Chapter 53 Hatching
The future. This word means infinite possibilities to two middle school students.
It means fantasizing about a bright and beautiful future.
Song Jiarui did not have any clear plans for the future. In her vague concept, the future meant a spacious and bright house, ample money, beautiful clothes, all the delicious food, and more friends.
And all this will have to wait until she starts working and earns money.
"We are still far away from work." Bai Lianlian said that for girls of their age, even college is a distant thing.
Song Jiarui took out a business card from her pocket and showed it to Bai Lianlian.
Bai Lianlian immediately read out the words on the business card: "Hongyi Entertainment, star producer Tony." She raised her head in confusion, "Who is this?"
"It was given to me by a person I met on the road. He said I had good qualifications and invited me to interview at his company."
"Is this... a talent scout?"
Song Jiarui nodded, "He told me to go for the interview first."
" A talent scout! You actually met a talent scout." Bai Lianlian shouted excitedly, "Are you going to be a star?"
Song Jiarui's face flushed, and she said softly, "It's not confirmed yet. I have to go for an interview first."
"You're so pretty, there's no problem. My friend is going to be a star!!"
“I’m not sure yet.”
"But you are still a middle school student. If you pass the interview, can you continue to go to school normally? I heard that some trainees have to give up part of their studies."
"I don't know. I'll know after the interview." She stroked her business card. "Tony said that if I pass the interview, he can give me a role to try out first."
"Really???" Bai Lianlian's eyes lit up, "Then you are really going to debut. Congratulations!"
"If it goes well."
"What are you interviewing about? Singing? Dancing?" Bai Lianlian laughed, "If you debut as a star, you can make a lot of money!! Just like the most popular female idol Ge Mengxuan."
"Ge Mengxuan is a celebrity who came out of a talent show. I originally wanted to wait until I entered college before participating in a talent show. But now that I have the opportunity, I want to give it a try..."
"Go ahead and give it a try!!!" Bai Lianlian shouted enthusiastically, "Come on, Song Jiarui, show me a performance."
"What show?"
"Just treat me as an interviewer and perform some singing and dancing."
So Song Jiarui stood up and sang a Korean song whose lyrics she didn't know what it meant. As she sang, she recalled the dance moves of Korean singers in the MV and twisted her body. She only learned a little dance in elementary school and couldn't learn the neat moves of the female stars, so she could only do some simple twists of her hips and arms.
Bai Lianlian was very supportive, she cheered and laughed. Later in the song, Song Jiarui felt that she was just laughing at the joke. After realizing this, she pounced on Bai Lianlian and twisted her face. The two girls laughed and played together.
The two of them had enough fun and sat down to chat again.
"You see I can neither sing, dance nor act. I think this interview is going to fail."
"But you're so beautiful. You can learn to sing, dance, and act."
"The competition to become a celebrity idol is very fierce nowadays. I still feel that I have no hope." Song Jiarui's eyes were shadowed.
"I heard that one of your classmates, Wei Jingjing, has an entertainment company in her family, and her father is a big boss." Bai Lianlian said, "How is your relationship with Princess Wei?"
"generally."
"If you ask me, you should hold Princess Wei's thigh tightly." Bai Lianlian raised his finger, "Let her help you."
"Don't mention Wei Jingjing." Song Jiarui muttered.
"What's wrong?"
"She's fine." Song Jiarui thought about Wei Jingjing this month, "I always feel like she's suddenly become a different person."
"What's the meaning?"
"To put it in a metaphor, it's like a proud peacock suddenly turns into a well-behaved little lamb."
"Isn't that a good thing?"
"I think she's weird." Song Jiarui said softly, "Whether she was before or now, she and I are just ordinary classmates. We're not that familiar with each other."
"Okay." Bai Lianlian put her hand on her best friend's shoulder, "No matter what, I wish you good luck with your interview."
"Thank you."
When Song Jiarui got home, there was still no one at home. She opened her phone and saw a message. Her father said he would not be home tonight because of a meeting. There was a note on the table saying that her mother had something to do in the evening and there was a lunch box in the refrigerator, asking her to take it out and heat it up for dinner.
She pushed the note away. She had always known that her mother's so-called busy schedule was just to play mahjong.
