The next day, Bai Jinge arrived at the company at the agreed-upon time and went straight to her manager’s office.
Beneath her feet, this entire building was the main headquarters of Yehua Entertainment and Film, situated in a prime location in the downtown area.
The Ye Group primarily operated in the real estate industry, with subsidiaries ranging from entertainment and film companies to restaurants and hotels. Yehua Entertainment was merely a branch under the umbrella of the Ye Group.
Inside the office, Cai Mei was dressed in a gunmetal-gray custom-tailored suit, paired with a sharp, neat chin-length bob. She looked shrewd, capable, and efficient as she half-leaned against the comfortable leather backrest of her chair.
Her phone was propped against her shoulder while she was on a call, and she nudged it in place with the side of her head. With both hands holding an open file, she flipped through the pages with a rustling sound every now and then. Her face was icy as she spoke to the person on the other end of the line, her tone unmistakably hostile.
Alright, alright! Don’t come here trying to play the human favors card with me; we don’t have any personal friendship to speak of. I’ll give you two more days. If you still can’t handle this tiny little matter, don’t blame me for being heartless!
With that, Cai Mei snapped the open file shut with a sharp clack. With a wave of her hand, she passed the folder to the female secretary standing nearby.
Cai Mei: Get out.
The secretary hurriedly received the file with both hands, not even daring to breathe too loudly: Yes!
Cai Mei: Brew two cups of coffee. One cappuccino with extra sugar and milk, and one Americano with extra sugar.
Female Secretary: Understood, Director.
Although Cai Mei was an ordinary Beta, her work capacity was exceptionally strong. As the Director of Artists for Yehua Entertainment, she had stopped managing newcomers eight years ago. However, one day two years ago, the president called her into the office, tossed a person’s file in front of her, and uttered a single sentence.
You will manage her personally. Those were the only six simple words.
The reason Cai Mei remembered it so clearly was because it was the first time the president had ever broken her silence to personally assign an artist to her. Therefore, Cai Mei had no choice but to break her rule and start taking on rookies again.
Fortunately, this newcomer was very well-behaved and obedient, never causing any trouble for her. She worked hard, showed incredible dedication, and possessed zero scandals.
When facing Bai Jinge, Cai Mei instantly switched to a warm expression, beckoning to Bai Jinge who had been quietly sitting on the sofa all along, and said softly, Jinge, come here.
Bai Jinge was already used to seeing Cai Mei lose her temper and wasn’t frightened by the woman’s earlier demeanor. She stood up, walked over with poise and self-assurance, and accepted the file handed to her by her manager.
Cai Mei: Don’t just stand there, sit on the sofa and read it slowly.
Bai Jinge nodded, lowered her gaze to glance at the bold characters on the cover, and then turned around with the file, walking back toward the sofa. She smoothed her skirt slightly before taking a seat.
The cover read in large characters: This Moment’s Heartbeat, Variety Show Contract Terms.
In truth, This Moment’s Heartbeat had already aired its first season, and the reception for that season was quite decent. Although it didn’t become a massive viral hit, it still managed to carve out a bloody path amidst a crowded field of dating variety shows.
For this second season, the production team was striving to innovate. While maintaining a guest lineup consisting of two celebrities and four non-celebrities, they narrowed the gender restriction of the cast strictly to the word female.
Although these four non-celebrities weren’t from the entertainment industry, they were all figures with formidable social backgrounds. The particular non-celebrity paired up with Bai Jinge to hype a fake couple dynamic, a shipping CP, held no less influence than a regular celebrity.
Du Niantong, the most pampered youngest daughter of the Du Group, was only twenty years old. She was a young, beautiful Omega whose pheromone scent was a sweet peach flavor.
Bai Jinge frowned, raising her eyes to look at the manager sitting behind the desk, and asked bluntly, Mike, am I supposed to manufacture a romantic ship with a female Omega?
Cai Mei shrugged: Yes, exactly.
Bai Jinge looked puzzled: But I’m an Omega, too.
Same-sex shipping was no longer a rare sight nowadays, and many celebrities reaped significant dividends from it. However, cultivating a lesbian romance where both partners shared the exact same secondary gender was something Bai Jinge was seeing for the first time.
Cai Mei smiled: Of course I know you’re an Omega. Jinge, you claim to be in the entertainment industry, so why aren’t you sharp about pop trends? Don’t you know that female-female Omega-Omega pairings are all the rage right now? Besides, people are exceptionally obsessed with same-sex OO romances.
