Su Zhu picked up her phone to take a look, and the caller ID still displayed Sister Ding. Her entire person drooped a bit more than just a moment ago.
Yet since the call had come through, there was no escaping it. Su Zhu took a deep breath, sat cross-legged on the bed, and answered the phone, “Sister Ding, is there anything else you need to instruct?”
The strain in Su Zhu’s voice was clearly audible.
“Judging by your tone, did I scare you?” Ding Yiwen’s voice was much softer than before. “Don’t take General Manager Duan’s words to heart just now. The company is under a lot of performance pressure lately, so she is in a rather poor mood and her words inevitably came across a bit harsh.”
A stick, followed immediately by a carrot.
Su Zhu lowered her gaze, putting on an extremely obedient expression, “I know. General Manager Duan has my best interests at heart.”
“Well, as long as you understand that, don’t be too resistant either. This industry is just like this.” Ding Yiwen shifted her tone and began analyzing earnestly, “Your data across various metrics has dropped drastically recently, and you’ve lost several commercial resources. If you don’t gain some popularity again, the market will truly weed you out. Creating a promotional couple pairing is the fastest way to break out. Whether it’s with Cao Yi or Xi Peini, as long as you can manufacture chemistry, subsequent film, television, and commercial resources will follow. The company also plans to cultivate you in the direction of idol dramas, so this is a great opportunity for you.”
Su Zhu remained clear-headed. She did not blindly believe everything just because her manager and boss put it that way, nor did she lose her reason simply because the future pie they drew was sufficiently large.
She voiced her own thoughts, “I understand all of that, but Sister Ding, I’m afraid of messing up and tanking.”
She explained step by step, “I have no prior connection with either of these two individuals. Forcing a pairing might backfire instead, as audiences aren’t stupid.”
“That is indeed true, but our intention isn’t for you to force anything,” Ding Yiwen explained patiently. “The production team will handle the editing, and our studio will also manage the public relations. Many things are processed and packaged afterward. You just need to seize the opportunity, interact with the two of them more, keep your shared frames natural, and leave the rest for the company and production team to handle.”
Su Zhu laughed bitterly inwardly. Since things had already reached this point and she was still rejected, it seemed the company was dead-set on having her manufacture a promotional pairing this time.
She even had a hunch that even if she refused, the company would subsequently edit footage deliberately to steer public perception and market her in a couple pairing anyway.
No matter what, she could not escape it.
Su Zhu felt completely numb, but lacking the power to resist, she simply joked, “If the company is truly determined to build my popularity this way, why not just have me try to latch onto that mysterious bigwig? If we could actually tie our names to someone like that, the trending searches you want would be on every single day.”
This remark was laced with a hint of grievance and a touch of mockery.
On the other end of the line, Ding Yiwen rolled her eyes exaggeratedly, “Forget it! We’d love to, but with your tiny status, you want to latch onto them? Even the production team didn’t dare bring them out for promotional hype, which tells you what kind of standing they hold. It’s probably just a courtesy appearance to walk through the motions. If you truly offend them, forget about resources; whether you’ll even have a place in the industry tomorrow is uncertain.”
Su Zhu smiled dryly.
Of course she understood; saying it was merely a joke.
She felt that even getting entangled with Cao Yi and Xi Peini would bring endless trouble, let alone that mysterious bigwig whose identity remained tightly under wraps to this day.
A mysterious bigwig?
For some reason, an image suddenly popped into Su Zhu’s mind, an existence whose beauty was breathtakingly captivating.
The moment she thought of it, her body shuddered uncontrollably, but she quickly chased the thought out of her head.
What was she thinking? It definitely wasn’t her.
She had read the original text, and in the original book, Song Yuran had never participated in a single variety show right up until her retirement, spending her entire life striving within the film and television industry.
Then, in this world, who else could possibly hold such a status within the circle?
Regardless of who it was, anyone was bound to be less terrifying than Song Yuran.
She would just play it by ear.
Having reached a conclusion, Su Zhu waited only a short while before the car dispatched to pick her up arrived.
Three rhythmic knocks sounded at the door, and the moment Su Zhu heard them, she knew people had arrived.
She neatly zipped up her suitcase, draped her jacket casually over her arm, and after taking a deep breath, transformed her expression into a polished, natural, business-ready smile.
“Teacher Su, you’ve kept us waiting.” Accompanied by this polite greeting, the moment the door opened, the production crew’s following cameras aimed straight at her.
Su Zhu smoothly exchanged pleasantries with the incoming crew members and clipped the microphone to her collar.
“What is our itinerary next? Are we leaving directly, or should we gather somewhere first?” Su Zhu asked.
“Everything is arranged on our end. The production team has sent a car to pick everyone up. Teacher Su, you don’t need to worry; just get in the car and prepare to meet everyone.”
The program’s schedule moved fast. Two days prior to departure, Su Zhu had already completed her solo interview recordings, meaning there were no other procedures today, they were departing immediately.
As she walked along carrying her suitcase, Su Zhu chatted calmly and gracefully with the staff members.
Walking all the way downstairs, she noticed a gleaming seven-seater commercial van parked by the roadside, its black body exuding a somewhat mysterious air under the sunlight. Taking a deep breath, Su Zhu boarded the vehicle, knowing there was no turning back.
