Chapter 22
Chapter 22
The single room that Jiang Mingyue and Liang Shuanglan rented was very small.
As night fell, a warm white ceiling light illuminated the less than eight-square-meter living room. The dining table was set up, its surface wiped clean, upon which lay several professional books. Jiang Mingyue was engrossed in reading, a cheap white notebook beside her, its pages densely covered with writing. The old-fashioned notebook was open, containing the original text of "The Seven Stars Alignment," its contents filled with annotations.
Liang Shuanglan sat on her small bed with her daughter, a straight-knit sweater tucked under her arm.
Upon hearing the door open, Jiang Mingyue immediately put down her pen, got up, and opened the door.
The dim, voice-activated lights on the platform shone down, casting a shadow on Fu Xiachuan's face and softening his expression.
"Mr. Fu? What brings you here so late at night?" Jiang Mingyue quickly made way for Fu Xiachuan to enter.
She personally moved a stool to the table and poured a cup of hot water for Fu Xiachuan, placing it in front of him: "I'm sorry, there's only hot water at home, I apologize for the inconvenience."
Liang Shuanglan cast a questioning look at her daughter.
Fu Xiachuan placed the cake on the table and presented it to Liang Shuanglan: "Ms. Liang, I apologize for the intrusion at night. This is a small gift I brought. It's a homemade fruit cake with very safe ingredients. If you don't mind eating dessert at night and affecting your weight, you can have a little bit."
"Mr. Fu, you're too kind. You must have something important to discuss with me so late at night."
You can't hit someone who's smiling.
Although she didn't know who this "Mr. Fu" was, Liang Shuanglan quickly put on a smile as a matter of courtesy.
She put the needle and thread aside and greeted Fu Xiachuan.
Fu Xiachuan came forward to create the image of a "reliable and good boss," so he naturally wouldn't miss the opportunity to introduce himself.
He immediately said, "Hello, I am Fu Xiachuan. Jiang Mingyue should have mentioned to you that she has auditioned twice recently. Fu's Group has invested 30% in 'Seven Stars in a Row,' while 'The Story in a Bottle' is a TV series wholly produced by Fu's Group."
Fu Xiachuan paused subtly at this point.
He awkwardly turned his face away, tugged at his tie, and then continued: "The Chronicles in a Bottle is a fully funded project by Star Film. Venturing into an industry you've never been into always involves paying a price. Star Film's 'tuition' was a bit expensive; we originally planned to cram all our most popular young actors and actresses into the new film and cash in on their popularity, but they all failed—so why not cultivate our own group of good actors?"
Fu Xiachuan took out a contract from his briefcase and placed it in front of Liang Shuanglan: "Although Miss Jiang is already an adult, I think that as her mother who is wholeheartedly protecting her, you and she must have a very good relationship. This is a contract that Xingying can provide to Miss Jiang. You can take a look at it for her."
Fu Xiachuan does not deny that some parents let their children pursue a career in the entertainment industry just to make money, but most parents who are willing to do their best to cultivate their children still raise them with a sense of responsibility and love for their children.
Fu Xiachuan would give money to parents who wanted it; but for parents who had a good relationship with their children, it was best to appeal to their emotions. Now that Liang Shuanglan had been persuaded, arranging a job for Jiang Mingyue in the future would be much easier.
The fact that the company's head personally came forward to explain shows that nothing could better demonstrate Fu Xiachuan's seriousness and responsibility.
As expected, after Fu Xiachuan explained his purpose, the guardedness hidden in Liang Shuanglan's eyes lessened.
Before retiring, Liang Shuanglan worked for a performing arts troupe, which is a public institution. However, performing arts troupes sometimes have performers who are loaned out, so she was no stranger to performing arts contracts.
She took the contract and read it carefully, clause by clause.
While waiting, Fu Xiachuan shifted his gaze and saw the computer screen and a blank sheet of paper filled with words.
"May I take a look?"
