Discussing the Contract

The show's viewership was undeniably real. As Xiao Ming's fan count skyrocketed, a fan club was established as well.

Seeing the timing, Mint Soda's advertiser took the opportunity to release the previously filmed ad behind-the-scenes footage and rake in another wave of traffic.

The footage showed Xiao Ming and Qu An sitting by the sea, watching the sunset. The soda on the reef not far away had yet to be removed, making the advertiser's little scheme painfully obvious—but neither fans nor casual viewers had any intention of complaining.

The orange sunset draped over them, casting them in a halo of light. Xiao Ming's legs had not been edited out; the behind-the-scenes footage retained its original form. From the camera angle, only their profiles and backs could be seen, but even that tiny glimpse was picturesque.

Both of them were quiet in the shot, watching the sunset over the sea. For a moment, it was hard to tell whether the sunset was more beautiful, or they were.

When they got up, Qu An even glanced at Xiao Ming. His beautiful eyes were filled with the sunset, as though they held the same warmth of the setting sun for Xiao Ming.

[Ahhhhh! Why does Kuku look so in love!]

[There's a sunset in his eyes, and you in the sunset.]

[Holy crap, is the sponsor taking the lead in shipping their own endorsers? Hahaha.]

[This ad really understands its audience. When Full Speed Ahead! aired yesterday, I already thought the two of them were incredibly shippable, but I didn't dare say it.]

[Me too! There were fans of other people on the show, so I didn't feel comfortable saying it. Plus, Xiao Ming was a little nobody—I was afraid people would say he was clout-chasing.]

[A little nobody who gained five hundred thousand followers overnight—is that what "little nobody" means now? Real nobodies are going to cry.]

[Why aren't QAQ's fans saying anything? Feels like they're all CP fans.]

[QAQ's fans don't even dare talk, hahaha. QAQ was the one who went looking for XMX in the behind-the-scenes footage—where are QAQ's fans supposed to argue from? Hahaha.]

[What's with XMX?]

[For symmetry. QA is QAQ, so XM is obviously XMX.]

[Typing it on a twenty-six-key keyboard gives QAQ Little Fairy, hahahahaha. It kind of fits.]

[Kuku Little Fairy, I'm dying.]

When Xiao Ming woke up that morning, he already had eight hundred and eighty thousand followers. He had gained over five hundred thousand overnight. No wonder the production team wanted him as a regular cast member—he had traffic, his pay would not be too high, and there was a growing trend of tying him to Qu An, though neither side had made it clear.

The show's fans had still held back yesterday, but the Willow in Shadow, Blossom in Light supertopic already had over a hundred thousand followers.

Edits, fanfiction, and fan art had sprung up overnight like mushrooms after rain. Once today's behind-the-scenes footage was released, the excitement became even more deafening.

After accidentally joining that supertopic, Xiao Ming had never unfollowed it for some reason. Maybe he felt that there was nothing to hide between friends.

After the last incident, Yang Yiyi's father felt that she had not actually caused much trouble, so he threw her a position at the company and had her gain some experience. It was only today, when she heard people at the company discussing how "Qu An and Xiao Ming are simply perfect together," that she realized belatedly just how much she had missed.

She took some time to look up the Mint Soda ad and its behind-the-scenes footage online. At first, as she watched Qu An, she sighed over how handsome he was as always—until Xiao Ming appeared.

The beautiful mermaid's blue tail gleamed under the sunlight, while a faint, sunny smile appeared on his exquisite face, leaving no room to doubt that he was the sea's favored child.

Looking at the person on her phone, Yang Yiyi unconsciously saved several photos.

"He suits him far better than I do," she murmured. Seeing fans mention Xiao Ming and Qu An's interactions on Full Speed Ahead!, she pursed her lips and downloaded Green Mango TV, planning to watch it after work that evening.

Similar scenes had already appeared all over the internet.

[I escaped during Only Me in the Martial World. I escaped during the mermaid ad too. But! Full Speed Ahead! really kicked me straight to the bottom of the pit. He's good-looking and smart—what kind of clever beauty is this?]

["Clever beauty" sounds so weird, hahaha, but Xiao Ming really is handsome, and he performed quite well too.]

[Xiao Ming got popular so fast. He hasn't even been in the industry for a year, right?]

[Seriously. His resources are great too. The drama he acted in blew up and boosted him, then he filled in for an injured actor on Full Speed Ahead!, and now he did an ad with Qu An. It wasn't an endorsement, but the buzz is absolutely real.]

[Does he have someone backing him? His resources all seem pretty good.]

[Can some people stop having such filthy thoughts?]

[True. He's so beautiful—anyone would want him.]

[But he's barely done any promotion so far. After Only Me in the Martial World aired, he only reposted the drama's Weibo a few times. After that, he did even less—he stopped reposting altogether.]

[Isn't that because he has someone backing him, so he doesn't care?]

[Slander can get you sued. Xiao Ming became hugely popular soon after debuting, which only proves that he's capable.]

