Chapter 22
The artist director's office was spacious and bright, with huge floor-to-ceiling windows offering views of the bustling city. Behind the desk sat a woman in her forties, with a capable and elegant demeanor—the artist director, Su Qing. Her assistant, Lin Wei, stood beside her.
Seeing the two enter, Su Qing stood up, a perfectly timed smile on her face, her sharp yet gentle gaze sweeping over Lu Xiao and Zhuo Hua.
When her gaze fell upon Zhuohua, a fleeting, undisguised look of amazement and curiosity flashed across her eyes. Director Zhang's description of this girl on the phone was far more than just "skilled."
"Lu Xiao, Zhuo Hua, welcome to Xingyao." Su Qing's voice was gentle yet firm, gesturing for the two to sit down. Lin Wei immediately served tea.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Su Qing got straight to the point, handing over two thick contracts: "These are the preliminary contracts the company has drafted for you two. The terms and conditions absolutely reflect our sincerity. You can take a look first."
Lu Xiao nervously took the contract. As soon as he opened the first page, he was shocked by the guaranteed annual salary, profit sharing ratio, and resource allocation clauses!
This treatment... is an astronomical sum that a newcomer who has just debuted and has only played the third male lead in one drama could never have dreamed of!
Zhuohua's salary was even more generous, and she had a much higher degree of freedom. Clearly, the company valued her "amazing" skills.
Just as Lu Xiao was immersed in immense joy, he took a deep breath, raised his head, and looked directly at Su Qing with the unique, courageous honesty of youth:
"Director Su, thank you for the company's high regard! We are very satisfied with the contract terms! However... there is something I must explain before signing."
Su Qing raised an eyebrow slightly, signaling him to continue.
"Zhuohua and I..." Lu Xiao's voice was clear and firm, with a hint of barely perceptible tension, "We are a couple. We're together."
After he finished speaking, there was a brief silence in the office.
Su Qing's smile remained unchanged, but a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes. She looked at Zhuohua. Zhuohua was picking up her teacup, slowly blowing away the foam on top, as if Lu Xiao had only announced "the weather is nice today," her face completely expressionless, not even lifting her eyelids.
This excessive calm only made Su Qing value the situation more. She quickly weighed the pros and cons. Lu Xiao had an excellent appearance and temperament, and his acting skills were natural; he was a promising talent worth nurturing. Zhuo Hua… was even more unfathomable, and his value was immeasurable.
The two signed a contract together, which naturally generates buzz and creates a sense of chemistry; if handled properly, it could be a win-win situation. As for their romantic relationship... in the entertainment industry, as long as it doesn't come out in the open and doesn't collapse, it can actually be a solid bond.
"Understood."
Su Qing's smile deepened, radiating a confident ease. "Thank you for your honesty, Lu Xiao. At Xingyao, we respect every artist's personal life and choices. As long as you two are mindful of your conduct in public and don't proactively disclose your private relationship, the company will not interfere. On the contrary, we will leverage this natural understanding and the buzz it generates to tailor a suitable development path for you both."
She looked at Zhuohua, "Miss Zhuohua, what are your thoughts?"
Zhuohua put down her teacup, looked calmly at Su Qing, and said only two words: "Okay."
Concise and to the point, without any unnecessary words.
A hint of admiration flashed in Su Qing's eyes. She liked artists who were unpretentious and talented. "That's great! Lin Wei, double-check the clauses in the contract regarding the artist's private life, and clearly state 'not to disclose private information proactively'."
After giving her instructions swiftly and decisively, she turned to the two of them with a friendly smile, "To show our sincerity and to make things easier for you both, the company has prepared an employee apartment for you. It's a two-bedroom, one-living room apartment with complete facilities and excellent security, located near the company. Lin Wei will take you there later. In addition, the company has assigned you two experienced agents who will come to the apartment tomorrow to discuss the follow-up work arrangements in detail."
Staff apartments?!
It's still a two-bedroom apartment?!
Lu Xiao was hit by a huge windfall once again! He was just thinking about how he and Zhuo Hua were crammed into that tiny, shabby single room and how he was desperately trying to earn money to buy a bigger house, and in the blink of an eye, Xingyao delivered a brand new apartment with its own private space! It was like a pillow delivered when you were sleepy!
"Thank you, Director Su! Thank you, company!" Lu Xiao's voice trembled with excitement as he quickly expressed his gratitude.
Zhuohua nodded slightly, accepting this "troublesome" arrangement.
The signing process went exceptionally smoothly. The moment he signed his name, Lu Xiao felt his hands tremble slightly. His life, along with Zhuo Hua's, seemed to have embarked on a brand new, golden road full of endless possibilities!
Lin Wei, beaming with smiles, held the signed contract and said, "Congratulations on officially becoming a member of the Xingyao family! Shall I take you to see the apartment now?"
