The Most Popular Comedian

After calming down, Rong Yuheng immediately replied to Fan Yu’s message. They agreed to send a manager to the training location the next day at noon for him to sign the contract.

Once the contract was settled, Rong Yuheng put it aside and refocused on his concern for Zhou Shubai. Like an understanding and considerate bird, he flew to Zhou Shubai’s bedside.

Zhou Shubai was sitting on the bed, reading a magazine. When he saw Rong Yuheng, he immediately showed a familiar expression, as if he had encountered a dedicated egg peeler.

“What’s up?”

Rong Yuheng understood his expression and generously chose to forgive. “Brother Shubai, I heard from Yi-ge that you had an issue with your ears piece. Is it resolved?”

As soon as this topic came up, Zhou Shubai’s face darkened.

Rong Yuheng’s heart skipped a beat. Could there be some hidden story behind this?

Zhou Shubai remained silent for a moment, then sighed deeply. “It was a deliberate accident.”

“What the hell!?” Pu Zaixi, who had been eavesdropping with his ears perked up, and Zou Yi simultaneously made sounds like grass rustling. “Damn, who dared to harm you without fearing your background?”

Zhou Shubai pursed his lips into a straight line. Rong Yuheng looked at his expression and suddenly came up with a bold guess.

“It’s not a fellow contestant, right?”

Zhou Shubai nodded.

Not a contestant, and it couldn’t be a mentor either. Someone who had a connection with Zhou Shubai and wasn’t afraid of his family background… Rong Yuheng’s heart sank.

That could only be someone from his family.

Zou Yi, being straightforward, hadn’t fully grasped the situation yet. “Then who is it, Shubai? You were also an amateur contestant before, and you didn’t know anyone in the industry, right?”

Zhou Shubai tugged at the corner of his mouth. “My family isn’t particularly supportive of my development in the entertainment industry.”

Pu Zaixi also realized it by now. “It was done by someone in your family!?”

“Yes.”

All of them fell into silence.

After a moment, Zou Yi tentatively spoke, “So, does your family want you to return for something, to inherit the family business?”

Zhou Shubai shook his head. “They don’t have such intentions.”

Zou Yi breathed a sigh of relief. “I told you… the idea of inheriting the family business if you don’t debut only exists in novels.”

Zhou Shubai said, “Yeah, they simply wanted me to go back and enjoy wealth and prosperity.”

Zou Yi: “…”

This time, the atmosphere in the dormitory was as silent as death.

It was only when Zhou Shubai’s phone rang that he frowned and glanced at it before walking out. Only then did the air in the dormitory, with only three people left, start to flow again.

Zou Yi slumped on the sofa. “My god, is this how people talk?”

Pu Zaixi and he sat side by side, their gazes empty and filled with world-weariness. “To go back and enjoy wealth and prosperity without debuting… Can you believe there are actually people like that in the world if you didn’t hear it with your own ears, Yuheng?”

Rong Yuheng, who hadn’t said a word since earlier, averted his gaze uneasily and shook his head gently.

“I can’t believe it.”

Fan Yu’s manager arrived the next day at noon.

Rong Yuheng received the notification while having a meal. Upon hearing the news, he quickly finished his whole-wheat bread and yogurt before heading upstairs.

Pushing open the door to the second-floor lounge, he saw a slightly chubby middle-aged man sitting on the sofa, with a friendly face and a glint of shrewdness in his eyes.

When the man saw Rong Yuheng, he immediately stood up and waved. “Come, have a seat. I’m Xu Sun, the manager.” He took out a document from his bag and said, “This is the contract. Once you sign it, you’ll become Fan Yu’s trainee.”

Rong Yuheng politely called him “Sun-ge,” took the document, and handed him the yogurt. “Would you like some yogurt? It’s from the cafeteria downstairs.”

Xu Sun immediately smiled, his eyes squinting, and he took the yogurt. “Ah, Yuheng, you’re quite considerate. Take a look at the contract and sign it if there are no issues.”

Rong Yuheng felt a sense of urgency from him, or so he thought. He left a mental note, “Sun-ge, please have a seat first. I have a limited education, so I might need to take a bit longer.”

Xu Sun’s defensive walls were shattered by Rong Yuheng’s beguiling face. He waved his hand and sat back on the sofa. “No rush, take your time.”

Rong Yuheng sat down at the table on the other side and started to read through the document. During his studies abroad, he had learned some law, so he could understand the basic content, but the intricacies still required a professional to review.

Xu Sun didn’t think much of it. In his impression, Rong Yuheng was someone who had a difficult first half of his life and needed to debut in order to earn a living. Therefore, he didn’t pay much attention when Rong Yuheng flipped through the contract alone. He drank his yogurt and played with his phone.

