CHAPTER 2: HE’S FOUR & I’M SIX

The man who handed Jiang Su his business card was named Xu Dazhi. Early the next morning, he arrived at the hotel right on time and took Jiang Su to the car.

“Our company, Sanjin Entertainment! A well-known giant in the industry! Famous for producing stars—every year, we send over a hundred young men and women to talent shows…” As soon as they got in the car, Xu Dazhi started talking nonstop.

He wasn’t exactly wrong. In the past, Sanjin Entertainment was indeed a star-making powerhouse, a place countless aspiring artists dreamed of joining.

But times had changed too quickly. In recent years, more and more companies had jumped in to share the profits from talent shows, and Sanjin Entertainment had long lost its former glory.

Xu Dazhi’s words were meant to impress the young girl before him—both to spark her desire for wealth and status and to make her realize how insignificant she was, ensuring her obedience to the company in the future.

“Mm.” Jiang Su simply responded with a single syllable, sitting motionless in her seat.

Xu Dazhi had never encountered someone so indifferent before.

Anyone who wanted to be a star—who wouldn’t be excited after hearing his speech? Some would show eagerness right away, while younger ones might even pledge their loyalty on the spot, vowing to make money for the company.

“Xu-ge, we’ve arrived.” The driver in the front seat turned his head.

The driver carefully glanced at Jiang Su, thinking to himself—she really was beautiful, with a unique charm to her looks.

No wonder they were picking her up so early in the morning.

Xu Dazhi immediately pushed open the car door. “Alright, follow me out.”

Jiang Su responded, placing a hand on the doorframe as she stepped out.

Xu Dazhi glanced at her hand.

Her skin was truly fair—so smooth and delicate, as if it would bruise at the slightest touch. She carried an aura of fragile beauty.

Without thinking, Xu Dazhi instinctively reached out to help her.

And in that instant, his thoughts shifted.

It didn’t matter if she was cold and distant.

Just look at how delicate she was—when told to get in the car, she did so without hesitation, completely defenseless. Wouldn’t that mean she’d obey whatever the company told her in the future?

She was probably just a naive girl who had never seen the world before, unable to grasp the full scope of the star-making industry—hence her indifference…

As these thoughts passed through his mind, Xu Dazhi realized that Jiang Su had already stepped out of the car on her own.

“Come on, let’s head inside.” Xu Dazhi gestured for her to follow while closely observing her expression.

Even though Sanjin Entertainment had declined, a lean camel was still bigger than a horse. The company was located in a commercial center within the Third Ring. Years ago, the company’s president had boldly purchased the first five floors of a skyscraper.

The towering building featured a grand entrance with revolving doors, polished marble floors, and crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Everywhere one looked, there was opulence.

Xu Dazhi thought, Now that you’ve seen this with your own eyes, you should feel admiration and awe, right?

“Come, this way.”

Just then, a young woman rushed over, grabbing Xu Dazhi’s sleeve as she sobbed. “I know I was wrong! I already apologized and broke up with him! I was chosen from 500 candidates… My fans spent so much money on me! I still have to participate in the show…”

Jiang Su silently took in the scene before her.

At least they’re not scammers, she thought.

If they were, she’d just break their arms and throw them into the river.

Xu Dazhi had no idea what Jiang Su was thinking. He simply pushed the girl’s hand away. “Alright, if you make a mistake, you have to take responsibility. When you got caught dating, did you consider all the male fans who spent money on you?”

But the young woman refused to leave. “Didn’t you say I was perfect for the show? That I had potential?”

Xu Dazhi, now thoroughly annoyed, pointed at Jiang Su. “Stop making a scene. See her? This girl—she’s taking your spot! She’s signing the contract soon…”

The girl froze.

She stared at Jiang Su, wanting to say, That’s impossible.

But the words wouldn’t come out.

The girl in front of her looked very young, her delicate face fully matured despite its small size. Her features were so flawless, as if they had been meticulously drawn by the hand of a divine artist.

Just standing there, she evoked an involuntary sense of admiration and protectiveness in others.

Ignoring the girl, Xu Dazhi took Jiang Su upstairs in the elevator.

He couldn’t help but feel relieved.

Thank goodness he had found a replacement!

Otherwise, with Tong Rui’s attitude, she would have been a disaster on the show…

They took the elevator straight from the first floor to the fourth, where the atmosphere was unusually tense.

Xu Dazhi pulled someone aside and asked, “Where’s the director?”