Stepping out of the magnificent Xingyao building and into the business car driven by Lin Wei, Lu Xiao looked at the bustling street scenes rushing past the window, feeling as if he were dreaming. He secretly glanced at Zhuohua beside him.
She was resting with her eyes closed, her profile appearing exceptionally soft in the light streaming through the car window. He quietly reached out and, hidden by the seat, gently touched the back of Zhuohua's hand, which was resting at her side.
Zhuohua's eyelashes trembled slightly. She didn't open her eyes, but she also didn't pull her hand away, letting his calloused fingertips carefully touch her skin.
Lu Xiao's heart was instantly filled with immense sweetness. He clenched his fists, gazing at the towering skyscrapers outside the window, a single thought unwavering in his mind: signing the contract was just the beginning! He had to work even harder! He had to be worthy of her, worthy of Xingyao's nurturing, and even more worthy of... this "home" that would soon belong to the two of them!
The car smoothly entered a quiet and secure upscale residential community. Lin Wei led them to swipe their cards and enter a brand-new apartment building, going straight to the 15th floor.
"This is it, 1502." Lin Wei used her access card to open a heavy security door.
What comes into view is a bright, spacious, and simply modern two-bedroom apartment. Huge floor-to-ceiling windows flood the space with sunlight, and the living room is spacious with a comfortable fabric sofa and a simple coffee table. The open-plan kitchen is clean and tidy, fully equipped with all necessary cookware. The two bedrooms face each other, with the master bedroom featuring an ensuite bathroom.
"The furniture and appliances are all brand new, you can move in right away," Lin Wei introduced. "The company will replenish household supplies regularly. The community has excellent security, ensuring privacy, and it's close to the company, only a ten-minute drive away."
Standing on the gleaming floor, Lu Xiao gazed at this "home" he had only ever seen on television before. A wave of overwhelming happiness washed over him. He could finally... finally give Zhuo Hua a decent place to live! Although the house belonged to the company, at this moment, it belonged to both of them!
Zhuohua was also taking in her new surroundings. The space was ample, and the spiritual energy field was relatively clean and peaceful (much better than her previous old, run-down apartment). Most importantly… she glanced at the two separate bedroom doors and subtly raised an eyebrow. Excellent, saves someone from nagging about sleeping on the floor again.
"My agent will be here promptly at 10 a.m. tomorrow." Lin Wei left the key and access card, smiled, and said goodbye. "Congratulations on your move! Please feel free to contact me if you need anything."
The door closed gently.
In the huge apartment, only Lu Xiao and Zhuo Hua remained.
Sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, filling the air with the faint scent of new wood and leather, as well as an exciting atmosphere of "new life."
Lu Xiao turned around and looked at Zhuohua standing in the sunlight, his glassy eyes filled with excitement, gratitude, and a heavy sense of responsibility. He walked up to her, his voice slightly choked with emotion: "Zhuohua...we...we have a new home!"
Zhuohua looked up at his incredibly bright eyes, at his cheeks slightly flushed with excitement, and at the undisguised determination in his eyes to give her the best of everything in the world.
She subtly curved her lips into a smile, a shallow curve that, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, created a huge ripple in Lu Xiao's heart.
"Hmm." She responded softly, her gaze sweeping over the spacious and bright new home before finally settling on Lu Xiao's face, adding, "It's alright."
Lu Xiao, however, felt that the simple "not bad" was more pleasing than any praise. He knew that for her, this might just be another foothold. But for him, it was the starting point of their life together, a harbor he would protect with all his might.
## Chapter Fourteen: A Tailor-Made Script and a Childhood Sweetheart
The employee apartments provided by Xingyao were bright and clean, with plenty of sunlight, and the air was filled with a reassuring smell of new furniture and cleaning agents. It took Lu Xiao half a day to unpack their meager belongings.
Zhuohua's belongings were shockingly simple: a few changes of clothes, some odds and ends, plus a brand-new cell phone, that made up all her possessions.
Looking at the empty wardrobe, Lu Xiao thought to himself that he should hurry up and take her to buy some things—how could the master (although she never admitted it) be so "simple"!
That afternoon, Lu Xiao took Zhuo Hua to the most upscale shopping mall in the vicinity. Zhuo Hua showed little interest throughout, acting like a human clothes hanger, letting Lu Xiao hold up various clothes to her.
The sales assistant enthusiastically recommended the latest styles of the season, while Lu Xiao's eyes lit up as he held up various well-tailored, high-quality dresses, trench coats, and casual suits against Zhuo Hua.
"This looks great! It complements your skin tone!"
"What about this one? The material is very comfortable!"
"Isn't this color too bright? Or would a lighter color be better?"
Zhuohua mostly just glanced at him, only occasionally nodding almost imperceptibly and uttering a soft "hmm" when Lu Xiao was holding a simple, exceptionally soft and comfortable solid-color cashmere sweater.
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