novelnext Chapter 93 The Empress Makes Her Move, and the Entire Place Falls Silent
Chapter 93 The Empress Makes Her Move, and the Entire Place Falls Silent
Chapter 93 The Empress Makes Her Move, and the Entire Place Falls Silent
Jiang Yan knew better than anyone else.
If he simply follows Lee Soo-man's lead and leaves this meeting room today, then the risk assessment report for "ReaI" will lie in the corner of Kim Young-min's desk, gathering dust and mold.
The so-called artist script review team will be buried in the pile of documents in the legal department and no one will mention it, while the film and television projects that Kim Sung-hoon is in charge of will still hold their opening press conferences as usual, without any delay.
The Fair Trade Commission's investigation results came belatedly, and the public outcry finally arrived.
The company would simply dismiss the matter by saying that the film and television department's review process was lax, scapegoat a few junior employees, and then everything would continue as before.
But Choi Jin-ri couldn't wait that long.
But he didn't slam his fist on the table or press Lee Soo-man for answers.
He simply sat back down in his chair quietly, then slowly turned his head to look at the person to his left.
Since the start of the meeting, Lim Yoona has not said a single word.
She sat there gracefully, as if she were sitting in the audience at the Baeksang Arts Awards, but her clear, doe-like eyes were never idle.
She observed how often Kim Young-min looked at the computer, the changes in Kim Sung-hoon's expression, the intervals between Lee Soo-man's taps on the desktop, and the pauses when Chief Choi of the Ministry of Justice flipped through documents.
She took in every detail, piecing together a complete power map in her mind.
Now it's her turn to make her move.
Lin Chong'er leaned forward slightly and took out a light pink envelope from her Chanel bag.
The envelope was sealed with gold-plated sealing wax, and Girls' Generation's iconic official seal was clearly imprinted on it.
"Lee Soo-man, President Lee."
"Besides being producer Kang Yeon's partner, I'm here today for another matter, which I want to formally propose to the company on behalf of all eight members of Girls' Generation."
She gently placed the envelope on the table, pushed it forward half an inch, and placed it right between Lee Soo-man and Kim Young-min.
"We hope to start the contract renewal negotiations with Girls' Generation ahead of schedule."
boom!
The moment the words left his mouth, it was as if a bomb of enormous magnitude had been dropped into the conference room.
Ahn Jung-hwan's coffee cup slipped from his hand and slammed heavily against the walnut wood table with a thud.
A few drops of scalding coffee spilled onto the back of his hand, but he seemed completely oblivious, staring wide-eyed at Yoona with disbelief written all over his face.
Kim Young-min's fingers froze in mid-air for a full three seconds.
He slowly lowered his hand, his calm expression shattering instantly, shifting from astonishment to gloom, and then from gloom to a rage he was trying his best to suppress.
He stared intently at Lin Yoona for a second, then his gaze suddenly swept past her and fixed directly on Jiang Yan's face.
The meaning in their eyes couldn't be clearer.
It's you again.
Whether you instigated her or she willingly stood up for you.
None of that matters now.
The important thing is that a newcomer who had been parachuted in for less than a month actually brought Girls' Generation's face, SM's most valuable living advertisement, to the negotiating table.
This leaves the company scrambling to deal with the contract turmoil involving EXO members, while simultaneously carrying the burden of a nuclear bomb that could explode at any moment.
This is no longer a matter of a genius producer overstepping his authority.
This is a rebellion.
It is a blatant rebellion that challenges the authority of the company's management.
Chief Choi of the Ministry of Justice also stopped writing. She didn't even look at Lim Yoon-ah, but immediately looked up at Lee Soo-man in the main seat, her eyes filled with vigilance.
This person shouldn't just grab anything and smash it.
As for Kim Sung-hoon, he was stunned for a moment, then burst out with a cold sneer.
He crossed his arms and sized Jiang Yan up and down with the look of someone staring at a dead man; his eyes clearly conveyed one message:
Kid, you're dead meat.
You think you've won? With this move, you've offended not just my film and television department, but the entire vested interest group within SM Entertainment.
You're putting yourself in such a precarious position, and you're dragging Lin Chong'er down with you.
Just wait and see. Once this is over, you'll know what it means to wish you were dead.
Kenzie, who had been calm all along, finally turned completely somber.