[Fans are already rushing to protect him?]

[Of course. He gained five hundred thousand followers overnight, and they're basically all active followers. Even the most popular idols before him never had anything this outrageous.]

After Xiao Ming and Qu An talked and confirmed that he would become a regular cast member, he replied to the producer and arranged a place to discuss the contract.

The producer happened to be in Yue City as well. When Xiao Ming arrived, the producer looked up at him, then froze completely, because Xiao Ming had not come alone.

"Producer Li, long time no see," Qu An greeted first, taking a seat under the other man's astonished gaze.

Producer Li had deliberately chosen a private room. Xiao Ming had gained a bit of popularity now and was no longer completely unknown. Yue City was an economically prosperous place, and quite a few people probably recognized him already. The show's contract could not be exposed.

The scene returned to before they set out.

Xiao Ming had told Qu An that he was going out to sign a contract. Qu An pondered for a while before suggesting that he go along. Xiao Ming had no agent, so he could only negotiate by himself. Since he was unfamiliar with the entertainment industry's rules, Qu An feared that he would be easily taken advantage of.

In truth, Xiao Ming did not understand as little as Qu An thought he did. But faced with his friend's concern, he still could not refuse.

Qu An really was a good person! He had stanned the right person!

He had already caught up on all of Qu An's works. Thanks to his excellent memory, he remembered practically every detail. Though he did not talk much, he answered every question and always answered correctly, so he had thrived in the fan group.

"Teacher Qu, Teacher Xiao, hello, hello."

After Qu An took his seat, Producer Li looked somewhat nervous, sweat already forming on his forehead. He truly had not expected this man to come. He had originally planned to coax Xiao Ming, who knew nothing, into giving the show more concessions. But with Film Emperor Qu watching from the side, his original plan was no longer something he could bring himself to use.

People outside the industry did not know, but those within it—especially behind-the-scenes workers like them—knew all too well about the capital behind Qu An. Even setting that aside, Qu An's own connections and resources were enough to make him suffer.

"Hello, Producer Li. We happened to be nearby, so we came along together," Xiao Ming said. It was not exactly true, since he could not put things so plainly, but it did ease some of Producer Li's pressure.

A third party ordinarily should not be present for contract negotiations, but Xiao Ming added a sentence on Qu An's behalf. "Teacher Qu is currently acting as my agent, though I will still discuss the contract with you myself."

Hearing that, Producer Li could no longer ask Qu An to leave. "Oh, okay, okay. Teacher Xiao, this is our contract. Take a look. If there are no problems, then we can consider this settled."

As he flipped through the contract and saw the clause, "Party B must unconditionally comply with all program requirements from Party A, including program editing and recording methods," his brows drew together tightly.

Xiao Ming had always worn a cold expression. Before, when he did not take much care of himself, his hair had grown past his eyes, making him look gloomy. Later, "Xiao Ming" had cut off his thick, long bangs, making him look far more energetic. And after Xiao Ming woke up, he no longer needed to remain busy with school like before, so he had wanted to make some changes as well.

As a result, when his beautiful peach-blossom eyes held no emotion and stared directly at someone, they gave people a chill down the neck. Combined with the bearing he had cultivated over the years, Producer Li across from him unexpectedly felt a sense of pressure.

It did not come from Qu An, who truly stood at the top, but from Xiao Ming, a mere newcomer.

"Producer Li, does this 'unconditional compliance' clause mean that if your show maliciously edits footage, or if unreasonable situations arise during filming that even threaten my personal safety, I would have no right to interfere?"

"Ah, this..." That had indeed been their intention, because they thought Xiao Ming had no backing and would be easy to bully. Sweat formed on Producer Li's nose, and for a long time, he could not say anything.

"And this clause regarding breach of contract. The penalty is five times the remuneration, yet the issue of remuneration is vague. The base pay is two hundred thousand, with additional increases based on the program's traffic share for each episode." Xiao Ming set down the contract and looked at Producer Li, his tone cold. "What is the share percentage? Is the program's traffic related to my individual contribution? Is the percentage based on status, or on each episode's personal traffic? I have reason to question your program's sincerity."

Xiao Ming spoke neither hurriedly nor slowly. His Mandarin was standard, and his voice, crisp as jade, carried an irrefutable persuasiveness. Qu An, who had been watching him the entire time, had already curved his eyes in a smile.

Producer Li could not help wiping away the sweat running down from his forehead. Seeing Qu An remain silent beside him, he regained a little confidence.

"Teacher Xiao, it's like this. There is still a certain gap between your current popularity and status and those of the other guests, so the program has already offered you the greatest possible benefit. As for the profit-sharing issue, we can discuss it in detail later."

Hearing that, Qu An frowned without concealing it, his gaze falling on Producer Li. Did the man think he was only here to help put on a show, so he dared to bully Xiao Ming right in front of him?

Calling this contract oppressive would not be an exaggeration. The contract offered to Qu An would never be like this.