After Transmigrated as a Black-Hearted Entertainment Boss [Transmigration] - Chapter 3

“Two thousand for acting, eighteen hundred for dialogue, a thousand for vocals… are lesson fees really this expensive?” Tao Zui snapped his head up to look at Zhang Ling, his expression slightly distorted.

Zhang Ling sighed. “Young CEO Tao, you insisted on hiring professional teachers from the top academies. This price is already quite low. If we were looking for professor-level faculty, they wouldn’t necessarily agree even if we doubled the fee.”

Tao Zui: “…”

Among the five, Diwu Zou, Zeng Yinuo, and Chen Xing could share classes. Su Jiqiu was already a student at the Beijing Film Academy, so the company’s training for him focused mainly on physique and vocals—relatively few classes. Gu Nan was the primary focus; he had the most classes, and they barely overlapped with the “Viral Boy Band” trio.

Calculating it this way, the training fees alone would cost several thousand a day. That was over 200,000 yuan a month, or more than two million a year… No wonder people aren’t keen on having kids these days; how many families could afford these education costs?!

Tao Zui suddenly understood why his father had cut the boy band project; it was a total money pit!

Seeing Tao Zui holding his forehead in gloom, Zhang Ling—who had some understanding of the company’s finances—offered a suggestion. “Actually… if we lower our standards slightly, we could hire suitable teachers for only a third of this budget.”

The training and education sector was very flexible with pricing. For an acting teacher, a basic art exam tutor might only cost one or two hundred per session; even one-on-one wouldn’t exceed four hundred. But once you switched to academy-affiliated teachers, the price doubled, and the academy’s prestige further inflated the quote.

Because Tao Zui insisted on “top-tier” schools, and in North City, the only ones that qualified were the Central Academy of Drama (Zhongxi) and the Beijing Film Academy (Beiying). These schools weren’t just famous in the city; they were the best in the country. Their teachers were constantly hired by stars or agencies to accompany film crews on location. Their prices had long since left the realm of “affordable.” If it weren’t for the fact that traveling with a crew was exhausting, the agency might not have even been able to negotiate the current price.

Hearing Zhang Ling’s suggestion, Tao Zui didn’t speak. He simply flipped through the budget table, calculating the company’s cash flow.

To be honest, it wasn’t that he didn’t have a few million. Between all the staff who had left, the saved salaries alone were enough to cover this expense.

But running a company required more than just salaries; there were utilities, taxes, and miscellaneous fees. Moreover, the rent for a massive three-story detached building in a cultural industrial park wasn’t cheap. Between rent, management fees, and cleaning, it cost hundreds of thousands a month—millions a year!

Even though Father Tao had pre-paid two years of rent and he didn’t have to worry about being evicted this year, he only had one year left. Early next year, he would either have to renew or get out. Renewal usually required a minimum of two years—totaling nearly ten million…

Ten million in rent actually wasn’t much for a top entertainment agency. A popular idol’s commission from a single commercial could net the company millions.

The problem was Taoli’s current state. Every artist wanted to leave, and their agents had already quit. Aside from existing contracts, those agents wouldn’t sign any new deals during the transition period. In other words, the company’s income for the year was already fixed with no room for growth. He simply couldn’t save up enough for next year’s rent.

He could theoretically arrange new work for the artists, but due to Taoli’s operating model, job offers went directly to the agents, never reaching his desk. He had just returned to the country and hadn’t yet connected with his father’s network. Even if he did, given Taoli’s reputation, people would wait and see before committing. Getting new work wouldn’t be easy.

Should I… lower the teacher standards? A look of struggle flashed in Tao Zui’s eyes as he flipped to the final page of the budget.

“Ten thousand a month for a cook?!”

Zhang Ling: “…Young CEO Tao, that’s for five people. Ten thousand is very cheap. Also, this doesn’t include cleaning, and groceries are reimbursed via receipts.”

Tao Zui: “…” The cost of living in North City was way too high!

In his previous life, Tao Zui had worked in a “new first-tier” city. When he first started working, his monthly salary was only half of what a North City nanny earned. He began to question his life choices.

If I’d known, I would have come to North City to be a nanny after graduation… No, wait, focus on the money. The company could pay the training fees, but it would lead to a capital shortage, and he would face the predicament of being homeless next year.

But if he lowered the quality of the teachers… Tao Zui pursed his lips.

