After Transmigrated as a Black-Hearted Entertainment Boss [Transmigration] - Chapter 7

A few days later, in front of the Taoli Entertainment office building.

Zhang Ling got out of the car clutching a folder and hurried through the main entrance. Once inside, she was about to head straight for the elevator when something crossed her mind. She took a sharp turn into the corridor on the right.

The first floor of Taoli Entertainment was filled with various specialized rooms: the largest were two dance studios, followed by a photography studio, a recording booth, and a small meeting room.

Zhang Ling walked down the hall, peeking through the glass windows of each door. It was Wednesday; the student trio and Su Jiqiu were at school, so the Trainee Department only had Gu Nan present for his “Basic Theory of Acting” class. Inside the small meeting room, the teacher stood before a whiteboard, lecturing with fiery passion while Gu Nan listened intently, taking notes.

Seeing this, Zhang Ling let out a soft sigh of relief and headed up the stairs at the end of the hall to the second floor. If the first floor felt somewhat alive due to the sounds of teaching, the second floor could only be described as desolate.

Originally, the layout of the second floor mirrored the first: a central corridor splitting the space in half. On one side was the Artist Management Department, with agents’ offices lined up in a row; the floor-to-ceiling glass walls made it obvious at a glance whether anyone was inside. The other side housed functional offices: Legal, HR, PR, and Finance. Each department was allocated space based on head-count, also partitioned by glass for a sense of transparency.

Due to the nature of an agent’s work, these offices were often half-empty even during normal operations. But no matter how much they worked “night shifts” or stayed busy in the field, it shouldn’t have reached a point where only two or three “stray cats” remained in the functional offices.

The Management and PR departments had resigned en masse. The Legal and Finance Directors had also jumped ship. Only the HR department remained fully staffed—though that department only consisted of two people to begin with…

Even the receptionist quit yesterday… Zhang Ling suppressed the urge to sigh, took the elevator to the third floor, and went straight to the General Manager’s office.

“Young CEO Tao, the profile photos are developed. Take a look and see what you think?”

Tao Zui took the photos and flipped through them. After just two, he frowned. “Why are these ‘no-makeup’ shots? I remember profile photos allow for makeup, as long as it’s not too heavy.”

Zhang Ling hesitated and whispered, “They do, but I thought their natural features were so good that not wearing makeup wouldn’t hurt…”

Tao Zui looked up at her. “Don’t give me that. Why didn’t you hire a makeup artist?”

Zhang Ling: “…Cheap makeup artists don’t do a good job, and the good ones are too expensive.”

Ultimately, it all came back to money. Tao Zui rubbed the space between his brows and set the photos down. “I know you’re thinking of the company’s bottom line, but as difficult as things are, we aren’t at a point where we can’t afford one makeup artist.”

“…You even moved into the dorms to save money,” Zhang Ling muttered under her breath.

Tao Zui: “…I moved there for a more convenient commute.”

Zhang Ling: “You’re even cooking for them.”

Tao Zui: “…” He was truly defenseless against that; he really just wanted to save the ten thousand yuan a month for a nanny.

After a moment, he tried a different angle: “I’m saving money on myself, but I never skimp on the artists. Their public image is the capital we need for the company to make a comeback. Reschedule the makeup artist and photographer. Re-shoot everything.”

“Oh.”

Zhang Ling took the photos and was about to leave when she heard Tao Zui say in a flat tone, “In the future, if you have a different opinion, feel free to bring it up so we can discuss it, but don’t act on your own. The company will cover the cost of this re-shoot. Next time, you’ll pay for it yourself.”

Zhang Ling’s heart tightened. She said quickly, “Yes. I’m sorry, Young CEO Tao. I took too much for granted.”

Tao Zui smiled. “I appreciate that your starting point was for the good of the company. By the way, I remember you live quite far, right?”

Seeing that he didn’t seem angry, Zhang Ling relaxed. “Yes, I live in the 6th Ring Road.” She wasn’t a North City native and had joined Taoli right after graduation. An intern agent’s income wasn’t high; her salary could only barely afford a one-bedroom apartment that far out.

“The 6th Ring? Then your daily commute takes four or five hours?” Tao Zui was shocked.

Zhang Ling gave a shy smile. “I’m used to it.”

“That’s too far,” Tao Zui said, pulling a file from the folder beside him. “This apartment happens to have its lease expire next month. Contact the tenants, tell them we won’t be renewing, and once they move out, you move in.”

Zhang Ling’s eyes widened. She took the document—it was a lease for a company-owned apartment. This was in the 4th Ring Road of North City! Even a one-bedroom there cost five or six thousand a month! And this was a two-bedroom unit!

“For… for me?” Zhang Ling’s voice trembled. After a moment, she asked weakly, “Do I have to pay?”

Tao Zui looked at her with a half-smile. “You can pay if you want.”

Zhang Ling’s eyes lit up. “Thank you, Young CEO Tao!”

“Go on. Just working hard is thanks enough.”

“Yes, Young CEO Tao! I’m going!”

Watching Zhang Ling’s overjoyed departure, Tao Zui raised an eyebrow. She really is young—no social experience at all. He leisurely opened the file in front of him: the casting call for the movie Day and Night.

Once the new profile photos were ready, it would be time to submit materials. If all went well, Gu Nan would join the crew in early May. Tao Zui had already decided to accompany the crew himself. One, he could learn how a film set operates; two, he could use the production’s connections to build his own network.

However, if he followed Gu Nan to the set, no one would be left to look after the other four. Wouldn’t Zhang Ling be able to step up then? Plus, as their schedules increased in the future, he wouldn’t be able to be in five places at once. He’d need an assistant, and Zhang Ling already had experience as an intern agent. She was perfectly capable of handling the work of an “execution agent” in the early stages.

