raknovel Chapter 48 Sign, but not like this.
Chapter 48 Sign, but not like this.
On the table were a manila envelope and a folder. The envelope contained a fake lab report, and the folder contained a printed divorce agreement.
Ni Ni picked up the envelope, then put it down again.
Unlike the girls before her, she didn't rush over and start crying and shouting.
She smiled, a hint of embarrassment and helplessness in her expression, as if she were amused by the absurd situation.
Then he picked up the divorce agreement, walked up to the actor he was acting with, didn't hand it to him, turned to the last page, pointed to the signature section, and spoke in a low voice, as if discussing a contract.
"Will you sign or not?"
As is customary, her co-star turned away with a cold expression, refusing to look at her.
Ni Ni wasn't in a hurry. She put the agreement on the table, took two steps back, crossed her arms in front of her chest, and just looked at him.
It was quiet for a while.
The actor he was acting with was getting a little too stiff. He had acted in this scene hundreds of times, and the girl opposite him would either cry, make a scene, or push him. No one had ever stood still.
"What do you mean? Say something!" He couldn't help but speak first.
Ni Ni tilted his head. "Why should I speak? I'm not the one who should be anxious."
The Nanjing dialect naturally emerged in this line, with a rising tone at the end, carrying a touch of innate sarcasm.
The actor playing opposite glanced behind the long table.
Zhang Yimou took off his glasses, wiped them, put them back on, and leaned forward slightly.
"continue."
The actor playing opposite her began to exert pressure, walking up to Ni Ni, looking down at her condescendingly, his voice low and contemptuous.
"Who do you think you are? Do you even know my wife's background?"
What does her background have to do with me?
"So you are..."
"Are you done?" Ni Ni interrupted him, looking straight at him. His voice didn't change much, but his whole aura changed.
"And then what? After you've finished hurling insults, you can just pretend nothing happened? Sign or not?"
The actor she was acting with took another step forward, almost touching her face.
Ni Ni did not withdraw.
Her eyes began to redden, but she didn't break down in tears.
A slight smile lingered on her lips, as if she were laughing at how she had ended up like this.
It's contradictory and awkward, but so real it doesn't feel like acting.
The people around Zhang Yimou were writing something quickly in their notebooks.
The entire audition lasted less than five minutes.
When it was over, her co-star, having recovered from his performance, whispered to her, "Not bad."
Ni Ni nodded and turned to walk out.
"Wait a moment."
Zhang Yimou spoke, and she stopped in her tracks.
Have you acted before?
She thought for a moment, "I just had a cameo role in a web series last week."
Zhang Yimou didn't ask anything more and waved her out.
Three days later, Ni Ni received a call from New Pictures.
I passed the audition. The voice on the phone was very professional, and then we talked about the contract.
An eight-year management contract, with the first three years dedicated to closed training.
All external affairs, including school classes, are suspended during the training period.
"There's one more thing," the person on the other end of the phone paused for a moment, "You're prohibited from dating during training, and you're also prohibited from accepting any offers or performances from other companies."
Ni Ni stood on the dormitory balcony with her phone in hand. It was already quite cold in Nanjing at the end of November. The wind was blowing from the direction of Zijin Mountain, making her ears hurt.
Eight years, three of which were spent in isolation, unable to date or take on jobs.
She's 21 this year, and after signing this contract, she'll be almost 30.
The offer from P&G for full-time employment hasn't been officially issued yet, but Fiona has hinted that it will be next month.
Foreign companies offer six types of insurance and two types of housing funds, making them respectable and safe, but the future is predictable.
Another path: eight years of being tied down, three years of being out of sight, betting on a movie that might not even start filming for a long time.
She stood on the balcony for a long time until her roommate told her to close the window.
Back in bed, Ni Ni tossed and turned under the covers, two paths flashing through her mind, neither of which she could firmly grasp.
At 1:17 a.m., she picked up her phone and scrolled to the number in her contacts that she had only saved for a little over ten days.
After hesitating for a moment, I dialed the number.
I answered it after it rang twice.
"Ni Ni?" The sounds of keyboard and mouse could be faintly heard in the background.
"You're still awake?"
"You, the video editor, are calling me in the middle of the night. You must be heartbroken or you've struck it rich."
Ni Ni didn't respond and remained silent for a few seconds.
"Director Ren, I need to ask you something."
"you say."
Ni Ni succinctly told Ren Pingsheng about being recommended by his school to audition for Zhang Yimou's new film, and that he had just received an eight-year agency contract from New Pictures Film Company.
"...Director Ren, the first three years of the contract require closed training, and Procter & Gamble will be sending out offers next month. I don't know what to choose."
What are you hesitating about?
"I don't know if it's worth it. P&G will give me an offer next month, it's a sure thing. But here, it's eight years. What if the project falls through? What if nobody watches it after it's finished? I don't even know what role I'm playing."
Ren Pingsheng did not answer immediately.
"The Flowers of War" will not be cancelled. The film will be released in 2011, become the domestic box office champion, and make Ni Ni an overnight sensation.