Since her sister passed away, her parents seemed to be avoiding her, one working overtime frequently and the other playing mahjong every day, as if this could ease the pain. But even when they were at home, Song Jiarui and her parents were often silent. If they spoke, the topic was always about eating and homework.
When my sister passed away, all the joy in the family went with her.
She recalled her mother's eyes that day. She thought her mother hated her. She had always loved her sister more. Her father's guilty eyes after her mother's careless words that day also made her feel annoyed.
Now they don't seem to be a family. She sometimes feels like a tenant and her parents only take care of her out of responsibility.
I wish it was me who died instead of my sister.
Her head began to throb again. It was hard to describe the pain, it wasn't in a specific part of her body. It was like a chaotic noise, with disturbing colors, burning in her brain.
She closed her eyes, and a pale shadow looked down at her. Song Jiarui was not afraid. She thought that maybe it was her deceased sister.
Her dead sister was watching her.
I want to leave home. That way my parents can go back to the old days. She said to the pale shadow. If the interview is successful and I become an artist, can I really leave this home?
She thought about what she would be like once she became successful, she would be on TV and become a star, she would be the focus of the school, she would make a lot of money, she would take good care of herself, and she would be able to give a large sum of money to her parents so that they could start a new life.
The pain in my head gradually faded away.
If only I could leave this house.
On the weekend, Song Jiarui got up early and took out her best skirt. This was bought for her by her aunt last year. It was a little tight for her now, but it didn't matter.
As expected, Mom and Dad were not at home early in the morning. She had long been accustomed to it.
She knew nothing about makeup, and stared at her mother's skin care and makeup bottles for a while. In the end, she just picked out the foundation and applied a layer on her face, and then took out the lipstick and applied it.
The girl in the mirror was too pale. Song Jiarui patted her face in front of the mirror. Come on, Song Jiarui, she said to herself.
Bai Lianlian originally wanted to accompany her to the interview, but she suddenly had something urgent to do and didn't come.
She didn't tell her parents a word about receiving the scout's invitation for an interview.
I can be alone, Song Jiarui thought. I don't need parents, I can be alone.
She picked up the business card and walked out of the house.
The Hongyi Entertainment listed on the business card is located in a residential building behind a winding street.
This was completely different from the bright and imposing office building that Song Jiarui had imagined. She took the elevator and found the sign of Hongyi Entertainment in the dim corridor on the 12th floor.
Song Jiarui took a breath and walked in. She said, "I'm here for an interview. Tony asked me to come."
The receptionist was a heavily made-up girl who looked up at her and turned back to shout, “Tony!!!”
Tony was a man in his thirties with fashionable brown hair and earrings. He led Song Jiarui into a small reception room . In the small room next to the corridor, Song Jiarui saw several girls, all of whom were mature and beautiful. Song Jiarui looked at them curiously, trying to find the stars she knew among them, but she didn't.
"You don't look very old." Tony said after sitting down, "but you look really good."
"I'm 17 years old." Song Jiarui subconsciously lied about her age, but she soon regretted it. If she wanted to be signed after passing the interview, the real information could not be falsified.
"That's good. It's better to be younger." Tony smiled, "Nowadays, celebrities want to debut as early as possible."
"Your name is Song Jiarui, right? Do you want to sign a contract with our company?"
"Huh?" So simple ? Song Jiarui replied blankly: "I want to understand it first."
"This is a rare opportunity." Tony took out a booklet and said, "Look, these people are all candidates who want to be artists in our company. They are all waiting in line for the company to notify them. I saw that you have such good looks, so I told the boss and he signed you directly."
"I……"
"There's nothing to hesitate about. Once you sign the contract, you will be arranged to shoot commercials first. The pay for one commercial is 30,000. In addition, there are opportunities to shoot music videos and participate in TV dramas. Look at this artist." A color photo was pushed in front of her. "She has only been signed with us for three months, and she has already joined the crew to shoot a drama. The pay alone is 70,000 to 80,000."
Song Jiarui stared at the color photo. She wanted to figure out who the beautiful woman was, but Tony put the photo away before she could see clearly.
"After signing the contract, the company will arrange training for you in body shape, vocal music, dance and acting. Our teachers are all top teachers from regular colleges and will definitely make you an all-round artist." Tony took out the contract. "This is a rare opportunity."
