Entertainment: A whirlwind marriage with a fairy-like mother at the start!

A loud splashing sound came from the bathroom, sounding like a flood.

Ten minutes later.

The door was pushed open, and the smell of shampoo wafted out first.

Xue Zhiqian, with his wet, messy hair, finally washed away the layer of ash on his face that looked like he had just crawled out of a coal mine, revealing his originally fair and delicate features.

The T-shirt with the skull print was half-soaked and clung tightly to his skinny frame.

"Are you done washing?"

Yu Le pointed to the contract on the table and a pen next to it.

"Then sign it."

Without saying a word, Xue Zhiqian didn't even glance at the terms and conditions. He flipped to the last page and signed his name in a flamboyant manner.

The way they were doing it didn't look like they were signing an artist management contract; it looked more like they were signing a life-or-death waiver.

Yu Le's hand, holding the teacup, froze in mid-air, her eyebrows raised high.

"You...signed it?"

"Signed it!" Xue Zhiqian capped his pen, looking completely matter-of-fact, even a little anxious that Yu Le might change his mind. "Boss, shall we put your fingerprint on it? If not, I'll bite my finger and do it!"

Yu Le put down his teacup, picked up the contract, and shook it.

"Don't you even look at the penalty for breach of contract? Don't you even look at the profit-sharing ratio? What if I wrote a clause in it saying 'I'll sell you to Thailand to be a ladyboy,' would you still sign it?"

Xue Zhiqian chuckled, scratched the back of his still dripping head, and revealed a set of bright white teeth.

"Boss, your studio might be a bit run-down, but your aura screams 'big shot.' Besides, I'm worth less than five yuan on me. What are you trying to gain by lying to me? Do you think I eat a lot? Or that I don't shower?"

This logic is impeccable.

The words are heartbreaking.

Yu Le sighed, opened the drawer, took out a thick envelope, and slid it across the table.

"Take it."

Xue Zhiqian paused for a moment, then carefully picked up the envelope.

The thickness is touching.

He swallowed hard, his fingers trembling as he opened the seal.

A stack of brand-new red banknotes, exuding the enticing scent of ink, lay neatly inside.

"This...this is..."

Xue Zhiqian's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"Eight thousand," Yu Le said casually. "An advance on your first month's salary. Go get a new outfit and rent a decent place. The rest can be for living expenses."

"Eight...eight thousand?!"

Xue Zhiqian's voice suddenly rose eight octaves and cracked.

Eight thousand yuan is a huge sum of money for a poor young man who has just finished carrying bricks on a construction site to earn money for his journey. It is enough to make him dizzy on the spot.

"Boss! This...this is too much!"

The envelope in Xue Zhiqian's hand was terribly hot. He wanted to push it back, but couldn't bear to, and was caught in a deep dilemma. "I... I'm not worth this price! I just need a place to stay and food to eat..."

"Promising."

Yu Le rolled her eyes at him and leaned back in her chair.

Now that the company is making money, he is not stingy and has raised the salaries and benefits of his subordinates. Yang Nuo and Chang Shilei are already earning tens of thousands of yuan a month, not including bonuses.

"Our Salted Fish Studio may not have many people, but we never mistreat our own people."

"Too much? You can return it to me."

Upon hearing this, Xue Zhiqian immediately withdrew his hand, which had been refusing, clutched the envelope to his chest, and shook his head vigorously.

"We can never have too much! We can never have too much! The boss is so generous! Long live the boss!"

His eyes reddened.

They've really become famous.

I was scammed out of 250,000 yuan by that fake talent scout in one go.

His family scolded him for not having a proper job, and his friends all advised him to find a regular job.

He was also afraid during this trip to Beijing, afraid that it would all be for nothing again. After all, his work had been met with setbacks everywhere, and suddenly being noticed by a big shot like Yu Le felt like a dream.

As for not reading the contract, he's not really stupid.

