House Dad's Literary Life

Chapter 400: Money-Obsessed

What else could Niu Meiling want to discuss with Mo Fei besides contract renewal?

Right now, Mo Xiaojuan was watching Niu Meiling engage in small talk with Mo Fei, asking about her work after the Spring Festival and the progress of her concert preparations. Meanwhile, she silently placed a bet with herself: “When will she bring up the contract renewal?”

Mo Fei, however, was earnestly discussing the concert arrangements with Niu Meiling. She put forward her suggestion: “Sister Ling, should we consider adding one or more concerts? For example, Jiangcheng. When we held a signing event there last month, the fans were incredibly enthusiastic. And there’s also Tianfu in Sichuan Province. If we only hold concerts in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, it feels a bit unfair to fans in other cities!”

Niu Meiling felt a bit awkward, but with her experience, she didn’t let Mo Fei notice. She smiled, laughed it off, and said, “It’s fine, there will always be chances for them to see your concerts. After these three concerts, we’ll plan another three next season. Fans from other cities can come to Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou to watch the shows and take the opportunity to visit these international metropolises!”

Don’t think for a moment that Niu Meiling didn’t want to make money—she wanted it badly!

The concert markets in many cities are controlled by professional event planning companies. Unless a record label or agency was powerful enough to bypass them, smaller companies must collaborate with them to book concert venues in these cities!

As a result, Tianmei’s profits would be significantly reduced. On top of that, a large portion of the revenue has to be shared with Mo Fei due to her top-tier contract. Additionally, ticket sales and prices in these cities often can’t compare to those in Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou, and the attendance rates are relatively lower. So, even if three concerts were held in these cities, the earnings might not even match what a single concert in Shanghai could bring in!

Naturally, Niu Meiling preferred hosting more concerts in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.

Mo Fei, however, had a much simpler perspective. She frowned and said, “But Sister Ling, traveling to other cities for a concert is a huge additional expense for the fans!”

“Then they don’t have to attend the concert for now! Which cities are you considering? I can arrange more commercial performances for you. That way, you can meet your fans and perform for them—it’s almost the same effect!” Niu Meiling chuckled, speaking calmly and leisurely.

Commercial performances were ideal. Not only would the sponsors pay Mo Fei’s appearance fee, but they’d also give the agency an extra “red envelope.” More importantly, Niu Meiling could use these opportunities to build business relationships and favors.

“How can commercial performance be compared to concerts?” Mo Fei still felt it was inappropriate. She actually disliked the performative nature of such events.

However, at this point, Mo Xiaojuan tugged at Mo Fei’s sleeve, signaling her not to argue further with Niu Meiling.

At this moment, Niu Meiling finally had the opportunity to bring up her true purpose for today. She said, “Mo Fei, last year, we talked about renewing your contract, but you and Xiaojuan wanted to wait until after your album was released. I agreed to that. Now, your album is out and has achieved great success. I’m truly happy for you. However, your contract with Tianmei has less than four months left. Don’t you think it’s time for us to discuss the renewal?”

Mo Fei was momentarily stunned. She had already made up her mind not to renew her contract, but she wasn’t ready to have that conversation with Niu Meiling just yet. Now that Sister Ling suddenly brought it up, how should she respond? Should she be direct?

Mo Fei felt a tangle of emotions and didn’t know what to say. Fortunately, Mo Xiaojuan, fearing Mo Fei might speak too directly, jumped in and said, “Sister Ling, now that Sister Fei has achieved such success, are you still expecting her to sign a standard contract?”

Of course, Niu Meiling wanted Mo Fei to sign a standard contract. But given the current circumstances, she wasn’t foolish enough to make such an unrealistic demand.

She smiled, pulled out a contract from the table, and said, “Of course not! Mo Fei is an outstanding artist, and I’ve always valued her. Even though Tianmei is facing some difficulties right now, no matter how tough things get, we would never mistreat Mo Fei.”

“We’re still offering Mo Fei a top-tier contract!” Niu Meiling handed over the contract, beaming. “However, given how much the market has changed over the years, some terms in this top-tier contract have been adjusted.”

