SWDnovel Chapter 102 Does not paying out mean it's not considered being kept?
Chapter 102 Does not paying out mean it's not considered being kept?
Liu Siqi clearly didn't believe this answer, but seeing that Lu Ran didn't intend to say more, she didn't press the matter further.
Everyone has secrets, and she respects that.
Half an hour later, the final version of "Another Me in the World" was officially released. Lu Ran packaged the file and sent it to Xu Manxue.
"You're not an employee of our company, so you can only release it under your own name. If you release it now, it can be on major music platforms as early as tomorrow," Lu Ran said to Xu Manxue. "But you should be prepared that you're not very famous right now, so the song might not make much of a splash when it's first released."
Xu Manxue nodded vigorously: "I understand. I'm already very grateful for the opportunity to release a song. Even if no one listens, at least I sang it."
Lu Ran nodded.
Looking at Xu Manxue, such a promising girl, Lu Ran suddenly had an idea, but he needed to discuss it with Shen Yuege beforehand.
That evening, Lu Ran returned home at almost eight o'clock.
Pushing open the door, the house was brightly lit, and the sizzling sound of stir-frying came from the kitchen.
He paused for a moment, changed his shoes and went inside, just in time to see Shen Yuege peeking out of the kitchen wearing an apron.
"You're back? Wash your hands and eat." She was still holding a spatula, but she looked a little flustered.
Lu Ran was somewhat surprised: "Why are you back? Didn't you say your trip wouldn't end until next week?"
"We wrapped up early." Shen Yuege turned and went back to the stove. "The last endorsement shoot went smoothly, and the brand was happy, so they gave us half a day off. I figured I had nothing else to do, so I changed my flight and came back."
As she spoke, she plated the vegetables from the pot: "Go wash your hands quickly, there's only one soup left."
Lu Ran obediently went to wash her hands. When she returned, three dishes and a soup were already laid out on the table: stir-fried bok choy, braised pork ribs, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and a pot of steaming mushroom soup.
"Not bad, Queen Shen," Lu Ran said, sitting down at the table, picking up her chopsticks and tasting a piece of rib. "Your cooking skills have improved."
Shen Yuege took off her apron and sat down opposite him, raising an eyebrow: "Come on, I just heated up some ribs and stir-fried some vegetables. The soup was a semi-finished product I bought downstairs."
"That's still pretty impressive," Lu Ran said sincerely. "At least they didn't blow up the kitchen."
Shen Yuege glared at him: "Do you feel uncomfortable if you don't insult me every day?"
Lu Ran chuckled and ladled her a bowl of soup: "Why did you decide to cook today? In a good mood?"
Shen Yuege took the soup bowl, remained silent for a few seconds, and then said softly, "The termination procedures are all complete. From now on, I have nothing to do with Legendary Entertainment anymore!"
Although Shen Yuege spoke in a relaxed tone, Lu Ran sensed a hint of complex emotion in her voice.
"You can't bear to part with it?" he asked.
"There is some, I suppose," Shen Yuege admitted. "After all, I've been there for so many years, from trainee to debut, and then to becoming a superstar. It would be a lie to say I have absolutely no feelings for her."
She took a sip of soup and continued, "Although they didn't treat me very well later, and the contract terms were very harsh, at least they gave me a chance."
Lu Ran nodded and listened quietly without interrupting.
"And I figured it out later," Shen Yuege looked up at Lu Ran, "The reason why Legend Entertainment is so domineering in the contract is largely because of what happened with Xu Manlin."
"It's just that Xu Manlin's contract termination and move to another company was a huge blow to Legendary Entertainment. She was a top star that the company had nurtured from the ground up, and she left just like that, taking a lot of resources and her team with her. Since then, Legendary Entertainment has become particularly strict with the contracts of its top artists, for fear of raising another ungrateful wretch."
Lu Ran hadn't expected this to be related to Xu Manlin. He asked thoughtfully, "So, you don't actually hate them?"
"I wouldn't call it hatred." Shen Yuege shook her head. "That's how the workplace is; everyone gets what they need. They gave me a platform and resources, and I made money for them. Even if the relationship deteriorated later, it was because of a conflict of interest. It's already pretty good that we can part ways amicably now."
She paused, her tone becoming more relaxed: "Besides, I heard that Weng Qingya's popularity plummeted after her last album's failure. Legendary Entertainment doesn't have many artists left to boast about; it's already on the decline. I'll just consider it... an amicable parting."
Lu Ran had not expected Shen Yuege to be so mature in her thinking.
Despite being in the entertainment industry for so long, she has never lost her pure and innocent heart.
Indeed, Shen Yuege wanted to leave Legend Entertainment with some semblance of dignity.
Just like one's alma mater, one can only say it's bad, but one doesn't really want it to be bad.
"You're quite optimistic." Lu Ran put a piece of pork rib on her plate. "But it's good this way. One less enemy, one more peace and quiet."
Shen Yuege smiled, then suddenly remembered something: "By the way, how are you today? Is everything going smoothly on 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes'?"
"Everything went very smoothly." Lu Ran briefly recounted the day's events, including Liu Siqi's song request and Xu Manxue's song recording and release.
"By the way, speaking of Xu Manxue, I have an idea."
"What are your thoughts?"
"Xu Manxue is currently a free agent and has not yet signed with a company," Lu Ran said.
"What, you want to keep someone as a sugar daddy?" Shen Yuege asked warily.
"Pfft!" Upon hearing Shen Yuege's words, Lu Ran couldn't help but spit out the pork rib soup he had just drunk.
"I was just praising you for being mature, but I never realized you had such a filthy mind." Lu Ran wiped the water that had sprayed onto the table.
"You men are all the same, you only have those kinds of thoughts when you see someone good-looking," Shen Yuege said disdainfully.
"Do you think I'm like you?" Lu Ran was clearly unconvinced.
"What's wrong with me?"
"You'll take care of me."
"I gave you money, so how does that count as being a sugar daddy/sugar baby?"
"It's only because they paid me that they're keeping me as a sugar daddy!"
"So if I don't pay, it doesn't count as being a sugar daddy/sugar baby?"
Wait a minute, upon hearing this, Lu Ran quickly stopped the increasingly dangerous conversation.
They've been in a fake marriage for months, how can they not pay? That's ten million!
Doesn't your conscience hurt?
Although Lu Ran doesn't really need ten million right now, it's not a question of whether he needs it or not.
"Okay, that's not what I meant." Lu Ran quickly steered the conversation back to the main topic. "I was thinking that since Xu Manxue isn't signed with a company, and your studio has just been established, you could consider signing her."
"I think Xu Manxue has a lot of potential," Lu Ran added. "The song I wrote for her before was recorded today, and the result is quite good."
"She's not very famous yet, so the signing terms probably won't be too high. But this girl has great potential; she's talented in acting and singing, and she's also down-to-earth and hardworking. If her song becomes a hit, her value might not be what it is now."
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