Cheng Lujin suddenly remembered another important matter.
"Oh right! Gu Chen is gone, so what about the contract you signed with Huayu Entertainment..."
"Grandpa Gu has already paid off the money my brother owed. That contract has now expired."
"..."
This is probably the shortest artist contract in the company's history! (Huayu CEO: Please allow me to grieve!)
Cheng Lujin's phone rang suddenly at that moment.
He looked at the caller ID, hesitated for a second, and then answered the call.
"Brother Lu, I've driven to Brother Yun's building and brought along the two personal assistants that the company assigned to Brother Yun. Are you and Brother Yun upstairs?"
Xiao Wang's voice, barely containing his excitement, came from the other end of the phone.
"Uh... Zhang Yun's contract with Huayu Entertainment has expired. You can drive the car back now."
Cheng Lujin said he had never received such an awkward phone call in his life.
Xiao Wang: "???"
Xiao Wang and his two assistants: Oh no! The sky is falling!
After briefly explaining the situation to Xiao Wang and offering him a few words of comfort, Cheng Lujin hung up the phone.
He suddenly realized that Zhang Yun's original purpose in debuting was to help Gu Chen clear his name and pay off his debts. Now that he has achieved his goal, does he still want to be a star?
Zhang Yun has terminated his contract with Huayu Entertainment, which means he is now a completely free person and can retire from the entertainment industry at any time.
If Zhang Yun weren't a celebrity, there would undoubtedly be far fewer obstacles for her to go public with her relationship with Gu Chen.
After all, the former is a public figure, and even a rumor about him with a girl will get him attacked. The latter is just an ordinary citizen, and having a same-sex relationship is nothing to him.
If Zhang Yun chooses to leave the entertainment industry for love, what will become of her?
"So... what are your plans next?" Cheng Lujin asked.
"I need to think about it carefully," Zhang Yun said.
Zhang Yun never places her hopes on others.
It's too idealistic to expect Gu Jianyun to keep his promise and agree to let them be together once Gu Chen fulfills his request.
Zhang Yun could understand Gu Jianyun's idea: first, coax Gu Chen back to be the heir; if their relationship couldn't withstand the test of separation, then he wouldn't even need to lift a finger to break them up naturally.
If their feelings for each other are strong enough, then it's fine to agree to them being together. After all, people who can reach that level don't have such rigid thinking.
He should understand that what Gu Chen lacks is not money, but sincerity.
Although he vaguely guessed Gu Jianyun's intentions, Zhang Yun disliked the feeling of being controlled by others, so he had to prepare for both possibilities.
"Alright then... Think it over carefully, I... I'll head back now."
Cheng Lujin maintained his normal tone and got up to leave.
When Cheng Lujin arrived at Zhang Yun's building, he saw a familiar luxury car parked on the street and stopped.
The sky overhead was covered with dark clouds, and a muffled, suffocating rumble of thunder was brewing in the clouds at the far end.
It's about to rain heavily.
If I walk back like this, I'll probably get soaked to the bone, right?
Lu Chengjin thought to himself, bored.
He clenched his fist at his side for a moment, then slowly relaxed it.
Cheng Lujin walked over to the luxury car, opened the back door, and got in.
"Have you figured it out?" Li Cheng, sitting next to him, asked with a smile.
Lu Chengjin remained silent.
He has been in this industry for over twenty years and has seen too many people sell their dignity in order to become famous and rise to the top.
Cheng Lujin doesn't believe in fate. He has been working so hard because he believes that he can succeed just as well through his own abilities.
He thought he had succeeded.
But it was all just a fleeting illusion.
Unexpectedly, twenty years later, he still became the kind of person he once looked down upon.
He could have escaped; Li Cheng didn't force him.
But he didn't.
Because he now clearly understands what kind of life he wants; he's had enough of that life where he's groveled in the dust, and anyone can come and trample on him. (Plus, there's no longer any point of reference for him.)
Just like Li Cheng said, if she agreed to his request, at least she would only have to lose her dignity in front of him alone.
In any case, she had long since lost all dignity in front of him.
It started from the night I agreed to sleep with him.
Just as Cheng Jin was about to speak, his phone rang. It was Zhang Yun calling.
"Brother Lu, I've thought it over carefully, and I still want to continue being a celebrity. Could you please continue to be my full-time manager?"
"!!!"
"Yes!" Cheng Lujin opened the car door, grabbed his bag, and ran up to the fourth floor in one go.
A strong wind blew by, the dark clouds in the sky dissipated, and in an instant, the sky was clear and blue.
Li Cheng: "???"
(Li Cheng: Where's my knife?)
Returning to Zhang Yun's house, Cheng Lujin felt as if he had ascended from hell to heaven.
Sitting across from Zhang Yun, he looked at Zhang Yun with a serious expression and said, "I need to know why you want to be a star."
Is this important?
"Of course, if you think this job is just for fun and you just want to play around with it, then there's no need to waste each other's time."
