Chapter 34
Wei Jun got out of his car and headed to the restaurant. He wanted to deal with this as soon as possible, however, he was sure that Quan Li would accept his deal. After all, given her circumstances, she would grasp at any straw no matter what.
Wei Jun was guided to his seat where he saw a girl of about twenty-three, sitting nervously. Her dress wasn't extravagant to speak and nothing about her said that she could afford to dine in that restaurant. Given that the surrounding people were frowning about this and Wei Jun even heard one customer complaining to a waiter, he could deduce the cause of her nervousness.
"Miss Li, I presume?" Wei Jun politely said as he took the seat in front of Quan Li. As soon as he sat down, all the whispers in the restaurant stopped. Wei Jun was well known for many reasons and this was one of them. Meeting beautiful women and hiring them.
"Ye… Yes." Quan Li replied. If one thing remained as it was, then it was Quan Li's nervousness. She was already very nervous, sitting in a restaurant, obviously for the rich and rich only. And now a handsome, young, and most importantly, powerful man came and sat in front of her. What made her even more nervous were the rumors about Wei Jun.
She couldn't deny coming here because she was pressured to come by her agent, but she was on her guard and ready to say no if anything wrong was mentioned by Wei Jun.
"Very well. Shall we begin right away, or would you like to eat something first?" Wei Jun politely, but straightforwardly asked. Quan Li wasn't very experienced but even she knew that if a man wanted to impress a woman, he would always compliment her first. The lack of any sort of compliment itself was a sign.
"We… We can be- begin right away." She stuttered as she replied. Wei Jun nodded and placed the contract, the same one for all the other actors at his agency except for the ones for Song Li and Xia Lu.
"I would like to hire you. I happened to see your performance the other day and I found great potential in you. I'm sure you will become a great actress and for that, not only am I willing to support you, but I am also offering you a chance to try it. I understand that you would be cautious of this direct approach so a six-month temporary contract is what I am proposing to you. After these six months, you can decide whether you want to stay or not." Wei Jun stopped at this point and signaled a waiter.
Quan Li was skeptical and she was right to be. A person like Wei Jun didn't go to an acting university or somewhere similar but came to watch her performance in an area where his car couldn't even go. It all seemed too good to be true hence her skeptical expression.
An order was placed and while they waited, Quan Li thoroughly read the contract, without missing any point. After she was done, she couldn't help but ask, "There is no payment written here."
Wei Jun nodded as he replied while cutting into his steak, "That is because that part is negotiable. Since you wouldn't be a permanent contractor but a temporary one, I have no choice but to offer you less than other actors. However, I am willing to keep your circumstances under consideration too and we can discuss the payment part."
Quan Li nodded as it sounded logical but the cautiousness was still there. She couldn't help but consider one small thought about what would Wei Jun do to her.
"What are you willing to offer?" But Wei Jun wasn't shooting in the dark. He had done proper research so he knew that Quan Li was desperate enough for it. Of course, she wouldn't sell her dignity over money but the fact still remained that she needed it and there was no harm in considering it.
"50,000 yuan per month." Wei Jun simply replied as he finished his steak while Quan Li hadn't even begun eating hers. When she heard the price, she froze. She was paid 5,000 yuan a month if things went well for the month, if not then even less yet Wei Jun was offering ten times more temporarily.
"The rest of the conditions are written in the contract. Since you have read it, let us hear your answer. Or would you like to take some time to consider?" Wei Jun straightforwardly asked.
Quan Li composed herself as she asked, "I have just one question."
"Please ask." Wei Jun replied.
"Am I in danger from you?" Quan Li asked, as straightforwardly as she could. She wasn't leaving this to chance. If there was a danger to her, she wouldn't be going with it no matter how much Wei Jun was offering.
Wei Jun perfectly understood her worries and replied, "I would like to say that you are not but that wouldn't be enough. So how about this, there are other female actresses at the agency as well. Whenever you come, stick with them. If you have other security reasons, they can be handled as well." Wei Jun was being straightforward.
Telling her that he was a saint wasn't going to work. The best thing to do was to let her experience it herself. "Also, you may have already read it but you can break the contract from your side so if I try to do anything against you, you can simply break the contract and I would have to pay you 300,000 yuan as per the contract agreement and compensation differently."
Quan Li considered all the points laid by Wei Jun. She wasn't going to hasten it because this was an important decision. For one, this would solve all her problems but on the other side, there was a danger to her dignity.
In the end, the human nature prevailed and she decided to give this a chance. "Very well. I am willing to sign it."
Wei Jun handed her a pen without saying anything and once she signed it, he signed the contract himself. Then he pulled another one and handed it to Quan Li. It was the same one as before. A copy.
After she gave it a thorough read, it was also signed by both parties. Wei Jun kept one while the other one was handed to Quan Li. Wei Jun stood up while saying, "Be here tomorrow by nine." He handed her the card to his agency and left after paying the bill.
Wei Jun came and entered his car. After that, he drove to the slum side of the city. He didn't go to his agency but instead, came to a gambling house. This gambling house was run by some small-time gang that Wei Jun didn't really care about. After all, his real purpose was something else. The gambling house was just a front.
Wei Jun headed in only to be stopped by a buff man, "What business do you have here?"
"Fruit shopping." Wei Jun simply replied. It was a code word and the guard understood, moving aside, letting Wei Jun in. Wei Jun headed to the bar of the gambling house, ignoring the rowdy atmosphere.
"What can I help you with?" The bartender asked.
"I want a sweet and spicy, fruity drink." Once again, Wei Jun said the necessary code to which the bartender nodded and said while handing him a key, "You will find your drink in the utility closet."
Wei Jun left the bar and went to the restroom area. He entered the utility closet next to the bathroom and once he was in using the key, he saw another door in the back wall. Wei Jun opened it without the key and entered to end up in a room full of guns, carefully showcased on the walls.
A man stood behind a counter, checking a gun when he saw Wei Jun. He smiled and said, "Never seen you before."
"First time." Wei Jun kept his answer brief.
"There is a first time for everything. So, what are you looking for?" The man smiled and asked.
"Untraceable." Wei Jun simply said one word which was enough for the man to understand everything.
====
Zhao Hui was looking through some files when his phone rang. "Detective Zhao speaking."
On the other end, a policeman spoke, "Sir. I am calling you to inform you about eight missing individuals."
Zhao Hui was confused as he asked, "What do I have to do with it? It doesn't seem like a case for me."
The policeman replied, "It certainly isn't, Sir. But you told us to inform you if anything connects to Wei Jun Ruan of the Ruan family."
Now Zhao Hui was attentive as he asked, "Well, what about it?"
"Actually the eight people who went missing on the same day were game developers and before they went missing, they had all signed a contract with Wei Jun Ruan who had recently bought an arcade building." The policeman gave an overview of the report.
Zhao Hui smiled as he finally had something to keep bugging Wei Jun. Even if he had nothing to do with it, this would serve as an excuse to dig deeper into him. "Send me the full report. I will visit him tomorrow."
=====
Let me know your views through any means you can.