Chapter 76 - 77: Happy Cooperation

"..." I’ve got to say, Sister He is really good with words. She knows just how to ignite someone’s competitive spirit. Who is Yu Xiaozhe? He’s a benchmark in the industry, a model for professionals! Although his family background contrasts greatly with Yu Xiaozhe, in terms of acting skills, he has absolute confidence in himself! And who knows, where did Ruan Xingwen get the courage from, considering he’s not trained and has never played a proper role before... "Sister He, I’ve made up my mind, I’ll sign!" Ruan Xingwen finally made up his mind. In reality, he had long decided to accept this invitation, not for himself, but there was also a Divine Beast cub to take care of, a villa to renovate, and he owed his uncle five million... There were many things waiting for him to accomplish, so compared to other agencies, Yu Xiaozhe’s Huasheng was clearly the better choice. Sister He, who was just waiting for Ruan Xingwen to nod, quickly rummaged through her bag for a pen as soon as she heard him agree. "Huh? I remember bringing a pen, where did it go?" Yu Yue babbled about how great Huasheng was and how fantastic its perks were. "..." Ruan Xingwen was speechless. Why didn’t Yu Yue say all this before he agreed? What’s the point of saying it now? Seriously, he was resigned. "The Contract isn’t finished yet, take your time to go through it, no rush." Yu Xiaozhe interrupted Yu Yue’s chatter, signaling Ruan Xingwen to continue reviewing the Contract. Ruan Xingwen lowered his head to look at the document in his hand, indeed, there were still two pages he hadn’t seen. He gave Yu Xiaozhe a shy smile, and said, "I know, thanks, Brother Ze!" Yu Yue gasped, why did it feel like an exchange he couldn’t intervene in? Better help Sister He find a pen. Before he could turn around, Yu Xiaozhe spoke again, "No need, I have one." Out of his jacket pocket, he pulled a pen that looked expensive and handed it to Ruan Xingwen. Though Yu Xiaozhe said ’no rush, take your time’, his action clearly betrayed his eagerness. Ruan Xingwen chuckled inwardly, Brother Ze’s involuntary ’contradictory’ actions were kind of cute. Putting his idle thoughts aside, Ruan Xingwen attentively continued reviewing the Contract. Soon, he noticed something odd in the Contract. "Brother Ze, the Contract states that I’m signing with your studio, not Huasheng?" Ruan Xingwen pointed at a clause, asking confusedly. "Yes. So you are officially the first artist in my studio, looking forward to working with you." Yu Xiaozhe stood up solemnly, extending his right hand. Ruan Xingwen immediately got up too, with an equally serious expression, extending his right hand, "Looking forward to working with you, Boss Yu!" Ruan Xingwen spoke lightheartedly, with a notable hint of laughter. The room wasn’t big, with the sofa right next to the balcony. Under the late autumn morning sun, Ruan Xingwen raised his eyes, his amber eyes glowing with a warm halo. An elated arc appeared on Yu Xiaozhe’s lips, but it faded quickly, making Ruan Xingwen wonder if he saw it wrong. Breaking the bubble-popping atmosphere between the two, Sister He chimed in, "Alright, since everyone is happy, let’s sign it quickly. Once signed, I’ll discuss the upcoming arrangements with Xingxing." In all seriousness, Ruan Xingwen signed his name on the last page of the Contract. Suddenly, the room fell silent, Ruan Xingwen looked up puzzled, only to find the three of them—Yu Xiaozhe, Zhang He, and Yu Yue—staring at the Contract in his hand. Zhang He: "Signed?" Did this old fox really take advantage of proximity? Yu Yue: "Signed!" My sister-in-law just got a step closer to my brother! Yu Xiaozhe: "Yes." Finally got him tied up by my side. Their tones, expressions, and thoughts varied greatly. "Alright, Xingxing, now I need to talk to you about your next arrangements. Do you have any ideas yourself?" Zhang He addressed the matter formally. Ruan Xingwen was momentarily speechless. Though he had just been spurred with ambition and determination, he had a clear understanding of his own abilities, and confessed honestly, "Sister He, Brother Ze, to be honest, I know my limits. I’ve not acted in a real drama and am not classically trained. In the past three years in the industry, I still haven’t produced substantial work." Then tentatively, Ruan Xingwen added, "I think I should focus on honing my acting skills first?" Gazing at him, Sister He’s eyes softened, despite having ambition and dreams, he knew his place and was willing to put in effort, this kid was sure to become a big star. Beyond doubt, after mingling in the industry for many years, Sister He’s eye for people was still spot on. So she nodded gently, agreeing with Ruan Xingwen’s approach. "Yes, you should hone your acting skills. But acting isn’t just learned, it’s something mastered through practice over time." Sister He spoke while pulling another document from her bag, placing it on the coffee table, it was clearly much thicker than the Contract. "This is a script, the role is just a minor supporting part. Although small, the role is crucial in altering the main character’s emotions, we’ll use this role to gauge your acting, then decide further plans." "How’s that?" This question seemed rather... unnecessary. Since Sister He had it all planned, Ruan Xingwen had no objections. Just being cast in a role so soon after signing was exciting enough. This was the first script in three years! The first script with lines, judging by its thickness, there were quite a bit of lines, right? Ecstatic! Ruan Xingwen’s emotions were evident on his slightly youthful face. Sister He also smiled knowingly, while Yu Yue directly sat on the sofa beside Ruan Xingwen, hugging his shoulders and laughingly offering congratulations. "Ahem." Yu Xiaozhe glanced at Sister He, subtly reminding her. Sister He slapped her forehead and turned to Ruan Xingwen, "Oh, I forgot to tell you, the male lead in this drama is your newly appointed boss. He can look after you on set so you won’t get bullied." Such worrisome talk. Is he not a grown-up, needing others to babysit him? But Ruan Xingwen felt grateful, understanding Sister He was trying to reassure him. "Then I’ll trouble the boss!" Yu Xiaozhe, unfazed: "Alright." With the major issues settled, Yu Yue’s thirst for gossip rose again. Seeing Ruan Xingwen immersed in the script, he turned to Sister He, inquiring about the trending topic from the night before. "Sis, was last night’s hot search about you guys..." Indifferently, Sister He nodded, gesturing toward the other side of the sofa where Yu Xiaozhe sat, "Ask your brother." Yu Yue glanced between his brother and Ruan Xingwen, hesitating to intrude. Ruan Xingwen, while studying the script, also paid attention to their conversation. A hot search? The one about Brother Ze hitting someone? Hasn’t been resolved yet? He woke up late today and hadn’t had the chance to check his phone, naturally not knowing Weibo had exploded since. He heard Ruan Xingwen’s concerned voice asking Yu Xiaozhe beside him, "Brother Ze, hasn’t yesterday’s hot search been resolved yet?"