Chapter 90.1: Endorsement Contract Signing
“There are fewer residents on that side, so I really haven’t seen him before…” Before the sentence was finished, the security guard suddenly realized something.
“Look at my brain! I almost forgot what the captain told us.”
On the day they started the job, the captain had mentioned that although all the houses in Area A—considered the best-located and most expensive part of the neighborhood—had already been sold, the occupancy rate was low.
Many of the homeowners there only considered the property as part of their investment portfolio. Some of them only stayed a handful of times a year, and it was common for people to go years without visiting even once. Some even forgot they owned a property there.
That teenager who just went in probably came from one of those households.
…
As he neared the entrance to the residential area, Shen Xiu noticed the security guard’s gaze and got so nervous his palms began to sweat.
It wasn’t guilt—he believed the system wouldn’t lie to him. If it said there was a house here, then there probably was.
He didn’t know how security guards behaved elsewhere, but Shen Xiu knew that the ones at his school were all extremely extroverted. Every time he returned from a part-time job at night, they’d chat him up for ages. The sheer density of their conversations was on par with Xiang Yueting, and it always left his brain so fried he could only respond with dumb little “mm” sounds. It was embarrassing.
Shen Xiu was afraid the guards here might be the same—stranger extroverts—ones he didn’t even know personally.
Before he could guess what a stranger might say, Shen Xiu couldn’t mentally prepare a response. If they suddenly hit him with a question that left his brain short-circuited, the combination of nervousness and awkwardness would make him stammer himself to death from embarrassment.
Just imagining that terrifying scenario made Shen Xiu’s scalp go numb.
Fortunately, the guard was kind. He seemed to notice Shen Xiu’s awkwardness and let him off the hook.
As soon as the gate opened, Shen Xiu quickly stepped into the community and, following the system’s instructions, walked at a near-sprint.
…
“Good thing he wasn’t anyone suspicious. Honestly, with that height and presence, I felt a little intimidated just thinking about talking to him.” The security guard, who had originally planned to head out, closed the door to the guard booth and sat back down, chatting with a coworker while enjoying the breeze from the fan.
Thanks to the advanced access control system, working security here was pretty easy. As long as no strangers showed up, they spent most of their time in the booth chatting and cooling off.
His coworker chimed in, “Maybe he’s some kind of celebrity? He had his face covered so tightly.”
“Huh… now that you mention it, I remember. There was a celebrity who used to come to Area A pretty often earlier this year. Lately, not so much. But I have no idea what his name is. He always had his face covered, never used our registration desk, and just had someone escort him in with an access card.”
“I find that odd. If he’s a family member of a homeowner, why not just get identity recognition added to the system? Every time, he uses an outdated access card and needs an assistant to let him in. Isn’t that a hassle?”
“Now that you mention it, yeah, haven’t seen him in a long time. But that guy’s height and vibe are definitely different from the one who just went in.”
…
This building had a one-unit-per-floor setup. No need to swipe a card—facial recognition in the elevator ensured residents were sent to the correct floor.
Ding…
The elevator arrived. Shen Xiu stepped out just as the familiar electronic voice chimed behind him:
“Iris scan unlocked. Welcome home, Master.”
“……”
Shen Xiu was beyond relieved he hadn’t still been in the elevator—otherwise, he might have scratched a hole in the floor out of sheer embarrassment.
No matter how many times he heard it, Shen Xiu found the system’s special taste utterly mortifying.
Dragging his awkward, emotionally numb self into the apartment, the black wood-textured door automatically closed behind him.
As soon as Shen Xiu stepped inside, he was greeted by a wave of cool air. Everything he saw around him gave off a cold, lifeless feeling—nothing like the warmth and liveliness of Xiang Yueting or Shang Yu’s homes.
The system was right: just one look and it was obvious that no one had ever lived here.
After standing there for a few seconds, Shen Xiu opened the shoe cabinet to the side. Inside were only a few pairs of disposable slippers—nothing else.
He took out a pair, changed into them, and dragged his suitcase into the apartment.
“Which room am I staying in?” Shen Xiu asked the system, who was technically the “owner.”
[Of course the master bedroom!]
Then the system added: [After all, I’m just a system. Sure, I have the house, but I can’t actually live in it. You’ve paid rent, I made some money, and I’m happy—so naturally, you get the master bedroom.]
Once Shen Xiu confirmed the system didn’t mind, he pulled his suitcase along and headed to the master bedroom under the system’s direction.
He opened the door to the master bedroom. The interior design matched the rest of the apartment: a cold, gray tone.
Thinking that no one had stayed here in a long time, Shen Xiu ran his hand over the cabinet and the floor—only to find there wasn’t a speck of dust.
Just as the system was scrambling to come up with a believable excuse, Shen Xiu’s voice cut in.
“System, thank you.”
From the huge thing like bringing him back from the dead, to the small detail of having the room cleaned for him—this system was amazing. So what if it was obsessed with making money? How could he not be willing to support that?
“Don’t worry,” Shen Xiu said earnestly. “I’ll work hard to earn money. I definitely won’t fall behind on rent!”
System: [……]
He’s even learned how to self-br*inwash now. Saves it the trouble of spinning more lies and stacking on more imaginary sins!
Not daring to continue that thread, the system quickly changed the subject to distract him:
[Ahem, anyway, don’t forget—you have a livestream at 8 tonight.]
