Chapter 824: Birthday Party Begins

After breakfast, Yan Zhusheng drove off first from Ningshan Campus, heading to the music college for class.

Li Luo, however, got into Ying Chanxi's car, planning to swing by the company before his online novel elective.

Xu Youyu had originally intended to join them, but after eating, drowsiness overwhelmed him, so he drove home to take a nap.

"General Ying, General Li."

Qian Jiaoyao, who usually handled accounting, stood up immediately upon seeing Ying Chanxi and Li Luo enter and greeted them, then scurried behind Ying Chanxi.

Due to Chongran Culture's limited business, her accounting duties were very light, so she now often assisted Ying Chanxi with assistant tasks.

Qian Jiaoyao was happy with this arrangement—no other reason than Ying Chanxi had raised her pay.

Although Ying Chanxi was actually several years younger than her, Qian Jiaoyao addressed her as "General Ying" without a hint of pressure.

"Has the daily report from the Business Department been submitted?" Ying Chanxi asked as she walked toward her office.

"Yes, I submitted it before leaving yesterday," Qian Jiaoyao nodded. "I've placed it on your desk—ready whenever you are."

"Any other news?" Ying Chanxi asked further.

"Douyin asked whether General Li could occasionally go live, like Yan Zhusheng," Qian Jiaoyao said. "But mostly, they're probing to see if Yuan Wanqing will have another live stream."

"Why not ask the studio directly?" Ying Chanxi asked, puzzled.

"They probably asked and got turned down," Qian Jiaoyao blinked. "So they're wondering if they can indirectly get Yuan Wanqing to appear in the stream through us."

"Does Douyin even care about this?" Li Luo asked, surprised. "Even though live streaming is new and still needs solidifying, it's not that desperate, is it?"

"They apparently have a dedicated department that casts nets everywhere," Qian Jiaoyao said. "More streams mean more traffic—they'd love it."

"Let it happen naturally," Li Luo shook his head. He had no particular desire to go live himself; occasionally guesting in Zhusheng's stream was enough. "Just stick to the original contract."

The contract signed with Douyin covered only Yuan Wanqing's single live stream.

Beyond that, it only set a minimum quarterly limit for short video releases.

So whether Li Luo streamed or not didn't matter.

Streaming wouldn't bring any clear additional revenue.

Of course, in the future, whether promoting his TV drama or novel adaptations, Douyin would remain an important promotional channel.

"Just keep Zhusheng's weekly streaming schedule," Ying Chanxi agreed with Li Luo. "Li Luo is a creator, not a performer."

"Maintaining a certain air of mystery before the audience is better."

"Occasionally appearing in Zhusheng's stream creates more surprise for viewers."

After saying this, Ying Chanxi inquired about the filming progress of "The Beginning."

"Everything's normal there," Qian Jiaoyao said. "But Ruan Lin's schedule needs better planning."

"We arranged a commercial shoot for her and brought her back to the company for a video, which slightly delayed the drama crew's filming."

"Director Wang specifically reminded us to pay attention to this."

"Mm." Ying Chanxi nodded. "I'll talk to Xiao Wen."

After finishing these, Ying Chanxi sat at her desk and picked up the Business Department's daily report.

It listed the brands the department had contacted yesterday, along with communication processes, outcomes, and staff opinions.

If any suitable brands emerged, Ying Chanxi, as general manager, would follow up, negotiate deeper, and see if cooperation was possible.

Currently, Chongran Culture held three artists—Yan Zhusheng, Chongran, and Ruan Lin—and planned to secure five or six commercial deals per month, at one or two per artist.

Based on their current Douyin follower counts, each commercial deal could fetch hundreds of thousands.

That meant two to three million in monthly revenue.

After deducting the artists' shares, staff salaries, and daily expenses, monthly profit reached several hundred thousand.

For a newly launched company like Chongran Culture, this was already quite impressive.

At least Ying Chanxi was satisfied with the current situation.

Of course, this was still small money.

The real big payoff lay in "The Beginning," currently in production.

If "The Beginning" exploded in popularity during summer vacation, Chongran Culture's investment share alone would yield massive returns.

Meanwhile, Ruan Lin and Bai Lixuan's popularity as the lead actors would surge.

At that point, commercial deals wouldn't just be worth hundreds of thousands.

"Our General Ying is getting more and more authoritative," Li Luo said, plopping onto the edge of her desk after the assistant left and closed the door, grinning at Ying Chanxi, who sat upright handling documents.

I have to say, Ying Chanxi, who was seriously handling official business at this moment, had a unique charm of her own.

Though Xu Youyu often pretended to be an office lady in bed, it was just roleplay.

Ying Chanxi in this state, however, carried a unique charm even beyond Xu Youyu's performance.

Ying Chanxi looked up at Li Luo and rolled her eyes: "If you're just here to hang around, don't disturb my work, okay?"

"Finish this quickly so we can go home early for your birthday."

"Or you, as chairman, could help process some documents."

Li Luo laughed and immediately shook his head and waved his hands: "Take your time—I'm just a hands-off boss. I have full faith in your abilities, Xi Xi."

"Hmph~"

"By the way, do you usually come to the office in casual clothes?" Li Luo asked, noticing Ying Chanxi still wore her running gear.

"What's wrong with that?" Ying Chanxi asked, puzzled. "What else should I wear?"

"A suit," Li Luo chuckled. "Wouldn't that make you look more formal and command more authority in the office?"

"I don't need a suit to command authority," Ying Chanxi wrinkled her nose, puffing out her chest. "Don't underestimate me. Besides, I have classes—I can't wear a suit to lecture halls."

"That's not impossible," Li Luo grinned. "When you walk in, everyone might think a new professor came to substitute. Right, Professor Ying?"

Ying Chanxi gave him a look and ignored his teasing, returning to her work.

Bored in the office, Li Luo wandered outside, eventually strolling to Zhao Rongjun's office at the far end of the corridor.

Now that final exams are approaching, Zhao Rongjun's team has already made initial contact with the Information Office and is verifying the software's feasibility.

They estimate the software testing will be completed before the final exams.

Li Luo confirmed the progress here, nodded in satisfaction, then chatted with Zhao Rongjun for a while longer.

Only when it was nearly ten in the morning did Li Luo receive a call from Xu Youyu, after which he slowly returned to Ying Chanxi's office and informed her.