Chapter Twenty-One: Now That’s What You Call Professionalism

The next day.

Xu Ming woke up from his sleep. He instinctively reached out to pull someone close, but grabbed only empty air. His new friend had already left at some point, leaving only a note on the bedside table with two hundred yuan resting on top of it.

"I am very satisfied with your service. I've returned to Shanghai."

Damn. Who actually slept with whom? And on top of that, is my service only worth two hundred? It’s infuriating! Xu Ming felt a strange, violated sense of being a defiled maiden. After washing up and getting dressed, he looked at the two hundred yuan that had commodified him, hesitated, and then tucked it into his pocket. Well, it was the first bit of money "Little Xu Ming" had earned, so he would keep it as a memento.

He turned on his phone and found several missed calls. After a quick scan, he saw one from his master and immediately called back.

"Master, were you looking for me?" Xu Ming asked.

"I’ve already put in a word with Liaoning TV. Find some time to go over there and talk to them," Uncle Benshan said earnestly. "I know you’re busy with your movie, but you need to keep the media company’s business in mind as well."

"Sure, I'll go right away. How could you say that? The media company is my home—how could I not take home matters to heart?" Xu Ming replied glibly.

His recent moves were clearly driven by his own agenda, yet he managed to skate right along the edge of Uncle Benshan’s bottom line. *Oh, I’m in. Oh, I’m out.* He wasn’t about to have a falling out like Xiao Shenyang in his past life, but there was still a lingering sense of awkwardness.

"I heard you didn't want the people Zhang Jiahao offered. How about the media company assigns you a dedicated driver, a bodyguard, and an assistant? You’re famous now; you need people around to help you," Uncle Benshan said.

This had been brought up by the company more than once, and Xu Ming had turned it down every time. But with his master now making the request, it wouldn't be right to refuse again. Besides, he really did need the help. Although the entertainment industry in China wasn't as cutthroat as in Hong Kong, safety was still a concern. In 2019, even Simon Yam had been stabbed.

"Fine. I have only one requirement: they must have a clean background. They cannot be people loyal to Zhang Jiahao or Liu Shuangping. I have no personal issue with them, but I am skeptical of their stance," Xu Ming said bluntly.

Ever since he spearheaded the production of *Love is Not Blind*, he was no longer just a simple disciple or artist within the company. The friction between him and the management core—represented by those two—had gradually become public. He represented the artists, while Liu Shuangping and Zhang Jiahao represented the management. Uncle Benshan hadn't voiced an opinion on this dynamic; his apparent neutral mediation was, in reality, a form of calculated indulgence. It was simple: if those below him were a monolithic block, he, as chairman, would have reason to worry.

"Fine. I’ll pick them out for you personally. You can’t have any objections to that, can you?" Uncle Benshan said.

"That works." Xu Ming agreed.

The driver was arranged quickly and called him, so he provided his location. A driver, a bodyguard, and an assistant soon arrived—the first two were sturdy, short-haired young men, and the latter was a girl with a round face.

"To Liaoning TV," Xu Ming said, before settling in for a nap.

Upon arriving at the station, he gave his name and was soon led into an office. Several station executives were already seated, clearly attaching great importance to this collaboration with Benshan Media. After all, as Uncle Benshan’s home turf, they had deep ties with his company. If not for Xu Ming stepping in, they might have lost the deal to the Heilongjiang station without even knowing why. To be honest, among all the provincial satellite channels, Liaoning TV’s ability to remain in the upper-middle tier was largely due to Uncle Benshan and his disciples.

"Did Brother Xu come alone?" one of them asked.

"Yeah, my master is busy with the Beijing premiere of *Liu Laogen Stage*. He sent me back to discuss the collaboration, saying that since I’m young, you guys surely wouldn't bully a junior," Xu Ming said with a chuckle.

The group laughed, their attitude toward this newly famous disciple of Benshan becoming much friendlier. Everyone said this guy had a big ego after hitting it big, but he seemed perfectly fine in person. The rumors of his "inflated ego" had largely been spread—intentionally or otherwise—by Liu Shuangping and the management after Xu Ming stopped taking commercial gigs and started clashing with them. Facing such a rising star who was humble enough to position himself as a junior, the executives relaxed.

"You Benshan Media folks aren't very loyal," the middle-aged man with glasses at the head of the table joked. "With our relationship, you didn't think of Liaoning TV when you had a new variety show, but instead went to work with the Heilongjiang station?"

Although they were "brother stations," the closer they were, the fiercer the competition.

"That was President Liu Shuangping’s decision. I have always firmly stood on the side of Liaoning TV. Don't look at me as a Jilin native; my heart belongs to Liaoning. I was the one who proposed this variety show idea to my master, otherwise why would he have sent me here?" Xu Ming pointedly mentioned Liu Shuangping's name, fearing they might forget it, while simultaneously gilding his own reputation.

As for his flexible stance, he had learned that from Jackie Chan. Wherever he was, he was a local. His posture was so soft—no wonder his kung fu was so good.

"Hahaha, well said! 'Heart belongs to Liaoning.' Feel free to come to our station to guest on shows whenever you’re free," the bespectacled man laughed heartily.

Someone nearby chimed in, "This is Director Su, our channel director."

*Oh, this is the big boss in charge of variety shows.* In terms of real power, he might even be more influential than the deputy station head in some respects.

Xu Ming didn't hesitate for a second. "Sure, whenever the station needs me, I’ll be there in a heartbeat." If they could afford his appearance fee, he’d even live at the station. If they couldn't, well, sorry—you forgot, I’m a Jilin native.

"Tell us about this variety show," Director Su said, getting back to the point.

"I have the planning proposal here. I printed extra copies, so you can all get a general idea first. I also have a corresponding PowerPoint presentation for the detailed explanation." Xu Ming paused, then asked with calculated innocence, "Would it be convenient to ask if there’s a large screen here for projection?"

He didn't really expect them to have the equipment, so he took out the laptop he’d bought with the film crew's funds. "I’ll just explain it right here on my laptop. The screen is a bit small, but you can follow along with the planning proposal."

This is what you call professional. The proposal might not have been revolutionary, but a PowerPoint presentation—a tactic that would be overused in later years—was at the absolute cutting edge for this time. The simple transition effects of the artistic text at the beginning were enough to leave the middle-aged executives thoroughly impressed. Without needing a prompt from Xu Ming, they all straightened up in their chairs. The higher-ups were always advocating for "informatization" in the office, and here it was in action. This young Xu was a star who knew high-tech.