Zhang Yun thought for a moment before saying, "I did it for Brother Chen and for you."
Lu Chengjin was taken aback.
“Grandpa Gu doesn’t want him to contact me, but he can’t stop me from going on shows or from listening to songs and watching TV, right? I want to use my songs to tell my brother that I’m always here, that I love him, support him, and am waiting for him.”
"And you too, I already made you resign from Xingchen and come with me. I can't just abandon you after my contract with Huayu expires. What kind of person would I be? At least I have to help you earn enough money to buy a real suit."
Zhang Yun's tone was teasing, but Cheng Lujin was deeply moved. It turned out that the little angel hadn't forgotten him.
As for his last sentence, Cheng Lujin automatically ignored it.
"Besides, I actually quite like being a star. I like standing on the stage and being the center of attention. Being a star has always been my ideal."
Zhang Yun meant it sincerely. If he didn't love this profession, he wouldn't have put in so much effort in his previous life just to reach the top.
"Finally, I have no family. I have to earn money to support myself. I can't think of any other job that pays better than making a name for myself."
"Great!" Cheng Lujin slammed his hand on the table excitedly. "Since you're not just playing around, I'm relieved! Don't worry! I guarantee I'll make you the most popular person of all!"
"By the way, are you going to re-sign with Huayu Entertainment?"
Zhang Yun shook his head: "Although Huayu Entertainment is recognized as the number one in the industry, the best they can offer me is a top-tier artist. I signed with Huayu Entertainment to help my brother pay off his debts. Now the initiative is in our hands. I plan to contact other companies again before making a decision. Don't worry, no matter where I go, you will be my personal agent!"
Hearing Zhang Yun's familiar, childish, emperor-like tone again, Cheng Lujin felt a little teary-eyed.
Your Majesty, Xiao Lu will follow you for life! Waaaaah~
"Okay, contact a few companies in the next couple of days and try to get as many benefits as possible for yourself. If all else fails, we can set up our own studio and go it alone. You can be your own boss. Anyway, you've already made a name for yourself. Lots of people have been contacting me lately looking for business opportunities, so I won't have to worry about finding work."
"Mm." Zhang Yun nodded.
He wasn't very interested in managing a company; his best outcome would be to find a reliable and stable brokerage firm to work with long-term. The size of the company wasn't that important.
Cheng Jin had no idea what kind of power Zhang Yun possessed. He had the backing of a world-class entertainment industry. Given time, he could dominate the entire entertainment industry.
After Cheng Jin left, Zhang Yun said, "System, help me check Cheng Jin's information, especially his itinerary yesterday and this morning."
The system asked in confusion, "Is there something wrong with him?"
“This is a big problem,” Zhang Yun said. “The time he came to see me today was wrong. Cheng Jin should have been at my door at eight o’clock this morning or even earlier, instead of waiting until now.”
As he spoke, Zhang Yun glanced at the clock on the wall. It was already three in the afternoon. No wonder he was so hungry. "And order me some takeout while you're at it!"
system:"……"
The takeout arrived quickly, and Zhang Yun listened to the information retrieved by the system while eating—
“After Cheng Lujin got home last night, he got into Xingchen CEO Li Cheng’s car. Then the two of them went to Li Cheng’s seaside villa in Dongjiang District. Cheng Lujin left the villa at 10 a.m. this morning, took a car home, changed his clothes, grabbed his bag and came to find you.”
"Has he had any prior contact with the CEO of Starry Sky?"
“The contacts within Xingchen Company are all normal work contacts, but I found that more than a month ago, the night before Cheng Jin first came to your house to find Gu Chen, he and Li Cheng went to a hotel and booked a room using Lu’s ID card.”
Zhang Yun recalled that Xingchen initially disagreed with Gu Chen's request to return to the industry, but later Cheng Jin said he would use his connections to persuade Xingchen's higher-ups to agree.
What connections could Cheng Lujin, a former top agent at Huayu Entertainment who was disliked by everyone at Xingchen Entertainment, possibly have within the company?
What makes him so capable of persuading Xingchen's top management to agree to Gu Chen's conditions for returning to the team?
Zhang Yun still remembered the scene after he kicked Cheng Jin out of the house that day, when she sat on the ground crying and saying, "I was sorry for what I did back then, but I've tried my best to make up for it." A logical thread suddenly became clear in his mind—
"Damn it, I hate those domineering love stories by straight male CEOs the most!"
(Zhang Yun: I'm definitely going to fleece Li Cheng today!)
...
Two days later, at Yunxiu Club, in a private meeting room.
"This club is the most private in Haitian City. Mr. Zhang will probably come here often in the future. I happen to have an extra VIP membership card here, so I'll give it to Mr. Zhang."
Li Cheng pushed over a high-quality silver-white card with a pattern of light clouds emerging from the mountains.
Sitting opposite him, Zhang Yun smiled gently, "Thank you, President Li. I'll accept your thanks."
