Chapter 79
When Xu Gui woke up, she heard the door being banged on loudly. She sat up groggily and went to open the door. Only when she saw her manager Kuang Ming's face outside did she slowly come to her senses.
"Ha..." Xu Gui yawned sleepily and greeted the other party: "Good morning, Mr. Kuang."
Kuang Ming was so angry at her appearance that he almost laughed.
He tapped his watch on his wrist, indicating, "At this hour, you're still calling me early?"
Xu Gui blinked and subconsciously reached into his pocket, but couldn't find his phone.
She turned and went back to her bedroom to get her phone. On the way, she saw He Yuan, who had just crawled out of her bedroom because of the knocking, looking disheveled.
The other person also looked exhausted, yawning constantly, as if they hadn't slept well at all.
"Good morning," Xu Guishun greeted her.
He Yuan watched her go back to her bedroom with a blank expression: "...Okay, good morning."
When she saw Kuang Ming enter, she greeted him politely.
When Xu Gui got her phone, she realized it was indeed quite late; it was already 1 p.m. She touched her stomach and pondered seriously, "No wonder I felt hungry when I woke up."
Hungry, Xu Gui took his phone and walked out of the bedroom, only to see Kuang Ming standing at the living room window, opening it.
Seeing Xu Gui come out, he looked up at her and asked, "Did you drink last night?"
Xu Gui: "No."
Kuang Ming sneered, "Why does the room smell so strongly of alcohol if we haven't been drinking?"
Because it was hot and the air conditioning was on, Xu Gui and the others didn't open the windows, so the smell from last night was trapped inside. That's why he smelled the alcohol as soon as he came in.
Xu Gui explained, "I didn't drink it. He Yuan drank a little last night... The two of us had a late-night snack together last night."
"So, that's why you're only getting up now?" Kuang Ming asked calmly.
"..." Xu Gui chose to change the subject, "Mr. Kuang, is there something you need from me?"
Kuang Ming: "..."
Clearly, Xu Gui had completely forgotten what he said yesterday.
He took a breath and said, "I remember telling you yesterday that I wanted you to come to the company first thing this morning so we could discuss the contract."
But when he arrived at the company early in the morning, he sat in the office waiting and waiting, but no one came. Finally, he couldn't help but come over and found that the person looked like he had just gotten up... no, he hadn't gotten up yet, but had just been woken up by him and had just gotten out of bed.
"Do you know how many times I called you this morning?" he questioned Xu Gui.
Reminded by him, Xu Gui chuckled awkwardly and said somewhat guiltily, "I know, twenty-three. I have missed call notifications on my phone." It happened to be the number "23".
"Is that the point?" Kuang Ming sneered, crossing his arms as he asked, "So, why didn't you answer any of the many calls I made?"
Xu Gui explained, "I usually put my phone on silent when I sleep so that no phone calls will disturb my sleep."
Kuang Ming: ...He probably guessed that Xu Gui's phone was on silent, but he didn't expect her reason for it to be so simple and honest, just to prevent the phone from disturbing her sleep?
Kuang Ming could only be thankful that his emotions were stable, so he wasn't too angry when he heard Xu Gui say that.
“Okay,” he said, “the filming just finished yesterday, I should have known you needed to rest more…”
He glanced at the time and said, "Then, let's do it this afternoon. After you've finished washing up, I'll take you to lunch, and we can talk about the contract after lunch."
Xu Gui was looking at his phone at that moment and said, "I don't have time this afternoon."
Kuang Ming:?
Xu Gui raised his head.
"I have to go to the orphanage this afternoon..."
*
Xu returned to the orphanage because of Wang Xingxing. Wang Xingxing was going back to his hometown with his grandmother that afternoon. The directors wanted them to stay a little longer, but Xingxing's grandmother was in a hurry to go back.
There's no way around it, even though the old lady is old, she's very capable. She not only raises pigs, but also chickens, and even two ducks and two geese. She's quite the "big breeder" in the village.
With so many mouths to feed every day, even though they've managed to get help from relatives and neighbors, it's not good to keep troubling others. So, Xingxing's grandmother was naturally eager to go back home.
When Xu Gui arrived at the orphanage, they were just about to leave for the train station.
Upon seeing Xu Gui appear, Wang Lingxing, who had been frequently looking outside and had been somewhat silent, suddenly brightened up, and a hint of excitement appeared on his face.
As soon as Xu Gui got closer, he couldn't wait to call out, "Sister Little Turtle!"
Xu Gui smiled at him and then turned to talk to her grandmother.
Grandma smiled and said, "...The livestock at home can't be left alone, so we have to go back as soon as possible. Miss Xu, thank you so much for Xingxing's matter. It's all thanks to your help that we were able to get him out of the Wang family's house."
