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But... Xu Yuqing closed his eyes. He would not do something like that.

He had never regretted what happened back then, and it would be the same in the future. If he had to do it again, he would still make the same choice.

When he opened his eyes again, Xu Yuqing said, "Sister Liu, I choose to leave the industry."

Those words were a difficult compromise, but also the most helpless and painful course of action.

No matter how wonderful a dream was or how badly one wanted to achieve it, people still had to learn to bow to reality.

Sister Liu sighed. She wanted to comfort him, but truly did not know what else she could say.

Just then, her phone rang again.

Sister Liu's entire body tensed as she sat up straight. Staring at the unfamiliar number on the screen, she could not bring herself to tap it.

Could it be more bad news?

Xu Yuqing said, "Sister Liu, answer it. What worse news could there be? I can handle anything now."

Liu Rong said, "Don't worry yet. Maybe it isn't about you."

She stood and went to the balcony to answer the call.

Xu Yuqing did not hold out any hope.

But after a while, Liu Rong flung open the balcony door in wild delight, rushed before Xu Yuqing, and said, "Yuqing, a company wants to sign you!"

Chapter 4

As an agent, Liu Rong's phone number was not difficult for people to obtain.

Thus, when she received this call, the unease in Liu Rong's heart was immediately replaced by surprise. The other party spoke earnestly and said they intended to sign Xu Yuqing.

"They said they want to meet with us in person, and I've already set a time." Liu Rong smiled. "Yuqing, maybe your opportunity has come."

It seemed not every entertainment company feared or was wary of Star Universe Entertainment's suppression and warnings.

The entertainment industry had not yet reached the point where Star Universe Entertainment alone dominated everything and acted with impunity.

Upon hearing that, Xu Yuqing rose from the sofa as well. At first, he was shocked, delighted, and excitedly paced around the living room twice. Then he gradually calmed down, returned to Liu Rong, clenched his fists, and said nervously, "Sister Liu, but do they know about my situation? Star Universe Entertainment will definitely take this lawsuit to the end. If I leave the industry alone, I can bear whatever comes, but if I join a new company, then it won't only involve me."

Did the other party have the ability to help him break free from Star Universe Entertainment?

And if Star Universe Entertainment still refused to let him go afterward, could they withstand Star Universe Entertainment's methods of suppression?

Offending Star Universe Entertainment for him alone was not worth the cost no matter how one looked at it.

Even if the company truly intended to sign him at first, they would surely reconsider carefully after weighing all the pros and cons...

And usually, the final outcome of such matters was that giving up on him was the best choice.

The moment he thought of that, it felt as though a basin of cold water had been dumped over his head. Half of Xu Yuqing's initial excitement cooled as he grabbed his hair and said, "Forget it. I think there's no need to go for the meeting. There's a good chance it'll all come to nothing in the end..."

He had already endured too much disappointment. This time, he had been battered beyond recognition. If it happened again, he did not know whether he could keep holding on.

Xu Yuqing dejectedly collapsed back onto the sofa, let out a long sigh, and wore a bleak expression.

Liu Rong sat down as well and persuaded him, "Are you planning to give up already?"

"What else can I do if I don't give up?" Xu Yuqing smiled bitterly.

Liu Rong said, "As long as there's even a sliver of a chance, you have to seize it with all your strength. If you don't try it yourself, you'll never know the outcome. Yuqing, don't assume things are hopeless. What harm is there in meeting them once? You've already anticipated the worst outcome, but what if something good happens?"

Xu Yuqing hesitated. After a while, he said, "Sister Liu, you're right. I shouldn't give up like this. I'll go."

Opportunities had to be fought for. This time, he would take the initiative and speak properly with them. Even if they rejected him, at least he had tried. That way, after leaving the entertainment industry, he would not regret never having gone.

For the meeting, he took out his best and most formal clothes, fixed his hair, shaved his beard, and prepared himself to look as presentable as possible.

The meeting was held in a private room at an upscale restaurant.

When they arrived, the other party was already there.

"Hello, are you Miss Liu and Mr. Xu?"

The man introduced himself as Yuan Guangjin, an assistant from Jinbai Entertainment. He had made the phone call.

Today, Jinbai Entertainment's president and vice president were waiting inside the private room. He was receiving them at the door and invited them in.

Xu Yuqing could not help exchanging a glance with Sister Liu.

Both the president and vice president of a company had come?

And Jinbai Entertainment?

Why had neither of them heard of this company?

It really was some small company, then. Or perhaps it had only recently been established and intended to develop in the entertainment industry, yet did not understand the industry's current situation very well. It was even less likely to know about the conflict between Star Universe Entertainment and him. Otherwise, it would not have made that call...

Xu Yuqing and Liu Rong were thinking exactly the same thing.

