Cao Gongzi: They are just trash

"Hello, my name is Zhao Jinmai. You can call me Mai Zi."

"My name is Zhang Zifeng."

"Then I'll call you Feng Zi—uh, Feng Zi, hahaha… Sorry, my bad…"

"???"

This was the first meeting between the two girls in the office building of Miracle Media.

Their personalities were different—one was bubbly and talkative, while the other was quiet and smiled as she listened.

Their mothers, however, hit it off right away. After a brief chat, they realized they had both been invited by Young Master Cao.

Zhang's mother's expression shifted slightly, but she didn’t say much, keeping her thoughts to herself.

Zhao's mother, on the other hand, wasn’t overthinking things. Her only concern was her daughter’s education.

She knew her girl well—wild, sociable, with endless friends and an insatiable curiosity about everything.

There was no way she’d resist the temptation of becoming a young star. But what about her studies?

She was barely ten years old.

Surely she couldn’t just drop out of school and act full-time?

Was that even reasonable?

Zhao's mother asked, "Is your daughter still in school?"

Zhang's mother nodded. "Yes, in Beijing."

"Beijing? Then why are you in Zhonghai?"

"Well, the little one wanted to come see for herself. Mostly because Mr. Cao invited us."

"Oh, I see. We were invited too, but I’m worried—if she really becomes a star, how will she manage school?"

"Don’t worry. She’ll still attend school. Even if she signs a contract, she’ll have to study normally. At most, she’ll do professional training during summer or holidays—acting, singing, dancing, instruments, posture, lines, and so on!"

"That’s a lot to learn!" Zhao's mother exclaimed.

Zhang's mother nodded. "Mine grew up in the children’s palace, so she’s been exposed to a bit of everything."

"Your daughter is so well-behaved. Not like mine—so loud and chaotic, it gives me a headache," Zhao's mother sighed.

As they spoke, the conference room door opened.

A woman in an elegant dress walked in.

"Sister Si!" Zhao Jinmai jumped up in surprise.

"Sister Si!" Zhang Zifeng also stood quickly, greeting her softly.

Ren Yuege smiled slightly. "You call me Sister Si too? Are you fans?"

"Yes! I’m your fan, Sister Si. Hello, I’m Zhao Jinmai—you can call me Mai Zi."

"Hello, I’m Zhang Zifeng."

"Sister Si, you can call her Feng Zi."

"..."

After a brief exchange, Ren Yuege—Sister Si—quickly sized up the two girls. One was lively and outgoing, while the other was more reserved.

But objectively speaking, from first impressions, Ren Yuege thought Zhang Zifeng had a lovely, sweet appearance—perfect for playing various "daughter" or "younger sister" roles at her age.

She was exactly the kind of girl Chinese parents adored, which meant she’d have great audience appeal.

Who wouldn’t love a well-behaved daughter or little sister?

Zhao Jinmai, on the other hand, seemed a bit mischievous.

And…

Her looks weren’t quite on par with Zhang Zifeng’s—at least not right now. Her under-eye bags, in particular, affected her overall charm.

Her features weren’t bad, but those under-eye bags were a problem.

Ren Yuege couldn’t understand why her fifth brother, that rascal, had taken a liking to this one, claiming she had "spark."

Ren Yuege said, "My younger brother is at the research institute near the eco-park. He’ll come over at noon, and we can all have a meal together. As for whether we collaborate or sign contracts, it’s really no big deal."

"After all, we’ll all be in the same circle moving forward, seeing each other often. Brother Hua’s company is also quite reputable."

Ren Yuege’s words were far more pleasant to hear than Young Master Cao’s.

If it were Young Master Cao speaking, he’d probably call Brother Hua trash.

...

Over the next half hour or so, Ren Yuege also grew familiar with the two young girls.

Mainly with Zhao Jinmai—they chatted about everything, did everything together, making a lively ruckus...

Until noon arrived.

Ren Yuege took the two mothers and their daughters to a private room in the restaurant downstairs from the company.

Cao Cheng arrived fashionably late.

Earlier that day, he had been delivering new materials to the research institute, particularly in the fields of drones and chips—they had made promising breakthroughs.

Research would continue.

But now wasn’t the time to reveal any of it.

Cao Cheng understood all too well the importance of gradual progress.

Some things, if unveiled all at once, could indeed shock the world—but then what?

Before everything was fully prepared, exposing your hand early was practically asking for trouble.

Not that he feared assassination.

Cao Cheng wasn’t afraid of death at all.

But the overall strategy wasn’t ready for exposure yet.

At the very least, they had to get past the standoff of 2016.

Only after that phase would the Eastern Bloc truly rise. By then, any so-called "cutting-edge tech" or "black tech" could be revealed without consequence.

But definitely not now.

For now, it was best to accumulate technological advancements, build up over a few years, and then unleash everything at once.

...

Young Master Cao entered the private room.

The two youngsters jumped up excitedly.

Even the usually reserved Zhang Zifeng had a sparkle in her eyes.

A true admirer of good looks.

"Apologies, I got held up with some matters over there," Cao Cheng said by way of apology, then turned to Lao Si. "Has the food been ordered yet?"

"Yeah," Lao Si nodded.

"Good."

Cao Cheng shook hands with the two mothers, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then took his seat.

Once seated, he got straight to the point.

Looking at Zhang’s mother, he said, "Sister Li mentioned you wanted to shorten the contract duration?"

