"We'll put you under Xing Xia Entertainment with Agent Li as your manager," Lin Anguo said after thinking it through. "But that's all. The rest—your career, your decisions, your successes or failures—will be entirely up to you. We won't provide any help or resources while you're in the entertainment industry."
The two families knew Muyao. Anytime she set her mind on something, no matter how risky, she would pursue it—even under their watchful eyes. Keeping her monitored was the only way to prevent her from doing something even more dangerous in secret.
"Okay, I'll show you my talent in two years, I promise," Muyao replied confidently.
"…What talent? Listening to gossip?" Lin Xinyu, Muyao's second eldest cousin, joked, trying to lighten the tense atmosphere.
"Let's leave it there for now, Feiyi. Have dinner ready," Xia Mingyuan said, summarizing. "If you want to continue this discussion, we can—but at the dinner table, let's move on."
The next morning, at Xing Xia Entertainment, the Lin Group's entertainment company:
"Hi, welcome to Xing Xia Entertainment. How may I help you?" a receptionist asked politely.
"Hi, I have a meeting scheduled with Agent Li," Muyao replied, maintaining a polite smile.
"Is this Little Miss Muyao?" the receptionist, Ruhui, asked carefully.
"Huh? You know me?" Muyao asked, confused.
"Chairman Lin personally informed us that Little Miss Muyao would come to Xing Xia today," Ruhui explained. "He said to let you head straight to the top-floor meeting room when you arrived."
"…Wait, my dad came here for a meeting? Did I remember wrong… or is it something my brother Bohan is handling now?" Muyao asked, puzzled.
"You remembered correctly," another receptionist, Ruyu, replied. "Yesterday's meeting was just a regular monthly summary for all the artists. Normally, only Second Young Master Lin Bohan would attend—but Chairman Lin showed up unexpectedly."
"Did anything happen when my dad was there?" Muyao asked, eager for gossip.
"I heard the artist agents freaked out when they realized it was Chairman Lin attending instead of Young Master Bohan," Ruyu said. "When they left the room, every single one of them had their heads down."
Just then, the reception phone rang.
"Hello, this is Ruhui," she answered politely. After a short exchange, she said, "Yes, Agent Li, Little Miss Muyao is already on her way to the top-floor meeting room. Okay, bye."
Top-floor meeting room:
Knock knock.
"Come in," Agent Li called.
"Agent Li, here's the contract prepared for Little Miss Muyao," Assistant Chen said.
"Is this the one drafted by Young Master Bohan?" Agent Li asked.
"Yes, with some additions per Chairman Lin's orders," Assistant Chen replied.
"What additions?"
"Chairman Lin instructed that if Little Miss Muyao doesn't become popular within two years, she must return home and inherit part of the family business. During these two years, she cannot use the family name for any resources."
Agent Li paused for a moment, then nodded. "Understood. I know what to do."
Knock knock.
"Hello!" Muyao said excitedly as she entered.
"Welcome, Little Miss Muyao. I've been expecting you," Agent Li said with a smile.
"I'm here to sign the contract!" Muyao said, practically bouncing with excitement.
"…Don't you want to read it first?" Agent Li asked.
"Nah," Muyao said confidently, smiling. "I trust you won't make anything unfair—like forcing me to sell my body for resources—unless you want to get fired and never work again."
She's definitely not as simple as Chairman Lin and Young Master Bohan made her out to be. Look at that smile… She's terrifying, both Agent Li and Assistant Chen thought, slightly trembling.