He was the one who knew the plot. He knew better than anyone that even without these classes, the five of them would still shine and reach the top. However, because they lacked systematic training in the original story, everyone ended up with some “black spots” or flaws that haunted them.

Gu Nan came from poverty and never took the Gaokao. He was self-taught, but his dialogue delivery was always slightly off. This became a weakness that critics used to attack him relentlessly. Even though he eventually practiced his way out of it through sheer hard work, it remained a point of criticism for years.

Zeng Yinuo and Chen Xing were rare creative talents, but due to a lack of training, they couldn’t even read sheet music. In the later survival show, their “compositions” relied entirely on humming melodies, which drew mockery from netizens and rival fans.

Relatively speaking, Su Jiqiu and Diwu Zou were fine. Once he left the idol group, Su Jiqiu’s biggest flaw disappeared, and Diwu Zou’s dancing was the best in the domestic industry.

For some reason, the image of Gu Nan in his yellow delivery uniform suddenly popped into Tao Zui’s mind. The boy’s steadiness and depth, so uncharacteristic of his age, made Tao Zui’s heart ache.

He was only nineteen! When Tao Zui was nineteen, he was just a stupid college student playing games in his dorm, but what about Gu Nan? After Taoli Entertainment cut their funding, he alone had shouldered the burden of feeding three middle-and-high schoolers.

Besides, even if he lowered the teacher standards, he’d only save a million or so—he still wouldn’t be able to afford next year’s rent!

Thinking of this, Tao Zui picked up a pen, crossed out the “Nanny” row on the budget, and handed it to Zhang Ling. “Except for the item I crossed out, start arranging everything else. I want the hardware and software ready by tomorrow at the latest.”

Zhang Ling took the table, hesitated for a long time, and finally turned to leave.

Once she was gone, Tao Zui pulled a document from his drawer. It was the inheritance list given to him by the lawyer. The procedures were complete; these were now his private assets.

Aside from Taoli Entertainment, the inheritance was entirely real estate. Besides a 1,500-square-meter detached villa in North City’s 4th Ring Road, there was a 500-square-meter luxury flat in the 2nd Ring, and the entire floor of commercial apartments used as company dorms.

The dorms couldn’t be touched. The only things he could sell were the luxury flat and the villa.

Tao Zui had been living in the flat since his return and really liked it; he was reluctant to sell. But the villa involved too much money and was in a remote location—unless he sold it at a massive discount, it might take years to move. The company had no new income, and he might need cash at any moment…

“To catch the wolf, you must be willing to lose the child!” Tao Zui gritted his teeth and called the lawyer, asking him to find an agent to list both the flat and the villa.

Hearing the request, the lawyer went silent for a moment before agreeing. Clearly, he knew Taoli’s situation, but he hadn’t expected Tao Zui to have the guts to sell his biggest safety net to invest in the company.

Hanging up, Tao Zui let out a long breath.

Anyway, he was a corporate slave at heart. His previous rental was only 30 square meters, and he’d lived fine. Strictly speaking, these assets didn’t really “belong” to him; even if he gave them away for nothing, he shouldn’t feel the sting.

According to the original plot, by the end of this month, Gu Nan would be spotted by a director while delivering food to a hotel. He would be invited to audition for the mystery film Day and Night and successfully land the role of the third male lead, marking the first shot of his career.

That movie would be released during the next May Day holiday and become a box-office dark horse. With a budget of 30 million, the director would rake in a billion, making a brilliant comeback. But during filming, the director would worry about money every day, constantly wishing he had an extra 20 million.

This time, Gu Nan wouldn’t have to rely on luck in a delivery uniform. He would be pushed to the casting director as an artist of Taoli Entertainment. He might lose some “rags-to-riches” buzz, but with a company backing him, he wouldn’t be bullied by the crew.

Having arranged everything, Tao Zui checked his watch and slumped into his chair. He had ten minutes until 5 PM. He’d lounge for a bit, then go buy groceries, go home to pack, and call movers tomorrow…

Thinking about his to-do list, Tao Zui couldn’t help but chuckle. He whispered with a hint of mock-vengeance, “One of these days, I’ll make you all call me ‘Papa’!”

“Achoo!”

“What? Caught a cold?” Zeng Yinuo glanced at Diwu Zou and handed him a tissue.

