Fengxing Media was situated in the heart of Jingdu.
As a landmark building in Jingdu, countless celebrities and industry heavyweights had walked through its doors. Countless artists racked their brains to get in and build their careers, only to be turned away at the door.
The sister duo Su Rou and Su Xi were two extremes within Fengxing Media.
One was a renowned Best Actress who had been coddled like a treasure by the company the moment she debuted, becoming a household name within months. Scripts and film offers piled up faster than she could accept them. With a dedicated PR team backing her up, no matter how scandalous the rumors Su Rou stirred up, her agency would sweep them under the rug within days.
The other was a cheap little white flower who relied solely on negative publicity to generate traffic, unvalued by the company. Aside from having an agent, she had to forge her own path to fame if she wanted any at all.
Oh, and speaking of that agent—she was the most controversial figure in the company, an eighteenth-tier bronze-level manager who was equally overlooked.
Su Xi burst through the company doors in a whirlwind. Her agent was already waiting at the entrance, jerking a thumb toward the meeting room. "They're in there. It's been an hour and they still haven't come out."
Su Xi tugged at her collar, revealing a tantalizing… cleavage, swayed her slender waist, and was about to barge in by force when—
The door suddenly swung open from the inside.
A thick, pungent wave of perfume hit her square in the face.
Su Xi fanned the air with her hand and looked up to see Su Rou stepping out, dressed in a champagne-colored V-neck floor-length gown. Her perfect décolletage was on full display, and the slit design showed off a pair of long, gorgeous legs. Every move she made radiated arrogance and unbridled pride.
The moment her heavily made-up face caught sight of Su Xi, it turned icy cold.
Su Xi smiled and strode closer.
"Sister, you really don't know the meaning of taking a break. Dressed up like that, people might think you just crawled out of the Spider Cave."
Her smile was as bright as a blooming flower.
She crossed her arms over her chest, her presence towering a full head above Su Rou's.
Colleagues passed by this way and that, but no one dared to interfere with the two of them. Everyone knew these sister duos couldn't stand the sight of each other.
Su Rou stared at the woman before her, a sinister glint flashing deep in her eyes.
At home, she could rely on Li Xuemei's favoritism to have Su Xi punished, but at the company, she could hardly get the upper hand.
Su Xi had a razor-sharp tongue—verbally, Su Rou could never gain the advantage. And when it came to looks, she was no match for Su Xi either.
If it weren't for Li Xuemei throwing money at her all these years to keep her fame a notch above Su Xi's, Su Xi would have long since crawled her way up from the eighteenth tier and taken her place.
"No matter how sharp your tongue is, what does it get you? You're still trampled under my feet. You'll spend your whole life clawing through the eighteenth tier on nothing but scandals. Su Xi, I suggest you get the hell out of this industry while you still can—otherwise… I'll make sure you never have a chance to turn your life around!"
Su Rou's face was full of arrogance. With a single word from her, Li Xuemei would risk life and limb to fulfill her every wish. She could obtain anything she wanted without lifting a finger.
And Su Xi? She would always be the sinner of the Su family!
Su Xi crossed her arms, looking down at her opponent. She truly had no idea where the woman found the confidence to spout such words.
"Try me." Su Xi's expression turned a few degrees colder. "As for what happened back then, no one knows the truth better than you. You flipped the narrative and slandered me on purpose to win Mom's sympathy, hoping to destroy my career. Let me tell you something—the moment I stepped into the entertainment industry, I never once thought about quitting."
"These years you've stolen things from me, and I will take every single one of them back from you!"
Su Rou laughed without restraint. "Even if it was my fault, do you have any proof?"
Back then, Su Xi was still young with hazy memories, but Su Rou was already eight and remembered the truth of what had happened.
But so what?
She was the one who had been trafficked.
Since Su Xi had stayed safely in the Su family, she should bear all the responsibility!
Su Xi let out a contemptuous laugh and said nothing.
Su Rou, furious, snapped, "What are you laughing at? Even if you find evidence, it won't change the fact that I was trafficked. Mom will always dote on me—anything I want, she'll personally place in my hands."
Su Xi suddenly strode forward, grabbing Su Rou's hair with one hand while slapping her hard across the face with the other. "You just love taking other people's things, don't you? Hmm?"
"Su Xi, how dare you hit me?" Su Rou struggled against her grip, but Su Xi held on too tightly, her scalp feeling like it was being torn off. Su Rou howled in pain.
"So what if I hit you?" Su Xi slapped her again, her tongue pressing against her back teeth, her expression vicious beyond words. "At home, Mom's blind and shields you, but out here, do you think I'd let you get away with it?"
If she really wanted to settle scores, Su Rou would have died hundreds of times over by now.
The reason she was still stuck in the B-list was her own plan. Otherwise, with Su Rou's meager talent, with so many stars in the entertainment industry, would it even be Su Rou's turn to rise to fame?
Ridiculous!
"Don't think that just because you've latched onto the Zhou family you can do whatever you want. Auntie Shen likes you, sure, but everyone knows Zhou Jingming's true nature. Just wait—you'll become a laughingstock, scorned by all, a widow in all but name!"
"As for that drama of yours…" Su Rou said in a pitying tone, "Your husband plans to make me the female lead. He said your acting is too terrible, you have no fame, and you embarrass him!"
Su Rou deliberately provoked her.
She hadn't expected Su Xi to actually land the role—and as the female lead, no less.
No wonder she'd been so calm this morning; she'd already had a plan.
Once Su Xi made a name for herself and won the Oscar for Best Actress, standing on equal footing with her, her career would definitely take a hit.
That was why Su Rou had spread the rumor about Zhou Jingming investing in the project, to throw Su Xi into a panic.
Things were progressing smoothly.
Sure enough, Su Xi had come storming to the company to confront her.
Once she found the right opportunity, she'd definitely make Su Xi lose the role and ruin her reputation.
In that moment of distraction, her body was shoved hard.
Su Xi looked at her with disdain, as if discarding trash. "Don't try to provoke me with that little game…"
Before she could finish, the conference room door opened.
A malicious glint flashed in Su Rou's eyes. She pinched herself hard several times, and in an instant, her face was swollen, red, and bruised.
Su Xi turned to look—a group of company executives were walking out.
"Xi'er, you've misunderstood. I really didn't mean to compete with you for the role. You're still the female lead of that drama. If you don't believe me, you can ask the leaders here…"
The executives noticed the commotion and all came over.
Su Xi sneered coldly. Trying to set her up?
After all these years of playing these tricks, wasn't this woman tired of it?
"Su Xi, Su Rou is your own sister. How could you lay such heavy hands on her?"
"Su Rou is the face of our company. You've injured her like this—how is she supposed to take on roles now?"
"Don't you know your own place? Would a popular Best Actress like Su Rou even covet your role?"
"We don't care how you sisters fight in the company on a daily basis, but this time, your deliberate assault is going too far."
"…"