Chapter 84: Hopelessly Smitten

At the mention of Ye Qingqing, Rong Qiaoyi immediately felt a surge of uncontrollable anger. Ye Qingqing was utterly hopeless, a piece of deadweight that simply couldn’t be salvaged. Just last night, Rong Qiaoyi had taken her out to a social event, urging her to drink a few more glasses. If she could win that CEO’s favor, perhaps the role would be hers. But when the CEO merely tried to touch her hand, Ye Qingqing exploded, scolding him on the spot. The whole scene left Rong Qiaoyi utterly humiliated, and she had to go apologize to the CEO in person. What began as Ye Qingqing being taken advantage of ended with Rong Qiaoyi herself being harassed.

Had it not been for the heavenly realm’s warning after she’d overused her powers, Rong Qiaoyi would have gladly controlled that man and made him take his own life. The memory of last night’s events made her take a deep breath. She then said to Shen Qingli, “You don’t have to try to provoke me. The company’s just getting started—who knows who’ll come out on top in the end?”

Shen Qingli said nothing, but the smirk at the corner of her lips betrayed her disdain.

Faced with Shen Qingli’s expression, Rong Qiaoyi opened her mouth, but in the end she said nothing and turned to leave. Shen Qingli now was even more formidable than before. In the past, a few words would have had Shen Qingli convinced—she’d been so naïve. The present Shen Qingli, however, seemed like a different person, utterly indifferent to Xie Jin Chuan, even uninterested—no matter what Rong Qiaoyi said, it was all in vain.

When Rong Qiaoyi’s figure finally disappeared, Gu Qingming looked at Shen Qingli with concern. “Sister Shen, are you alright?” Rong Qiaoyi had just brought up Xie Jin Chuan, and Gu Qingming knew how much Shen Qingli used to like him. He couldn’t help but wonder if Shen Qingli was feeling upset.

Shen Qingli shook her head and replied, “If she bothers you again, just call me directly. Come on, let’s go upstairs.”

“Alright!”

Everyone from Guangming Media stared at Gu Qingming, as if they were dreaming that he had actually signed with their company. In the end, they credited the accomplishment to Shen Qingli. If not for her, with so many big companies out there, Gu Qingming would surely have chosen someone else. But Mingguang Media was founded by Shen Qingli, and from the very first day, Gu Qingming had wanted the world to know he was acquainted with her.

When they reached the upper floor, as soon as Dong Yang saw Shen Qingli, he stood up and, after sneaking a glance at Gu Qingming, reported, “President Shen, there’s a variety show that specifically requested Mr. Gu’s participation.”

Shen Qingli took the contract, noting the signature of Gu Linglong at the designated spot.

“This is the show you mentioned?”

Shen Qingli waved the contract slightly. Gu Qingming nodded. “Yes, it’s a program my distant cousin is producing.” The Gu family had never been particularly well-off. After Gu Qingming’s rise to fame, he introduced Gu Linglong to the industry. At first, he simply wanted to find her an easy job, but Gu Linglong turned out to be surprisingly gifted, putting together a program proposal that impressed him. He invested in it, but since he’d been abroad and couldn’t provide any star power, the plan had remained idle.

Shen Qingli skimmed the contract. Gu Linglong had negotiated the best possible terms for Gu Qingming, making it a remarkably good deal for him.

“Alright, sign it, then. Let Ping Lang handle the follow-up matters for you.”

Gu Qingming’s eyes lit up and he nodded. “Thank you, Sister Shen.”

Shen Qingli was momentarily taken aback, not understanding why Gu Qingming was thanking her. If anything, she should be grateful to him—he’d brought such a great program to the company practically for free. She decided she now owed him a favor, and that was that.

Meanwhile, Rong Qiaoyi had also heard the news that the program Gu Qingming had signed onto was in trouble, and she couldn’t help feeling a bit smug. Now, with no suitable entertainment programs available for Gu Qingming in the short term, she was eager to see how Shen Qingli’s company could possibly surpass theirs.

Rong Qiaoyi had spent the past few days frantically networking with various directors and producers, all in an effort to get Ye Qingqing into a decent production team. The smaller teams weren’t good enough for her, while the directors of bigger projects dismissed a rookie with no acting skills. They were stuck in a vicious cycle.

Ye Qingqing looked at Rong Qiaoyi, her impatience barely concealed. “Qiaoyi, they’re just looking down on you!” If they were truly afraid of Rong Qiaoyi’s connections and influence, they would have agreed by now, instead of giving her the runaround.

Rong Qiaoyi said nothing, her face twisted in frustration as she stared at the contract before her. She’d worked so hard to secure this contract, when in the past, as an agent, people had begged her for roles. Now, with Ye Qingqing, those same people simply weren’t interested.

Directors believed that new talent needed to work their way up, one step at a time. They understood Rong Qiaoyi’s desire to pave the way for Ye Qingqing, but such paths weren’t easily laid.

Ye Qingqing had only just debuted and her fanbase was still weak. If she landed a part in a drama or film and was criticized for her poor acting, there would be no fans to defend her, and she might even end up quitting in disgrace. No one was foolish enough to waste a good script on a newcomer.

Rong Qiaoyi scrutinized Ye Qingqing’s face—it was the same face she remembered: pure, not seductive. But thinking of Ye Qingqing’s acting during auditions gave her a headache. The truth was, Ye Qingqing’s acting really was terrible, and she couldn’t blame the directors for refusing her.

“Qingqing, why don’t we start with simpler scripts for now? I’ll buy hot searches for you, and when the show gets popular, it’ll be your turn. Alright?” Starring in a bad show wasn’t necessarily a scandal. Many stars had appeared in flops before becoming famous. There was no helping it: without good work, no one wanted to hire you.

“Huh?” Ye Qingqing looked at Rong Qiaoyi with some reluctance, but she knew there was no good outcome in defying her. In the end, she nodded. “Alright, I’ll do whatever you say, Qiaoyi.”

As long as her company could get up and running faster than Shen Qingli’s, she refused to believe her company couldn’t surpass hers.

Meanwhile, Shen Qingli was busy working on a new variety show. She planned to collaborate with a director on a talent competition, signing new artists along the way and gradually expanding the company. Gu Qingming was wholly supportive of her venture, promising to take on the role of mentor without hesitation. With Gu Qingming on board, the show’s ratings were as good as guaranteed, so Shen Qingli readily agreed and poured herself into drafting the proposal.

Seeing how hard she was working, Gu Qingming couldn’t help but feel tender toward her, only strengthening his resolve to work hard and earn money to support her.