A morning was neither particularly long nor particularly short. Chu Xinghui and the other two had only taken a few photos before it was over.
The variety show ended peacefully this time. The eight of them waved at the cameras, and the livestream ended.
Chu Xinghui packed his luggage and was about to call Gu Kai to pick him up.
Neither of them had a car, so they could only ride a little electric scooter. Who knew how long it would take them to get home?
What other celebrity had it this rough?
He was hated all over the internet, and even the only decent car he had used belonged to his former company.
[The Landlord’s Foolish Son: Want a ride back in my car?]
Wen Liangtian sent him a message. He knew Chu Xinghui had no car to pick him up. Since they had brought him here, he had a responsibility to take him home, too.
Chu Xinghui was just about to agree when Wen Liangtian sent another message.
[The Landlord’s Foolish Son: Never mind. Pei Hanmo's assistant has already taken me hostage outside and won't let me pick you up.]
He followed it with an eye-rolling sticker that looked almost exactly like Wen Liangtian rolling his eyes.
Oh, right. Pei Hanmo had said he would bring the contract over once the show ended.
Chu Xinghui wheeled his suitcase downstairs. After saying goodbye to the elderly woman who had given him the winter melon, he walked to the village entrance.
Pei Hanmo's car was already parked there. Its windows were tinted, so he couldn't see inside.
But Wen Liangtian stood in front of his own car with a sour expression. Beside him stood a handsome man wearing sunglasses who looked rather obnoxious.
"Hurry up and get over here. These two won't let me leave until you come. They're terrified I'll take you away. Unbelievable."
Wen Liangtian impatiently stamped his feet and secretly flipped off Pei Hanmo's car.
Seeing Chu Xinghui come out, Pei Hanmo told Gu Chupei to let him go. Only then did Wen Liangtian get back into his car and drive away.
Gu Chupei took his business card out of his pocket. If he remembered correctly, this was Chu Xinghui's first time meeting him.
"Here's my business card. Keep it safe, Mr. Chu. If you need anything, go straight to President Pei. No need to contact me."
Chu Xinghui: ?
He took the business card, opened the door, and got in.
Being rich really was nice. Chu Xinghui had only ever seen cars like this on television.
There was a mini fridge inside, with all sorts of food. Not only could food be heated up, there was even a bed to sleep in.
Pei Hanmo was reading the contract. When Chu Xinghui came in, he put it on the table in front of him.
"Here, your contract. Want to take a look?"
As Chu Xinghui sat down inside the car, the scent of Phalaenopsis orchids washed over him. He frowned deeply.
Why was this car air freshener so strong?
And why did it smell so much like his pheromones?
He picked up the contract on the table and turned through it page by page, carefully reading every clause.
It wasn't that he was afraid Pei Hanmo would cheat him. He just thought Pei Hanmo might use his authority to help him.
Chu Xinghui didn't want Pei Hanmo to help him.
Pei Hanmo knew that, too, and said:
"Don't worry. Yours is the company's standard artist contract. The term is one year. If you really manage to establish yourself after a year, we'll sign a new contract with you."
That would mean a contract with more benefits.
Chu Xinghui closed the contract and looked at Pei Hanmo.
"Gu Kai..."
"Your manager will come with you. The company won't assign any more managers to you."
"All right."
Chu Xinghui nodded, picked up the pen, and signed his name on the signature line.
Outside, Gu Chupei was bored to death as he waited for Lan Xiangxian to finish packing.
His eyes lit up when he spotted Lan Xiangxian. He hurried over and took his luggage.
"What took you so long?"
Lan Xiangxian looked at the luggage that had been taken from him and curled his fingers slightly.
Gu Chupei had shown him the person he liked.
He looked about fifty percent like that person. The rest had to be imitated with makeup.
Although Gu Chupei had said he didn't need to go that far, Lan Xiangxian wanted to use this to remind himself.
Always stay on guard. Don't fall in love with this considerate man in front of you.
Because he had stolen this tenderness. It had originally belonged to someone else.
That person was abroad, and there was no telling when he would return.
When he did return, all Lan Xiangxian asked was that he wouldn't be left too destitute.
"All right, all right. You'll sit in the passenger seat. My boss and my boss's future partner are in the back. Don't mind them."
Seeing Lan Xiangxian lower his head without speaking, Gu Chupei pressed a kiss to his forehead.
That was his boss's partner?
Lan Xiangxian looked at the car drawing closer.
Was it Chu Xinghui?
Was he going to have to tell Chu Xinghui to his face that he was being kept?
In fact, when he came on this variety show, plenty of people had already suspected that he was being kept.
Even the fans under his Weibo posts had been asking about it with concern.
But Gu Chupei had told him it was fine. Getting famous was what mattered.
He clenched his fists. Once Gu Chupei opened the door, he closed his eyes and got in.
Chu Xinghui was briefly shocked to see who had come in, then turned to look at Pei Hanmo.
Your little lover?
Anyone who could get into this car had to have some connection to either Pei Hanmo or his assistant.
Still, Chu Xinghui had expected that Lan Xiangxian was being kept, so he wasn't overly shocked.
He himself had gotten onto this variety show because his company had paid a lot of money to promote Wen Liangtian.
Lan Xiangxian had even been on the list before. It took no thought to know he had been slipped in.
Pei Hanmo immediately shook his head, distancing himself from it.
He looked at Chu Xinghui with shining eyes.
Older Brother, do you really suspect I'm that sort of person?
Chu Xinghui handed the contract to Pei Hanmo and asked:
"That's it? Is there anything else I need to do?"
"Post on Weibo."
Pei Hanmo looked at Chu Xinghui with a smile, still unable to put his mind at ease.
"I'll post the official announcement on Weibo right now."
Once it was on Weibo, the whole internet would know. Chu Xinghui definitely wouldn't go back on it then.
In quite a good mood, he leaned back against the sofa, took out his phone, and opened Weibo.
[Universal Entertainment: Welcome to Universal Entertainment, @Chu Xinghui. We'll move forward together on the road ahead!]
[Bro, you're serious?]
[No, tell me, what exactly makes Chu Xinghui worth signing? His garbage acting? Or the way he hyperventilates whenever he sings?]
[Exactly. If he had commercial value, we certainly wouldn't object.]
[Since you love signing people so much, why don't you get more of our fave's dramas aired? You just love signing trash, huh?]
[Keep this up and I'll tell my fave to switch companies!!]
Not only had career-focused fans begun attacking in the comments on Weibo, but fans of the company's other artists also felt threatened and were posting threats one after another.
"Seriously, I don't want to switch companies. What on earth are they thinking?"
The name mentioned most often in the comments was singer Gu Mingyue, Universal Entertainment's other big name besides Pei Hanmo.
He held his phone, scrolling through the Weibo post the company had just published.
Universal Entertainment was one of the very best companies in terms of benefits. It even offered better benefits than some hugely famous companies in the entertainment industry.
Although he didn't know why they were signing Chu Xinghui, Pei Hanmo must have had his reasons for doing so.
So could they please stop dragging me into this!
I really don't want to switch companies!
Gu Mingyue screamed silently inside.
Before you continue