Chapter 64
Xu Gui has finally changed agents.
Xu Gui didn't like the surname Kuang, because it, combined with her new agent's seemingly gentle but actually shrewd demeanor, made it easy for people to feel that he was about to cheat someone, and that she herself might be the one being cheated.
Kuang Ming, hearing her say this in such a serious tone, was speechless.
“My surname is Kuang, which doesn’t have the 'speech' radical. It’s not the ‘kuang’ that’s used to deceive people. Besides, why would I deceive people for no reason? Moreover, those who know me know that I am a very kind and capable person.”
Being kind to others is his life motto.
Upon hearing this, Xu Gui carefully examined him from head to toe, then shook his head in denial: "No, you are clearly narrow-minded, petty, two-faced, and vengeful. Anyone who offends you will be remembered by you for a lifetime!"
Kuang Ming: "..."
His lips twitched slightly, and he reached up to adjust his glasses, as if to say something. Xu Gui, however, said, "Don't tell me I misunderstood you. Don't forget what I do. I'm a fortune teller. Who are you? Do you think I would misjudge you?"
Others might misjudge someone, but she would never.
Kuang Ming: ...This is the downside of having such peculiar skill points among your artists.
"Okay, I might be a little narrow-minded," Kuang Ming admitted, but he felt he still needed to defend himself. He said, "That's only because someone offended me. I don't hold grudges or seek revenge on anyone for no reason. Generally speaking, I'm a kind person, right?"
Xu Gui stared at him for a while and nodded: "That's true. You're just a two-faced person at most, not a vicious one."
Kuang Ming: "...Just take that as a compliment."
He got down to business with Xu Gui: "From now on, you'll be one of my artists. As for your former manager, oh, we've found out he embezzled a lot of company funds over the years, and we're preparing to sue him. He's no longer our [Xinghai] manager."
"...Also, I looked at the contract you signed with Rong Yi before, and there were many clauses in it that did not comply with the rules. So I discussed it with the company and we plan to have you sign a new contract with the company."
Kuang Ming took out a contract from his briefcase: "This is a new contract. You can take a look at it first. The company is willing to give up two percentage points on revenue sharing as compensation for what you did before."
Kuang Ming didn't come alone; he was accompanied by a young woman. He introduced her to Xu Gui: "This is Lulu, surnamed Yuan. From now on, she will be your personal assistant."
Yuan Lu stepped forward at the right moment and said, "Hello, Teacher Xu, I am Yuan Lu. I will be your personal assistant from now on."
Kuang Ming only learned after taking over Xu Gui that Xu Gui had previously worked under Rong Yi, who simply dumped Xu Gui on the production team and then ignored him completely, not even providing an assistant. Xu Gui had to do everything himself, and there was nothing else to do.
Because of this incident, the outside world now has a lot of opinions about them, Xinghai. Especially as Xu Gui's fame rises and his fans increase, Xinghai has become known among netizens as a new generation of "black factory" and heartless capitalists in the entertainment industry.
This time, [Starry Sea] has gained notoriety, but not for a good reason.
The senior management at Xinghai were somewhat helpless about this. Xinghai is a large company, and each artist is mainly managed by their agent. They were unaware that Rong Yi was treating Xu Gui so perfunctorily.
Seeing that Rong Yi had ruined most of Xinghai's reputation, the company's senior management discussed the matter and then called Kuang Ming over to become Xu Gui's agent.
Kuang Ming looks reliable, and he is reliable in person. He is considered a top agent at [Xinghai]. By assigning him to handle Xu Gui, [Xinghai]'s attitude of making amends is quite clear.
Before meeting Xu Gui, Kuang Ming had already learned a certain amount about her—he had read all of Xu Gui's information and her previous live stream videos, and he had a general idea of how to deal with her.
No one knows what his attitude will be like in the future, but he is indeed very humble in front of Xu Gui now, and the conditions he offers Xu Gui are getting better and better.
Seeing Xu Gui looking at the contract, Kuang Ming explained the situation clearly, saying, "This contract is one that I strongly advocated for with the company. Generally speaking, the revenue split between the company and its artists is roughly 70/30..."
If you encounter a dishonest person, there's bound to be an 80/20 split. Of course, the majority of that goes to the company, and only a small portion goes to the artist.
