as well, Yang Xiaofan had undeniable substance.

By every measure, Yang Xiaofan was the most outstanding one of all.

Add to that his current traffic and popularity, and once he was signed, they could release a few albums a year, put him in a few films, promote him a little, and making money would be almost effortless.

Then they could roll out endorsement deals, merchandise, and all sorts of related products. Those were all small sums.

Most importantly, Blue Light Entertainment wanted to use Yang Xiaofan to give the company itself a surge in traffic.

That would also drive up the popularity of Blue Light Entertainment's other artists and programs.

All of that meant money.

It could be said that one Yang Xiaofan alone could revive Blue Light Entertainment, and even breathe life into the entire domestic industry, which at present was stuck in a deadlock across film, television, and music.

At a time like this, whoever managed to secure Yang Xiaofan would win.

That was why Blue Light Entertainment was willing to pay any price, even a minimum guarantee of two billion, to land him.

Yang Xiaofan naturally understood these reasons too. He was not foolish now.

He knew better than anyone how vast a market of 1.4 billion people truly was.

If every person put in just one yuan, that would be 1.4 billion. If every person put in ten yuan, that would be fourteen billion.

Of course, it was impossible for everyone to spend ten yuan, but given the current situation in the East, most people could easily spare that much.

Just that alone would already amount to several tens of billions.

Unfortunately, he had no interest in it.

"I'm sorry, and thank you for your kind offer, but I have no intention of becoming a celebrity right now."

Once again, everyone in the room was stunned. No one had expected Yang Xiaofan to refuse.

Good heavens, that was two billion a year.

How many people dreamed of that for a lifetime and never came close?

And yet Yang Xiaofan did not want it.

"Why? Are our conditions not generous enough? If there is anything you find unsuitable, we can still talk about it."

A senior executive from Blue Light Entertainment spoke up immediately.

Yang Xiaofan waved a hand.

"No, that's not it. Don't imagine things. Your offer is very generous. It's just that I personally have no interest in being a celebrity. I'm not the kind of person who likes standing in the spotlight. Live-streaming already caused me a great deal of trouble. If I were to keep going and become a celebrity too, I'm afraid I would really have not even the slightest bit of my own time left."

He could already make hundreds of billions a year just by selling paintings. Money was something he lacked in the least.

Since money was no longer an issue, why not simply enjoy life? Why go and be some celebrity?

In the end, wherever he went, there would be people following him, paparazzi everywhere, and his private life would end up on the news. Only an idiot would want that kind of life.

The senior executive of Blue Light Entertainment was still unwilling to give up and asked again, "Mr. Yang, we truly want to sign you. Please give us a chance. Rest assured, we will absolutely not force you to work in the future."

They had already shown enough sincerity. Even if Yang Xiaofan did not serve their company much, they absolutely could not let him be taken away by some other major domestic entertainment group.

After all, Yang Xiaofan now came with his own traffic and popularity. His magnetism was tremendous.

If another company took him away, it could very likely lead to that company’s strength skyrocketing in the future.

At that moment, even Yang's father could not help quietly tugging at Yang Xiaofan's sleeve, seeming to want him to agree.

After all, that was two billion a year. He could not support himself for a lifetime even by raising pigs.

Unfortunately, Yang Xiaofan still refused.

"I'm sorry. I really do not want to be a celebrity."

"But..."

The executive was about to say something else when, from outside the door, an aged yet forceful voice suddenly rang out.

"Wenhua, since Mr. Yang does not wish it, then do not make things difficult for him. Have I not taught you before that one should not impose on others what one does not desire oneself?"