Global Film Emperor

Chapter 36 Signing a Contract
Director Wang's film didn't actually take that long; it was already finished the day after the phone call came in.

Four days, two thousand yuan—that's considered high-income for Lu Ze. He withdrew a portion of the money. He basically doesn't use mobile payment; it's more practical to keep money in your pocket. Money paid online is too cheap and doesn't last long.

This time he's really going to be on TV! A role with lines and a storyline! Lu Ze was in a very good mood the whole way, and the smile on his face never disappeared.

After getting off the train and transferring to the subway, he arrived at the basement of Tiancheng Entertainment's office building again. Instead of going in right away, he followed the navigation to a law firm whose address was also located in "Xiyuan Financial Building".

Standing in front of the firm, Lu Ze didn't go in first. Instead, he looked around inside and out. The firm was fairly large, and there were quite a few people inside, so he decided to go with it.

As he pushed open the door and walked in, the receptionist smiled and nodded at Lu Ze: "Hello, how can I help you?"

"Hello, I need to sign a business contract today, and I'd like to have a lawyer come with me to discuss the contract."

"Okay, sir, may I ask your surname? Please come with me, would you like something to drink?"

"My surname is Lu. I'm fine with anything I drink, I'm not picky. I'm just a little pressed for time, so I'd appreciate it if you could hurry up."

Upon entering a small meeting room, a staff member poured him a glass of warm lemon water. Lu Ze took a sip; it was sour and clearly not water infused with a single lemon for a year. The taste was quite good.

After waiting for about three minutes, a man in his thirties, wearing black-rimmed glasses, knocked on the door and came in.

"Hello Mr. Lu, I am a business lawyer from this firm. My surname is Yuan and my given name is Yuan Yi. It's a pleasure to meet you."

The two shook hands, and Yuan Yi began to ask Lu Ze what kind of business contract he wanted to sign.

"Here's the thing, I'm an actor, and I'm here today to sign a contract with Tiancheng Entertainment in the building next door. I don't have many requirements, I just want to understand the specific responsibilities and obligations I should bear in the contract. You don't need to handle the remuneration; I can negotiate that with the company."

"No problem, Mr. Lu. Our agency often accepts actor contracts like yours. Our fees are charged by the hour, and it's 400 yuan per hour for outings. Is that acceptable to you?"

"Okay, shall I pay first?"

"You need to pay a deposit of 400 yuan at the finance office. Please come with me."

After entering and paying, Yuan Yi waited at the door and let Lu Ze pay the bill himself. After paying four hundred yuan, Lu Ze took the receipt and went to Tiancheng Entertainment with Yuan Yi.

Lu Ze walked to the front desk. The receptionist was as beautiful as ever. He told her that he was Lu Ze, who had come to sign a contract, and was then led to a small meeting room.

A woman in business attire placed two contracts on the table and then shook hands with Lu Ze and Attorney Yuan.

"Director Guo isn't here today, so I'll be in charge of discussing the specifics of the contract with you. If there are any changes that need to be made, please let me know, and I'll pass it on to Director Guo. Please take a look at the contract."

Two copies were made, one of which was quite a thick stack. Lu Ze handed it to Attorney Yuan, who then began to read it. He looked at the first clause, read it silently, explained the specific meaning to Lu Ze, and waited for Lu Ze's nod of agreement.

When it came to the payment, it was 200,000 yuan before tax. Attorney Yuan even thoughtfully took out a piece of paper to calculate the tax rate. After the calculation, the net amount should be a little over 170,000 yuan, less than 175,000 yuan.

After considering it for a moment, Lu Ze decided to agree to the request. The other requests were not unreasonable, and there was nothing in the contract that could be changed.

Finally, Lu Ze picked up a pen and signed his name on both contracts. The staff also stamped the official seal on them. The previous signatures of Party A and Party B, as well as those of the producer and Guo Mingde, were now complete.

The contract officially took effect, and the staff shook hands with Lu Ze and Attorney Yuan again, revealing professional smiles.

"Mr. Lu, Director Guo has informed you that you need to go to Hengdian after November 15th to report to the film crew. You are free to arrange your time before then. I look forward to working with you."

"Okay, thank you. It's a pleasure doing business with you." After putting the contract in the black file folder, Lu Ze and Attorney Yuan walked out of Tiancheng Entertainment's door, taking less than three hours in total.

Lu Ze felt a pang of regret that 1,200 yuan had been spent in such a short time. After swiping his card to pay the firm's fees, he immediately deleted the bank's transaction information.

As he walked out of the firm, Lu Ze held the contract in both hands, looked at it for a while, let out a long sigh, and hugged the contract to his chest. From today onwards, his life would be different, and he firmly believed that!

What should you do after taking a big step in your life? You must reward yourself.

Since he couldn't afford expensive food, he had to try all the street food in Shanghai. Crab shell pastries, pan-fried buns, and glutinous rice balls were some of the snacks he ate along the way. Although he didn't know how they differed from those famous restaurants, he was happy as long as he enjoyed the food.

Next, he looked at one of his ideal universities, the Shanghai Film Academy. Of course, this ideal university only became his ideal university after Lu Ze developed a love for acting.

Lu Ze's dream was to become an astronaut; as a child, he always wondered how to go to space.
Although the actions of students from this academy in Hengdian had given Lu Ze a slightly negative impression, it did not change his longing for art schools.

There are many luxury cars outside the school, Lu Ze knows this, and everyone knows this too. However, once inside the campus, the atmosphere has changed significantly. The greenery is excellent, and college students ride bicycles or take walks, which calms people down.

Lu Ze also toured the artificial lake, the teaching building, and the grove of trees that students love most, and saw many students practicing their basic skills.

Lu Ze genuinely likes this environment, regardless of the good-looking students on campus—well, actually, that's partly true.

Sitting by the artificial lake, I picked up a pebble and threw it at an angle. It skipped across the water four times before falling back into the water.

He sat there for a long time because he was thinking about certain things and some imaginary people. To be honest, this feeling was not good, but it was hard to control when he was here.

After sitting for an hour and twelve minutes, he chose to leave, departing from the academy he had long admired, only touching the four characters "Shanghai Film Academy" at the main gate.

I went to the mall and bought a high-end phone from a domestic brand because my old phone was really due for replacement after four years. The battery was completely ruined; it would automatically shut down after about two hours of standby time. Plus, it was covered in scratches from being dropped, so it was basically dead.

He absolutely loved the phone that cost over four thousand yuan. After all, people always need time to adjust to a new wallpaper, and it takes time to get used to it.

Thus ended Lu Ze's day trip to Shanghai. He bought a return bus ticket with a bed, which was quite comfortable to lie on. No one was talking on the bus. Looking around, the bus was full of people lying down, like a busload of dead people.

Four hours later, he arrived in Hengdian, took the contract, and got out of the car.

It was already dark, so Lu Ze casually found a small restaurant, ate some food, and drank two bottles of beer. At this time, Lu Nan sent a message, which was just some nonsense and could be basically ignored.

However, the next sentence made Lu Ze pause for a moment.

"Happy birthday, brother!"

It turns out today is his birthday. He's turning twenty-five today, but he'd been so busy he'd completely forgotten.

But at least I celebrated my birthday today, and at least I got to travel around Shanghai.

It's not a big deal whether it's a birthday or not. Apart from his sister remembering, even he himself can forget it. He's basically never celebrated his birthday before.

Moreover, Lu Ze lay on the kang (a heated brick bed) and glanced at the black file bag.

This must be the best birthday gift he has ever received in his life.

(End of this chapter)