As expected, Niu Meiling was still unwilling to give up. Even though it was still a top contract, she was looking to cut some corners and squeeze out a little more profit.

Mo Xiaojuan took the contract and flipped through it. She noticed the changes in the profit-sharing ratios for various types of activities and gave Niu Meiling a meaningful look.

“Sister Ling, if you had only adjusted the penalty clauses, I wouldn’t have said anything. But from a quick look, it seems like the company’s revenue share has increased again?” Mo Xiaojuan asked with a smile.

Mo Fei frowned and leaned in to whisper to Mo Xiaojuan: “Why are you still discussing this with her? Didn’t we agree not to renew the contract?”

Mo Xiaojuan maintained her smile, pretending to discuss the contract details with Mo Fei, but in reality, she only said one word: “Delay!”

After they finished their discussion, Niu Meiling calmly explained her reasoning. She had prepared many arguments, such as citing the case of Ye Qing (the male singer who sang The Spark of the Heart and competed with Mo Fei’s Across the Ocean to See You) signing with Spark Media last year as an example of why increasing the company’s share was necessary.

She went on and on, speaking passionately as if Tianmei was on the verge of collapse. But Mo Fei saw right through her—wasn’t this just another attempt at playing the sympathy card?

Mo Fei remained silent, while Mo Xiaojuan handled the situation smoothly. She smiled and said, “Sister Ling, I understand your difficulties. But contract renewal is a big deal, and there are many terms here that we need to carefully discuss. Right now isn’t the best time, since Sister Fei is about to leave for Beijing for her first concert in a few days.”

“How about this? We’ll take the contract back to review it. If there are any details that need further discussion, we can talk about them later,” Mo Xiaojuan said respectfully, using a more formal tone as she discussed the matter with Niu Meiling.

Niu Meiling maintained her warm smile and said, “Of course, a contract renewal isn’t something that can be settled in a short time. I understand. As long as Mo Fei and you don’t have any major objections, we can take our time. After all, there are still four months left, aren’t there?”

After Mo Fei and Mo Xiaojuan left, Niu Meiling’s friendly demeanor faded. Her face darkened, clearly dissatisfied with the way Mo Fei and Mo Xiaojuan had handled the discussion.

Moreover, Niu Meiling frowned, sensing something was off. She felt that Mo Fei’s attitude today was different from her usual enthusiasm—she seemed reluctant.

Could it be that she had other plans? Niu Meiling began to suspect.

Meanwhile, Mo Fei and Mo Xiaojuan were also discussing the matter after leaving the office.

“Xiaojuan, why did you entertain her talk about the contract? Didn’t we agree not to renew with Sister Ling?” Mo Fei asked, confused.

Mo Xiaojuan helplessly said, “We need to wait until the last moment to make things clear. We can’t just fall out with Tianmei now. There are still four months left, and we don’t know what Sister Ling might do. For now, we can only pretend to negotiate the terms and drag this out as long as possible!”

Mo Fei remained silent. She felt uneasy about the situation, and Mo Xiaojuan’s delaying tactics made her feel somewhat unsettled, but her mind was too chaotic to figure out how to handle it.

“Sister, there’s another thing—you didn’t need to argue with Sister Ling about the concerts earlier,” Mo Xiaojuan suddenly remembered. She pursed her lips and said, “You know Sister Ling only cares about money. Holding a concert in Jiangcheng wouldn’t make her much profit. No matter how much you emphasize the fans’ plight, she won’t be moved.”

Hearing this, Mo Fei’s mood dropped. She sighed as she said, “I know, but I just feel bad for them. It’s not easy for them to travel so far for a concert.”

“Anyway, once you and brother-in-law have your own studio, you can do whatever you want—make money or spend it freely. At that time, you can hold more concerts for fans in other cities as a way to make up for it,” Mo Xiaojuan reassured her.

“You’re right. Only four more months to go,” Mo Fei smiled and nodded in agreement.