The terms that Xinghai is offering Xu Gui now are a 50/50 split of income, and the company will also be responsible for all the expenses of her other staff. As for Kuang Ming, her agent, he will receive 10%. For Kuang Ming, this share is very small. Given his position at Xinghai, no one would object to him receiving 20%.
However, the 10% figure was proposed by Kuang Ming himself.
"In the matter of Rong Yi, it was our company's oversight that caused you to suffer such a great injustice. This contract is our apology to you!" Kuang Ming said sincerely.
Xu Gui had already finished reading the contract, although she didn't really understand it. She skimmed through it. But as she said before, she could tell fortunes, which could really help her cheat in many things.
At least for now, she didn't feel anything was wrong with the contract. She glanced at the contract period: eight years.
"Do you have any further comments on the contract?" Kuang Ming asked with a smile, his attitude very gentle.
Almost as soon as he finished speaking, Xu Gui clearly and distinctly declared, "Yes!"
Kuang Ming asked casually, "What's the problem?"
Xu Gui said, "I think eight years is too long. I think... three years would be more appropriate."
Kuang Ming: "..." You think this is bargaining? From eight years to three years?
"This eight-year term was the one you agreed upon when you signed the contract with Rong Yi," he reminded Xu Gui.
Xu Gui nodded to indicate that he understood, but then said, "But I feel that this time is too long."
Kuang Ming thought for a moment and asked, "May I ask what you would do if I refused your request?"
Xu Gui's eyes darted around, and he said with a smile, "Well, I don't know the answer to that question either. It depends on the company's sincerity."
"..." Kuang Ming smiled and said, "I need to discuss this with the company. I can only get back to you in a couple of days... For now, let Yuan Lu stay with you. If anything happens, you can arrange for Yuan Lu to do it."
Because of Xu Gui's request, the new contract was not signed. Before Kuang Ming left, Xu Gui had one more question to ask him.
"The money I make from fortune telling shouldn't be part of a celebrity's income, right?" she asked, looking at Kuang Ming warily, afraid that he and the company would take a cut of her fortune telling earnings. "Let me make this clear first, I've donated all my fortune telling earnings to orphanages. I only have 20,000 yuan on me right now!"
Twenty thousand yuan is certainly not a small amount; it's enough to eat and drink and support oneself. However, for Xu Gui, who had earned at least one or two million yuan since he started fortune telling (the Zheng family received one million yuan), it was very little.
With so much money, she only kept 20,000 for herself?
"You gave it all to the orphanage?" Kuang Ming found it hard to believe. "Didn't you keep any for yourself?"
Xu Gui replied, "Compared to me, of course the orphanage needs this money more."
As a turtle who had only recently entered human society, Xu Gui was quite easy to raise. As long as she had food, water, clothes, and shelter, that was enough for her. She didn't pursue higher consumption and could eat instant noodles with great pleasure. Therefore, such a large sum of money was dispensable to her.
But this money is different for the orphanage.
Xu Gui wrinkled his nose and said to his new agent, "Our orphanage is very poor. The facilities, buildings, and many other things in the orphanage are old and need to be replaced. Also, the children need to eat better and get more nutrition so that they can grow up healthily."
She told her agent about her dream: "I want to build our orphanage into the world's largest orphanage!"
Kuang Ming gave her a strange look and nodded, saying, "Well then, I wish you success." Although it was the first time he had ever heard of someone's dream of building the world's first orphanage.
*
After Kuang Ming and Xu Gui parted ways, they didn't leave the hotel, but instead went to find the production crew.
They were all in the same circle, and the director knew him too. When he saw him, he said sarcastically, "Oh, so you guys from Xinghai actually dared to grace our little show set with your presence? Haha, this is the first time I've ever seen a company just dump its artists on another show set and then ignore them. People who don't know better might think our show set is a daycare."
The director's tone was harsh, but Kuang Ming sensed a hint of his protectiveness towards Xu Gui in it, which surprised him somewhat.
Thinking to himself, he smiled and said, "Director, you're joking. By the way, I heard that you were in a car accident the day before yesterday. Are you alright?"
The two men's eyes met, and the assistant director standing nearby suddenly had the illusion that a sword fight was about to break out.
A few seconds later, the two who had just seemed to be exchanging glances sat down to talk amicably, as if their "confrontation" had never happened.
Seeing this, the assistant director seemed to understand. He took out his notebook, opened a page, and quickly wrote on it:
The 35th essential lesson for directors: You need to be thick-skinned. Even if you're hurling insults at someone one second, you can still have a pleasant conversation the next.
