Xia Wei didn’t know whether Song Qiao was actually living in Emerald Bay or not, so after thinking about it, she still replied with a “good” to her cousin.
She really needed to move out. Her parents’ relationship was actually quite good, and they shouldn’t keep arguing because of her matters. If they argued too often, cracks would inevitably appear.
Right on time, she wanted to go out somewhere peaceful to clear her head. Her dad Xia Yiyuan’s attitude was also getting on her nerves; there was no need to go looking for trouble for herself.
Xia Wei planned to go look at apartments tomorrow after work and was planning to move over the weekend.
The coffee was placed on Song Qiao’s desk as usual, arranged according to the old routine.
“Thank you.” Song Qiao lifted her gaze and glanced at Xia Wei, quickly withdrawing her sight to stare at the computer screen again.
Xia Wei returned to her workstation to organize the KOL data spreadsheet, while Xie Xiaoqing was answering a phone call nearby with her voice kept very low.
At the end of the corridor, the sound of high heels came over—the rhythm was fast and light, unlike Song Qiao’s steady pace, looking more like an urgency carrying a sense of purpose.
Xia Wei looked up and saw a woman standing at the entrance of the Product Promotion Department.
Around thirty-five years old, short hair, deep blue suit dress, exquisite makeup, holding a folder in her hand. Her gaze swept across the office area with a business-as-usual appraisal, and then lingered for a moment on the door of Song Qiao’s office.
“Is Director Song in?” she spoke, her voice not loud, but every word was very clear.
Xie Xiaoqing put down the phone and stood up. “Team Leader Qin? Director Song is in, please wait a moment.”
Team Leader Qin. Xia Wei recited it silently in her heart. She had seen this person before; the last time she went to the Business Department for a meeting, she was the only female present, one of Zhao Heng’s capable right-hand assistants, in charge of business development. It was said she was efficient, spoke directly, and was not easy to deal with.
Xie Xiaoqing walked up to the door of Song Qiao’s office and knocked on it. “Director Song, Team Leader Qin from the Business Department is here.”
The door opened. Song Qiao stood at the doorway holding a pen, and seeing Team Leader Qin, her expression didn’t change at all. “Team Leader Qin, something the matter?”
Team Leader Qin smiled, that smile very professional, neither too long nor too short. “Director Song, Director Zhao invites you to go to the Business Department at ten o’clock for a meeting regarding the business cooperation matchmaking for the Starlight Project. There are a few brand representatives who want to understand the specific details of the project, and the Product Promotion Department needs to give a brief introduction here.”
“The business cooperation for the Starlight Project is handled by the Product Promotion Department itself,” Song Qiao’s tone was flat. “There is no need for the Business Department to coordinate.”
Team Leader Qin didn’t back down, instead taking half a step forward. “Director Zhao’s meaning is that the brand representatives who came this time are connections on the Business Department’s side. They are interested in the Starlight Project, but want to hear the overall planning of the Product Promotion Department first. It’s not coordination, it’s cooperation.”
She bit down slightly heavier on the word “cooperation.”
Xia Wei stood by her workstation, looking at Song Qiao’s profile. There was no expression whatsoever on that face, but Xia Wei noticed her finger gently tapping on the coffee cup—only once, with a fast rhythm.
“What brand representatives?” Song Qiao asked.
Team Leader Qin opened the folder and glanced at it. “Three. A clothing brand, a beverage brand, a beauty brand. All top-tier, with budget and intent.”
Pausing, she raised her head to look at Song Qiao. “Director Zhao feels this is a great opportunity for the Starlight Project, so he is inviting Director Song to go over in person.”
Song Qiao didn’t answer immediately. She took a sip of coffee, put down the cup, and leaned against the door frame.
“Ten o’clock,” she said. “I will go, but the planning of the Product Promotion Department will be explained by our Product Promotion Department. We don’t need people from the Business Department speaking for me.”
