Chapter 52 "Mom, I'll let you see me."

Yuantong Media, conference room.

Vice President Li's face turned ashen. He picked up an ashtray and slammed it down: "Didn't you say you could handle Xia Mian? You've made such a mess, and this is what you call handling her?"

Qian Hui quickly squatted down, dodging the ashtray, and crawled out from under the table, trembling: "That idiot is really stupid, uncultured and ignorant. Recently he has suddenly become smart, like a completely different person, I don't know what happened."

"I don't care if you know or not, you have to get this done perfectly. If it alerts the higher-ups, I won't let you off the hook!"

Many entertainment companies in Beijing have powerful backers. For example, Yuantong Media is under the name of a family business. The boss is a rich second-generation heir who doesn't know much about management and often lets his subordinates do whatever they want, which led to the current disaster.

"No problem, Mr. Li, I will definitely handle it perfectly for you! Xia Mian has no power, no influence, and no connections, so this is all she can manage. All we need to do now is stall for time."

"He wants to terminate the contract, right? Then let him terminate it. We'll actively fight him for the termination in court for a year or two. By then, the craze for unfair contracts will have died down. He won't be able to sign with a new company or get new resources. In the end, he'll just have to swallow his anger and go back to his hometown to grow vegetables and take care of his seriously ill mother."

Vice President Li glanced at her, his face full of disgust. This vicious woman was truly insidious and despicable.

But since things have come to this point, delaying is indeed the only good option.

"What are you waiting for? Get to it! This artist... sigh, it's a waste to hand him over to you."

Vice President Li also came from an agent background. With Xia Mian's looks and style of doing things, if he were to manage her, she would at least be a second-tier talent by now.

Qian Hui is misleading and deceiving young people.

Qian Hui gritted her teeth, forcing a smile: "Okay, Mr. Li, I'll go right away."

Meanwhile, Chang Yi was also discussing the contract termination lawsuit with Xia Mian.

“I asked my lawyer friend who specializes in contract disputes,” Chang Yi said. “Public opinion is basically on your side now, and you’re sure to win. The penalty for breach of contract won’t be much. What I’m most afraid of now is that they’re deliberately dragging things out.”

An artist's prime is only two years, especially during summer hibernation. He's not that old, but he's not young either. By then, new, fresh faces will have already taken over, and he'll be left behind.

“It’s okay,” Xia Mian chuckled. “At worst, I’ll just stop being a celebrity. With my bureaucratic background, I can become an internet celebrity, share my life and fashion, and I’m sure people will follow me.”

It's a pity he's out of money, otherwise he could continue being a professional rich kid, which is what he's best at.

"It would be a loss for the entertainment industry if you became an internet celebrity, don't be discouraged."

Someone called out to Chang Yi for rehearsal. Chang Yi turned his head to respond, then turned back, his tone unusually gentle for a boy his age: "We're all on your side. Just tell us if you're having any difficulties."

Perhaps Xia Mian's consistently fashionable style gave Chang Yi the illusion that she came from a well-off family.

After listening to the two recordings, Chang Yi learned that Xia Mian was born in a slum and that her mother was seriously ill.

He originally wanted to help Xia Mian, but he was also a man and knew that men care about their pride, so he didn't dare to bring it up directly and could only hint at it quietly.

Xia Mian understood his implication and hummed in agreement: "I understand. Go ahead and get busy, don't worry."

"Okay, I'm going now."

The two hung up the phone, and the next second, Chang Yi received a WeChat message from Xia Mian.

It's a screenshot from a music app; Xia Mian has reserved 500 copies of his new digital album.

The appointment time was not today, nor the day the contract was terminated, but the day after "Qingyun Town" ended.

Xia Mian didn't buy the album to support him because of his help. Xia Mian wanted to tell him that they had always been bros.

summer: [The album is a huge hit!]

This person… Chang Yi couldn’t help but curl the corners of his lips: [Yeah, definitely a top seller]

Seeing that the artist was late in arriving, Chang Yi's manager came over to call for rehearsal again. He accidentally glanced at Chang Yi's screen and asked curiously, "Did your sister buy this? Tell our sister, we don't need to artificially inflate sales figures. This album is of high quality and we don't have to worry about selling it. The natural traffic is enough."

“It wasn’t my sister,” Chang Yi shook his head, “it was Xia Mian who bought it.”

The agent also saw the appointment date and clicked his tongue: "Just as netizens said, he is worldly-wise but not cynical, a good prospect. It's a pity he ended up with Yuantong."

"If he terminates his contract, would you be willing to take over?" Chang Yi asked.

