Chapter 25

“Once you sign this contract, it means you’ll officially become part of the Xingyu Entertainment family.”

Sister Ji placed her hand on the contract.

She disdained making those fake, sentimental promises and instead reminded Jiang Bailu directly, “I really do want to sign you, but you need to think this through carefully. Once you put pen to paper, there’s no going back.”

“What’s there to think about?” Zhai You found this a little boring. She rested her arms behind her head and leaned back against the sofa, practically sinking into it.

Jiang Bailu’s attention remained on Sister Ji. She looked to be in her thirties, yet her demeanor was even more cool and capable than that of some Alphas.

She still remembered how, after being discovered by a talent scout, she had nervously taken the business card and gone to meet Sister V.

The moment Sister V saw her, his eyes lit up. He repeatedly said that with her looks, she was absolutely destined to become famous. Then he pulled out a contract, going on and on about all kinds of wonderful benefits, while beneath them was a line of tiny print that could easily be overlooked if one wasn’t careful.

Unconditionally obey all arrangements made by the company.

But out of everything Sister V had said, Jiang Bailu had only heard one thing—

She could act.

It was a wish she had made over a birthday cake when she was little.

Over the years, her classmates’ dreams had changed again and again. At first, they wanted to become lawyers, doctors, or big bosses. Now, all they wanted was to suddenly become rich.

Jiang Bailu had never changed.

She wanted to become an actress.

Her life was dim and colorless. Most of the time, the only thing illuminating her path was the streetlights when she returned home late at night.

Jiang Bailu would walk beneath them with her eyes closed, imagining herself appearing on the big screen and living someone else’s life.

For a brief moment, she would dance.

Even if it lasted only a moment, the joy in her heart came close to exhilaration.

The streetlights cast her long shadow onto the ground.

And illuminated the dream in her heart.

There was a kind of hope in Jiang Bailu’s eyes that was common in the entertainment industry yet somehow looked strikingly out of place on her.

It made Sister Ji want to remind her one more time.

Frowning, Sister Ji said, “Actually, you can take it home and read it carefully first.”

“Mm—”

“No need to think about it anymore.” Jiang Bailu’s lips curved slightly. It was obvious she was in a good mood, though her smile remained faint, making her temperament appear even more beautiful.

She picked up the pen and signed the three characters of her name, Jiang Bailu, without hesitation.

Her handwriting was elegant and delicate.

Compared with Zhai You’s chicken-scratch handwriting, it was practically written by a fairy herself.

“I’m about to appear in Deliberate Love.” The role in that drama had been something Zhai You fought for on her behalf, giving her the opportunity to audition.

“I’ll need the company to accommodate that.” And read the original at bailiantales.comthis contract had only become possible because Zhai You had paid off her breach-of-contract penalty, allowing her to make a new choice.

Zhai You treated her so well.

Why should she continue doubting her?

Even if she signed this contract, what could Zhai You possibly gain from it?

The company didn’t belong to her anyway.

Perhaps it really was true that once you owed enough debts, you stopped caring about owing more.

Jiang Bailu looked entirely unconcerned.

Sister Ji tugged at the corner of her mouth. “Fine. I’ll go get the contract processed now. Wait here a little longer.”

After saying that, Sister Ji strode out of the office in her high heels, the sharp click of them fading down the hallway.

After she left, the office became quiet.

Jiang Bailu occasionally sensed someone passing by the office and looking at her through the glass window.

Her ears turned slightly red, and she tried hard not to care.

Her gaze swept around the office before eventually landing on Zhai You’s ankles.

It seemed Zhai You hadn’t worn high heels in quite a while.

Whenever they met before, Zhai You was not only tall but also wore red-soled high heels, practically looking down on everyone through her nostrils.

She had even looked at Jiang Bailu with a blatantly triumphant air.

Now, though, her entire presence had changed so much that she almost seemed like a different person.

But no matter what—

Jiang Bailu liked the current Zhai You.

Zhai You still didn’t know she had almost exposed herself.

She was starting to feel sleepy and simply curled up on the soft sofa, closing her eyes.

Once her eyes were closed, her other senses became more obvious.