Zhang’s mother nodded. "Yes, I think fifteen years is too long."

I don’t care what you think.

"Let’s be frank," Cao Cheng frowned and shook his head. "First, you’re overlooking something. Fifteen years may seem long, but it depends on who you’re comparing it to."

"If Zhang Zifeng were already an established star, maybe even an award-winning actress, I’d offer her a contract for two years at most. She could jump straight into major film roles or high-profile endorsements."

"That would be a win-win for both sides."

"But how old is Zhang Zifeng now? Ten years old, eleven by Chinese reckoning, not even in middle school yet."

"So her focus should be on school—balancing academics with acting classes, but primarily on her studies. There’s no point discussing movie roles or endorsements now. The pay is negligible, and it’d just interfere with her education."

"Um..."

Zhang’s mother hesitated. "I know all that. Ali explained it to me earlier, but... fifteen years is still too long."

"It’s not."

Cao Cheng shook his head. "Let’s assume she turns eighteen as an adult. Those eight years won’t generate profit for the company. Instead, the company will have to invest in building her as a child star during every summer and winter break."

"How much do child stars even earn? How much would the company get out of it?"

"Of course,"

"Let's not even talk about money for now. Just considering channel resources and training, the company will inevitably have to invest. For the past eight years, the company has basically been operating at a loss just to build reputation."

"By the time she turns eighteen, she’ll have to go to college."

"Whether it's the Central Academy of Drama or Beijing Film Academy, she could take on acting roles during her university years, but most of the time it’ll be sporadic—just a few gigs here and there. She won’t be able to land many endorsements, mostly just student-oriented products with low fees."

"Calculating it all, that’s twelve years in total."

"Only the last three years would be her actual debut, when she can start taking on endorsements properly."

"To be precise, we also have to consider whether the child will even have acting talent by then. That’s one of the risks the company has to bear."

"You can’t deny this point, can you?"

"Don’t talk about how talented a child is—just look back at all the child stars. How many of them actually became famous as adults? Almost none."

"Take Shi Xiaolong and Hao Shaowen, for example. They were household names across the country at four, dominating the entertainment scene across mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan by five. But now… where are they?"

"And even if we stretch it further, even if some do remain popular as adults, it’s usually because they already had strong backgrounds and resources. Their fame often hinges on nostalgia for their childhood roles, not because they’re genuinely well-received as adults."

"Now, do you still think fifteen years is too long?"

Cao Cheng’s speech left Zhang's mother at a loss for words.

With a faint smile, Cao Cheng continued, "I’m just laying out the harsh truths upfront. Deep down, you probably already know all this."

"Now that we’ve covered the potential pitfalls, let’s talk about the contract itself."

"You’ve seen the contract Hua Brothers offered, right? I don’t even need to look at it to guess how low-tier it is—because their company is trash."

"..."

"..."

The room fell into silence.

Only Young Master Cao would dare say something like this.

Even within the industry, people only whisper such things among themselves.

Otherwise, if word got out, wouldn’t Hua Brothers come after you?

But Cao Cheng wasn’t afraid in the slightest. He’d not only say it in private rooms—he’d even called that so-called "top director" Little Cannon a hack online.

And what happened?

The guy still backed down in the end.

Cao Cheng smirked. "Of course, I’m not trashing them to make myself look better. Trash is trash—they can’t compare to us. As for our contract, just ask anyone in the industry. They’ll tell you the difference. I’m sure you already know this."

Zhang's mother nodded.

It was precisely because Miracle Media’s contract terms were so favorable that she was hesitating so much.

Truthfully, she didn’t want to leave Beijing.

"Besides the contract, there’s also the matter of industry standing."

"At Miracle Media, we have connections, channels, resources, even our own theater chains…"

"We can provide a one-stop solution to stardom."

"And this is just how I am—people in the industry know to tread carefully around me. So if any of my artists get mistreated, as long as we’re in the right, I can settle it in minutes. I can even force the other party out of the industry. It’s that simple."

"..."

"..."

This statement struck a chord with both mothers.

They both had daughters, and they’d all heard about the industry’s darker rules.

Having a powerful figure like this backing them would make the path much smoother.

The reason Zhang's mother kept thinking about Brother Hua was simply because he was the pioneer—the former industry leader.

"I'll only say this once. I'm laying out both the good and the bad upfront, so there won’t be any issues after we collaborate. If problems arise later, I won’t hesitate to turn hostile."

"So,"

"I’ve said my piece. You can consider whether to sign with our Miracle team or stick with Brother Hua. Either way, meeting today is a bond in itself. If we cross paths in the industry later, I’ll still treat this girl like a little sister."

Cao Cheng smiled. "After all, back when I was quarreling with Little Cannon, I genuinely admired this girl’s spark. Getting her would be my fortune, losing her fate—it’s all up to heaven. Besides, even if we don’t work together, that doesn’t mean we have to be enemies."

With that, the conversation ended.

Just then, the food arrived.

Cao Cheng raised his glass warmly. "Let’s eat and chat. Jinmai—her acting is still raw, but I truly see potential. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have invited you both all the way to Zhonghai."

"It’s the end of the year, and I’m swamped. Otherwise, I might’ve made the trip to the Northeast myself."

"A toast to everyone—thank you for the long journey!"

"You two can stick to juice."

"Thank you, brother." The two youngsters obediently raised their glasses and stood.

And just like that—

It was settled!