The assistant director looked at the thirty-five tips he had written down and felt quite excited: as long as he learned these thirty-five essential tips for directors, he should be able to get rid of the "assistant" in his title.
On the other side, Yuan Lu, who had been assigned by Kuang Ming to be Xu Gui's personal assistant after he left, naturally stayed behind to take care of Xu Gui's life.
Xu Gui didn't understand why she needed to be taken care of by others in her life.
As a very capable turtle, she believed she had always taken good care of herself, so when she looked at Yuan Lu, she didn't know what to ask her to do for a moment.
She was staying in a small room. Although she could have moved to a smaller suite with the money she was earning, she hadn't. After living there for a few days, she felt like she had grown attached to the place.
Normally, the hotel cleaning staff would come in to clean after she left each day, so the room wasn't dirty. She had just left a few dirty clothes there, and there really wasn't anything that needed to be cleaned.
"Are you staying at a hotel too?" Xu Gui asked, trying to make conversation with Yuan Lu.
Upon hearing this, Yuan Lu hesitated for a moment before saying, "I should go back. I'll go home after you go to sleep every day and come back in the morning. If there's anything you need me to do, Teacher Xu, you can ask me to do it... like, you can leave the fish tank to me!"
She had obviously watched Xu Gui's live stream and knew that Xu Gui had to promote [Miaoyu] every day and needed someone to watch over the items when she left the stall, which is why she said that.
Hearing her say that, Xu Gui nodded, "That's fine too." That way, they wouldn't have to trouble the production team.
Just then, someone knocked on the door. Yuan Lu said, "I'll go open the door," and ran out. After a while, she came back with someone behind her. Xu Gui looked over and saw that the person was the assistant who had come to help in the past two days, and was also a member of the production team.
The other person was holding a small fish tank, which was filled with artificial rocks, pebbles, and aquatic plants, as well as a small puddle. Next to the artificial rocks, a small green turtle was lying on the ground.
"Teacher Xu, this is the turtle that [Miaoyu] gave you. When they came to pick up their things later, they brought another fish tank with them, saying it was for the little turtle to live in, so I brought it to you!" the assistant said.
Xu Gui got up and took the fish tank. The turtle in the tank had its neck retracted into its shell, but it seemed to sense her presence and stretched its neck out again, looking lazy.
"Thank you," Xu Gui said to his assistant.
The assistant had come mainly to deliver the turtle. After delivering the turtle, she should have left, but she stood there without moving. When Xu Gui looked up and glanced at her in confusion, she seemed to come to her senses, tugged at her lips, revealing what could be called a smile, and then turned and hurriedly ran away.
As soon as she ran out of Xu Gui's room, the smile on her face vanished. She couldn't help but hit her head with her fist before dejectedly returning to her place.
As a member of the production team, she also lived in a hotel, sharing a room with other staff members. When she returned, her roommate looked up and asked, "So, did you ask Teacher Xu if she still needs an assistant?"
The assistant's expression fell as she said, "No."
My roommate exclaimed in surprise, "Didn't you say you wanted to be Professor Xu's assistant? Why didn't you ask?"
Upon hearing this, the assistant felt a lump in her throat and almost burst into tears. She pouted and said, "Teacher Xu already has an assistant. Her new agent came today and brought her an assistant. She doesn't need a personal assistant at all."
Upon hearing this, my roommate was surprised for a moment, then said with some regret, "Then there's nothing we can do."
Previously, Xu Gui didn't have an assistant, so the assistant had the idea of going to her side to be her assistant. However, she was a little shy and hesitated for two days without daring to ask Xu Gui. As a result, Xu Gui ended up having an assistant.
The assistant slumped over the table, looking dejected, and said, "I really like Teacher Xu. I think she's so cool and amazing. If I could be her assistant, I would definitely be the happiest girl in the world!"
But now, even the happiest girl's heart is broken.
That's right, the assistant is a fan of Xu Gui, so when the production team said they needed someone to help out, she was very proactive and volunteered. Later, when she saw that Xu Gui didn't have an assistant, she had the idea of becoming Xu Gui's assistant.
But who could have imagined that her idea would be completely shattered just a few days after it was conceived?
Her roommate sighed after hearing this, patted her on the back, and said, "There's nothing we can do about it. Who told you to speak up so late?"
