Chapter Twelve: Paparazzi! An Unexpected Delight

Seeing the figures on the contract, Bai Ling’s face was filled with satisfaction.

“It seems that Spring Autumn Prosperity Entertainment is showing considerable sincerity.”

“However, the premise of this contract is that you buy out all the copyrights of ‘Under the Sea,’ and the copyright fee is ten million.”

“Tsk…”

For Bai Ling, as long as she agreed, twenty million would be deposited straight into her account.

That’s wealth ordinary people could never earn in a lifetime.

Given her background, it was almost unbelievable.

No wonder so many people desperately try to break into this circle.

No wonder so many are willing to accept hidden rules just to secure a place here.

Of course, Bai Ling could never accept such things.

Selling the copyright alone was fine, though.

Still, there was room for negotiation.

After pondering for a while, Bai Ling dialed yesterday’s number and arranged a time and place to meet with Ge Fenfen.

Coincidentally, Spring Autumn Prosperity wasn’t located in Bai Ling’s city of D.

But Ge Fenfen, eager to win Bai Ling over, had already arrived in D.

They agreed to meet at a café.

That afternoon, Bai Ling dressed up a bit.

She performed the highest ritual for going out—washing her hair—to see Ge Fenfen.

Even with simple makeup, Bai Ling was stunning, like a lotus rising from clear water.

On her way, countless people approached her to ask for her WeChat.

Of course, she was unaware that a little tail had begun to follow her.

Soon enough, Bai Ling arrived at the café.

Ge Fenfen was a middle-aged woman.

She was well-maintained, appearing just over thirty.

It was clear that people in this industry cared greatly about their appearance.

When she saw Bai Ling, she was momentarily dazzled.

“You’re beautiful, even more so than you appear in your livestreams.”

“Just for looks alone, Miss Bai, you could easily be one of the top in this circle.”

Bai Ling pursed her lips. “Sister Ge, right? Let’s skip the compliments. I’ve heard enough.”

Before she became an actress, Bai Ling never imagined how enthusiastic men could be toward beautiful women.

The men who asked for her WeChat along the way made her truly understand the meaning of greasy.

Ge Fenfen chuckled softly, about to order coffee, when her expression suddenly changed.

“You didn’t notice the paparazzo behind you?”

Bai Ling froze. “Paparazzo?”

She’d only just become famous, and already the paparazzi were on her trail?

Was this for real?

Following Ge Fenfen’s gaze, Bai Ling saw a person in a trench coat, wearing a hat and mask.

He looked more privacy-conscious than Bai Ling herself.

She also noticed his hand seemed pointed at her.

Most likely, he was hiding a miniature camera.

She laughed lightly.

“Well, paparazzi are just out earning a living. Let him take his photos.”

She was honest and had nothing to hide.

But in Ge Fenfen’s eyes, this gesture turned into Bai Ling deliberately using the reporter as a bargaining chip.

If the journalist revealed details of their discussion, it could attract the attention of other entertainment companies.

Thus, sparking fiercer competition.

At that moment, Ge Fenfen looked at the beautiful woman before her with even more respect.

Not only was she gorgeous, but she was clever, knowing how to turn every situation to her advantage—a true expert.

No wonder she had caused Starshine Company such a loss.

It seemed today’s negotiations would be quite the contest.

She took a sip of coffee, suppressed her thoughts, and prepared to discuss terms with Bai Ling.

What she didn’t know was that, after learning Bai Ling’s “true face” in the future, today’s events would become her personal black history…

“Miss Bai, you’ve seen the contract.”

“Do you have any further questions?”

Bai Ling nodded. “The contract is fine, very fair—in fact, for an artist at my level, it’s almost too generous.”

“However, if you want to sign me, I have one condition.”

Ge Fenfen grew tense, thinking Bai Ling would make an outrageous demand.

“Please, tell me, Miss Bai!”

“I won’t sell my copyright, but I can authorize you to use it, and we split the profits fifty-fifty.”

“All my future works will follow this model until the contract ends.”

Bai Ling had her own system. Judging from the circumstances, she wouldn’t only have ‘Under the Sea.’

Whether from blind box rewards or other bonuses, Bai Ling could earn plenty of benefits.

Given that, she wanted to set the terms from the very start.

A fifty-fifty split!

Bai Ling provided the content, the company handled operations and promotion.

Earning money together—it was perfectly reasonable.

However, capital always seeks profit, and though this condition seemed fair, for Ge Fenfen and Spring Autumn Prosperity, it wasn’t so easy to accept.

“Miss Bai, give me a moment to discuss this.”

Ge Fenfen rose to make a call.

Meanwhile, Bai Ling gazed out the window in a daze.

Soon, Ge Fenfen returned.

“Miss Bai, the boss agrees, but…”

“You must sign an additional risk agreement. Within a year, your fan count must reach two million. Otherwise, we will immediately terminate the contract.”

Bai Ling nodded, “No problem.”

Not to mention that gaining a million fans in a year wasn’t particularly difficult.

Even if she didn’t manage it, ending her contract with Spring Autumn wouldn’t really affect her much.

Their conversation ended there, and the next step was the formal contract signing.

But Ge Fenfen needed to prepare the paperwork, so the signing wouldn’t happen today.

Bai Ling didn’t linger; she turned and left.

This time, she was more cautious and noticed the paparazzo had followed her.

After arriving at her residence, the person disappeared.

He likely didn’t dare get too close, for fear of being sued for harassment.

Still, Bai Ling thought she’d better be careful in the next few days.

If someone snapped an ugly photo of her, her public persona might collapse.

In the following days, Bai Ling made no unnecessary moves.

She ate, watched dramas, surfed the web, updated her status from time to time, occasionally taking cheeky shots at Starshine Company—she was thoroughly enjoying herself.

Even though Bai Ling knew full well that the people at Starshine probably hated her to the core.

But so what?

She’d deal with whatever came her way—the future could wait!

Yet as Bai Ling idled away these days, her system wasn’t idle either.

“Because you’ve successfully slacked off for three days, the system will grant you a blind box!”

Bai Ling: …

“System, isn’t this inappropriate? I almost feel guilty!”

“Hehe, open the blind box.”

Playing around for three days and getting a reward—who could argue with that?

A free reward was always worth taking.