With Gu Zhanran helping to make the connection, Huo Mingze quickly arranged things for An Juexiao.
“About your little new fling…”
Gu Zhanran reminded him, “Watch your wording.”
“Oh, your little darling, satisfied now?” Huo Mingze corrected himself instantly.
Gu Zhanran paused, then explained, “We are not the kind of relationship you are thinking of.”
Hearing this, Huo Mingze laughed so hard he almost lost his head, but he managed to hold back. “Alright, alright. An Juexiao, I’ve already arranged everything for her. Me, a big boss, personally making arrangements for her. Touched?”
Gu Zhanran: “……”
What answered Huo Mingze was the standard silence of the Gu family.
“Fine, fine. I know you. The type who says nothing but feels everything inside. I’ve already received your gratitude through the air,” Huo Mingze was excellent at giving himself an out.
Gu Zhanran actually wanted to remind him not to overinterpret things so happily, but on second thought, discussing business was more important than arguing with him.
“Which agent did you assign to her?”
“Wei Li.”
Wei Li was Yaohui’s artist director and a well-known agent. Among the current top five actresses and four major traffic stars in the industry, three had been cultivated by him. Several newcomers under Yaohui had also risen to fame overnight under his management.
Thinking back on his interactions with An Juexiao during this period, Gu Zhanran felt that she was not aiming to follow a pure traffic-driven path.
“He’s not very suitable for An Juexiao.”
“Not suitable?” Huo Mingze was shocked. “Do you even know that any artist under Wei Li becomes popular?”
“Wei Li specializes in building buzz-driven artists, creating personas, stirring scandals, and generating traffic. He really doesn’t match with An Juexiao. Still, thank you.” Gu Zhanran expressed his gratitude politely. For Huo Mingze to assign Wei Li to her already showed considerable sincerity.
Hearing the words “thank you,” Huo Mingze was momentarily stunned, almost flattered.
Soon, he caught on.
“You want to give An Juexiao a more grounded agent?”
“Mm.” Gu Zhanran said, “The relationship between an agent and an artist is essentially a partnership. Compatibility in temperament matters a lot too.”
Even after hanging up, Huo Mingze was still dazed. After a while, he muttered to himself, “Good heavens.”
Gu Zhanran was putting in so much effort, this was not just pampering some little sweetheart. For someone like Huo Mingze, any pretty girl could be called a darling. But this, this was practically raising a future wife.
Although Gu Zhanran’s request sounded a bit demanding, for Huo Mingze, arranging it was a matter of minutes.
Very soon, An Juexiao met her new agent, Li Xi.
In An Juexiao’s words, this agent was a stunning beauty. It would have been a pity if she had not entered the entertainment industry as a star.
Seeing An Juexiao shaking her head and sighing in admiration, Li Xi laughed and patted her shoulder. “You’ll understand later why I didn’t become an artist.”
Along with Li Xi came a girl with a bun hairstyle and black-rimmed glasses. She was An Juexiao’s work assistant.
A work assistant was necessary because Li Xi managed several artists and could not stay by An Juexiao’s side at all times. The assistant would follow her closely and handle detailed coordination and daily tasks.
An Juexiao held the bun-haired girl’s hand, almost tearfully. “I finally have an assistant too, but…”
She looked at the petite, baby-faced girl suspiciously and asked worriedly, “Sister Xi, is it okay for us to hire child labor?”
“Pfft.” Li Xi and the bun-haired girl both burst out laughing.
“She’s already twenty-eight, she just looks young.”
Hearing that, An Juexiao quickly apologized. “Sis, sorry, you just look too young.”
The bun-haired girl: “……”
Li Xi: “……”
Li Xi held her forehead. “You’ve messed up the hierarchy. You’re the artist, she’s the assistant. By convention, she should be calling you ‘sis.’”
An Juexiao waved her hand. “Let’s not follow convention.”
An Juexiao could be a bit blunt at times, but unexpectedly, the bun-haired girl was just as straightforward. Hearing An Juexiao call her “sis,” she immediately became fired up.
“For that one ‘sis,’ I’ve got your back from now on. If anyone dares to pick on you, I’ll fight them until even their own mothers won’t recognize them,” Zhang Xiaowan declared, thumping her chest.
Because of her youthful appearance, Zhang Xiaowan had always been treated as the younger one growing up. Being called “sis” for once made her enthusiasm burst out from the heart.
An Juexiao was taken aback. “Fight?”