Assistant: "...I'm just a little embarrassed to ask."
Her roommate comforted her: "Don't be sad. Although you can't be Professor Xu's assistant, we work in the same circle, so you'll definitely have opportunities to meet again in the future... By the way, is that young master Sun you mentioned still bothering you?"
The young master Sun was referring to a man named Sun Yaozu, a rich second-generation or third-generation rich kid. After meeting his assistant by chance, he began to pursue her relentlessly, using all sorts of methods. No matter how the assistant rejected him, he acted as if he couldn't hear her, which annoyed her to no end.
"It's been over half a year, and Young Master Sun still hasn't given up. He's been pursuing you all this time." My roommate suddenly said, "Do you think it's possible that Young Master Sun really likes you?"
The assistant shook her head without hesitation, saying firmly, "Impossible! What would a young master like about me? That I'm poor? That I'm plain-looking? He's not here to help the poor, you know!"
She is very self-aware.
"Why are you belittling yourself? You're not that bad." Her roommate, sitting next to her, said, "I know you think Young Master Sun is a womanizer, but this time, it seems different. He seems genuinely sincere towards you..."
I've asked around before, but I've never heard of Young Master Sun being this patient with any girl before. This is the first time he's pursued a girl for so long!
Her roommate couldn't help but ask, "Xiaoyu, Young Master Sun's attitude is so sincere, haven't you ever thought about accepting his advances even once?"
The assistant, He Yu, shook her head: "...I haven't thought about it."
"But Lingling... why are you suddenly talking to Sun Yaozu? Didn't you say before that you hated spoiled brats like them the most?" He Yu asked with some doubt.
Upon hearing this, my roommate's eyes flickered for a moment, and he said, "I... I'm just thinking of you, aren't I? Think about it, Young Master Sun comes from a good family and isn't bad-looking. If you marry him, you'll be Mrs. Sun from now on. You'll never have to worry about food or drink, and you won't have to suffer at work anymore. Don't you think so?"
He Yu, however, was very clear-headed: "...The premise for all of this to happen is that Sun Yaozu really likes me, but I don't think he likes me."
"I think he finds pursuing me more interesting than liking me, and once he gets me, he'll lose interest!"
Roommate: "...Aren't you overthinking it?"
He Yu shrugged and said nonchalantly, "Just consider it overthinking. Anyway, I won't accept his advances. I don't like him."
She rested her head on her arm and yawned.
Her roommate looked at her with a somewhat anxious expression, as if she wanted to say something, but when the words were about to come out, she seemed to think of something and swallowed them back, only staring at He Yu with a strange look in her eyes.
*
As evening approached and the summer heat subsided, Xu Gui received another message from Qiao Qiao's grandmother.
She glanced at it, typed a reply to Grandma Qiao, and prepared to leave for Grandma Qiao's niece's school. However, as she was leaving, she suddenly remembered something and turned to Yuan Lu, saying:
"I just remembered I need your help with something!"
With a look of surprise on Yuan Lu's face, she pointed to the fish tank on the table and said, "When I don't have time later, I might need to trouble you to take care of this little turtle for me and make sure it doesn't die."
This little one is the only one she needs to take care of.
Upon hearing this, Yuan Lu glanced at the fish tank, then looked at Xu Gui, nodded seriously, and said, "Teacher Xu, don't worry, as long as the turtle lives, so does the person; if the turtle dies, so does the person!"
Xu Gui: "...Ah, is it really that bad?"
If something were to happen, she felt that Yuan Lu should consider her own situation first.
However, Yuan Lu seemed very serious.
Xu Gui: Okay.
Qiaoqiao's grandmother's niece attends the best school in City A, namely University A. Xu Gui contacted Qiaoqiao's grandmother and they agreed to meet at the east gate of University A.
When they met, Grandma Qiao wiped the sweat from her brow and whispered to Xu Gui with a look of lingering fear, "You have no idea how much trouble I went through to get here. Mingyue kept asking me why we got so close and what I was doing at school. I really racked my brains to find a reason to fool her."
Xu Gui then asked, "What reason did you give?"
"walk!"
"..."
Your home is located in the north and south of University A, so you traveled across most of City A to come to University A just for a walk?
This reason...
"Miss Xue, didn't you say anything?" Xu Gui asked.
Grandma Qiao said happily, "She didn't say anything, she just told me to be careful!"
