Signing

Wei Hongxuan was determined to make his grandfather see Wei Linxuan's true colors. He bribed several classmates who often hung around with Wei Linxuan, having them not only keep constant watch over his movements but also egg him on to fight and cause trouble.

This time, when Wei Linxuan fought someone over a minor celebrity, it was Wei Hongxuan who had hinted over the phone for those classmates to stir things up. Wei Hongxuan had originally wanted Wei Linxuan to lead a group of students in giving that actor a beating. He had even arranged for paparazzi to secretly photograph the set. What he hadn't expected was for the actor to have so much nerve that, in front of so many people, he actually beat the Wei family's young prince into the hospital.

This was completely different from the script Wei Hongxuan had imagined: "His cousin fights over a woman and uses his status to beat someone into the hospital!" Still, even so, the scandal of Wei Linxuan fighting over a woman and getting beaten into the hospital was exposed by the paparazzi. For a time, the Wei family became the laughingstock of high society.

Wei Hongxuan had thought that after this, his grandfather would surely see Wei Linxuan for what he was. Yet while the old man was furious, what angered him was that someone had dared lay a hand on his precious grandson. To vent his darling grandson's anger, Wei Xiaoyun had even intended to use the Wei family's influence to blacklist that young actor.

Fortunately, after waking up, Wei Linxuan talked the doting old man out of it. Delighted by his coaxing, the old man took Wei Linxuan home that very day and fed him three meals and six pots of nourishing soup every day. The entire family treated him like a piece of fragile glass. Only Wei Hongxuan remained resentful, taking jabs at Wei Linxuan from time to time.

And so, he needled Exchanging Lives into existence.

After learning the full scope of the Wei family's business, Wei Linxuan had tried to create this variety show, which was half charity and half publicity. Ratings and profits were secondary. The key was that Wei Linxuan hoped to use the show to help Huaxia Imperial Entertainment out of the awkward situation where all its major talents had been poached. After all, Exchanging Lives was a reality show that strove for authenticity and did not need big-name stars to carry it. Secondly, it could expand the company's—and even the Wei family's—social influence, drawing viewers' attention through filming the program, vigorously promoting charity, and strengthening the company's brand image.

Most importantly, Wei Linxuan had used the project for personal gain by making himself one of the guests for the first episode. That way, he could use filming as an excuse to escape the all-purpose nourishing soup his grandmother and mother served him three times a day, and go outside for a breath of fresh air.

One plan accomplished several goals, and Old Master Wei, with his discerning eye, naturally supported his precious grandson's proposal. But he feared his grandson would suffer, so he did not agree with Wei Linxuan's suggestion to be a guest in the first episode. Wei Linxuan's father and mother felt the same. After a grueling negotiation across three generations, Wei Linxuan ultimately won.

To ensure that his son would not suffer too much during filming, Wei Zhanjie, the president of Huaxia Imperial Entertainment, and Old Master Wei personally inspected more than a dozen possible filming locations before finally choosing the relatively stable environment of Lu Family Village.

So, at the beginning of production, no one had intended to mine Lu Heng for any selling points. Yet they had never expected the reborn Lu Heng to be so impressive. Before the show had even aired, he had already delivered such a huge gift package.

A rare commodity indeed!

Wei Linxuan, whose appearance was exceptionally handsome—even more striking than that of most stars in the entertainment industry—curved the pair of peach-blossom eyes he had inherited from his mother. Without giving anything away, he assessed his little guest. When he noticed Lu Heng looking over, Wei Linxuan even had the leisure to wave at him.

The room was in complete chaos. After roaring himself hoarse, Father Lu was being scolded by Mother Lu as he bent over to clean up the scattered pieces of broken wood and porcelain on the floor. Lu Heng looked at his former boss, who was leaning against the doorframe and striking a pose, then silently looked away.

Signing

By the time Father Lu and Mother Lu had cleaned up the mess and everyone could sit down for a talk, half an hour had already passed.

To ensure young Lu Heng's safety and keep the operation confidential, after presenting the banner and reward money, the J City Public Security Bureau simply kept the production crew—who had carried cameras and captured crucial clues—at the guesthouse for a few more days. The guesthouse mainly accommodated civil servants traveling on official business, so its sanitation and security were certainly more rigorous than those of privately run inns. The rooms arranged for Lu Heng and the production crew were all standard double rooms. One person could stay comfortably, two were not too many, but any more would feel crowded.

Wei Linxuan left most of the production crew outside and only brought the director, Chen Zhenggang, into the room to discuss signing Lu Heng as an artist with Lu Heng's parents.

Lu Zhenjun and his wife looked at each other, as though they had just heard some fantastic tale.

Noticing Lu Zhenjun and his wife's hesitant disbelief, Wei Linxuan gave Chen Zhenggang a look. Chen Zhenggang cleared his throat and began persuading them. "Brother Lu, Sister-in-law Lu, I don't need to explain the situation in Lu Family Village. The two of you must know it well enough yourselves. The environment is isolated, the teaching staff is limited, and there's no need to even mention the educational resources."

He glanced at Lu Heng before continuing, "Lu Heng is a good prospect. He's good-looking, and he knows martial arts. With proper packaging, he could take the path of an action star in the future. You've heard of Zhuo Yuheng, right? He's only a few years older than Lu Heng, and his pay per episode is already over twenty thousand. He can earn several hundred thousand from a single television drama. I think Xiao Heng is no worse than Zhuo Yuheng in any way. Most importantly, the child likes acting too. He even told the police that his greatest wish was to become a star."

Upon hearing this, Father Lu and Mother Lu instinctively looked at Lu Heng.

Lu Heng smiled faintly and nodded without revealing anything.

Wei Linxuan, who had been sitting to the side and saying little all along, suddenly said, "If Lu Heng signs with Huaxia Entertainment, then for various reasons, the company will transfer his school registration to Yanjing City. At that time, Lu Heng will be able to attend school in Yanjing City."

"I attend Yanjing University Affiliated Middle School, which is also the best public middle school in Yanjing City. Students who graduate from the middle school division can advance directly to high school, and the high school division has a one hundred percent university admission rate."

Those words hit precisely where it mattered, immediately persuading Lu Zhenjun and his wife. The two exchanged a glance and were about to agree when Lu Heng suddenly spoke. "If Huaxia Imperial Entertainment signs me, does that mean you plan to keep airing the video of me fighting the traffickers at the train station?"

The moment he said that, everyone in the room fell silent.