CHAPTER 31

"Miss Xiang said she could sign that contract, but she wants to make some modifications."

At 8:30 p.m. in Shencheng, Wei Zhuang returned from a business trip to California, USA, and was being briefed by Gao, her assistant, in the office.

The flowing light and shadows outside the window reflected in her deep eyes. She had taken off her coat and was now sitting in her office in a high-necked black sweater and trousers, showcasing her graceful figure. Her expression, however, remained calm and aloof.

She turned around and sat on the chair. "What does she want to modify?"

Assistant Gao, holding the initial draft of the contract she had prepared, spoke about a six-month timeframe and the terms of compensation—

"One major investment film each from Tonghua and another large company, with a role no less than second lead, a monthly allowance of one million; or two major investment films from Boyi, Warner and the other two major film companies, with a role no less than second lead, and a monthly allowance of two million.

Gifts are not included in the calculation."

In Assistant Gao's view, even top celebrities in the entertainment industry would be tempted by the terms of this contract. Whether to accept it or not was another matter. However, Xiang Xiaoyuan, someone who had no fame and had yet to make a name for herself, surprisingly refused.

That night, when Assistant Gao heard this, she could hardly believe her ears. She thought Xiang Xiaoyuan's "modifications" would be outrageous. After hanging up the phone, she stood there in a daze for a moment, then burst into laughter, leaving the handsome man who shared her bed bewildered, thinking his performance had not been good enough.

At this moment, Assistant Gao cleared her throat and said, "Miss Xiang said the contract only needs to cover two points— Firstly, Wei Jiaobao, well, Young Master Wei cannot blacklist her anymore. She will seek her own film resources in the future, without our Tonghua's intervention."

She paused and looked at Wei Zhuang.

'Oh my gosh, I still think this kid's brain has been kicked by a donkey.'

'This is like being showered with a fortune, and she refuses, even saying she'll hand it over to the state.'

Wei Zhuang tapped her finger against her lips, a Bulgari snake-shaped watch coiling around her wrist, appearing to contemplate. "And the second point?"

Assistant Gao suppressed the corners of her lips from curling up.

'Oh my gosh, this point is even more intriguing. Can't smile, can't smile...'

She cleared her throat and said, "The second point Miss Xiang mentioned is—You cannot force her."

After that, she fell silent.

'Hahaha! I can't help it! She's provided me with all my laughter for the year!'

'Hahaha, if the boss knew how to force people, she wouldn't be so cold-hearted!'

Suppressing her urge to burst into laughter, Assistant Gao silently observed her boss.

Wei Zhuang's eyelashes cast a faint shadow against her pale skin color, then fluttered open, revealing a hint of a smile at the corner of her eyes.

Assistant Gao was taken aback.

Wei Zhuang said, "Then draft it according to her terms."

Assistant Gao: "Oh, okay, understood."

'Wait, did she just smile?!!'

"Add one more point," Wei Zhuang's cool voice carried an unpredictable tone, "She can make one request of me, and I will fulfill it as long as it's within my capabilities, with no time limit."

Gao swallowed nervously. "Understood, President Wei."

She immediately added, "The contract can be finalized by tomorrow."

"Wei Zhuang nodded and asked, "Where is Wei Jiabao?"

Assistant Gao's eyebrows moved slightly. "Do you want to see Young Master Wei?"

Wei Zhuang replied, "Find out where he is, then arrange a time."

"Okay, President Wei." Assistant Gao responded.

'Oh my gosh! This is exciting!'

Xiang Xiaoyuan took the elevator from the basement and saw the same silver-gray Mercedes as before. As she approached, the car door opened, revealing Assistant Gao's familiar face and smile.

"Please have a look at the contract. If there are no issues, it will take effect immediately after you sign it." Assistant Gao handed over a few sheets of paper, noticeably thinner than the previous draft.

Xiang Xiaoyuan glanced through it and noticed an additional third clause that she hadn't mentioned, "This..."

Assistant Gao squinted and smiled, "This is our President Wei's request."

A request from her?

This clause felt somewhat vague, but the power was still in her hands, so Xiaoyuan didn't think too much about it. She took the pen, paused the nib on the paper, signed, and stamped it.

"From now on, I will contact you, or your assistant. Which way do you prefer?" Assistant Gao asked.

"Contact me first..." Xiaoyuan said, furrowing her brows.

After getting out of the car, she stuffed her hands into the front pockets of her hoodie as she walked back.

This was something she could keep from her brother, but not from Cai Juan, she couldn't hide it from him.

After dinner at home, Xiang Xiaoyuan pulled Cai Juan aside, her face so serious that even Cai Juan felt uneasy. "I did something. Don't interrupt me and listen first."

Cai Juan also became serious, "Go ahead."

Xiaoyuan had drafted her speech several times but suddenly stumbled. "Um, Cai Juan, do you love me?"

Cai Juan looked confused. "Huh?"

Xiaoyuan took a deep breath and acted coy. "Do you love me or not?"

Cai Juan gulped, "Sis, sis, you know about my... Aren't we not on the same page?"

Xiaoyuan frowned and lightly hit him. "Who doesn't know that? I'll just say it directly."

Cai Juan patted his chest. "Whoa, you scared me!"

Xiang Xiaoyuan huffed, "You'll be scared for real in a moment."

When Cai Juan heard her mention meeting Wei Zhuang at the courtyard in Beicheng, he couldn't help but interject with a complaint, "How come you can meet her anywhere?"

"Exactly!" Xiaoyuan replied before continuing.

As Cai Juan listened to Xiang Xiaoyuan discussing the conditions with Wei Zhuang, his eyes widened in disbelief, expressing "Where did you get the courage?" When he heard that Xiang Xiaoyuan rejected the terms of the initial contract proposed by Wei Zhuang, he was dumbfounded, pointing at her in shock, unable to speak, "You, you...", almost choking. He thumped his chest, yelled, "Are you crazy!"