Zhai You could hear the whispers outside.

“So that’s Jiang Bailu?”

“What do you think?”

“Hmm… can’t really see clearly. Zhai You’s blocking her.”

“Tsk!”

Zhai You raised an eyebrow.

Seriously, she could get criticized even while lying down?

After thinking that, she shifted even closer to Jiang Bailu, blocking her as thoroughly as possible.

She wasn’t letting them look.

Jiang Bailu saw every movement clearly but completely misunderstood her intentions. “Did you not sleep well last night?”

“Not really,” Zhai You replied gloomily without opening her eyes.

Actually—

Actually, actually, actually!

She hadn’t slept well at all!

But she couldn’t tell the truth.

She couldn’t possibly admit that she had spent the entire night researching how to get along with a girlfriend, then watched all kinds of videos of couples showing affection and decided she wanted to experience every one of those things with Jiang Bailu someday.

As a result, she had barely slept.

How could she possibly admit such an embarrassing reason?

Zhai You’s eyelashes trembled slightly.

She squeezed her eyes shut even tighter and pretended to be asleep.

“This is Sister Ji’s office. Isn’t it a little inappropriate to sleep here?” Jiang Bailu sounded somewhat worried. “Why don’t you wait until we get home?”

Zhai You sat up. “You have a point.”

No matter how soft the office sofa was, it still wasn’t comfortable for sleeping. She even had to curl her legs up.

She simply pushed open one of the doors inside the office—

and discovered a small lounge!

Sister Ji normally slept in there too.

After all, Xingyu Entertainment really was extremely laid-back.

Zhai You only knew the lounge existed because the assistant had accidentally mentioned it before. She had cleverly remembered it.

After finding the lounge, she immediately lay down.

It was even quieter inside the small lounge than outside.

Yet somehow, she found it even harder to sleep.

There was no sound of Jiang Bailu breathing.

No sound of her voice.

There wasn’t even the slightest trace of her scent.

It almost felt as though Zhai You had been abandoned.

So Zhai You climbed back up, closed the door, and returned to the sofa under Jiang Bailu’s complicated gaze.

“Sister Ji must normally be incredibly busy.” She had practically turned her office into her home.

“No, that’s literally just where she takes her lunch break…” Before today, Sister Ji had only managed one artist, Zhai You. How busy could she possibly be? “Maybe you don’t know this, but Sister Ji owns shares in the company.”

The assistant had told her that too.

The assistant’s exact words had been: “You’re definitely not my boss. Sister Ji is. She owns company shares. She’s the one who pays me. She’s my boss!”

Zhai You’s response back then had been: “And who makes money for the company?”

The assistant had desperately wanted to say, Not you.

But he couldn’t bring himself to say it…

“If you’re really that sleepy, you can rest your head on my lap for a while,” Jiang Bailu offered considerately.

After deciding to become friends with Zhai You, the distance between them had closed considerably.

Something at this level was clearly something Jiang Bailu could accept.

Zhai You froze.

Then she agreed so quickly it was as if she were afraid Jiang Bailu might regret offering. “Okay.”

She lay back down on the sofa.

This time, instead of resting her head against the back cushion, she placed it on Jiang Bailu’s thighs.

She still couldn’t sleep, but Jiang Bailu’s scent soothed her emotions remarkably well.

“What did you do last night?” Jiang Bailu lowered her head and studied Zhai You.

Zhai You: “……”

Classified information.

She hadn’t been lying there long when Sister Ji returned to the office carrying the contract.

At the door, she saw a group of idle employees gathered outside and waved them away.

The moment she opened the door, she saw that damn Zhai You enjoying a lap pillow while lying across her expensive custom-made sofa.

“You really know how to enjoy life!” Sister Ji gritted her teeth.

“Not really. Your sofa’s a little small. It [Read on BaiLianTales]digs into my legs.” Zhai You swung her lower legs, which were hanging off the edge.

Sister Ji smiled without warmth.

Was there any chance that the sofa wasn’t meant for sleeping in the first place?

Perhaps it was meant for people to sit on!

