Volume Two: Shadows of the Past, Chapter Ninety-Three: Signing with a Comic Studio

The largest shareholder of Jingrun is the Lin family. The current head of the Lin family is my eldest uncle, Lin Tianyao. Therefore, the current chairman of Jingrun is my eldest uncle. Looking at Chen Jing, Lin Xi revealed her family background to him for the very first time. However, she only mentioned her origins, feeling that there was no need to tell Chen Jing any other details to avoid dragging him into unnecessary complications.

Chen Jing was already aware of everything Lin Xi had just mentioned, so he did not appear particularly surprised. Instead, he smiled and teased, So, I really have managed to latch onto a very powerful patron, haven't I? With that, Chen Jing cast a sly glance at Lin Xi.

Lin Xi had not expected Chen Jing to react this way after hearing about her background. Nevertheless, she was quite satisfied with his response. After all, the fact that he could learn her true background and still maintain their original dynamic made her feel much more at ease.

In a rare display of genuine emotion, Lin Xi retorted, Get out of here! My legs are not that thick. Have you ever seen such straight, slender, and beautiful legs? To prove her point, she purposely crossed her legs in an elegant lady's posture, instantly accentuating their exceptional length.

Gazing at Lin Xi's slender legs encased in black silk, Chen Jing swallowed hard instinctively and quickly covered by laughing, Haha, I was just speaking metaphorically. Sister Xi has the most gorgeous legs—well-proportioned and not thick at all. Yep, these legs are definitely worth appreciating for a lifetime.

Sensing Chen Jing's lingering, unconcealed gaze, the corners of Lin Xi's lips lifted in a barely perceptible smile.

Chen Jing managed to drag his gaze back with great difficulty; he dared not look any longer, fearing he might lose control of himself. Eager to distract his mind, he asked Lin Xi, Right, Sister Xi, is the signing contract for Wang Ze's Comic Studio ready? He should be arriving to sign it soon.

Oh, that contract is all set. Look, right here. There are three different versions with varying terms. You can let him look at the first contract first. If they don't agree to those terms, then switch to the second one. If that still doesn't work, just move on to the third. Lin Xi placed the three contracts in front of Chen Jing. Contract negotiations usually proceeded this way—discussing and revising step by step to maximize her own side's interests.

Chen Jing picked up the first contract and read through it carefully. Once he had gone through all three, however, he threw the first and second contracts directly into the trash can, leaving only the third one behind.

Observing Lin Xi's slight frown, Chen Jing explained, We won't need the first two. As for signing Wang Ze's Comic Studio, I'm quite confident we can secure the deal, so it doesn't matter if we offer them better terms. Let's just have them look at this third contract directly; even if they try to negotiate a few more conditions, I can accept it.

Lin Xi shook her head helplessly. Fine, whatever you like. When they arrive later, you can negotiate with them yourself. I'll just sit on the sidelines and watch.

Chen Jing nodded. Got it.

Meanwhile, downstairs at the Jingrun Corporation building, Wang Ze was walking in accompanied by a chubby man and a sharp-looking career woman wearing glasses.

Boss, do you think Jingrun will really sign us? This is a huge corporation, after all. The chubby man looked around at the bustling white-collar workers passing by, sounding somewhat unconfident.

Wang Ze nodded affirmatively, speaking with absolute certainty, They definitely will. The reason he was so certain was that he had spent the past three days investigating this person named Chen Jing. Upon paying attention, he discovered that music and film news reports were completely dominated by him. Only then did Wang Ze realize that the person who had interviewed him the other day was such a famous celebrity.

Would a major star like Chen Jing have the leisure to fool a group of people like them for no reason? The answer was obviously no.

The chubby man nodded and said, Alright. Hehe, if we can really become part of Jingrun, that would be amazing. By then, we'll definitely make those guys who jumped ship early on green with envy. Right, Qingxue? With that, he looked attentively toward the woman in glasses standing beside them.

However, the bespectacled career woman ignored him entirely, chewing her bubblegum in her own world.

Seeing that she paid him no mind, the chubby man offered a somewhat awkward, self-deprecating laugh, though he didn't mind—he was already long accustomed to her attitude toward him.

At that moment, the woman in glasses spoke up, turning to ask Wang Ze, Old Wang, is the person we're signing with really Chen Jing, the lead actor from the movie *SPL: Sha Po Lang*?

Wang Ze nodded. Seeing the bespectacled woman's skeptical, tightly furrowed brow, he didn't offer a lengthy explanation, merely smiling wryly as he said, Once you go upstairs and see him in person, you'll know.

The chubby man by Wang Ze's side was named Yang Peng. He was the member who had stayed with Wang Ze the longest. Ever since Wang Ze founded his comic studio, Yang Peng had been considered a founding veteran. Through all the twists and turns the studio went through, others had left one by one, but Yang Peng stubbornly refused to walk away.