Team Leader Qin looked at her for two seconds, closed the folder, and smiled. “Of course. Ten o’clock, Business Department meeting room, looking forward to Director Song’s presence.” She turned and walked away, the sound of her high heels growing farther and farther away until it disappeared at the end of the corridor.
The office area fell quiet for a fleeting second.
Xie Xiaoqing was the first to speak: “When has the Business Department ever been this polite? They even sent someone over to invite [us].”
“It’s not being polite,” Lin Yuan put down the materials in his hand and pushed up his glasses. “Probably because that Baldy Zhao came and took a stroll yesterday without fishing out any news, so he’s pulling this stunt today.”
Xia Wei frowned, recalling the backstabbing tricks pulled by the Business Department behind their backs. She glanced at Song Qiao—Song Qiao had already returned to her office, with the door half-open.
“Lin Yuan, Xia Wei,” Song Qiao’s voice came from inside.
Lin Yuan and Xia Wei pushed the door open and went in. Song Qiao sat before her desk with her laptop already unfolded, having written a few words on it.
“Ten o’clock, the two of you go first,” Song Qiao didn’t look up. “Bring your laptops, bring all the publicity data of the Starlight Project. Xia Wei will go up to present. If they want to listen, let them listen.”
Xia Wei was stunned: “I’m going up to present?” She had only been here for two weeks, and for a meeting connecting with brand representatives like this, to let her go directly…
“Mm.” Song Qiao lifted her gaze to look at her, her gaze carrying a trace of—encouragement.
That look invisibly gave Xia Wei a reassuring pill. Since even Song Qiao felt she could go up and present, what was she afraid of?
Fear was a matter of the heart, but courage had to be magnified; this was the supreme truth her grandma had chanted to her since she was a little girl.
“And,” Song Qiao paused, “no matter what they ask, answer what you know, and say you don’t know what you don’t know. Don’t make things up, don’t pretend. The people from the Business Department are better at picking faults than you are.”
Lin Yuan stood aside, keeping silent. He had confidence in Xia Wei; having been here for two weeks, she had completely caught up with the rhythm.
Moreover, since Xia Wei hadn’t been in the Product Promotion Department for long, letting her go was the most appropriate choice—she could hold back or advance. If a person who had just joined the department could clearly explain the progress of the Starlight Project, wouldn’t the Business Department be anxious to death?
“Lin Yuan, you go compile a report right now, as fast as possible.” Song Qiao looked at Lin Yuan.
Lin Yuan nodded. He knew what Song Qiao was going to do, and lowering his head, he forcefully suppressed a smile.
People always couldn’t help smiling when they were up to no good.
Lin Yuan went out, leaving only Song Qiao and Xia Wei in the office. Song Qiao stood up, walked to Xia Wei’s side, looked into her eyes, and asked, “Scared?”
“No,” Xia Wei shook her head.
“You only need to figure out one thing—whether the three brands they mentioned are ‘intentions’ or ‘already negotiated’.”
The hands Xia Wei kept by her sides tightened a bit more. Song Qiao lowered her gaze, reached out, and firmly gripped Xia Wei’s hand: “Xia Wei.”
“Mm?” The moment her hand was grasped by the back of Song Qiao’s hand, half of Xia Wei’s body felt as if it had been struck by lightning, tingling and numb, her brain completely incapable of thinking about anything.
“The Business Department and we have always been at odds. Don’t feel any pressure. Even if there really is an intention of cooperation from a brand, they won’t easily hand it over to us, understand?”
Song Qiao’s underlying meaning: If you’re pissed, just fight.
“Okay,” Xia Wei heard herself say. How she walked out, she had no idea herself.
Standing in the corridor, raising her hand, lowering her gaze, she looked at that hand that had been held by Song Qiao.
“Xiao Wei, I’ve sent the report to you, look over it.” Lin Yuan was close to Song Qiao’s office and raised his eyes to see Xia Wei standing dazedly in the corridor.
