Shen Chen had felt something was off ever since he saw Chi Yan take the stage.
He heard the audience around him exclaiming, “That dancer’s so tragic,” but he clearly recognized the person on stage—it was Chi Yan, not anyone else.
After watching her dance, his heartbeat sped up, thudding so loudly that he felt the entire audience must have noticed his abnormal reaction.
Thankfully, no one seemed to notice.
He thought every one of Chi Yan’s movements was beautiful. That fan of hers felt like it was gently scratching at his heart, over and over again.
“She’s so beautiful, so beautiful! I just want to marry Yanyan!”
Hearing Yanhuo’s words, Shen Chen couldn’t agree more. Then he froze—finally realizing it. He had fallen.
Once he understood this, all his recent abnormal behavior suddenly made sense. He had fallen for Chi Yan.
If he didn’t like her, why would he keep making exceptions for her? If he didn’t like her, why had he been so eager to drive her home? If he didn’t like her, why would he… want to marry her?
Realizing his feelings made Shen Chen feel incredibly uneasy—Chi Yan’s mom was sitting right beside him.
He straightened up as much as possible, trying to present a good impression in her eyes.
From the moment he realized he liked Chi Yan, Shen Chen felt like he was suffering.
He wanted to be alone with her again, unlike before when he stupidly distanced himself.
Thinking about how he’d behaved these past few days, he couldn’t bear to look back on it.
What saved him was the vibration of his phone.
When he checked, it was a message from Chi Yan, asking him and her mom to meet her backstage. He quietly confirmed this with Chi Yan’s mother.
You ask Shen Chen who the last performer was on the show? Sorry, he didn’t know—his heart had already flown backstage.
Backstage, Chi Yan’s face was practically frozen from smiling too much.
After stepping off the stage, she had rushed to the dressing room to change. On the way to the lounge, every staff member she passed congratulated her. She responded with a “thank you” to familiar faces and just nodded politely to those she didn’t recognize well.
Once she got back to the lounge, she took out her phone to ask if her mom and Shen Chen had arrived. Neither had replied yet, so she figured they were still on their way.
So, she started removing her makeup.
Just as she finished, she heard a knock on the door.
“Anyone inside?”
It was her mom’s voice.
Chi Yan hurried over to open the door. Her mother told her a staff member had brought them there. Chi Yan thanked the person.
Once the staff member had walked away, Chi Yan said, “Mom, let’s go celebrate.”
“Sure, you won first place—you deserve to celebrate!”
Shen Chen couldn’t help asking, “Where are we going? Did you book a private room? If not, I can book one.”
“No need, I already reserved one,” Chi Yan said. “It’s at Shike. Giving me a 20% discount isn’t too much to ask, right, Boss Shen?”
Shen Chen thought, Of course not. I’d comp the whole meal if I could.
But afraid she might catch on to something, he only said, “Of course, that’s fine.”
On the way to Shike, Shen Chen was driving. He wanted to ask Chi Yan to sit in the front seat, but seeing her chatting with her mom in the back, he gave up the idea for now.
He drove much more slowly than usual to be extra careful.
Chi Yan chatted with her mom for a bit, then glanced out the window and noticed.
“Shen Chen, can you drive a little faster? I’m worried we’ll get back too late.”
“Oh, okay.”
At Shike, the front desk staff recognized Shen Chen.
“President Shen, your private room is still reserved. Shall we go in now?”
“I’m just tagging along today,” Shen Chen replied, then looked at Chi Yan and said, “You tell her.”
Chi Yan had on a mask and a hat, so it was hard to recognize her.
“I reserved the room,” she said, showing the reservation on her phone.
The front desk confirmed it and had a server lead them in.
While waiting for the food, Chi Yan’s mom received a phone call. She excused herself to answer it outside.
Shen Chen asked Chi Yan, “Which company do you want to sign with?”
“Bo Le. Their benefits are pretty good.”
“Mm.” Shen Chen followed up, “You get along okay with Han Xi, right? He’s the heir of Bo Le.”
“So it really is him,” Chi Yan said. “What’s his relationship with Han Feifei? They kind of look alike.”
“Han Feifei and Han Xi are cousins. Her mother is the sister of Bo Le’s chairman.”
“I see.”
Shen Chen then asked, “What’s your plan next? Filming or variety shows?”
“Not sure yet,” Chi Yan said. “I’ll go with whatever the company arranges.”
Just then, the food arrived, and Chi Yan’s attention shifted entirely.
After a full day of rehearsals, and with the final taping following immediately after, she hadn’t had dinner.
The refined soup awakened her appetite. She felt like every cell in her body was screaming for her to eat it all.
“I didn’t eat dinner—I’m starving,” Chi Yan said. “I’m digging in first.”
Shen Chen gave a soft “Hmm,” but still didn’t pick up his chopsticks, wanting to wait until Mrs. Chi came in before eating.
After finishing the meal, Chi Yan said, “It’s getting late. Let’s go home. Shen Chen, I’ve already booked a car for myself. You can leave first.”
Shen Chen asked, “Why don’t you cancel it? I’ll take you and your mom home.”
“No need, the driver is on the way.”
Shen Chen then said, “Alright, I’ll stay and wait with you for a while.”
After sending them to the car, Shen Chen left.
When they got home, it was just Chi Yan and her mother. Mrs. Chi finally asked, “Was that young man your senior today?”
“He helped me deal with some rumors before, so we’re on good terms,” Chi Yan replied.
