Chapter Thirty-One Face to Face
Meng Fanxi went in and sat down awkwardly, sitting closer to Lin Ruohe.
The dishes on the table looked untouched. Lin Ruohe looked after the two of them, refilling their water bottles. "Eat up."
It was a dish that Meng Fanxi liked to eat, and he was so embarrassed that he didn't know what to say, so he focused on eating the rice while keeping an eye on the expressions of the two people out of the corner of his eye.
He had only met Zhang Yang twice in total: once when he delivered the CD, and once now. As for the last time at the coffee shop, he was at most just observing Zhang Yang.
At this moment, Zhang Yang finally let go of his most intimidating aggressive demeanor and sat there quietly eating, like a big cat whose fur had been stroked.
Lin Ruohe thoughtfully took care of the two during their meal, occasionally turning the lazy Susan on the table so that they could enjoy different dishes.
The misunderstanding should be cleared up, Meng Fanxi thought to himself.
His phone vibrated. Ren Yuchen sent him a message: "How's it going? When are you coming? They're practically asking me to sign the contract on the spot."
"Cough cough..." Meng Fanxi choked on his throat. Lin Ruohe quickly handed him water, and Zhang Yang also cast a staring glance at him.
"It's nothing." Meng Fanxi took a sip of water, stood up and looked at the two of them. "We've almost finished discussing things with Ren Yuchen. I'm going over there now."
He picked up a few sheets of paper and walked out, then pretended to suddenly remember something and asked Lin Ruohe, "Ruohe, are you looking for them too? Why don't we go together?"
The main purpose was to test how much Jin Ziran Zhang Yang and Lin Ruohe had talked about, and whether they had discovered that Jin Ziran was behind it all.
Lin Ruohe then remembered that Ren Yuchen had been invited by Jin Ziran to Kaidi Entertainment to discuss matters, and replied indifferently, "That's right, I wonder what Ziran wants to see Ren Yuchen about."
The affectionate nickname doesn't convey any sense of closeness.
He looked at Zhang Yang and asked, "Why don't we ask them directly..." He paused, "Now that they've finished talking about their business, the three of us can catch up again, since it's a rare opportunity."
He didn't say what he wanted to clarify, but Meng Fanxi guessed that Jin Ziran's story to Zhang Yang and Lin Ruohe must have been inconsistent, and that this had now been exposed.
Zhang Yang's expression was unreadable. He glanced at Meng Fanxi and slowly stood up: "Okay."
The three walked towards Kaidi Entertainment. Meng Fanxi sent a signal to Ren Yuchen and then put away his phone.
Lin Ruohe walked in the middle. Neither he nor Zhang Yang were talkative people, so they chatted idly, making the atmosphere relaxed but not lively.
Meng Fanxi found a clever moment to join their conversation, and he shamelessly said, "Brother Zhang Yang, I have a question for you."
"Go ahead," Zhang Yang said, seemingly used to being called "brother," without much reaction.
Meng Fanxi cut to the chase: "Have you signed a contract with Kaidi Entertainment?"
"certainly."
Have you read every single clause in the contract?
Zhang Yang did not answer immediately. He pondered for a while and said, "I glanced at it when I signed it, but not every single one."
I signed the contract with Jin Ziran at the company at the time, but I don't remember the specific details. I only remember that it was very rushed.
Before Meng Fanxi could speak, Lin Ruohe frowned slightly and said disapprovingly, "How can you be so careless when signing a contract? How long have you been working on it?"
Zhang Yang: "Five years."
"What?" Meng Fanxi and Lin Ruohe both exclaimed in surprise. They knew that trainees at large entertainment companies could only sign contracts for a maximum of one year, and only artists who debuted would sign long-term contracts.
No wonder, no wonder Zhang Yang had to go through so much trouble to sue his agency in his previous life.
Meng Fanxi was 100% certain, but he knew he couldn't be so sure: "You've very likely been scammed."
Lin Ruohe questioned, "Were you scammed? Where's Jin Ziran?"
Zhang Yang had never cared much about these things, but seeing their reactions made him waver slightly. "No, Jin Ziran also signed a five-year contract."
Lin Ruohe couldn't care less about Jin Ziran's little tricks at the moment, and was more worried about them: "Then it seems that you two have been deceived! What kind of trainee signs a five-year contract directly?"
Meng Fanxi knew that the two of them were not completely disappointed in Jin Ziran, so he wasn't in a hurry. He continued, "Take some time to find the contract and take a good look at it. Make sure there are no unfair terms or anything like that."
Zhang Yang: "The contracts are all with the company."
Lin Ruohe said directly, "Okay, I'll verify it in a bit. I also know a lawyer; if you agree, I'll send it to him for help."
Zhang Yang nodded, his heart pounding, his fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of his clothes.
Ren Yuchen and the others were upstairs. Although it was Meng Fanxi's first time at Kaidi Entertainment, Ren Yuchen gave a brief description of the location, saying that the place was small and easy to find.
The receptionist seemed listless and unenthusiastic. Seeing that Zhang Yang was among the people who came in, she didn't ask any questions and continued playing on her phone.
As they climbed the stairs, Meng Fanxi led the way. Feeling it was a bit deliberate, he slowed his pace to let Zhang Yang and the others go first. "Brother Zhang Yang, they said it's in the karaoke room. Do you know where it is?"
"Hmm." Zhang Yang didn't like the karaoke room. Ever since it was set up, it had become a place for trainees to entertain themselves. Every day, people would chatter and howl in there. Even with soundproofing, it was still noisy.
