Su Chengzi’s gaze was sharp as a blade, making the hairs on Li Wanbai’s neck stand on end: “What do you mean I’m the biggest flaw?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. Look at that clear stupidity in your eyes—no different from contemporary college students. You have no workplace experience, no interpersonal skills. Look at what you’ve done—didn’t your company just sell you out this time? With you like this, how can I feel at ease letting you go on variety shows alone?” Su Chengzi gritted her teeth, “Especially since this show has that…”
Seeing Li Wanbai’s confused expression, she swallowed the name and crossed her arms: “Fine, I’ll go with you to the variety show.”
“You’ll come with me? But what about your job?” Li Wanbai asked in confusion.
While jewelry designers typically enjoy considerable freedom in their careers, Su Chengzi was different. She had her own studio and contractors to manage. Running a small company meant she couldn’t afford to be as carefree as freelancers—while freelancers only need to support themselves, she had to support everyone in her entire studio.
No work meant no money to pay salaries.
Su Chengzi waved her hand dismissively: “I’ll just dissolve the studio. I’ll come join you as your personal assistant. If I remember correctly, Canyang Entertainment hasn’t assigned you a personal assistant, so you have to handle everything yourself. Once I’m here, that won’t be necessary anymore.”
“No, I don’t agree,” Li Wanbai blurted out.
“Why wouldn’t you agree? You should be secretly thrilled to have me as your personal assistant. You won’t need to worry about daily trivial matters—after all, I’ve been taking care of you since we were kids.
And don’t worry too much about the variety show either. I’ve been closely following your development in the entertainment industry these past few years. I know exactly who you get along with and who you don’t!” Su Chengzi snorted and made the final decision, “It’s settled then. I’ll dissolve the studio tomorrow.”
“Wait, wait, don’t be so impulsive! I don’t agree!” Li Wanbai stared in disbelief. Had her ears deceived her, or had Su Chengzi just decided to abandon her decade-long career within one minute?
“Girl, you can’t be this impulsive. This is completely unnecessary…”
“How is it unnecessary? This job wasn’t something I particularly liked anyway.” Su Chengzi turned and sat on the adjacent armchair, picking up the bubbling cola from the coffee table. “I only pursued this career after college because of you—because you loved this industry. Although I don’t know why you ultimately chose to enter the entertainment industry, I thought someone should remember who you were in high school, remember your dreams from back then. Maybe even dreams follow some law of conservation of energy—if someone loses a dream, someone else must fulfill it. Yu Baichuan followed you into the entertainment industry to protect you, while I stayed here to guard your dreams. It’s the same thing. Now that you need me, why wouldn’t I come?”
Li Wanbai pressed her lips together, feeling a pang of sorrow in her heart as indescribable emotion spread through her.
She could tell that Su Chengzi wasn’t using this as emotional leverage or moral blackmail—she was simply stating the facts with calm composure.
“You’re going to make me feel guilty,” Li Wanbai finally managed to say after a long pause.
Yet this single sentence perfectly encapsulated her immensely complex feelings at this moment.
She always felt that over the past decade, she hadn’t done much for Su Chengzi, while Su Chengzi had been silently giving for her all along.
Her heart felt as heavy as Mount Tai weighing on it, making it hard to breathe.
Su Chengzi glanced at her and sighed softly: “Alright, since you insist, I can postpone dissolving the studio for now. But I’ll take a break from work to accompany you in recording that variety show. With you being this adorably clueless, I can’t just abandon you to handle the variety show alone. The entertainment industry is such a mixed bag – one slight misstep and you’ll be chased by critics.”
“I’m already being chased by critics…” Li Wanbai hadn’t finished speaking when Su Chengzi looked up and glared at her fiercely. Her eyes darting away, she continued, “But if you want to accompany me, then do. My mind really is completely blank right now.”
She could barely count the colleagues she knew in the entertainment industry – just Yu Baichuan and Ye Xiruo.
These were the only two she was relatively familiar with.
The reasons for familiarity being that one was her former crush turned current husband, and the other was her good friend from the same company.
Given her current blank-minded state, appearing on a variety show would definitely offend a large number of people.
Though considering her current status of being universally criticized online, it wasn’t like she had anything left to fear anyway.
Su Chengzi seemed to read her thoughts and scolded with exasperation: “Nonsense! You must maintain good relationships within the industry! Who knows what that damned company of yours is thinking – deliberately riding on Yu Baichuan’s popularity, taking the controversial fame route, getting you chased by critics everywhere! Any normal person would prefer to hear praise and compliments – nobody actually wants to listen to online abuse! I suspect there isn’t a single normal person in your company!”
Su Chengzi took a deep breath and expressed his sincere concern and worries about Canyang Entertainment with colorful language, including but not limited to inquiring about the health of the management’s entire families and asking whether the ancestral graves of several executives remained undisturbed.
None of the past scandals about her were true anyway. The controversies surrounding Li Wanbai simply boiled down to her being unworthy of the position as Yu Baichuan’s wife and frequently using him for publicity.
Quite objective criticisms actually.
Li Wanbai had never solicited prostitutes, never evaded taxes, never committed adultery… wait, hold on, that third point remained questionable for now. But regardless, nobody could stand on moral high ground to condemn her, let alone use legal means to punish her.
At most, she had poor reputation in the entertainment industry, making some film projects hesitant to actually cast her. They might just use her name to attract fans and create buzz, without causing any substantial damage to her personal interests.
But if she offended industry insiders, everything would be different.
Li Wanbai would truly never see the light of day again.
This was something Su Chengzi couldn’t bear to see.
“Isn’t it normal for me to think this way? What if you get your reputation cleared someday?” Su Chengzi pursed his lips. “Haven’t we seen enough people who completely whitewash their past misdeeds just because they did one good thing? Not to mention you’ve never done anything wrong to begin with! The only somewhat improper thing you’ve done is probably taking advantage of Yu Baichuan’s love for you to freely ride on his popularity, but so what?”
Li Wanbai tearfully reminded: “That wasn’t me who did that.”
“Stop the nonsense. Just because you haven’t done it before now doesn’t mean you never did it in the past! But that’s not the point. The point is, I have a feeling this variety show might just be the perfect opportunity for your redemption!” Su Chengzi’s eyes blazed with fighting spirit, her entire being instantly energized. “I declare the redemption plan begins now!”
Li Wanbai sat beside her with a bewildered expression.
Wait, what are you talking about?
What’s going on? It’s starting just like that, all muddled and confused?