Li Xi explained, “Xiaowan studied computer science. She used to be a fan and ran online marketing accounts. She was known as the leader of internet trolls. Before working with me, her automated troll networks once crashed several websites.”
Zhang Xiaowan said shyly, “Sister Xi, please don’t bring up my embarrassing past.”
To her surprise, An Juexiao’s eyes widened as she exclaimed, “Sis Bun, that’s amazing.”
Hearing that An Juexiao not only did not mind her past but even praised her, Zhang Xiaowan became even more excited.
Watching the two of them clasp hands, looking at each other tearfully like long-lost soulmates, Li Xi suddenly felt a headache coming on.
Li Xi worked efficiently. After taking over An Juexiao, she quickly came up with a weight-loss plan.
“Lose weight?” An Juexiao was stunned when she received the plan. She had never expected that her first task after signing with an agent would not be filming, variety shows, or interviews, but losing weight.
“Your next project is a film. The big screen is even more unforgiving than television. Even a little extra weight will be magnified and make you look like a balloon,” Li Xi said, sizing her up. “89, 66, 85, 100? You do need to slim down a bit.”
An Juexiao hugged herself. “Sister Xi, are your eyes a measuring tape and a scale?”
“Was I right?”
An Juexiao struggled weakly. “Actually, I’m 99.5.”
“What’s the point of clinging to that decimal?” Li Xi shot her a sharp look. “Xiaowan, from today onward, keep an eye on her.”
As soon as Li Xi finished speaking, both An Juexiao and Zhang Xiaowan looked at her.
Li Xi realized her slip and covered her forehead. “I’ve been influenced by you. Xiaowan, keep a close watch on Juexiao.”
“The schedule from Director Zhang’s side has come in.”
“From late May to late June, there will be a month of training, covering etiquette, culture, and acting.”
“Filming starts in July,” Li Xi said. “Director Zhang is low-key by nature. He dislikes actors using his projects for publicity. Previously, an actress tried to hype herself using his name before joining the set and was directly removed.”
Li Xi added with some regret, “Otherwise, it would actually be perfect to launch you now with the label of ‘Zhang girl.’”
An Juexiao, however, was very self-aware. “I’m just the third female lead. Calling me a ‘Zhang girl’ would be a bit embarrassing, wouldn’t it?”
Li Xi looked at the young An Juexiao, who held the schedule in one hand, her expression calm and composed.
“By the way, why did you give up the second female lead?”
“Sister Xi, of course I know the second female lead has more screen time and is more likely to stand out and gain fans, but the third female lead fits my image and temperament better.” An Juexiao paused, then said, “If you think I’m foolish, I accept that. But don’t worry, now that you’ve taken over my work, I’ll cooperate with your arrangements.”
Li Xi smiled, a hint of appreciation appearing in her eyes. She liked artists who understood when to advance and when to retreat.
“People respond to sincerity with sincerity. Since you trust me, I will naturally give my all in guiding you.”
“Everything can be discussed. Here’s to a pleasant collaboration,” Li Xi said straightforwardly.
Before an artist becomes famous, an agent usually holds much more power, and there are plenty who force their decisions onto artists.
An Juexiao’s eyes lit up. “Then about the weight loss…”
Li Xi immediately turned cold and firm. “No room for discussion.”
An Juexiao tearfully posted on her social media, saying that people always say men’s words cannot be trusted, but women are about the same.
Gu Zhanran gave it a like.
An Juexiao: President Gu, you’re still awake?
Gu Lucky Star: Yes, I just returned to the country. My jet lag is a bit off, I can’t sleep.
In truth, his insomnia was not just due to jet lag. It was an old problem. Recently, listening to An Juexiao rehearse her lines for him had eased it a little.
An Juexiao: Want to chat for five mao?
To be honest, many women had tried to flirt with Gu Zhanran late at night. Some had been bold enough to slip into his room wearing sheer nightgowns, others had pretended to be drunk at banquets and thrown themselves into his arms.
Among all of them, An Juexiao was the most unusual.
In the lonely stillness of the night, she truly just wanted to chat.
Gu Zhanran: …
Gu Zhanran: Pay first, then we chat.
One second later, Gu Zhanran saw a red packet sent to him.
Wishing you prosperity and good fortune.
Open red packet.
He tapped it open.
Five yuan.
Author’s note:
Gu Zhanran: A man’s mouth can do many things.
“!!!” An Juexiao hurriedly covered it. “No innuendos right now.”