Zhao Biezhi’s livestreams were booming, while her colleague Xu Qianqian had also been riding high lately.
Not long after wrapping up the sweet romance short drama she starred in, it went online smoothly. After airing, it gained a modest wave of popularity thanks to her likable character and strong chemistry with the male lead. By now, she could be considered a minor name in the industry, with several fan-edited videos on the Tiaofu platform racking up over 100,000 likes each.
In Chenxing Entertainment, a company full of unknowns, she had finally made something of herself. Her agent, who had previously treated her with indifference, now took her to every gig available, and she could even compete for resources she wouldn’t have dared to dream of before.
Whenever such moments came, Xu Qianqian would sincerely marvel at how right her earlier decision had been.
In truth, the short drama’s casting hadn’t originally targeted her—it had been Zhao Biezhi from the same company. Although Zhao Biezhi was hopeless at both singing and dancing, completely overshadowed by her groupmate Xin Yun, there was no denying that her face was quite striking. However, her agent Chen Yong was entirely devoted to Xin Yun, the company’s top star, and had no time to bother with her.
Coincidentally, Xu Qianqian happened to overhear news of the audition as she passed by. Since her own agent Zheng Chong had a falling out with Chen Yong, she wasted no time—she rushed straight to her agent and relentlessly wheedled the audition opportunity away for herself.
Even after going that far, she still felt it wasn’t secure enough, so she went to Zhao Biezhi and subtly egged her on to lose weight for the camera. In reality, Zhao Biezhi was already very thin—standing nearly 1.7 meters tall but weighing only around 45 kilograms. Losing more weight would have left her gaunt and skeletal.
But Zhao Biezhi was simply too gullible. After hearing a few instigating words, she genuinely threw herself into dieting, starving herself half to death every day until she looked as frail as someone recovering from a serious illness.
Only then did Xu Qianqian feel at ease, happily joining the production to shoot the drama.
The short drama’s production and review process moved quickly—from filming to release took only about two months. Now, Zhao Biezhi was still at home with nothing to do, while Xu Qianqian had become something of a priority for the company.
She was heading to the company today because Zheng Chong had told her that Tomato TV’s new variety show, The Shining You, was currently in preparation. The production team was interested in having her and her previous co-star Huo Xiu as regular cast members, with the added bonus of stirring up some shipping buzz between them.
Never mind that the show was produced by the powerhouse Tomato TV—just the benefits of the CP hype alone had already given Xu Qianqian plenty of mileage. The videos that had gone viral on Tiaofu were almost all sweet moments between her and Huo Xiu from the drama, making hordes of young girls squeal over how adorable they were.
A regular spot on a variety show, plus the chance to fuel the CP narrative—why wouldn’t she jump at it?
At the thought, Xu Qianqian couldn’t help humming a tune.
Her agent Zheng Chong, hearing the sound, turned to glance at her. Seeing her smug expression, he couldn’t help raising an eyebrow.
“That happy, huh?”
Xu Qianqian’s lips curled upward. “I finally understand what they mean when they say opportunity is gone the second you miss it.”
Zheng Chong naturally understood the implication behind her words. He cleared his throat lightly, warning her not to get too carried away.
“There probably won’t be any issues with ‘The Sparkling You,’ but the farming variety show you were pushing for, ‘Treasured Countryside,’ will most likely conflict with the schedule for this one—”
“Then just scrap the treasure-like countryside setting. Originally, I thought having four men and one woman would create some buzz, but now that Huo Xiu and I generate heat whenever we’re together, who would actually want to go farm?””
Xu Qianqian lifted her chin. “A bunch of nobodies farming—the audience wouldn’t want to watch this kind of variety show at all. I don’t know who came up with such a terrible idea.””
Although Zheng Chong intended to give Xu Qianqian a warning, he had to admit that she did indeed have a point.
He hadn’t been optimistic about this variety show from the very beginning; the only reason he let Xu Qianqian take it over was that there were no other options at the time.
Who would have known that Xu Qianqian would be so determined and actually manage to become famous through short dramas.
However, the fact that they snatched the audition opportunity away from Zhao Biezhi had already been discovered by Chen Yong’s side, so the other party must be absolutely furious right now.
“Alright, the company executives and Chen Yong are all here today. When we go in in a moment, don’t be in a hurry to speak; leave everything to me to handle.””He said, patting Xu Qianqian on the shoulder, a faint, elusive smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
Chen Yong, we’ll give him a big surprise in a little while.
The two entered the company. In the reception room, Chen Yong was sitting on a sofa to the side with a grim expression, while Song Yi, a company executive, sat in the main seat.
Seeing Zheng Chong and Xu Qianqian enter, he let out a cold snort and spoke in a sarcastic tone, “Oh, Manager Zheng is certainly a busy man, making President Song wait for you in person.””
“Sorry, sorry, I just received some news from Tomato Station; they want Qianqian to be a regular guest on a new variety show.”I was talking with them for a while, which is why I’m late.”
Zheng Chong spoke unhurriedly, mentioning the new announcement every other word. His smug, opportunistic demeanor made Chen Yong grit his teeth in frustration; at the same time, Chen secretly cursed Zhao Biezhi for being a hopeless lost cause, unable to seize such a golden opportunity, only to let Xu Qianqian snatch it away.