Eight thousand yuan in potential rent in exchange for a temporary nanny and an execution agent—this was a steal!

Tao Zui smiled slightly. In his sharp phoenix eyes, the glint of a budding capitalist was beginning to shine.

At 5 PM, Tao Zui left his office and went to the first floor. The teacher had already left, and Gu Nan was alone in the meeting room, buried in his notes.

Through these few days of close contact combined with the original novel’s plot, Tao Zui had gained a deeper understanding of the five protagonists.

The student trio—perhaps because they hadn’t been beaten down by society yet, or because they hadn’t reached a desperate dead end—showed the biggest differences in personality compared to the novel, though their core traits remained.

Diwu Zou was blunt and direct, Zeng Yinuo was lively and extroverted, and Chen Xing was sensitive and introverted. These matched the novel; the only difference was that they were more naive than when they first appeared in the book, lacking the wariness and depth that comes from bitter experience.

This became especially obvious after Tao Zui had cooked for them for a few days and thoroughly conquered their stomachs. He had just jokingly said, “Call me ‘Papa’ if you want to order a specific dish,” and without a second’s hesitation, those three “problem children” started calling him “Papa Tao” with every breath.

If someone his own age or older called him that, Tao Zui would definitely be secretly thrilled. But having three students call him “Papa” gave him the lingering illusion that he had actually become a father…

As for Su Jiqiu, he was exactly as the novel described: he looked like a “nice guy” on the outside, with a gentle and considerate personality, and he never raised his voice. He was meticulous in everything he did, and his presence was sometimes even lower than Chen Xing’s. It was hard to imagine he was the type of stubborn person who would resolutely run away from home to chase a dream and never bow his head even after his family cut him off financially.

In the novel, his stubbornness and his tendency to act spoiled were only shown to his family and the protagonist Gong (Top). He was a classic “soft exterior, iron interior” character.

Then there was Gu Nan. He was likely the most complex and difficult to analyze among them.

Across the four books, Gu Nan, as the protagonist of the very first novel, was given the most detailed treatment by the author. He was the only character whose growth was extensively described.

He was also Tao Zui’s favorite character.

He had a sort of resilience that said, “No matter what lies ahead, I will push forward.” He seemed unapproachable, but he had a soft heart. For anyone he considered to be in his “territory,” he would take on the role of a guardian with an intense sense of responsibility.

Being friends with such a person was undoubtedly a blessing. He was like that “God-tier Dad” roommate every guy dreams of having in a dorm—the one who brings you food, answers roll call for you, highlights the key points for exams, cleans the room, pays the bills, and handles the paperwork. If you lived in his dorm, you’d be pampered into a state of total life-incompetence.

The problem was that getting into his “territory” was very hard. Over the past few days, Tao Zui could clearly feel that Gu Nan was keeping his distance, though he frequently caught Gu Nan observing him from the corner of his eye.

Just like that “observing in secret” meme… sneaky as a cat.

Tao Zui suppressed a smile, put on a business-like expression, and knocked on the door. “Gu Nan, let’s go.”

Gu Nan looked up at him and silently stood to pack his things.

Seeing this, Tao Zui walked over and handed him a folder. “Put this in your bag.”

Gu Nan took it and asked, “What’s this?”

“Copyright contracts for Diwu Zou and the others,” Tao Zui said casually, slipping a hand into his pocket. “The music theory teacher said the songs Zeng Yinuo and Chen Xing wrote are very complete and can be released with just a bit of polishing. I plan to have them record a few to push on short video platforms to see if we can get the group’s name out there.”

“If we succeed, profit is only a matter of time. That involves copyright and royalty splits, so we need new copyright contracts. This is just a draft. Take it back and look it over slowly. You can consult someone if you want. We’ll summarize the details and have a meeting this weekend.”

At this point, Tao Zui suddenly turned serious and tapped the folder. “By the way, profit-sharing doesn’t just involve the company and them. The split between the three of them also needs to be decided now, so there are no conflicts later.” With that, he prepared to leave, but after a few steps, he realized Gu Nan hadn’t moved.

“What’s wrong? Let’s go, we still have to buy groceries!” Tao Zui looked back curiously, his face clearly saying: ‘Hurry up, bag-carrying lackey!’

Gu Nan lowered his head to stuff the folder into his bag and followed Tao Zui out without a word. On the way, he intentionally stayed a step behind, staring at the back of Tao Zui’s head, his eyes flickering.

What kind of person is Tao Zui?

He could hire Su Jiqiu’s professor to teach them without blinking at the terrifying tuition fees, yet he’d haggle with farmers at the wet market over a few yuan.

He could boss them around to wash and prep vegetables as if it were only natural, distributing all chores to everyone but himself, yet he’d work until 9 or 10 PM to prepare their breakfasts and lunches.

He could wake up on the dot every weekday to appear in the office looking glamorous, yet he’d sleep until noon on rest days and cook in his pajamas with messy hair.

He should be a capitalist driven by profit, yet he seemed to think of everything before they did…

The two walked in silence to the parking lot. Before getting into the car, Tao Zui glanced at the window and happened to catch Gu Nan’s gaze.

Raising an eyebrow at Gu Nan’s reflection in the glass, Tao Zui teased, “You want to drive?”

Gu Nan snapped out of it and silently turned away, his ears turning red as he walked to the passenger side.

Sneaky as a cat. Tao Zui chuckled and opened the car door. Soon, the black Cullinan drove out of the industrial park and disappeared into the rushing traffic.