"Give me a reason. Do you not know that having Zhang You seated next to you was the company's idea? If handled well, you could gain a wave of fans and keep the hype around you alive!"
After the rehearsal had ended, He Jinxia had just returned to the company but hadn't said much to Luo You before he pulled her into the conference room for questioning.
He Jinxia's expression remained unchanged. She calmly found a chair to sit down and said, "The information you sent me mentioned that Zhang You's fans are mostly girlfriend fans. Tying myself to such a person for publicity will only invite criticism, without any benefits."
"But this is your only chance," Luo You couldn't help but raise his voice.
He took a deep breath, trying to calm his excited emotions, and explained gravely, "Jinxia, you're no longer the kind of female star who can hide behind a group. You've been kicked out of the JY girls group, there's no member to cover for you, you must create your own buzz and make headlines if you want to turn the tables in this adversity."
"What's most important right now is not to protect your own feathers but to pull back your popularity that's about to hit rock bottom and preserve your status as a second-tier star, otherwise both you and I are done for."
Luo You leaned his hands on the table, bent down to make eye contact, and said word by word, "You can't be willful anymore!"
He Jinxia's eyes gleamed faintly, her dark pupils looking at Luo You with an indifferent, strong and chilling aura.
Under that gaze, Luo You felt as if someone was choking his throat, his heart suddenly filled with unease.
He swallowed, coughed a few times, and his fierce expression quickly softened, gently saying, "Jinxia, I know I was a bit harsh just now, but we are in a crisis. We need to secure our positions in the company first before we can look to the future, right?"
Seeing how quickly he changed his face, He Jinxia was somewhat bemused. She withdrew her intimidating aura and replied softly, "Brother Luo, do any of the top stars in Hua Country have a lot of scandals?"
Luo You was stunned for a moment, not understanding why she would ask this. After pondering a bit, he said, "No, the public image of top stars is almost perfect. Even if scandalous rumors surface, there's no solid evidence."
He Jinxia nodded slightly and continued softly, "Then do you think, someone who will become a top star like me, should still be tied up in these publicity stunts with Zhang You?"
Luo You instinctively answered, "If you're aiming for a top star, then this kind of publicity definitely won't do, but—"
His words choked, his eyes widened, and only then he belatedly realized what she had just said.
"Wait, what did you just say? What kind of star did you say you want to become?"
He Jinxia gave him a slight smile and said cheerfully, "A top star."
Luo You was still puzzled: "What, what kind of star?"
He Jinxia glared at him, her mouth corners slightly tightened and suddenly she raised her hand and slammed the table with a loud "bang!"
Luo You shivered on the spot.
Soon, He Jinxia's voice filled the conference room again. Although her face still wore a smile, it carried a subtle chill as she said in a low voice, "Brother Luo, I said I want to become a top star. Do you have any objection?"
Luo You immediately shook his head, quickly saying, "No objections, absolutely no objections."
Damned, with this lady glaring at him so fiercely, how could he dare to utter a "no"?!
He mentally compared their physiques. If it really came to a fight, well, he might, probably...actually not be able to beat her...
He Jinxia nodded, withdrew her intimidating gaze, and sweetly said, "Then, I hope for more guidance from you in the future, Brother Luo."
Luo You forced a smile on his face, which was stiff, thinking that he had better find an opportunity to scout some promising trainees on the bustling streets instead. No matter how he thought about it, this plan made more sense than "He Jinxia becoming a top star"!
He Jinxia was a fatso.
In big bold words—Fat! So!
There has never been a precedent in this world for an overweight person to become a top superstar!
He must have been insane to think He Jinxia could achieve it.
At that moment, He Jinxia silently handed him a piece of paper.
Luo You couldn't understand what trick she was playing and carefully took the paper, only to find it was the script of "Letter to Future Self," the letter that He Jinxia would read to her future self.
This letter was handwritten by He Jinxia herself, and it was the first time Luo You had seen it.
Just by reading the first line, his face changed.
He couldn't help but look up at He Jinxia to see her face was calm, then he suppressed his thoughts and continued reading with a progressively solemn expression.
After a long while, Luo You took a deep breath, reached up to touch his forehead, and unsurprisingly found it covered in cold sweat.
Just by reading the content of the letter, he felt extremely nervous.
Luo You licked his dry lips and stared intensely at the letter, his hand unconsciously tightening around it, he asked, "Are you really going to do this?"
He Jinxia stood up and spoke indifferently, "If I don't succeed, I'll accept my fate. I have no other options now. This is the only way I can think of to turn things around, Brother Luo, neither of us has a way out."
Luo You bowed his head slightly, his face changing dramatically, his eyes flickering with hesitation, struggle, doubt... but eventually, they settled into a look of resolve.
He Jinxia was right, they had no way out.
If he proceeded with his original plan, tying her publicity with Zhang You, he could only ensure that He Jinxia remained a second-tier star this year and continued at the company for another four years, but beyond that, he couldn't see a clear path.
Indeed, he couldn't see a future for He Jinxia.
Now, with He Jinxia stepping aside and the publicity with Zhang You unable to proceed, her letter opened a new path.
If handled well, He Jinxia's career could shine once again, but if not handled correctly...
Luo You took a deep breath, clenched his teeth, and heavily slapped the table, creating a loud bang, and said fiercely,
"Let's do this one! If you can pull it off, I'll even buy you a spot on the trending searches!"
It was a crazy gamble, a gamble on He Jinxia's future!
***
The next afternoon, He Jinxia arrived on time at the Imperial Eastern City Film and Television Building, on the fifteenth floor.
As the director outside signaled "start," the recording of the variety show "Letter to Future Self" officially began.
The intellectual female host smiled at the camera and said, "Hello everyone, welcome to 'Letter to Future Self.' This time we have invited four guests over, and you probably wouldn't guess who they are."
"The first guest..."
Ji Jiawen emerged from the other side, placed her hands over her head, and formed a heart shape toward the camera.
The host chatted with Ji Jiawen for a while and let Ji Jiawen announce the news of the second guest. Soon, the male star Nan Ming walked out, exuding an aura of an aging dignitary.
Nan Ming had a very upright appearance, which was very much in line with the aesthetic of over a decade ago, but in today's era, becoming a fresh young star just wasn't possible.