This afternoon, after finishing my meeting with Fangyuan and Xiangchen, I went directly to the company and asked the administration department to draft a contract, so that our company’s collaboration with Leyao would be based on solid grounds. Indeed, as Fangyuan mentioned, this collaboration is related to Zhuomei’s reputation, and we must ensure that everything is done flawlessly. Also, it was time for me, on behalf of the company, to discuss the remuneration with Leyao.
In the evening, the administration department delivered the contract to my office. I then sent a message to Leyao to meet up, setting the time at 7:30 PM. Shortly after, she replied that she would be there on time. She then asked why I hadn’t called her to make the arrangement. I didn’t reply, because I couldn’t quite figure out why I didn’t choose to call her either… Perhaps there was some distance between us now, but we still needed to meet to discuss the contract. This made my hesitation seem overly cautious, and I couldn’t help but think that sometimes I was just someone who couldn’t quite make sense of things.
At 7 PM, I arrived at the restaurant where Leyao and I had agreed to meet, and I started to review some of the contract clauses in the private room while waiting for Leyao to arrive.
After 7:30 PM, I kept checking the time on my watch. When it reached 8 o’clock and Leyao still hadn’t shown up, I gradually felt that she had stood me up. I picked up my phone to call her directly to urge her to come faster, but reality left me feeling desperate. I tried calling twice, but both times her phone was unanswered. I became even more convinced that she had intentionally stood me up.
I was quite upset. After all, I had arranged this meeting with her for a serious matter, yet she stood me up. With her kind of unreliability, there was no guarantee that she wouldn’t pull an unprecedented no-show on the day of Zhuomei’s Christmas event.
I tried to be patient and picked up my phone again to call her. At the same time, a ringing sound came from outside the private room, and then the door to the room was pushed open. Leyao appeared before me, dressed stunningly, clearly having made a special effort with her appearance.
I looked at her and asked, “We agreed on 7:30, right? It’s nearly an hour past that now.”
Leyao placed her handbag on the table and sat down across from me, replying, “With my shining reputation as the national goddess, don’t I need to dress up a bit before going out?”
“Big sister, I messaged you at only 5:30. Aren’t two hours enough time for you to get ready?”
“You called me big sister?… I definitely don’t have a brother as silly as you!”
I didn’t want to argue with her verbally, so I remained silent, gazing at the wall lamp on the opposite wall. Little did I know, this action would provoke another teasing comment from Leyao: “I just dressed up a little, and it’s already left you too dazzled to look at me… Actually, there’s no need for that. The title of national goddess is just something the public has generously given me. I’m certainly no living goddess, and I don’t shine that brightly. So feel free to look at me boldly. I’ll maintain a friendly attitude and look at you on equal terms, you little nobody.”
I sighed and said, “No wonder you grew up in Beijing. Did you inhale too many particulates, clogging your neural pathways, making you talk nonsense all day long?”
Leyao didn’t get angry but replied, “Are you trying to tell me that actually, the difference between a goddess and a nutcase is just one word?”
Not wanting to continue this meaningless conversation with her, I said, “Enough fooling around. Let’s get down to business… I invited you here to discuss your remuneration for acting in this micro-film.”
“You’re the one initiating the discussion? Don’t you fear that I might ask for an exorbitant amount?”
“This matter can’t be avoided, we’ll have to discuss it eventually… Just tell me your ideal price.”
Leyao’s expression suddenly turned serious. She asked, “In your eyes, what kind of woman am I? Do I seem so desperate for money? Or is it that the friendship we’ve had for so many years not enough for me to do this micro-film for your company as a favor?”
“Uh… The filming of this micro-film is quite extensive, and we’ll be shooting in many different locations, including some remote villages. It’s definitely going to be hard work. Precisely because we’re friends, I can’t let you act in it for free.”
“What an asshole, what an asshole…”
I was somewhat confused by Leyao’s sudden outburst and finally asked after a while, “What do you mean by that?”
“Fine then, since you insist on paying me, I’ll ask for ten million. Will you give it to me?”
I looked at her helplessly: “That remuneration you’re asking for is completely out of line with industry standards… Can’t you be serious for a moment?”
Leyao asked me expressionlessly, “Then, Director Zhao, how much do you intend to pay me?”
After thinking for a moment, I replied, “Currently, the remuneration for top female movie stars in China for acting in a film is ten million. For super A-list stars, it ranges between five to nine million, and for A-list stars, around three million… Uh… We’re making a micro-film here, so I’m offering you three million on behalf of the company. Can you accept that?”
“Oh, so Director Zhao knows so much about the inside information of our industry?… This price seems really great! After all, we’re just making a micro-film, and you’re giving me the treatment of a top female movie star. I really should thank you for your generosity.”
Of course, I could hear the sarcasm in Leyao’s words. I lit a cigarette and seriously replied, “This is already our company’s best offer. You know as well that micro-films can’t be shown in theaters. Our purpose is purely for promotion, and we won’t be making any profit at all. So three million is the most our company can offer, and it’s also the limit of what we can afford!! Please don’t make things difficult for me, okay?”
There were faint tears in Leyao’s eyes, and her gaze pierced through me as she said, “Make things difficult for you! Haha, make things difficult for you!… Zhao Yang, if I were making things difficult for you, would I have agreed to attend your press conference with Cao Jinfei without even getting a verbal commitment from your company?… I’m telling you, I don’t care about this damn remuneration at all, and I even despise your company’s investors, but I still agreed to participate. Don’t you really know why?”
“I know, that’s exactly why I should pay you the remuneration,” I said, taking out the contract I had prepared in advance from my handbag and handing it to her, “This is the contract from our company. Please check the clauses. If there’s no problem, can we sign the contract at the price of three million?… The amount involved in this matter is too high, and I really don’t want any personal feelings to be involved!”
Leyao took the contract and started flipping through it. Suddenly, her gaze fixed on one clause, and in a voice so cold it was almost scary, she asked, “If I fail to attend the launching ceremony held by Zhuomei on schedule, I have to pay a penalty of fifty percent of the performance fee?”
Thinking about the seriousness of this collaboration with Zhuomei, I replied with a stiff nod, “Yes, there is such a clause… Zhuomei has already prepared to promote this event comprehensively and through multiple channels. If you and Cao Jinfei can’t show up on time, it will cause huge damage to Zhuomei’s reputation… So, please understand!”
Leyao closed her eyes for a moment, and tears streamed down her face like broken threads, then she glared at me angrily…
I was somewhat startled, unable to imagine why she was reacting so strongly to this clause, and tried to explain again: “…Such clauses are very common in commercial collaborations. They are the basis for ensuring the seriousness of cooperation. After all, this is a serious matter. Why are you reacting so strongly?… Besides, if you can attend the launching ceremony on time, this clause won’t even come into effect!”
Suddenly losing control, Leyao used all her strength to crumple the contract into a ball and threw it at me, almost shouting, “Zhao Yang, you want to talk to me about the contract? Let me tell you, I’m not filming this micro-film anymore… You guys can just play by yourselves!” With that, she grabbed her handbag, pushed the door open heavily, and ran out of the restaurant.
I was even more shocked, feeling that everything I had done was according to the rules of business with Leyao. This contract was completely reasonable, and I really couldn’t understand where her overreaction came from… This activity involved the interests of so many partners, and using contract clauses to bind everyone was indeed a rule of the business world! I had simply done what I was supposed to do!
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