From unemployment in crosstalk to top star in Chinese entertainment

"I heard you're taking a flight tomorrow morning?" Li Xiaoran asked.

"Hmm." Yu Liang swallowed.

To be honest, a woman like Li Xiaoran... truly has a certain charm. She not only possesses the freshness of a young girl, but also a mellow, mature charm that has been refined by time, a charm that sends shivers down your spine.

"You're leaving already?" Li Xiaoran tilted her head slightly, her tone carrying a hint of reproach. "Can't you even say a nice word?"

Li Xiaoran raised her hand and pinched the collar of Yu Liang's sweatshirt.

His collar was a little crooked, so she straightened it for him.

The movements are very slow.

Her fingertips brushed against the fabric of his collar, lightly grazing the skin below his Adam's apple.

Yu Liang froze.

Li Xiaoran was also taken aback.

She withdrew her hand and looked down at her fingertips, as if confirming the sensation she had felt just moments before.

"Thanks."

Li Xiaoran paused for a moment, then burst out laughing.

Yu Liang usually talks a lot of nonsense, but who would have thought he would become so reserved at this moment.

Could this kid be a...?

Li Xiaoran looked down.

At that moment, Yu Liang's younger brother was doing radio calisthenics like a primary school student—"The Young Eagle Takes Flight!" and "The Birth of the Sun!"

"No, sis, you've made me really look forward to it."

Just as Yu Liang was wondering how to end the situation, her phone rang.

The ringing of the bell was like a pair of scissors, cutting the string in the room that was about to snap.

Yu Liang looked down and saw Wang Churan.

Li Xiaoran also caught a glimpse of the name on the screen. She took a step back, her smile fading, and she reverted to her elegant and aloof demeanor as the eldest princess.

"Go ahead and answer it." She picked up the water bottle on the table, her tone returning to its usual calm. "Don't keep the young lady waiting."

In this ordinariness, Yu Liang could detect a lingering sour taste.

Yu Liang swiped to answer the call.

"Hey, Yu Liang, where are you? I've been knocking on your door for ages and there's been no response."

Yu Liang glanced at Li Xiaoran.

"I'm in Xiao Ran's room."

He spoke frankly. There was nothing he couldn't say anyway.

There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone.

"...Oh." Wang Churan's voice sounded normal. "Then you go ahead with your work, I'll head back now."

"Don't go," Yu Liang said. "I'm coming down now. I have something to tell you."

He hung up the phone and looked at Li Xiaoran.

Li Xiaoran unscrewed the bottle cap, took a sip of water, and her Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

"Go."

Yu Liang turned and walked to the door, her hand already on the doorknob.

"Yu Liang." Li Xiaoran's voice came from behind.

He turned around.

Li Xiaoran leaned against the dressing table, her whole body enveloped in warm yellow light.

"Go back and think carefully about the contract. If you can't figure it out, you can call me."

She paused, and the corners of her mouth curved slightly.

"Anytime is fine."

Yu Liang nodded, opened the door, and went out.

The cool air from the corridor finally let out a sigh of relief.

Then he looked down at his hands.

My palms were sweaty.

-

The next morning, Yu Liang returned to Beijing.

The day after returning to Beijing, Xinli's people arranged to meet Yu Liang.

The café is located on the first floor of the China World Trade Center Phase 3, with floor-to-ceiling windows facing the traffic flow of the East Third Ring Road. At three o'clock in the afternoon, sunlight refracts through the glass curtain wall, illuminating the entire space brightly.

When Yu Liang arrived, the other person was already seated by the window.

The agent sent by Xinli was surnamed Zheng, and his business card read "Senior Agent of Artist Management Department". He was in his early forties, dressed in a suit and tie, with gold cufflinks.

Yu Liang noticed the way he drank his coffee; his little finger was slightly raised, and a soft clinking sound came from between the cup and saucer.

"Teacher Yu, please have a seat."

Director Zheng did not stand up, but simply tapped the chair opposite him with his chin.

Yu Liang sat down. The waiter came over, and he ordered an iced Americano.

"Iced Americano?" Director Zheng smiled, his gaze sweeping over Yu Liang. "Teacher Yu's taste is quite down-to-earth."

Yu Liang didn't respond.

Director Zheng pulled a contract from his briefcase and pushed it in front of Yu Liangmian. It was twice as thick as the one he had seen in Duyun, with a gold-stamped cover and exquisite binding.

"The company has drafted a new version based on Teacher Yu's situation. The conditions are much better than the previous version." He leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingers lightly on the table twice.

The revenue split has been changed from 30/70 to 40/60, and the scope includes exclusive contracts in all fields except for crosstalk, such as film and television, variety shows, endorsements, business, publicity, live streaming, and short videos. The term has also been changed from more than five years to five years.

"Teacher Yu, Xin Li is very sincere."

Yu Liang flipped through the contract.

The terms are indeed much more lenient than the previous version. A 40/60 split is the maximum for a new artist contract, and the five-year term gives the artist plenty of freedom. If he were unemployed, he probably would have signed it on the spot.

But that was six months ago.

"It's definitely better than the previous version." He closed the contract. "However, Director Zheng, I have a question."

"Please speak."

"If I sign with Xinli, what can the company offer me over the next year?"

Director Zheng's smile faltered slightly, as if he hadn't expected him to ask so directly.

"Teacher Yu, this kind of question..." He picked up his coffee and took a sip, "It depends on your own development. The company will allocate resources based on the artist's performance. You need to achieve results first, and the resources will naturally come."

"In other words," Yu Liang pushed the contract back, "I have to prove myself first before the company will be willing to invest in me."

Director Zheng put down his coffee cup, the bottom of the cup making a crisp sound against the saucer.

"Mr. Yu, you may not be familiar with the rules of this industry." His tone carried a hint of condescension. "Signing a new artist is a two-way selection process. The company invests resources, and the artist produces results. You have no representative works, no resume, and no background—forgive my bluntness, but for Xinli to offer these terms is already an exception."

Yu Liang nodded, as if he was seriously considering his words.

Then he stood up.

"Director Zheng, let's talk again once I have a representative work and a resume."

Director Zheng's expression finally changed.

"Teacher Yu," his voice turned cold, "do you know what you're rejecting? Xinli's resources are something countless people would kill for. You—" He paused, swallowing the words, and phrased it differently, "You're a newcomer to the industry; I don't recommend you narrow your path."

Yu Liang had already walked into the corridor. He turned around.

"Manager Zheng, do you know why I ordered an iced Americano just now?"

Director Zheng was taken aback.

"Because it's too slow to let a hot Americano cool down." Yu Liang laughed. "I'm not a very patient person."

As he walked out of the coffee shop, he saw Director Zheng still sitting there through the floor-to-ceiling windows. The contract in front of him was spread out, and the sunlight made the four characters "Xinli Media" on the cover shine.

Director Zheng took out his phone and dialed a number with a livid face.

Yu Liang withdrew his gaze and hailed a taxi.

"Master, let's go to Chaoyang Joy City."