On the way to START Entertainment, Ji Xueli felt light-headed and unsteady.
Damn it, that Duan Qingyu showed no consideration for her at all—he actually made her sleep on the sofa. When she woke up in the morning, she had even fallen onto the floor.
“Li Li, why do you look so pale? Coming to START Entertainment to sign a contract, how could you not put on any makeup?” Her manager, Han Chen, couldn’t help but worry when he saw Ji Xueli’s somewhat haggard appearance.
“I’m fine, I just didn’t sleep well,” Ji Xueli said, taking out a pair of sunglasses and putting them on to cover up a bit.
Han Chen leaned in curiously, “But Li Li, how did you manage to connect with START Entertainment? I thought you still wanted to make it on your own.”
“Having a company saves trouble,” Ji Xueli replied without any pretense, yawning openly.
How did she manage it? All thanks to her shameless persistence…
“That’s true, especially with a big company like START Entertainment. But I’ve heard their boss has no boundaries when it comes to men or women—we need to be careful,” Han Chen warned cautiously.
No boundaries between men and women? Ji Xueli had just stuffed an egg into her mouth and nearly choked when she heard this. She coughed a few times, “Who are you talking about? Duan Qingyu?”
Seeing her reaction, Han Chen quickly patted her back, “Yeah, the Crown Prince. It seems he was the one who hosted the Sea Ball, but Li Li, with the Ji family backing you, you should be fine.”
“Those rumors probably aren’t true, right…” Ji Xueli was somewhat skeptical. Rumors should just be rumors, shouldn’t they?
“I don’t know, but even with those rumors, there are plenty of people trying to climb into the Crown Prince’s bed. After all, the Duan family is the leading prestigious clan,” Han Chen said.
Ji Xueli nodded, inexplicably feeling a sense that she might fail in capturing her target…
“This is the contract. If there are no objections, you can sign it,” Zhen Zhang, Duan Qingyu’s secretary, handed the contract to them and said.
In the process, he couldn’t help but sneak a glance at this big star who was about to make a comeback. He could tell she wasn’t wearing makeup, but her skin was fair and smooth. The sunglasses covered most of her face, but she was undoubtedly a rare beauty.
No wonder President Duan had drawn up a unique contract just for her.
Han Chen picked up the contract and reviewed it together with the lawyer beside him, while Ji Xueli, feeling utterly bored, picked up some fruit and casually asked, “Where’s Duan Qingyu?”
“President Duan is in a meeting,” Zhen Zhang replied, unsurprised that she knew him but taken aback that she dared to call him by his full name.
“When will the meeting end? I’ll wait for him to have lunch,” Ji Xueli thought since she was already here, she might as well have a meal with him before leaving.
“I’m sorry, Miss Ji, President Duan already has a lunch appointment,” Zhen Zhang said.
Unwilling to give up, Ji Xueli pressed further, “Who’s the appointment with? Cheng Du?”
“It’s with President Ji Yanzhou,” Zhen Zhang replied. Given his position, he naturally knew some things about the four great families.
Ji Yanzhou again. Ji Xueli took a bite of fruit and then said, “Then I’ll go too. I’ll wait here for Duan Qingyu.”
“Li Li, don’t forget you still haven’t chosen your script,” Han Chen said. Hearing Ji Yanzhou’s name had already made his heart tremble, and now hearing that she wanted to go too, he hurriedly tried to dissuade her.
“I’ve looked at them. I’ll choose the second villain role—I like this one,” Ji Xueli said to him nonchalantly.
Han Chen pursed his lips, wanting to say something but unable to find the words. Whatever, Li Li must have her own ideas. Maybe seeing the woman beside Ji Yanzhou would make her give up.
After the morning meeting, Duan Qingyu’s brows were furrowed with irritation. Those utterly foolish old-timers—he truly wished he could kick them out immediately.
Zhen Zhang noticed his foul mood and cautiously spoke up, “Mr. Duan… Miss Ji is inside.”
Duan Qingyu glanced at him without a word, pushed the door open, and was greeted by the sight of the woman asleep on the sofa.
Her soft, fair, and delicate face looked much the same as when he had seen her upon waking up in the morning, and her posture was just as unrestrained…
Seeing that Ji Xueli was asleep, Zhen Zhang stole a glance at Duan Qingyu’s reaction. He noticed no change in his expression, but he still didn’t dare to relax.
Duan Qingyu walked over and flicked her forehead without a hint of gentleness.
“Ouch!” Ji Xueli cried out in pain, jolting awake. “Who hit me…”
She sat up, rubbing her forehead, and saw Duan Qingyu’s cold, indifferent face. Her voice gradually trailed off.
“Are you planning to sleep on every sofa I own?” Duan Qingyu’s voice was light and airy.
What did that mean… Zhen Zhang’s expression cracked slightly.
“You’re the one who made me come so early. I almost died of exhaustion here,” Ji Xueli retorted, still rubbing her forehead.
“What are you doing here? Haven’t you finished signing the contract yet?” Duan Qingyu said, turning his gaze to Zhen Zhang.
Zhen Zhang quickly waved his hands. “It’s already signed. Miss Ji said she wanted to wait for you to have lunch together.”
“Yeah,” Ji Xueli nodded emphatically.
“I have plans for lunch,” Duan Qingyu said as he walked over and sat down at his desk.
“Then let’s all eat together. One more person won’t make a difference,” Ji Xueli shrugged indifferently.
Duan Qingyu looked at her and suddenly smiled. “I’m having lunch with Ji Yanzhou and her assistant.”
“I know. Zhen Zhang told me,” Ji Xueli said dismissively.
After all, Ji Yanzhou was her childhood friend. Though she could be a bit unpleasant, for Duan Qingyu’s sake, she could tolerate it.
Duan Qingyu twirled his pen in silence for a long while. Just as Zhen Zhang was about to speak up to dissuade Ji Xueli, he finally said, “Fine.”
Zhen Zhang widened his eyes and looked at him, only to see him curl his lips slightly and add, “Then let’s all eat together.”
Zhen Zhang concealed his emotions and quietly retreated. He couldn’t quite understand—if Miss Ji wanted to see Ji Yanzhou, why did she have to ask Mr. Duan…
Could it be that Mr. Duan liked Miss Ji, while Miss Ji was solely focused on reconciling with Ji Yanzhou?
But there was no woman Mr. Duan couldn’t win over. Still, Miss Ji was different from those other women.
Ah, the world of the wealthy elite is a turbulent one… Zhen Zhang sighed.