Song Jiarui said hesitantly: "I still have to go to school."
"Don't worry. The company will make reasonable arrangements for you. Think about it. If you sign a contract, you can earn tens of thousands of yuan for shooting a commercial. You are so beautiful, it is obvious that you will become famous. How much money can you make as a white-collar worker after graduating from college? Even if you are not famous, just shooting a movie can equal the annual income of an ordinary white-collar worker. The opportunities in our company are something that many young people would beg for."
Tens of thousands of yuan income. Just shooting an advertisement can bring in tens of thousands of yuan. This is undoubtedly an astronomical figure for Song Jiarui, who only has 150 yuan of pocket money every month. Her mind began to fluctuate. Becoming a star, financially independent, and away from her parents, isn't this what she has always longed for?
Will her parents be happier when she becomes famous?
Tony spoke in a friendly manner again. In his words, her future was bright and countless opportunities beckoned to her. As long as she signed the contract, she would be the next Ge Mengxuan, an undisputed popular idol.
She was dazzled by the flashy future, and in a daze, she had already signed her name on the contract.
The moment Tony took the contract, Song Jiarui saw a subtle smile spread across the man's face.
"Then come over now and take some photos."
"Photo?"
"Yes, we will recommend the artist's photo albums to various producers and directors. Unknown artists rely on this before they become famous. Your photo album before the audition is the most important opportunity."
Song Jiarui nodded and followed Tony to another room. The room was dark and there was a man standing there. Tony said he was a photographer.
It was a fat man with small eyes. When Song Jiarui came in, he looked her up and down, from her face to her legs, and then to her chest. Song Jiarui subconsciously took a step back.
"This one looks so small today."
"I'm 18, I'm an adult." Tony said. Song Jiarui was surprised that he added another year to his fake age. Fortunately, she was tall and well-developed, so adding a few years would not arouse suspicion.
The fat man narrowed his eyes at her breasts, "Your face is nice, and your breasts should be good enough."
Song Jiarui suddenly felt embarrassed and annoyed. What was wrong with these adults? How could they say such things as if it was natural?
"Of course, this is the little beauty I've chosen." Tony said to Song Jiarui with a smile, "Today's photo shoot should be a bit private, showing some flesh and showing your figure."
"ah??"
"It's good for you to take this kind of photo. It's so the director and producer can see you for the first time."
"You mean the kind of revealing photos?" Song Jiarui said in surprise, "No, no."
"Don't be shy. If you want to be an artist, you must take photos of this nature." Tony said confidently, "This is normal."
Song Jiarui said anxiously: "No, no, no, I'm just a student, how can I take such photos!!"
Tony sighed: "Ms. Song, let me remind you that you have already signed the company's contract, which clearly states that you have the obligation to cooperate with the company's business photo shoot."
"I, I didn't see clearly!! No, I can't take this kind of photo!!"
"You've already signed the contract, and this is work that must be done." Tony changed his friendly attitude and spoke a little harder. "It's also clearly stated in the contract that if you don't do the work required by the company, the company has the right to claim compensation from you. Do you plan to ask your parents to pay you hundreds of thousands of dollars?"
"I really don't know, I'm just a student." She pleaded and looked at the man in front of her. But all the kindness and smile had disappeared from his face. The cold swept through her body, her legs and feet were weak, and her heart was beating like a drum. Leave here, leave here immediately, and escape from this company quickly, her brain was screaming.
"Sorry, you have to shoot today." Tony said firmly, and he turned and left. Bang! The door was closed, and Song Jiarui heard the sound of the door being locked.
No and no.
Only Song Jiarui and the fat man were left in the room. The fat man looked at her with obscene eyes.
She took a step back.
No.
My head started to throb again.
A fierce pain started from the back of her head, with a burning sensation, and soon spread to her spine.
The fat man approached her and his fat hand grasped her arm.
No.
Do not touch me.
I just want to get out of the house.
No.
I just want my parents to stop being sad.
I just want my parents to stop being sad.
I just want to see their smiling faces again.
In a trance, she saw the pale shadow again, and she finally saw it clearly. It was definitely not her sister, but a strange, pale monster that opened its mouth full of sharp teeth at her.
Click.
Song Jiarui's breathing stopped.
