CH 18

After HY’s event, the media fervently questioned Lin Qinglu. It took a lot of effort before the whole group was able to make it back to the hotel.

The office tearing apart Ye Zixuan when they left the stage was not something that Luo Chun had anticipated. When she contacted the office, they were telling her they would ask their boss, but it took until the next day for them to give her an answer.

Luo Chun put the phone down and said, “The office refuses to speak.”

Liu Lele scratched her head: “Helping Big Sister Qinglu settle this issue yet not revealing their identity. Just what are they scheming?”

Luo Chun didn’t speak. This incident clearly affirmed that there was a pair of intangible hands behind them that were above the rules of the entertainment circle. They couldn’t have so willfully pushed forward such a course of events if that wasn’t the case.

At the time Lin Qinglu had just debuted, and her shocking talents evoked admiration. Many cast coveting eyes toward her behind her back. Some used means to approach her and attempted to manipulate her. Others solved problems for her in order to win a smile from the beauty.

But under Lin Qinglu’s unshakeable appearance, these people all gradually dispersed. It wasn’t until this endorsement mess that Luo Chun recalled it again.

The first person that came to her mind was precisely Song Zhe.

“Luckily, she made an absurdly enormous mistake at the beginning. Otherwise, we would’ve let her successfully drag us down and trample on us, leaving us completely torn to pieces.” Liu Lele looked in the direction of Jian Yixin, who hadn’t said a single word the entire time: “Right, Pianxian?”

“Mhm,” Jian Yixin replied with a soft noise. Resting near the window, she was holding a coffee cup in her hand. She didn’t talk much and simply looked them on with a smile as they spoke.

Just as autumn was warming up, the pure white curtain seemed to be plated in a light akin to gold leaf. A few golden fragments then scattered onto the lower hem of Song Pianxian’s dress and settled between her smooth, tender neck and shoulder. They trickled down like thin little threads.

Her countenance and smile was outrageously warm and gentle under the light.

Something was coming to life.

Lin Qinglu suddenly shifted her gaze and opened her mouth, subconsciously avoiding the main issue and instead focusing on the trivial: “Ye Zixuan isn’t that stupid. The problem most likely lies with the person who gives her resources, which could only be Ji Jing.”

“Why did Ji Jing believe he would be able to obtain it? This is the crucial point.”

Everyone nodded repeatedly.

“I’ll ask Wu Cai.”

Jian Yixin sipped a mouthful of coffee. Her eyes carried admiration as she looked toward Lin Qinglu, who was sitting on the sofa.

She’s worthy of being an SSS-class. Even her mind is one step ahead of the manager.

If it weren’t because she was doomed to have a cannon fodder’s fate, then thanks to her exceedingly good acting skills and clear-headed intellect, it would be impossible for her to so prematurely fall from the sky like a dazzling shooting star.

Now that I’m here, that isn’t going to happen.

Lin Qinglu’s body that had just relaxed completely once again tensed up, and her hair stood up on end like a cat.

Why the heck was Song Pianxian stealing glances at her!

Hold on, was her current posture attractive? Would it be considered graceful to a dancer?

Movie Queen Lin, who had received modeling training, was adjusting herself to display more of her body. She was stealthy about it, and her movements were minuscule, lest she be discovered.

After Liu Lele and Jian Yixin separated from them, Lin Qinglu heard Luo Chun asking her, “Is it possible that this matter was because of Song Zhe?”

Lin Qinglu wearily and lazily shot her a glance: “What was it that you said before again?”

Previously, when Lin Qinglu had said that all these matters had to do with the Song family and Song Zhe, Luo Chun certainly didn’t feel there were any issues.

Luo Chun was silent, and it was quite a while before she said, “However, yesterday Song Zhe personally handed you the contract… You don’t feel that Song Zhe has been appearing a little too frequently?”

“I do,” Lin Qinglu said bluntly.

But outside of these seemingly coincidental events, Song Zhe never once had any more contact with her. As such, she was unable to conclude anything.

Luo Chun contemplated for a long time, and she was also unable to say anything in the end.

“Anyhow, it’s a good thing,” she said, left with no other choice.

Lin Qinglu expressed no opinion.

After the opening ceremony came to an end, apart from the endorsement’s official announcement attracting a crazy enthusiasm, the particulars of the livestream were dug out by netizens for safe-keeping.

As Lin Qinglu was simultaneously taking the stage with the noble and charming President of the Song family, among the wave of Lady Zhao‘s cast and crew members, there was one person who was tall, slender, and beautiful with a remarkable temperament. It was as if a top-of-the-line female star had infiltrated their personnel. Completely out of place.

This would undoubtedly stir up heated debates in the current environment where one’s attractiveness determined the rules. However, the level of heat had quietly begun to drop. If one didn’t have the intention to search for it, then it would be impossible to find the relevant news on the front page.

The key facts about the Song family’s influence was kept under wraps, but within every detail their status was put on display.

The cast and crew members were about to return to their film site and had a scheduled flight at night. Jian Yixin found some time to go visit Song Zhe at the Group’s headquarters.