The old lady looked tenderly at her grandson beside her.
"You're too kind..." Xu Gui said, then asked her grandmother what her plans were for the future.
Grandma sighed, "Let's take it one step at a time. Fortunately, I've saved some money over the years, and I'm still quite healthy and can do some work. I shouldn't have any problem supporting me and Xingxing."
Moreover, Wang Lingxing is now an adult, a nineteen-year-old boy who is already capable of doing many things.
“Yang Ai also promised me that she would send money over every month, but I plan to use this money to treat Xingxing’s illness.”
She clearly had a clear plan for the future and was still thinking about getting Wang Lingxing treated.
Xu Gui listened and felt relieved.
"If anything happens, you can call me."
Xu Gui saved his phone number in his grandmother's phone, and also asked Wang Xingxing and his uncle to add his contact information. This way, even if one of them lost his contact information, the other two could still contact him, and neither side would lose contact.
However, the orphanage is right here, so even if she loses contact, Wang Xingxing should be able to find herself.
Xu Gui then looked at Wang Lingxing and smiled, "Wang Xingxing, from now on you'll be living with your grandma. You're an adult now, so remember to take good care of yourself and your grandma, okay?"
"If you encounter any difficulties, you can also call me."
Wang Lingxing kept looking at her, his eyes swirling with some deep and intense emotions. Suddenly, he reached out and hugged Xu Gui.
The embrace was tight; he held her very tightly.
Xu Gui was taken aback by his sudden action and was momentarily stunned.
"Sister Little Turtle, thank you so much for saving me! Thank you for taking me out of the Wang family, and thank you for calling my grandma... If it weren't for you, I might have jumped off the building and died that day." He said softly, his voice sounding muffled because he had buried his head in Xu Gui's shoulder.
He said, "I will remember you for the rest of my life, so please don't forget me either, okay?"
Kuang Ming, who had brought Xu Gui over, stood to the side and, upon hearing this, his gaze shifted, suddenly turning to the boy whom Xu Gui had always referred to as "child."
He suddenly realized: this child named Wang Xingxing, though called a child, is actually an adult. To be precise, he is only three or four years younger than Xu Gui.
Kuang Ming's expression turned somewhat strange.
"ha."
Xu Gui smiled and reached out to touch Wang Lingxing's head—Wang Lingxing was quite tall, but because of his poor appetite in recent years, he looked very thin, like a skinny stick growing towards the sky.
Xu Gui touched his head, but had to raise his hand slightly.
"Your tone makes it sound like we'll never see each other again." Xu Gui found it a little funny. She said, "With transportation so convenient these days, if you want to come see me, the director, Xueya, and everyone at the orphanage, you can come anytime you want."
Therefore, there is absolutely no need to be reluctant to part with it.
"Pfft!" Kuang Ming turned his head and chuckled softly.
Wang Lingxing: "...That's true."
Xu Gui's words instantly lessened the sadness of parting. Wang Lingxing then said goodbye to Wu Xueya, Zhao Di, and the other people in the orphanage.
As the saying goes, even after a thousand miles of farewell, there must be a parting. Although Wang Lingxing was reluctant, she still left with her grandmother and the others.
"Waaah, Brother Xingxing..." A child in the orphanage sobbed and wiped away tears, very reluctant to see Wang Lingxing leave—Wang Lingxing was very popular with the children in their orphanage.
Now, seeing him leave, the older children are okay, but several of the younger ones have tears in their eyes and can't help but cry.
As for Zhao Di and Wu Xueya, they were naturally also heartbroken. Although they were four or five years younger than Wang Lingxing, the three of them had successfully built a very deep friendship and become good friends in just a few days.
The two were naturally disappointed when their friend left.
"It's okay, we can call Xingxing whenever we're free," Wu Xueya comforted the downcast Zhao Di. "Didn't we save his phone number?"
Zhao Di nodded in agreement.
...
After seeing Wang Lingxing and the other two off, everyone returned to the orphanage.
It was the first time the dean and the others had met Kuang Ming. After learning that he was Xu Gui's future manager, they were surprised but then became enthusiastic. Even five- or six-year-old children passing by smiled at him, which made Kuang Ming, who was not usually liked by children, feel quite flattered.
“…Our little turtle is a very, very good child. The reason she entered the entertainment industry to become a star was to earn money to subsidize the orphanage so that the children in the orphanage could have a better life.” The director sighed, “In the end, it’s all because of our incompetence as elders that she has to worry about the well-being of everyone in the orphanage at such a young age.”
She looked at Kuang Ming and said, "She is kind-hearted and has no guile. Ever since she became a star, I have been worried about her, afraid that she might suffer some injustice... Now that Mr. Kuang is her manager, I may have to trouble you to take care of her more in the future."