He thought Xia Wei had been frightened, so he walked up to her and looked at Xia Wei with something unclear in his gaze.
“Relax, we’re going to smash their joint. Bring out some aura.” Lin Yuan wanted to reach out and pat Xia Wei’s shoulder, but felt men and women should keep their distance, and finally gave her a soothing smile.
Xia Wei smiled and didn’t explain: “Thank you, Brother Yuan.”
“You’re welcome. Look over the report, and come ask me immediately if anything is unclear, or ask Xie Xiaoqing,” Lin Yuan said before returning to his place.
Xia Wei nodded, turned back to her own workstation to prepare. Now there were less than thirty minutes until ten o’clock.
At nine-fifty-five, Xia Wei and Lin Yuan walked side by side into the floor of the Business Department.
In the glass cubicles on both sides of the corridor, people from the Business Department sat, their gazes casting over from all directions like invisible threads entangling a person. Some lowered their heads to whisper in private, while others blatantly sized them up.
Xia Wei hugged her laptop tightly, lifting her chin slightly, walking neither too fast nor too slow, with her spine straight.
The meeting room was at the end of the corridor, and the door was open.
Five people were already seated on both sides of the long table. Zhao Heng was at the head seat, Team Leader Qin was on his right hand, and the other three were backbones of the Business Department. There were no brand representatives.
When Xia Wei walked in, Zhao Heng stood up. Seeing that there were only Xia Wei and Lin Yuan, the smile on his face froze, but he finally twitched the corners of his mouth, smilingly pointing at the seats opposite.
“You’re here, sit down.”
Xia Wei sat down, and Lin Yuan sat beside her, opening his laptop.
Team Leader Qin sat opposite, her gaze landing on Xia Wei and lingering for two extra seconds.
Zhao Heng leaned against the back of his chair, his fingers resting together. “Your Director Song isn’t coming?”
Xia Wei’s tone was relaxed, as if this were her home turf, prompting even Lin Yuan to look at her sideways, as if the person sitting beside him was Song Qiao, making his spine straighten up involuntarily.
Stabilized.
“…” Zhao Heng’s laugh came out from his nasal cavity, unclear whether it was annoyance or helplessness.
“Then let’s begin. Bringing your Product Promotion Department this time is mainly because three brand representatives are very interested in the Starlight Project and want to understand the specific details of the project. Team Leader Qin, you introduce it first.” After speaking, Zhao Heng continued to lean against the back of his chair, crossing his arms and staring at the computer in front of him.
Team Leader Qin stood up, walked to the projection screen, and clicked the remote control. The logos of three brands appeared on the screen—a clothing brand, a beverage brand, a beauty brand.
They were all first-tier domestic names that Xia Wei had seen in supermarkets.
“These three brands are long-term cooperative relations with our Business Department,” Team Leader Qin’s voice was very clear. “They recognize the positioning of the Starlight Project, especially the concept of ‘long-term cultivation,’ which relatively matches their brand tone. But they need to understand more detailed promotional plans, the exposure rhythm of the trainees, and the specific forms of cooperation.”
After she finished speaking, she looked at Lin Yuan.
Lin Yuan leaned against the back of his chair with a relaxed demeanor, turning his head to look at Xia Wei. Meanwhile, Xia Wei didn’t rush to speak; she glanced at the three logos on the screen and then looked at Zhao Heng.
“Director Zhao, are these three brands ‘intentions’ or ‘already negotiated’?” Rather than beating around the bush and asking, it was better to directly ask Zhao Heng for the answer.
Zhao Heng’s smile paused for a moment. “Currently they are intentions, but they are very interested in the project. As long as the Product Promotion Department can give a clear plan, signing is not a problem.”
Xia Wei nodded and opened her notebook. “Good. Then let me talk about the promotion plan and trainee exposure rhythm of the Starlight Project.”
She stood up, walked to the projection screen, and took the remote control from Team Leader Qin’s hand.