“I’ve prepared a gift for you.” After chatting about some family matters, Song Zhe passed over a file: “Open it and take a look.”

Jian Yixin raised her eyebrow and reached her hand out to take it.

Brilliant Moon Entertainment’s equity transfer agreement?

“A friend was selling shares, so I bought them.” Song Zhe said, “Haven’t you been interested in the entertainment circle lately? Take it to play with.”

In any case, Brilliant Moon was the entertainment industry’s number one big shot. Song Zhe downplayed it, sent it to Jian Yixin as a gift, and just like this, the acquisition of thirty-percent of their shares was treated like a little toy for amusing his younger sister and making her happy.

It was impossible to say that it was an accident. If she was able to directly become part of the upper levels of Lin Qinglu’s company, it’d make doing anything much easier.

“Thank you, Big Brother,” Jian Yixin said, revealing a smile as she caressed the agreement with her fingertips.

“It’s good as long as you like it.” A faint smile streaked across his eyes and he advised, “It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand these things. When the time comes, I’ll personally appoint someone to join the board of directors.”

Jian Yixin blinked a few times and then closed the file in a graceful and natural manner: “Is it possible for me to become a board member?”

Song Zhe was taken aback for a moment, evidently not expecting his little sister to be interested in this.

After coming back to his senses, he said without the slightest bit of hesitation, “Of course.”

With the Song family’s protection, his little sister ought to be carefree and without worries, freely doing what she wants to do.

Jian Yixin had stayed at the headquarters for quite a long time, and only until it was close to evening did she return to the hotel.

When she came back, it was right as Liu Lele was packing the luggage while Luo Chun and Lin Qinglu were having a discussion to the side.

Jian Yixin listened with both ears. They were talking about the five major print magazines’ cover invitations and so on, and how they were all the finest fashion resources regardless of which one.

No matter whether they had collaborated before, when news of Lin Qinglu’s endorsement came out, they once again tossed out olive branches, each giving conditions better than the last. Luo Chun and Lin Qinglu were just then discussing who they should reject.

While other people eagerly longed for the chance to be on those magazines’ covers, Lin Qinglu was actually struggling to choose who to reject.

The impact of getting the blue-blooded endorsement was obvious.

Seeing Lin Qinglu’s brazenness, Jian Yixin revealed a small smile.

The assignment was done well.

Jian Yixin lent Liu Lele a hand by closing up the suitcases and lining them up properly.

“Pianxian, where have you been?”

Movie Queen Lin sat facing Luo Chun, on one hand listening to Luo Chun’s analysis of each magazine’s given conditions, photographers, etc., and on the other hand, pricking up her ears.

Yeah, just where did you go? You even know to come back, huh.

“I went to meet a friend.”

Movie Queen Lin immediately thought of Song Zhe.

She controlled her eyes and lowered the pricked up cat ears, hooking her fingertips on the fringes of the coaster’s tassels that she continued to coil around and around her fingers.

Liu Lele, who was on the other side, had already blabbered about the desserts from that afternoon and was now onto the silly videos of the internet. She talked and talked, even taking out her phone for Song Pianxian to view the videos.

Lin Qinglu’s lips pursed more and more.

Luo Chun’s heart went through many changes. She kept on feeling as if she were an endlessly chattering teacher with a student who was engrossed in her puppy love and paid no attention to class.

“All right, I’ll just go look over them myself then.” Professor Luo dismissed the class and walked away without looking back as she carried the materials.

After Luo Chun departed, those two people’s laughter was even more pronounced.

Is it that funny?

“Qinglu, look.”

Lin Qinglu hastily raised her head.

She was a little annoyed at herself for how quickly she responded since it made it seem like she was waiting for Song Pianxian to call out to her. Fortunately, Song Pianxian didn’t seem to notice anything.

“What.” The tone of her voice was just as somber as before, and it didn’t seem the least bit unnatural.

“It’s really entertaining.” With a lovely smile, Song Pianxian flipped over the phone for her to watch. Lin Qinglu controlled herself and focused her attention on the screen.

A kitten was playing with a ball of yarn, and its paws hooked onto the yarn. The more it was twisted around, the tighter it became.

It cried out, “Meow, meow,” and began whimpering as it still couldn’t understand how to make it looser.

“Isn’t it cute?” Jian Yixin said, beaming.

Lin Qinglu somehow felt that something wasn’t quite right.

Even so, she was swayed by the smile and extended her hand as if possessed, poking the kitten’s belly. She quietly answered, “Mhm.”

“There’s more. Take a look at this one. It’s also a cat…”

Liu Lele was at the side scratching her head. Wasn’t Big Sister Qinglu someone who never watched these kinds of things?

She even said that watching these silly videos was very childish.

Liu Lele remained perplexed despite much thought, so she decided that she might as well simply stop thinking about it.

Right as she moved closer to watch with them, she saw a notice pop up on the screen:

“Breaking News: For the sake of the endorsement, Lin Qinglu shared dinner with a mysterious person and stayed overnight at a clubhouse! The endorsement incident has been reversed once again? Click here for more details!”

TL Notes:

Lol is Jian Yixin comparing Lin Qinglu to the kitten