Chapter 326 Worried about my cousin
Wen Yue smiled at Kong Wange: "I've had a bit more work lately, but that's a good thing. You need to be popular enough in the company to get gigs. Mom and Dad," she smiled at Wen Zhihan and Li Jinxiu, "who knows, you might see me on TV soon!"
Li Jinxiu served Wen Yue another bowl of soup, half complaining and half helplessly saying, "It's my own daughter, what I want most is to see her in person every day, why would I want to see her on TV?"
Wen Yue remained silent. Seeing this, Kong Wange tried to smooth things over, saying, "The fact that Yueyue can appear on TV proves that she is successful in her career. Aunt, don't you want to see Yueyue succeed in her career?"
Li Jinxiu sighed: "Of course I want to, but I hope even more that my daughter is healthy and safe."
Kong Wange glanced at Wen Yue and noticed that her eyes were a little red.
She quickly put a piece of meat on her plate: "Eat more of this, don't you like it?"
Wen Yue nodded without speaking, as if afraid that opening her mouth would reveal her emotions.
The meal became somewhat dull towards the end.
Before leaving, Kong Wange said, "Let Yueyue see me off."
The two sisters walked out together. Once outside the courtyard gate, Kong Wange took Wen Yue's hand and asked, "Yueyue, your aunt and uncle aren't here right now. Can you tell me what's been going on with you lately? Have you had any troubles at work?"
Wen Yue shook her head, and after a while said, "Sister Wange, I mentioned the Xuweilian you mentioned to the steward of the Wen family pharmacy last time, and they said they don't have it."
Kong Wange frowned. Was it that she didn't have it, or that she simply didn't want to give it to her?
"Didn't you ask Wen Zirou? She's still mostly in charge of the pharmacy, isn't she?"
Wen Yue sighed softly: "Wange, do you think Auntie wouldn't know if I asked the housekeeper? Since the housekeeper said no, then it must be Auntie's intention."
Kong Wange thought about it and agreed. She pondered for a moment and said, "Why don't I go ask Wen Zhengning? After all, he is the head of the family, and Wen Zirou has to listen to him."
Wen Yue shook her head: "Sister Wan Ge, you don't need to ask. I don't want to beg this family anymore. I've already found out how to buy Xuweilian."
"Where can I buy it?" Kong Wange frowned. In her memory, the only place to buy such rare medicinal materials seemed to be the black market.
“There is an auction at the end of this month. I asked a friend and they said that a lotus plant will be auctioned at the auction.”
Kong Wange was slightly taken aback: "You mean the auction organized by Yingyuan Auction House?"
Wen Yue was taken aback: "Sister Wan Ge, you know?"
Kong Wange nodded: "It is said that Yingyuan Auction House has private transactions with the black market. Every year, they hold auctions with many rare treasures, all of which are very expensive. Yueyue, this Xuwei Lotus will not be cheap at Yingyuan Auction. Have you found out what their starting price will be?"
Wen Yue gave a soft "hmm": "It shouldn't be less than 800,000."
The starting bid is 800,000, but if someone really needs it, the price could be inflated to ten times that amount!
Kong Wange frowned: "Yueyue, how about I ask someone to help me inquire again? This price is too high, I can barely afford it myself, and it will probably be even more difficult for you..."
Wen Yue took a deep breath and said, "Sister Wan Ge, you don't need to worry about me. My agent has recently found me some side jobs with high pay. I've been working on them for over a month now, and if I keep going until the end of the month, I should be able to earn a lot."
"Don't worry, I won't joke around with my dad's health. If we really don't have enough money, I'll come to you."
Kong Wange frowned as she looked at her thin face and asked, "Is the job your agent found for you reliable? Does your company allow you to take on side jobs outside?"
Wen Yue laughed self-deprecatingly: "Sister Wan Ge, you don't know our company. Apart from the first and second-tier artists, we small artists are very stingy. Last month, a friend of mine went to do a job as a spokesperson for a three-nothing micro-business. The endorsement fee was 200,000 yuan, but in the end, he only received four or five thousand yuan. He couldn't even afford to pay a month's rent."
"The company knows that what we did was excessive and is afraid of being sued by us. So sometimes they turn a blind eye to us taking on private jobs."
Kong Wange only knew that the entertainment industry was a mixed bag, but she didn't expect that Wen Yue's company would be like this. She immediately frowned and said, "Yueyue, why don't you consider changing jobs? This kind of job has no future."
Wen Yue shook her head: "Sister Wan Ge, what else can I do if I change jobs? Although I have no background or connections in this industry and it's hard for me to get ahead, it's still faster to make money here than outside. You know my father's situation, I can't afford to delay any longer. Besides, I have a contract with the company, and I can't just change jobs whenever I want. Let me finish these few months of work and get the Xuwei Lotus before I seriously consider your suggestion."
Kong Wange knew that although Wen Yue was young, she always had her own considerations and persistence in doing things, so she didn't try to persuade her any further: "How about this, I'll prescribe some Chinese medicine to replenish your qi and blood for you later, and you can drink some when you have time."
Wen Yue gave a genuine smile: "Thank you, Sister Wange. Don't worry, I'll take good care of myself."
Seeing that she was in relatively good spirits, Kong Wange could only nod and repeatedly told her to contact her anytime if anything happened before leaving.
...
On her way back to her own courtyard, Kong Wange thought for a moment and then called An Jing.
The other end answered after a moment: "Hey, Xiaogege, what's up? Why are you calling me all of a sudden?"
"What are you doing? Are you busy?"
"It's alright, the promotional video we filmed for your hospital was quite successful, wasn't it? The company made a lot of money this time. We're having a celebration banquet at the hotel right now. If you need anything, just say so. I'm outside now, so it won't be noisy."
Kong Wange then talked to her about Wen Yue's situation, and at the end she asked, "Do you think it's okay for her to terminate her contract with her original company in this situation? I don't think her current company is very good, and I don't know if the private jobs her agent gets for her are reliable."
“That’s definitely not reliable,” An Jing said decisively. “Your sister’s name is Wen Yue, right? I’ve heard of her management company. Contracts from small companies like that are usually quite shady. If you want to terminate the contract, you’ll probably have to pay a huge amount of liquidated damages.”
"Your sister is short of money right now, and she definitely can't afford to pay this amount. But if she stays at this company, she'll only let them continue to bleed her dry. As for what you said about the agent finding her side jobs, some unregulated small companies in the industry do have this problem. The agent claims to be helping the artist find work, but in reality, they're just pimping and making a profit in the middle."
"If you encounter a slightly conscientious agent, it's fine; the jobs they take on are just commercial performances or etiquette work. But if the agent has even a little bit of no bottom line, then it's hard to say."
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