11 – Signing the Contract
Tu Ya handed the contract to Chi Wanwan and said with a smile, “Wanwan, from now on I’ll be your manager. This is the company’s new contract. Take a look first. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me.”
“Mm, okay.”
When Chi Wanwan heard that her new manager was Tu Ya, she was thrilled beyond measure, but on the surface she remained calm and unruffled.
The first lesson of being an actor was learning to control one’s expressions.
The meeting room was very quiet. Chi Wanwan looked at the contract in her hands. This contract was similar to the one she had signed before—both had a term of five years.
It was just that the profit-sharing portion of this contract was different from before.
Previously, Chi Wanwan had a 4:6 split with the company, with the company taking the larger share.
But the contract in her hands clearly stated in black and white: performance income would be split fifty-fifty between the artist and the company.
That meant her take-home income would be a bit higher from now on.
Chi Wanwan carefully studied the contract terms and found no traps or loopholes, so she picked up a pen and signed her name on the contract.
After signing the contract, Chi Wanwan and Tu Ya exchanged contact information.
“Fiona, I’ll be counting on your guidance from now on.” Chi Wanwan smiled faintly, and two cute dimples appeared on her fair, jade-like face.
“Don’t worry. The reason I signed you is because I saw your strong potential. I will do my utmost to fight for more good resources for you.”
Tu Ya was unstinting in her praise of Chi Wanwan.
Chi Wanwan’s eyes grew slightly warm. Could she finally see the light of day after the clouds parted?
When she had been admitted to the Performance Department of Capital Drama Academy, she had ranked first in her major.
Whether in looks or acting skill, she could be called top-tier.
It was just that she hadn’t met a talent scout before, nor had she encountered good opportunities.
“Thank you, thank you…” Chi Wanwan said her thanks repeatedly.
“No need to be so polite with me. Let’s keep in touch often from now on. For work matters, you can tell me directly.”
“Okay, no problem.”
After leaving the office building where Xingyao Entertainment was located, Chi Wanwan took out her phone and dialed her good friend Xu Xinyi’s number.
“Hello, Wanwan.”
“Xinyi. I went to the company today.”
Although Xu Xinyi had entered the industry the same year as Chi Wanwan, Xu Xinyi had been luckier. The entertainment company she signed with had a relatively fair distribution of resources.
Through several years of hard work, Xu Xinyi had already climbed to the position of a B-list star.
“Hm? Did that old witch Chen finally get you a role?” Xu Xinyi suddenly remembered a rumor she’d heard and asked, “By the way, did your company Xingyao change owners?”
“Yeah, the company was acquired by Fuhai Group. And the company even switched my manager.”
“Don’t tell me they switched you to a manager even worse than Chen Jie??”
“Of course not. Xinyi, I actually got signed by Tu Ya!! I still can’t quite believe it.”
Chi Wanwan chatted on the phone as she walked toward the subway station.
“That’s great! Tu Ya is a famous gold-medal manager in the industry, and she has tons of resources at her disposal. Your company finally did something decent this time.”
Hearing this good news, Xu Xinyi was genuinely happy for her friend.
Over the years, Xu Xinyi had wanted to help her friend out, but after all, they weren’t in the same company, so there were many restrictions.
“Yeah, I hope things will get better and better from now on…” Chi Wanwan said softly.
“That goes without saying—you’re definitely going to be a big star someday. Just don’t forget your good sister when you make it big.”
“What kind of bond do we have? I could forget anyone, but never you.”
Chi Wanwan and Xu Xinyi had been college roommates, sharing a room for four years. Their relationship was like that of sisters.
“Hey, Wanwan. You have to treat me today—let’s celebrate together,” Xu Xinyi suggested.
“Xinyi, I need to go home and make dinner for Shen Yu…” Chi Wanwan hesitated for a moment, then said, “How about we go out for a drink somewhere later?”
“You really are the type to ditch your friends for a man,” Xu Xinyi grumbled quietly. “Fine then. Nine o’clock tonight, I’ll come pick you up.”
“Okay, no problem. I’ll hang up now—the signal in the subway isn’t great.”
“See you tonight. Bye.”
After hanging up, Chi Wanwan walked into the subway station. It wasn’t rush hour yet, so the station wasn’t crowded.
After six stops, she exited the subway and headed to the market near her home.
It was past five, and many stalls at the market were offering discounts, since some vegetables wouldn’t keep until the next day.
After browsing around the market, Chi Wanwan picked out some fresh meat and vegetables, her hands full.
Carrying the groceries home, her arms ached from the weight.
She went back to her room and changed into casual clothes, then started bustling in the kitchen.
Shen Yu’s wound had healed quite a bit, so Chi Wanwan planned to make him something nice. Lately, she’d been keeping the food light to avoid affecting his recovery.
She wanted to cook something flavorful for a change.
She washed and chopped the vegetables in the kitchen—just these tedious tasks took nearly half an hour.
Chi Wanwan stepped out of the kitchen, poured a glass of plain water, and gulped down a few mouthfuls.
Seeing the sky darkening outside, she went to the balcony to collect the laundry.
After a while, the sound of a lock turning came from the entryway.
Chi Wanwan was using a clothes pole to take down the laundry and called out without turning around, “Shen Yu, you’re back so early today…”
But no one responded. Chi Wanwan was used to Shen Yu’s temperament—he was just like that. Sometimes when he didn’t want to talk, he wouldn’t make a sound.
After finishing with the laundry, Chi Wanwan held a pile of clothes and turned around.
But she got a fright.
“Grandpa Shen, why are you here?”
Thankfully, Chi Wanwan had rolled her undergarments into the innermost part, otherwise it would have been embarrassing.
“Wanwan?”
While Elder Shen was still stunned in surprise, Chi Wanwan took the clothes into the room and casually tossed them on the bed.
When Chi Wanwan came out of the room, Elder Shen was already seated on the sofa.
She hurriedly poured a glass of water and handed it to Elder Shen.
“Wanwan, why are you here?”
Shen Yu hadn’t returned to the old residence for quite some time, which was very unusual.
Rumor had it that Shen Yu had been living here, so Elder Shen suddenly showed up to see if his grandson had kept a woman outside.
“Hmm? Shen Yu and I are married. Isn’t it normal for us to live together?” Chi Wanwan blinked her big eyes, confusion flickering in them.
“Married?!” Elder Shen instantly shot to his feet. “When did you two get married?”
Seeing Elder Shen’s shocked expression, Chi Wanwan understood everything.
So Shen Yu was even more outrageous than she was—he hadn’t even told his family about the marriage.
“Grandpa Shen, we’ve been legally married for nearly a month now,” Chi Wanwan replied.
“Outrageous!!!” Elder Shen roared in fury.
A retired veteran who had been on the battlefield, his anger was truly intimidating.
Chi Wanwan shrank her neck slightly; she had never seen Elder Shen this fierce before.
“Don’t be scared, Wanwan. I’m scolding Shen Yu,” Elder Shen noticed Chi Wanwan’s unease and softened his voice considerably.