He knew perfectly well that, given his skill level, if someone really wanted to trick him, he wouldn't be able to figure it out even after watching a hundred times.

He was taking a gamble, using his last bit of courage to pursue his musical dream one more time!

Now, Yu Le's weighty trust and generous treatment made him realize that he had made the right bet!

My musical dream might really come true!

"Boss..." Xue Zhiqian sniffed, his voice choked with emotion, "From now on, I'll live like a salted fish, and I'll die like a salted fish! If you tell me to go east, I'll never go west; if you tell me to bite a dog, I'll never chase a chicken!"

"Stop."

Yu Le felt a chill and quickly waved his hand to stop him from professing his loyalty.

"I don't keep dogs, nor do I keep thugs. What I want is a singer."

He stood up, walked up to Xue Zhiqian, and disdainfully lifted a strand of his long, still-dripping bangs.

"The most important thing right now is to change your unconventional look."

"Are you planning to keep this hair to use as a mop for Chinese New Year?"

Xue Zhiqian covered his bangs and weakly protested, "Boss, this is fashion...this is in style now..."

"Trending my ass."

Yu Le slapped him on the forehead. "Turn left when you go out, there's a barbershop. Tell Tony to cut it short, show your forehead, and make it look neat. Also, throw away that skull T-shirt and buy some plain shirts and T-shirts."

"We're going for the image of a deeply romantic, talented man, not a 'spirited young man.' Understand?"

"Understood! Understood! Will do it right away!"

Although Xue Zhiqian didn't understand what "spirited young man" meant, he immediately agreed, grabbed the envelope, and rushed out like a husky running wild.

……

Two o'clock in the afternoon.

A completely transformed Xue Zhiqian stood in the recording studio.

Her hair was cut short, revealing her full forehead and those bright, intelligent eyes.

He changed into a simple white T-shirt and jeans, looking clean, refreshed, and much more handsome.

Chang Shilei pushed up his thick-rimmed glasses and looked the newcomer up and down with a critical gaze.

"Is this the kid?"

Chang Shilei turned to look at Yu Le, his tone tinged with doubt, "He doesn't seem very bright."

Xue Zhiqian immediately stood up straight, a fawning smile on his face: "Hello, teacher! I'm Xue Zhiqian! You can call me Xiao Xue, or Qianqian!"

"Qianqian..." Chang Shilei shivered, goosebumps rising all over his body. "Alright, enough with the formalities. Go in and do the audition."

Xue Zhiqian walked into the soundproof room and put on his headphones.

Once he stands in front of the microphone, his goofy and immature personality vanishes instantly.

Instead, there is a rare focus and deep affection.

The accompaniment began.

It's the prelude to "You Are the Apple of My Eye".

Xue Zhiqian closed his eyes, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.

"Back to square one—"

"Your youthful face in my memory—"

The first sentence came out.

Chang Shilei, who was in the control room, stopped what he had been doing, his hand that was casually resting on the pusher.

He looked up in surprise at the young man on the other side of the glass.

That voice...

There's something there.

Deep and resonant, it carries a natural sense of narrative and a unique "Xue-style vibrato".

Especially the resonance in the low register, it's practically tailor-made for these kinds of sentimental love songs.

It doesn't need much embellishment; the voice itself is captivating enough.

Yu Le sat on the sofa, legs crossed, peeling an orange in his hand, a "I knew it" smile on his face.

Finished a song.

Chang Shilei took off his headphones and gave Yu Le a thumbs up.

"Boss, you have a sharp eye. This kid has potential."

Xue Zhiqian poked his head out of the soundproof booth, looking anxious: "Teacher... Boss... how did I sing? Did I embarrass our company?"

"improvise."

Yu Le popped a segment of orange into her mouth, not praising him too much, lest the kid get too cocky. "His emotions are still a bit lacking, a bit like being sad for the sake of being sad. This song is about regret, about letting go."

"Stone, you should train him a bit more. Record this song in the next few days."