Team Leader Qin was stunned for a moment and stepped back. Xia Wei clicked once, switching to her own page—not the Business Department’s template, but her own materials, clear in logic and substantial in data.
“Starlight Project, the third week of the warm-up period has concluded. The KOL dissemination matrix has completed its first round of placements, with a total exposure of twenty-three million and an interaction rate of 4.7%. This Wednesday, six trainees were officially announced; this Friday, the premiere trailer goes online; next Monday, the main feature broadcasts.” Her voice wasn’t loud, but every word was crystal clear.
“The trainee exposure rhythm is divided into three stages—the warm-up period, the breakout period, and the finale period. The core dissemination points of each stage and the ways cooperating brands are embedded are all written here.”
She pointed to the table on the screen.
“The clothing brand can do clothing sponsorship at the finale debut gala, the beverage brand is suitable for variety show placement during the breakout period, and the beauty brand can do product exposure in short-video materials during the warm-up period. The specific forms of cooperation can be further adjusted according to the brands’ budgets and demands.”
The meeting room fell silent for a few seconds.
Zhao Heng leaned against the back of his chair, his fingers tapping lightly on the tabletop.
Team Leader Qin looked at the screen with no change in expression, but Xia Wei noticed her fingers gripping slightly tighter on the folder.
After finishing, Xia Wei returned to her seat and closed her notebook.
“The planning of the Product Promotion Department is like this. If the brand representatives are interested, we can set a time to talk in detail.”
Zhao Heng looked at her for a few seconds and then smiled. “Xiao Xia prepared very thoroughly.” He turned his head to look at Team Leader Qin. “Team Leader Qin, make arrangements to send the Product Promotion Department’s plan to the brand representatives and set a time for a tripartite meeting.”
Team Leader Qin nodded: “Okay.”
Zhao Heng stood up and picked up his phone. “Then that’s it for today. Xiao Xia, Lin Yuan, you’ve worked hard.”
Just as the voice fell, a graceful figure appeared at the doorway of the meeting room, not knowing whether she had just arrived or had been standing there for a while.
“Sorry, I’m late,” Song Qiao said as she walked in, her gaze sweeping over the projection screen. “Is it over?”
“Yeah, Director Song really is a busy person,” Zhao Heng replied with a fake smile.
Song Qiao smiled. “Director Zhao, next time you have a meeting, you can send out an agenda in advance. The Product Promotion Department has its own arrangements too, and temporary notifications easily cause conflicts.”
Zhao Heng’s smile stiffened, but he quickly recovered. “Okay, definitely next time.”
Song Qiao turned and walked out, with Xia Wei and Lin Yuan following behind. The moment she stepped out of the meeting room, Xia Wei heard Team Leader Qin’s voice coming from behind, very soft, not knowing who she was talking to: “She actually prepared quite comprehensively.”
Song Qiao’s footsteps didn’t stop, the two people behind continued to follow, walking out of the Business Department’s corridor and entering the elevator.
The moment the elevator door closed, Song Qiao leaned against the elevator wall and closed her eyes.
“How much did you record?” she asked.
“They brought up the upper budget limits of the three brand representatives, but didn’t explicitly state how much it was,” Lin Yuan answered.
Xia Wei followed up: “I saw the numbers when Team Leader Qin flipped the folder. The clothing brand budget is probably around three million, the beverage brand five million, and the beauty brand two million.”
Song Qiao opened her eyes and glanced at her. That look seemed to say, “You’re getting better and better at this.”
Lin Yuan secretly gave Xia Wei a thumbs-up on the side.
“Go back and organize it, mark the upper budget limits of the three brands,” Song Qiao said. “Next time we talk, add twenty percent upward on these numbers.”
Xia Wei nodded, lowering her head to write a line in her notebook.
The elevator reached the floor of the Product Promotion Department, and the doors opened.
Song Qiao walked out, her pace a bit faster than when she came.
