Manna was completely bewildered by Lu Xia’s reaction. She never expected that Lu Xia would dismiss her so decisively, without leaving any room for negotiation.
When the old butler escorted her out, she was still in a daze. It wasn’t until she met her agent that she couldn’t help but complain, “What kind of person is this? She just kicked me out in the middle of our conversation!”
The agent had already heard the situation from the old butler and was now furious: “Didn’t I remind you before coming to behave properly? The other party is not an ordinary person. What’s wrong with you? Didn’t you even look at the materials I gave you? Do you think just because you have a bit of popularity now, you don’t know who you are anymore?”
Qiao Lan was also a Female, with a modest background, but over the years, she had managed to establish herself in the entertainment industry through her own efforts.
It was well known that most Female artists who appeared in the public eye in the entertainment industry came from ordinary backgrounds. Those from truly privileged families wouldn’t endure such hardships.
She had thought Manna would understand this simple truth. Although the Empire generally held Females in high regard, there were still clear hierarchies among them.
Unexpectedly, as soon as Manna achieved a little success, she adopted the typical haughty attitude of some Females, looking down on this and that.
Manna felt wronged by her agent’s outburst. Ever since her popularity had risen, Qiao Lan had treated her much more gently, and she had forgotten when she was last scolded.
She never expected that today, she would be publicly berated on the street just for losing such a small endorsement deal.
What exactly had she done wrong!
“Forget it, I guess you’re just not destined for great fame. Get in the car, don’t embarrass yourself here any longer.” Qiao Lan opened the car door first and got in. After a while, Manna finally climbed in. “Sister Lan, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize this endorsement was so important.”
Qiao Lan no longer wanted to say much to her. She opened the Light Screen on her Terminal and handed it to Manna. “See for yourself.”
Manna fell silent and began carefully reading the content on the Light Screen. She then discovered that the beauty cream developed by Yihao Yuan had already trended on social media through organic promotion even before its official launch. Many people were eagerly anticipating its early release.
With such high traffic and popularity, in her opinion, it hardly needed celebrity endorsements to sell well.
In fact, people would likely buy it for the product itself, not because of any particular celebrity.
On the contrary, the endorsing celebrity might gain a lot of exposure because of this product.
For artists like them, this was undoubtedly an excellent endorsement opportunity. Yet now, it had been ruined by her dismissive attitude.
She finally understood why Qiao Lan was so angry.
Realizing what she had lost, Manna couldn’t help but look at Qiao Lan and say, “I was wrong, Sister Lan. Is there really no chance left? I’m willing to apologize.”
“Who do you think you are? Just because you apologize, does that mean they have to accept it? Do you even know who the other party is? She’s a Duke. Do you really think she can’t do without you? To be honest, I was quite flattered that she personally came to discuss this matter with you today. At the very least, it showed she took it seriously. But you, on the other hand, acted all high and mighty in front of her. Forget it, don’t say anymore. If something isn’t meant for you, even if it’s handed to you, you won’t be able to hold onto it. And I don’t want to completely offend someone because of you.”
Qiao Lan’s meaning was clear: she wouldn’t risk offending someone like Duke Lu Xia for Manna’s sake.
At this moment, Lu Xia did not take Manna to heart, after all, she was not the only one they had scheduled to meet today.
Several candidates had been screened out earlier.
After Manna, Lu Xia met with three more individuals in succession, ultimately selecting one Female and one male as the spokespersons for the No. 1 Courtyard Beauty Cream.
Once the candidates were finalized, Lu Xia went to meet with the director. Only after finalizing the advertising script were the preparatory tasks before the beauty cream’s launch completely concluded.
Leaving Yihao Yuan, Lu Xia returned to the car and asked, “Where can I buy gene fusion agent?”
The old butler was slightly taken aback by the sudden question before replying, “Generally, only the Gene Research Institute sells it, but it’s only released once a year in July. That time has already passed. If you want to purchase it now, you can only try your luck on the Black Market.”
At this point, the old butler couldn’t help but wonder if Duke Lu Xia intended to buy it for Grace.
He was naturally aware that Grace had been staying in the master bedroom recently.
For a male who could receive the female master’s favor throughout the night, it was truly the highest honor.
Especially since the other party was a ‘defective product’ male.
The old butler even felt that everything Grace was receiving now surpassed what the Main Husband in other households enjoyed—it was simply no longer the treatment a Husband-Attendant should receive.
“Where is the Black Market, and can anyone go there?” Lu Xia was not surprised that the Empire had a Black Market. After all, no matter where you are, there will always be places untouched by sunlight.
She just needed to understand the rules of the Black Market. She required a gene fusion agent to prepare for her upcoming research.
However, she wasn’t in a great hurry. At the very least, she would only launch the Second Institute after Yihao Yuan was on track.
“The Black Market has no rules; anyone can go. However, if you wish to go, it’s best not to go alone. You could consult Grace about this,” the old butler offered his suggestion.
Lu Xia leaned back in her seat and raised an eyebrow. “Is he well-versed in this area?”
“Grace is, after all, from the military, and the military has annual tasks to crack down on the Black Market. He should know some information.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Xia nodded, planning to ask Grace about it after returning home.
When they arrived home, Grace had already prepared dinner. Seeing her enter, he proactively stepped forward to take her bag and coat. “Did everything go smoothly today?”
Grace asked naturally, no longer showing the restraint he had during their first meeting.
The old butler couldn’t help but glance at him again. He had naturally observed Grace’s transformation and even felt that Grace didn’t seem like an ordinary ‘defective product’ male.
But upon careful thought, an ordinary ‘defective product’ male wouldn’t have been able to become a military colonel on his own.
“It went fine. I have something to ask you. Do you have time now?”
“Yes, what is it?” Grace replied as he followed Lu Xia back to her room.
Once in the room, Lu Xia went directly to the dressing room while Grace stood outside, listening to her question. “How much do you know about the Black Market? I plan to go there when I have time. I want to buy a gene fusion agent for research. The butler said the Gene Research Institute only releases it in July each year, and that time has already passed. The only way to get it now is through the Black Market, but I don’t know much about it.”
Suddenly hearing Lu Xia mention the Black Market, Grace’s gaze darkened, but she quickly returned to normal. “When do you plan to go? I can accompany you.”