Hearing the word “remuneration,” Lu Mingyu’s eyes, which had been as still as an ancient well, finally showed a subtle ripple.
He wasn't a greedy person; the military allowance was enough for him to live on.
However, a figure involuntarily appeared in his mind.
Li Xiaoniu.
He remembered Li Xiaoniu’s combat boots from a while ago, which he had worn for a long time and whose soles were almost worn flat.
He also remembered that every time Li Xiaoniu received his allowance, he would always send all of it home immediately.
Only leaving himself the most basic living expenses.
He knew Li Xiaoniu’s family was not well off; his mother had been bedridden for years.
Medical expenses were a huge outlay, and he also had a younger sister who was still in school.
This teammate, who was usually cheerful, carried all the burdens by himself.
As the Captain, Lu Mingyu saw it and felt the pain in his heart.
Every member of the Megakaryocyte Special Operations Group was like a brother to him.
If there was a sum of money, a substantial sum, could it completely solve the predicament of Li Xiaoniu’s family?
And there was Zhou Chenguang, and Wu Tianlong; although their family situations were a bit better.
They were also ordinary families.
If he could make them all live a little better…
Once this thought arose, it could no longer be suppressed.
Lu Mingyu’s tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed.
He was silent for a moment, and this brief silence made both Ding Hui and Lu Hai a little nervous.
Finally, Lu Mingyu looked up and faced Ding Hui again.
“I can participate.”
He spoke.
Ding Hui and Lu Hai were stunned, not expecting him to suddenly change his attitude.
Ding Hui’s face instantly surged with ecstasy.
But Lu Mingyu’s next words made him retract his joy for a moment.
“But I have conditions.”
“Please, please!”
“As long as we can do it, any condition can be discussed!”
Ding Hui said quickly, afraid that he would go back on his word.
Lu Mingyu’s gaze swept over the two of them, his tone calm but firm.
“Firstly, I am not participating alone.”
“I want to bring my teammates with me.”
Ding Hui was first startled upon hearing this, then his joy intensified.
One person was a gimmick, but an entire special operations team deploying? That was an absolute trump card!
“No problem!”
“Of course, no problem!”
He patted his chest and guaranteed.
“Captain Lu, you can bring as many teammates as you want, our production team welcomes them all!”
Lu Mingyu nodded, then stated the second, and most important, condition.
“Secondly, regarding remuneration.”
He held up one finger.
“For each person.”
He then held up five fingers.
“After tax, one point five million.”
When his words fell, the conference room was dead silent.
The smile on Ding Hui’s face completely froze.
He had his mouth open, as if he hadn't heard what Lu Mingyu said clearly.
Lu Hai, next to him, was also startled by the number and couldn't help but look at his nephew again.
One point five million, and after tax, and for each person?
This was no longer remuneration; this was an exorbitant price!
Ding Hui quickly calculated in his mind.
This price indeed far exceeded his budget.
However, if he could invite Lu Mingyu and the entire Megakaryocyte Special Operations Group.
The program’s popularity and authenticity would reach an unprecedented height.
The ensuing ratings and advertising sponsorships might far exceed this investment.
This was a huge gamble.
If he won, he would gain both fame and fortune.
If he lost, he would lose everything.
Fine beads of sweat seeped from Ding Hui’s forehead.
He looked at Lu Mingyu’s unperturbed face.
From those deep eyes, he saw no room for negotiation.
A few seconds later, Ding Hui gritted his teeth and slapped his thigh.
“Deal!”
The expression on his face turned from conflicted to a kind of desperate excitement.
“Captain Lu is indeed a straightforward person!”
“We’ll do as you say!”
The corner of Lu Mingyu’s mouth moved almost imperceptibly.
As if afraid he would go back on his word, Ding Hui immediately pulled out his phone and said excitedly.
“I’ll have someone draft the contract right away!”
Ding Hui’s assistant quickly came in with the drafted contract.
It was an urgently printed cooperation agreement with clear and concise terms.
Lu Mingyu took the contract and scanned it, reading ten lines at a glance.
His attention was mainly focused on the remuneration and personnel clauses.
After confirming there were no errors, he picked up the pen and signed his name with a flourish.