Diwu Zou waved it off. “No, just an itchy nose. Some bastard must be cursing me.”

“Who would dare curse the ‘Boss’ of No. 11 Middle School?” Zeng Yinuo joked.

“Plenty of people. Like those guys in your class…” Diwu Zou muttered.

“What?” Zeng Yinuo didn’t hear him clearly and asked reflexively. But before Diwu Zou could answer, Zeng Yinuo raised his hand and shouted enthusiastically, “Chen Xing! Over here!”

Chen Xing had just walked out of the school gates when he heard Zeng Yinuo’s distinctive voice. He walked over to the two leaning against their bikes, skillfully strapped his backpack to the back of Zeng Yinuo’s bike, and hopped onto the back of Diwu Zou’s.

Once he was settled, Diwu Zou and Zeng Yinuo pedaled off, carrying Chen Xing and his bag into the flow of traffic.

“Qiu-qiu has a full day of classes and won’t be back until seven. We’ll go back and start the rice first, then he can stir-fry when he gets back. Are you hungry? Should we buy you something to eat first?” Zeng Yinuo asked with a smile.

Chen Xing was young; his parents had died early, and he’d lived with relatives. While he hadn’t been abused like Gu Nan—who had a gambling-addict father—he suffered from malnutrition due to his relatives’ cold indifference. At fifteen, he was only 165cm tall. His “older brothers” were constantly trying to find ways to supplement his nutrition, terrified he’d go hungry.

Chen Xing refused. “It’s fine, I’m not hungry.” As soon as he said it, his stomach let out a growl.

Zeng Yinuo and Diwu Zou burst out laughing, their bikes wobbling. Chen Xing remained silent, his lips pursed, gripping Diwu Zou’s school uniform tightly. A faint blush appeared on his porcelain-white face.

Once the laughter subsided, Diwu Zou said, “We’ll pass the bakery in a bit. I’ll get you a bun to hold you over.”

Chen Xing wanted to say no, but after a moment, he whispered, “Do you guys have money?”

The sound of sudden braking filled the air. Diwu Zou and Zeng Yinuo stopped simultaneously. With uncanny synchronicity, they began digging through their pockets—ten yuan here, five yuan there—cobbling together fifteen yuan.

Diwu Zou waved the cash triumphantly at Chen Xing. “Fifteen!”

Of the five of them, Gu Nan, Su Jiqiu, and Chen Xing had no family support. Only Zeng Yinuo and Diwu Zou occasionally received pocket money from elders. But their families weren’t wealthy, and most of their money went to Gu Nan to help with expenses, so they were usually penniless. Scraping together fifteen yuan was practically a fortune.

But before Diwu Zou could finish gloating, Chen Xing snatched it away and stuffed it into his own pocket. “Give it to Brother Nan when he gets back. We can buy more meat.”

Diwu Zou: “…”

Zeng Yinuo: “…That works. I think there was some leftover dough drop soup from this morning. I’ll heat that up for you when we get back.”

Chen Xing gave a soft “Mm.”

The two teenagers started pedaling again, soon blending into the sunset-drenched crowd of commuters.

After forty minutes of riding, the trio arrived at their residential complex. In stark contrast to their dire finances, the complex wasn’t a slum. Though not high-end, it was a proper residential area with professional management and a decent environment. Because it was near the industrial park, many trainees and “n-th tier” stars lived there. It was a gathering place for celebrities—mostly the very obscure ones.

Diwu Zou pushed his bike out of the elevator. Before reaching the door, he smelled the aroma of food.

“So fragrant… it smells like Braised Pork!”

“Did the neighbors downstairs forget to turn on the exhaust fan?” Zeng Yinuo muttered, taking a deep breath.

Among the five, only Su Jiqiu could cook. But since he was from Suzhou, he liked to put sugar in everything. It didn’t quite suit the palates of the other four, but food was food; they never complained.

Chen Xing sniffed the air, a confused look on his face. “This smell… it seems to be coming from our place…?”

Diwu Zou & Zeng Yinuo: “What?”

A few seconds later, the three students stood at the door, watching Tao Zui—wearing an apron and holding a clay pot—place the dish onto an already crowded dining table. He turned around and looked at them with a look of mock-distaste.

“You guys have practically nothing here. I had to buy groceries and new pots and pans. Alright, don’t just stand there like idiots. Go wash your hands! Go, go, go!”