Luo Li’er was indeed someone who kept her promises. Having agreed to help, she ran back home in the afternoon.
The evening’s lingering sunlight spread across the white villa, casting a warm halo over the luxurious abode.
Pei Yunxi quietly sat on the sofa, flipping through some documents.
Some people fear solitude, while others relish it.
She didn’t even look up.
Luo Li’er approached, "Sis, what are you looking at?"
Pei Yunxi lifted her head and spoke leisurely, "My contract with the agency is about to expire. This is the new contract they’ve drafted."
Luo Li’er suddenly understood, then curiously asked, "Sis, can I take a look at it?"
She seemed unwilling to even give her sister a glimpse. As her sister’s gaze shifted towards her own hands, Pei Yunxi closed the contract.
"It’s a trade secret."
"Sis, isn’t that a bit exaggerated?"
Despite saying that, she understood that given her cousin’s fame, her contract indeed carried considerable weight; calling it a trade secret was no overstatement.
"Fine, I won’t look at it, stingy. But sis, you’re not what you used to be; now that you’re renewing the contract, you should really push for better terms."
Pei Yunxi tossed the contract onto the coffee table.
"You understand these things?"
"Of course. Aren’t there many different levels of contracts for you stars? You should be getting the top-tier kind now."
Pei Yunxi smiled mildly.
The entertainment industry is a place where seniority matters.
Although she is popular now, she is relatively young and lacks a solid foundation. When it comes to status within the industry, she can’t compare with many others.
"Your sister isn’t as formidable as you imagine."
Luo Li’er sensed something was off and felt that her cousin was in a slightly unusual mood today. She took a closer look and quickly noticed a trace of worry that hadn’t been completely hidden between her brows.
"Sis, is something wrong?"
As she spoke, her gaze instinctively glanced at the contract on the coffee table.
"Are you dissatisfied with the new contract?"
Pei Yunxi shook her head.
Yang Ni was quite sincere, and the terms offered were already considered very generous within the industry.
Yang Ni had already made it clear.
If the contract was unsatisfactory, it could be amended.
What troubled her was not the contract itself.
"Sis, if there’s anything, you can talk to me about it, I might be able to give you some advice."
Luo Li’er’s big eyes were filled with deep concern.
She knew that her cousin was not as carefree as she appeared to outsiders,
if even she, a student, had troubles, then what about her cousin?
But she never talked about her problems with the family, always shouldering everything alone.
Perhaps it was not quite fitting, but she truly felt "heartache" for her cousin.
Pei Yunxi smiled faintly, her beauty was stunning, yet Luo Li’er saw through her pretense.
Looking into her sister’s eyes filled with care and anxiety, Pei Yunxi pressed her lips together, feeling a warm current flow through her heart, and she fell silent for a while.
"...There’s really nothing. I’m just wondering whether I should continue with the contract renewal."
Luo Li’er was startled upon hearing this, utterly amazed.
Wasn’t her cousin doing just fine at Mo Cai?
Why would she suddenly entertain such thoughts?
"Sis, are other companies trying to poach you?"
"It’s unrelated to that."
To be blunt, she was like a money tree, who wouldn’t want a share?
Countless companies with interest in Pei Yunxi were numerous, and even before this, several industry giants had thrown out olive branches, promising great benefits, and were even willing to pay her penalty fees.
Yet Pei Yunxi hadn’t agreed and stayed with Mo Cai.
It’s true that people aspire to climb higher.
But gratitude is also important.
Without Yang Ni, she wouldn’t be where she is today.
Yet soon, her contract is about to expire.
In her heart, she wouldn’t mind renewing the contract, even without any changes to the terms, but there are some problems laid out before her that she must consider.
The entertainment circle is very complex, even downright dirty at times.
Although she has managed to stay "untainted despite emerging from the mire" thanks to Yang Ni’s protection, Yang Ni herself told her: There will always come a downpour that you can’t block.
Leaving other things aside,
Let’s just talk about Shi Zhenhua, the helmsman of Jin Hai Industrial.
Human patience is limited.
There’s simply no comparison between Mo Cai and Jin Hai; she might be indifferent, but what if Mo Cai suffers collateral damage?
So, when she got this contract, Pei Yunxi found herself in a dilemma, but how can she discuss these things with her sister?
"I just think, I can’t always rely on others, can I?"
Pei Yunxi smiled, feigning nonchalance.
"Sis, are you saying you’re planning to go solo?"
"Of course it’s okay! If Yang Ni can do it, so can you, sis!"
Luo Li’er was full of confidence.
Yang Ni indeed is the goal many female artists strive for.
She crossed a class divide, transforming from a star into capital.
Even if the height of the step she climbed is quite limited.
Even so, it was no small feat. So many people have jumped into this circle, one after another; how many have become a Yang Ni?
As both a sister and an employee, Pei Yunxi was acutely aware of how difficult it was for Yang Ni to get where she is today.
The price she paid was simply too great.
"Tell me, why did you suddenly come back?"
Pei Yunxi changed the subject.
"Is it not okay for me to come back?"
Pei Yunxi looked at her with a half-smile.
Luo Li’er felt guilty under that gaze and could no longer hide the truth, admitting, "Okay, sis, I do have something to talk to you about."
"Did you get into some trouble at school?"
Luo Li’er immediately denied it, then tentatively asked, "Sis, how much do you usually charge for an endorsement?"
Now it was Pei Yunxi’s turn to be puzzled.
Luo Li’er hemmed and hawed, "Someone wants you to do an endorsement."
Caught off guard, Pei Yunxi paused for a moment.
"An endorsement for me?"
Luo Li’er nodded, "It’s for a game, developed by a student at our school..."
Pei Yunxi interrupted her, "Who sent you?"
Advertisers sought her out almost every day.
But hearing about it from her own sister was different.
Luo Li’er quickly explained the whole story.
"I told him it was impossible, but Senior Jiang insisted that I talk to you, saying we could name our price."
Pei Yunxi found it absurd.
And developed by college students?
She was well aware that several famous domestic game companies had approached her, offering significant sums for her to endorse their games, all of which she had declined.
"Sis, I’m telling the truth, will you... consider it?"
Luo Li’er asked cautiously.
Was this not a joke at her expense?
"Alright, you tell him the endorsement fee is one billion. If they agree, I’ll take it."