Xia Wei followed behind, looking at her straight back, and suddenly recalled what Song Qiao had said—”When the Business Department comes, they aren’t coming to help; they’re coming to see how we die.”
But today, what the Business Department saw wasn’t how the Product Promotion Department died; what they saw was that the Product Promotion Department was better prepared than them, knew what they wanted more clearly than them, and needed them even less than them.
Xia Wei returned to her workstation, opened her computer, and began to organize today’s meeting minutes. Xie Xiaoqing leaned over. “How was it? Did the Business Department make things difficult for you guys?”
Xia Wei thought for a moment and said, “They wanted to make things difficult, but couldn’t find an opportunity.”
Xie Xiaoqing smiled and patted her shoulder. “Not bad, Xiao Wei. Hanging out with Director Song for so long, even your speech has that flavor of hers.”
Xia Wei was stunned for a moment, then smiled, casting a glance toward the direction of Song Qiao’s office.
The door was closed, and behind the frosted glass, Song Qiao’s silhouette sat before her desk, motionless. Xia Wei withdrew her gaze and continued working.
She knew this battle was far from over, but she also knew that as long as Song Qiao was in front, she wouldn’t be afraid.
Before the morning was even over, Song Qiao sent Xia Wei a message asking her to go learn about a person—Cheng Yanqiu.
As soon as Xia Wei received the message, she began searching online for related materials to read.
Even during lunch, she kept holding her phone to read. Seeing this, Xie Xiaoqing even teased her, saying she went to a meeting and came back all motivated.
“Yeah, checking some materials,” Xia Wei didn’t mention Cheng Yanqiu’s name; Song Qiao had never mentioned Cheng Yanqiu to them before.
She wasn’t sure if Song Qiao had told Xie Xiaoqing and the others.
Cheng Yanqiu, in her sixties, was a “living fossil” in the domestic film and television criticism circle. When she was young, she had been a continuity supervisor, screenwriter, and assistant director, and switched to criticism at age forty. Her writing was sharp and she dared to speak the truth, known within the circle as “Big-Mouth Cheng.”
A film she praised might not necessarily sell well, but a film she cursed would definitely bomb. Over twenty-some years in the industry, she never participated in any commercial activities and never accepted appearance fees of any kind, hailed by the media as “the last backbone of the entertainment industry.”
Her legendary status lay in this: there was once a big-budget costume epic costing over a hundred million, and before its release, they sent her ten premiere tickets. After watching it, she wrote eight characters in her column—”Gold on the outside, rotten on the inside.” On the day the article was published, the producer’s stock price dropped by three percent. Later, that film’s word-of-mouth indeed collapsed, and the box office failed miserably.
From then on, people in the circle both respected and feared her—respected her vision, feared her pen.
After retiring, Cheng Yanqiu lived in the south, occasionally writing columns, and most of the time drinking tea, feeding fish, and scolding people. It was said she never proactively contacted people in the industry and rarely accepted visits. Many people wanted to see her, but very few could actually see her. Her rule was: I don’t see people I don’t want to see, nor listen to words I don’t want to hear.
Just after the afternoon break, Song Qiao called Xia Wei into her office.
As soon as Xia Wei entered, Song Qiao placed her car keys on the desk: “Drive my car to the Xianghe Pastry Shop in the old city district and buy a few types of traditional pastries. I’ll send the specifics to your phone.”
Pausing again, she said: “Then drive back and wait for me in the underground parking lot.”
“Okay,” Xia Wei didn’t ask further, took the keys, and went out.
While waiting for the elevator, Xia Wei couldn’t help thinking that today she would probably get to see Cheng Yanqiu.
Driving to the location, Xia Wei finally understood why Song Qiao had let her come this early. This queue… it was estimated she’d have to wait an hour.
Obediently walking to the very end to queue up, Xia Wei underestimated today’s ultraviolet rays, which left her dizzy, making her use her phone to shield her eyes.
An hour later, according to the message Song Qiao sent, Xia Wei bought two boxes, wrapped them in kraft paper, and tied them with hemp rope.
