He Sinian rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I already told you, I don’t like acting.”
Qiao Mai put down her phone and delivered a soul-searching interrogation: “You’re already bankrupt and in debt—you must be on the discredited persons blacklist by now, right? If you don’t act with me, which company would even dare hire you? How else do you plan on surviving?”
He Sinian was left completely speechless. His temples twitched twice, and he sighed with the resignation of someone accepting their fate. “Fine.”
“That’s more like it.” Qiao Mai patted his shoulder reassuringly. “Don’t worry, I won’t let anyone subject you to unmentionable industry rules.”
He Sinian: “…”
The next day, Qiao Mai brought He Sinian to an internet-famous tea restaurant.
Today, she had changed into an OL-style outfit: a silk blouse paired with black trousers, the hem casually tucked into the waistband. The shirt caught the light with a delicate, soft sheen, accentuating her slender neckline.
He Sinian wore a black satin shirt, left casually untucked, the collar open in a relaxed, loose V-neck that exposed the lines of his collarbones and chest.
Anyone else wearing that outfit would look like a nightclub bartender.
When he wore it, he looked like he was about to buy out the entire store.
The receptionist lady led the two of them to their seats, her gaze drifting toward He Sinian repeatedly, handing him the menu twice before he finally took it.
A few girls at the neighboring table stopped taking selfies and quietly pivoted their phone cameras in a different direction.
Sweeping her peripheral vision across the room, Qiao Mai felt her spirits soar. Bringing this face out to talk business instantly increased their winning odds by at least thirty percent.
Before He Sinian could even open it, Qiao Mai snatched the menu back.
“Guys only know how to pick the most expensive items when ordering, not the right ones. I’ll do it.”
Her gaze scanned the menu from top to bottom, then bottom to top, finally landing on the tiny line of text at the very bottom.
“One iced Americano and one glass of plain water, please.”
Twenty-five yuan.
The cheapest drink on the entire menu.
He Sinian shot her a look. Just moments ago, she had been swearing up and down about landing a million-dollar sponsorship, and now she couldn’t even bear to spend money on a single latte.
The clerk froze, her hand holding the ordering tablet suspended mid-air as if waiting for her to say “just kidding.”
But Qiao Mai had already closed the menu and considerately passed it back.
Only then did the clerk snap back to her senses. “Got it, please wait a moment.”
Soon, the Americano and the glass of plain water were served. Qiao Mai eagerly took the Americano and pushed the plain water over to He Sinian.
The clerk’s mouth twitched.
He Sinian, taking it all in stride with total familiarity, simply asked calmly, “Didn’t you say you wanted to find a big spender for a million-dollar sponsorship? You’re going to discuss it sitting right out in the main dining hall?”
Stirring her iced Americano, Qiao Mai explained with a completely straight face: “This is called commercial psychological warfare. The main hall is a public space; sitting right here makes us look more confident, showing we aren’t desperate for just anybody, which is how you reverse-psychology negotiate and handle them.”
“So that’s how it is.” He Sinian smiled faintly, a look that didn’t reach his eyes. “I thought you were just complaining that the minimum spending for a private room was eight thousand yuan.”
Qiao Mai glared at him. Even with her true motives called out, she remained completely composed. “So superficial! This is called self-confidence.”
He Sinian sneered. Of all things about this woman, her mouth was definitely the stiffest. Even the taxi fare had been scrounged out of the 750 yuan he earned yesterday, yet her confidence in blowing hot air was stronger than the CEO of Red Peak.
“Sister Qiao!”
Jenny’s voice rang out from the revolving doors.
Following closely behind, a middle-aged man with a protruding beer belly and a thick gold chain hanging around his neck walked in beside Jenny. An extremely eye-catching gold Rolex was strapped to his wrist, and his swagger as he walked was wide and bold.
Seeing the pot-bellied middle-aged man and recalling the rich second-generation heir she’d seen at the villa that night, Qiao Mai felt a wave of admiration for Jenny’s all-conquering hunting abilities. Unlike herself, who had spent half a lifetime struggling only to hook a He Sinian who wanted her dead.