The person gestured upward with a complicated expression—half a smile, half a grimace. “Upstairs. In the president’s office.”

Xu Dazhi immediately sensed something was wrong. “The new president has taken over?”

“Mm. That young master,” the person replied in a hushed tone, hinting at something deeper.

Only after speaking did Xu Dazhi realize he had slipped up.

Hadn’t he just revealed to Jiang Su that the company was going through internal turmoil?

Xu Dazhi quickly turned to check her reaction.

But Jiang Su’s expression remained calm—eyes indifferent, yet carrying a hint of innocence.

She probably didn’t even understand the underlying meaning of their words.

Good. The dumber, the better!

Relieved, Xu Dazhi led Jiang Su further upstairs.

Before long, they arrived at the president’s office.

The entire fifth floor was eerily silent. Secretaries and assistants all held their breaths slightly, their gazes directed toward the young man behind the floor-to-ceiling glass walls.

The director Xu Dazhi had been looking for stood before that young man.

Xu Dazhi hesitated at first but, considering the urgent schedule, eventually raised his hand and knocked on the door.

“Who is it?” The young man inside turned his head.

But the first person he noticed wasn’t Xu Dazhi—it was Jiang Su.

For a brief moment, he was taken aback.

The girl was breathtakingly beautiful yet carried a delicate frailty.

Just looking at her, one would instinctively want to place her in a glass showcase, crafted with the finest gold, to shield her from the world.

At this moment, Jiang Su was also openly scrutinizing him.

Understanding everyone you come into contact with—from their appearance to their background and personality—was the first lesson they were taught in training.

The young man looked about twenty-three or twenty-four years old. He was dressed in a black suit, but the fabric was stretched taut over his muscles, making it seem ill-fitting. Perhaps because he wasn’t used to such formal attire, his shirt collar was left wide open, revealing an incongruous gold chain inside.

He was, admittedly, quite good-looking.

With sharp brows, a straight nose, and handsome features, his slightly tanned skin added a hint of wild defiance to his demeanor.

He looked like a rich heir, but even more like a nouveau riche who had suddenly struck gold in the coal mining business.

Jiang Su withdrew her gaze and searched her memory, but she found no relevant recollection of him from the original owner’s experiences.

“I—I’m Xu Dazhi…” Xu Dazhi’s voice finally broke the silence at the door.

The director murmured, “He’s probably here for the ‘Rookie Idol’ program, looking for me.”

The young man finally moved his lips. “Come in.”

Xu Dazhi led Jiang Su inside. The director was momentarily stunned by her appearance. Quickly regaining composure, he asked a few basic questions about her age and education before instructing his assistant to draft a contract.

When the assistant returned with the contract, the young man glanced at Jiang Su and asked, “She’s joining the talent show?”

Xu Dazhi nodded repeatedly. “Yes, Young Master Yan.”

Young Master Yan stood up.

Only then did everyone realize just how tall he was—probably around 1.87 or 1.88 meters. As he approached, his presence became undeniably intimidating.

He reached out, took the contract from the assistant’s hands, and casually flipped through it.

The director hesitated for a moment, struggling to keep his thoughts to himself.

Can you even understand what you’re reading?

He wanted to ask but didn’t dare to.

Yan raised an eyebrow. “Your contracts are this harsh?”

The director opened his mouth, a bit embarrassed. “This isn’t harsh at all…”

What do you mean ‘your’ contracts? Isn’t it ‘ours’ now? The company belongs to you now.

Jiang Su, hearing this, gave Yan a fleeting glance before reaching out and taking the contract directly from his hands.

Yan was briefly taken aback.

Her fingertips were cool. Just a moment ago, they had accidentally brushed against his palm, which was warm. The sudden contrast made the sensation strikingly clear, lingering vividly in his memory.

Jiang Su flipped through the contract quickly and said, “I’m not signing this.”

They had been taught from a young age that money was the most important thing.

Killing was for money.

If she couldn’t even control how much money she earned, what was the point of being an assassin?

This company wanted her to sign a thirty-year binding contract with an 80/20 revenue split—she got 20, they got 80.

Forget it. Killing people would make her money much faster.

Jiang Su turned to leave without hesitation.

Xu Dazhi was dumbfounded.

The director was also stunned.

Xu Dazhi frantically signaled to the director—he genuinely wanted to sign Jiang Su. It had been years since he had scouted anyone with real potential.

The director silently cursed Yan for doing nothing but making things more complicated. If he hadn’t spoken up, this clueless girl would have just signed the contract without understanding it!

