Chapter 103: Everyone Has a Surprise

Judy had been talking all along about the partnership. She knew exactly what Li Lekang needed most: complete creative freedom, the widest possible exposure, and a time slot when the largest audience would be watching. Money, for him, was still secondary.

But once those major conditions were met, Judy was never going to pass up a chance to go toe to toe with the capitalists.

Li Lekang had long since realized that Judy took pleasure in seizing every last digit and shifting every decimal point, so with a laugh he let her have her way.

She did not disappoint him. After the pilot episode exploded in both ratings and word of mouth, she had the upper hand throughout the negotiations with NBC.

There were now plenty of media giants circling like hawks, and the deep-pocketed Netflix kept making advances, to the point that even NBC’s executives had to win her over with warmth and sentiment; otherwise, they could not help feeling uneasy.

Netflix’s wealth was no secret, but one reason Judy had not chosen them was that releasing a whole work at once robbed it of the anticipation that comes from continuous attention.

Li Lekang needed a steady stream of heat, so the model of updating one episode at a time suited him far better for dominating the spotlight over an extended period.

Watching everything in one sitting might be comfortable for the audience, but it would kill the sustained buzz he wanted. So, on that little-known premise, Judy finally shook hands with NBC.

With a forty-million-dollar signing fee plus a share of ad revenue, she forcefully secured a two-season contract with NBC, along with priority rights to live programming and a generous production budget.

For comparison, among the Kardashians, America’s most famous influencer family, one agency estimate put their average pay at sixteen to eighteen million dollars per season, and that did not even include any ad revenue share; the production team kept all of that.

Still, the real money-maker for the Kardashians these days was Instagram, while the reality show served more as a way to build fame and maintain attention. In truth, the logic was quite similar to Li Lekang’s.

Li Lekang did not care all that much whether the income was forty million or fifty million. What he needed was popularity.

As long as he had popularity, the money from a major stage show, the money from advertising, none of it would be lacking.

NBC was also remarkably generous in order to keep this rising magician.

Ever since America’s Got Talent ended, the suspense had continued until today, and at last it was over.

NBC practically spread the news everywhere, boasting that they had spent heavily to sign Li Lekang.

This suspense had finally settled, and the viewers who would have followed Li Lekang elsewhere were now destined to stay with NBC. For this veteran broadcaster, one of the three major networks in the United States, it was finally able to breathe easy.

Of course, there was an element of gambling in all this. If Li Lekang failed to deliver later on, if he could not sustain such staggering popularity… but looking at his past performance, the odds of losing that bet were very low.

NBC could indeed celebrate a little in advance. To show sincerity, too, they sent their top executives all the way to New York to sign him, since Li Lekang was still there preparing his Broadway performance.

He did not even need to make the trip himself; the contract was delivered right to his hotel room with great eagerness.

Fame really was this practical.

Judy even arranged a signing ceremony. Both sides signed their names, happily popped open champagne, and that evening they organized a celebration party as well.

The news also went online, and alongside various insiders, entertainment gossip papers and media outlets all reported on the price tag attached to this rising star.

A forty-million-dollar signing fee for two seasons, twenty million per season, the pay scale of a top Hollywood star. And on top of that, he had the most formidable advantage of all: ad revenue sharing.

That was a condition even the Kardashians had never managed to negotiate. They could only run ads on their own Instagram; television still belonged to the production team. But Judy had done it. The share was not large, but television groups live off this kind of money, and even ten percent is profit.

Those gossip outlets and tabloids naturally lavished praise on Li Lekang as well, crowning him the variety show figure who made the most money this year, the entertainment industry’s fiercest dark horse.

Not to mention the genius magician who had astonished the world abroad, already worth more than a hundred million at the age of twenty-two. Add in his Chinese heritage, and in American society that was truly rare.

It meant he had to be stronger than white performers just to achieve these successes. So in a different sense, he was the kind of man who had genuinely conquered audiences and capital with hard power.

These wildly circulating reports and endless praise were enough to make anyone feel a little light-headed.

Almost impossible to recognize oneself anymore.

After all, he was a fellow who had not really worked that hard and had mostly fooled everyone with magic. So when Li Lekang saw those pieces online about how “he gets up at four in the morning to train,” he did feel a bit guilty.

There was no need to think twice. It had to be the work of his beloved godmother.

Marketing and hype were what mattered most, and image came first.

Li Lekang did not like playing the victim or selling himself as pitiful, so she marketed him through the lens of extraordinary effort and talent instead.

Though Judy had entered the entertainment world later than others, she had fully unleashed her gifts in that world, and by now she had become completely at home in it.

Looking back at how Li Lekang had reached this point, she was unquestionably one of the people he owed most. He could not have managed all of this on his own: the negotiations, the careful scrutiny of every contract figure, the marketing, the hype.

After the signing, with handshakes and embraces all around, Li Lekang also embraced Judy.

“Thank you for everything you’ve done.”

Judy smiled and patted his back. “Actually, you’re the one who’s amazing. You accomplished me, too, and taught me a Chinese saying: a tree that keeps moving may die, but a person who moves may live better.”

“Move the tree and it dies, move the person and they live?” Li Lekang guessed.

She nodded.

Li Lekang laughed. “So that’s why you’ve always seemed so clever to me. Come on, lately it’s been all my surprises, but I think it’s time I left one for you.”

“What is it?”

“Come with me.”

He took her hand and led her to the room.

Then he pulled a contract out of a drawer. He had quietly asked a lawyer to prepare it, and now he placed it in her hands.

“My dear Judy, as the company’s CEO, you deserve this contract.”

“Oh?”

As she took it, Li Lekang went straight to the point. “It mainly brings your compensation in line with the standard rate in the agency business, eight percent. I think that’s what your effort and seriousness deserve.”

The surprise appeared on her face exactly as expected, and she did not even bother looking at the details. The best way for Americans to express emotion was through hugs and kisses.

Li Lekang laughed as he let her embrace him, knowing this day was far from over.

“I really don’t know what to say, truly. You are just… so generous!” Her joy and excitement were written all over her face, and her eyes even grew a little red.

“You don’t need to say that.” Li Lekang smiled, holding her by the shoulders. “In my eyes, you’re a graceful and dignified lady. I prefer your smile over anything else.”

“I’m sorry, wait.” She steadied herself and smiled brightly. “I really don’t know how to put it. You know, just over half a year ago, I was only a mother who felt her career was slowly slipping beyond her grasp.”

“Maybe that’s what makes you great. Chloe has been very well cared for by you.” Li Lekang smiled. “And part of this is a gift from me to her as well.”

“I’ll thank you on her behalf.”

“But there’s still one more thing. Today is a moment worth celebrating, so everyone on the team should get a surprise. No matter their rank, whether it’s a bonus or a tangible gift, that part is up to you.”

Judy understood that this was his way of establishing her authority. Li Lekang could have announced it himself, but she had always been the company’s manager, and now she had been formally appointed CEO. Of course she needed to show some resolve and win people’s loyalty.

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