“This is President Sun, the big boss I mentioned to you. He started out in the Shanxi coal mining business and has a huge interest in the entertainment industry, which is why he wanted to meet and chat with you,” Jenny introduced with a smile.
As soon as President Sun stepped through the door, he spotted Qiao Mai and realized she was even prettier than Jenny. His greasy eyes immediately latched onto Qiao Mai like hooks.
“I never expected Jenny’s producer to be such a great beauty. My surname is Sun, you can just call me Brother Sun.”
Seeing him extend two chubby hands toward Qiao Mai to shake hers, He Sinian’s dark eyes turned slightly cold, and his hand twitched instinctively.
“Oh my, I didn’t expect my Brother Sun to be such an open and straightforward person!” Qiao Mai stepped in first, clasping President Sun’s hand.
It was a light touch, released instantly.
He Sinian stared at her hand, which had just let go, his lips pressing tightly together into a thin line. Such a tactless woman.
“Since everyone’s here, let’s sit down and talk.” Qiao Mai proactively stepped aside, gesturing for President Sun and Jenny to take their seats.
President Sun rubbed the fingertips she had just shaken and said brazenly, “Alright, let’s sit together so I can listen to you explain in detail.”
Jenny’s smile faded slightly. She was the one who brought him, yet his eyes were entirely fixed on Qiao Mai.
He Sinian said in a cold voice, “No.”
As if only just noticing him now, President Sun sized him up for a moment before saying with disdain, “You’re just a pretty boy living off a woman, you don’t get a say here.”
Sensing the atmosphere turning sour, Qiao Mai quickly pressed a hand down on He Sinian. No acting out, this is our ATM!
Then, turning back to President Sun with a smile, she said, “Brother Sun, you really know how to joke. He’s not a pretty boy; he’s the male lead of the film and television project we’re here to discuss today.”
Ignoring He Sinian’s darkening expression, Qiao Mai shot Jenny a look.
Jenny reacted instantly, smiling as she pulled President Sun down to sit beside her.
After some casual bantering back and forth between the two of them, the tense atmosphere finally eased.
Seizing the opportunity, Qiao Mai steered the conversation back to investment.
“Brother Sun, you should have some understanding of the entertainment industry as it stands today. The waters in theatrical cinema are too deep, and long-form video platforms are monopolized by a few major giants. If you jump in with your capital right now, you won’t even hear a single splash.”
“That’s why micro-dramas are our true target.”
President Sun had initially assumed she was all flash and no substance like Jenny. He hadn’t expected her to actually have some substance.
Flipping through the proposal Qiao Mai had handed him, he said, “Your report claims a single micro-drama can pull in tens of millions in revenue, but as far as I know, the micro-drama market is already saturated. What gives you the nerve to make such wild claims?”
The fish had bitten the hook.
Staring right at him, Qiao Mai smiled and said, “Brother Sun, if you’re just watching the commotion from the sidelines, you’ll find every market saturated. But if you look closely, niche segments still hold massive dividends.”
“It’s true that micro-dramas are saturated, but the demand in the sinking market remains fiercely robust. That’s why what we need to do is emotional empowerment.”
“What kind of empowerment?” President Sun asked thoughtfully, gesturing for her to continue.
“Simply put, it’s building a traffic matrix to monetize instant gratification points.”
Qiao Mai accelerated her pace, firing off a rapid-fire volley of internet buzzwords.
President Sun’s brain couldn’t keep up with her speed. Hearing her talk about capturing pain points one second and closed-loop harvesting the next, his mind felt like it was tying itself into knots.
Holding his glass of plain water, He Sinian listened expressionlessly as she spouted formal-sounding nonsense.
As he listened on, he realized Qiao Mai wasn’t just blowing smoke—she actually possessed some genuine insight.
It made him recall once more what Zhou Xingluo had asked him last night about whether he was Qiao Mai’s personal ATM.
He couldn’t quite remember the specific details of her financial state, but given this woman’s ability to hoodwink people, all he had given up was a single apartment.
It wasn’t really much of a loss after all.