"Mr. Li invited me here today, surely it wasn't just to give me a membership card?"
Li Cheng nodded and, without beating around the bush, said directly, "Join Starry Sky, and name your terms."
Zhang Yun laughed, "Really, I can drive however I want?"
"As long as it's not too excessive." Seeing Zhang Yun's smile, Li Cheng added sincerely.
"Okay, I want complete autonomy, and I want to be given priority access to the resources of the stars."
"Can."
"Divide into two equal parts, you get two, I get eight."
Li Cheng frowned. "...Okay."
"I can terminate my contract with Xingchen at any time without any conditions."
Li Cheng finally lost his temper and said, "Sign for at least three years! Otherwise, there's no point in talking! Also, your agent must come to Xingchen with you!"
"Oh? Agent? Which one are you talking about?" Zhang Yun teased him on purpose.
Li Cheng's eyes narrowed slightly, radiating a dangerous aura. "You know who I'm talking about."
“No problem!” Zhang Yun readily agreed, “Then let’s sign a three-year contract first.”
"..."
"Did Mr. Li's secretary bring a computer? How about we revise the contract and sign it now? I'm afraid things might get complicated if we delay."
Li Cheng was silent for a moment, then suddenly said in a deep voice, "You're trying to trick me?"
"No, I'm just helping Brother Lu get a little interest back. Of the 80% commission you gave me, 30% is what I gave to Brother Lu."
Zhang Yun rested his hands under his chin, "Besides, even if President Li only takes 10% of the profits after signing me, he's guaranteed to make a profit. I know President Li doesn't believe me, and even thinks I'm too arrogant for a newcomer. But you'll understand later, because..."
"I have the means."
His eyes were bright, and he exuded an unparalleled confidence, like a noble emperor surveying his empire, even though that empire did not yet belong to him.
Li Cheng was slightly stunned.
No wonder Cheng Lu Jin thought of him that way; he really is a bit of a chuunibyou (a person with delusions of grandeur).
"Then I'll wait and see."
Li Cheng's secretary, Xiao Liu, had already finished revising the contract and printed it out using the club's printer. Two copies were placed in front of Zhang Yun and Li Cheng respectively.
The two skimmed through the contract again, then signed it and exchanged the papers.
After the contract was signed, Li Cheng stood up first and extended his left hand to him, saying, "Then I wish us a pleasant cooperation!"
"It's a pleasure to work with you!" Zhang Yun stood up, shook hands with him briefly, and then parted.
"Shall we have dinner together?" Li Cheng invited politely.
Zhang Yun smiled and shook her head, "No need, Mr. Li has someone else he wants to have dinner with, so I won't join in. I'll be leaving now."
"Oh, right!" Zhang Yun suddenly turned around as he walked to the door and said, "As someone who's been there, I want to remind President Li that Brother Lu is the kind of person who responds better to gentleness than force. The domineering CEO's 'forceful love' approach doesn't even work on middle school girls anymore, let alone him."
"If President Li really has feelings for Brother Lu, he should find a different way to pursue him, so as not to push him further and further away."
"Furthermore, if Brother Lu is willing, then I have nothing to say. But I don't want the incidents of 4023 and the riverside villa to happen again. I believe President Li also doesn't want his hard-earned second-largest entertainment company in Xia Guo to have its stock price plummet and be acquired by Huayu because of the president's alleged crime, specifically the rape of a same-sex man."
"I remember that President Li and Old Master Li had an agreement that if Xingchen Company went bankrupt, you would have to go back to inherit the Li family fortune and marry that fiancée you didn't like at all. I believe President Li is a man who knows his limits."
After Zhang Yun finished speaking, he smiled politely at him and his assistant, opened the door, and left.
After a long while, Assistant Liu finally recovered from the shock, asking, "Who exactly is he? How does he know all this?"
They even knew about the bet between President Li and Old Master Li! That's terrifying!
Xiao Liu even suspected that Zhang Yun had planted an undercover agent at the Li family's old house!
But that's impossible. Everyone at the Li family's old residence, from the nanny to the driver, has been an elderly person who has lived there for at least seven years. Moreover, family member investigations and asset audits are conducted periodically to prevent the Li family from being exploited and betrayed.
How could Zhang Yun, a student, have the ability and manpower to infiltrate the Li family several years ago?
Moreover, he not only knew about the Li family's old mansion, but also the room number where Cheng Jinhe and Boss first booked a room!
It's like he's installed a surveillance camera on the boss!
He was the only one who knew all of these things. Wouldn't the boss suspect that he was the one who leaked the secret?
Xiao Liu glanced uneasily at Li Cheng beside him, only to see that Li Cheng's eyes were fixed ahead, unfocused, as if he were lost in thought.
"Boss?"
Xiao Liu called out softly, but what he heard was a question that sounded like a murmur to himself: "...Can't you even handle a middle school student?"
Xiao Liu: "..."
(Xiao Liu: Destroy it, I'm tired!)
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