With the airing of the TV dramas, fans of both shows engaged in heated debates online. However, life on the campus remained peaceful. Nearly a week had passed since the premiere, and Qin Wei encountered some younger students who mentioned her new drama. Most of their words were words of encouragement and didn't trouble her.
Li Yao had also returned, just as he had mentioned. He terminated his contract with Anxing Entertainment, but due to the numerous tasks involved in the handover of his work, there were still many matters requiring his attention, so he maintained a cooperative relationship with them.
He was very busy. After coming back, he met Qin Wei briefly before immersing himself in other projects. Fortunately, he didn't cause any delays for Qin Wei. They discussed all the necessary business matters, and because the new drama's ratings and Qin Wei's performance were excellent, they successfully negotiated a new endorsement deal.
With the resurgence of popularity, Qin Wei's once mundane and boring life became busy once again. Apart from attending classes, she had to participate in various activities during her free time to make up for the cooperation projects she had previously delayed with brand partners.
"Sis, Brand D has released their new autumn collection. This particular item is the main focus. Let's go there later for the photo shoot..."
As soon as school was over, Li Liang arrived at the school gate to pick up Qin Wei. As they walked toward the parking lot, he informed her about the upcoming work.
"Qin Wei?"
Upon reaching the parking lot, Qin Wei heard a somewhat familiar voice calling her name.
"Professor Yuan? What a coincidence."
Qin Wei looked toward the voice and saw Yuan Xintong standing beside a Mercedes-Benz. Yuan Xintong was her professor for one of her major courses.
Yuan Xintong waved at Qin Wei and said, "Do you have some free time? I was just about to have lunch. Let's go together and chat."
Qin Wei hesitated. She had something to discuss with Yuan Xintong as well, but she was in a rush to go for the new advertisement shoot. The brand partner was willing to accommodate her academic commitments, but that didn't mean she could do as she pleased.
Qin Wei could only tell the truth, saying, "I'm going for a photo shoot now, so I'm afraid I'll have to decline. If you're available later, Professor Yuan, I can come find you."
"Sure, let's keep in touch. I'll wait for you."
Professor Yuan had left her phone number during class and had previously invited Qin Wei to have lunch together, so they had each other's contact information. Now that she knew Qin Wei had something to attend to, she left first.
Li Liang asked Qin Wei in a low voice, "Sis, who was that?"
Qin Wei truthfully told her, "The director for the new drama, Yuan Xintong."
Li Liang took out her phone and earnestly recorded it in her memo.
Qin Wei's contract with Brand D was under Anxing, so her original team accompanied her for this shoot. However, it was different today. Apart from Li Liang, Li Yi, Xiao Yan, and others were also present.
"It's just a photo shoot, not a big project. You guys didn't have to come all together. It must be exhausting."
Qin Wei got into the car and was stunned to see the entire team gathered there.
No wonder they had come in a nine-seater business vehicle today. She initially thought it was just for appearances, but it turned out that everyone had come.
Xiao Yan shrugged and said, "We wanted to come out together this time and didn't plan on going back."
Li Yi, who was driving, also chimed in, "We're like a family, so we should stick together."
Qin Wei was utterly confused and looked at Li Liang.
Li Liang didn't keep her in suspense and honestly explained to Qin Wei,
"During the days when the team disbanded, everyone missed the days of working with Qin Wei. Everyone resigned but decided to continue sticking with you."
Just as Qin Wei was about to say something, Xiao Yan interrupted:
"Don't worry about not having enough money to support us. We discussed it and agreed to lower our salaries to the industry's minimum standard. If you can't afford it for the time being, it's okay. You have always been generous and often gave us red envelopes. We won't starve for a while, so don't worry."
Xiao Chen also chimed in:
"Before you rush to refuse, as a female celebrity of your caliber, you can't go anywhere alone. Sooner or later, you'll have to recruit a new team, which means going through the process of getting acquainted all over again. But with us, we don't have to worry about that. The main thing is, with your level of beauty, taking photos and shooting videos is easier, and post-production editing is less challenging. We can lower the difficulty and decrease the remuneration. If you can't afford it for now, you can owe us temporarily. Being away from home, we can't afford to lose the face of a female celebrity."
Li Yi also said:
"Qin teacher, we are all joking with you. When you terminated the contract last time, you didn't take us with you, and we understood your concerns. Don't worry, Li Yao asked about our willingness when he came back, and we all want to follow you."
Li Liang nodded and pulled Qin Wei's sleeve:
"Sis, it was wrong of us to act without permission, but please don't refuse us right away. We'll discuss the salary with Li Yao, and whatever it is, it's only temporary. You don't have to worry about it."
Qin Wei rubbed her forehead, trying to hide the fact that she was a little moved by their words. She changed the subject:
"The salary will remain the same as before, and you don't have to worry about it. I can afford it. The only concern is about your accommodation in Anxing. Do you have a place to live?"
Xiao Chen nodded and glanced at Li Yi, smiling at Qin Wei:
"Xiao Tang and I are sharing a rented place outside. The rent is not expensive, and most importantly, Xiao Tang is a good person who takes care of me. Wei Wei, you don't have to worry about us. We're doing fine."
Xiao Yan didn't need to worry because she had her own house, and the others said they had their own places to live and didn't need her help.
That left only Li Liang, who had just graduated and was from out of town. He had been living in the employee dormitory in Anxing.
Qin Wei pondered for a moment:
"Then maybe you should move..."
"No, no, no! Sis, you don't have to worry about it. I've found a place to share with a friend these past two days. My friend has a higher income and is willing to bear a bit more... I don't have much pressure."
Qin Wei's lips curled up:
"Ah, is that friend surnamed Wang?"
Li Liang blurted out:
"She told you?"
"I guessed."
Qin Wei's smile grew wider.
...
It was already late in the evening after finishing the video shoot. Qin Wei thought it was a bit too late, but she didn't want to disappoint Yuan Xintong, who had been waiting. So she sent a message to let the other person know that her work had ended.
【Yuan Director: Okay, send me the location, and I'll come over.】
Originally, she had planned to reschedule for another day, but she had kept Yuan Xintong waiting for so long, and Qin Wei didn't want to cancel. So she shared her location. The other person probably wasn't far away since Qin Wei and her team took the elevator downstairs, and Yuan Xintong was already waiting at the door.
"Shall we find a place to sit and chat for a while?"
Yuan Xintong suggested, glancing at the staff members beside Qin Wei.
"If you feel uncomfortable traveling alone, we can go together..."
"Going out with you would be considered a personal trip, so it's fine."
Qin Wei glanced at her watch and said to Li Liang,
"It's quite late. You two can go back directly. This is Yuan Xintong, Director Yuan, and also my professor for specialized courses. We have had a few meals together privately, so there's no problem with us being together."
Yuan Director also said to Li Liang,
"This is my business card. Don't worry, I'll send her back later."
...
"Director Yuan, where are we going?"
Qin Wei asked her.
"Let's go to a bar."
After Yuan Director finished speaking and saw Qin Wei hesitating, she knew what she was worried about, and said,
"If you don't want to drink or if you think the environment is chaotic, it's not the case for all bars... Well, you decide, we can go anywhere...
Also, don't call me Director Yuan anymore. The classes are over, and our teacher-student relationship has ended."