Rong Yuheng pretended to read a couple of pages and glanced up to see that Xu Sun was no longer paying attention. He secretly took out his phone, took a picture of the contract, and sent it to Lu Mingxuan.

[Rong Yuheng]: Son, Dad is about to sign the contract. Find someone more professional to help review it. Don’t let me sell myself. If I get sold, you’ll have to spend the rest of your life in a daycare center.

[Rong Yuheng]: [Image file]

[Lu Mingxuan]: Your attitude when asking for help is as arrogant as ever.

[Rong Yuheng]: Hurry up!

After sending a message to Lu Mingxuan, Rong Yuheng mustered up the courage to poke Wen Zhecheng.

[Rong Yuheng]: Teacher Wen! The kid is about to sign the contract, and the manager is Xu Sun!

Rong Yuheng originally approached Wen Zhecheng with a trial-and-error mindset, thinking that someone like Wen Zhecheng, a big film emperor, must be very busy. However, he didn’t expect Wen Zhecheng to reply quickly.

It was like lurking in the chat box.

[Wen Zecheng]: Xu Sun is quite shrewd. Be a bit cautious.

[Wen Zecheng]: Are you at the training center? I happen to be on my way there. Don’t sign yet, wait for me.

Damn it! Rong Yuheng was stunned. What is this feeling of encountering a domineering CEO?

At that moment, Xu Sun’s voice suddenly came from the other end of the sofa.

“Yuheng, have you read it carefully?”

Rong Yuheng instantly pouted, launching a cute attack, attempting to buy some time.

“Brother Sun, there are many words I don’t understand. Can I check them again?”

Xu Sun took a deep breath. Damn, he’s adorable!

Xu Sun said, “Go ahead, take your time…”

“Thank you, Brother Sun!”

After a while, a message from Lu Mingxuan arrived.

[Lu Mingxuan] : I had the company’s senior legal advisor help review it for you. The problem areas are marked in red. Take a look for yourself.

[Lu Mingxuan]: [Image file]

[Rong Yuheng]: You’re truly a dutiful son. Dad loves you~ [Sea otter pouting.jpg]

[Lu Mingxuan]: Get lost.

There was a penholder on the table, and Rong Yuheng picked up a pen and made the changes exactly as shown in the received image.

With some legal knowledge, as he made the revisions, he started to feel that something was off.

The rights to the artistic creation of lyrics and music belonged to the company, and the company had the authority to decide or change the artist’s stage name or pseudonym. This meant that not only could the copyrights not be protected, but even the right to be credited could be easily infringed upon. Once an artist was put on the shelf, the pseudonym could be changed at any time, and this situation was prevalent.

It was difficult for an individual to resist the entire industry, and in the end, they could only bear the pain silently.

Rong Yuheng painstakingly transcribed it again, trying to delay time until Wen Zhecheng arrived.

After waiting for a while, Xu Sun looked up and saw Rong Yuheng writing something intently, his expression solemn, as if he was revising a legal code… He immediately got up, alert, and walked over.

“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”

Rong Yuheng paused his hand and weakly replied, “…Nothing, just correcting some typos.”

Xu Sun was about to laugh. He felt that Rong Yuheng was truly suited for doing comedy. “How can there be typos? Do you have any suggestions? It’s alright, let Brother Sun take a look.”

Rong Yuheng pursed his lips and moved the revised contract over.

The contract was originally drafted by Xu Sun, and he immediately noticed the loopholes filled in by Rong Yuheng, even uncovering some intricacies that not even some legal professionals could see, and made revisions one by one.

Now, the contract in his hands was a perfect and fair agreement.

Suddenly, the phrase “I have limited education” uttered by Rong Yuheng popped into Xu Sun’s mind, and his brain throbbed with pain. The words of a man, indeed, can deceive people!

“Yuheng, did you study law before?”

Rong Yuheng shyly lowered his head and fiddled with his fingers, engaging in a face-off with Xu Sun, “I’ve been in many lawsuits before… A long illness makes the doctor.”

Xu Sun, “…”

What kind of experiences did he go through before?

Xu Sun licked his lips while holding the contract. “I understand your demands, but the company also has its rules. Other artists sign the same way, and in principle, changes are not allowed.”

Rong Yuheng continued to bow his head and fiddle with his fingers, remaining silent.

Xu Sun earnestly said, “Even if we make some minor changes, the company won’t allow it. How about this, let’s both compromise a little?”

Failing with one move, he made another move. Rong Yuheng brewed his emotions, and tears gradually welled up in his eyes.

“Brother Sun, I used to always be bullied. If I sign this contract as it is, I might continue to be bullied in the future.”