Xiaoyuan replied, "I haven't finished yet."

She then explained the latest contract terms to him, and Cai Juan was so shocked that he couldn't close his mouth, staring blankly.

"Cai Juan, wake up." Xiaoyuan waved her hand in front of him, and Cai Juan grabbed her hand, his eyes flickering, "Yuan'er, do you know what contract you signed?"

"I know what you're going to say. You think it's a 'bao yang' contract, right?" Xiaoyuan scolded him with a glance. [In the entertainment industry, a "bao yang" (保养) contract often refers to a type of agreement that involves maintaining or nurturing a personal relationship, typically between a celebrity and a benefactor or agency. This can imply certain obligations regarding personal care, lifestyle maintenance, or even exclusivity in a relationship. It often carries a connotation of a more intimate arrangement rather than a traditional work contract.]

Cai Juan sighed, "You..."

Xiaoyuan said, "Anyway, I don't care how others see it. In my heart, this isn't a 'bao yang' contract."

"What is it then?"

"An agreement contract."

"..." Cai Juan sighed, flipping through the contract. "This contract only contains your agreement conditions. It doesn't specify what obligations the other party, or you as the second party, should fulfill. Can we assume that some actions are... implicitly accepted?"

Xiaoyuan suddenly froze.

"You've signed contracts before, at least a few for the production team, right? How can you still be so clueless?" Cai Juan rubbed his forehead, pausing for a moment, then puzzled, "Wait, by all logic, Wei Zhuang shouldn't issue such an incomplete contract..."

Cai Juan looked up and asked, "How many times have you met?"

Xiaoyuan tried to recall. "I've seen her face three times. I can't remember after hearing or seeing her name..."

Cai Juan looked at her, "How do you feel about her?"

Xiaoyuan stayed silent for several seconds, scratching her face, "It's hard to say... I don't dislike her, I was quite scared of her at first, but now I think she's alright... She doesn't seem to be pretentious and doesn't talk much. Definitely not like that chatterbox Wei Jiabao... She dresses nicely, and she seems to like wearing pants. I've never seen any woman look that good in pants—feminine yet cool..."

The more she talked, the more interested she became, her eyes sparkling with a smile, her lashes curving like two little black fans.

Cai Juan was surprised, his expression a bit complicated.

"Do you realize that once you've signed this, you can't back out? Are you mentally prepared?" Cai Juan said.

Xiaoyuan felt a bit guilty after he said that, but she still had to hold her ground. "I know. Worst case, it's just that. Anyway, we're both women..."

Cai Juan: "..."

Xiaoyuan hurriedly added, "And I said she can't force me, and she agreed!"

Cai Juan nodded helplessly, "...Fortunately, you still have some sense!"

Xiaoyuan exclaimed, "Oh, come on! You never know who might end up forcing whom!"

Cai Juan shot her a sidelong glance, not finding her words very credible. He glanced at the contract. "I get it now. You're being honest with me because you want me to help you keep this from Brother Zhishi, right?"

Xiaoyuan smiled sweetly, her hands clasped together. "Please, please~"

Cai Juan hesitated, "If he finds out about this, he definitely won't agree."

Xiaoyuan's smile faded a bit. "Brother is still in Pengcheng, he'll probably be there for a while. Plus, the contract is only for six months. That big boss is so busy—when would she have time to see me every day? And what if I get a filming role during this time? It'll take at least three to four months. Before you know it, six months will have passed."

Cai Juan blinked, "That's true..." As she said that, it really was a possibility.

"And also, just because she says she wants to see me doesn't mean I have to go. I can say I'm busy, that I have auditions or studies to attend to. Anyway, she can't force me. She's a big boss, her words should count for something, right?"

Cai Juan replied, "So you really have thought this through."

"Of course, that's why I don't want to accept her resources, money, gifts, or anything. I have a clear conscience. Besides, it was Wei Jiabao who caused trouble for me in the first place, it's her brother's mess, so it's only right for her to clean up after her brother."

Cai Juan listened and found it reasonable, but he still felt something was off. Wei Zhuang is ultimately a businesswoman, not someone who does things without benefit, a businessperson who doesn't give without expecting something in return. How could she so easily give Xiaoyuan a chance with this contract that isn't even strict? He couldn't wrap his head around it.

"But I still feel that..."

"Hey..." Xiaoyuan's phone rang, interrupting her. She glanced at the screen and immediately answered, "Shi Hai?"

Cai Juan watched her nod, her eyes lighting up. "Yeah, really?"

"Oh, I've read the novel. Tomorrow? No problem, I'll be there on time!"

After hanging up the phone, she excitedly pumped her fist and shouted a few times, then grabbed Cai Juan, "Cai Juan, Shi Hai said I can go for an audition tomorrow, he'll send me the script later!"

Cai Juan asked with joy, "Why did the production team suddenly change their mind?"

Xiaoyuan replied, "He doesn't know either. The producer called him a while ago, saying they want to give a chance to the actress they have in mind to see how it goes..." She paused, blinked, then suddenly looked at Cai Juan, who was looking at the contract, "When did you sign this?"

"I just signed it this afternoon..." Xiaoyuan also looked at the contract.

That was way too fast!

Cai Juan felt anxious. "Yuan'er..."

Xiaoyuan's attention had already shifted to the script. "It's here, it's here! The script has arrived!" She opened it, her eyes glued to the screen, momentarily distracted with a soft "hmm?"

Cai Juan watched her focused demeanor, unable to utter a word.

If she doesn't seize this opportunity, she might never get another chance.

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