Accidental Mark

The next day, Cheng Xia set an alarm clock at 7 o’clock in the morning. He got up quickly to wash and eat. Then he carefully arranged his clothes in the mirror.

The jeans his mother picked for him fit perfectly. They were paired with a camel colored cashmere sweater and a white down jacket. This style of clothing might not be particularly brilliant in the cold winter but it would never go wrong.

Cheng Xia got dressed and Jiang Qiong found a scarf and handed it to him. “It is cold these days so wear a scarf. By the way, it isn’t easy to take a taxi during peak hour…” She turned and shouted toward the kitchen, “Old Cheng, can you drive your son over?”

Cheng Yiming poked out his head. “Okay, I’m free anyway.”

Cheng Xia spoke while putting on the scarf, “Mom, I made an appointment with my agent at 8:30 a.m. There is more than an hour left. There is no need to send me…”

Cheng Yiming wiped his hands and came out of the kitchen. He looked his son up and down and spoke seriously, “You are just a small, unknown star now and there is no nanny car. Your father will be your driver today. Let’s go. It is better to be early than to be late.”

Cheng Xia obediently followed him out. He was leaning over to change shoes when Jiang Qiong suddenly asked, “By the way Xia Xia, I have packed the down jacket. When will you return it to your senior?”

Cheng Xia’s heart jumped. The down jacket belonged to President Pei and he would see President Pei today. However, he couldn’t return clothes to the boss in front of so many people at the company. There would definitely be gossip if he was seen. The down jacket had to be returned privately. If it was really inconvenient then he could always ask President Pei for the address and express it? Thinking of this, Cheng Xia answered, “Mom, you can put it away for me first. I’ll ask the senior when he wants it.”

Jiang Qiong glanced at the special trademark on the collar of the down jacket. This brand was an international first-tier designer brand. It was very valuable. Of course, it wasn’t uncommon for students at a film academy to be children from rich families. However, such an expensive piece of clothing was casually lent to Cheng Xia. Did this person really just see Cheng Xia as a younger brother?

Jiang Qiong always felt that something wasn’t right but she didn’t expose her son. She just silently put away the down jacket.

Cheng Yiming drove to Tianxuan Building with his son. It had snowed and the road was slippery. He drove slowly and it was already past 8 o’clock when he arrived at the company. Cheng Xia got out of the car and waved goodbye to his father. A black car happened to be going by. Cheng Xia had his back to the road and didn’t notice it was President Pei’s car.

Pei Shaoze saw the young man standing in the snow instantly. The young man wore a white down jacket and black jeans. There was a smile on his face as he waved to the driver of an off-road vehicle. The other person lowered the car window and urged, “If you’re wronged at the company, you must tell me when you get home!”

Cheng Xia smiled. “I know Dad. You go back and drive slowly on the road!”

Pei Shaoze saw the driver’s profile from the window that was lowered. The middle-aged man had strong facial features, thick eyebrows and big eyes. He looked very serious. Was this Cheng Xia’s father, Cheng Yiming?

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In the original novel, Cheng Yiming died of anger. He loved Cheng Xia very much. The son he raised was abused, humiliated by others and his nude photos spread all over the Internet. The netizens even sent abusive letters to his home. He felt self-blame, guilt and pain. This upright father fell ill and died, causing Cheng Xia to completely blacken.

Now seeing Cheng Xia say goodbye to his father with a big smile, Pei Shaoze was even more determined to protect the young man. It wasn’t just Cheng Xia but also Cheng Xia’s family. He didn’t want Cheng Xia’s father to die of guilt or Cheng Xia’s mother to die in despair. Since he knew the plot of the book, he would make arrangements in advance to prevent all the bad things from happening.

Pei Shaoze retracted his gaze. He didn’t disturb Cheng Xia saying goodbye to his father and drove around.

At the same time, Zhou Yan received a message from Cheng Xia and personally went downstairs to pick him up.