Jiang Mingyue calmly handed over the blank sheet of paper: "This is a short biography of a person that I wrote."
Fu Xiachuan picked up the pages and carefully read through them line by line, then smiled.
Being able to start writing character biographies means that you have already received the complete script, and the prerequisite for receiving the script is signing a performance contract.
"I thought you would take it back to school, or ask your mother for help to read the contract?"
Jiang Mingyue omitted the fact that she had seen many contracts in her previous life: "I also want to thank Mr. Fu for the advance payment I received for my mother's medical treatment. I spent three thousand yuan to take it to a law firm to have a lawyer review the contract for me—six thousand after tax, ready to be issued immediately, it's an industry standard contract. I signed it directly."
"It seems you're even smarter and more cautious than I expected, that's good." Fu Xiachuan stood up to take his leave. "It seems you'll be joining the crew soon. I won't bother you any longer. You and Ms. Liang can study the contract slowly; it has the address and contact person on it. After signing the contract, just send it over by express delivery."
Liang Shuanglan stood up and said, "I'll see Mr. Fu out."
"No need, my car is parked outside. Ms. Liang, please rest." Fu Xiachuan declined Liang Shuanglan's offer.
After Fu Xiachuan left, Liang Shuanglan finished reading the contract and sighed, "It seems that this Mr. Liang was really frightened by the group of lawless minor celebrities he invited before. He actually actively invited the actors' parents to accompany the filming. Look, if the parents of underage artists are willing to come, they will also provide food and lodging."
Jiang Mingyue leaned over, curiously took the contract, and flipped directly to the section on labor allocation.
The contract is for ten years, with compensation recalculated each year based on length of service and income.
To put it simply, based on her TV drama earnings, before Jiang Mingyue's per-episode fee exceeded 30,000 yuan, Xingying Entertainment only symbolically took 30% as a basic fee for arranging work and promotion for her. However, when her fee was between 30,000 and 100,000 yuan per episode, the company's commission reached 50%, which included the salary of the star's agent, the provision of a nanny car, and the hiring of assistants and bodyguards, among other expenses. When her per-episode fee exceeded 100,000 yuan, the company's commission dropped back to 20%. If Jiang Mingyue proved to be a hopeless case, and after five years of continuous investment in her, her income still couldn't cover her basic needs, then Jiang Mingyue could terminate her contract with Xingying after repaying the company's packaging costs. However, if the star committed any illegal acts during the contract period, the artist would bear full responsibility and be liable for exorbitant compensation.
The revenue split is very favorable to entertainers. One of the most interesting aspects is that Star Film's employees are required to undergo a medical check-up arranged by the company every six months. This, combined with the exorbitant compensation clause, suddenly becomes quite funny.
Jiang Mingyue felt that this clause was specifically designed for celebrities involved in drug-related offenses.
“It’s a great contract. Mom needs medical treatment and can’t go to the film set with you. If the company arranges an agent and assistant for you, you can reply to my messages anytime, which will be much more convenient.” Liang Shuanglan was worried about Jiang Mingyue.
Jiang Mingyue nodded in agreement: "Yes, I plan to sign it. With this revenue-sharing model, even a ten-year contract would be fine."
After signing the contract and attaching a photocopy of her ID card, Jiang Mingyue returned to her table to continue writing the character biography.
After knitting a few stitches, Liang Shuanglan suddenly asked, "Mingyue, did someone come to our house to cause trouble today?"
With windows open both upstairs and downstairs, the fact that Wang Mei had brought people over in a luxury car could not be kept secret.
Jiang Mingyue sighed inwardly and said, "Mom, some people claiming to be my biological parents have come to our door, but they haven't produced a paternity test report yet. I'll have them come back with the report."
The bamboo needle that was tucked under Liang Shuanglan's arm fell onto the bed, and she was stunned.
What kind of person can obtain a paternity report without having the mother and daughter undergo blood tests?
They're either scammers or powerful people who like to disregard the law.
