Chapter 34: Preliminary Agreement

While eating dinner, Ruan Xingwen heard his phone’s notification sound, put the spoon down on the table, and picked up his phone. [YU: It’s what you think it is. I want to sign you to our Huasheng.] He tilted his head and thought for a moment before replying [Wen Xingcui: But Brother Ze, why? I heard Huasheng is very strict about signing artists. Each artist has to go through multiple assessments. Why do you want to sign me?] [Wen Xingcui: Besides, I’ve not been very lucky. Maybe it’s a bit better now, but I still don’t think Huasheng would sign me.] Ruan Xingwen was being quite direct. Of course, he wanted to sign with Huasheng, which is one of the top entertainment companies in the country. But he also knew, given his current status, he was far from qualified. Even if Yu Xiaozhe had an unusual status at Huasheng, he still wanted to know the reason Yu Xiaozhe asked him this. Yu Xiaozhe didn’t think there was anything that couldn’t be said. Rather than let Ruan Xingwen find out later his purpose for signing him, it would be better to be upfront now, but it wasn’t convenient to explain via text, so he directly called a voice call. Over on Ruan Xingwen’s side, seeing the voice call pop up on his phone startled him so much that he nearly threw his phone into his bowl. He fumbled to answer it. A slightly sexy, deep, hoarse voice came through the receiver "Hello? Xingxing, it’s Yu Xiaozhe. Can you hear me?" Ruan Xingwen nodded, then suddenly realized the person on the other end couldn’t see him, so he quickly responded "Yeah, I can hear you, Brother Ze." Hearing his response, Yu Xiaozhe continued "Xingxing, I do have my reasons for signing you. It’s because of that Producer Zhang earlier. He’s been making some moves against you, and you don’t have a company or team to back you up. I’m a bit worried, so I’m thinking of signing you to Huasheng. This way, I can lend you a hand." If Zhang He wasn’t with them, they would be shocked to hear Yu Xiaozhe explain such a long paragraph to someone. Who is Yu Xiaozhe? He’s the notorious "Cold-faced Yama", always stern and never smiling. Zhang He had known him for years and had never seen him smile, let alone explain things to others. Yu Xiaozhe is always direct, he informs them what to do, and they are responsible for carrying out his instructions. He would hardly explain why they were doing it or what the outcome would be. Ruan Xingwen didn’t know these things. After hearing Yu Xiaozhe’s explanation, he was somewhat moved. Apart from Little Yuan, it had been a long time since anyone cared about him this much, worrying that someone might be against him and wanting to sign him to keep an eye on him. He was a bit tempted but didn’t want to cause trouble for Yu Xiaozhe. "Brother Ze, thank you. I know you’re worried about me, and that’s why you’re thinking of signing me to Huasheng. But would this bring trouble to you?" Yu Xiaozhe startled for a moment; he thought Ruan Xingwen was going to reject him when he heard "thank you," his heart jumped up, then relaxed when he heard he was just worried about causing trouble. He calmed down and persuaded "It’s fine on my end, it’s my company, and I believe I have the ability to sign someone. So, Xingxing, do you want to come to Huasheng?" Ruan Xingwen was shocked. He originally thought Yu Xiaozhe indeed had a certain status in Huasheng because of his superb acting skills and ability, but he never expected... the entire Huasheng belonged to him! He didn’t know what to say... There was silence on the other end, and Yu Xiaozhe thought the call might have disconnected. He checked his phone; it hadn’t... "Xingxing, Xingxing? Can you hear me?" Ruan Xingwen snapped back and quickly answered "Yes, Brother Ze, I’m here. I was just... surprised to hear that Huasheng is your company, and I haven’t fully processed it. Brother Ze, can I think about it more? My head is a bit tangled right now." "Okay, you should think it over, and you can discuss it with your family." Yu Xiaozhe’s tone returned to its usual indifference, as if the urgency just now had never belonged to him. Family... Ruan Xingwen thought of his uncle and shook his head abruptly. His uncle is a die-hard fan of Yu Xiaozhe, better not let him know about this, or his uncle would pester him to death. "By the way, if Producer Zhang makes any moves, I’ll let the company’s PR handle it first. Regardless of whether you eventually sign with Huasheng, I want to help you this time, is that okay?" "...Thank you, Brother Ze." Besides gratitude, Ruan Xingwen didn’t know what else to say. He felt that meeting Yu Xiaozhe and Yu Yue had been a blessing. "You’re too polite. Every time we chat, it’s either thanking me or apologizing to me. Aren’t we friends? Friends don’t care about these things between them." Ruan Xingwen was a bit happy, with a hint of joy in his tone "Got it, Brother Ze. I won’t do that anymore, but you’ve helped me, so I must thank you! Even close brothers make things clear." Hearing the cheer in Ruan Xingwen’s voice, Yu Xiaozhe couldn’t help but relax his expression, a subtle smile surfacing at the corners of his lips. "Then it’s settled for now. About the signing, I still want to think it over some more." Ruan Xingwen looked down at his half-eaten dinner on the table and asked "Brother Ze, have you had dinner yet?" "Not yet, Li Mu went to get it, but he hasn’t come back yet. He’s my assistant." Ruan Xingwen suddenly realized his Brother Ze was at the drama set! So, had he interrupted Brother Ze’s script-reading time?! "Then Brother Ze, remember to eat dinner, okay? I’ve only eaten half, and I’ll keep going." "Alright, take your time eating. If it gets cold, make sure to heat it up before eating." Yu Xiaozhe reminded him with concern, little knowing that he was the one who made Zhang He and the others worried. "Got it! I’ll hang up now, so I won’t disturb you anymore, Brother Ze!" After saying this, Ruan Xingwen hung up, naturally missing the soft words on the other end, "Talking to you is never a bother." After the call ended, Yu Xiaozhe felt a bit hungry too, so he sent a message to Li Mu [YU: Come up and have dinner.] On Ruan Xingwen’s side, things were much simpler. He quickly finished his not-so-large dinner, checked his WeChat Moments, noticed a notification, and clicked in. It was a comment from Yu Xiaozhe on his post that afternoon [Are you Mr. Tao or Little Tree?] Imagining the stern-faced Mr. Yu holding the phone to comment on his Moments amused him, and he teasingly replied [I’m Xingxing, duh.] On the other side, Mr. Yu was waiting for Li Mu to make dinner and saw Ruan Xingwen’s comment, chuckling. Yes, he is Xingxing, the brightest star. ===================== The article has been modified, dear readers can help themselves, don’t spray if you don’t like it, the author is fragile-hearted.