Chapter 306: Inheriting the Family Business
About ten minutes later, Su Xueqi came over alone.
“Why are you by yourself?” Jiang Shu asked, looking at Su Xueqi in surprise.
“It’s not like I haven’t been here before. Let them go shopping,” Su Xueqi said, shaking her head.
She had been here a few times before and was very familiar with DM Entertainment, so there was nothing to see. Besides, she wasn't just here to play; she had a task.
“Then what are you here for?” Su Xueqi couldn't hide anything; the words “I have something to say” were practically written on her face.
“My aunt and uncle’s task.” Su Xueqi sat up straight, her hands on the desk, looking at Jiang Shu.
“Speak.”
“Wait a moment.” Su Xueqi took out her phone, opened her notepad, and began to read the contents.
“First thing, they want a few artists from you as endorsers. The endorsement fees should be cheap, and it would be best if they didn’t have to pay anything. The group lost a lot of money in Qingdao recently, so help them save some.”
The first item already made Jiang Shu a little unable to hold back.
Was this doing business or something else?
“Second thing, the group is preparing to downsize and focus its business within the province. Then, my aunt plans to set up a K-pop Cultural Street at home. She’s currently applying for it, and once it’s approved, she wants you to come back home to be in charge of this matter.”
He couldn't hold back on the second item either.
“Do you know why they didn’t call me directly but instead had you relay the message?” Jiang Shu asked, looking at Su Xueqi as if she were an idiot.
“Huh? I don’t know,” Su Xueqi replied, looking confusedly at Jiang Shu.
“Because if they told me in person, I would definitely lose my temper, even if they are my parents. Isn’t this just messing around?”
Let me ask, the artist endorsement fees are split between the company and the artist. If you pay less or nothing at all, then who pays the company and the artist?
Me?
And then there’s the K-pop Cultural Street.
Because of him, the K-pop culture atmosphere in his hometown was very strong, but these were things that couldn’t be openly acknowledged. A cultural street is a tourist attraction; in the current environment, doing something like this? It would be a miracle if it got approved.
As for him being in charge?
If a cultural street could actually be successful, its annual revenue would be at most 100 million, and they would still have to share profits. Getting tens of millions would already be a blessing.
And that’s in the most ideal scenario.
What about him now?
His earnings for a single quarter are more than that.
After his speechlessness, Jiang Shu realized something was off.
He had met the original owner’s parents. The two of them were able to build such a large group. Although their vision was somewhat narrow due to regional and temporal limitations, they shouldn’t be doing something like this.
Thinking of this, Jiang Shu looked suspiciously at Su Xueqi.
Could it be that this girl misunderstood the message?
“I’ll make a call.”
Jiang Shu felt he still needed to confirm.
Su Xueqi, however, didn’t mind. She got up, ran to the sofa, lay down, and started playing on her phone.
After a few rings, Jiang Father’s call connected.
“Hello, Xiaoshu.”
“Dad, I saw Su Xueqi, and Su Xueqi said…” Jiang Shu repeated Su Xueqi’s words, ending with, “Is this what you two said?”
“Uh… pretty much,” Jiang Father stammered on the other end.
“Are you two really that… uh… slow-witted?” Jiang Shu originally wanted to say ‘stupid,’ but considering these were his nominal parents, he decided not to be so… direct.
“If he wasn’t slow-witted, how could he have lost so much money in Qingdao? He’s old, his mind isn’t working well anymore,” Su Wan, Jiang Shu’s mother, said.
“Yes, when people get old, their minds don’t work as well. You can’t fight aging,” Jiang Father sighed and said, “But such a large company can’t be left unattended, can it? I was thinking you could come back to inherit the family business, and then I could retire.”
“You two aren’t pretending to be foolish to trick me into coming back, are you?” Jiang Shu raised an eyebrow and said.
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.
“How could that be! If I weren’t old, why would I ask you to come back?” Jiang Father chuckled dryly.
“Your acting is really terrible. Even smart people don’t get this muddled when they get old,” Jiang Shu sighed. “You’re only in your early fifties; what are you thinking of retiring for?”
“I told you your son is very smart; you can’t hide it from him,” Su Wan said from the side.
“Didn’t you agree too?” Jiang Father said, displeased.
“Alright, you two stop arguing,” Jiang Shu said, raising a hand to rub his temples, stopping their argument.
“So, you deliberately said that to get me to come back and inherit the family business?” Jiang Shu summarized and asked.
“Yes.”
“Then what about my company in Korea?” Jiang Shu retorted, “My company’s quarterly earnings are higher than what the family earns in a year, and the investment is relatively lower, with a very high profit margin.”
“If you want me to come back, you have to give me a reason, right?”
“You can just take over both companies and operate them together,” Su Wan suggested.
“Even if I take over the company, you two will still be in charge later. It’s just changing the nominal chairman. What’s the difference?”
The elderly couple fell silent.
The main reason was that while their own company was also a money-making machine, it was still far, far behind DM Entertainment, which had grown into a K-pop ATM. This was also why they had been hesitant.
“Let’s talk about it when you two can’t work anymore,” Jiang Shu sighed. “I have a lot of things going on with my company too. I can’t manage both at the same time.”
“Then how about this? We merge and form a group. Your father and I will continue to work for the company, and you will serve as the chairman of the group. How does that sound?” Su Wan proposed a new idea.
“A group…”
The benefits of a multinational group were numerous, and this reason did indeed hold some allure.
“It’s not impossible, but if a group is established, it still needs leadership. The two companies are in vastly different industries, making leadership difficult.”
“You’re an entertainment company, and we started in education. Why not set up an arts school?” Jiang Father interjected from the side.
Jiang Shu was stunned, then his eyes immediately lit up.
An arts school?!
“Your suggestion seems good, but I need a feasible plan.”
Seeing Jiang Shu loosen up, Jiang Father and Su Wan exchanged happy glances and immediately replied, “Don’t worry about that, I’ll have someone draw up a plan as soon as possible.”
“Hmm, what about the Cultural Street?”
“That matter is indeed real, but the Cultural Street won’t get approved. However, a Cultural Center can. I will open a K-pop Cultural Center in our mall, making it a K-pop sacred place for our region. When it opens, we’ll need a few endorsers. The price will be based on market rates. How does that sound?”
“Okay, the market price in Korea is very low. Even if an entire IZONE group goes to participate in an event, the price is only equivalent to a domestic first-tier artist.”
That’s IZONE, the top K-pop group.
“That cheap?” Jiang Father’s confused voice came through.
“Yes.”