"If our little turtle does anything wrong or doesn't do something right, we hope Mr. Kuang can be more tolerant of her and not get angry with her," the dean said sincerely.
Kuang Ming: "Dean, you're too kind."
He showed great respect for the dean and said, "You can rest assured about this. As Xu Gui's agent, I share her fate. I can only be well if she is well. So even for my own sake, I will take good care of her and not let her suffer any injustice."
Upon hearing this, the dean smiled faintly and said in a flat tone, "Our Little Turtle's previous manager said the same thing back then." She looked at Kuang Ming with an awkward yet polite expression.
Kuang Ming: "..."
He cursed inwardly: Damn Rong Yi, others plant trees for future generations to enjoy the shade, but he dug a pit for future generations to fall into, and he's the one who fell into the pit.
Kuang Ming calmed himself down.
“…I’m not like Xu Gui’s former agent,” he explained to the dean. “Xu Gui is very popular now and has a bright future ahead of her. I would be crazy to do something that would ruin her future.”
He didn't say anything about how good he would be to Xu Gui, because anyone could say that, and until the very end, no one would know if what you said was true. So, Kuang Ming simply explained to the dean and the others what Xu Gui's current great fame represented.
Although Xu Gui doesn't have any works yet, her current fame is in no way inferior to that of first- or second-tier celebrities. In this world where traffic reigns supreme, as long as she manages things properly, her popularity can quickly be converted into huge profits.
Kuang Ming explained clearly and logically: "To be honest, I've received many invitations to collaborate with Xu Gui, with the highest fees reaching seven figures... She's an artist in our company now, and our interests are intertwined. For me and our company, she's a goldmine right now."
He looked at the dean and asked, "Do you think our company would treat an artist who can bring us huge profits badly?"
It must be said that Kuang Ming's idea was correct. What he said really struck a chord with the dean. Compared to those vague and illusory numbers, the word "interests" made the dean believe more.
"Besides..." Kuang Ming added, sighing, "With Xu Gui's abilities, what can our company do to her? In her case, the weaker party might actually be our company."
Dean: That makes perfect sense!
She seemed to have forgotten that Xu Gui was much more cunning now than when she was still in the orphanage. With her abilities, it was easy for her to bully others, but it wasn't so easy for others to bully her.
After the dean figured it out, he was completely relieved. His gaze towards Kuang Ming became more affectionate. Kuang Ming knew that at this moment, the other party finally regarded him as one of his own.
After Kuang Ming finished talking with the dean, Xu Gui came over a short while later. She was carrying a plate of fried yogurt, which she handed to Kuang Ming and asked, "Manager Kuang, what were you and our dean talking about just now?"
Kuang Ming took one from the plate and said, "Your dean was worried that I would cause you any distress, so she talked to me about your situation. She cares about you a lot."
Xu Gui replied matter-of-factly, "She's the dean, of course she cares about me."
Kuang Ming nodded and then got down to business with Xu Gui, which was the contract.
“The company has agreed to your request,” he said. “The contract period has been changed from eight years to three years. After three years, your contract with the company will automatically expire.”
Upon hearing this, Xu Gui looked at him and exclaimed in surprise, "Your company actually agreed to such an outrageous request?"
“It’s our company, have you forgotten? You already signed a contract with our company a long time ago, this is just a change to the contract.” Kuang Ming corrected her mistake, and then said, “If it were someone else, we certainly wouldn’t agree to such an excessive request, but you are different.”
Xu Gui looked at him with a puzzled expression.
Kuang Ming explained why she was "different".
“You’re not someone to mess with,” he said.
Upon hearing this reason, Xu Gui exclaimed, "Pfft!" She almost choked on her own saliva.
This reason... is really simple and straightforward, and it's truly unexpected.
Kuang Ming shrugged and sighed, "There's nothing we can do. You're different from other artists. You can tell fortunes. Rather than offending you, our company would rather be on good terms with you and maintain a friendly relationship."
That's right, it's about building good relations. You could say this contract is a stepping stone for [Starsea] to maintain a friendly relationship with Xu Gui, and it's also to make up for previous mistakes—the contract that Xu Gui and Rong Yi signed before had many unreasonable parts.
Xu Gui generously stated, "I'm not that petty."
Kuang Ming then asked, "If the company offends you, will you retaliate?"
"Of course," Xu Gui replied quickly.
Kuang Ming smiled at her, and Xu Gui said shyly, "I don't like to be wronged."
Seeing her reaction, Kuang Ming became even more certain that the contract had to be changed. After all, he had learned from past mistakes and didn't want their company to be exposed online and ruined. In fact, ruining their reputation might be a good outcome; he was afraid that they would end up "destroying their family and their lives".