The director turned to look at Yan.

He saw Yan smirking at him, as if he had already seen through his thoughts.

The director gritted his teeth and forced a smile. “Let me take a look at that.”

He quickly skimmed through the contract. “Oh, they must have brought the wrong one.”

“Bring me a laptop. I’ll draft a new one myself. Then you can print it out and get it stamped.”

In less than half an hour, a revised contract was ready.

The revenue split changed from 80/20 to 50/50. The thirty-year contract was shortened to five years. It also clearly outlined the company’s responsibilities—training, salary, accommodations, guaranteed job opportunities each year. If she didn’t debut successfully within five years, the contract would automatically terminate.

It was a contract with little room for dispute.

Only then did Jiang Su take the pen and sign it.

No problem.

If there were any hidden traps in the contract, she would just break the director’s limbs next time.

The director watched her sign her name and finally let out a sigh of relief—though, for some reason, he felt a chill down his spine.

Maybe it was just sweat.

Xu Dazhi, holding the signed contract in his hands, was grinning so widely that his face wrinkled up.

He hurriedly took Jiang Su to see her dormitory while explaining various rules and precautions along the way.

The company’s dormitory wasn’t located in the Third Ring but in an apartment complex in the Fourth Ring.

The apartments were divided into multiple rooms.

Some rooms were larger, accommodating two people, while others housed four or even six.

“You’ve just signed the contract, and you haven’t even set foot in the entertainment industry yet—no achievements, no track record. So, for now, you can only stay here.” Xu Dazhi stopped outside a six-person room.

It seemed there were already people inside. As Jiang Su approached, she heard their conversation.

“I heard Young Master Yan took over today…”

“Is he handsome?”

“Who cares if he’s handsome…” someone sighed. “I heard the company was supposed to be handed over to President Yan. President Yan is a young, capable businessman. If he had taken over, our company’s scale and benefits might have improved. But now, they handed it to this Young Master Yan, who was only recently found again… I heard he was working at a construction site in some small town before this. Even if he wears the mask of a rich heir now, that doesn’t make him a real one.”

“It doesn’t matter. He’s still part of the Yan family. No matter what, he’s still our boss. He’s got money, cars, and a house. If we can get close to him, isn’t that better than wasting our youth here?”

“He probably isn’t interested in fooling around with women. I heard he’s desperate to prove himself with this company… If we don’t perform well, he’s bound to take his frustrations out on us.”

Hearing their conversation get more ridiculous by the second, Xu Dazhi kicked open the door. “Done with training, and now you have nothing better to do? Do you know that trainees in rival companies practice until 2 AM every night? The program starts filming in a month—do you have any sense of urgency?”

Everyone in the room was startled.

They quickly shut their mouths, stood up in a hurry, and murmured, “Got it… We won’t dare next time.”

Soon, their gazes all landed on Jiang Su.

Xu Dazhi suppressed his irritation and said, “Tong Rui is gone.”

Before the girls could celebrate, he immediately followed up, “She’s here to take Tong Rui’s place. You all should help her out…”

Their expressions changed instantly as they looked at Jiang Su with newfound complexity.

Jiang Su, however, didn’t pay them any mind.

She was still thinking… So that Yan guy is desperate to achieve results, huh?

If I can help him make money, will he be willing to give me a bigger cut?

I don’t ask for much.

He’s four and I’m six—sounds fair!

Yan Yucheng casually slung his suit jacket over one shoulder and walked toward his black BMW. Out of nowhere, he sneezed.

Yan Yucheng frowned.

Looks like today’s bad luck. Not a good day to go home!

…

After Xu Dazhi left Jiang Su behind, the other girls silently sized her up, countless thoughts flashing through their minds.

The atmosphere became tense and strange until someone finally spoke up. “It’s you, Jiang Su. Do you remember me?”

Jiang Su was too beautiful. Back in high school, she had been the school’s campus belle.

One time, this girl had even seen Jiang Su getting into a luxury car.

What’s this? Now she’s fallen so low that she has to live here and still dreams of making her debut?

Jiang Su heard the voice and lazily lifted her gaze. “Oh, I don’t remember.”

The girl’s expression stiffened.

“I know you too!” someone else chimed in. “Weren’t you on the headlines with Zhao Qiuying yesterday?!”

The moment those words were spoken, the way everyone looked at Jiang Su changed completely.

“Damn! You’re amazing…”