In his own words: As long as the studio exists for a single day, I, Yang Peng, remain a member of it.

There was nothing Wang Ze could do. Since Yang Peng refused to leave, Wang Ze couldn't force him out either. Yet, so as not to ruin Yang Peng's future prospects, a desperate Wang Ze had no choice but to send him to work as an artist at another studio under the guise of an inter-studio exchange program. Now that they were about to sign with Jingrun, he had finally called him back.

As for the bespectacled career woman, she was practically a legendary figure within the circle of comic creators.

Named Su Qingxue, she was a true grandmaster among comic authors. The reason she was considered a legend was that she operated entirely as a free agent within the industry—she did not belong to any studio or comic publishing company. She always traveled alone, independently publishing her creations online. She never cared whether readers would like her work or if she could turn a profit. Typically, once she published her creations, she paid no attention to how readers received them. Yet, despite being such a carefree comic artist, her works exploded in popularity across the internet and won widespread adoration from the public.

She hadn't originally been part of Wang Ze's Comic Studio. The reason she was currently counted as a member was that Wang Ze's wife happened to be her best friend, and since her latest work had recently concluded, she wanted a change of scenery to clear her mind, leading her to join Wang Ze's studio. Not long after joining, however, she heard that the studio was being recruited by Jingrun, and the person handling the recruitment was none other than Chen Jing! This piqued Su Qingxue's extraordinary curiosity.

After inquiring with the front desk staff, the three of them were guided all the way to Chen Jing's office.

The office door was ajar, and the trio walked straight inside. As soon as they entered, they saw a man and a woman sitting there waiting for them—none other than Chen Jing and Lin Xi.

Upon seeing the person recruiting her was genuinely Chen Jing himself, Su Qingxue couldn't help her eyes lighting up.

Seeing the three enter, Chen Jing and Lin Xi rose to greet them. Introductions followed immediately, and the atmosphere grew warm and cordial.

After some polite pleasantries, Chen Jing smiled and asked Wang Ze, I wonder what conclusions Mr. Wang has reached after three days of consideration?

The three of them exchanged glances before Wang Ze finally spoke up: After discussing it among ourselves, our studio very much hopes to become part of Jingrun. We're just not sure about the terms of our contract? May we take a look at the contract terms Mr. Chen has prepared for us?

Chen Jing nodded and said decisively, Of course. We warmly welcome your studio to join Jingrun. This is the draft contract we've prepared. Mr. Wang, please take a careful look. If there are any terms you find unsatisfactory, feel free to point them out. With that, Chen Jing handed a document over to Wang Ze.

Wang Ze quickly accepted the contract with both hands, saying, Thank you, Mr. Chen. Shall we read through the contract first and then discuss the signing?

Chen Jing smiled slightly. No rush. Take your time reading it, and we can talk afterward.

Wang Ze nodded. Then, huddling together with Yang Peng, the two of them began meticulously reviewing the contract. Su Qingxue, meanwhile, paid little mind to the paperwork, choosing instead to covertly steal glances at Chen Jing.

Chen Jing felt a bit unnatural; he had a lingering sensation that the bespectacled career woman opposite him kept sneaking peeks in his direction. Could it just be his imagination?

Turning his head toward Su Qingxue, he found that she had already looked away elsewhere. Chen Jing picked up his teacup to mask his previous glance, thinking silently to himself: It must be my imagination.

After nearly half an hour, Wang Ze and Yang Peng had flipped through the contract three whole times, and had even made sure Su Qingxue read it once as well, before finally confirming that there were no hidden traps within the text.

Putting the contract down, Wang Ze looked at Chen Jing with an apologetic expression and said, I'm terribly sorry to have kept you both waiting for so long.

As the saying goes, once bitten twice shy. They simply couldn't afford not to be thorough. Besides, the terms stated in the contract vastly exceeded their expectations.

It wasn't that the terms were too poor, but rather that they were far too generous—so good, in fact, that the three of them had begun doubting whether they had stumbled into yet another corporate scam.

Yet, after repeated verification, they finally convinced themselves that the contract terms genuinely were this favorable and were not a trap. While this filled the trio with joy, it inevitably stirred up some complicated emotions within them as well.

Regardless, the better the terms, the happier they naturally felt.

Chen Jing naturally understood why Wang Ze and his group had been so cautious with the contract. Facing Wang Ze's apology, Chen Jing smiled and waved a hand. Since you've confirmed there are no issues with the contract, do you have any other conditions you'd like to propose?

Wang Ze shook his head decisively, answering honestly: No, we don't. These terms are already wonderful. A person shouldn't be overly greedy; since the contract terms offered were already better than they had anticipated, there was no need to raise any further demands.

Seeing that Wang Ze had no additional conditions to raise, Chen Jing and Lin Xi exchanged glances, nodding inwardly to each other.