For some reason, she harbored a lingering sense of foreboding in her heart.
She felt that this trip wouldn’t be quite that simple, but she quickly suppressed the uneasy feeling, attributing the emotion simply to nervousness.
After all, this was her very first job taken on with a brand-new identity since arriving in this world.
Being nervous was only natural.
Su Zhu reassured herself thus.
Approaching the vehicle, she pulled open the door. The moment her gaze met the people inside, the corners of Su Zhu’s eyes immediately curved into a bright, sunny smile, and she raised a hand to greet everyone.
A natural, youthful vitality flowed effortlessly from her, inherently making people feel close and friendly.
Simultaneously, during that brief greeting, Su Zhu’s eyes swept quickly across the interior of the van.
Currently, aside from the driver, four guests were already seated inside.
The venerable veteran artist Teacher Junrong sat in the front passenger seat. Most of her hair was white, and she hadn’t deliberately tried to style herself to look younger, yet her entire person radiated no trace of exhaustion; instead, she exuded a calm, peaceful, yet spirited and radiant energy.
The second row was a three-seater, with Xi Peini already occupying the innermost spot.
She had to admit, Xi Peini was indeed striking, dressed in a trendy and exquisite manner. The moment she caught sight of Su Zhu, Xi Peini smiled and waved, appearing exceptionally approachable and friendly.
Su Zhu immediately returned the smile.
In the very back row sat two men.
Without needing to guess, the one grinning broadly and laughing was the talk-show-background Zhou Lei, while sitting beside him with a completely expressionless, ultra-cool posture, as if acutely aware of his own good looks and constantly eager to display his handsome charm, was the popular rising idol, Cao Yi.
After quickly assessing the situation, Su Zhu stepped into the vehicle, “Hello, teachers. Sorry to keep you all waiting.”
Xi Peini reached out to steady her. Meeting for the first time, Su Zhu sensed a genuine warmth and friendliness in Xi Peini’s gesture.
With the seating arrangements essentially fixed, it was obviously impossible for Su Zhu to squeeze into the back row with the two male guests. Keeping in mind that there was still one more person yet to arrive, her only choice was to take the middle seat in the second row right next to Xi Peini.
Initially, she felt slightly awkward. After all, according to the original text, Xi Peini was also a tricky character, fussy, meticulous, and liable to let loose with venomous, sarcastic remarks whenever something displeased her.
She genuinely worried that sitting too close might invite disdain.
If Xi Peini threw a couple of barbs at her then, it would take plenty of brainpower just to smooth things over.
Su Zhu seated herself cautiously, deliberately maintaining a slight distance from Xi Peini to ensure she wouldn’t accidentally brush against her and cause trouble.
Yet unexpectedly, no sooner had she settled in than Xi Peini shifted naturally toward her, hooking her arm through Su Zhu’s with complete familiarity and ease.
Su Zhu: What?
In that instant, her inner reaction could only be described as terrified. With slightly widened eyes, she stared stiffly at Xi Peini.
Xi Peini turned her head at the exact right moment, offering a friendly smile. Yet just outside the camera’s capture, the moment their gazes crossed, Su Zhu instantly grasped the subtext hidden in Xi Peini’s eyes.
This was professional networking, working the camera pairing.
In her past life, although Su Zhu had mostly coasted along in her idol group, those who knew her well and played closely with her called her a sharp-witted operator.
They all knew that while she sometimes had to play dumb in the entertainment industry, her mind was clearer than anyone else’s.
Therefore, from that brief exchange of glances alone, Su Zhu understood immediately: Xi Peini had likely received similar instructions from her company, or had her own plan, intending to manufacture a promotional pairing with her.
Su Zhu: Ah.
Wasn’t this a coincidence?
She had previously received the company’s directive to find someone for a couple pairing. If she had to take the initiative herself, she would have felt rather embarrassed given the risk of inconveniencing others.
But now, since both parties shared the same need, well, mutual benefit was a great thing.
Since it was all just professional work, happy cooperation.
Still, this person…
Su Zhu silently appraised Xi Peini. Viewed in profile, Xi Peini possessed delicate features. While her visual impact fell short of Song Yuran’s terrifying allure, she undoubtedly qualified as a major beauty.
Today, she wore a champagne-colored silk shirt with a loosely tied collar, a slender silver chain around her delicate neck, and tiny, exquisite pearl studs accentuating her earlobes. Amidst a mature elegance polished by time, she retained a touch of haughtiness and playfulness unique to a young woman.
In short, from Su Zhu’s perspective, her initial impression of Xi Peini differed greatly from the text’s description of a petty character prone to scheming behind the scenes.
At the very least, she didn’t feel unlikable.
On second thought, in the original text, Xi Peini’s narrative role was positioned as an early-stage foil to Song Yuran. It seemed that once Song Yuran achieved her grand slam of awards, Xi Peini vanished completely from the original plot without a single remaining trace of screen time.
In other words, Xi Peini and Song Yuran would have no further intersection afterward.
Viewed that way, staying somewhat close and intimate with her shouldn’t risk offending Song Yuran.
With this preliminary judgment formed, Su Zhu instantly relaxed.
She leaned in closer to Xi Peini with equal intimacy.
Networking power: MAX!