Although Xu Sun was shrewd, he wasn’t an unscrupulous agent who exploited artists. Seeing Rong Yuheng like this, he felt a bit reluctant. “Sigh… The clauses are the clauses, they might not be very precise, but the situation you’re thinking of is the worst-case scenario, and it won’t happen.”

Rong Yuheng’s expression changed, emanating an unparalleled aura of a lotus flower. Tears fell “patter, patter” from his eyes.

Xu Sun, “…”

Just as Xu Sun was at a loss, the door to the lounge was pushed open with a “click” sound.

Wen Zhecheng entered and was met with the sight of Rong Yuheng, his face tear-stained like a rain-drenched lotus.

“…”

Maintaining his posture of holding the doorknob, Wen Zhecheng froze for two seconds, then immediately without hesitation retreated, closing the door with a “clang” sound.

Wen Zhecheng outside the door: It must be that I opened it in the wrong way.

Taking a deep breath, Wen Zhecheng pushed the door open again with a “whoosh” sound. This time, the two people inside the room were both looking at him with solemn expressions.

Rong Yuheng still had traces of tears on his face, but his eyes were filled with concern.

“Teacher Wen, are you trying to create a breeze with all this opening and closing?”

Wen Zhecheng, “…”

Originally, Xu Sun had hoped to take advantage of Rong Yuheng’s lack of understanding and gain more benefits from him. This contract wasn’t a strict requirement from the company, it was just that most rookies didn’t understand and won’t fight for themselves.

But now that Wen Zhecheng had arrived, Xu Sun didn’t dare to speak recklessly.

He truly hadn’t expected that Rong Yuheng and Wen Zhecheng had such a good relationship, and that the latter was willing to support him.

Wen Zhecheng was currently flipping through the contract, and the further he read, the more furrowed his brow became.

Unable to withstand this silent pressure, Xu Sun spoke up, “We’re still discussing it, let’s see how we can make changes…”

Wen Zhecheng replied, “Then let’s make the changes according to what he says.”

Xu Sun sighed, “Ah, Zhecheng… Other artists don’t have this requirement.”

Wen Zhecheng glanced at him faintly, as if he could see through his thoughts. “That’s because they didn’t make any requests themselves. Since Rong Yuheng has raised it, and it’s within a reasonable range, there’s no reason to refuse.”

Rong Yuheng timely popped his head out. “Brother Sun, don’t worry, I’m well-behaved and won’t cause you trouble.”

With one person playing the good cop and the other playing the bad cop, Xu Sun was already in a weak position. He knew he couldn’t deceive Rong Yuheng, so he simply gave the actor face, hoping for a better future relationship.

“Alright then, I’ll go upstairs and prepare a new copy. You two can rest here for a while.”

Rong Yuheng instantly brightened up. “Thank you, Brother Sun!”

Xu Sun sighed and walked out of the lounge, closing the door behind him.

Once he left, only Rong Yuheng and Wen Zhecheng remained in the room.

Wen Zhecheng gazed at him calmly. “You can wipe away your tears now.”

Rong Yuheng raised his hand. “Oh.”

Wen Zhecheng sighed and sat on the sofa. “The contract was modified very professionally. Did you do it yourself?”

Rong Yuheng modestly and shyly replied, “Thanks to my brothers in the industry…”

“…”

Wen Zhecheng realized that he had been taken aback more frequently lately, and he wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

Looking at the still-moist tears on Rong Yuheng’s eyelashes, he couldn’t help but find it funny and helpless. “You’re not dumb, pretending to be pitiful.”

At first, Wen Zhecheng was startled when he saw Rong Yuheng crying, but in the instant he saw the contract, he understood the other’s intention.

Rong Yuheng sat down beside Wen Zhecheng, supporting his chin as he observed him. “I thought you didn’t like me acting like this.”

“Like what?”

“A grown man, crying and acting pitiful…” Rong Yuheng even sighed at his own performance, finding it amusing. “Such a white lotus!”

He was originally joking, but to his surprise, Wen Zhecheng shook his head seriously. “No.”

Rong Yuheng was taken aback.

Wen Zhecheng continued, “There’s no rule saying that men can’t be a certain way or must be a certain way. Rong Yuheng, now that you’ve entered this industry, you may encounter many people who will label you with preconceptions. You don’t have to care about them.”

Rong Yuheng met Wen Zhecheng’s gaze and unexpectedly found a hint of concern in it.

His heart trembled slightly, and his eyes suddenly became a little teary.

Rong Yuheng lowered his head, as if concealing his emotions. “I have developed tear ducts, so I cry easily. Teacher Wen, please don’t say anymore. If you say more, I’ll cry again.”

Wen Zhecheng responded, “Then cry if you want. I won’t make fun of you.”