“Yan Yan,” Mrs. Chi said thoughtfully, “You’re older now, and if you want to date, I won’t oppose it. Whether it’s Ye Jiawen or Shen Chen, I think both are fine.”
Chi Yan stayed silent for a few seconds in an awkward way, then said, “Mom, don’t think too much, we’re just friends.”
“Right now, you’re just friends, but you never know in the future,” Mrs. Chi said. “If you start dating, make sure to tell me.”
Chi Yan reluctantly agreed.
It was late by the time they got back, and after exchanging goodnights, they each went to their rooms.
After taking a shower, Chi Yan lay on the bed, about to fall asleep when her phone suddenly vibrated.
She immediately opened her eyes.
It was a message from Wang Ying, inviting her to come to Bo Le to sign the contract tomorrow morning.
“Congratulations on getting first place! Come to Bo Le tomorrow to sign the contract in my office.”
Right after that, Wang Ying sent another message: If it’s inconvenient for you to go out, I can send a company car to pick you up.
Chi Yan replied, “I’ll sign the contract tomorrow,” and added that she could be picked up after the contract was signed.
Before going to sleep, she put her phone on silent and turned off the vibrations.
The next morning, when she woke up, Chi Yan found many missed calls from unfamiliar numbers, and there were also a lot of friend requests on WeChat.
She even saw her agent from her previous life, Niu Quan.
Chi Yan raised an eyebrow but didn’t bother dealing with the friend requests. Instead, she blacklisted the number that had been constantly calling her.
When the world went quiet again, she returned to bed, because her hard-earned day off was perfect for sleeping in!
Mrs. Chi had work and got up early. After breakfast, she went to the study. On the dining table, there was still some noodles left for Chi Yan.
Chi Yan got up around 10 AM, washed up, and saw the noodles on the table. She heated them up to eat.
Lunch was simple, mostly home-cooked dishes, but they were Chi Yan’s favorites.
In the afternoon, she opened her computer to watch an episode of the variety show featuring Qiu Sisi.
Chi Yan wasn’t worried about Bo Le. Last time when she went to Bo Le, she had needed something from them. This time, she had capital of her own, so she wasn’t in a rush to go over.
At 3 PM, she received a call from Wang Ying.
“Is this Chi Yan? Is it inconvenient for you to go out today? Why haven’t you come yet?”
“Ah, no, I’m just watching a variety show,” Chi Yan said, happily watching the show with interest.
“Ye Jiawen has already signed, and the house and car are ready,” Wang Ying paused, then suddenly seemed to understand. “Did Qian Meng and Xing Gui come to see you? What conditions did they offer you? We can offer the same at Bo Le.”
“Wang Ying, I really was just watching a variety show,” Chi Yan said, “But I do have agents trying to add me. One is called Niu Quan, and the other is…”
“Niu Quan added you?” Wang Ying asked. “Are you at home? Send me your location. You don’t need to come over, I’ll bring the contract to you.”
“Okay, Wang Ying. The variety show hasn’t finished yet, I’ll hang up now.”
Chi Yan smiled at the phone screen, following her instructions and sending her location to Wang Ying.
She still felt a bit annoyed, though. Even though she had decided to sign with Bo Le, she still wanted to get a little payback for the last time.
See, now they were coming to her since she hadn’t gone over. It was karma in action.
From Sun Han, she had learned that for an A-level contract signing with Bo Le, the economic director had to be present. The man she had seen in Wang Ying’s office last time was probably the economic director, whose position was higher than Wang Ying’s.
If he came this time, it would be interesting.
Less than half an hour later, Wang Ying called again.
“We’re at the temporary garage near your community. Which floor do you live on?”
“Eighth floor,” Chi Yan said. “Thanks, Wang Ying.”
About ten minutes later, as Chi Yan sat in the living room waiting, she heard the doorbell ring.
She stood at the entrance and confirmed through the peephole that it was Wang Ying and the others, then opened the door.
The man was there, and he entered first.
“Sorry for the trouble,” Chi Yan smiled politely. “Wang Ying, please sit. The tea on the coffee table is freshly brewed.”
Wang Ying chuckled and introduced, “This is our company’s economic director, Liao Tan. You met him last time in my office. Today, he’ll explain the contract to you.”
“Okay.”
To Chi Yan’s surprise, the first thing Liao Tan did was apologize to her.
“I owe you an apology, Chi Yan. I was rude last time. I hope you won’t decide against our company because of me. I’m sorry.”
Chi Yan replied, “Since I’ve already agreed to sign with Bo Le, I won’t back out. I can see your sincerity, so let’s talk about the contract now.”
Seeing her calm demeanor, Liao Tan finally spoke, “Wang Ying already discussed the terms with you. We thought you had great potential, which is why we decided to offer you an A-level contract. Last night, after hearing that you won first place on ‘The Path of an Actor,’ we had an emergency meeting, and after approval from upper management, we decided to offer you an S-level contract instead.”
“Can I see the contract first?” Chi Yan asked.
“Of course.” Wang Ying handed her the prepared contract.
Chi Yan glanced over the contract, and the terms were indeed very favorable. This contract was among the best in the industry.
First, the share for variety shows and TV dramas was a 30/70 split, with the company getting 30% and her getting 70%. For endorsements, the split was 20/80, with the company getting 20% and her getting 80%.
The company would also provide a standalone villa, a nanny car, and an assistant. Chi Yan was very satisfied.