Would Mingyue be happy if the daughter she raised had parents like that...?
Liang Shuanglan retrieved the bamboo needles, tucked them back under her arm, and asked with concern, "Does the person who came look like you?"
Han Rong and Wang Mei are Jiang Mingyue's biological parents. They look very similar, and there is no room for doubt about it—the Han family would not take back a girl who is not their biological daughter.
But is Han Jialan Liang Shuanglan's daughter?
Jiang Mingyue has never had an answer to this question since her previous life, but the answer should be revealed when Wang Mei appears with Han Jialan next time.
The first thing the mother asked was about the relationship between Wang Mei and Jiang Mingyue, but Jiang Mingyue's answer was about Liang Shuanglan and Han Jialan: "I can't see any resemblance between the girls who were brought here and my parents."
Liang Shuanglan has been disappointed too many times; it's best to lower her expectations for now.
If a paternity test confirms that Han Jialan is Liang Shuanglan's daughter, it would be an unexpected surprise for Liang Shuanglan; but if Han Jialan and Liang Shuanglan are not related by blood, at least Liang Shuanglan wouldn't have high expectations, and wouldn't be too upset if she were disappointed.
Liang Shuanglan moved her lips, relaxed her tense shoulders, and shook her head with a helpless smile: "It's better if it doesn't look like it."
She glanced at the boxed cake, then smiled again and got down to business: "Is this your future boss who's coming tonight? He clearly states that actors won't be required to attend many of the unspoken rules, like parties. I feel much more at ease now."
She stroked Jiang Mingyue's smooth, long hair, her eyes filled with affection: "This industry has a bad reputation, but no matter what industry it is, there is no shortage of people who work hard. Since Mr. Fu is willing to run his entertainment company well, you should study your roles carefully when you participate in performances. An actor can only do their job well by bringing the role to life. If you need acting lessons, contact your agent as soon as possible, don't be too shy to ask."
Jiang Mingyue rested her head on her mother's shoulder: "Yes, Mom, don't worry, I understand."
"It's about time to rest. Take a break after you've finished figuring out the character." Liang Shuanglan put down the sweater she had been knitting, rubbed her tired eyes, and got up to return to her bedroom.
Jiang Mingyue then packed up her books, turned off the light, huddled under the covers, and turned off the living room light.
*
The next morning, after getting up early to exercise, take a shower, eat, and tidy up the house, Jiang Mingyue, accompanied by her mother, sent out the signed contract. Then, she took Liang Shuanglan to the hospital, and following the address, carrying a bulging backpack, she took the bus to the meeting point given by the "Seven Stars Alignment" film set.
*
Film sets are always noisy, with lead actors, main supporting actors, extras with a few clear shots, and background actors all gathered together in a chaotic mess, accompanied by various light-emitting equipment. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe it as "chaotic".
Jiang Mingyue stood there with her large backpack on, unsure of who to report to.
"Jiang Mingyue, over here!" Zhang Xin's face appeared from behind the equipment.
She wore a baseball cap, her long hair was casually tied into a small bun at the back of her head, and she held a notebook rolled up into a paper tube in her hand as she waved to Jiang Mingyue.
Jiang Mingyue immediately turned around and ran over.
Zhang Xin quickly instructed, "Walk about 300 meters ahead, turn right, and you'll see where you're staying. Settle your things, then come back to me, and I'll take you to try on your makeup."
Jiang Mingyue immediately made the arrangements.
As soon as she returned, Zhang Xin dragged her into the dressing room reserved for the main actors. A makeup artist pressed Jiang Mingyue into a seat, told her to "close her eyes," and began to apply various bottles and jars to her face layer by layer.
"You dare stop me? The production team has a 30% investment from the Fu family. Be careful, or I'll withdraw my investment!"
The arrogant shouts echoed into the dressing room, and Jiang Mingyue had an ominous premonition.
here we go again.
In another world, Fu Qian remains like a ghost that could reappear at any moment, constantly appearing on the film set...
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