After Transmigrated as a Black-Hearted Entertainment Boss [Transmigration] - Chapter 2

“Brother Nan, do you know why the company suddenly called us for a meeting?” A boy wearing unremarkable black-rimmed glasses pushed them up his nose, asking the youth beside him with a hint of unease.

Before Gu Nan could answer, another boy wearing a baseball cap muttered under his breath, “They aren’t going to kick us out of the dorms, are they?”

As soon as those words left his mouth, the meeting room fell into a dead silence.

After a moment, the boy with the glasses managed a forced smile. “Probably not… the contract says room and board are included…”

The boy in the cap let out a cold snort. “I haven’t seen the company care about our food or drink for the past six months! Anyway, if they really try to kick us out, I’ll drop out of school and work. I can’t let Chen Xing go back to that wolf’s den!”

“If it comes to that, you can stay at my place,” said a boy with beautiful almond-shaped eyes sitting next to the boy in the cap. He spoke earnestly, “It’s a bit small, but if we squeeze together…”

Before he could finish, Gu Nan—who was dressed in a yellow food delivery uniform—interrupted him directly. “Why would we need your place? I’m here.”

The almond-eyed boy replied, “But Brother Nan, you have to take acting classes…”

Gu Nan shook his head. “I’ve already learned what I need to. You guys focus on school. Especially you, Xiao Wu—don’t let me hear that talk about dropping out a second time.”

Diwu Zou, the boy in the baseball cap, gave a huff. His expression looked defiant, but he ultimately didn’t say anything else.

Seeing Diwu Zou quiet down, Gu Nan glanced at Chen Xing, who was sitting next to the almond-eyed boy. The latter kept his head down and hadn’t spoken a word. Being the youngest and smallest, he was curled up in his chair, as silent as a doll.

Just then, the meeting room door swung open. The five youths turned in unison. When they saw the newcomer’s appearance, everyone froze, their thoughts synchronizing instantly:

Is this the new boss, or a new artist signed by the company?

The man who entered had an incredible waist-to-leg ratio. He wore a slim-fit casual suit with no tie, but a silver lapel pin that added a high-fashion touch. His hair was naturally swept back to reveal a full forehead; his features were exquisite and his skin pale. His visuals were even more eye-catching than many A-list celebrities.

Looking at that smiling face, a thought inexplicably popped into Gu Nan’s head: This guy doesn’t want to disband all the artists just so he can debut himself, does he?

While the boys were sizing up Tao Zui, he was also subtly observing them, matching their real-life appearances to the “paper people” from the books one by one.

The one in the yellow delivery uniform must be Gu Nan. Nineteen years old. The protagonist Gong (Top) of the novel Starlight Brilliance and the future top-tier Movie Star. The book described him as having broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long arms. Though his head was small, his features were three-dimensional. Because he had phoenix eyes with narrow double-eyelid folds, his gaze was as cold as frost, though his smile was bright and frank. Despite a miserable background, his will was iron-clad; during his time being “snowbound,” he worked jobs to pay for his own acting classes. His talent was the “ceiling” of the entire series.

The one in black glasses was Su Jiqiu. Nineteen years old. The protagonist Shou (Bottom) of the novel Almighty Idol. A young master from a prestigious family and the future popular TV King. He ran away from home to chase his acting dreams. Aside from singing and dancing, he was proficient in the four arts (zither, go, calligraphy, and painting). Currently a student at the Beijing Film Academy, his black glasses were a “special item” used to seal away his beauty.

The boy in the baseball cap with a rebellious aura should be Diwu Zou, the protagonist Gong of Boy Band Romance Guide. Seventeen years old. From a single-parent family, he had practiced dance since childhood and would become the main dancer of the Asia-wide hit group Infinite.

Sitting next to him was the almond-eyed boy, Zeng Yinuo, the protagonist Shou of Boy Band Romance Guide. Seventeen years old. The only one of the five with a functional family that supported his dreams. A singer-songwriter and the future main vocal of Infinite.

The smallest one was Chen Xing, the protagonist Gong of A Boat of Clear Dreams Weighs on the Starry River. Currently only fifteen. An orphan and a genius rapper, he would be the main rapper of Infinite.

Five people. Three minors. Four homeless. The primary reason they signed with Taoli Entertainment was because the company provided room and board. Of course, under Father Tao’s cost-cutting policies, it had been a long time since the company actually provided food, and Gu Nan had even been paying the dorm’s utility bills.

If the property management fees hadn’t been paid annually in advance, Father Tao likely would have made them pay for that, too.

What a sin, Tao Zui thought. Swallowing a sigh, he looked at the five youths across the wide table. “Hello. Let me introduce myself first. My surname is Tao, given name Zui—’Zui’ as in ‘the ultimate.’ You can just call me Young CEO Tao. Calling you here so late is because I want to discuss your future development.”

“Hmph.” As soon as he finished speaking, Diwu Zou let out a sneer, his face full of mockery.

Tao Zui acted as if he hadn’t heard it, his expression remaining perfectly calm. He was joking—he had spent nearly ten years in the advertising industry. He had seen all kinds of difficult clients. He could keep a straight face and coax someone back even if they were spitting insults in his face, let alone this childish display.

“I’ve listened to your previous songs and watched your stage recordings. To be blunt, some of you are not suited for the ‘Idol’ path of singing and dancing…”

“What do you mean? You want to disband Pentacle?!” Before Tao Zui could finish, Diwu Zou stood up abruptly.

Gu Nan frowned and reached out to press Diwu Zou’s shoulder, pulling him back down.

Watching the huffy Diwu Zou obediently sit back down, Tao Zui raised an eyebrow and answered directly, “Yes.”

