Just as she was thinking this, someone informed Zhong Ying that the CEO of Stars Entertainment had personally come to the company and specifically asked to see her.
The CEO of Stars Entertainment? Long Ze?
Zhong Ying dazed for a moment. She remembered that Long Ze was Zhu Xingtong’s cousin.
Suppressing the stray thoughts in her heart, she stood up and replied, “Understood. I’ll be there right away.”
Tang Qi was beaming with joy. “Zhong Ying, the CEO of Stars actually named you specifically? Is he here to talk about your contract?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Come on, let’s go see.”
Just as Tang Qi had guessed, Long Ze was indeed there to discuss Zhong Ying signing with Stars Entertainment. However, the development of the situation was a bit beyond their expectations.
“President Long, I don’t quite understand. What is the meaning of these two contracts?” Zhong Ying frowned slightly, a hint of hostility appearing in her eyes.
There were currently two documents laid out before her.
One was a standard S-rank contract from Stars Entertainment, complete with the company logo on the cover. The other, however, was clearly a private agreement.
In this industry, “private agreements” were usually nothing good.
“Read them first,” Long Ze said, sitting opposite her. He leaned back with the arrogant posture of a big shot, looking quite overbearing.
The terms he offered Zhong Ying were not just high—they were far above the industry average.
Tang Qi tugged at the corner of Zhong Ying’s sleeve and whispered, “Ying, look at them first.”
Tang Qi picked up the Stars Entertainment signing contract, while Zhong Ying silently picked up the private agreement.
As the minutes ticked by, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense, mirroring the hardening expression on Zhong Ying’s face.
“If Party A requires it, Party B must do their best to satisfy all of Party A’s conditions, provided they do not endanger Party B’s personal safety,” Zhong Ying read aloud, word by word.
Tang Qi, who had been reading the Stars contract and thinking how incredibly favorable the terms were, froze the moment she heard Zhong Ying read that sentence.
She had heard of and seen such conditions before. This… this was a clause from a “sponsorship” (sugar baby) agreement!
Tang Qi looked at Long Ze in shock. Did the CEO of Stars Entertainment want to keep Zhong Ying as a mistress?
For a moment, she didn’t know whether to be happy or grieved.
She was happy that her artist had caught the eye of a wealthy CEO like Long Ze, but grieved that the person Long Ze chose was Zhong Ying!
Zhong Ying, who wouldn’t even agree to accompany clients for drinks—how could she ever accept being “kept”?
This was going to blow up!
“President Long, about this…” Tang Qi started to speak hurriedly, but Long Ze cut her off with a wave of his hand.
“As long as you sign the agreement, in addition to the money you earn as an artist, you will receive an extra 20 million per month as a ‘hardship allowance’.” Long Ze tilted his chin up, confident that his offer was excellent. “The contract with Stars is also an S-rank deal. We will invest 200% of our resources into cultivating you. You’re an actress; we will do our utmost to put every top-tier script and audition opportunity right in front of you.”
The latter was indeed tempting.
But being “kept” was not what Zhong Ying wanted.
“I don’t believe I have any history with you, President Long. In fact, this is our first meeting. Is it really necessary for you to go to such great lengths for me?”
The “Party A” section of the agreement was blank; Zhong Ying still didn’t know who the “benefactor” wanting to keep her was. Long Ze’s personal appearance gave her a faint suspicion, but she refused to dwell on it.
Because that suspicion was simply too absurd.
“Actually, I don’t know if this much trouble is necessary either,” Long Ze said, spreading his hands helplessly. “I am not the one who initiated that private agreement, though I drafted the text. However, I advise you to sign it. Based on my knowledge of that person, if you don’t sign now and wait for her to come here herself… I’m afraid it will be very embarrassing for you.”
Wait for her to come herself? Embarrassing?
Zhong Ying’s face instantly turned cold. She threw the agreement back onto the coffee table. “Then tell that ‘person’ to come here herself! The agreement you’ve presented is already embarrassing enough. I, Zhong Ying, am just a minor actress, but I am not afraid of offending people. I’m afraid you’ll have to return empty-handed today, President Long. Qi-jie, see our guest out!”