She sent a photo of the pastries to Song Qiao and drove back to the company to pick up Song Qiao.
Parking the car in the designated spot, Xia Wei sent another message to Song Qiao. Soon, Song Qiao came down, got into the passenger seat, and glanced back at the pastries resting in the back seat.
“Where are we going?” Xia Wei asked.
Song Qiao didn’t speak, pulling up the navigation on the car’s console and setting the route. It was still in the old city district, at a historically long-standing hotel.
Xia Wei glanced at it, stepped on the accelerator, and drove out onto the road.
“Don’t you have anything you want to ask?” Song Qiao asked with her eyes closed.
Xia Wei shook her head, then remembered Song Qiao had her eyes closed now: “No.”
The corners of Song Qiao’s mouth twitched upward, she didn’t speak anymore, closing her eyes to rest. Today she had temporarily received news that Cheng Yanqiu had come to see an old friend of hers, and this was an opportunity she had begged for by drinking tea with elders.
Arriving at the location, Song Qiao pushed open the door and got out, glancing around, while Xia Wei went to the back seat to fetch the pastries.
“Teacher Cheng just likes this taste,” Song Qiao said, her tone sounding like she was talking about a topic she had researched for a long time.
Carrying the pastries, Xia Wei followed Song Qiao into the hotel lobby.
The hotel was very old, of an old-fashioned style. The lobby was covered with dark red carpets, and the air carried a stale sandalwood scent. The front desk said Teacher Cheng had gone out in the afternoon and it was unknown when she would be back.
Song Qiao didn’t say anything, sitting down on the lobby sofa and opening her laptop to start working.
Xia Wei sat next to her, not knowing what she should do.
“You can do your own things.” Song Qiao didn’t even raise her head.
Xia Wei took out her phone, browsed the news for a while, read a few pages of an electronic book, and finally stopped on the materials regarding Cheng Yanqiu.
Time passed very slowly, and every tick of the clock in the lobby felt like it was deliberately dragging out. She glanced at Song Qiao—Song Qiao’s laptop was already filled with two full pages, densely packed with notes related to the Starlight Project.
Song Qiao’s eyebrows were slightly furrowed, but her expression was very calm, like someone handling a task she had long anticipated would take a lot of time.
The sunlight casting its light onto the lobby carpet slowly shifted from bright yellow to orange-red.
Xia Wei’s stomach growled, exceptionally clear in the quiet lobby. Song Qiao didn’t look at her, but the corners of her mouth moved slightly.
“Hungry?” Song Qiao asked.
“No,” Xia Wei said, and her stomach growled again.
Song Qiao closed her laptop and stood up. “Let’s go, eat.”
“Not waiting anymore?”
“She’ll definitely be back tonight,” Song Qiao’s tone was very certain. “An old friends’ gathering hasn’t broken up by this hour. She’ll be back before eight o’clock; she goes to sleep at nine-thirty, clockwork-like.”
Xia Wei followed Song Qiao to find a noodle shop nearby and ate a bowl of fried sauce noodles. Song Qiao ate very quickly, and after finishing, checked her watch several times.
Xia Wei noticed her chopsticks had stayed in her hand the whole time, never being put down.
Returning to the hotel, it was already past seven o’clock.
The lights in the lobby were a bit brighter than in the afternoon, and the dark red carpets appeared even older under the illumination. Song Qiao sat at her original spot, flipping her laptop to a fresh page and starting to write again.
Xia Wei sat beside her, watching the hotel entrance.
Close to eight o’clock, a black taxi stopped at the entrance.
The car door opened, and an old lady stepped out.
Her hair was completely white and cut very short, exposing her ears. She wore a dark blue cotton-cloth tunic, black cloth shoes, and carried a cloth bag in her hand. Her whole person was thin and small, but her waist and back were held very straight, and she walked neither fast nor slow, every step stepping very steadily.