Chapter 21

In film industry terms, this kid was born with the aura of a villain—the kind with the richest, most layered character setting, neither wholly good nor evil, reckless and unrestrained.

No wonder that old fox Wen Yangke had wanted to sign Cheng Yu the moment he saw him. This kid was born to make a living in this business. He had the kind of face every film director would love, a face that inspired people to tell stories.

If Cheng Tianguang had still harbored doubts on the way over, all his concerns vanished the moment he saw Cheng Yu. Just as Zhu Jianxin had sworn, Cheng Yu only needed that face—if he was willing to enter the industry, he would definitely become popular. There was no question about it. Any industry insider with even a little talent for spotting stars could tell.

Cheng Tianguang no longer hesitated. He immediately took out the Class B contract he had prepared in advance, along with a five-million signing bonus, and concisely stated his purpose.

"What? You want to sign my grandson as an entertainer and have him debut through a talent show?" Chen Simiao found it as unbelievable as a fairy tale. The old man took a deep breath and barely maintained his politeness. "Mr. Cheng, I think you probably don't understand Cheng Yu's situation—"

"Grandpa." Cheng Yu cut Chen Simiao off and said with interest, "I'm quite interested."

"What?" Chen Simiao was even more astonished. Even Lin Sufen and Cheng Shao could no longer remain silent, both staring over with stunned expressions.

"A-Yu, didn't you say you weren't interested in acting?" Cheng Shao could not help trying to persuade him. "Besides, your personality isn't suited to the entertainment industry."

"Why isn't it suited?" Cheng Yu tilted his head and asked.

Cheng Shao was speechless. Do you seriously not know why you aren't suited? With that awful temper of yours, how could you possibly adapt to the entertainment industry?

Cheng Yu beckoned to Zhu Jianxin. "Bring the contract over for me to look at."

Zhu Jianxin turned to glance at Cheng Tianguang before handing over the contract.

Unhurriedly, Cheng Yu flipped through it from beginning to end, then said casually, "President Cheng wants to spend five million to buy ten years of my life?"

For some reason, Cheng Tianguang, who had originally felt that the amount was far from small, felt his heart sink heavily at Cheng Yu's emotionless question. He subconsciously rubbed his fingers together and asked evenly, "This is only a draft letter of intent. If Young Master Cheng has any objections, you may raise them."

"The term is too long. Change ten years to five. If I haven't grown tired of the industry and retired after five years, I can give the company priority in renewing my contract. Also, there's too little freedom. I don't like others arranging all my schedules and appearances, including my makeup, hair, and styling for various events. If I sign endorsements, competing jewelry brands must be excluded. Finally, my personal likeness and copyrights belong to me. The company may profit from my image rights, but it has no right to interfere with what I do outside the company's channels..."

Without a moment's hesitation, Cheng Yu listed a string of demands so troublesome that they made Cheng Tianguang and Zhu Jianxin's heads ache just listening. He finished with, "That's roughly it. I'll have my lawyer finalize the specifics with you—if you're sure you want to sign me as an entertainer."

Cheng Tianguang and Zhu Jianxin looked at each other. They truly could not figure out whether, by signing such a humiliating contract, they would be signing an entertainer or an ancestor.

"As a concession, my contract doesn't need a fifty-fifty split. Seventy-thirty will do. Thirty for me, seventy for you."

After saying his piece, Cheng Yu straightforwardly lifted his tea to see them out. "You have one day to think it over."

Cheng Tianguang rose hesitantly. Once again, he agreed with Zhu Jianxin. Sitting across the negotiating table from Cheng Yu really made it difficult to seize the initiative. This person simply would not listen to another word than necessary. He only cared about what he wanted, and his attitude was clear—he could not be bothered to waste an extra breath.

Were they really going to give up just like that? But if Cheng Yu truly wanted to enter the industry, even if only for fun, with his family background, qualifications, and looks, some agency would surely agree to such harsh conditions. To say nothing of anything else, that old fox Wen Yangke would probably pounce the instant he got the news and beg Cheng Yu to sign. After all, actors had far more freedom than idol singers.

Cheng Tianguang hesitated for a moment before finally making up his mind. "I agree."

Cheng Yu smiled faintly and extended his right hand, neither surprised nor, perhaps, caring in the least. "Happy cooperation."

After Cheng Tianguang left in a daze with Zhu Jianxin, Chen Simiao, who had always indulged the child, finally frowned and asked, "Why do you suddenly want to become an entertainer?"

"Because I'm going to enter the DMI World Jewelry Design Competition." Cheng Yu smiled. "Once I win an award, I'll be able to create my own brand."

The old couple and Cheng Shao looked at one another, unable to follow Cheng Yu's train of thought for the moment.

Chapter 21

The DMI World Jewelry Design Competition was an international jewelry design competition jointly organized by the International Colored Gemstone Association, the F Country Gemstone Association, the Y Country Gemstone Association, the M Country Gemstone Association, and the Belgian Diamond High Council. It was held every September and was divided into two categories: the Rising Talent division and the Professional division.

There was no need to say much about the latter. Participants had to be recommended by the organizers or major jewelry brands. It was essentially a private playground for chief high-jewelry designers from major brands to compete in inspiration, exchange ideas, and promote their brands' new collections along the way.

The former had a much broader scope. First, it did not require professional qualifications—mainly to encourage more young people to enter the jewelry design industry. Therefore, when accepting submissions, the judging panel did not strictly require contestants to provide résumés or academic credentials; the review process focused solely on the work itself. Under normal circumstances, many students from international jewelry academies and jewelry design enthusiasts entered the competition. The winning work and designer of the first prize would be invited to collaborate with an international top luxury jewelry brand to establish a new product line.

When Cheng Yu was in the preparatory program at the F Country Institute of Higher Visual Communication Design (EVC), he had entered this competition before. Unfortunately, he had been young then, and both his design concepts and professional skills had been immature, so he had ultimately won only third prize. Though he had not earned the qualification to collaborate with an international top luxury brand and establish a studio, he had still made a name for himself and entered the industry's field of vision. When he was admitted to BJOP with outstanding results the following year, he had even caught the eye of Cici Caroline, a world-renowned jewelry master, and become her last disciple.