Cen Yueyue stormed into the company like a dragon and a tiger.
Seeing her like this, Elder Sister Lin was stunned, then stopped her with a disgruntled look on her face and asked,
"Didn't you go to your appointment?"
Was she really planning on getting benched by the company?
Cen Yueyue dramatically covered her mouth then said,
"How could I? Elder Sister Lin, I definitely went just like you said. If you don't believe me, call him. I promise I served him quite well."
For some reason, when she said "served", it always gave one the jitters.
Half believing, half doubting, Elder Sister Lin dialed the Rich Merchant's number. As soon as she asked about Cen Yueyue, the Rich Merchant fell silent on the other end of the line. Soon, he replied,
"She was quite good. No need to send her over next time. I'm bored. And I made a promise to her. I won't let you blacklist her. Let her off this time, alright?"
Having said that, the Rich Merchant hung up quickly, as if he had a debt collector breathing down his neck.
Elder Sister Lin: ......
"By the way, Elder Sister Lin, I have a suggestion for you. Can you not send over such stingy guys next time? Tell them to be a bit more generous. I am quite expensive, you know."
After saying that, Cen Yueyue chewed her bubblegum and headed to the conference room.
Elder Sister Lin: ......
Was she seeing it wrong?
Was Cen Yueyue more cunning than she thought?
But if she really was that cunning, wouldn't she be doing better than she currently is? What was going wrong?
There was a company meeting that day. Almost all the artists had to be present. In the big conference room that was filled to the brim, Cen Yueyue stood out like a fish out of water.
As soon as she entered the conference room, Cen Yueyue found a corner, pulled her hat down to cover her face, and immediately fell asleep.
It was only after the meeting was over that Cen Yueyue was awakened by the Deputy General Manager's Assistant.
"Cen, the Deputy General Manager wants you to stop by his office."
All the artists who were trying to curry favor with the Assistant looked on in surprise. Being personally summoned by the Deputy General Manager was a privilege that only the company's leading artist Zhao Shengmo held.
When did she manage to win them over?
For a moment, all the envious glances were on Cen Yueyue.
The Assistant, who was used to these oddities, wore his perpetual straight face, leading Cen Yueyue to the Deputy General Manager's office.
Something about this felt like being led by the palace eunuch to meet the king, Cen Yueyue thought.
Just like the king indeed.
"Alright, go on in, the Deputy General Manager's inside."
He secretly wondered what sort of luck this girl had.
To his surprise, instead of stepping inside, Cen Yueyue took a Watermelon-flavoured bubblegum out of her pocket and placed it in the Assistant's hand.
"It's not your fault. Constipation's a pain. Eating more melon helps lubricate the intestines. And watermelon flavoured candy also counts as melon."
Assistant: ......
For the first time, his perennially unchanging facial expression cracked.
Cen Yueyue slipped through the door before he could recover.
"Oh, you're here?"
The Deputy General Manager was a man in his forties. To Cen Yueyue, who was only in her twenties, he was definitely old, given the huge age gap.
"Hello, Deputy General Manager."
When Cen Yueyue wasn't being rebellious, she was as quiet as a lamb.
Quiet and obedient, tranquil in her youthfulness, bringing to mind the time when she first joined the company, when he simply couldn't take his eyes off her, compelling him to pick this budding flower.
He handed her a room key through his agent. When she turned to look, he matched her gaze, convinced that he had made himself sufficiently clear.
However, tragedy struck.
He ended up in a confrontation with a pot-bellied man in the room, only to be caught red-handed by Cen Yueyue, who barged in with a group of people and switched on the lights.
"Why are you here?" He demanded.
"Ah, Deputy General Manager, didn't you say... to use this room key to entertain our VIP guest? Boss Li is a very important guest of our company, of course I have to treat him well, and you kept implying with your gaze for me to hurry up."
At that point, he felt she was a fool.
"What are you implying by bringing them all here?" He pointed towards the others.
"Ah, to admire just how well the Deputy General Manager treats his special guests, to make them green with envy. I didn’t expect... the Deputy Manager himself to take charge. My understanding was evidently too narrow."
He was close to spitting blood in anger at that point. Not only had he lost the company's VIP, but he had also become a laughing stock. Henceforth, he kept her largely out of sight.
He didn't completely shelf her, as he wanted to give her hope, to have her admit her mistakes, beg for his forgiveness. But he ended up waiting for years. If it weren't for the variety show invitation, he would have forgotten about her.
His emotions were complicated as past memories inundated his mind.
Some past slights are unforgettable.
"Prepare yourself, you'll be appearing on a love-themed variety show in a few days. You'll be paired up with other celebrities, don't worry, there's a script. You just need to play the character they assign you."
As he spoke, he handed her the script for the variety show.
Cen Yueyue picked up the script and gave it a quick glance.
"My role is that of a man-eater?" She widened her eyes in surprise.
The man sneered, "What else? Why do you think a big budget variety show would want you? They need someone to play the villain to highlight the other celebrities. You'll create the tension, they'll defuse it, you'll be criticized, they'll be praised. Doesn’t this boost viewership?"
He assumed Cen Yueyue would refuse. After all, which female star would like such a persona? Nobody wants to be disliked right from the start.
"Wow, this character is fresh and unique. I like it."
The man was lost for words.
"Good that you like it. Here’s their contact information. The production team will get in touch with you to inform you about the location."
Taking the name card with a grin, Cen Yueyuya said,
"Deputy General Manager, you're really nice. Don’t worry, I promise not to tell anyone about your hobby of wrestling with pot-bellied men in your room. Your secret is safe with me."
"Get out!"
Gathering his last shreds of sanity, he sent Cen Yueyue out.
In the washroom, Cen Yueyue was washing her hands when the door was slammed open and an unbearable perfume scent wafted in.
"Cen Yueyue!"
She looked up. Well, wasn't that Zhao Shengmo?
"I heard you're part of that variety show?"
Heard? She just left the Deputy General Manager's office, word travels fast.
"Shengmo..."
Everyone else liked to call Zhao Shengmo "Sheng," except for Cen Yueyue, as they were once good friends.
"Cut the crap. Leave that variety show to me."
Cen Yueyue shook her head.
"You're not willing?"
It's not that, says Cen Yueyue,
"Shengmo, the one the Deputy General Manager likes is a pot-bellied man. There's no future with him for you, better to give up sooner rather than later."
Zhao Shengmo: ...…
"Don’t change the subject!"
"You see, you're changing the subject again. You don’t want to answer, so you sling it at me. Are you refusing to confront that he prefers pot-bellied men?"
Zhao Shengmo: ...…
She directly grabbed Cen Yueyue by her collar,
"I'm in no mood for jokes right now. Let me go on the variety show, or I will make life hell for you! The Rich Merchant from yesterday wasn't enough for you, huh? Well, I have plenty of ways to keep messing with you, to make sure that you'll never get to go."
Wow, quite scary.
"Shengmo, do you know how adorable you look when you're being fierce like this?"
She put her hand on Zhao Shengmo's face. The cold touch instantly disgusted Zhao Shengmo, and she released her grip.
"Are you twisted or something?"
Her face turned slightly red, whether she was angry or shy, it was hard to tell.
"Oh my, why, don’t you like soft and fragrant girls?"
Zhao Shengmo: ……
