Chapter 1: Terminating the Contract and Quitting
"Su Yingxue, if you want to stay in this industry, you'd better listen to me."
"Dress lightly tonight and go apologize to General Manager Ge."
Agent Wang Qian's voice was cold, like a sharp knife slicing past her ear.
Su Yingxue stared at the "supplementary agreement" on the table. The densely packed words were like a net, trying to bind her to this company. A five-year contract with pitifully low profit sharing; even taking sick leave would result in a deduction of pay.
What's even more ridiculous is that at yesterday's dinner, Wang Qian, in order to pave the way for another newcomer, pushed her in front of the investors, forced her to drink, and even said it was an "opportunity".
God knows how she managed to resist the investor's groping and run away in the chaos, and now Wang Qian is coming to find her again.
Su Yingxue had endured for three years, and today she finally reached her limit.
She picked up her pen and wrote fiercely on the last page of the agreement—
"Termination request: Effective immediately."
Wang Qian's expression changed. "Are you crazy? You think you can still get roles without me?"
Su Yingxue laughed, a decisive laugh: "I quit."
She threw down her pen, stood up, and pushed open the door. The sunlight outside was blinding, but it made her feel—finally free.
But to her surprise, her phone rang as soon as she left the company: "Your grandmother is critically ill, come quickly."
In the hospital
"Grandma..." She grasped the old woman's withered hand, her vision blurred with tears. The old woman weakly opened her eyes, saw it was her, and managed a weak smile: "Silly child...why are you crying...Grandma's alright..."
The nurse gently pulled Su Yingxue away: "The cancer cells have spread; the family needs to be mentally prepared..."
She knelt before the hospital bed and buried her face in her grandmother's aged hands.
Her phone vibrated incessantly. Su Yingxue mechanically pulled it out; the dozen or so unread voice messages from her agent, Wang Qian, on the screen stung her eyes. Her fingers trembled as she tapped the top one, and Wang Qian's shrill voice instantly exploded in—
"Su Yingxue, are you crazy?! I just made an appointment with President Ge, and you're just going to leave like that?"
"Do you even know how many resources the company has spent on you?!" Wang Qian's voice grew louder and louder. "Is your grandmother more important than your future?! President Ge is still waiting for you to accompany him for drinks!"
The grandmother on the hospital bed softly called her name again, "Xiaoxue..." The old woman's cloudy eyes gazed out the window, seemingly oblivious to what was happening. Meanwhile, her phone continued to vibrate, and a second voice message popped up: "Go back immediately! President Ge said if you dare stand someone up, you can forget about working in this industry!"
Su Yingxue slowly straightened up, her fingers gently tracing the back of her grandmother's withered hand. She took a deep breath, slowly turned her head, and her gaze fell on the reflective screen of her phone on the bedside table—Wang Jie's thirteenth missed call was still flashing, and the red note in the WeChat chat box, "Contract termination compensation amount of 2 million," stung her eyes.
“We’re terminating the contract.” Her voice was soft, yet it pierced the stagnant air of the hospital room like a bullet.
Wang Qian's voice was still playing on repeat on the phone: "Terminate the contract? Can you come up with 2 million?" Su Yingxue pressed the power button directly, and the moment the screen went black, the only sound in the ward was the regular beeping of the electrocardiogram monitor.
"I'm quitting." Su Yingxue squatted down and looked directly into her grandmother's eyes. This was the first time in three years that she had looked directly into her own heart. "No matter how big the production, it can't compare to you calling me Xiaoxue." She reached out and wiped away the tears that were about to fall from the corners of her grandmother's eyes.
She quietly left the ward.
After three years in the entertainment industry, she finally bought a small house in the suburbs of Shanghai on her own.
It was a small two-bedroom apartment of about fifty square meters, not big, but with a small south-facing balcony. She had thought that when winter came, she would put a pot of flowers there, brew a pot of tea, and watch the sunset slowly sink. It was a foothold she had painstakingly built up, bit by bit, with three years of her youth, countless days and nights on film sets, exploited work schedules, and dignity that had been kneaded by capital.
But now, for her grandmother's sake, she has to sell it.
Su Yingxue sat on a bench in the hospital corridor, her fingers trembling slightly, and dialed the real estate agent she had contacted when she bought the house.
"Ms. Su, you're selling this place after only three months?" On the other end of the phone, the real estate agent, Xiao Wu, was still enthusiastic, even with a hint of regret and bewilderment. "Let me tell you, this location has the potential to appreciate in value. It's a real pity to sell it now."
"There's an emergency at home." Her voice was soft, but unusually firm. "We have to sell the house."
“Well… I need to make things clear to you first,” Xiao Wu paused, his tone becoming businesslike, “This is a short-term urgent sale, so the taxes are high, and the price is at least 20% lower than the market price. And it may not be able to sell quickly.”
“No problem.” She took a deep breath, trying to keep her voice steady. “Sell it for me as soon as possible. I need to see the money within three days.”
There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a gasp. "Hiss... Okay, I'll do my best."
After hanging up the phone, she leaned against the cold wall and slowly slid down to sit on the floor.
After a long while, she stood up, took a deep breath, composed herself, and even put on a faint smile before turning around and walking back into the ward.
Grandma was still asleep, breathing evenly, the wrinkles on her face appearing exceptionally soft in the afternoon light. She stood quietly by the bed, looking at her grandmother's sleeping face, a heavy weight pressing on her chest, the pain almost making it hard to breathe.
"I'm fine, Grandma," she whispered to herself. "We can buy another house if we sell it, and we can earn more money if we lose it. As long as you're here, I'll be alright no matter what."
She gently pulled up a chair, sat down by the bed, and gazed at her grandmother's aged face, her mind racing as she planned out each step to come.
The most urgent task is to terminate the contract with the company.
The 2 million yuan penalty for breach of contract weighed on her like a mountain, but she had no way out. She could no longer let the company control her life, nor could she let those so-called "opportunities" and "resources" become shackles binding her.
Secondly, it's about finding a job.
No matter what kind of job it is, the first priority is to ensure my own survival, to pay for my grandmother's medical expenses, and to get through this most difficult period.
Grandma had previously purchased insurance, which covered some of the costs, but it was far from enough to support long-term hospitalization and medication. She knew that the days ahead would be very difficult, but she was prepared.
But she didn't feel sad. Then it suddenly occurred to her that her grandmother's main job was as a chef, and that she herself had become quite skilled in cooking under her grandmother's tutelage. Perhaps she could use her cooking skills to earn money.
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