Chapter 13: Premonition!

In less than ten minutes, two men entered the office, both well into their fifties.

“Mr. Liu, you called for us!”

The bespectacled, refined gentleman was the first to speak.

“Yes, have a seat. This is Galen, whom I mentioned to you both this morning,” Liu Xiahui gestured for them to sit, then introduced Galen before pointing to the slightly portly man with glasses. “This is Mr. Li Ronghao, our company’s music director and a current instructor at the Beijing Film Academy’s Recording Department. All matters concerning music production will be entrusted to him.”

“Hello, Mr. Li,” Galen said with a smile, shaking his hand.

“Good, good! A fine young man. I’ve been listening to your songs online these past few days—never imagined Mr. Liu would really sign you! Looks like I’ll finally have work to do!” Though Li Ronghao graduated from the Film Academy’s Recording Department, his roots were in formal music training. After years of working on film scores, his greatest wish was to produce a complete album for a singer—a chance that had always eluded him. Now, this dream was about to come true, and he had been in a state of excitement ever since hearing the news.

Next, Liu Xiahui introduced the other elder with ruddy skin and a lean frame. “This is Old Wu—Wu Chaoyang. He’ll be your manager from now on! Many top-tier artists in the country owe their careers to Old Wu. It took considerable effort to bring him here, so your future development plans will be in his hands.”

Old Wu hurried to demur, “You’re too kind, Mr. Liu. You kept me waiting so long to take on someone, I was starting to wonder if you were punishing me for being a bit tactless back in the day!”

“You’re the one joking now! I just couldn’t find the right person for you. Galen is the company’s main artist this year, slated for all-around development—you’ll have your hands full!”

“Then I’d better work hard to live up to your trust!” Old Wu said, extending a hand to Galen with a grin. “Hello, young man. I’m Wu Chaoyang—call me Old Wu or Brother Wu. The moment I saw you, I knew you had the makings of a star!”

Galen couldn’t help but laugh at the compliment. “I’ll call you Brother Wu. I look forward to working with you.”

“Ah, it’s nothing. I’ve been at this so many years. A manager’s like a salesman—if you’ve got a good product, there’s no need to worry about selling it,” Wu Chaoyang said, his words carrying a hint of advice: the true worth is in one’s own strength.

“I understand! In this industry, it’s all about letting the work speak for itself,” Galen replied with a smile.

“That’s right! Most of today’s stars get by on looks alone; few have real talent and good work to show for it. That’s always been my regret. Since the era of the Four Heavenly Kings, I lost interest in taking on new artists. If not for Mr. Liu’s invitation, I might already be retired by now!”

“What?” Galen was stunned. “You managed the Four Heavenly Kings?”

“It was over a decade ago. I was about your age then. Heaven was kind; the first artist I managed was the King of Drama, Liu Tianhua. He was just a greenhorn at the time—hard to believe nearly twenty years have passed, and I’m half an old man myself!”

Galen was secretly awed. So it was Wu Chaoyang who had brought forth the Four Heavenly Kings: the King of Song, Zhang Lei; the King of Dance, Ding Cheng; the King of Drama, Liu Tianhua; and the King of Variety, Yu Mingxian—superstars who dominated the entertainment industry for nearly two decades, creating the golden age of Chinese music and film.

Yet in recent years, all four had withdrawn into semi-retirement, rarely appearing in public. New talent failed to fill the gap, and the industry fell into decline and disorder.

An artist’s success is never just the result of their own efforts—it’s the work of the entire team behind them. The star is important; the team’s operation is even more so.

The contract had long since been prepared; clearly, Liu Xiahui had not acted on a whim. Most likely, from the first time he heard Galen sing in the bar, he’d had this plan in mind.

Galen signed a comprehensive contract—meaning management, acting, and recording were all under Yida’s banner. He was their first signed singer, and Liu Xiahui offered him a fifty-fifty split, an astronomical share for a newcomer.

Except for songs used in the company’s own film and television projects, which would pay Galen a usage fee, everything else would follow the standard music company contract. Copyrights for songs composed by Galen remained his own, while lyrics and music commissioned by Yida would belong to the company. The contract was for seven years, renewable annually.

Once the contract was officially signed, it was already past noon. Liu Xiahui hosted a lunch for everyone.

That evening, Wu Chaoyang drove Galen to Wenzi Bar.

As soon as they entered, Lin Ruiliang, who had been waiting anxiously, came up to greet Galen. “Galen! You’re finally here!”

Lin Ruiliang had been under a lot of pressure lately. Shi Li was breathing down his neck, not only insisting he sign Galen but also dumping Zhao Liang’s unresolved contract issues on him. Starstone was preparing Wen Tao’s new album—the search for songs alone was a huge headache. Lin Ruiliang knew that as long as he signed Galen, the album’s song selection would be solved.

