After My Cross-dressing Cover Was Blown, the Movie Star Became My Accomplice - Chapter 32

Chapter 32

◎ Hang in there, Mu Yao! ◎

The sound of the alarm clock rang out. Mu Yao reached a hand out from under the covers to stop the ringing. He slowly climbed out of bed, his eyes drowsy and filled with exhaustion, with dark circles under his eyes brought on by a lack of sleep.

“Damn it, I have to rush to another scheduled appearance for business. They really are squeezing every last drop out of me!”

Complaining softly, he helplessly got up to go to the bathroom to wash up.

After seeing He Ji and the grand spectacle of a sea of fans at the airport, Mu Yao had no choice but to bid farewell to the regular passage and leave through the VIP passage.

After the two left the airport, they did not return to Mu Yao’s residence immediately but instead took a car to the headquarters of Yimeng Brokerage Company.

“Mu Yao, stay calm in a moment. No matter what Mr. Ling says, do not get angry; you must keep your temper in check.”

Inside the elevator, He Ji looked at the floor numbers displayed and reminded him in a low voice.

“Heh, it’s a bit difficult to keep my temper in check with him, but I’ll try my best.”

Thinking of the person he was about to meet, a cold smile appeared on Mu Yao’s face.

“I know you hate him, and I hate him just as much, but he is, after all, the Vice President of Yimeng. If we go head-to-head, we’ll only be the ones to suffer. No matter what he says, let’s just try… try to just brush him off.

He Ji sighed, a flash of disgust for Mr. Ling appearing in his eyes, but it was mostly helplessness.

“We brush him off, but can he brush us off? To him, we are nothing more than objects to be exploited. My contract and my mother are all because of him!”

Mu Yao took a deep breath and raised his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose.

He had always been a person with very muted emotions and rarely showed disgust toward anyone, but the Vice President of Yimeng he was about to meet, Ling Sheng, was one of the people he detested.

The fact that he entered Yimeng and was drifting aimlessly in the entertainment industry was also thanks to this Mr. Ling.

“Sigh, I know how you feel, but even if we’re angry, we can’t change the current situation. We can only do our best to fight for a moment of breathing room. Right now, you’ve been noticed by the public and your fan count is rising rapidly; this is your most critical moment and the most likely opportunity to turn things around and break free from the company. If you fall out with them now, he can use ‘disobedience to company management’ as a reason to blacken your name and spread rumors about you, making you lose this chance. For the sake of this opportunity, you must endure. You must endure and not leave any openings for them.”

He Ji’s voice was low. He reached out to press Mu Yao’s shoulder, his eyes filled with plea.

For He Ji, leaving this company would be easy, but for Mu Yao, leaving was very difficult. Mu Yao knew that the reason He Ji stayed was for him, so he could only nod in agreement.

‘Brother He doesn’t have it easy either. Fine, I just won’t speak and will treat Ling Sheng like thin air.’

The elevator doors opened, and Mu Yao and He Ji walked to the door of the Vice President’s office.

“Knock, knock, knock.”

He Ji straightened his clothes and knocked on the office door.

“Enter.”

“Mr. Ling, Mu Yao is back. I’ve brought him here.”

A slow, raspy voice sounded inside the office. He Ji spoke politely while opening the door.

The two walked into the office. The room was very dark; the blinds were closed, with only tiny spots of light filtering through the gaps. The computer screen on the massive desk was glowing, and next to the computer was an ashtray where a pair of hands was lightly flicking ash from a cigarette.

The tip of the cigarette glowed with a conspicuous red light. As the hand lifted, the cigarette moved with it, finally stopping at the lips. The red dot brightened significantly, faintly illuminating a person’s features.

“Heh, long time no see, Mu Yao. You performed quite well this time.”

Mr. Ling’s other hand moved slightly, gently pressing a switch on the desk. The blinds in the office opened, and sunlight finally illuminated the room.

Mu Yao remained silent and did not respond.

“Yes, Mr. Ling, Mu Yao’s performance this time was indeed good. Being able to receive this much attention can be considered a pleasant surprise.”

Fearing Mr. Ling’s displeasure, He Ji immediately picked up the conversation.

“Mm, getting attention is a good thing. That way, work opportunities will increase significantly. The company has also negotiated a lot of work recently. There are some things that you and He Ji cannot decide on, so I’ve made the decisions for you. There are several variety shows and scripts that are quite good; I’ll have He Ji send them to you in a bit. You will be very busy in the future. Work hard.”

Mr. Ling gently put down the cigarette. His eyes did not look at He Ji but instead stared fixedly at Mu Yao.

“Thank you for the company’s cultivation, but I don’t need that much work. I need time to take care of my mother.”

Mu Yao originally intended not to speak to avoid making things difficult for He Ji, but he heard another layer of meaning in Mr. Ling’s words.

“What? You think the work assigned is too much? This is the first time I’ve heard of someone who has a problem with money.”

Mr. Ling chuckled and turned his head to look at He Ji.

“Manager He, why don’t you talk about the clauses in our management contract?”

“Mr. Ling, Mu Yao certainly doesn’t have a problem with money, he just… you know his situation. Work can be arranged but not too much, not so much that he’s stretched too thin. He’s not a robot and needs proper rest. We can give him some time so that he can take care of his family while ensuring his work is done. Right now, Mu Yao’s career is just starting to take off; if he were to fall ill from exhaustion…”

He Ji smiled along, cautiously saying things that were beneficial to Mu Yao. He was just about to use the excuse that fans might have an issue if Mu Yao collapsed to fight for some leeway, but he was interrupted by Mr. Ling before he could finish.

“Aiy! You two are still the same!”

Mr. Ling stubbed out the cigarette and stood up. He walked out from behind the desk, his obese figure blocking the light from the blinds, his beer belly shaking a few times with his movements.

