He Jinxia arrived on the second floor and pushed open the door to the conference room.
Sitting at the central prominent position was a woman wearing gold-rimmed glasses, who appeared quite shrewd and capable.
To her right was a middle-aged man, with slightly graying temples, who was frowning with a troubled expression on his face.
He Jinxia's eyes flickered slightly as she recognized the middle-aged man at a glance; in fact, when she received notice a few days ago about changing her agent, she had made a special effort to investigate the information about her new agent.
Through the career of this agent, eight words could describe it—unlucky in acquaintances, unfortunate in timing.
"Let's not beat around the bush. This is Luo You, who will be taking over and becoming your agent," said the woman, pushing her glasses up on the bridge of her nose and looking down at the contract with an efficient tone. "He Jinxia, do you have any objections?"
He Jinxia heard her own voice, echoing crystal clear throughout the conference room, "I have no objections."
The woman nodded, handed the contract to Luo You, who without much glance, flipped to the last page and signed his name immediately.
After all the procedures were completed, the woman stood up. Only then did she look up at He Jinxia for the first time, seeing her with her head down, lost in thought.
A flicker of disdain crossed her eyes, still the same as before, unable to support herself!
The woman curled her lips in indifference, perfunctorily following the process with a statement, "I wish you a future as splendid as brocade."
Unexpectedly, He Jinxia suddenly raised her head, her dark and distinct eyes looking straight at the woman, a subtle glow flickering within them.
She slightly bent her body, her hands clasped at her waist, performing a very standard curtsy, "Thank you."
The woman paused briefly, looking deeply at He Jinxia, and with a light snort, turned and left.
Luo You, with his eyebrows tightly knitted, also stood up to walk towards the door, pondering on finding some trainees with potential in bustling places.
Just then, He Jinxia's voice, light and distant, made him halt in his tracks,
"If I were you, with only half a year left in the evaluation period, I would seize all the resources at hand to create a second-tier star, to secure my place in the company, rather than thinking about finding newcomers right now."
Luo You turned around, his face cleared from the previous troubles, his eyes sharp as an X-ray scanning He Jinxia from top to bottom.
He Jinxia stood gracefully, allowing him to assess her, and continued, "Luo You, I am a second-tier star."
Luo You corrected, "You were a member of a second-tier girl group."
He Jinxia slightly tilted her head with a sense of dignified coyness, "But the popularity is still of a second-tier star, isn't it?"
Luo You: "…"
That popularity was indeed considerable; after all, she was the only member of a girl group in the entertainment circle who managed to maintain her stardom despite being overweight—she naturally attracted attention. The number of her haters was also exceedingly high.
He Jinxia stated once more, "I am a second-tier star, and if you want to continue staying in the company, you have to rely on me."
As one of the top entertainment companies in Hua Country, Tonghua Entertainment Company's system for both artists and agents was well-established, following the ruthless rule of survival of the fittest—the company did not support the incompetent.
There was a major evaluation every five years, and those who did not meet the company's standards would be ruthlessly dismissed.
Luo You had been with the company for five years, and this year was his last, being in the evaluation period.
If he could not use his abilities to boost a second-tier star, he would be fired, and just his luck, the second-tier star he had just managed to promote switched to another agent last month.
So now he had no second-tier stars under his management.
Even more pitiful was that he had concentrated all his resources on one person before, causing several third-rate stars under his management to be very dissatisfied and to switch allegiance as well, meaning He Jinxia was the only artist left under his wing.
As Luo You thought this, he heard He Jinxia's voice again—
"Luo You, I am now a second-tier star!"
Those four emphatically pronounced words stabbed deeply into Luo You's heart, causing his thoughts to waver, and he finally started to take He Jinxia seriously, speaking firmly,
"Yes, you are still a second-tier star, but you have been eliminated from JY girl group, with no schedule or announcements, soon your popularity will drop. What do you plan to do?"
"And, how can you assure me that you're not here just to drain my resources, gaining some benefits before kicking me aside?"
He Jinxia looked at him and retorted, "Isn't maintaining my popularity exactly your job?"
Luo You was at a loss for words.
Seeing the varied expressions on his face, He Jinxia couldn't help but smile lightly, dissolving the atmosphere of standoff, which instantly melted into a gentle drizzle, as she said,
"I've researched your profile; you have great ability. I believe working together with you will be a pleasure."
Luo You was involuntarily nodding, taking that as a compliment.
"Also," He Jinxia paused, "my contract is also expiring at the end of this year, so there's no need to waste your resources on me."
Luo You frowned slightly, instantly understanding.
Considering He Jinxia's situation, it was uncertain if the company would renew her contract. If she eventually had to leave the company, whether she exploited the situation wouldn't make a difference.
On the contrary, if they worked together with united efforts, they might carve out a new path.
"Both of us are now in the same boat; if I don't rise, we both get thrown out the door. Hence, I must get back on my feet, and I have to do so."
Her eyes narrowed slightly, and her demeanor became solemn, her gaze sharp as she stared at Luo You, "Can you do it?"
Luo You, looking at He Jinxia's expression, felt that she seemed different in some way.
Perhaps, he really should give it a try?
Even though she was overweight, at least she shared a common goal with him. What was more important, He Jinxia was determined to fight to the end!
Luo You took a deep breath, his heart scarred by reality, now ignited with a fervor of passion reminiscent of the old days.
"I can do it!"