12 Compromise

"What?"

Owner Huo and Secretary Lim were confused. The talks were going quite well and the recipient, Yi Fei, never looked to be disagreeing or unhappy. She was listening intently, quiet the whole time. In fact, Secretary Lim believed they were doing Yi Fei a favor. This being said, Secretary Lim would never accept Yi Fei as a trainee in Top Agency Management and only compromised because Owner Huo vouched for her. To be truthfully honest, Secretary Lim intended for Yi Fei to just fill up the numbers so it looks good on paper.

"I," Yi Fei mumbled. "I can...'t."

"Miss Yi Fei... could you please give us a reason?"

"Th." Yi Fei's throat abruptly choked on saliva. "R-reason..."

Yi Fei could feel herself heating up. She was the type of person who tried to say things in a few words because she was scared she would further embarrass herself. She knew it took her a long time to speak a few words, and her talking skills were especially sub-par. Sometimes, her voice would suddenly stop mid-sentence when she was speaking. Over time, Yi Fei reverted to this few-words style that allowed her to be most comfortable and secure.

"M-my parents..." Yi Fei blurted out.

Owner Huo and Secretary Lim's faces brightened up like a light bulb, immediately understanding. This was the number one problem for management companies. A lot of parents did not like their kids becoming idols because they knew that the chance of debut and being successful was very low. Comparing that to becoming a doctor or a lawyer, you only needed to study for extensive hours.

"Do you think that they can be convinced in any way?" Owner Huo gently asked.

Again, Yi Fei slowly looked up to Secretary Lim and Owner Huo. They both exuded a confident aura in their expensive business outfits and facial expressions. Yi Fei could infer that they had very successful careers and had a good education, matching each other with their long and shortcomings. Teamwork fitting like a puzzle. Seeing such people like them together, taking their precious time and attention on Yi Fei... pressured her. A drip of sweat threatened Yi Fei to spill down her forehead.

Yi Fei wanted to say yes. She wanted to gain their approval.

"M... maybe," Yi Fei knew the answer was no, but she had a little hope in her heart that her father would somehow say yes.

"Maybe? Miss Yi Fei, is it possible for you to say a definite answer?" Secretary Lim scrunched up her eyebrows in annoyance. "We have a lot of matters to attend to and—"

"Secretary Lim." Owner Huo firmly spoke, asserting his authority. "Miss Yi Fei is a valuable, potential trainee. Treat her with the care an official trainee should have."

Secretary Lim was surprised by Owner Huo's tone but immediately settled down submissively.

"Yes, CEO Huo."

"Now then, Miss Yi Fei," Owner Huo abruptly reverted to his flimsy demeanor. "We can accept you as an unofficial trainee for now. You are allowed to the dance and singing group training and basic beauty treatments. Mind me if I seem rude, but you are rather thin. For trainees, we want them to maintain a certain weight and one cannot be too thin or too chubby. Because you're not an official trainee, we won't give you a customized diet. However, we'll make a special exception and allow you access to the cafeteria. We don't want our artists to be starving or eating junk food every day, so our cafeteria guarantees healthy and scrumptious meals."

She didn't know what to say. She was flabbergasted. She didn't really understand what Owner Huo said, but knew that Owner Huo was trying to help her.

"... Thank you." Yi Fei said. She genuinely felt that Owner Huo was a really kind man.