A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return
chapter-288

Only then did Xia Ling understand the reason why he wanted her to have a makeup artist following her.

Lin Yunan randomly placed his hand on his office table and lifted three fingers. “You need at least three people following you: A makeup artist, an assistant, and an image consultant.” An image consultant was different from a makeup artist. Not only would he be responsible for her outer appearance, but he would also be responsible for judging whether her behavior in public was appropriate, give suggestions when necessary, and provide help.

“Of course,” Lin Yunan said. “I will also frequently take the time to accompany you. Also, once you become more famous, you will need at least two bodyguards, more assistants, and even a consultant team to match your status.”

Xia Ling nodded her head vigorously.

She was rather familiar with this sort of entourage arrangement because she had a similar one in Imperial Entertainment in her past life.

“However,” Lin Yunan suddenly changed the topic. “You’re right. Your status isn’t high enough. Thus, the company will only bear the salary of one of your assistants. You have to pay the salary of your makeup artist and image consultant yourself.”

“How much money will I need?” Xia Ling had no knowledge of this sort of situation.

Lin Yunan reported a number to her.

“So expensive!” Xia Ling widened her eyes and felt thoroughly unwell.

“The most expensive thing in this world is labor. Don’t you know that?” Lin Yunan lightly snorted. “Why have a makeup artist and image consultant if they are unskilled and useless like cabbage without nutrients? Yes, there are many makeup artists in the market that are much cheaper, but you get what you pay for. Only by meeting the new standard that I set for you will you be able to barely meet your status, grade, and position requirements.”

Xia Ling painfully counted her money and almost felt like crying.

Lin Yunan quickly proceeded to the next step. “How much money do you have now?”

“Huh?”

“Do you have enough to pay for the salary of a makeup artist and image consultant?” He had adapted somewhat to her slow responses and asked another question. “Who was the one who recommended you to me?” This girl looked like she was hot-tempered and arrogant, but she was actually clueless and stupid. No wonder she looked for Lin Yunan as her manager. The person who recommended him to her was probably afraid that she would be easily taken advantage of.

Xia Ling only answered his first question. “Once I receive the earnings from ‘Stray Cat,’ I should have enough.”

“How many copies did ‘Stray Cat’ sell?” Lin Yunan spoke continuously and did not give her a breather.

Xia Ling frowned and thought about it carefully. “230,000 single sales.” For a new song that had been listed for only a month, this was a pretty good result. If the momentum maintained, it could even reach the first place in the annual singles sales list.

Lin Yunan’s irritable expression was finally slightly satisfied. He asked, “What is the proportion of the sales you are getting?”

He had jumped from topic to topic so quickly that Xia Ling took a moment to realize that he was asking how much she would be getting from the 230,000 single sales. She reported a percentage to Lin Yunan.

Lin Yunan was holding a pen in his hand and was prepared to calculate her income on paper. After hearing that frighteningly high percentage, his hand slightly stopped and looked at her. “When did you sign it?”

“The profit agreement?” Xia Ling tried her best to follow his train of thought. “When I first started, it was already like that.”

“Li Lei has liked you for a long time.” Lin Yunan lightly scoffed as he buried his head in his papers and did some calculations.

Although Xia Ling was trying her best to keep up, she was still a bit lost. After blanking out for a while, she finally asked, “What?”

“The fact that he awarded you such a high percentage of the sales. Either he is an idiot, or he really likes you.” Lin Yunan did not bother to lift his head. “It is obvious that the Big Boss Li of Skyart Entertainment can’t be an idiot, so there is only one answer.”

What he said caused Xia Ling to drift into her thoughts.

Xia Ling knew that Li Lei was interested in her from the first time they met. However, at that time, he was just playing around, so she did not take it to heart and did not realize how well he was treating her… “Is this dividend ratio really that high?” She asked Lin Yunan, unconvinced. She did not really know much about money and the industry standards. In her past life, in Imperial Entertainment, she did not even know how many millions of dollars she had. As such, when she signed the contract with Skyart Entertainment, she did not really look at the terms and assumed that all artistes had similar terms.

Lin Yunan almost sympathized with Li Lei. After working with her for such a long time and trying his best to give this girl favorable benefits, she was still ignorant and did not know anything.

“Not only is it very high, but it is also literally absurd.” He sneered. “You better mentally prepare yourself. The next few jobs you accept in the future won’t give you such absurdly high profits.”

Xia Ling did not care about the conditions in the future. She only just discovered that Li Lei favored her more than what she thought he did. Did that mean that there were other things that she did not even know about? Thinking of the man’s cheerful and bright smile, there was a warm and sour feeling in Xia Ling’s heart.

Lin Yunan calculated her total income. “More than one million dollars. Including the dividends that you will be getting, paying for the makeup artist and image consultant is not a problem. You can also buy a few good clothes. However, spend the money wisely. There are still other ways you can use your money. What sort of house are you currently living in? What car are you driving?”

Xia Ling told him that she was sharing an apartment with Luo Luo and that she was borrowing her car.

“A high-end apartment in the Green Dream City area is not bad. However, a loft is barely able to match your status.” Lin Yunan acknowledged her choice. “But, borrow a car? Don’t joke. What sort of celebrity is as shabby as you? What happened to your car in the past? Was it provided by Skyart?” He quickly guessed the truth.

Xia Ling quietly nodded.

“Buy a car,” said Lin Yunan in a dictatorial manner. “It will be around three million, but you also need a chauffeur. I don’t recommend that you use the company’s chauffeurs because you won’t be able to get a chauffeur when the company is busy, so it is best if you can hire your own. Of course, if you do so, you also have to pay the chauffeur’s salary yourself.”

Xia Ling only realized now how well Li Lei treated her and how much money she saved in Skyart.

A three million dollar car? “Even if I used all of my earnings from “Stray Cat” I still won’t be able to afford it.” She lamented.

“Get a loan.” Lin Yunan was unmoved. “If you want to be a Diva, you must look like one. You give people an impression that you are noble and deserve the best of everything through bits and pieces of your daily life.”

Xia Ling’s heart was bleeding.

Lin Yunan started to calculate again. “Don’t start to cry. Besides ‘Stray Cat,’ I remember that you renewed the Gu’s endorsement at a price? When are they going to pay you? When that money comes, immediately use it to buy a few sets of accessories for daily usage, attending banquets, necklaces, bracelets, and earrings… Don’t save. These are all equipment.”