This is equivalent to telling everyone in Hong Kong that I, Lu Ruirong, am on TVB's side! Xiao Linsheng can't even control his own woman, and if he switches sides with TVB, he'll be even more embarrassed. So no matter what, I absolutely cannot sign this contract!
These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over their heads, leaving Mr. and Mrs. Lu stunned for a moment.
They were so focused on their daughter's future and glory that they completely ignored this extremely important relationship!
“But…but…”
Mother Lu was so anxious that she was almost incoherent. "How can you be an artist if you don't sign with TVB? How are you going to make money? Isn't the third place in the Miss Hong Kong competition a waste?"
"make money?"
Lu Ruirong laughed bitterly, and at the same time said with a hint of self-mockery, "Mom, what we should consider now is not how to make money, but how to lose money!"
"Pay compensation?" Father Lu's face changed when money was mentioned.
"right!"
Lu Ruirong explained, "When we signed up for Miss Hong Kong, we all signed a competition contract before the finals! The contract clearly stated: Contestants who win a place must first sign an artist contract with TVB.
If you refuse to sign or break the contract after signing, you will need to pay a huge penalty! The first place penalty is 3 million, the runner-up penalty is 2 million, and do you know how much the third place penalty is? 1.5 million! A full 1.5 million Hong Kong dollars!
"One million... five hundred thousand?!"
Mother Lu let out a short scream, her eyes went dark, and she almost fainted.
One million and a half Hong Kong dollars! Even if they worked hard their entire lives and skipped meals, they couldn’t save that much!
The one million yuan "settlement fee" that their daughter took back from Xiao Linsheng a few days ago was already the largest sum of money they had ever seen in their lives. Now they have to pay out one and a half million yuan?
Father Lu also felt dizzy and had to hold on to the table to steady himself. His voice changed tone: "One million and five hundred thousand... five hundred thousand? This is a robbery! This... this is what should I do?"
However, Father Lu had an idea and said anxiously, "Go find Xiao Linsheng! Ah Rong, go find Xiao Linsheng! He is so rich, a little money will be enough for him!"
Besides, you didn't sign with TVB for his face. If he doesn't help you, who will? It's only natural that he should pay this money!"
Hearing this, Mother Lu seemed to have grasped a lifeline and nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, yes! Go find Xiao Linsheng!"
However, Lu Ruirong shook his head firmly, a complicated expression on his face, and denied it: "No! Dad, Mom, this is absolutely not possible at this time!"
"Why not?!" Father Lu was anxious.
"Look at these newspapers!"
Lv Ruirong pointed at the newspapers covering the table and said, "Mr. Xiao Lin is being ridiculed by newspapers all over Hong Kong and targeted by British capital. His business is in tatters. His mind must be on Miss Liu and solving those big issues.
What's the point of me asking him for money now because of this small penalty? It's just causing trouble! Besides..."
She paused, her voice lowering again. "This will make him think that I'm with him only for his money. I only ask for my money for the smallest things, and I have no sense of responsibility. He will look down on me and only treat me as a plaything and a vase."
"What should we do? Even if we take out the one million Hong Kong dollars that Mr. Lin gave us before, it's still not enough! We still need 500,000! Are we going to watch our whole family bear hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt?!" Father Lu said helplessly.
Lu Ruirong closed his eyes, his heart seemed to be torn apart by two forces.
On one hand, there was the desire to be independent, self-reliant, and realize the dream of becoming an artist, but this path was abruptly blocked by the iron curtain of a 1.5 million yuan penalty;
On the other side was Mr. Xiao Lin's figure, and the shock brought by the dinner worth two million Hong Kong dollars that night, which overturned all her cognition.
Dignity, reality, emotion, fear...all kinds of emotions are intertwined and churning.
After a moment, she suddenly opened her eyes, her eyes showing determination, and said, "There is another way!"
"What method?" the parents asked at the same time.
"Borrow usury first!" Lu Ruirong said gritting his teeth.
"Loan sharking?!" Father and Mother Lu were frightened again. "Arong, are you crazy?! That's a bloodthirsty act!"
"I'm not crazy!"
Lu Ruirong said in an unusually calm voice, "Xiao Linsheng said before that he would give me 100,000 Hong Kong dollars per month for living expenses.
We will now borrow money from a loan shark to pay the 1.5 million yuan penalty to TVB.
Then, I used the living expenses he gave me every month to pay off the loan sharks!
This way, we won't cause him any trouble at a critical moment, and I can also maintain my... position. Once he finishes dealing with these important matters, he will naturally come to arrange for me. By then, the pressure of the loan shark will be lifted."
"Is this…is this possible?"
Father Lu thought his daughter's idea was too risky, but it seemed to be the only feasible path in this desperate situation. "Are you sure Xiao Linsheng will really give you 100,000 yuan every month? And that he will still remember you?"
"Yes! Arong,"
Mother Lu was filled with worry, revealing her deepest fear, "What if... I mean what if! Xiao Linsheng is only interested in you for a few days, and all those things he said before were just to cheer a girl up... He'll just stop caring once he gets tired of you... Then won't we be burdened with a loan sharking loan of 500,000 yuan?"
The interest is compounded, and our whole family will never be able to repay it even if we work like slaves in our next life! Look, the Miss Hong Kong finals have been over for two days, and Xiao Linsheng hasn't even called you, let alone come to see you..."
The mother's words were like an ice-cold needle, piercing Lu Ruirong's heart.
Didn't she have the same worries? That uneasiness and fear gnawed at her heart countless times when she was alone.
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