But what happens after you become famous?
Zhang Weiping and Zhang Yimou of New Pictures, this golden duo who have collaborated for twenty years, will completely turn against each other in 2012.
The lawsuit caused a huge uproar and led to the collapse of the organization.
Ni Ni's management contract is tied to New Pictures. With Zhang Yimou gone, New Pictures is just an empty shell.
But the contract is still in effect, and the contract period is still in effect. She will be trapped in a contract without any support resources, unable to move forward during the best years of her life.
This is how Ni Ni was worn down in his previous life.
A beautiful woman's debut was her peak, and then she fell into a long period of silence.
"The movie won't flop," Ren Pingsheng said calmly. "Zhang Yimou's choice of actor is spot on. This role will make you known throughout the country overnight."
"Then shall I sign?"
"Sign, but not like this."
Ni Ni was taken aback. "What do you mean?"
"You need to add a supplementary agreement to the contract."
"Supplementary agreement?"
At 1:30 a.m. in the dormitory, Ni Ni turned on the bedside lamp and took out a pen and a piece of draft paper from his bag.
"You tell me, I'll remember."
Ren Pingsheng's voice was neither fast nor slow, and every word was clear and distinct.
"Supplementary clause: If director Zhang Yimou terminates his cooperation with New Pictures Film Co., Ltd. or leaves the company, this agency contract will automatically terminate, and neither party will be liable for breach of contract."
Ni Ni's pen stopped.
"What do you mean? Director Zhang is leaving New Pictures?"
"I didn't say definitely, I said in case. You have to prepare for the worst."
"Ni Ni, you need to think this through. Being chosen by Director Zhang is a tremendous opportunity for you, but you need to know that the core asset of New Pictures is Director Zhang Yimou himself. The reason this contract is valuable is because it has Director Zhang's endorsement."
"Therefore, the significance of signing with New Pictures is to establish a cooperative relationship with Director Zhang. What you really need to be tied to is Director Zhang, not this company."
"If, and I mean if, Director Zhang really leaves New Pictures one day, whether it's due to differences in vision or business disputes, then your seemingly glamorous contract will instantly become a piece of waste paper, or even a prison."
Upon hearing these words, Ni Ni's heart skipped a beat, and a layer of cold sweat broke out on his back.
The word "cage" sent chills down her spine.
"They've been working together for so many years. For a newcomer like me to come in with these kinds of demands......?"
"Won't that make the other person think you're ungrateful?" Ren Pingsheng finished speaking for her.
"....Um."
"Think about it from another perspective. You were chosen by Director Zhang. He wanted you, not New Pictures. This agreement doesn't protect your relationship with the company, but your relationship with the director. It's perfectly reasonable."
Ni Ni looked down at the draft paper, his fingertips tracing the edges of the writing.
"What if they disagree?"
"They will agree."
Why?
"Because in their eyes, this agreement will never be triggered; adding it is just a piece of waste paper to reassure you."
He paused for a moment.
"But for you, this piece of scrap paper is a lifesaver."
The wind howled as it rushed in from outside the balcony.
Ni Ni stared at that line of text for a long time.
"Ren Pingsheng".
"Um."
"What exactly do you do for a living?"
There was a chuckle on the other end of the phone, but no reply.
"Go to sleep first. Tomorrow, talk to Director Wang from your school and find a reliable lawyer to review the contract details for you. The wording of the supplementary agreement can be changed, but the core meaning cannot be altered."
"it is good."
"besides."
"Um?"
"Don't rush to reject the offer from P&G. Hold on to it until the contract with New Vision is signed."
Why?
"It's not shameful to have a backup plan. Also, I'll keep this a secret for you."
Ni Ni felt a chill run down her spine; she then realized that her subconscious request for help had violated the confidentiality agreement.
……
After hanging up the phone, Ren Pingsheng casually tossed his phone onto the table.
Outside the window, the night was deep.
He rubbed his temples and lit a cigarette.
The reason he spent so much time and effort instructing Ni Ni in the middle of the night wasn't out of any pity or tenderness.
In this world of fame and fortune, kindness is the cheapest thing, but kindness that is deeply ingrained is priceless.
If Ni Ni, this promising talent, is locked into New Pictures by a contract, then for the next eight years she will only be Zhang Weiping's puppet.
However, if that supplementary agreement is added to the contract, Ni Ni can regain his freedom if the two Zhangs turn against each other three years later.
When that time comes, who will be the first person she thinks of?
Who gave her the trump card to save her life when she was most confused?
Who was the first director she worked with when she entered the industry?
The deeper reason is that he was not only helping Ni Ni, but also looking towards the future of Zhang Yimou.
Connections, funding, and works.
These are the chips one must accumulate before entering a larger game of chess.
As for the personal motives involved?
Ren Pingsheng exhaled a smoke ring and chuckled softly.
man.
If it were Sister Yu, then all I can say is that it's none of Sister Yu's business.