Before this, no matter how amazing the songs Jiang Yan sang or how sharp the words she said, she always maintained a composed and at ease demeanor.
She thought today's battle was just to help Choi Sulli get the right to refuse bad movies.
But she only woke up with a start the moment Yoona took out the envelope.
Choi Sulli was never the ultimate goal.
She was just the first domino to fall.
Jiang Yan used three hit songs to open the door to the conference room, tore open a gap with the Fair Trade Commission's investigation, and finally, Lim Yoona, with Girls' Generation's contract renewal rights, delivered the fatal blow.
What they wanted was never a review panel, nor the life or death of a film.
What they want is to break the decades-old, clearly defined shackles between artists and companies.
The goal is to carve out a piece of the artists' own voice from the iron-willed SM Entertainment empire.
This is no longer an overreach of authority.
This is shaking the very foundation of the company's power.
Kim Young-min rubbed his temples hard, trying to maintain the last shred of his CEO composure: "Yoona, the company originally planned to formally discuss the contract renewal with you at the beginning of next year. It's only April now, isn't it a bit too early?"
"President-nim, it's not early at all."
Yoona shook her head slightly. "Sooyoung unnie has received formal offers from three acting agencies, with terms three times more generous than what our company offers. Seohyun has received a lead role in a drama, one of which is a big production."
She paused, her gaze sweeping over Kim Young-min's slightly twitching eye, and continued, "To be honest, each of us has been contacted by other companies, and everyone is seriously considering their future. Rather than dragging it out until early next year, with everyone harboring their own thoughts and parting on bad terms, it's better to sit down now and talk everything out openly. This is better for Girls' Generation, and better for the company, isn't it?"
Kim Young-min's face turned completely black.
Every word that Lim Yoon-a said is true.
Laying these facts bare on the conference room table is itself the most blatant form of pressure.
She was telling everyone present: Girls' Generation doesn't have to be SM Entertainment. There are countless people outside, lining up to take over this gold mine called Empress.
Just then, Lee Soo-man suddenly chuckled. He looked at Jiang Yan again, and for the first time, his deep eyes held a scrutinizing gaze.
Like an aged but still fierce lion, he finally took a serious look at the young rival who dared to trespass into his territory.
"Jiang Yan".
"Yes, Mr. Lee Soo-man."
"I've seen countless geniuses and dealt with countless rebellions." Lee Soo-man picked up the celadon teacup in front of him, looking at the tea soup that was swirling slightly inside. "You are the first young person who dares to negotiate with me in this way."
He put down his teacup, making a crisp clinking sound.
"Okay, the company will agree to some of the conditions you proposed."
"The 'ReaI' project is immediately suspended. All contracts are being re-evaluated, and no filming process is allowed to proceed without Sulli's signature."
"The artist script review team, led by Attorney Park from the Legal Department, will come up with a feasible plan within three days, which will be put to a board vote next week. As for the veto power, we will discuss it after the plan is finalized."
"The contract renewal negotiations with Girls' Generation will begin immediately after the review panel approves the proposal. I will personally discuss it with you."
"Also, Jiang Yan, I will personally recommend your three songs at next week's song selection meeting. 'Lotto' will be the title track of EXO's third full-length album, and 'Rookie' will be the title track of Red Velvet's fourth mini-album."
The words fell.
Kim Sung-hoon felt as if all the bones in his body had been removed, and he collapsed into the chair.
He opened his mouth, making hoarse, guttural sounds, but couldn't utter a single word; the smugness and mockery on his face vanished completely.
Kim Young-min lowered his head, rubbing his temples hard with his fingers, his shoulders slumping slightly.
Chief Attorney Park Jung-woo and Chief of Legal Affairs Choi exchanged a meaningful glance, then simultaneously lowered their heads and quickly jotted something down in their notebooks.
Jiang Yan stood up and bowed deeply to Lee Soo-man: "Thank you, Teacher Lee Soo-man."
"Don't thank me yet."
Lee Soo-man also stood up, picked up his coat draped over the back of his chair, and stopped abruptly as he walked to the door of the conference room.
He turned around, his gaze passing over everyone's heads and landing directly on Jiang Yan's face.
"Jiang Yan, you won today, but remember, in SM, you can only win this once."
After saying that, he pushed open the door and walked out without looking back.
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