It's just that they have money.

The next afternoon, Wang Shiyi stood downstairs at the Firefly Cinema, looked up at the not-too-big-to-small sign, and took a deep breath.

She stood at the door for about half a minute, took three deep breaths, and then pushed the door open and went inside.

There was no one at the front desk.

Firefly Cinema has not had a dedicated receptionist since Zhou Yaoguang's time, since there are usually not many customers anyway.

Wang Shiyi looked around but didn't see anyone. She took out her phone to check the address Fang Chen had sent, making sure she hadn't gone to the wrong place, and then tentatively called out, "Is anyone there?"

A head peeked out from the end of the corridor. Gao Jie, with her hair in a low ponytail and wearing thin-rimmed glasses, held a stack of documents in her hand. She glanced at her up and down, her lips twitching slightly—it was hard to tell if it was a smile or not. "The person Mr. Fang invited?"

"Yes, yes, I am Wang Shiyi. Brother Fang sent me." Wang Shiyi nodded vigorously, her voice filled with a tense enthusiasm.

"Come in, follow me."

Gao Jie knocked on the door at the end of the corridor and pushed it open.

"Mr. Fang, the person has arrived."

Fang Chen sat behind his desk, holding a pen, signing a document.

He looked up, glanced at Wang Shiyi, put down his pen, and leaned back in his chair.

"You're here?"

"Here you are." Wang Shiyi stood straight, his hands folded in front of him, like a soldier waiting to be inspected.

Fang Chen looked at her for two seconds, then smiled. "Sit down, don't stand."

Wang Shiyi sat down in the chair opposite him, his back straight, his hands on his knees, his posture very proper, looking more like he was there for an interview than an audition.

Her gaze swept around the room, landing on the stack of scripts on the table, then on the whiteboard on the wall. Her attention was drawn to the colorful markers on it for two seconds before she finally looked back at Fang Chen.

Wang Shiyi suddenly became nervous, even more so than when she was at the gate.

When she got nervous, she spoke faster and softer, her volume dropping two steps from its already low level, as if she were talking to herself. Afraid that the other person wouldn't hear her, she opened her mouth to say two words at once, but it turned into a muffled breathy sound.

Fang Chen frowned and leaned forward slightly: "What did you say?"

"No...nothing, I just wanted to say hello."

Without exchanging pleasantries, Fang Chen picked up a document from the table and pushed it in front of Wang Shiyi.

"Take a look at this first."

Wang Shiyi looked down and saw the "Actor Retention Agreement".

She paused, then looked up at Fang Chen. "You can sign it today?"

"We can sign it today."

"No audition required?"

"I tried it last night."

Wang Shiyi blinked, recalling the ten or so minutes she spent squatting and chatting on the street last night, but she couldn't figure out what kind of audition that was.

She glanced down at the agreement again, flipped through it, her gaze lingering on a line of text. Then she suddenly looked up, her eyes wide like searchlights.

"Three parts?" Her voice was squeezed out of her throat, as if someone had grabbed her by the neck.

"Yes, three." Fang Chen held up his fingers to indicate. "The first one is 'The Silent Witness,' a twelve-episode short drama. The latter two haven't been decided yet, but the agreement has been signed first, so you don't run away after you become famous."

Wang Shiyi was so startled by his words that she almost jumped out of her chair.

"I...I'm famous?"

"What if?"

"Bro, don't kid me. I haven't even had a proper role yet, and you're signing me to three movies? Aren't you afraid I'll botch the very first one?"

"You're an actor, you've signed contracts for three films, what are you afraid of?"

"I'm afraid you'll lose money!" Wang Shiyi blurted out, her voice so loud that even she was startled.

"If you dare to run around chasing after film sets all by yourself, do you really lack confidence in your acting skills?"

Fang Chen really didn't know whether to say she was brave or timid.

"Think it over. If you can accept it, sign it. If not, then forget it. I'll reimburse your taxi fare."

Wang Shiyi picked up the pen, his hand trembling.

She stared at the signature section on the last page of the agreement for several seconds, then looked up at Fang Chen with a look of resignation.

"Brother, to tell you the truth, my hands won't obey me right now."

"I can tell."

Fang Chen picked up the agreement, glanced at it, made sure the signature wasn't left on the street, and put it aside. Then he picked up another document from the table and pushed it in front of Wang Shiyi.

Exclusive agency agreement.

She suddenly raised her head, her eyes widening even more than before.

"besides?"

"That was an actor retention agreement, guaranteeing you'll be in my next three films. This is an agency contract, guaranteeing you'll be in my business outside of acting as well," Fang Chen said matter-of-factly. "If you sign with me, you can't do side projects elsewhere. Otherwise, I'll just be promoting you, and you'll turn around and play the lead role in another show next door. Who am I supposed to complain to? Besides, you're just a student, you don't even have an agent. What if you get scammed?"

Wang Shiyi's mouth was open, and he couldn't close it for a long time.

She looked down at the agreement, then looked up at Fang Chen, then looked down at the agreement again, repeating this three times before asking in an incredulous tone.

"Bro, are you sure you're not lying?"

"I would answer no to everything."

Wang Shiyi froze in her chair, like a statue that had been acupunctured, her eyes darting back and forth between Fang Chen's face and the two unsigned agreements on the table, her mind a complete mess.

She recalled the man leaning against a lamppost on the street last night, hands in his pockets, saying that he wasn't experienced but had money. She hadn't yet realized what those words meant.

Now she realizes it.

Rich people really don't follow the rules when it comes to doing things.

Other companies sign new talent by first having them audition, then screen test, and then negotiating terms, which takes several months of back and forth.

He picked someone up on the street, and the next day he forced them into a chair to sign an agreement, not even letting them catch their breath.

"Brother, can I ask you a question?" Her voice was cautious, as if she were testing the waters.

"ask."

"Aren't you afraid I have a poker face? We've already signed the agreement. What if I give a performance with an expression that the audience can't tell if I'm crying or laughing? What will you do then?"

Fang Chen glanced at her, reached for the teacup on the table, took a slow sip, then put it down, his eyes as calm as a stagnant pool.

"Then I'll rewrite the script for you, make him expressionless."

Gao Jie stood at the door and finally couldn't help but burst out laughing. She quickly covered her mouth with her hand, but her shoulders were still shaking, and she leaned against the door frame, as if afraid that she would collapse from laughing.

Fang Chen turned and glanced at her. "Sister Gao, what are you laughing at?"

"It's nothing," Gao Jie's voice squeezed out from behind her fingers, trembling noticeably. "I just think this girl's way of speaking is quite interesting."

Wang Shiyi turned to look at Gao Jie, then turned back to look at Fang Chen.

She took a deep breath, picked up a pen, filled in her personal information, and then carefully signed her name.

"It's signed. I'm an employee of your company now, so you have to tell me what I'm supposed to do next, right?"

Fang Chen leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingers lightly twice on the table.

"Next, you go back to school, finish your classes and exams, and I will send a letter to your school when filming begins."