Zhou Yan couldn’t help being stunned when she saw the young man waiting at the entrance of the company. There were many photos of Cheng Xia in the information President Pei had given to her. Yet when she saw the real person up close for the first time, she felt that Cheng Xia looked much better than the photos.

There was no shortage of handsome men and beautiful women in the entertainment industry but Cheng Xia felt very special. His handsomeness wasn’t aggressive and he didn’t give off a distant sense of alienation. He was handsome and sunny, especially when he smiled. It was a type of pure and brilliant smile that could melt all the barriers in people’s hearts. He was like a little sun that made people feel warm and kind.

The first impression was really important. The first time she saw Cheng Xia, she thought that this kid could be popular! No wonder why the company’s scouts signed Cheng Xia. They were obviously attracted by Cheng Xia’s outstanding appearance.

Cheng Xia was also looking at the person in front of him. She was nearly 1.7 metres tall, thin, white skin and had short hair. She wore a black knee-length coat and high leather boots. The hem of her coat flew with the wind when she walked and she looked very heroic. At first glance, she was the type of woman who did things very well.

Cheng Xia saw the woman looking at him and tentatively asked, “Sister Yan?”

Zhou Yan immediately smiled. “Hello Cheng Xia, I am very happy to be your agent.” She extended a hand and Cheng Xia shook it politely. “Sister Yan, please take care of me in the future!”

“We will take care of each other and have a happy cooperation.” Zhou Yan retracted her hand and led him into the Tianxuan Building without speaking much nonsense. “The legal department is on the 11th floor. I have already greeted them and we can go to check the contract first.”

Cheng Xia followed her and took the elevator to the legal department on the 11th floor.

Zhang Fan was waiting at the door of the office. He saw them and took the initiative to greet them. “Sister Yan, is this Cheng Xia? President Pei asked me to pick you up and bring you to his office after signing the contract.”

Zhou Yan spoke politely, “Assistant Zhang has worked hard.”

Cheng Xia was taken into the office. There was heating in the company so he took off his down jacket and Zhou Yan smoothly took his clothes. Cheng Xia smiled at his agent and Zhou Yan returned the smile. “Please take a good look at the contract. If you don’t understand anything, just ask me.”

The people in the legal department soon brought the printed contract.

Cheng Xia sat in the rest area, reading it carefully page by page. However, Zhou Yan didn’t urge him to hurry.

He read it for a while before suddenly pointing to one of the pages. “Sister Yan, I don’t quite understand the division here…”

Zhou Yan followed his fingers and carefully explained, “This is the contract that President Pei asked the legal department to revise. The division is calculated according to different projects. Movies and television dramas will pay 60% to the artist and 40% to the company. Although the company helped you find the movie or television project, the filming process is very difficult so you will take the larger share. For other work like commercial performances, advertising, print magazines etc., the company contributes more so it will take 60% and you will take 40%. After you become famous, the profit share ratio can be increased in stages.”

The new version of the contract didn’t have the profit share ratio fixed. It stipulated that a supplementary agreement should be signed every other year. The ratio of four or six was the proportion for newcomers. As artists become more popular, the share of profit they got would increase accordingly. If someone wasn’t satisfied with the share, they could re-negotiate with the company every other year. In this way, the famous stars wouldn’t quit due to unfair treatment and newcomers would have a stronger sense of belonging to Tianxuan.

The new version of the contract that President Pei made was very flexible and humane. It was much better than the previous contract that lasted for eight or 10 years and stipulated a fixed profit share.

Cheng Xia carefully read the contract. “There are no problems.”

Zhou Yan confirmed it. “The contract is for five years. You have no comments on this?”

Cheng Xia shook his head. “No, it takes time to train an artist. A five year cycle isn’t long.”

Zhou Yan smiled. “If there is no problem then sign it. After signing, we will take a copy of your ID card. Then we will take the contract to get President Pei’s signature. He is now your top leader.”

Zhou Yan took Cheng Xia into the VIP elevator to head to the top floor with Zhang Fan. Zhang Fan gently knocked on the door and a man’s low voice was heard. “Come in.”

