Chapter 20

When Cheng Yu said this, he shot Zhu Jianxin a smile that wasn't quite a smile. The mockery spilling from the corners of his eyes was practically tangible. "We're all adults. There's really no need to tell fairy tales like that."

Cheng Yu chuckled, his gaze falling on the iced cola that was already more than half empty. "That's a lot of talk. One glass of cola isn't enough, is it?"

On such a scorching day, sweat streamed down Zhu Jianxin's face—not from the heat, but from Cheng Yu's verbal takedown.

"How old are you this year?" Zhu Jianxin could not help asking. Cheng Yu looked no more than seventeen or eighteen, so why was he so mature and sharp-tongued? He practically left no room for anyone to retreat.

Cheng Yu answered with a question of his own. "Do you know Wen Yangke?"

Zhu Jianxin did not react at first. "Huh?"

Cheng Yu said, "I met someone. He said he was a producer from Aodong Pictures and wanted to sign me as an actor. He also said he wanted to invite me to play a well-written role in a movie. If I'm not mistaken, in the current domestic entertainment industry, being an actor should be better than being an idol singer. And debuting as a film actor has to be more prestigious than debuting through an idol competition, right?"

Zhu Jianxin was sweating so much he looked like his kidneys had failed.

"You met Wen Yangke?" The moment the words left his mouth, Zhu Jianxin knew he was in trouble. His presence was far too weak—Cheng Yu would definitely seize on it.

Sure enough, Cheng Yu leaned back slightly, one hand still resting on the table. His body tilted lazily against the booth, and he smiled with ease, the expression carrying a hint of deeper meaning. "Looks like this Wen Yangke is quite an impressive peer."

Zhu Jianxin stared at the coffee spoon spinning endlessly in Cheng Yu's hand, his mouth turning bitter. Of course he had heard of Aodong Pictures' ace producer. If what Cheng Yu said was true, then even Zhu Jianxin had to admit that signing with Aodong Pictures offered better prospects than signing with Tianguang Entertainment.

Cheng Yu watched Zhu Jianxin's grave expression with cold eyes, the corner of his lips curling in amusement. A negotiation opponent at this level really was...

Cheng Yu lounged against the back of the booth, his long fingers absentmindedly twirling the coffee spoon. The delicate little spoon left streaks of afterimages as it spun between his fingers. Cheng Yu picked up his phone and checked the time, allowing Zhu Jianxin to wrestle silently with his thoughts without saying another word.

After a while, by the time Zhu Jianxin came back to himself, Cheng Yu had stopped spinning the spoon. Bored, he had opened a Snake game on his phone. A long electronic snake turned nimbly across the cramped screen.

"Well..." Zhu Jianxin spoke again. "At Tianguang Entertainment, when we sign talented artists, we can offer a signing bonus."

Without even looking up, Cheng Yu said, "Do I look like I'm short on money?"

Looking at Cheng Yu, who was dressed head to toe in designer brands, Zhu Jianxin truly could not come up with a rebuttal.

"Even if your family isn't short on money, nobody minds having more, right?" Zhu Jianxin said weakly.

"That's true." Cheng Yu nodded and finally deigned to shift his gaze away from his phone, looking at Zhu Jianxin. "Then why don't you tell me how much of a signing bonus your entertainment company can offer?"

For some reason, whenever Zhu Jianxin met Cheng Yu's eyes, he felt inexplicably guilty. Somewhat uncomfortable, he avoided Cheng Yu's gaze. "I don't have the authority to decide that. I need to discuss it with the company."

Cheng Yu raised an eyebrow and lowered his head to continue playing on his phone. Though he did not say a word, every strand of his hair seemed to radiate: "If you have no decision-making authority, you aren't qualified to talk to me."

Zhu Jianxin took a deep breath. He had finally realized that, from beginning to end, Cheng Yu had controlled the pace of this conversation. From the first sentence he had spoken, his thoughts had unconsciously been led along by Cheng Yu. After all that back-and-forth, he had been completely passive, without the slightest shred of presence.

"Would you like to come with me and take a look at Tianguang Entertainment's headquarters?" Zhu Jianxin simply gave up resisting and asked in defeat, "You agreed to sit down and talk to me, so you must still be interested in signing with our company, right? You wouldn't—"

"Time's up." Cheng Yu spoke with faint regret, his eyes glued to his phone. He took one last look at the electronic snake on the screen, which had grown too large from its endless greedy consumption and finally had nowhere left to go, biting itself to death. He shook his head. "I think the two of us are quite fated."

Once again, Zhu Jianxin could not keep up with Cheng Yu's train of thought. He asked in bewilderment, "What?"

Cheng Yu picked up his phone, stood up, and smiled at Zhu Jianxin before leaving. "Since we've run into each other twice in one week, maybe we'll run into each other a third time."

"If you're better prepared next time, or if I'm still interested in entering the entertainment industry then and haven't signed with another agency, perhaps we can sit down and talk for fifteen minutes."

After saying that, Cheng Yu did not give Zhu Jianxin a chance to speak. Out of habit, he leaned forward slightly and nodded, then turned and left.

Zhu Jianxin was instantly dumbfounded. Not caring that he was in public, he shouted, "Wait! You still haven't told me your name! How am I supposed to find you?"

Cheng Yu did not even turn his head. He merely waved a hand and kept walking.

Zhu Jianxin watched helplessly as Cheng Yu crossed the road and entered a fruit shop opposite them. Smacking his forehead in frustration, he hurried out to hail a taxi as well—Zhu Jianxin remembered the kid saying that he was going back to the hospital for lunch. That meant that if he could get back to the company, find someone with decision-making authority, and return before the kid left the hospital, he might be able to stop him and sign him to Tianguang Entertainment.

Consumed by his own panic, Zhu Jianxin did not notice why he had fallen into such a frenzied state. Naturally, he also did not notice that, across the street, Cheng Yu—who was picking out durians in the fruit shop—seemed to glance this way when the taxi pulled away.

Chapter 20

Tianguang Entertainment's Yanjing headquarters.

Zhu Jianxin stood panting before the president's desk, swearing by the lights. "President Cheng, believe me! I found a truly exceptional prospect. Not only is he handsome, but his aura is especially distinctive. I believe he'll definitely become famous."