Xu Gui nodded, understanding.
Clearly, Miss Xue knew about the secret between Grandma Qiao and Xu Gui, but perhaps seeing her mother-in-law's predicament, she didn't ask any further questions.
Grandma Qiao was still feeling smug about herself for lying to her daughter-in-law—she had made something of herself, managing to fool her shrewd and capable daughter-in-law.
Grandma Qiao: Hahaha!
"Yaoyao's dormitory is over here..." Grandma Qiaoqiao hurriedly led Xu Gui to the dormitory building, while calling her niece on her phone to ask her to come downstairs and pick them up.
She had actually called her niece once around noon to tell her that she would be coming over in the afternoon and that she should not go out in the afternoon so that they wouldn't be disappointed when they arrived.
So Yao Yao didn't go out today. After Grandma Qiao Qiao called her, she went downstairs to pick them up. So when Xu Gui and the others arrived at the dormitory building, they saw Yao Yao already waiting there.
Upon seeing her aunt, the woman immediately ran over and excitedly called out to Grandma Qiaoqiao, "Auntie!"
After shouting, she glanced at Xu Gui with some curiosity.
Grandma Qiao was worried about the bracelet, but she was happy to see her niece and gave her the things she had brought—she always brought something when she visited her niece.
This time is no exception.
"Auntie, you brought me so many things again..."
"There's not much more, just some food and clothing."
After exchanging a few words, Grandma Qiaoqiao finally got down to business.
"Yaoyao, do you remember the bag your aunt gave you before?" Qiaoqiao's grandma asked.
"The bag, which bag?" Yao Yao couldn't remember for a moment.
Grandma Qiao said anxiously, "It's the bag I gave you to pack your things when you came to school to register last year, it's so big, it's black, do you remember?"
Grandma Qiao Qiao gestured.
Upon hearing this, Yao Yao suddenly remembered and exclaimed, "That black bag you mentioned? I remember now, I left that bag in my dorm... Oh, Auntie, do you need that bag? I'll take you upstairs to get it."
As Yao Yao led them upstairs, she asked with some confusion, "Auntie, you came to see me just for this bag?"
Seeing her aunt's anxious expression just now, she thought something serious had happened, which startled her. Now that she knew it was just for a bag, she was both amused and exasperated.
“You could have just given me a call, and I’d have delivered it to you when I had time,” she said. “Why did you make a special trip?”
Grandma Qiao said, "You don't understand, how could I wait that long? If you knew there was a gold bracelet worth over 100,000 yuan inside, you would probably be even more anxious than me."
Yao Yao was unaware of this matter and genuinely felt confused.
When Xu Gui arrived at the dormitory, she found that there was already someone else there. The person looked at Xu Gui and her friends with curiosity and then greeted them politely.
Xu Gui casually glanced around the dormitory and asked Yao Yao, "Where are your other two roommates? Aren't they here?"
The dormitory room is for four people, and two people are currently in the room, meaning two people are not there.
Upon hearing this, Yao Yao casually replied, "They went out..."
She walked to the cabinet near the door and took out the bag that had been stuffed tightly next to the cabinet.
The bag wasn't small, but it wasn't very spacious either. Yao Yao had used it to store some clothes she didn't wear and other odds and ends. Because it was crammed into a corner and hadn't been cleaned up, it was covered in dust. When you took it out, you could see dust floating everywhere in the air.
Yao Yao was a little embarrassed and explained, "I don't usually use it..."
When Grandma Qiao saw the bag, her previously hazy memories became clear, and she remembered where she had put the gold bracelet.
She crouched down, opened the bag, and went straight to her destination, reaching into the inner compartment and feeling around inside.
A few seconds later, she withdrew her hand, and now she had a red velvet bag in her hand. When the bag was opened, a gold bracelet that looked very heavy immediately came into the eyes of the three of them.
"...Found it!!" Grandma Qiao looked at Xu Gui with a face full of surprise and said, "Xiao Gui, you really didn't miscalculate, I really put the bracelet in here!"
Yao Yao was bewildered and shocked when she saw the gold bracelet—she had left this bag in her dorm room for so long, and she hadn't even known that there was a gold bracelet in the compartment inside.
No wonder her aunt was so anxious.
However, Yao Yao's shock didn't last long, because the next second, she heard something even more baffling.
"This is fake..."
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