"Let's sign the contract when we get back to the company!" he said directly. "I also have other work to discuss with you."
Because they had work to do, the two didn't stay at the orphanage for too long. After sitting for a while, they returned to the company to avoid any unforeseen problems. As soon as they arrived at the company, Kuang Ming took Xu Gui to his office and had her sign the contract.
After watching Xu Gui sign his name, Kuang Ming took the contract, glanced at it, and after confirming that the signature was correct, placed it on his desk, waiting to file it later.
As for Xu Gui and their company's previous contract, it would naturally be destroyed later.
With the contract signed, the next step is to discuss the work.
Xu Gui became a sensation on the show "360 Trades," and with his soaring fame came countless offers to Kuang Ming.
These include scripts, endorsements, magazines...
“I’ve received a lot of scripts, but after looking at them, none of them are very good,” Kuang Ming said, shaking his head.
Although Xu Gui is now famous, she has no works, so most of the scripts that end up in her hands are not very good. A few good scripts are only offered to her because they value her current fame and want her to "add icing on the cake" by giving her minor roles.
However, if he could participate in a good drama, even if it was just a minor role, it would be a good thing for Xu Gui, whose career was currently blank.
"This one, this one, and this one!" Kuang Ming picked out three scripts in a row. "I think these three scripts are all good. One is a modern suspense, and the other two are ancient romance... Take a look and see which one you think is better."
Xu Gui took it, and while she flipped through the script, Kuang Ming talked about other work.
"...Although several brands have invited you to be their spokesperson and offered good prices, I think you don't need to rush into this for now."
After examining the brands that invited Xu Gui, Kuang Ming found that they were all small brands, some even lacking proper documentation. They were generous with their money but were utterly useless and would not bring any benefit to Xu Gui's business.
“As for endorsements, it’s better to wait until you’re more famous and have a more stable position in the industry before considering them,” Kuang Ming said. “Besides, you already have an endorsement, so there’s no rush.”
He was referring to the "wonderful fish".
At this point, Kuang Mingde's expression became somewhat subtle.
It wasn't that he disliked [Miaoyu], but rather that the pet industry was too niche, and aquatic pets were even more niche.
Looking at the pet industry, you rarely see celebrities endorsing pet brands. After all, the target audience for pets is the pets themselves, and customers are more willing to accept the pets themselves as spokespeople than human endorsements.
Therefore, celebrities and "pet endorsements" are basically unrelated, but Xu Gui actually managed to break into such a niche field as pet endorsements.
Kuang Ming couldn't help but recall that after Rong Yi's accident, he was called in by the company to clean up the mess left by Rong Yi's subordinates, and then he saw the contract that Xu Gui and [Miaoyu] had signed in Rong Yi's office.
When he saw the contract, he had only one thought: ... Sure enough, the longer you live in this world, the more you can see. He even saw a pet company hiring a human as a spokesperson.
And the price they offered was so high.
He guessed that [Miaoyu] approached Xu Gui probably because of Xu Gui's current fame and the popularity of the program "360 Trades".
This means the other party has opened up a completely new track.
“I’ve looked into the company [Miaoyu],” Kuang Ming continued. “Although it’s a small company that’s only been established for less than two years, and its scale isn’t large, its background is very clean. Their products have received a very good response in the market, and the boss, Ji Kaiming, is from the Ji family, a family with a long history in the jewelry industry…”
"Therefore, this cooperation can continue."
As for the others, we can wait and see, and talk about them later. There's no need to rush.
"Finally, this is it!" Kuang Ming said, his eyes shining as he got to the main point, "An invitation to be featured on the cover of 'Fashion' magazine!"
"Fashion" is a sub-brand of the high-end luxury brand "Denla," primarily dealing in clothing, jewelry, and shoes/bags.
Its business concept is: young and fashionable, targeting young people under the age of thirty. It is very popular among young people today and is undoubtedly a high-end luxury brand.
August is just around the corner for the fall issue of "fashion" magazine, and they have invited Xu Gui to be the cover star for this new issue.
Xu Gui: "According to what you said, this brand is very powerful, and many celebrities want to work with them. So why did they choose me?"
Kuang Ming also said that although Xu Gui is famous now, her fame is very superficial because she has no works to speak for herself. So why would "fashion" magazine choose her?
Kuang Ming smiled and said, "I was also curious about this question at first, so I asked around and found out that it wasn't 'fashion' that chose you, but rather 'fashion's' chief photographer who took a liking to you!"
"Mommy Bell, lead photographer for Fashion!"
"He strongly insists that you be the main subject of the new issue of 'fashion'!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