“Come confirm the contract.” Too lazy to argue with Zhai You, Sister Ji simply ignored her and spoke directly to Jiang Bailu. “I’ll handle negotiations with Director Guo from here on. Are you really sure you want your appearance fee transferred directly into Zhai You’s account?”

Jiang Bailu nodded.

Normally, that wouldn’t be encouraged. Omegas were supposed to have independent control over their own finances now.

But Zhai You clearly didn’t care, while Jiang Bailu insisted on it.

Considering they were all practically family anyway, Sister Ji didn’t ask further.

The day after the contract was signed, Director Guo’s side finalized their appearance fees.

Just as Sister Ji had said, after deducting the agency share and taxes, the read the original at bailiantales.comtwo of them together wouldn’t even receive one million.

The “not even one million” part was from Zhai You’s perspective.

For Jiang Bailu, seeing an appearance fee this large left her so shocked she could barely comprehend the amount.

Not long ago, she had been worrying over her mother’s two-hundred-thousand medical bill.

Now her appearance fee alone was already more than—

Of course, Jiang Bailu quickly composed herself.

Two hundred thousand had only been the initial surgery expense.

There would still be an endless stream of medication costs, follow-up examinations, and other medical expenses afterward.

It was still an enormous financial burden.

And if not for Zhai You, she never would have received an appearance fee this large.

Once the contracts and appearance fees were settled, the scripts were quickly sent to both [Read on BaiLianTales]Zhai You and Jiang Bailu.

Only then did the two of them finally see the complete screenplay.

It differed considerably from the novel.

But because Luo Yin, the original author, was still the screenwriter, the changes weren’t excessive overall and were all quite reasonable.

“My lines got reduced.” After flipping through several pages, Zhai You noticed something.

She cleared her throat and slowly read one of the lines from the script aloud, then fell into a long silence.

“Did my voice become ugly?”

“No.” After finishing the script, Jiang Bailu looked calmly toward Zhai You.

The second female lead had been rewritten to fit Zhai You much more closely.

It almost seemed as though the character had been specifically written for her.

What was most remarkable was that, compared with the second female lead in the novel, she didn’t actually feel that different.

She simply felt more vivid and alive despite speaking less.

Luo Yin really was incredibly skilled.

No wonder so many readers had bookmarked her work.

“Hmm—” Zhai You still wasn’t satisfied.

A character who barely spoke—

wasn’t that basically a decorative vase?

She suddenly didn’t know whether she should be happy about playing a beautiful vase or sad about playing a beautiful vase.

Just as Zhai You and Jiang Bailu were preparing to rehearse together,

Su Luo called at exactly the wrong moment and interrupted them.

The instant Zhai You answered, his gloating voice came through.

“Sister Zhai You, you’re actually going to play an Omega!”

Loud laughter erupted from Su Luo’s side, even more exaggerated than if he had just heard the funniest joke of the year.

“What kind of crazy nonsense are you—wait. How do you know?”

Zhai You remembered that the official announcement hadn’t been released yet.

“Your audition video is all over the internet! Hahahaha! You actually auditioned by running! And you ran for so long! Ahem, Sister Zhai You, was it fun?”

“What do you think?”

Zhai You coldly hung up.

She looked toward Jiang Bailu.

Jiang Bailu had also heard Su Luo through the phone.

So the information had leaked ahead of time.

And worse, it was specifically Zhai You’s audition video.

It was practically targeted at her!

“Director Guo and the others wouldn’t do something that brain-dead,” Zhai You said.

Did they not want their investor anymore?

“Did someone sneak in?” Jiang Bailu frowned.

Thinking about the comments people already made about Zhai You online, unease began rising in her heart.

Originally, she had expected Zhai You to be criticized, but as long as they kept the information relatively quiet until the drama officially aired, perhaps the backlash wouldn’t be quite so severe.

Now, though, she had no idea how badly public opinion might target Zhai You.

Even at a moment like this, Zhai You remained remarkably calm. “Don’t panic. Let me test their Chinese-language proficiency.”

She opened Weibo.

A huge string of @ mentions appeared.

How thoughtful of these netizens.

They had even provided directions for her directly.