The whole process was swift and decisive, without any dragging.
Ding Hui looked at the signed contract.
He rubbed his hands excitedly, his smile as bright as a blooming sunflower.
“Captain Lu, it’s a pleasure to cooperate!”
He extended his hand again and firmly shook Lu Mingyu’s hand.
Lu Mingyu nodded, withdrew his hand, and stood up.
“I’m leaving.”
He threw out three words, then turned to leave the conference room.
“Mingyu, wait a moment.”
Lu Hai, who had not spoken much, suddenly called out to him.
Lu Mingyu stopped, turned back to look at his second uncle, his eyes questioning.
Lu Hai stood up, walked to his side, and sighed, saying.
“Since you’re back, aren’t you going home to see Grandpa?”
“The old man has been talking about you for a long time.”
Hearing the word “Grandpa,” Lu Mingyu’s perpetually icy face, for once, showed a rare hint of helplessness.
“Second Uncle, I still have things to do.”
He made an excuse.
“If I go back, I’ll be pressured into blind dates again, you know.”
Lu Hai looked at his nephew, who was a decorated soldier but avoided personal matters like the plague.
He was both annoyed and amused.
“How old are you, and you still haven’t found a partner?”
“Look at your teammates, some of them have kids who can already buy soy sauce.”
Lu Mingyu’s brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
“The timing isn’t right.”
He once again gave a universal reason.
“I’m leaving first; there’s a pile of things waiting for me at the team.”
With that, he no longer gave Lu Hai a chance to persuade him further.
He pushed open the conference room door and strode out.
Soon, his steady and powerful footsteps echoed in the corridor, gradually fading away.
Lu Hai shook his head helplessly, his heart filled with the worries of an elder.
This kid, decisive in battle, was a soldier king who struck fear into the hearts of enemies.
But when it came to emotional issues, he ran faster than anyone else.
He wondered when he would finally bring a proper girlfriend home.
To make his grandpa, who longed for a great-grandson every day, happy too.
On the other side, Ding Hui held the signed contract as if it were a priceless treasure.
He practically sprinted back to the program’s office area.
“Everyone stop!”
“Stop whatever you’re working on!”
He shouted as soon as he entered, his voice filled with uncontrollable excitement.
All the staff looked up, puzzled at the Director who seemed to be on adrenaline.
Ding Hui held up the contract in his hand and waved it vigorously.
“Everyone, I have some fantastic news to tell you!”
“We succeeded!”
“The Megakaryocyte Special Operations Group!”
“Captain Lu Mingyu has agreed to lead all of his team members to participate in our program!”
The office was first dead silent.
A few seconds later, it erupted into thunderous cheers and applause.
“Holy cow! Is that for real?”
“Director Ding, you’re not joking, are you?”
“The entire special operations team is coming?”
“Oh my god! Our show is going to be legendary!”
“Director Ding is awesome!”
Ding Hui thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of being the center of attention.
He pressed his hands down, signaling for everyone to quiet down.
“Now that you’re done celebrating, I want all of you to be fully focused!”
His gaze swept over the head of the publicity team.
“Xiao Wang, the promotional teaser, immediately, right now, release it!”
“I want the entire internet to know this news in the shortest possible time!”
Xiao Wang, the head of the publicity team, immediately responded, “Okay, Director Ding!”
“We have several publicity plans; which version should we use?”
Ding Hui’s eyes sparkled with shrewdness.
“Hype!”
“I want the biggest hype!”
He held up one finger and tapped it in the air.
“Just the special operations team isn’t explosive enough; we still have a trump card.”
“Put Gu Lina Zha right at the front!”
“Use her as the hook for the first wave of publicity!”
“Create as much buzz as possible, call it #TopStarActressBravesMilitaryCamp#.”
“Or #GuLinaZhaChallengesSpecialForcesLifeAndDeathLine#.”
“Anyway, make it as exaggerated as possible, as eye-catching as possible!”
“For the image! Use that most popular photo of her from a previous awards ceremony, the one with the white feather dress.”
“Photoshop her into the jungle military camp background we found!”
“What we want is that extreme sense of contrast!”
“What we want is for everyone to be curious.”
“What will this fairy-like actress look like in a hellish military camp!”