Born to Be a Talent Manager, Wang Jinghua's Thirst for Talent

Wang Jinghua was one of the earliest talent agents in mainland China.

Back then, the concept of a talent agent did not even exist in the mainland. Instead, they were similar to intermediaries known as "hole-scalpers," who connected artists with commercial gigs and took a cut from the earnings.

Her eventual rise to prominence in the industry was inseparable from the help of Chen Daoming.

It was precisely because she became the manager of the already wildly popular Chen Daoming that Wang Jinghua made a name for herself in the industry. Through subsequent development, she gradually signed well-known artists such as You Yong, Hu Jun, Xia Yu, and Liu Wei.

In the year 2000, seeking a greater breakthrough, Wang Jinghua partnered with the financially robust Huayi Brothers.

Thus, she brought her roster of artists and joined Huayi, serving as the head of their artist management division.

Afterward, leveraging Huayi's resources, Wang Jinghua signed major Hong Kong stars such as Tony Leung Ka-fai, Michelle Yeoh, and Carina Lau, while also actively recruiting and nurturing newcomers.

For instance, Fan Xiaopang, after terminating her contract with Chiung Yao’s agency and meeting Ren Quan and Li Bingbing through acting, began following Wang Jinghua's lead.

Tong Dawei joined slightly later than Fan. Having been scouted by Wang Jinghua for his performance in the Haiyan television drama *Jade Goddess of Mercy*, he was taken under her wing.

In addition, Wang Jinghua signed quite a few other newcomers, such as Zhu Yucheng, who had just graduated from the Central Academy of Drama, and a young model named Yang Xue.

Tong Dawei felt that Yan Li possessed good conditions and considerable potential, and with an intention to build a connection, he recommended Yan Li to Wang Jinghua, who was aggressively expanding her territory.

If this matchmaking succeeded!

Yan Li would secure a powerful backer, while Tong Dawei would earn a massive favor, which he could later leverage to help win back Guan Yue.

Wang Jinghua would gain a formidable talent, and he would be credited with a successful recommendation, perhaps even reaping some benefits.

Killing two birds with one stone!

However, much to Tong Dawei's surprise, Yan Li was not very enthusiastic about this matter. Even after Tong dropped Wang Jinghua's name, Yan Li remained utterly indifferent.

On the other hand, Wang Jinghua went completely against her usual demeanor, asking him several times if he had managed to schedule a meeting with Yan Li, and finally calling Yan Li directly herself.

Tong Dawei felt rather unsettled witnessing this.

Back then, he had been introduced by a "beneficiary noble" and starred in a Haiyan drama before being spotted and signed by Wang Jinghua.

Yan Li was still a complete nobody who hadn't starred in any major film or television works. Why did it feel like Sister Hua valued Yan Li even more than she had valued him initially?

...

Since she was a well-known industry heavyweight, and Wang Jinghua had personally called to invite him, it was impossible for Yan Li not to show some courtesy, so he ultimately agreed to the meeting.

Dongcheng District, a certain mutton hotpot restaurant.

Wang Jinghua arrived a little late, and upon entering, she apologized first: "Apologies, an artist of mine had a minor incident just now. I had to handle it promptly, which delayed me a bit."

"It's nothing, we just arrived not long ago ourselves."

Tong Dawei introduced the two of them. Wang Jinghua cordially shook hands with Yan Li and offered words of praise.

"After hearing Dawei talk about you, I became particularly curious, wanting to see what kind of person you are. Seeing you today, you truly are a man of exceptional talent and youthful promise."

"You flatter me too much. Dawei is just blindly hyping me up. As long as you aren't disappointed."

Yan Li had always believed in the saying that people lift each other up like sedan-chair bearers. Since Wang Jinghua initiated friendliness, he was not stingy with pleasantries, showering her with expressions of deep admiration and respect.

After a bout of mutual corporate flattery, the look in Wang Jinghua's eyes as she gazed at Yan Li grew increasingly bright.

Afterward, they took their seats and began to eat. Wang Jinghua proved worthy of her background as an agent, exceptionally attentive to people, thorough in her consideration, and endlessly caring.

Yan Li glanced over at Tong Dawei a few times, but the latter showed no trace of surprise, clearly indicating this was simply Wang Jinghua's usual modus operandi.

"Here, Xiao Yan, try this beef. It's a young calf from the Inner Mongolia grassland, the meat is tender. Be careful of the heat when you eat it."

Wang Jinghua placed a few slices of beef into Yan Li's bowl. Seeing him express gratitude, eat it, and voice his appreciation, she smiled kindly and asked in a casual, conversational tone.

"I heard from Dawei that you orchestrated a female lead role in a martial arts drama for your girlfriend?"

