Chapter 10: Don't Lump Me In With This Lunatic!!!

The next day, Tang Fang and Ma Rong appeared at Cheng Cheng’s doorstep.

"Knock, knock, knock~"

Tang Fang stepped forward and knocked on the door. While waiting, she looked somewhat nervous; she couldn't grasp Cheng Cheng’s mental state and felt as if she were daringly venturing into a psychiatric ward. Ma Rong, on the other hand, kept a straight face and remained calm, as if all demons and monsters would have nowhere to hide under the iron fist of materialism.

"Who is it?" Cheng Cheng’s voice came from inside.

Tang Fang said, "It’s me, Tang Fang, along with Department Head Ma."

"Oh, it's you two," Cheng Cheng said, pulling the door open.

In the morning light, he looked like a handsome idol bathing in the sun. There was not a trace of makeup on his face, yet he exuded a sense of health and radiance. His hair was unstyled, yet it didn't look messy; instead, it appeared as if it had been meticulously groomed, with every strand highlighting his natural beauty and handsomeness.

Seeing him like this, Tang Fang felt a pang of regret. He was truly handsome! Among all the company’s artists, Cheng Cheng’s potential was arguably the best. If not for the recent scandal, he would have had at least five more years of peak popularity, perhaps creating over a billion in value for the company. It was just a pity...

"Come in."

Cheng Cheng acted with great composure. After speaking, he turned and walked inside. Tang Fang followed quickly, her eyes darting around the room, checking for suspicious black plastic bags, raw meat, severed fingers, or bloodstains. Ma Rong, meanwhile, kept a steady gaze on Cheng Cheng’s back, his eyes filled with contemplation.

He had interacted with Cheng Cheng quite a bit, but seeing him today, it felt as if he were a different person. The old Cheng Cheng was arrogant, self-important, and willful. He seemed hard to manage but was actually easy to manipulate; beneath his massive ego lay an insecure heart, full of a youth’s immaturity and naivety. But today, Cheng Cheng possessed an inscrutable air—calm, composed, and unfathomable.

Ma Rong asked, "Did you know we would come today?"

Cheng Cheng replied, "Our grievances are over, so you were bound to come eventually, weren't you?"

He sat down, picked up a pair of chopsticks with his right hand, steadied a bowl of noodles with his left, and looked up to ask, "Do you want to eat? Should I cook another bowl for you?"

Tang Fang was stunned. "Cheng Cheng, didn't you say you couldn't cook before? Besides, weren't you left-handed?"

"The past is the past; the present is the present. Why do you keep comparing the two? Why don't you compare yourself to when you were born?" Cheng Cheng scoffed disdainfully, then added, "Besides, I’m not the old Cheng Cheng anymore. I am a different Cheng Cheng."

Tang Fang wisely chose not to reply. He really had gone crazy!

Whether it was his way of speaking or his behavior, the current Cheng Cheng was vastly different from before. It made her feel a sense of dread; she feared that if she continued, it would trigger him, and she might end up being torn to pieces.

Ma Rong steadied his nerves and said, "You eat. We’ve already eaten. We came today mainly to discuss the contract termination. Please finish your meal; we don't mind waiting a while."

"Alright then."

Cheng Cheng didn't stand on ceremony. Under the watchful eyes of Tang Fang and Ma Rong, he began to eat his noodles, occasionally taking a bite of a garlic clove—a perfect pairing.

"Are you sure you don't want any?" Cheng Cheng asked again, looking up.

Ma Rong smiled and shook his head. "No, thank you. You go ahead."

"Then you’re truly missing out," Cheng Cheng said. "A bite of noodles with a bite of garlic is the best. Eating noodles without garlic is like not eating at all."

Ma Rong’s eyelid twitched, his smile becoming even more forced.

Before long, Cheng Cheng wiped his mouth and reached out his hand toward Ma Rong. "Let me see the contract."

Ma Rong looked at Tang Fang, who immediately took the printed contract from a leather envelope and handed it to Cheng Cheng. Cheng Cheng took it and flipped through the pages. These termination agreements were standard, and one only needed to look at the key points, yet Cheng Cheng read through it very carefully, as if he wouldn't let a single word escape his notice.

Time ticked by. The only sound was the rustling of pages. Ma Rong and Tang Fang said nothing, showing no complaints, waiting patiently.

It felt like a century had passed before Cheng Cheng finally looked up and said, "No problem. I can sign it."

Just as Ma Rong’s expression brightened, Cheng Cheng added a "but."

Cheng Cheng: "But—"

Ma Rong: "But what?"

Cheng Cheng spread his hands: "Give me back the accounts on all platforms, and give me back my SIM card."

Ma Rong looked at Tang Fang. Tang Fang hesitated, then shook her head. "I didn't bring them."

Cheng Cheng: "That’s not my concern. I want them. If you don't give them to me, I won't sign."

Tang Fang: "Should I go get them?"

Ma Rong’s pupils constricted: *Don't leave me alone with this lunatic!*

"Have someone deliver them here," Ma Rong said.

Half an hour later, a miserable office worker rushed over, breathless, to deliver the SIM card.

Ma Rong: "Can we sign now?"

After logging back into his social media account and resetting the password, Cheng Cheng said, "Sign."

Ma Rong seemed to have been waiting for these words for ages. He hurriedly handed over a pen and signaled for Tang Fang to pull another document from the envelope to give to Cheng Cheng.

Ma Rong said, "This is the other agreement, Cheng Cheng. You know the company's concerns. After the termination, the company hopes you will remain silent and not discuss company matters. Although what you’ve said isn't true, the company must be wary of the impact and fears being exploited by those with ulterior motives—"

"Stop!" Before Ma Rong could continue, Cheng Cheng interrupted him. "No need to say anything else. Just signing it is enough."

Five minutes later, both agreements were signed. This proved that from this moment on, Cheng Cheng would have no further connection with Xianghua Entertainment.

***

After Tang Fang and Ma Rong left, Cheng Cheng looked at the two copies of the termination agreement on the table, a dark tide swirling in his eyes.

*Finally! Finally, the contract is terminated!*

After transmigrating, Cheng Cheng had been thinking about how to break the deadlock and how to proceed on the path ahead. He quickly summarized his strategy in four words: *Destroy to build; break before establishing.*

What he broke was the management contract with Xianghua Entertainment! What he broke were the shackles of the fan-circle culture!

Many online voices claimed he had driven away his core fans, that he was ruined and had lost all commercial value. That was because they didn't understand! With the system, the last thing Cheng Cheng needed were those brain-dead fan-circle followers who spent all day calling him "brother" and obsessing over him. He didn't like them either. He was going to walk the grand, righteous path of winning people over with strength and real work!

To him, brain-dead fans were even worse than his most vicious haters. Furthermore, those fans would only restrict him—forbidding him from dating, smoking, using foul language, or acting on his own terms.

*Rubbish!*

He wanted to date, he wanted to use foul language, he wanted to do as he pleased, he wanted to smoke—well, never mind, he didn't actually smoke.

In short, Cheng Cheng would not spoil them, and from now on, he didn't need them. He wanted to live recklessly. Besides, in the colorful world of show business, why act like a monk? He was definitely going to do whatever felt good!

Of course, he would remain law-abiding and not challenge public morals; that was his bottom line. As long as he stayed above that line, he would run wild!

Now, the contract was finally terminated! The former die-hard fans had likely already been driven away by his "torture."

Next came the rebuilding! Clarifying the facts, counter-attacking, and—continuing to go crazy!