“Mm.” Shen Xiu nodded.
Shen Xiu wasn’t hungry yet. After unpacking and putting away all the clothes from his suitcase, he picked up his phone and notebook and walked to the living room.
The living room had only a black sofa and a gray coffee table. Shen Xiu spread his notebook out on the table, uncapped his pen, and tried to turn on his phone screen—only to realize it had somehow shut off without him noticing.
He set the pen down, went back to the master bedroom to retrieve his charger, and plugged in his phone.
Once it started charging, Shen Xiu powered it on and opened the screenshots of the comments from last night, carefully writing each one into his notebook.
Even though Shen Xiu believed he had an excellent memory, he didn’t want to risk missing anything. Just in case, it was safer to write it all down by hand.
—
VG Headquarters.
“Director, did you see the message I sent you?”
Kaiser’s assistant had seen the online gossip leaks about the summer endorsement series. After sending emails and messages without getting any response, they had no choice but to call.
“Hm?” Hearing the assistant’s voice, Kaiser groggily got up from bed, looking confused. “Hold on, let me check.”
A few minutes later, Kaiser called back.
“Send the previously prepared contract to Shen Xiu. Discuss the endorsement signing with him. Once the online contract is signed, invite him to make the announcement about becoming the brand ambassador together.”
He had originally planned to keep it under wraps until the last moment, but since the news was already out, making the announcement now seemed like a good opportunity.
“Understood.”
—
Bzz bzz bzz…
Just as Shen Xiu finished copying the comments, his phone, lying on the table, started vibrating.
He picked it up and saw an unfamiliar number calling.
Thinking it might be someone from the production team, Shen Xiu answered, “Hello, who is this?”
“Hello, Shen Xiu. I’m Kaiser’s assistant and also the assistant to VG’s current director. You can just call me Assistant Wen.”
Kaiser? Shen Xiu immediately thought of that unfamiliar man he had briefly met at his teacher’s house.
“Hello, Assistant Wen.”
Talking over the phone, without having to face someone in person, made Shen Xiu feel much more at ease.
Hearing Shen Xiu’s cool, emotionless tone, Assistant Wen continued.
“It’s like this—our Director, Mr. Kaiser, is currently abroad. I’m calling on his behalf to discuss the endorsement contract with you. The online contract has already been sent to your email. Since this is your first endorsement, the endorsement fee will be…”
Assistant Wen then quoted the fee.
“Of course, per Director Kaiser’s instructions, once you’ve proven your high commercial value to VG’s executives, the endorsement renewal will—”
The moment Shen Xiu heard the fee amount, his pupils practically shook in disbelief. His brain instantly kicked into overdrive, silently counting: ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, hundred thousands, a million…
He was so stunned that he forgot to respond entirely, too shocked to even hear the rest of Assistant Wen’s sentence.
Assistant Wen paused for three seconds after stating the amount. Still no response.
His heart sank.
‘So it’s too low, huh…’
Even though Shen Xiu had just debuted from a talent show and was a total newcomer in the entertainment industry, based on what Kaiser had said, Shen Xiu’s family wasn’t hurting for money. It made sense if he wasn’t impressed by the endorsement fee.
His silence now seemed to confirm it all.
Shen Xiu: “!!!”
VG?
What kind of company was this? That endorsement fee?? Was this real?!
Shen Xiu felt like he was slipping into a daze, overcome with the absurd sensation of: ‘Who am I, where am I, have I gone crazy—or has the other side?’
A pie falling out of the sky usually meant trouble. Shen Xiu didn’t believe in windfalls—except for those handed to him by the system, a non-carbon-based entity far above the rules of this world. Any other “free lunch” was deeply suspicious.
Just to be safe—and to keep himself from falling for a scam—Shen Xiu placed a hand on his rapidly pounding heart and cautiously said:
“Please hold on a moment.”
Just as Assistant Wen was about to open his mouth and persuade Shen Xiu, he heard Shen Xiu’s calm and emotionless voice come through the phone. He had more he wanted to say to convince him, but remembered what the director had instructed—do not pressure Shen Xiu; everything should be up to him. So, all he could do was reply obediently.
“Alright, we’ll be in touch later. Goodbye.”
Shen Xiu: “Goodbye.”
As soon as the call ended, Shen Xiu didn’t waste a second. He immediately started searching for any and all information about VG on his phone.
But using the phone was inconvenient. Shen Xiu picked it up and was just about to head out to find an internet café when the system spoke up:
“There’s a computer in the study.”
Shen Xiu froze mid-step. “Thank you.”
After thanking the system, he quickly followed its instructions, went to the study, and turned on the computer.
The system slipped into the device and quietly observed Shen Xiu’s smooth, efficient actions.
Shen Xiu opened his email, then carefully compared the contract VG had sent with all the information he could find online—contact details, IP address, etc.—checking each detail one by one to confirm its authenticity.
At last, he was sure—this wasn’t a scam.
Shen Xiu shut down the computer and spoke in a solemn tone: “System…”
System: [Wh-What is it?]
The sudden seriousness in his voice made the system nervous.
“I’ve got the rent covered for a long, long time!”
System: [……]
That’s it?!
That scared the system half to death!
And also… was Shen Xiu under some huge misunderstanding about how much endorsement fees usually are in the entertainment industry?
He thought this was a sky-high offer?
This was normal!