“Brother Liang!” Galen smiled. In the past, running into Lin Ruiliang would have made his head ache, but with Wu Chaoyang by his side today, he felt much more at ease.

“Oh? And this is...?” Lin Ruiliang glanced at Wu Chaoyang behind Galen, curiosity in his eyes.

Before Galen could reply, Wu Chaoyang stepped forward. “Hello, my surname is Wu, and I’m Galen’s manager.”

“Manager?”

Lin Ruiliang’s expression changed drastically. He hadn’t expected Galen to have a manager already. Whether he’d signed with a company or an individual, it was bad news for him—possibly a heavy blow.

But when he got a good look at the man’s face, all his emotions turned to shock.

“You—you’re Mr. Wu Chaoyang?”

Even managers have their own circles. When Lin Ruiliang started in the business, Wu Chaoyang was at the peak of his fame—not just manager to the Four Heavenly Kings, but also the owner of his own agency. Later, after his company was acquired, Wu Chaoyang resigned from everything. That was five years ago. Who would have thought Wu Chaoyang would return after five years, and choose Galen?

“That’s me! Never thought I’d be recognized in such a little bar,” Wu Chaoyang replied with a faint smile. “Are you the owner here?”

“No, no!” Lin Ruiliang waved his hands hastily. “Just an employee. I’ll go fetch my boss right away!”

He immediately summoned a server to look after Wu Chaoyang, then hurried off to get Wen Tao, calling Shi Li as he went. After all, with a heavyweight like Wu Chaoyang present, Wen Tao was, in the end, only a figurehead—only Shi Li’s word really counted.

Shi Li was otherwise engaged when Lin Ruiliang’s call interrupted her, and she was instantly irate. Upon hearing the situation, she barked, “How can I possibly come right now? What are you doing? Didn’t you promise me Galen was in the bag? How did you let someone else sign him?”

Scolded so harshly, Lin Ruiliang was miserable. If not for Wen Tao, he’d have quit long ago; this woman was barely over thirty and already acting menopausal—cold and irritable every day. Working for her would probably take years off his life.

But he swallowed his frustration and replied patiently, “You really should come by if you can. Galen’s new manager is Wu Chaoyang—we can’t afford to offend him.”

“Wu Chaoyang? Who cares if he’s the King of Heaven himself? Hold things down for me, I’ll be right there!” she snapped and hung up.

Lin Ruiliang sighed and returned to the bar, where he found Wen Tao and Galen chatting happily.

Learning that Galen had signed with Yida, Wen Tao was genuinely happy for him. After a few pleasantries, the conversation naturally turned to Galen’s performances at the bar.

“Galen, now that you’ve signed with a company, what do you plan to do about singing here?” Wen Tao asked.

Galen smiled. “Well, technically, all my performances now have to follow the company’s arrangements. But this place is where I started out, so I’d still like to sing here. As for the specifics, I’ll leave that to Brother Wu.”

Wen Tao nodded, “Very well. Mr. Wu, what are your thoughts?”

Wu Chaoyang smiled. “The company has a lot planned for Galen—recording several movie theme songs, appearances at various events. He can’t possibly perform here every night. Our proposal is twice a week, with the dates set a week in advance. One thousand per show, half an hour each. How does that sound?”

Wen Tao reflected on it, while Galen was startled. He’d been getting five hundred for a whole night before—now Wu Chaoyang was asking for a thousand for just half an hour? Though he’d gained a little fame, that was mostly thanks to Wenzi Bar. Even established singers like Wu Yusheng didn’t make that much here. Would Wen Tao really agree to such terms for a newcomer who hadn’t even debuted?

At this moment, Lin Ruiliang interjected, “Mr. Wu, we can accept your proposal in general, but half an hour might not be enough. We know your company will be investing in Galen—could we continue with the original arrangement until his official debut? We can increase his pay.”

“I’m afraid that won’t work,” Wu Chaoyang shook his head. “Judging by your demeanor, you must be in artist management yourself. Before an artist’s official debut, training alone takes a lot of time. If Galen sings here every night, how will he have the energy for anything else?”

Lin Ruiliang and Wen Tao exchanged glances, both at a loss for words.

Just then, a woman’s voice rang out, “Galen, you’ve brought your manager? Which company did you sign with?”

Everyone turned. Shi Li sashayed in, all smiles. Lin Ruiliang quickly made room for her, inviting her to sit with exaggerated deference.

Though Galen knew of Shi Li’s relationship with Wen Tao, he had never spoken to her and had barely seen her in all this time. There was no connection between them.

Seeing her arrive, Galen sensed that trouble might be on the horizon.