Traffic Star Development Program

Chapter 55 Crazy Signing

They came together.

It wasn't pre-arranged; they bumped into each other in the hallway. They came in one after the other, with Chu Ran in front and Jing Yi behind.

The two people clearly didn't know each other, but they didn't deliberately keep their distance; they just stood there.

The conference room table wasn't large. Zeng Hao sat inside, and Xu Wen sat beside him. Two contracts were placed separately, with a resource planning sheet on each side.

Chu Ran sat down first, put her bag on her lap, glanced at the contract on the table, but didn't immediately look at it. Instead, she looked up at Zeng Hao.

Her eyes were not timid, but they weren't the calm of someone who had seen the world; they were a directness that she hadn't yet learned to conceal.

Jingyi sat down next to her, glanced at Chu Ran first, and then looked at Zeng Hao without saying anything.

Zeng Hao pushed the contract toward Chu Ran, saying, "Take a look."

Chu Ran opened the contract and started reading from the first page, not very quickly.

When I turned to the third page, my finger hovered over the salary section for about two seconds, then I continued flipping through the pages without asking any questions.

Turning to the last page, she looked up and asked, "What kind of role can I play?"

It wasn't about the pay, it wasn't about the contract duration, it was just this one question.

Zeng Hao pushed the resource planning sheet next to him over.

It was a pre-printed form with three columns: Project Name, Type, and Expected Start Date. The first row was already filled in: "What a mess, Urban Romance, Second half of 2016."

Chu Ran took the form, looked at it once, then looked at it again, without saying a word.

As she looked at the planning document, Jingyi glanced at it as well, her expression unchanged, before turning her gaze back to the contract in front of her.

"What do you mean by 'what kind of behavior'?" Chu Ran put down the form. "I've never heard of it."

"It's a new drama," Zeng Hao said. "The script is being revised, and you're the female lead."

She processed the thought in her mind for a moment, "I'm the female lead?"

"Um."

She lowered her head, looked at the planning document again, then flipped back to the first page of the contract and looked at the remuneration section again. This time she paused for a longer time, but in the end she didn't ask any questions, picked up the pen, and signed it.

Jingyi had already turned to the last page of the contract. She unscrewed the pen cap, paused at the signature line, and then looked up at Chu Ran. Chu Ran was putting down his pen and didn't notice her.

Jingyi signed her name, screwed the pen cap back on, and pushed the contract to Xu Wen without saying a word.

Xu Wen put away the two contracts, clipped a paperclip to each cover, and said quickly, "Okay, I'll make a copy for you to keep as a record."

He left, leaving only three people in the meeting room.

Chu Ran moved her bag from her lap to the table and glanced at the resource planning sheet again. "Where is the script at now?"

"They're revising the thirty-second scene," Zeng Hao said. "You don't need to know that right now."

She looked up at him. "I'm the female lead, why shouldn't I need to know?"

"Because the script isn't finalized, the version you know now might be different from the final version," Zeng Hao said. "Xu Wen will send it to you once it's finalized."

She went through the logic, didn't refute it, folded up the planning sheet and put it in her bag.

Jingyi sat there without saying a word, her hands on the table, looking out the window.

Xu Wen returned with the copies and handed them to the two women. Chu Ran took one, and Jing Yi took one as well. They stood up, folded the copies of the contract neatly, and put them into their bags. Their movements were very orderly.

The two walked out one after the other, Chu Ran in front and Jing Yi behind. Footsteps echoed in the corridor before falling silent.

Xu Wen pushed the chair back in the conference room. "President Zeng, what kind of script is this? Do you want Fang Qing to speed things up?"

"No need," Zeng Hao said. "Keep to the original pace."

He picked up the resource planning sheet on the table; it was the one he had shown to Chu Ran. She had taken a copy with her when she left, and this was the original.

First row of the table: What a mess, second half of 2016.

The second line is empty.

He put the form back on the table without writing anything on the second line.

He knew what to leave in the second line, but now was not the time.

Xu Wen stood to the side, glanced at the watch, then at Zeng Hao, but ultimately didn't ask any questions. He pushed the chair back up and followed him out.

The receipt from YiNet was forwarded by Xu Wen. The timestamp showed Monday at 10:17 AM, and the text contained only one sentence: "The contract has been signed. Please check the attachment."

Zeng Hao closed the email.

The deal, which includes a six-month priority negotiation period and a variety show-related clause, has been finalized.

Xu Wen poked his head in at the door. "President Zeng, everyone's here. Zhang Linghe and Bai Lu arrived first, followed by Tian Xiwei, Meng Ziyi, and Du Ling this afternoon. Zhou Ye's guardian said she wanted to come with her, so I arranged for her to arrive last."

"Um."

Bai Lu came with Zhang Linghe, but when they came in, there was a half-step distance between them, as if they knew each other but weren't familiar with each other. She wasn't tall, and she wore a beige knit sweater. Her hair was tied low, and her bangs were a little wispy, covering half of her forehead. She had big eyes, but when she looked at people, there was a quiet focus in them, not the kind of gaze that wanted you to notice her.

She sat down in the chair, opened the contract first, slower than Zhang Linghe, and when she got to the third page, she looked up and asked, "What stage is the script at now?"

"The framework is set, and the details are being polished," Zeng Hao said. "I'll send you the final draft."

"Was it your own script or did you buy it from somewhere else?"

"My own."

She lowered her head and continued flipping through the contract. After finishing, she signed it. As she pushed the contract back, she also casually pushed the copy that Zhang Linghe had signed and left on the table toward Xu Wen. The action was very natural, like a habitual gesture.

Xu Wen took the two contracts, stacked them together, and clipped them with a paperclip.

Tian Xiwei arrived at 2 PM, ten minutes earlier than the agreed time.

When she stood at the door, Zeng Hao first noticed her eyes. They were almond-shaped, with slightly upturned corners. Her entire face had delicate features, but her eyes possessed an indescribable dramatic tension, as if they were always concealing some emotion, yet could also conceal it at any moment. She wore a light pink dress made of thin fabric with a high waistline, and her permed hair fell loosely over her shoulders.

She sat down in the chair, glanced at the contract on the table without turning it, looked up at Zeng Hao, glanced at the contract again, then picked up the pen, turned directly to the last page, and signed it.

Xu Wen paused for a moment, then said, "Aren't you going to take a look?"

"What's the use of reading it?" Tian Xiwei put down her pen. "I can't change it anyway."

This statement is very neutral; it's not a complaint, but simply a judgment.

Zeng Hao pushed the resource planning sheet over, saying, "This can be used as a reference."

She took the paper, looked it over, and read the third line: Zhu Yu, period drama, 2018, female lead.

She folded the resource planning form, put it in her small bag, stood up, and said, "Thank you."

They went out.

Xu Wen watched her retreating figure, screwed the cap back on his pen, and muttered under his breath, "She signed the contract without even reading it? Is that acceptable?"