novellhall Chapter 53 The Falling Apart of the Sugar Figurine
Chapter 53 The Falling Apart of the Sugar Figurine
Lin Gengxin felt a little guilty after being stared at by Cai Yinong, and subconsciously looked away and quieted down.
Cai Yinong nodded in satisfaction at his reaction, then walked to the head of the conference table and sat down.
The woman behind her also sat down next to her, casually placing the stack of documents in her hand on the table.
"Let me introduce you all." Cai Yinong gestured to the person next to him, "Song Zhilan, a Hong Kong Island native, will be the general manager of Sugar Man starting today."
Song Zhilan then stood up, faced the artists present, and greeted them calmly: "Hello everyone, I am Song Zhilan. You can call me A-Lan from now on."
Several people present responded in varying degrees, and the atmosphere improved considerably compared to before.
People from Hong Kong Island. It seems that the previous rumors about the Hong Kong bigwigs that President Tsai was associated with being arrested may not be entirely true; at least, this connection with Hong Kong Island has not been completely severed.
The arrival of the newcomer brought a sigh of relief to everyone in the conference room; it seemed the company hadn't reached the point of utter ruin.
Only Brother Hu frowned; only he noticed the position Cai Yinong introduced: General Manager.
This position used to belong to Cai Yinong.
He observed the two of them discreetly. Although Cai Yinong still maintained his composure, he looked exhausted, and the dark circles under his eyes were impossible to conceal.
Although she was sitting in the main seat, her gaze unconsciously drifted towards the new general manager next to her.
They've come with ill intentions.
"As for everyone's work arrangements afterward, don't worry." Cai Yinong spoke again after Song Zhilan finished greeting everyone and sat down, trying to keep his voice steady. "From now on, our work focus will shift towards the Hong Kong entertainment industry, we..."
"Wait a minute, Mr. Cai." Song Zhilan's voice interrupted Cai Yinong, who was speaking.
"From now on, you will need to focus your work on film and television production." She looked at Cai Yinong, her tone polite but leaving no room for negotiation. "Leave the rest to me."
The meeting room fell silent instantly, and everyone turned to look at Cai Yinong.
Being interrupted and having one's permissions defined in front of one's own artist. Everyone present, being intelligent, knows what that means.
Cai Yinong's hands were pressed tightly on the conference table, his knuckles turning white.
She opened her mouth, her voice a little hoarse: "I will be stepping down as president of Sugarman and becoming the director of Sugarman Film and Television Production Center."
Although her voice remained steady, what she said stunned everyone present.
"President Cai... how could this happen?" The first to break down was Liu Shishi, her voice filled with obvious unease. "You were the one who built the sugar figurine business from scratch."
Cai Yinong raised his eyes, looked at Liu Shishi, and his lips moved.
"Miss Liu."
Song Zhilan's voice rang out again, precisely silencing Cai Yinong who was about to speak.
"The company has only made some normal job adjustments, there's no need to be so surprised." She looked at Liu Shishi with a polite smile. "The production center can better leverage President Cai's professional value, which is a better arrangement for both the company and President Cai himself."
Brother Hu lowered his eyes, his fingers unconsciously stroking the armrest of the chair.
The production center is now led by Li Guoli. Cai Yinong went there, so who listens to whom?
He's called the director, but he's just a figurehead waiting to be sidelined.
Cai Yinong's lips were tightly pursed, his whole face was tense, and his eyes were full of resentment.
Brother Hu sighed; even now, he didn't know how to advise her.
She got to where she is today entirely because of her arrogance, or rather, the arrogance of people from the Hong Kong entertainment circle towards the mainland entertainment circle.
Perhaps she does have some ability, but Kenneth Fok has so many capable people under his command that they could stretch from Hong Kong Island to Shanghai. Sending her to the production center and giving her a director title is already a dignified gesture, as he didn't try to eliminate her completely.
Whether she's willing or not? That's not important.
"Will our work be able to return to normal?" The impatient Jinfu didn't care about the changes in the company's upper management; he only cared about whether his job was secure.
He hadn't worked for more than half a year, and his savings were long gone. He was almost living on borrowed money.
"Please be patient, sir," Song Zhilan said with a professional smile. "That's exactly what I was about to say."
"Our company's focus will shift to Hong Kong Island from now on." Song Zhilan looked down at the documents. "Don't worry, the company will take good care of the work."
"What if you don't want to go to Hong Kong Island?" Lin Gengxin, who had been huddled in the back row, asked.
He had no desire to try his luck in Hong Kong again. He had seen firsthand the behavior of Hong Kong artists filming in mainland China over the past two years. They treated their mainland counterparts like servants. He wondered how long he could last there with his small frame.
"The head office has also taken this into consideration." Song Zhilan looked up when she saw someone speaking. "The company also supports everyone's development in the mainland and will provide the support you need."
This means that the company will provide all support except for basic support.
You can choose not to go, but those who stay may have to find their own resources.
"How could they arrange it like this?" Liu Shishi found it unbelievable. "Our fans are mostly in mainland China. Suddenly shifting our focus to Hong Kong Island is practically digging our own grave!"
That's true. In 2012, the mainland market was experiencing explosive growth, and the scale and popularity of its films and television dramas far surpassed those of the Hong Kong film and television industry.
Everyone except those in the Hong Kong entertainment circle can see this clearly.
"Of course we will not give up the mainland market," Song Zhilan explained with a smile. "The company will still retain its production center in Shanghai and will maintain its share of film and television production in the mainland."
This means that although the company has been taken over by people from the Hong Kong entertainment circle, you artists will not only have access to resources from the Hong Kong circle, but will also be used as guinea pigs to regularly produce TV dramas for the mainland. As for the results, it's hard to say.
"What about terminating the contract?" Brother Hu, who had been silent all along, finally spoke up.
He realized that both paths the company offered were problematic. One was to stay in Shanghai, but then he would have to find resources himself. As for how much budget the production center would have, what quality of projects it could produce, and whether it would be able to adapt to the local environment, it was all uncertain.
As for the other path, going to the Hong Kong entertainment circle, Hu Ge is even less optimistic. Even with resources from the Hong Kong circle, he'd likely just be a supporting character. Although the Hong Kong circle has toned down its behavior a lot in the last two years, its inherent arrogance is no longer an act.
The company's actions clearly indicate that they do not want to retain them.
Upon hearing Brother Hu's words, a hint of admiration flashed in Song Zhilan's eyes.
Her instructions were to get rid of as many of the existing performers at Sugar Man as possible.
These were all agreed upon in advance by Lin Yu and Huo Qigang: Lin Yu would provide the artists, and Huo Qigang would provide the production team.
However, the company cannot directly terminate the contract. Even without discussing the issue of liquidated damages, it would still cause some public opinion impact and would somewhat hinder the company's plans to expand into the mainland market.
"The company has considered Mr. Hu's idea," Song Zhilan said with her usual polite smile. "Of course, the company will do its best to secure resources for everyone, but a transition period is indeed needed at this stage. I believe everyone can understand."
"However, if there is truly no intention to cooperate, the company may consider reducing or waiving the penalty for breach of contract."