Taming The Tiger

1. First Day

Yu Hua woke up at six with a happy feeling for the first time in five years. Finally the universe took pity on him and he managed to be selected by an entertainment company as a new actor, well more like an intern, but Yu Hua didn't mind it. He didn't want to be an actor anyway, he was up to it because of the money... he had no right to choose his dream job. No. Not when his father kept gambling and dragging their small family into starvation...

Jumping over his passed-out father, Yu Hua went to take a quick shower as if otherwise was possible. The hot water was a luxury in that fusty one room house. How many houses would have a water-boiler in the bathroom in the twenty-first century?!

With accustomed helplessness, Yu Hua boiled some water and mixed it with the cold water in a big basin. Then he used a minimum amount of water to wet his slightly long brown hair and shampooed it fast before using the flowing foam from his hair as shower gel. Yes, they were that poor. He poured already-coldish water on him with a bowl and completed the shower in three to four minute, his teeth chattering. Quickly, he wrapped two worn-out towels around himself and grabbed the hairdryer. At least they had that thanks to Ming Lei. A hairdryer might sound weird for a birthday gift, but for Yu Hua, it was the best gift ever.

Yu Hua dried his natural wavy hair with a help of a comb and wore his best jeans and the white asymmetrical shirt he borrowed from Ming Lei. Thank god, he was handsome even without make-up or regular beauty routine.

"At least you did this much for me, mother," he talked to himself as his hazel eyes checked his tall and lean figure on the half-broken mirror. His mother was German, which was the greatest mystery of his father. Although his father kept insisting that he was such a catch when he was young, Yu Hua had difficulty believing it. In this sense, his mother must have been problematic just like his father. Well, at least his father had more mercy than his mother; at least he didn't leave him and disappeared like she did. Later, his father even took Yu Lan in when she also left him although Yu Lan wasn't his child. That part was a bit complicated.

Shaking his head to get rid of the unpleasant thoughts, Yu Hua left the bathroom and walked into the room to wake his brother, Yu Lan for school. As Yu Lan had a habit of biting, he used his foot to poke him until his brother opened his eyes.

"Wake up, Lan Lan, you're gonna be late to school!"

"Stop shouting!" the groggy boy of nineteen shouted back with a hoarse voice and pulled the quilt on his head.

Sighing, Yu Hua pulled the quilt off his tiring brother and kicked him off the mattress, "get changed and buy breakfast on your way," he said authoritatively as he folded the quilt neatly.

"What?" Yu Lan grimaced, ruffling his messy brown hair, "no breakfast?"

"No, I have to hurry to GL Entertainment," Yu Hua enlightened the younger as if he didn't say it last night.

Yu Lan puffed, "I see you are already in a celebrity mood, not even bothering to cook breakfast," he said wryly.

"I love you too," Yu Hua said and left the house after wearing his coat. He was used to his brother's sharp words, so he learned not to be affected by them. Burying half of his face into his worn-out wool scarf to prevent himself from getting frostbite, he walked to the bus station with fast steps. Luckily the bus was on time and after thirty minutes of riding, Yu Hua got off in the city centre. He walked to the other bus station to take the second bus to the company, but before that, he spared a few seconds to enter a cosmetics shop and put on a random perfume from a tester.

The second ride took fifteen minutes and finally he was in front of the majestic GL Entertainment.

"This building should be visible from space," Yu Hua murmured, looking at the glass panels covering the tall building. It was amazing how the sun shone brightly and the cold was milder in that part of the city, despite it being February. Even the weather favoured the rich people. Tssk. Displeased by the conclusion he came up with, Yu Hua took a deep breath before entering through the automatic door.

A professional-looking receptionist welcomed him with a professional smile and he was led to the fifth floor with another receptionist. She showed him a room and told him to wait for the others. Then she pointed at the coffee machine leaned on the wall, saying he could have some before leaving him alone.

As Yu Hua would never say 'no' to anything free, he pressed the latte button and increased the sugar lever, planning to use the sweet coffee as a substitute for his missed breakfast.

Luckily, the other new babies didn't come until he finished his second cup of latte. When all ten (five boys and five girls) were around the rectangular table, a man around early forties entered the room with some papers and sat on the head of the table.

"Welcome newcomers, I am Lu Rao, the talent manager of GL," he said with a pleased expression as he fixed his horn-rimmed glasses, "I am the person whom you will love the most because it was me who decided to sign you to our company."

All ten bowed towards the man respectfully and Lu Rao chuckled, pleased. He clapped his hands and reached the papers to the closest girl to him, "take one and pass them," he said then he pointed at the pencil case in the middle of the table, "take a pencil, fill the forms and sign your name. Voila! Then you will be a part of our splendid family!"

Just make me rich fast, Yu Hua said inwardly as he filled the form alongside his fellow actors, who looked all rich and sparkling even before starting their career.

Giving the paper back, Yu Hua hoped that it was the end of the day because the two cups of coffee he had on an empty stomach started to burn his insides.

After Mr. Pleased collected the papers, he said the CEO wanted to meet them with a grin, making Yu Hua curse his usual rotten luck, and directed them to the twentieth floor.

The CEO had the entire floor!

Yu Hua followed the not-so-much-shocked others with a so-shocked expression which he tried to hide and before he realised, they were standing in front of a tall handsome man with beautiful chocolate eyes and smooth skin.

Why do all of the rich men have to be tall and handsome? Yu Hua snorted inwardly as the CEO looked at them one by one with a strange gaze. He just wanted the meeting to be short so that he could leave before his churning stomach killed him, but the CEO's slanted chocolate eyes were soooo lazy!

"Nice to meet you all, I am Hu Jing Yao, the CEO of GL Entertainment," he said with a dazzling smile and even Yu Hua felt his knees go jelly.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Hu," the new babies bowed respectfully, but the CEO stopped them.

"Please, don't bow, now we are a family."

Damn, he is good, Yu Hua gave him the credit although he didn't believe his sincerity. There was something cunning about the CEO and Yu Hua was sure he wasn't actually that nice. Nobody would be so nice in this cruel world.

"Mr. Yu, are you okay?" the CEO asked with concern, shocking everyone with the fact that he knew their names.

The question brought Yu Hua's wandering soul back and he realised he was biting his lower lip with a frown. He shook his hands and hastily said "I am fine, it is just a mild stomach ache." Well, he wouldn't want to say that out loud, but it was better than to irritate the CEO from the first day, giving the impression he was frowning at him.

"Oh, that's unfortunate," Hu Jing Yao said with empathy, then added "let's stop the meeting here, we will see each other a lot in the future."

All murmured thanks and Lu Rao directed them to the door. However, before Yu Hua left the room, the CEO said "you stay for a bit, Mr. Yu."

Oh my god, he is surely angry! Damn it!

Yu Hua swallowed the lump on his throat and closed the door back.