On his way to Wilson, Cheng Che made a phone call to Lawyer Chen.
After the call connected, he briefly explained the situation.
Qin Lie has arrived in Capital City and they are on their way to Wilson Company. If it is convenient for Lawyer Chen, they hope she can come over.
"Okay," Lawyer Chen said, "I'll be right there."
After hanging up the phone, Cheng Che leaned back in his seat, watching the street scene recede outside the window.
Qin Lie sat next to him, flipping through a stack of printed documents, muttering to himself:
"Endorsement fees, terms, exclusivity, performance clauses... I've looked at everything I needed to know and asked everything I needed to ask. Don't worry, with me here, they won't be able to cheat you."
Cheng Che nodded.
Meanwhile, in Yan Ruanning's studio, Lawyer Chen was packing his things to leave.
She had just put her laptop into her bag when Yan Ruanning came out of the recording studio to get some water. Seeing her like this, she asked, "Sister Chen, are you going out?"
" Cheng Che is about to sign an endorsement deal, I'm going over there."
Yan Ruanning paused for a moment in her hand holding the water glass.
" Wilson?"
"Right."
Yan Ruanning thought for a moment, then put down her water glass. "I'll go too."
Lawyer Chen looked up in shock. "Would you mind handling this?"
"It's nothing." Yan Ruanning picked up her coat. "I'm just going to take a look. Lawyers understand the law, but they may not understand the entertainment industry. If they try to pressure him with some industry practices, you can block them with the terms of the contract, but you might not be able to see the intricacies of the industry."
Lawyer Chen opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he only nodded.
The two left the studio and got into the car.
Wilson Company is located in an office building in the eastern part of Capital City.
When Cheng Che and Qin Lie arrived, the receptionist was already waiting for them.
"Mr. Cheng, Mr. Qin, this way please. Manager Wang is already waiting for you in the conference room."
The two followed the receptionist inside.
The conference room door was ajar. Cheng Che pushed it open and then paused for a moment.
In the conference room, Yan Ruanning was sitting by the window with a cup of tea in front of her.
She wasn't wearing a hat or a mask today; she was wearing a simple beige trench coat, and her hair was pulled back behind her ears.
Cheng Che stopped in his tracks when he saw her.
Then he laughed.
Yan Ruanning smiled and nodded slightly at him.
Qin Lie glanced at Cheng Che, then at Yan Ruanning, and muttered something under his breath, Cheng Che didn't hear.
Several Wilson employees, who were outside in the corridor, saw this scene through the glass and looked at each other in disbelief.
"That woman... is that Yan Ruanning?"
"It's her. Why is she here?"
"Wait, she came with Cheng Che?"
"Isn't this just a rumor? Is it solid evidence?"
The group exchanged glances, all seeing shock in each other's eyes.
In the conference room, Manager Wang had already stood up.
He was in his forties, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a dark suit, with a very professional smile.
He shook hands with Qin Lie first, then with Cheng Che, and finally his gaze fell on Yan Ruanning, clearly somewhat surprised.
"Ms. Yan," Manager Wang smiled, "I didn't expect you to be here too."
"I've come to take a look," Yan Ruanning said calmly. "It won't interrupt your business."
Manager Wang nodded without asking any further questions.
He asked the group to sit down, and then had his assistant bring up the prepared contracts.
"Mr. Cheng," Manager Wang said bluntly, "Let's get straight to the point. Wilson values your talent and influence. Even Mr. Federer has highly praised your performance on the tennis court. And your popularity on the Chinese internet is the core reason we chose you."
He opened a document.
"To be honest, we've contacted quite a few domestic tennis players, but none of them have ever garnered the same level of attention online as you. Your popularity isn't from marketing; it's organic. That's truly remarkable."
Cheng Che listened calmly.
He knew what Manager Wang meant by "popularity".
Cultural and tourism videos, variety shows, tennis matches, marathons, and everyday life at Peking University —these things trend on social media every few days.
Moreover, recently there have been many videos of him being secretly filmed, which frequently trend on Douyin Weibo.
This left Cheng Che completely baffled.
But he realized a problem.
The "tens of Ten-Million-Tier Popularity Card doesn't seem to refer to Xia Country currency.
It's the US dollar.
Because his popularity continues, it doesn't seem like the kind of popularity that comes from a marketing campaign worth ten million Xia Country coins.
Manager Wang continued:
"We originally planned to sign you to a three-year contract, but considering that you haven't participated in international competitions yet and haven't officially entered the entertainment industry, we've adjusted our strategy. We'll sign you to a one-year contract first."
