Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 146, Section 144: Sigma Men Never Fight Internally (Revised)
In a corner of a tea restaurant on Kowloon, Hong Kong Island, the booths are relatively quiet.

Tsai Yi-nong pushed a thick contract in front of the slightly awkward young girl and the middle-aged woman next to her, whose face was haggard and whose eyes held a mixture of wariness and expectation.

The young girl was Cecilia Cheung, and the middle-aged woman was her mother.

“Mrs. Zhang, Auntie,” Cai Yinong said gently, but with a professional air of competence, “this is an artist management contract provided by our Enlight Media.”

Based on Cecilia's outstanding potential, we are willing to offer her an exclusive, full-term contract for eleven years, which represents the company's determination and confidence in nurturing her long-term.

She paused, observing the reactions of the two people opposite her, before presenting the key condition: "Considering that Cecilia Cheung currently needs to share the burden of her family, and to demonstrate our sincerity, the company is willing to pay a one-time signing fee of HK$200,000. This money will be paid in full to your designated account within three working days after the signing is completed."

"Two hundred thousand... Hong Kong dollars?" Zhang's mother repeated subconsciously.

This amount was undoubtedly a huge sum for her family, who were struggling financially and relied mainly on her odd jobs for support.

She couldn't help but glance at her young and innocent daughter beside her, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

Cecilia Cheung unconsciously clenched her hands on her lap.

Two hundred thousand!
She thought of her father, a gambling addict who constantly caused trouble; she thought of her mother's toiling figure day and night; and her young brother...

This money is enough to give the family a much-needed breather and allow Mom to relax a bit for the time being.

Cai Yinong took in their expressions and continued her explanation calmly and confidently: "Although our Enlight Media is a newly established company, you must have heard about our background. Our parent company is Shengying Media in Beijing, the one that cast Stephen Chow in a movie. It is backed by Beijing Film Studio, the largest film studio in China. Mr. Wang Sheng, the author of 'The Chinese,' is the highest-ranking person in our company."

She deliberately emphasized the keywords "Beijing Film Studio", "Stephen Chow", and "Wang Sheng".

Wang Sheng's name, along with the popularity of the song "Chinese" and the limited circulation of some legendary business stories, is not entirely unknown within the Hong Kong entertainment industry; at least it doesn't sound like a shell company.

"This means that Cecilia Cheung's signing with us is not just about developing her career on Hong Kong Island."

Cai Yinong outlined her vision: "She will have an excellent opportunity to enter the vast mainland market. We can provide top-tier resources and platforms for movies, TV series, commercials, and even potential future music projects. This is far beyond what some small local agencies can offer."

She then changed the subject, her tone becoming more serious: "Of course, the company invests huge resources in cultivating artists, and corresponding guarantees are also needed. Therefore, the contract stipulates corresponding breach of contract clauses, with a relatively high penalty amount, aiming to ensure the stability and focus of the cooperation between both parties. I hope you can understand."

Tsai Yi-nong did not specify the amount of the breach of contract penalty, but it must be an astronomical figure, high enough to deter anyone trying to poach her or the artist herself from terminating her contract midway.

Cecilia Cheung listened quietly. Although she was young, her family background and experiences made her more mature than her peers.

She knows her advantages are her face and youth, but she also understands the complexities of the entertainment industry.

A strong backer is crucial. The company background that Mr. Cai mentioned certainly sounds much more reliable than those small local companies that only focus on short-term gains.

The signing fee of 200,000 yuan solved the family's urgent financial crisis.

She glanced at her mother, whose eyes also held struggle and hesitation.

Finally, Cecilia Cheung took a deep breath and made a decision: "Mom, I think... we can sign it."

Thinking of her unreliable father and the heavy burden of her family, she knew she had to seize this opportunity.

Seeing her daughter's resolute attitude, and thinking of the HK$200,000 and Cai Yinong's description of the vast mainland market, Zhang's mother finally made up her mind.

