Chapter 78 - 79: Endorsement

Yu Xiaozhe reached out and patted Ruan Xingwen’s head, his expression gentle. Completely different from the cold demeanor he had when Ruan Xingwen first met him. Ruan Xingwen returned a warm smile, his little canine teeth faintly visible. Finally, unable to stand the overwhelmingly sweet atmosphere between the two any longer, Zhang He spoke up: "The stuff online is basically all set, Zeng Xu provided enough evidence to have He Wei and Zhang Jian locked up for a few years. As for He Mingsheng...he’s just a grasshopper that won’t last beyond autumn." "Our primary task now is to plan out the path Xingxing should take in the future. Apart from the script we just discussed, Old Yu, do you have any other suggestions?" Yu Xiaozhe’s suggestion was, "What does Xingxing think?" "..." Asking Yu Xiaozhe about Ruan Xingwen is as good as asking into thin air! Zhang He turned her gaze towards Ruan Xingwen again. "Sister He, I want to act." Just a few words, and Zhang He understood Ruan Xingwen’s intentions. He wanted to act, to be an actor, not just a pretty face. Zhang He agreed, nodding her head. She thought the same. In that case, the first step was to perform well in the script they had at hand. "In that case, I’ll arrange some acting classes for you as soon as possible, along with some dance and vocal classes. The latter two aren’t for you to specialize in, but you should be familiar with them." After speaking, Zhang He thought for a moment and added, "You’ve been in the industry for almost three years now, right? How come I haven’t heard of you?" Bringing up this rather frustrating topic again, Ruan Xingwen sighed. He didn’t know how to explain it; should he mention the Classic of Mountains and Seas? They’d probably think he belonged in a mental institution... So he could only say helplessly, "Sister He, my luck...hasn’t been great." Zhang He had some understanding of Ruan Xingwen’s bad luck. After all, when Yu Xiaozhe first suggested she sign someone, she had to check out the person’s background. Once she did, Zhang He couldn’t help but feel that Ruan Xingwen was incredibly unlucky when she saw the limited information she could find about him. Scripts that were practically in his hands would inexplicably be snatched away; camera shots that belonged to him in variety shows would, for various reasons, end up being cut; even his debut stage was full of glitches, almost stopping him from debuting at all. How unlucky does one have to be for everything to go as wrong as it did for Ruan Xingwen? Zhang He was intensely curious about Ruan Xingwen at that moment. Fortunately, he didn’t disappoint her. He not only had good looks but also a great personality, meeting all her criteria for signing someone. But Ruan Xingwen’s luck was indeed poor, which is why she asked about it. "But Sister He, don’t worry. Although I don’t know why myself, I can guarantee that I’m definitely not unlucky anymore!" Ruan Xingwen’s resolute words made Yu Yue, who was lounging on the sofa scrolling through his phone, look up in curiosity, "Hmm? Xingxing, how are you so sure? Did something lucky happen?" Yu Xiaozhe suddenly remembered the day they first met Ruan Xingwen, when they wanted to sign him up and the reason for it... "Ah Yue, did you forget you wanted to sign a contract with me..." Yu Yue was full of question marks, "??? What contract? For what did I want to sign with Xingxing?" Suddenly, Yu Yue exclaimed, scaring the three of them. Zhang He raised her hand and whacked him on the back of his head, "Stop jumping!" Yu Yue rubbed his head excitedly while grabbing Ruan Xingwen’s sleeve, "I remember now! Xingxing, you used to be the [Ultimate Non-Chief]! A few days ago, you suddenly drew my brother’s last card. To solve the online trouble, that’s why I wanted to sign you!" Ruan Xingwen nodded. Yu Xiaozhe felt a bit displeased seeing Yu Yue still holding Ruan Xingwen’s sleeve, "You can still sign with Xingxing, just go through the company’s process." Yu Yue wailed, "Come on, brother, we’re family! Do we really have to be all official? Besides, Xingxing is also doing a joint endorsement with you! You helped me with promotions for free at first!" Yu Xiaozhe responded with an "Oh," as if he just remembered this, then casually uttered something Yu Yue found unacceptable, "Great, include my share in Xingxing’s contract." Yu Yue stared incredulously, anxiously ruffling his already messy hair, "Come on, brother! Isn’t this taking advantage of a misfortune? With your worth, how can my small gaming company afford it!" Yu Xiaozhe remained unmoved. "Brother, you can’t do this! Are we not good brothers anymore?" Yu Xiaozhe calmly adjusted the creases on his suit, "Fair accounts keep long friendships." His easygoing demeanor sharply contrasted with Yu Yue’s. "Brother! I’ll report to grandpa on this! You’re bullying me!" This time, Yu Xiaozhe paused for a moment, then returned to normal, "The latest limited edition sports car." "!" Yu Yue’s previously agitated face immediately lit up with joy, "And those newly released limited edition signature sneakers!" Yu Xiaozhe nodded. "YES! Brother, you’re the best!" Yu Yue, in his mind, believed their brotherly bond had deepened once again. "Have you guys had enough? Can we talk about serious matters now? Xingxing, tell us what the deal is with the endorsement?" Ruan Xingwen looked at the somewhat exasperated Zhang He and replied obediently, "I’m not sure either, Sister He. Ask Ah Yue." Yu Yue: "..." Xingxing, who taught you to deflect like this! "Sis, don’t worry, just listen to me explain slowly. Here’s what happened..." "Pop!" Yu Yue’s head got smacked again. "Sis! If you keep hitting me, what if I end up dumb!" Zhang He gave him a sidelong glance, "Huh, even if you become dumb, Ah Kai won’t mind. Now hurry up and say what’s going on!" Hearing Zhang He mention Fang Wenkai, Yu Yue blushed slightly, realizing his sister was about to make another move, hurriedly straightening up and saying: "Well, previously, my brother endorsed the game for my company, and Xingxing also played that game. Plus, he drew the limited card modeled after my brother for the anniversary. Then online rumors starting claiming it was rigged, so I thought, since it sparked interest, we should ride the wave for more publicity. That’s why I wanted my brother and Xingxing for a joint endorsement." Yu Yue continued, "Sis, look, now that Xingxing is signed with my brother’s studio, why not take this opportunity to boost Xingxing’s image?" However, Ruan Xingwen wasn’t quite convinced, "Wouldn’t that just confirm the rumors of manipulation? It might affect the game’s reputation." Yu Yue waved it off, "That’s a minor issue. Few people think that way. Once we clear things up, those who believe won’t need more convincing. Those who don’t will always think it’s an excuse, isn’t it?" It was rare for Yu Yue to speak so philosophically.