Qin Lie spoke up, "One year is fine, but the endorsement fee needs to be discussed further."
What followed was a long and drawn-out battle.
Qin Lie was in charge of negotiating prices, Lawyer Chen was in charge of reviewing the terms, Yan Ruanning would occasionally chime in, sharing insider tips that only those in the industry would know.
For example, there are time limits for advertising shoots, the scope of image usage rights, and the artist's right to seek compensation if the brand breaches the contract.
Cheng Che sat beside him, listening most of the time.
He found that the three of them worked together very well.
Qin Lie played the good cop, Lawyer Chen played the bad cop, Yan Ruanning added details.
"Advertisement shoot, two days at most." Yan Ruanning flipped through the contract. "Three days is the price for top-tier artists. He's not at that level yet, but don't try to pressure him like a newcomer. Two days, eight hours a day, anything overtime will be charged separately."
Wilson was pressured into stopping and discussing the matter several times.
Finally, Manager Wang returned to the conference room, a hint of helplessness on his face.
"Eight million," he said. "One year, before tax, plus supplementary terms. If you participate in international competitions and achieve results during the endorsement period, or officially enter the entertainment industry, the endorsement fee will be reassessed based on actual exposure and brand sales data. There is no upper limit."
Qin Lie turned and glanced at Cheng Che.
Cheng Che nodded.
"Okay," he said.
After the contract was signed, both parties exchanged documents.
Manager Wang stood up and extended his hand, saying, "It's a pleasure doing business with you."
"It's a pleasure doing business with you."
The four men left Wilson Company.
Cheng Che walked at the very back, holding a copy of the contract in his hand, his mind still a little dazed.
Eight million.
Before tax, but still eight million.
He recalled how, a few months ago, when he earned three thousand yuan for his first music video shoot, he was so happy he almost jumped for joy.
Now, a single endorsement deal can earn eight million a year.
His father runs a breakfast shop in Spring City, and his monthly net profit is only around ten thousand yuan.
Eight million is enough for his parents to sell steamed buns for a lifetime.
Yan Ruanning walked beside him, glanced at him sideways, and smiled.
"What's wrong? Are you so happy you've gone crazy?"
"No," Cheng Che said, putting the contract away. "It just feels a little unreal."
"What's unreal about it?" Yan Ruanning pulled her coat tighter. "You're worth the price."
Qin Lie turned around from the front. "Alright, alright, stop chatting. Let's go find a place to eat and celebrate!"
Lawyer Chen checked the time. "I won't go; I have things to do at the studio."
Yan Ruanning glanced at her. "Sister Chen, you've worked hard today. I'll have the finance department add an extra amount for you later."
Lawyer Chen smiled, waved, hailed a taxi, and drove away.
The three of them found a restaurant and sat down.
Qin Lie ordered a table full of dishes, a bottle of wine, and a bottle of cola.
He poured Cheng Che a glass of cola and poured himself a glass of wine.
"Come," he raised his glass, "To you. And to me."
"What should I offer you?" Cheng Che asked.
"I've finally become your manager," Qin Lie chuckled. "Although the contract hasn't been signed yet, today's scene marks my official start."
Cheng Che clinked glasses with him.
Yan Ruanning sat to the side, not drinking alcohol, but holding a cup of tea.
She watched Cheng Che and Qin Lie clink glasses, a smile playing on her lips.
Cheng Che put down his wine glass, then suddenly remembered something.
He glanced down at the system panel.
[ Charisma Trial - Phase Two: Let the Work Speak. Objective: Release your first solo single or participate in a film/television production, achieving 10 million+ genuine plays and a 7.0+ rating on mainstream platforms, with positive comments accounting for ≥60%, and gaining 10,000 influence points.]
The endorsement deal has already been signed.
Next step, it's time to compose a song.
He looked at Yan Ruanning.
Yan Ruanning felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze.
Why are you looking at me?
" Teacher Yan," Cheng Che said, "When can I record the song?"
Yan Ruanning paused for a moment, then smiled.
"Learn the arrangement first." She put down her teacup, her tone serious. "You can write the lyrics first. Go back and think about what you want to write."
Cheng Che nodded.
He has a lot to write about.
From the day he was bound to the system until now, in just a few months, his life has more than doubled.
Those mornings spent running, those late nights spent studying, those shouts on the field, those roads walked alone in unfamiliar cities.
"Let me think about it."