Chapter 70 - 70: Reason Over Friendship
Xu Chang turned to Wen Nian and made a serious suggestion. “Wen Nian, you should also include this in your plan: Celebrities usually have assistants. You could demand that your parents be the ones to take the positions of assistants. While the salary may not be high, it’s still an additional source of income. Many entertainment companies often pressure their artists to drink with people. By having the artist’s parents act as their assistants, they can ensure that their child is not mistreated. If any misconduct occurs, legal action can be taken immediately.”
Wen Nian nodded in agreement and turned to Zhao Cheng with an innocent expression. “Director Xu is absolutely right. If you’re running a legitimate company, you wouldn’t force an underage girl like me to accompany you to drink. So, please do consider adding these two clauses to the contract. If you don’t, my parents won’t allow me to pursue a career in the entertainment industry.”
Zhao Cheng sat down on a stool and took a deep breath, refraining from speaking. He was afraid that if he opened his mouth, he might end up scolding Wen Nian.
Realizing that the situation was turning sour, Huang Yue cast a disapproving glance at Wen Nian. “Wen Nian, you’re still a new artist in this industry. It’s not appropriate for you to make so many demands. Your priority should be to establish yourself in the industry first and achieve some success before making such requests.”
Wen Nian had already eaten more than half of the chicken pot and was feeling a bit bloated. She picked up some vegetables from the side and added them to the pot to heat up. “I understand your point, but if I’m not allowed to make such reasonable demands, then maybe I should just focus on my studies instead. If I don’t succeed in the entertainment industry and delay my education, I stand to lose much more. I wouldn’t have gotten any benefit.” Huang Yue was taken aback for a moment. She then offered some earnest advice, “There’s a saying that goes, ’No risk, no gain!’ As a minor, you have the potential to earn millions or even tens of millions of dollars a year in the entertainment industry. It’s worth taking the risk.”
Xu Chang interrupted with a puzzled expression, “Are you Wen Nian’s classmate? Yet it seems like you’re advocating on behalf of someone else. Others who had no idea might think that you’re a paid lobbyist hired by this mediocre manager.”
Huang Yue felt a pang of guilt when she heard Xu Chang’s comment. In response, she retorted subconsciously, “I’m advocating for fairness and reason, not just for the sake of my friendship with Wen Nian!”
Taking advantage of the lull in the conversation, Wen Nian quickly finished the cooked vegetables that she had dipped in sauce. She covered her mouth and let out a burp before making a final statement about the dinner. “I can see that Mr. Zhao is in a difficult situation too. In any case, I’m still a student, so I’ll focus on my studies for now. To be honest, I’m not very interested in the entertainment industry anyway.”
“Huang Yue, thank you for treating me to a meal today. I am full now. I think you are very interested in becoming a celebrity and earning money and you seemed to have a good conversation with Mr. Zhao. Maybe you can persuade him to sign a contract with you. Even though you may not be as good-looking as me, their mediocre company may not have too many requirements. I will be leaving now, so feel free to continue your conversation.”
Appearance was what Huang Yue cared about the most. Now that Wen Nian had exposed her in front of two men, Huang Yue was so angry that she wanted to curse.
But before Huang Yue could react, Wen Nian had already gotten up, grabbed her bag, and walked straight to the dining room door.
Huang Yue hurriedly got up and wanted to chase after Wen Nian to stop her. “Wen Nian!”
As soon as she stepped out, Huang Yue felt a sharp pain in her ankle, causing her to quickly sit back down on the chair.
Upon seeing his “female lead” leaving, Xu Chang quickly followed her.”
Huang Yue looked at Zhao Cheng and complained, “Why aren’t you chasing after her!”
Zhao Cheng replied angrily, “What should I say if I chased after her? Should I tell her that I agree to her terms and conditions or reveal that I can’t do it?” Huang Yue believed that she would only play a supporting role in this matter, with Zhao Cheng being the main person in charge. After all, she didn’t receive a single penny from Wei Xiao.
Despite paying for this meal out of her own pocket, this was the result she received and this made Huang Yue very dissatisfied with Zhao Cheng.
However, Zhao Cheng was also furious with Huang Yue and felt that the information she gave was inaccurate. In his opinion, Wen Nian does not seem vain and easy to control.
The two of them glared at each other and started complaining at the dining table.
On the other side, Xu Chang caught up to Wen Nian and asked in a friendly manner, “Wen Nian, are you not on good terms with that girl?”
After messing with the two individuals who had schemed against her, Wen Nian was in a particularly good mood. She smiled at Xu Chang and said, “Director Xu is quite clever. You must have seen through their plan. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have deliberately said those words to cooperate with me.” “Director Xu, could it be that you were waiting for me at the school gate today and followed me there?”
Xu Chang smiled in embarrassment. This was the only solution he could think of at the time. When he had tried to get close to Bai Zheng earlier, Bai Zheng initially refused to divulge information about Wen Nian. It was only after Xu Chang had mentioned that he was a legitimate director that Bai Zheng revealed the address of the Wen family’s noodle shop.
At first, Xu Chang had hoped to enlist the help of someone who was familiar with Wen Nian to persuade the Wen family. He had repeatedly tried to convince Bai Zheng to assist him in meeting Wen Nian, but he failed to convince Bai Zheng. On the other hand, the Wen couple remained very stubborn. After spending the entire Sunday at the noodle shop without catching a glimpse of Wen Nian, Xu Chang had no choice but to wait for her at the school gate..