Do Not Speak Ill of My Mother!-Chapter 670 - 610: The First to Leave Zhongxing (Part 2)
He pointed at the scattered documents on the table, "These major projects we are discussing, several of them suit your plan! You could even say they are opportunities tailored just for you, opportunities so many people dream of! Yet, you tell me you want to terminate the contract? Why?"
His voice suddenly heightened, carrying a trace of regret.
"Because... because..." Xu Mengjie’s tears flowed more fiercely, her voice shattered beyond repair, "I... I have to leave... here..."
"You have to? Leave?" Zhou Jue sneered, the sound crystal clear and cold in the silent office, "For what? Love? Family? Or some people’s idle gossip?"
His gaze was as sharp as a blade, seeming to penetrate her skin, seeing the struggle within her and the shadow left by Xi Hongxia. "Xiao Xu, when you stepped into this circle and signed an A-level contract, you should have understood what that meant! This industry doesn’t tolerate innocence and a love-struck mind! President Yue sees your talent, your potential! She is willing to shield and pave the way for you, not for you to abandon everything and run away over mere trifles of affection and family!"
He took a deep breath, trying to suppress the surging anger, his tone turning to deeper exhortation, with a hint of sternness: 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚
"If you leave now, you are snuffing out the very fire you just ignited! Do you think once you leave Xingyue, leave President Yue’s shelter, you will have anything in this circle? Your talent? Talent needs a platform and resources to magnify and fulfill it! Without Xingyue operating behind the scenes, without President Yue’s name navigating for you, how far do you think you can go with just yourself? How fast? Do you know how many people are eyeing your vacant position? Do you know what terminating the contract means? Penalties, the risk of being sidelined, industry gossip, resource breakdown... Have you considered these?"
Zhou Jue’s voice was deep and powerful, every word like cold stones striking Xu Mengjie: "There’s still time to turn back now. Everything that happened today, I can pretend I didn’t hear it. Go back, calm down, have a good night’s sleep, tomorrow, I hope to see a Xu Mengjie ready to face challenges and live up to President Yue’s expectations."
He stared at her intently, his eyes carrying a final glimmer of hope that his words might awaken this young woman, clouded by emotions.
He mentioned Yan Yueqing, the projects, the future, all the most real and tempting weights.
However, his response was met with Xu Mengjie’s even more furious tears and a kind of almost numb stubbornness.
She shook her head forcefully, despair on her face as thick as ink, as if the brilliant future Zhou Jue depicted was nothing more than a more ornate, more suffocating cage to her.
Xi Hongxia’s words, that man’s retreating gaze, had completely overturned everything in her world.
All she saw was the disillusionment of love and an urgent need to escape.
"No... President Zhou... I’m sorry... I... I must go..." She sobbed, her gaze only an empty obstinacy, "I... I can’t stay... please... let me go..."
Zhou Jue’s last bit of light in his eyes completely extinguished. He looked at the stubborn girl before him, swallowed entirely by despair and stubbornness, reason and coldness again taking absolute dominance.
He knew that any further persuasion was futile.
This protégé once favored by both him and Yan Yueqing had chosen self-exile by her own hand.
He was silent for a few seconds, the office left only with Xu Mengjie’s suppressed sobs, like a background lament.
Then, Zhou Jue spoke calmly, devoid of any emotion, his voice formal like reading out a cold death sentence:
"Miss Xu Mengjie."
He no longer addressed her as "Xiao Xu," setting the most complete distance.
"According to the clear stipulations of Clause 7.3 in your A-level artist contract with Xingyue Entertainment: during the contract period, if the artist unilaterally proposes termination without legitimate reason, they must bear three times the estimated total revenue penalty for the remaining years of the contract. Additionally, per Clause 9.1, from the effective date of termination, the company reserves the right to reclaim and freeze all resources, projects, and artist-related rights allocated to you. The termination process will be strictly executed following legal procedures, and the company’s legal department will coordinate with you on follow-up matters."
He paused, his gaze swept over her tear-streaked yet still stubborn face, his voice becoming increasingly icy:
"Moreover, I must remind you. The company is not a charity, nor is it a hotel where one can come and go as they please. We value your talent, are willing to invest resources in your development, based on the expectation of your future worth. But today’s decision proves you cannot bear this expectation, and you have betrayed President Yue’s trust. Positions are always reserved for those capable of seizing opportunities, worthy of cultivation. They will not, and cannot, remain for someone who willingly relinquishes and ruins their prospects."