As her guardian, after the lawyer brought by Cai Yinong explained the terms one by one (although she didn't understand many of the legal clauses), she thought about it and still signed her name on the last page of the contract.

Indeed, there is no better way out.

Cecilia Cheung also solemnly signed her name. The pen tip gliding across the paper seemed to mark the trajectory of her future eleven years.

Cai Yinong put away a contract, a satisfied smile spreading across her face: "Welcome to Enlight Media, Bozhi. The company will develop a detailed career plan for you as soon as possible. We will also hire a teacher to help you improve your Mandarin and acting skills."

……

Meanwhile, inside the first-class cabin of a flight from Hong Kong Island to Beijing.

Li Xiaoran leaned against the large porthole, outside which stretched an endless sea of ​​clouds, like a giant cotton candy, shimmering with pure light in the sunlight.

However, her mood was not as clear and bright as the sky.

In her mind, the scene she had witnessed on the set of "Love Line Between Beijing and Hong Kong" kept replaying uncontrollably: Wang Sheng's gaze as he stared at the innocent-looking extra in her school uniform, a gaze that was pure, scrutinizing, and evaluative, yet also hinted at a treasure-discovering interest.

And later, when he whispered to Cai Yinong, his knowing and strategic demeanor was captivating.

Although she couldn't hear the specifics, her woman's intuition, coupled with her understanding of Wang Sheng's style of doing things, made her feel inexplicably sour, and an indescribable sense of crisis and jealousy filled her heart.

Despite my best efforts to hold back, the bittersweet feeling eventually overwhelmed my reason.

Taking advantage of the quiet moment after the flight attendant finished serving the drinks and left, she gently nudged Wang Sheng, who was resting with his eyes closed and seemed to be asleep, with her elbow.

"Hey,"

Li Xiaoran's voice was low, carrying a hint of grievance and reproach that she herself was unaware of, as if she were being coquettish, yet also testing the waters: "Is that girl in the school uniform really that pretty? That you looked at her so closely, Mr. Wang, that you couldn't take your eyes off her? And you even gave Mr. Cai some special instructions? Did you discover some incredible 'hidden gem' again?"

Wang Sheng didn't even lift his eyelids, and lazily replied, "It's just company business. Signing a promising newcomer to enrich our artist pool."

Li Xiaoran turned her head, her beautiful eyes filled with a hint of resentment, and glared at Wang Sheng. The sourness in her voice almost overflowed, filling the cramped space of the first-class cabin: "Hmph, Boss Wang really doesn't forget to scout out 'talents' wherever he goes. He's really career-driven. That 'little sister' on set yesterday was so pretty and pitiful, I felt sorry for her."

She deliberately emphasized the word "harvest".

Wang Sheng: "This matter, when you think about it, is all your fault."

"You blame me?"

Li Xiaoran was stunned, her beautiful eyes widening.

"Ah."

Wang Sheng nodded seriously: "If you hadn't wanted to come out and have fun, would we have come to Hong Kong Island at this time? If we hadn't come to Hong Kong Island, would I have gone to the set of 'Love in Beijing and Hong Kong'? If I hadn't gone to the set, would I have seen that newcomer? So, in short, the cause and effect chain is very clear, it's your fault."

Li Xiaoran was so angry at his robber logic that she almost laughed out loud, but she also felt extremely wronged, as if she had punched a cotton ball.

She knew she couldn't argue with him, nor could she change any of his decisions.

This feeling of powerlessness filled her with shame and anger. She could only puff out her cheeks, put on a fierce expression, lean closer to Wang Sheng, bar her teeth, and threaten, "Ah! You...you're going to be the death of me! I might as well bite you to death!"

Of course, she was just saying it and making exaggerated gestures, but she didn't actually bite it.

She knew in her heart that Wang Sheng didn't like women who were really unreasonable and nagging. Moderate jealousy might amuse him, but excessive nagging would only annoy him.

She could only vent her inner unease and jealousy through this half-serious, half-joking play.

(End of this chapter)