The karaoke room was at the very top, and since Kai Di Entertainment hadn't finished giving the trainees their annual leave yet, there was hardly anyone upstairs at the moment.
The door was ajar, and loud, noisy music was emanating from inside. Just as Zhang Yang was about to push the door open, the person inside started speaking into a microphone, the content of which made him freeze in place.
Meng Fanxi also showed great curiosity, leaning closer to listen to the amplified sound through the microphone and carefully observing the reactions of the two people outside the door.
"Yu Chen, it's your turn to sing." The two in the karaoke room chose a duet song, but when it was Ren Yu Chen's turn, he seemed to be in a daze, while the background music continued to fill the entire room without stopping. Jin Zi Ran had to remind him from the other side with a microphone.
Ren Yuchen then realized what was happening, but instead of singing, he picked up the microphone and said, "Ziran, I really admire your courage to leave Weir back then..." He seemed to want to say something but then stopped.
Jin Ziran chuckled: "If you want to do it, just do it. What are you hesitating for?"
“I…” Before Ren Yuchen could say the next word, Jin Ziran interrupted him with a firm look in her eyes, “After I came here, sometimes I regretted not coming sooner.”
Meng Fanxi stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
He then said sincerely, "Look, when Zhang Yang first came, the company opened a video website account for him and managed it carefully. Now he has hundreds of thousands of fans, and as far as I know, the company is already planning for him to debut as a member of a group."
"As for me, although I am not as good as Zhang Yang, the company recently secured a spot for me in an S-level variety show. The company's investment in me is indeed not as great as Zhang Yang's, but I definitely wouldn't be able to get such resources in Will."
“Our company is not large, but we are very dedicated to each trainee. We will tailor a development plan for each individual, and everyone gets along very well. We will never let you feel like you did at Will.”
Meng Fanxi found it increasingly ridiculous. What exactly had Jin Ziran misunderstood?
He glanced at the two people in front of him; Lin Ruohe was deep in thought and didn't react.
Zhang Yang, however, remained completely calm with his cool and refined features, yet a chilling aura emanated from him.
They were still talking inside.
"Ziran, I'm still a little hesitant. It's a five-year contract. I'm worried that if I don't become famous, I'll have to endure another five years." It was Ren Yuchen's voice, and he was quite convincing in pretending to be confused and scared.
Jin Ziran's gentle voice came through, "How could that be? My contract is right here, you've seen it, it says I can terminate it at any time. You don't need to worry."
Zhang Yang suddenly turned around and walked towards a room. Only then did Meng Fanxi notice that his hands were clenched tightly together, and his knuckles were slightly white.
When he came out again, Zhang Yang was holding a "document" and quickly flipping through it page by page.
It should be a contract.
Lin Ruohe also walked over and browsed through the contents, his expression growing increasingly grim. "These are unfair terms and conditions; you can't find these loopholes unless you look closely."
Zhang Yang's voice was devoid of warmth: "There is no such thing as 'being able to terminate the contract at any time'."
He pushed the door open and went in, with Lin Ruohe and Meng Fanxi following closely behind.
The music was still playing in the karaoke room, the lights were dim, and the cheerful rhythm contrasted sharply with the tense atmosphere.
When Jin Ziran saw Zhang Yang enter, she froze on the spot, her mind racing to recall if she had said anything she shouldn't have. When she glanced at the contract in Zhang Yang's hand, her heart skipped a beat.
What was even more shocking was that Lin Ruohe followed Zhang Yang in. What was going on?
What's that guy in the back, Will's new trainee, doing here too?
Jin Ziran turned her head instantly, her sharp gaze piercing Ren Yuchen, who was calmly turning off the music in front of the machine.
We've been outmaneuvered.
Zhang Yang didn't say anything. He turned the lights in the karaoke room to their normal setting, and the space suddenly lit up, revealing everything.
He quickly locked onto his target and found another copy of Jin Ziran's contract placed in the corner of the sofa.
Jin Ziran called out "Brother" earnestly, but he ignored her.
After turning the last page, the last glimmer of hope in Zhang Yang's heart vanished.
He stood up and walked briskly to Jin Ziran. "Is it fun to lie to me?"
"No, let me explain."
"Explain," Zhang Yang said, using a strategic retreat to hand over the reins of the conversation to him.
"I..." Jin Ziran was speechless for a moment. "It was all the company's doing, I don't know anything about it."
"You even tricked Ren Yuchen into coming to the company, and that was the company's idea?" Zhang Yang snorted and repeated Jin Ziran's lines, "The company isn't big, but it cares a lot about each trainee and will tailor a development plan for each one. Plus, everyone gets along very well."
With each word he uttered, Jin Ziran's expression grew increasingly grim.
Zhang Yang was a head taller than Jin Ziran, and he looked down at him with an imposing and chilling aura. His gaze was deep and cold. "You've said these platitudes to him, to me, and to whom else? You're quite the liar, saying you wanted to debut with me. Have you ever considered me a friend?"
"Teen Idol is just a show, something I've been keeping under wraps. Do you think I'd try to take it from you?"
These words seemed to shatter Jin Ziran's psychological defenses. He was breathing rapidly and no longer wanted to pretend. He retorted, "Yes, you don't care. You think you're so great, that no one is as good as you. But you're still stuck in this lousy little company. Do you think you're still Will's S-level trainee?"
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