“…You little rascal, you’re even testing me on behalf of an outsider,” the agent said, laughing and crying at the same time, before his tone became serious again. “His professional skills are debatable, but with his face and personality, I’m willing to give him a chance.”

Chang Yi felt confident and, at the organizer's third urging, jogged all the way to the rehearsal.

After sending the WeChat message, Xia Mian lay on the bed, her eyes seemingly unfocused, unsure of where to look.

These past two days he has often been in a daze. He has come to a strange world, lost the wealth, status, and favor that were within his grasp, and now he is even about to lose his job... Sometimes he doubts himself and what he should do next.

He rested for a while, put on his hat, went out, and first went to the bank counter to withdraw 50,000 yuan in cash.

The teller who processed his transaction was a girl with a baby face. After counting the money and handing it to him, the girl asked, "Excuse me, are you Xia Mian?"

"Yes." He thought the teller was checking his identity information because he needed to provide his ID card to withdraw 50,000.

The girl raised her little fist, looking shy and cute: "Good luck with terminating your contract! I'll be waiting for you to come back with new works."

Xia Mian paused for a moment, then said, "...Thank you."

After leaving the bank with the money, he opened the original owner's Taobao account and found the place "reputed" to be a slum according to the address.

This is an urban village with dilapidated stone-paved roads and dark, damp moss covering the floors. Two garbage heaps at the alley entrance emit a foul, rotten smell. Several children are digging a sandcastle next to the garbage heaps, getting themselves all dirty.

Xia Mian thought, "The original owner must have grown up like this too."

The address said third floor, fourth door. Xia Mian climbed the winding iron staircase, the creaking sound making him tremble with fear, constantly wondering if he was about to fall.

He roughly counted more than a dozen doors on the third floor, none of which were labeled. He stood at the top of the stairs, hesitating about which side to start counting from.

The woman who was washing clothes saw him and quickly threw the half-finished clothes back into the basin. She dried herself and her hands as she ran out.

"Mianmian, why are you here? Didn't Mom tell you you didn't need to come?"

Ren Xiping had been preventing Xia Mian from coming over, fearing that his biological parents would be suspicious and treat him badly if they found out.

"You've lost so much weight, and you've cut your hair short too. This hairstyle looks good, it makes you look dashing." Ren Xiping smoothed his messy sideburns, her expression one of relief mixed with an undeniable bitterness.

Xia Mian felt no discomfort at all when a stranger touched his skin. Looking at the woman with her wrinkled face, he felt a sudden, overwhelming urge to cry, as if some missing emotions had finally found their place.

He suddenly hugged Ren Xiping tightly.

"......mom."

"Oh dear, he's a grown man, why is he still acting like a child?" Ren Xiping quickly patted her son's back, then couldn't help but cry along with him.

Perhaps it was the memories left in the body by the original owner, or perhaps it was the long-lost maternal love she felt from Ren Xiping, but Xia Mian cried very sadly and it took her a long time to stop sobbing.

It was lunchtime, and Ren Xiping cooked two dishes. Although the living conditions in the slum were poor, she had washed the tables, plates, and bowls very clean. The food was warm and full of the aroma of a wok, and Xia Mian ate it very happily.

"By the way, Mianmian," Ren Xiping asked during the meal, "you're really not going to act in that show anymore?"

Xia Mian asked in surprise: "You watched my variety show?"

"I looked it up. I don't know how to use a phone, so my neighbor Dajun helped me find it."

Ren Xiping never went to school and made a living by farming and doing manual labor. She rarely used WeChat except to make phone calls.

Xia Mian guessed that she was unaware of her contract termination and chose to keep it a secret: "I'm not recording anymore, I don't like that platform."

“Okay, as long as you’re happy,” Ren Xiping smiled gently. “Seeing you every morning gives me more motivation to do my chores.”

Ren Xiping was genuinely happy that her two children could enjoy a life of luxury in a wealthy family. However, in the dead of night or when she was sick, she would always think how wonderful it would be if she could touch her son's face.

Especially Xia Mian, although he wasn't her biological son, she raised him from a little dumpling into a handsome young man through countless nursery rafters. Whenever she thinks about it, she feels both bittersweet and satisfied.

Of course, she also knew that fate was unpredictable and that she should no longer bother her adopted son. Countless times she wanted to call him, but she always managed to stop herself in time.

It wasn't until she saw Xia Mian on her phone that her longing gradually subsided and she found solace.

She could look at her son on her phone her whole life and never get tired of it.

Because she loves him.

But summer hibernation is no exception.

At that moment, the fog before him seemed to be swept away by a pair of large hands, and he suddenly knew which path he should take from now on.

“Mom,” he said, grabbing her rough, scarred hand, “I will show you what I’m made of.”

You can always see me.