James looked at Avril beside him, as if he had thought of something, and said to Winnie Morgan,
"By the way, prepare an entertainment management contract and sign Avril. Remember, she has a penalty fee for breaking her current contract. You handle that."
Faced with this additional request, Winnie Morgan responded despairingly,
"Okay, boss."
"And there's this girl named Sofie Barnes. Reach out to her too. Find someone professional to see if she has the potential to be a star. If she does, sign her and see if we can get her a role, perhaps as a supporting actress alongside Avril for practice..."
Winnie Morgan listened to James's endless list of instructions and softly replied,
"Understood."
She closed her eyes in pain, resting her head against the seat.
Let it all collapse, she thought. I'm tired.
She didn't want to struggle anymore.
If the company crumbled, she could always quit.
What was there to be afraid of?
Tears of burden streamed down her tightly shut eyes.
Meanwhile, James in the back seat was completely oblivious to how complex these matters were.
He didn't really care if the company went under because his approach was different from others.
The money in his system was endless, so he wasn't running the company to make money but to spend it.
No matter how much he spent personally, he couldn't recoup much.
However, spending through the company would at least bring some returns.
The more he spent, the more he would get back.
The system had no restrictions on spending money to promote a goddess, nor on him indirectly laundering simp funds. The only restriction was that the goddess must be completely free.
In other words, the contract cannot have any penalties for breaking it. So, if he worked hard to make a girl famous, and she left, there would be nothing James could do.
Such simp behavior!
However, since it was the system's money, James didn't have many complaints.
Spending the system's money to date his girl was already a huge gain. Complaining about penalties would seem too impolite.
Moreover, his superpowers were reliant on the girls falling for him.
So, he needed to raise affection levels, not run a company.
Just like the domineering CEOs in dramas who never seem to work but only date their female subordinates.
James hoped to be like those CEOs, with no actual work and spending all day dating.
"Avril, during lunch, what did you think of that drama the director mentioned?"
In the quiet car, James found a topic to break the silence with Avril.
"I need to go back and think about it. I drank a bit too much earlier, my head's a bit fuzzy,"
Avril said, rubbing her stomach and letting out an orange-juice-flavored burp.
Maybe it was drinking that whole bottle of juice earlier, but she still couldn't quite believe it.
Just two or three hours ago, she was being scolded by the director over a $10,000 role.
Now she was going to be the lead in a massive production. Life was unpredictable.
"No one forced you to drink. Why were you toasting with orange juice?" James admonished.
"It's been a while since I drank; I couldn't control myself, haha," she giggled.
"Drink less; it's all sugar and artificial color."
"I know, I know. You sound just like my assistant, repeating the same things. Which of you is the parrot?"
James was momentarily speechless, giving her a glare without saying anything.
Avril quickly changed the subject with a smile.
"By the way, Uncle, about the contract you mentioned, can we make it short-term? Like one or two years?"
James replied indifferently, "You want a short contract?"
"Yes, yes, signing a long-term one can be troublesome if things go south."
"Oh? You're planning to break things off with me?"
"Hehe, I just want to have an escape route. You have no idea how badly I was exploited before..."
Avril started venting about her previous company.
She had signed a ten-year contract with her previous entertainment company.
It was her prime time, and everything was fine when she was popular; everyone flattered her. But once she was ousted from the entertainment circle, the company didn't support her.
Instead, they tried to squeeze out her last bit of value, sending her to perform at entertainment venues or appear at wealthy people's events. Avril refused, and the company froze her out, cutting off all her income streams.
As she had signed a comprehensive agreement, all her commercial activities had to be managed by the agency, so she couldn't work independently. She ended up fighting a long legal battle and lost. A small girl couldn't win against a company with a professional legal team.
Thus, she had a natural fear of contracts.
Hearing James mention signing a contract, she hoped that in return for helping him rank up in games, James would be kind and not lock her into a long-term agreement. She feared she wouldn't survive it.
After hearing her story, James didn't show much sympathy and said matter-of-factly,
"I'm investing three billion to make you a star, and you think a one or two-year contract is appropriate?"
Avril pouted, looking pitiably at James.
"Can't I work for you for free for those two years? How about a 9-1 split? You take 90%, I get 10%. As long as things stay pleasant, I promise to renew the contract."
"In your dreams. The contract must last until your legal retirement age," James said with a sneer.
"What? Isn't that basically a lifelong contract?" Avril exclaimed.
"Of course. If I invest so much into making you famous and you leave, my company would fail," James argued.
"5555 You're bullying me," Avril whined, gearing up to cry.
She didn't want to miss this drama. No washed-up star would pass up such an opportunity.
She knew James was right; such a large investment wouldn't allow for a short-term contract.
Though she knew capital was ruthless, she still wanted to try to win his sympathy.
What if this seemingly kind older brother was actually a good person?
She pouted her pink lips and forced a teardrop, her lively eyes looking at him pitifully.
Three seconds later, her eyes brimmed with tears, and her nose began to sniffle.
It was a perfect "give me candy, or I'll cry" expression.
James watched her with interest. "Alright, alright, let's not go that route. The length of the contract is non-negotiable, but..."
Avril, full of curiosity, immediately stopped her act of crying and grabbed James's arm. "But what?"
"But we can discuss other terms," James continued. "Things like your base salary, the profit sharing ratio, and the penalty for breaking the contract."
"You mean I get a base salary?" Avril asked, surprised.
"Of course. You'll get a monthly salary of fifty thousand. My housekeeper gets forty thousand, and you're a star, so it wouldn't look good if it were too low," James said.
Something felt off about what he said, but Avril couldn't pinpoint it. She asked, "And what do I need to do for those fifty thousand?"
"Nothing much. Just film during the day, and if possible, help me rank up in the game after work," James replied.
Avril was a bit confused, but it seemed reasonable enough. It wasn't uncommon for rich people to pay for companions in online games.
As Winnie Morgan drove in the front seat, she couldn't help but feel a wave of anxiety wash over her. She kept glancing at Jay Johnson, who looked utterly calm as he drove, in stark contrast to her own feelings.
Handling a multi-billion project, managing funds, and ensuring production qualityâsuch responsibilities were overwhelming. And to realize that James seemed so nonchalant about the whole thing only added to her stress.
"Screw it," Winnie thought to herself. "If the company folds, I'll just quit."
Even with all the pressure and chaos ahead, she pressed on. If the company managed to succeed, it would be a testament to her endurance and skill. And if not, there were always other jobs.
Winnie turned her attention back to the road, trying to calm her racing thoughts while Avril and James continued their banter in the back seat.
"Stars usually don't have a base salary, you know," Avril said, thinking about her previous experiences. "Only a few companies offer a living allowance for new talents, just enough so they won't starve."
James nodded. "Well, you're different. I'll make sure you're well taken care of."