However, he hadn’t considered at all that it was his own indifference and negligence toward Zhao Biezhi that had led to this result.
“Alright, I know there’s a reason why you’re late. Have a seat.””Song Yi spoke up, ending the open and covert struggle between the two.
Once Zheng Chong and Xu Qianqian were seated, Song Yi spoke with a composed air, bringing up the main purpose of the day, “Zheng Chong, you are already aware of the company’s regulations.”
“We have always been opposed to things like malicious competition.””
That being said, if you don’t have a bit of cunning and ruthlessness when navigating the entertainment industry, you’d have become a complete nobody long ago.
“Chen Yong says you stole an audition opportunity that originally belonged to his artist, Zhao Biezhi. Is there any truth to this?””
There was no discernible emotion in Song Yi’s words, but Zheng Chong felt reassured; as long as he wasn’t being directly reprimanded, it meant that the matter held little weight with the senior executives.
It makes sense; the die is cast now, and Xu Qianqian is considered one of the more well-known artists in the company.
In contrast, Zhao Biezhi was still at home idling away his time; comparing the two, it was obvious which one held more weight.
Though he felt disdain in his heart, Zheng Chong didn’t let a hint of it show on his face. Instead, he spoke politely: “Yes, yes, yes, I was indeed too rash in this matter, but it was only because I was considering the artist’s best interests.””
“And this role really suits our Qianqian perfectly. Boss Song, look online—everyone’s calling her the natural-born sweet romance drama queen.” He pulled out his phone and scrolled through Weibo comments to show Song Yi.
His smug, petty demeanor infuriated Chen Yong so much that another surge of blood rushed to his head.
Song Yi didn’t respond to the remark, merely nodding with a faint smile.
“But then again…” Zheng Chong shifted his tone, “I do admit I’m somewhat in the wrong here.”
“How about this—we happen to have an open spot for a regular cast member on a farming variety show. We’ll give it to Chen Yong’s side as compensation. What do you think, Boss Song?”
The moment those words left his mouth, Chen Yong was so furious he wanted to curse out loud.
A farming variety show? Don’t think he didn’t know—they were only offering it up because its schedule clashed with Tomato TV’s new variety show and they no longer wanted it.
“Alright, we’re all from the same company. There’s no hurdle we can’t get past.” Song Yi finally spoke, reaching out to pat Chen Yong’s shoulder. “The casting for this farming variety show will be arranged by you, Chen Yong. What do you say?”
When Boss Song himself had spoken, how could Chen Yong possibly refuse?
Chen Yong’s teeth itched with hatred, but he had no choice but to force a smile and swallow this bitter pill in silence. “I’ll do as you say, Boss Song.”
“Good, then it’s settled. Everyone get back to work.” Song Yi waved his hand at them, signaling the meeting was over.
Chen Yong stormed out of the office, seething. Seeing Zheng Chong’s smug expression, he wished he could lunge forward and strangle him on the spot.
Only when the other man’s figure disappeared around the corner did he manage to calm down a fraction.
Turning around, he found his prized gem Xin Yun standing behind him with her arms crossed, watching him. Chen Yong immediately switched to a genial smile. “Xin Yun, what are you doing here?”
“I’ve been at the door the whole time—you just didn’t notice me, Brother Yong.”
Xin Yun raised an eyebrow. She’d been busy with promotional tours for her new film lately and had only come into the company today. She’d heard the news the moment she arrived.
“That bastard Zheng Chong is going too far!” Chen Yong couldn’t help but curse.
Xin Yun didn’t see it that way, though. She’d heard about the preparations for A Treasure-Like Countryside long ago. While the director and production team’s previous slow-burn variety shows hadn’t been particularly popular, they’d earned decent reputations.
Moreover, if she remembered correctly, that director’s background wasn’t exactly ordinary…
On the other hand, the new variety show Zheng Chong and the others were rushing off to at Tomato TV was full of hidden complications, and they’d apparently already settled on who they intended to push as the star.
For all the effort Xu Qianqian and Zheng Chong were pouring in, in the end they might just be making a wedding dress for someone else to wear.
“This farming variety show is actually pretty good.” Her calm remark managed to settle Chen Yong down as well.
Chen Yong had watched Xin Yun climb step by step to her current position as the company’s top star. Her instincts were often even sharper than his own as her manager. If she said so, there had to be a reason.
“So… do you want to go? Your next project is Director Lu’s Republican-era spy drama. I’ve heard Director Lu is very strict—you probably won’t be able to do any variety shows during filming.”
“Let Zhao Biezhi give it a try.” Xin Yun smiled. “The audition opportunity Xu Qianqian snatched away earlier was originally hers. Consider this returning the favor.”
“Zhao Biezhi?” Chen Yong furrowed his brow. “She lost so much weight before that she looked like a dried corpse. Putting her on a show would just be making a spectacle of herself.”
“Let’s have them come over and take a look first. If that doesn’t work, we can use the resources to trade for something else instead.”
Since Xin Yun had already spoken on the matter, Chen Yong naturally didn’t intend to say anything more.