“Mu Yao, I have repeatedly told you that you are an ‘entertainer.’ What is an entertainer? An entertainer is an asset of the company, a commodity that the company has invested in and cultivated. The company invests in you, packages you, and promotes you. Now that you’ve received attention and have popularity, it’s time for you to repay the company. Your image, your work, and your private time all need to be controlled by the company.”

“The company signed you, arranged work for you, and sent your mother to a care facility all so that there would be a return in the future. It wasn’t for you to come here and pursue ‘work-life balance’!”

Mr. Ling walked to a bookshelf on the side and found Mu Yao’s contract. He tapped his finger on the contract.

“Look closely at your contract. The Party B must execute reasonable work arranged by Party A. If Party B refuses reasonable work arranged by Party A without cause, it will be considered a breach of contract. You should weigh carefully whether you can afford the liquidated damages.”

Looking at the contract in Mr. Ling’s hand, Mu Yao’s face instantly turned ugly.

“This contract was clearly you, you guys…”

Mu Yao wanted to argue but was pulled back by He Ji. He turned his head and saw He Ji shaking his head with a similarly grim expression.

“Hehe, Mu Yao, if you want to break the contract regardless of the consequences, that’s not impossible. The company has many commodities; one more or one less doesn’t make a difference. But if you break the contract, you have to pay compensation, and the company has no obligation to continue taking care of your mother. Young man, think carefully about the consequences. Can your mother survive without someone there? If you go to work at a regular job, will you have time to take care of her?”

Mr. Ling took in the reactions of Mu Yao and He Ji. Holding the contract, he walked back to the desk and sat comfortably back in his large office chair.

Mu Yao widened his eyes and looked in shock at the confident Ling Sheng in front of him. The contract was a shackle that imprisoned him, tying him to the entertainment industry and to Yimeng. At the same time, this Yimeng tightly held both his shackles and his weakness.

He could feel a surge of anger rising from his chest. His cheeks felt hot, and his hands at his sides were clenched into tight fists, his fingertips turning white from the excessive force, his arms trembling slightly.

He Ji watched from the side, feeling extremely anxious. He wanted to speak up to help Mu Yao say a few words, but he feared his words would make things even more difficult for Mu Yao. He could only worry in silence.

‘I… really am useless. I can’t find out the cause of my father’s death, the Soul-Hooking Lock won’t listen to me, I can’t even take care of my mother, and I can’t even decide on my own work…’

A sense of powerlessness almost ground Mu Yao down. Mu Yao suddenly felt that he was very useless. He could not resist this kind of power and could not refuse this kind of threat.

Mu Yao’s eyes were rimmed with red due to anger, making his exquisite features look slightly more vivid, and his eyes carried a sense of powerless fragility.

Looking at Mu Yao like this, Mr. Ling unconsciously licked his lips. His fingers gently stroked Mu Yao’s contract, and a different look appeared in his eyes.

“Ah, Mr. Ling, we understand. It was our mistake in thinking. We will work hard to repay the company and definitely won’t let the company down. That… please give the work to me; I’ll arrange it right away. You… you carry on with your work; we won’t disturb you any further!”

He Ji, who was by his side, noticed that the emotion in Ling Sheng’s eyes wasn’t right. He pretended not to notice and apologized loudly, taking the work that Ling Sheng pushed over and pulling the angry Mu Yao out.

“Sorry, Mu Yao, I still couldn’t get you any rest.”

After coming out of the office, He Ji lowered his head and apologized. At this moment, he also felt that he was very useless.

“No, it has nothing to do with you. It’s that I was too stupid.”

Mu Yao raised his hand to look at the marks on his palm. Those were the traces left by his fingernails sinking into his palm.

“Brother He, arrange all the work they sent over smoothly for me. Heh, don’t they want me to work for them in the entertainment industry, to work like a horse for them? Then I’ll do it.”

“Ah? Mu Yao, you’ve come around? But if we arrange it like this, your body won’t be able to take it.”

He Ji was stunned and reminded him with concern.

“Then let’s see which happens faster: the work they arrange breaking my body, or me gaining fame in the industry.”

A cold light flashed in Mu Yao’s eyes. Just as He Ji was pulling him out of the office, he saw the smug and disgusting smile on Ling Sheng’s face.

At that moment, he suddenly realized the importance of fame and money. To break free from this company, he had to achieve both fame and fortune.

What kind of person in the industry is someone who has achieved both fame and fortune?

People Mu Yao had come into contact with since entering the industry flashed quickly through his mind. He found that among these people, there truly was one person who had achieved both fame and fortune, and that was Cheng Zeyu.

Appearing on the hot search means being at the top; his name is a traffic code. He can freely choose scripts and endorsements, holds absolute discourse power in the industry, and is the focus of everyone the moment he appears—Cheng Zeyu.

Cheng Zeyu is unique and irreplaceable. His commercial value is irreplaceable, his acting skills are irreplaceable, and the profit he brings to all his collaborators is also irreplaceable.

Only by becoming someone as irreplaceable as Cheng Zeyu, someone who possesses wealth and can create wealth, can he escape from Yimeng and escape from Mr. Ling’s hands!

At this moment, Mu Yao realized that he had to move up, desperately move up to get infinitely close to Cheng Zeyu, to climb to a position adjacent to Cheng Zeyu. Only then would it be possible to leave Yimeng and have enough assets left after being stripped of a layer of skin to take care of his mother.

For this, he had to work desperately and seize every opportunity. He could no longer remain a “salted fish.” Only by working hard at his career could there be a glimmer of hope!

Mu Yao finished washing up and looked at his slightly exhausted self in the mirror.

“Hang in there, Mu Yao! For the cause of father’s death, for mother’s treatment! You must not collapse!”