646: Chapter 33 Get Out of Here

Her hair was a mess, her eyes were sunken, and her face was full of exhaustion.

"Sister Zhang? Is something the matter?"

Her gaze moved past Zhang Guifen and landed on the extraordinary-looking Li Ye behind her, her eyes filled with wariness.

"Cuilan, this is Director Li. He has some business with your family."

Zhang Guifen stepped aside to let Li Ye forward, an enthusiastic smile on her face.

Liu Cuilan's brow furrowed even deeper.

A director?

Why would someone like that come to their home?

"Come in... and speak."

She hesitated for a moment before opening the door completely.

A damp scent mixed with the smell of cheap medicinal plasters wafted toward them.

The courtyard was small, cluttered with various odds and ends, and the lighting was dim.

Li Ye followed her inside and immediately saw a man sitting on the edge of a bed in the main room.

That should be Shitou's father, Wang Jianjun.

He looked much older than Liu Cuilan; more than half of his hair was white, and his posture was hunched.

One pant leg was empty, while the other leg stretched out unnaturally.

In his hands, he held a grinding wheel and was sharpening a pair of scissors, producing a piercing 'zi-la' sound.

Hearing footsteps, he looked up, his cloudy eyes filled with scrutiny and hostility.

"Something the matter?"

His voice sounded like the friction of rusted iron tools.

The little boy from earlier, 'Shitou', was hunched over a dilapidated small table doing homework. Seeing Li Ye enter, he was so scared that he buried his head even lower.

"Jianjun, Cuilan, let me introduce you."

Zhang Guifen cleared her throat like a diplomat.

"This is Li Ye, President Li. He's also a big director! The one who filmed... that 'Forever Young'!"

That was the only movie she knew.

Wang Jianjun and his wife had no reaction.

They didn't watch movies, nor did they know anything about 'Forever Young'.

They only knew that the man before them, wearing a clean suit and driving a luxury car, was from a different world than theirs.

When such a person came to the door, it was either with ill intent or to swindle them.

"Our family isn't buying insurance, and we aren't getting credit cards."

Wang Jianjun spoke coldly, lowering his head to continue sharpening his scissors.

"Jianjun, how can you talk like that!" Zhang Guifen was getting a bit anxious.

Li Ye didn't mind. He took a step forward and spoke very calmly.

"Big Brother Wang, Sister-in-law Liu, I came today because I want to talk to you about your son, Shitou."

The moment he heard the word 'son', the movement of Wang Jianjun's hands stopped.

Liu Cuilan also nervously gripped the hem of her clothes.

"What happened to our Shitou? Did he cause trouble outside?"

This was their most direct reaction.

"No," Li Ye shook his head. "He is very good."

"I saw him at the entrance of the alley today and thought he was very spirited. He fits a role in one of my new movies perfectly."

The room instantly fell silent.

The piercing grinding sound disappeared.

Wang Jianjun slowly raised his head, his cloudy eyes staring fixedly at Li Ye as if looking at a madman.

Liu Cuilan opened her mouth, but not a single word came out.

Even Zhang Guifen, though she had heard it once already, still felt her heart racing at this moment.

Shitou, who was hunched over the table doing homework, also quietly raised his head, his large dark eyes filled with confusion and curiosity.

"What did you say?"

Wang Jianjun's voice was terrifyingly hoarse.

"I would like to invite student Wang Zishi to act in my movie."

Li Ye spoke Shitou's formal name.

"The salary is two hundred thousand after taxes."

Boom!

The figure 'two hundred thousand' was like a thunderclap, exploding violently in this dilapidated little room of less than ten square meters.

The scissors in Wang Jianjun's hand fell to the floor with a clang.

Liu Cuilan's body swayed. If she hadn't held onto the table, she would have almost collapsed to the ground.

Her lips trembled, and tears surged out without any warning.

Two hundred thousand!

She and her husband had never seen so much money in their lives!

She worked two jobs a day, washing thousands of dishes, and only earned three thousand yuan a month working herself to the bone.

Two hundred thousand—she would have to work for over five years without eating or drinking!

Wang Jianjun's reaction, however, was completely different from his wife's.

He suddenly pushed himself up from the edge of the bed. Because the movement was too violent, a sharp pain shot through his injured leg, causing cold sweat to instantly break out on his forehead.

But he didn't care about that.

He pointed at Li Ye's nose and roared out in anger.

"Are you fucking playing us for fools?!"

"Scammer! Get out! You aren't welcome in our home! Get out!"

His emotions were agitated to the extreme. The resentment and low self-esteem accumulated over years of poverty and disability erupted completely at this moment.

He didn't believe in pie falling from the sky.

He only believed that behind all unprovoked kindness lay a massive trap.

Liu Cuilan was startled by her husband's roar, and her sobbing was stifled back.

Zhang Guifen also got anxious and hurriedly stepped forward to explain.

"Jianjun, don't get excited! Director Li isn't a scammer! He's the president of Wendao Media! My old Ni just signed a contract with them today for five hundred thousand!"

"Five hundred thousand?" Wang Jianjun acted as if he had heard the world's biggest joke. "That old man in your family who pinches sugar figurines? He's worth five hundred thousand? Who are you trying to fool!"

"Get out! All of you, get out!"

He grabbed the crutch by the bed and was about to swing it at Li Ye.

Li Ye didn't dodge.

He just quietly looked at this man whose back had been crushed by life.

He felt no anger, only understanding.

He waited for Wang Jianjun to finish roaring before speaking at a measured pace.

"Big Brother Wang, I understand how you feel."

"The contract, work ID, company address—I can provide all of them for you to verify."

"Your neighbor, Teacher Ni Daqiang, has indeed already signed. You can go and ask him anytime."

"Tomorrow morning, I can also send a car to pick you up to see the company and consult a lawyer. There's no problem at all."

"The entire process is open and transparent."

His voice wasn't loud, yet it carried a convincing power.

Wang Jianjun's hand, which was waving the crutch, froze in mid-air.

He looked at the calm expression in Li Ye's eyes, and for some reason, that towering rage slowly subsided a little.

Li Ye pulled a business card from his suit pocket and handed it over with both hands.

"This is my business card."

"If you've thought it over, you can call this number anytime."

"I will only wait for three days."

After saying that, he nodded slightly to the couple and took another look at the child named Shitou.

Then he turned and walked out of the oppressive small courtyard.

Zhang Guifen was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly followed him out.

In the room, only the Wang couple and their son remained.

Wang Jianjun panted heavily, staring at the business card on the floor—simply designed yet of excellent quality.

Only two words were printed on it.

Li Ye.

Along with a string of phone numbers.

Liu Cuilan walked over and, with trembling hands, picked up the business card as if picking up an unattainable dream.