Chapter 23: PS-Chapter 23 Signing the Contract
Wu Hongming was renowned for his keen eye.
When ''Whale TV'' was first established, he personally discovered many outstanding streamers. Now, despite the company's challenging situation, he had returned to take on the role of operations manager.
Looking at Lu Chen performing "My Old Classmate," Wu Hongming saw a rookie with immense potential!
It was surprising that ''StarryLive'' had overlooked him.
Shanshan pointed to the screen and said, "Here are the chat records from the fan group. You'll see the details there."
Wu Hongming opened the text and read through it carefully.
After finishing, he understood the situation and a hint of derision appeared on his face. He said, "''StarryLive'''s Super Admin 002? I know, it should be Zhao Deping. If it's really him, then it makes sense!"
He knew Zhao Deping well, and their relationship was complicated, with a long history of both friendship and conflict.
Wu Hongming was no longer suspicious and said to Shanshan, "You did well. This Lu Fei is worth the effort to sign. I see that he wants to retain the copyright for his original works, so let him keep it!"
He paused and added, "The signing bonus should be within 50,000. You handle the negotiation with him!"
Talent was rare. Although Wu Hongming initially wanted to negotiate with Lu Chen personally, he thought that being too eager might make Lu Chen wary, so he decided to let Shanshan handle the contract.
It was also an opportunity and reward for Shanshan. If Lu Chen became very successful in the future, she would have played a crucial role!
"Me?"
Shanshan was both surprised and delighted. "Boss, are you really letting me handle the signing process?"
She had recently joined ''Whale TV'' and was a relatively inexperienced employee. Her current job was to scout for new talent across various streaming platforms, akin to a talent scout, and she did not have the authority to negotiate contracts.
Now, Wu Hongming was delegating this power to her.
Wu Hongming smiled and said, "Yes, go and talk to him. Reasonable requests can be agreed to. For example, if you promise him equal fan treatment, I'm okay with it."
"Hehe."
Shanshan smiled bashfully. She had initially promised to retain the Lu family's fanbase, and although her enthusiasm was a bit impulsive, Wu Hongming did not criticize her.
The operations manager waved his hand and said, "Stop grinning and go!"
Shanshan quickly returned to her desk and eagerly opened the WeChat group, selecting Lu Chen's ID to start a private chat.
At that moment, Lu Chen was still chatting with the group members about minor details related to himself.
The Lu family's WeChat group was small but very warm and sincere. Despite the recent setback, their support and encouragement kept Lu Chen from feeling discouraged or disappointed.
With such supportive fans, starting fresh on another platform was not a big deal!
Coral Fish messaged privately, "General Lu, is it convenient to chat for a moment?"
Lu Chen replied, "No problem."
Coral Fish sent a smiley face and said, "I'd like to ask if you have any specific requirements for signing a contract with us at ''Whale TV''? Our basic contract is similar to ''StarryLive'''s, but we can offer different terms for different signings."
Lu Chen nodded. The attitude alone was already a big improvement over ''StarryLive'''s super admin.
He recalled the contract he had seen and made two requests.
First, regarding the copyright of original works, Lu Chen would not relinquish any of his rights to the original songs performed on the streaming platform. If the platform needed them, they could negotiate a purchase.
Second, about the contract duration— five years was too long. He hoped to shorten it to two years, with an option for priority renewal with ''Whale TV'' under the same conditions when the term expired.
Lu Chen's requests were quite reasonable. He had no objections regarding revenue sharing or site recommendations, as he knew he was still a rookie and didn't have the leverage to make big demands.
Coral Fish, or Wu Shanshan, didn't expect Lu Chen's demands to be so minimal.
She had prepared for a friendly yet intense negotiation, expecting several rounds of back-and-forth bargaining to reach a mutually satisfactory win-win contract.
But the reality was quite harsh!
Coral Fish: "Is that it? Just these two requests?"
Lu Chen: "Yes."
Wu Shanshan suddenly felt the urge to jump through the computer screen, crawl through the network cable to Lu Chen's side, grab him by the collar, and yell, "You're making me feel unaccomplished!"
Fortunately, her rationality prevailed, and she quickly added, "So, is the signing bonus of 50,000 acceptable?"
Signing bonus?
Lu Chen was taken aback. He hadn't even considered that he would receive a signing bonus for joining ''Whale TV''.
Though he had never personally experienced it, he was aware of signing bonuses for streamers switching platforms. Lu Chen had studied this online, but he never expected to earn a signing bonus himself.
Currently, the most popular streamer, "YoYo," had set a record with a 10 Million signing bonus when moving to ''Sky LiveStreaming'', which had caused quite a stir.
Though many said the 10 Million was exaggerated and not the real signing price, it was a fact that signing bonuses for popular streamers were climbing, often reaching hundreds of thousands or even millions.
Yet Lu Chen was just a newcomer with only two live streams under his belt. To even be offered a contract was a privilege, let alone a signing bonus—he felt that ''Whale TV'' was incredibly generous!
Lu Chen: "No problem, thank you."
The exchange between Lu Chen and Wu Shanshan revealed their inexperience.
Lu Chen never mentioned the signing bonus and had Wu Shanshan has been more experienced, she would have omitted that detail, saving the bonus for the company, which would have likely earned her praise.
Lu Chen, lacking experience, could have used the opportunity to negotiate further, but at that moment, neither of them thought much about it.
Coral Fish: "('^__^') Then it's settled. I'll have the Boss revise the new contract. I'll set up your account and streaming channel. Once the contract is finalized, we'll transfer the signing bonus to your account. How does that sound?"
Lu Chen: "Great!"
As he pressed Enter, Lu Chen could hardly believe it— had he really signed the contract? Had he earned 50,000?
Taking a deep breath, Lu Chen posted in the group chat: "Everyone, I've reached an agreement with ''Whale TV''. I'll be live-streaming on ''Whale TV'' tonight. Come and support me!"
Lu Chen posted a bit prematurely, as the contract wasn't officially confirmed yet, but his excitement made him eager to share the news.
The group chat erupted as soon as Lu Chen's message appeared.
"Awesome, cheers!"
"General Lu is mighty! Take that, ''Motherf'cker StarryLive''. I'm moving to ''Whale TV''!"
"Lu Fei, what's the name of the new streaming channel? I'm going to follow it now and bring my friends."
"Is it not live yet?"
"The one handling the signing was Coral Fish, right? Is she here?"
"Yes, I'm here."
Coral Fish promptly appeared with a big smile and said, "I'll set up the account and streaming channel for General Lu immediately and keep everyone updated. I promise there won't be any delays!"
"And everyone, please send me screenshots of your ''StarryLive'' and ''Whale TV'' account information. I'll adjust your fan levels. If you don't have a ''Whale TV'' account, you can create one."
Prophet Li Bai commented: "I don't need adjustments. I'm going to recharge on ''Whale TV'' and get a gold membership."
Rich folks are truly impressive, their words filled with grandeur, causing a wave of admiration and requests for support in the group chat.
Wu Shanshan watched with delight and a strong sense of accomplishment.
She finally forgot about the main task and got up, ready to report to Wu Hongming and finalize the contract.
She had truly landed a big fish!
"Shanshan, sis,"
Just as she stood up, a colleague from the adjacent desk leaned over and asked quietly, "Could you send me a copy of this streamer's video? I'm a fan of his!"
Wu Shanshan blinked and smiled broadly.
(End of Chapter)
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