Especially Liu Rong. As a fairly experienced agent in the entertainment industry, she had a deep and thorough understanding of the field. She might not know every company and celebrity studio like the back of her hand, but she knew most of them.

If even she had never heard this company's name, it was likely an obscure small company with no future or prospects. It might even be one of those shady companies that made money by exploiting celebrities and actors, squeezing them dry before abandoning them once they no longer had any value. The better outcome was being able to get away smoothly; the worse one was having to pay the company a penalty before leaving, or else face a lawsuit. That was their usual method.

Or, looking on the bright side, perhaps it was a newly established company. But could an upstart compare to an old entertainment company? Especially one as large as Star Universe Entertainment.

Star Universe Entertainment could probably crush such a newly founded little company with barely any effort and force it to the brink of bankruptcy.

The more she thought about it, the more Sister Liu's heart sank. She held no hope for the result of this meeting. They would likely return empty-handed.

Xu Yuqing was no fool. Naturally, he could think of everything Liu Rong could.

Thus, with half-cooled hearts, the two entered the private room.

But the moment they walked in, Xu Yuqing and Liu Rong could not help freezing in place, staring in stunned disbelief.

Were these really the president and vice president of an entertainment company? They were not famous stars sitting here, were they?

Their appearance was completely different from what Xu Yuqing and Liu Rong had imagined. They had assumed the president and vice president would be two middle-aged men. Even if they were young, they had never imagined that they would be no less handsome than the hottest celebrities—indeed, they carried even more presence than stars.

In the entertainment industry, where stars gathered, the looks of these two would undoubtedly be top-tier.

So they truly were not signed celebrity actors sent to negotiate on behalf of the boss?

Then Yuan Guangjin's introduction confirmed their identities. "This is President Cai of Jinbai Entertainment, and this is Vice President Xuan."

"President Cai, Vice President Xuan, these are Miss Liu and Mr. Xu."

Liu Rong and Xu Yuqing snapped out of it and hurriedly greeted them.

If the people running the company possessed such poise and presence, the two felt that they did not look like the sort of company that cheated people.

"No need to be so polite. Please, sit." Cai Jinbai said.

Xuan Yu did not speak. He had simply come to keep Cai Jinbai company.

After the two sat down, Cai Jinbai got straight to the point. "I assume you both understand the purpose of this meeting. I've watched Mr. Xu's previous works. His acting is good, his image is excellent, and his qualifications in every respect are very satisfactory."

"It so happens that Mr. Xu's contract with Star Universe Entertainment is about to expire and he will be leaving. If you have no other plans for the time being, why not consider Jinbai Entertainment?"

The words were direct. Although Xu Yuqing was tempted, he had even more concerns.

He said, "Since President Cai has looked into my works, you must know that I've been shelved by Star Universe Entertainment for three years. I haven't acted in much during those three years, and my dispute with Star Universe Entertainment still hasn't ended."

"If President Cai asks around a little, you'll learn that Star Universe Entertainment currently has no intention of letting me terminate my contract smoothly. They're using loopholes in the contract to threaten me, saying I must pay a breach-of-contract penalty before I can leave."

"No—or rather, even if I pay all the money, Star Universe Entertainment still won't let me go, because I..."

"Because of you, Star Universe Entertainment's president, Gao Su, had his younger brother Gao Chi indirectly sent to prison. The charges were drug use and repeatedly providing a place for others to use drugs. You were also dragged into that incident because of a photo, falsely accused of using drugs and of attending that gathering."

"After the incident, Star Universe Entertainment not only failed to clarify the rumors for you, but placed all the blame on you instead. They suppressed you relentlessly, shelved you, and now intend to ruin you beyond recovery. Before coming here, you had even considered leaving the industry, hadn't you?" Cai Jinbai said.

He was not finished. He continued, "The reason you were photographed that day was nothing like what the internet claimed—that you were close to Gao Chi and attended a party he hosted. You went there to save someone out of kindness. You barged in, interrupted their revelry, and took that person away."

"But because of that, the door opened and the commotion drew attention. Someone discovered that Gao Chi was gathering people to use drugs and reported it, while a hidden reporter took the opportunity to photograph you."

Xu Yuqing was completely stunned. He opened his mouth, and only after a long moment did he find his voice. "H-how do you know all that so clearly?"

The person who reported it and the person who took the photo were not part of the same group. Back then, he had wanted to find that reporter and ask him to help clear his name.

Unfortunately, that reporter had long since been bought off by Star Universe Entertainment. Later, he had disappeared without a trace, and Xu Yuqing could not even find where he was.

To this day, it remained unknown whether the reporter had initially been following and secretly photographing him or Gao Chi. Among the photos he released, Xu Yuqing's figure was clearly present, which sparked the public attacks against him. Xu Yuqing still remembered the overwhelming abuse across the internet back then. Even after getting tested, he still...