"Ex-girlfriend."

Yan Li emphasized the correction before clarifying: "We're still friends, though, and our relationship is good. It just happened to suit her well, and since I had some leverage with the producer, I helped push for it."

"You're being a bit too modest. Dawei told me everything."

Wang Jinghua made no effort to conceal the admiration on her face: "If it weren't for you, your... classmate, a complete newcomer, would have had practically zero chance of landing the female lead role directly."

"To be so young and yet able to leverage limited resources to sway a veteran producer step by step—that is remarkable."

Knowing the inside story, Yan Li remained modest: "There was quite a bit of luck involved."

"No, luck is also something earned by capability."

Wang Jinghua’s gaze was sharp and piercing as she finally revealed her true intentions: "Xiao Yan, would you be interested in becoming an agent under my wing?"

"Huh?"

Tong Dawei, who had been quietly eating nearby, was dumbfounded. Wasn't this supposed to be about signing an artist? How did it turn into becoming an agent?

Yan Li was not particularly surprised, having already gathered intelligence regarding this through his system, which explained why he had been so lukewarm about Tong Dawei's initial invitation.

If Wang Jinghua wanted to sign him as an artist, leave aside whether he would agree or not, he at least would have met to listen to her terms.

But wanting him to be an agent? He genuinely had zero interest in that.

Without hesitation, Yan Li directly and bluntly refused: "I'm sorry, Sister Hua, I still prefer acting."

"Xiao Yan, don't rush to refuse just yet. Hear me out."

Wang Jinghua was somewhat surprised by Yan Li's calmness, but she had long anticipated his refusal.

Given that Yan Li was doing quite well as an actor, how could he possibly switch to a behind-the-scenes role because of a single sentence? Therefore, far from being discouraged by his outright rejection, she patiently persuaded him instead.

"Trust Sister Hua's judgment. Compared to being an actor, you are naturally cut out to be an agent..."

Ever since learning from Tong Dawei about how Yan Li had engineered Dong Xuan's casting as a female lead, Wang Jinghua had developed a strong interest in him.

Subsequently, Wang Jinghua conducted some inquiries and investigations regarding Yan Li.

As the top agent in the mainland, Wang Jinghua's connections went without saying.

As for *Heroes of Sui and Tang Dynasties*, maybe not so much, but Gao Qunshu, Jiang Shan, and Sun Honglei from *Conquest* all operated within the Beijing circle, and she had varying degrees of contact with all of them.

Regarding *Cornucopia*’s Cheng Lidong and Fun Media’s Fan Xiaotian and Meng Ji, since Wang Jinghua had managed to insert her artist Fan Xiaopang into their crew, needless to say, her connections with them ran deep.

After making the rounds of inquiries, the vast majority of people evaluated him very highly, with quite a few even heaping endless praise upon him.

At that point, Wang Jinghua truly developed a genuine desire to recruit talented individuals.

However, the talent she appreciated was not Yan Li's acting talent, but his other "talents."

Smooth and worldly, skilled in interpersonal communication!

Sharp-eared and sharp-eyed, well-informed and well-connected!

Loyal and affectionate, with a sterling reputation!

Daring and resolute, full of ideas and execution prowess!

"..."

Wang Jinghua truly felt that it was a waste for Yan Li to be an actor.

Moreover, as far as she herself was concerned, she was not short of artists under her command, but she was genuinely lacking in talent like Yan Li, who could handle matters independently and even become her right-hand man.

"Xiao Yan, Sister Hua genuinely cherishes you. I won't play games with you either—once you come over, you will immediately receive official senior agent treatment."

"You can manage artists independently, with a base salary and commission. If your performance is good, the commission ratio and bonuses are open for negotiation."

"As for the artists you manage, I will take care of them as best as I can. Bingbing has worked with you before, so you must be familiar with each other; I can assign her to you to manage. And Dawei, I can make the executive decision to assign him to you as well."

"My connections, resources, and channels—whatever can be opened up to you, I will open up to you. Privately, I will even coordinate a few good projects for you individually to help you break the deadlock."

"Right, isn't your little girlfriend a newcomer? You can sign her to our company then, and manage her personally."

"..."

Wang Jinghua was genuinely thirsty for talent and promised numerous conditions which, for an industry newcomer, could be described as displaying the utmost sincerity.

Unfortunately, Yan Li was no ordinary newcomer!

Even if he were to participate in some behind-the-scenes work outside of acting in the future, he had no desire to become an agent whose days revolved around tending to artists' every need, constrained by limited status and restricted on all sides.

At the same time, Yan Li had very little interest in working for someone else; otherwise, he would feel he was letting down the intelligence system bestowed upon him by the heavens...