“You!” Diwu Zou bounced up again, his “sanpaku” eyes glaring at Tao Zui like a small beast ready to bite.

This time, Gu Nan didn’t pull him back. Instead, he frowned at Tao Zui. “The company has a contract with us. If you terminate it, you have to pay the breach-of-contract fee.”

Oh right, the contract! Diwu Zou’s eyes lit up, and he sat down with a cold laugh.

When the elder CEO Tao died, Brother Nan had said that the contracts they signed with Taoli Entertainment had a mutual compensation clause—a full 50 million yuan! Taoli Entertainment would absolutely never initiate a contract termination!

Of course, with that clause in place, the five of them were also tied to the sinking ship of Taoli Entertainment, unable to move.

Diwu Zou pulled down the brim of his cap to hide the sudden dimming of his eyes.

Hearing Gu Nan mention the contract, a hint of a smile appeared in Tao Zui’s eyes. This future top Movie Star seemed very steady, but he was only nineteen after all; he had lost his cool after just a few sentences.

Tao Zui spread his hands, feigning innocence. “I never said I wanted to terminate the contracts.”

Before the five could react, he continued, “As I just said, some of you aren’t suited for singing and dancing, so Pentacle must be disbanded. But disbanding Pentacle doesn’t mean terminating your contracts. The company has other arrangements for you.” After speaking, Tao Zui made a gesture to Zhang Ling.

Zhang Ling immediately stood up, walked over to the boys, and handed out the documents in her hand one by one according to their names.

Gu Nan took the file. He glanced at Tao Zui before looking down at the document. With just one look, his breath hitched—

At the top of the file was a line of large text: Planning Proposal for Artist Gu Nan’s Development as an Actor.

An actor?! Taoli Entertainment wanted to train him as an actor? How was that possible?!

Even as he thought this, his speed in flipping through the file didn’t slow down. Gu Nan read the contents of the proposal almost greedily.

One-on-one performance training, one-on-one dialogue coaching, and even courses for physique and vocal music! This wasn’t much different from Su Jiqiu’s curriculum at the Film Academy!

Gu Nan’s mind was in a whirlwind, and for a moment he didn’t know how to react. However, the impulsive Diwu Zou jumped up yet again.

“Piano lessons and songwriting classes… is everything written here real?!”

“Of course.” Tao Zui acted as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Diwu Zou looked at Zeng Yinuo, then at Chen Xing, then suddenly glared at Tao Zui as if he’d thought of something. “You don’t expect us to pay the tuition ourselves, do you?”

…Setting everything else aside, do you even have money? Tao Zui cleared his throat and pointed at the document in the boy’s hand. “Look further down.”

Diwu Zou looked down and flipped to the end. There, it was written clearly: All expenses involved in this proposal shall be borne by the company and recorded as training costs.

Diwu Zou’s jaw dropped. Gu Nan remained silent. Su Jiqiu blankly took off his glasses and wiped them with the hem of his shirt. Zeng Yinuo and Chen Xing whispered to each other while pointing at the proposal. Aside from shock, not a single one of them looked happy yet.

After a while, Gu Nan closed the proposal and looked at Tao Zui. “What are the company’s conditions for providing these?”

Tao Zui raised his eyebrows. “You are the company’s artists. In other words, you are the company’s ‘products.’ The company trains you to package you better and then push you into the market. If there are really any conditions…”

Tao Zui intentionally drew out his words. Seeing the guarded expressions on their faces, the smile in his eyes deepened. “It’s that I hope you can take your classes seriously. Don’t do energy-draining things like part-time jobs anymore.”

Hearing this, Gu Nan reflexively looked down at the delivery uniform he was wearing. He remained silent, his expression appearing somewhat reluctant.

Tao Zui actually understood. After all, money is a person’s source of confidence. Especially for someone like Gu Nan, who had no parental support, he needed money for security.

Therefore, he explained, “Of the five of you, four have to go to school. Your disposable time is already limited. If you spend more time on part-time jobs, how will you have the energy to learn more? As for you, Gu Nan, the company’s previous training focus was all on singing and dancing. Now that you are transitioning to acting, you have a lot to learn. Once the schedule comes out, you’ll know how precious time is. You’re starting later than others, so naturally, you have to work harder, don’t you?”

At this point, he coughed slightly, his expression looking a bit awkward. “Previously… because of financial reasons, the company had to cut some expenses… but don’t worry, after the reorganization, everything specified in the contracts will be provided. Additionally, because Gu Nan and Su Jiqiu are transitioning to actors, supplementary contract clauses are needed. You two should go to the legal department in a bit.”

With that, he stood up. “That’s all for today. Stay safe on the way back.”

The five of them watched in silence as Tao Zui left. It took a long time before Diwu Zou murmured, “I knew the boss changed… but isn’t this difference too big?”

Zeng Yinuo peered out with his large eyes and asked Gu Nan, “Brother Nan, do you think what Young CEO Tao said is true?”

Gu Nan looked at the proposal in his hand and only answered after a long pause, “…Whether it’s true or not, we’ll know if we wait and see.”

Outside, Tao Zui walked toward his office with a light step. Recalling the expressions of Gu Nan and the others, he couldn’t help but curl his lips upward.

He could imagine how confused they were right now; they wouldn’t believe him so easily. But it didn’t matter. Once the things he promised were in place, they would naturally understand that today is not like the past. Young CEO Tao is not CEO Tao, and Taoli Entertainment will surely be reborn!

However, when he saw the training budget the next day, Tao Zui could no longer smile.

No one told him that just hiring a few professional teachers would be this expensive!