Bai Jinge: …
Cai Mei reined in her smile and said earnestly, Jinge, this third young miss of the Du family who is shipping with you has quite a powerful background. Cultivating a CP is nothing more than putting on an act anyway; nobody is forcing you to actually fall in love.
As for the other non-celebrity you’ll be dating, just casually go through the motions to keep up appearances. The key is to strike a spark with this Third Young Miss Du.
By the way, you two should have met before, right? Cai Mei suddenly thought of something, her conversational tone shifting abruptly.
Bai Jinge thought about it for a moment and replied, We met once, but it was several years ago. We probably don’t have much of an impression of each other.
Bai Jinge vaguely remembered that this Third Young Miss Du wasn’t very tall and looked quite pretty. However, she could no longer recall the specific details of her appearance. Furthermore, at that time, Third Young Miss Du was still a minor, around fourteen or fifteen years old, completely retaining her adolescent childishness.
Cai Mei looked at Bai Jinge’s ethereal, otherworldly face, which looked as though it had been crafted by a deity showing off, and smiled with profound meaning, her smile light and faint.
[Jinge, oh Jinge, no one fails to retain an impression upon seeing you for the first time.]
An hour later, everything Cai Mei needed to brief Bai Jinge on had been completely covered. Aside from the dating variety show mentioned at the beginning, there was also an artistic film slated to start filming early next year.
As for the male lead and other important supporting roles, auditions were still ongoing, but Bai Jinge had already been locked in as the female lead.
Cai Mei was extremely happy, showing a rare, unconcealed joy. She took a small sip of freshly ground coffee, slowly set down the cup, and said, Jinge, this is Director Qin’s production after all, and he specifically requested that you play the female lead in his new drama. Opportunities like this are rare, so you must seize it well.
Bai Jinge nodded: Don’t worry, Mike. I will definitely play this role well.
Cai Mei: Alright, the work matters I needed to tell you are all done. You can head back now. I haven’t arranged any public schedules for you these next few days; stay home and rest well, and spend more time with your child. With no one else in the office, Cai Mei didn’t bother holding back and casually brought up the child.
The variety show isn’t urgent either; it won’t be until December.
Bai Jinge: Understood, Mike.
After Bai Jinge left, Cai Mei suddenly and belatedly realized a question: Did Bai Jinge actually need to go on that dating variety show in the first place? And did she even dare to push forward with this CP marketing anymore?
As the Director of Artists for Yehua Entertainment, Cai Mei held absolute authority and decision-making power when it came to artist management.
If not for that phone call from the president’s secretary earlier, Cai Mei wouldn’t have had a single reservation. After all, for the past three years, the president had never once inquired about Bai Jinge’s situation.
After pondering for a long time, Cai Mei took the relevant documents regarding the dating reality show and knocked on the door of the president’s office.
Inside the president’s office, the executive chair had completely spun around. A slightly low voice emerged from behind it, sounding pleasant to the ear, yet chillingly cold.
What is it, Director Cai?
Cai Mei took a deep breath and said, President Ye, there’s a matter I can’t quite make up my mind on and need you to make the final judgment.
Ye Yunwan: I’ve said before, matters regarding any artist are entirely up to your discretion.
Cai Mei: It concerns Bai Jinge!
As soon as those words left her mouth, the massive office suddenly fell deathly silent, quiet enough to be terrifying. Several seconds later, the president’s voice finally sounded once more.
Speak. Just a single, simple word.
Cai Mei: A dating-style variety show approached us and specifically requested Bai Jinge to participate. The production team’s idea is that we can also conveniently slip a newcomer into the cast. It’s a win-win project, so I agreed.
Ye Yunwan: And so?
The total lack of emotional fluctuation in the president’s tone made it very difficult for Cai Mei to guess her thoughts. After a few seconds of thought, she picked out the most crucial point: A dating variety show is essentially a disguised form of manufacturing a fake CP. Even though it’s all fake, but…
Ye Yunwan: Did you tell Bai Jinge?
Cai Mei: I did. I just told her today, and Bai Jinge had no objections and has already signed.
In a spot where Cai Mei’s gaze could not reach, the woman’s complexion turned pitch-black and terrifyingly gloomy, her right hand resting lightly on the armrest of her chair. Her well-defined index finger curled inward, and her fingertip tapped once.
One tap, two taps, three taps, and then she stopped.
Good.