Cheng Xia took a deep breath and walked into the office with his agent. Pei Shaoze was looking at the information on his desk. He heard footsteps and raised his head.

Cheng Xia met a familiar pair of eyes. The two people looked at each other and Cheng Xia couldn’t help freezing.

The alpha sitting in the office wore a very formal dark gray suit. The buttons of his white shirt were buttoned up to the top and he wore a standard Windsor tie. His hair was combed up to reveal a smooth forehead and a pair of beautiful sword eyebrows.

The alpha’s looks were already handsome. This hairstyle made the lines of his face sharper and tougher. He was a bit less sloppy and looked more stable and mature. Combined with the suit and tie, the alpha in front of him gave off an inviolable abstinence.

Pei Shaoze sitting in the office today had a strong aura compared to their first meeting and Cheng Xia didn’t dare approach for a while.

Zhou Yan took the initiative to introduce them. “President Pei, I brought Cheng Xia.” She glanced back at President Pei. “This is President Pei.” She signaled for Cheng Xia to say hello with her eyes.

Cheng Xia and Pei Shaoze had met not long ago and it was a very bad meeting where his pheromones were out of control and he was naked. Cheng Xia felt a bit guilty when he thought about the scene that night. Still, he bit the bullet as he stepped forward and spoke obediently, “Hello President Pei.”

Seeing the young man’s body stiffen like he was called by the teacher, the corners of Pei Shaoze’s mouth rose slightly in a smile and his voice was gentle. “Don’t be nervous. Come sit down here and we’ll talk.”

Cheng Xia had to walk over and sit down on the sofa.

Zhou Yan handed the contract over to President Pei. “Cheng Xia’s contract has been signed.”

Pei Shaoze took a look at the signature on the last page. The words signed by Cheng Xia were round strokes and were quite cute. Pei Shaoze asked in a low voice, “Is there anything you don’t understand about the terms of the contract?”

The man’s gaze was on him. Cheng Xia realized this man was asking him and hurriedly replied, “There are no problems. Sister Yan explained it to me in detail.”

“That’s good.” Pei Shaoze raised his pen and signed his name several times on the contract before handing it to Zhang Fan. “Go to the legal department to get the official seal and make two copies. The company will keep two copies, one will be for the agent and one for Cheng Xia.”

Zhang Fan went to work attentively.

Pei Shaoze looked at Cheng Xia and wondered, “Tianxuan has many directions for its artists such as music, variety shows and movie and television. What are your thoughts for the future?”

Once this matter was raised, Cheng Xia was immediately serious and answered without hesitation, “I want to be an actor.”

“Why?”

Cheng Xia explained very seriously. “I’m not afraid of being mocked. Being an actor has always been my childhood dream. My father was an actor and I watched his movies growing up and wanted to play different roles like him. Of course, I have only studied at the film academy for a year and I am relatively unfamiliar with acting, but as long as the company gives me the opportunity, I will definitely work hard and practice hard!”

Sure enough, the young man’s eyes lit up when he mentioned acting. He really liked the industry.

Pei Shaoze nodded and handed Zhou Yan the folder he had organized a long time ago. “This is a very popular school novel. Tianxuan has long obtained the copyright but hasn’t had time to shoot it. You go back and let your newcomers carefully read the information. After a while, I will arrange to take them to an audition.”

Did the boss mean to set up a project to shoot a school drama? Did she understand this correctly?

Zhou Yan was very excited but her years of work experience let her quickly calm down. She stepped forward and respectfully took the folder while asking, “President Pei, do the newcomers in our group have a chance for this school drama?”

“Yes, it is the drama I personally invested in so it is best performed by artists of our group. It is only if they perform too badly that I will consider choosing people from outside.” Pei Shaoze looked at Cheng Xia and spoke calmly, “Cheng Xia, you go back and do the preparations as well.”

Cheng Xia immediately stood up. “I will! Thank you, President Pei!”

The company wanted to invest in filming a school drama. Such a good opportunity was in front of him. He had to study carefully and strive to win the role of an important character!

Proofreader: Cat