Yu Shushu glanced at Pei Jin, who possessed formidable competitive potential, and continued:
"Speaking of which, this matter also has to do with Pei Jin. Madame Wang is the primary investor in *Epiphyllum*. Yesterday, Baichi and I saw him enter a private booth alone with Madame Wang, and they didn't come out for a long time."
"Pei Jin earned his place at the table with Madame Wang through his own strength to discuss a role. Why didn't your artist have a meal with Madame Wang? Was it because he didn't want to?"
Li Qianqian let out a cold laugh, refusing to follow the direction of her prompt at all.
Yu Shushu looked at Li Qianqian in disbelief, never expecting her to speak to her with such hostility. Turning her head, she saw that Pei Jin was still sitting there in a daze.
Having worked as a manager for so many years, she was quick-witted and sharp. She instantly guessed that Pei Jin had likely won over Li Qianqian, which was why she was willing to quarrel with Li Baichi just to protect him.
"Qianqian, I'm sorry. Perhaps I'm not very tactful, but I meant no harm. I just wanted to give you a reminder. Some minor artists have one face in public and another in private, and there's very little truth in what they say. You'd better not believe everything they tell you."
"If you're only here to slander my artist, then get out."
Li Qianqian raised her eyes to glance at her. She had no interest in playing diplomatic games with her here, nor did she have any intention of pandering to her.
Hearing those thorn-filled words, Yu Shushu felt as though her whole body had been plunged into an ice cellar, chilled to the absolute extreme.
Yet, thinking of the resources in Li Qianqian's hands, she could only force out a smile through sheer endurance.
"Then... let's talk about business. I came here to ask about the script for *Epiphyllum*. Baichi has always loved this kind of sunny, youthful role."
"Mm." Li Qianqian gave a perfunctory response as she flipped through the contract in her hands.
Seeing that the other woman did not proactively offer the role to her artist as she used to, and didn't even spare her a glance, Yu Shushu felt her fingertips tighten involuntarily and a wave of humiliation wash over her.
She couldn't help but feel resentful toward Li Baichi for his irresponsibility. He had agreed to come and ask about the role, but left in a fit of anger, abandoning her to face everything alone.
Unable to speak her mind directly, Yu Shushu could only probe as tactfully as possible:
"Qianqian, how many chances of winning do you think Baichi has if he goes to the audition?"
Li Qianqian stopped what she was doing, the corners of her lips curling into an amused smile as she said unhurriedly, "I'm not the director. Why are you asking me this question?"
Yu Shushu frowned with slight displeasure. Lacking the patience to stay here any longer and take Li Qianqian's abuse, she decided she might as well go back and try to persuade Baichi.
Besides, someone with a blind devotion to her younger brother couldn't possibly stand her ground for long anyway.
Still, surface appearances had to be maintained, so her expression remained warm.
"I figured that since you two are siblings, you should know each other fairly well, so I wanted to hear your opinion. Since you aren't too clear on it either, I'll go back and talk it over with Baichi."
"Mm." Li Qianqian glanced at the retreating figure and the closing office door, then turned to look at Pei Jin, who had been sitting there for ages, and sized him up from head to toe.
Pei Jin gave a sudden start. He gripped the contract for the second male lead tightly, breaking out in a cold sweat from tension.
In particular, Li Qianqian's gaze made him feel as though he were sitting on pins and needles. A flurry of possibilities flashed through his mind before he locked onto one: Li Qianqian had taken a fancy to him.
Why else would she suddenly be so good to him, even at the cost of offending her most cherished younger brother?
Over the years since entering the industry, Pei Jin had had no shortage of olive branches extended to him, all of which he had rejected.
If Li Qianqian harbored this kind of complete design on him, he would rather quit the show than yield.
Pei Jin took a deep breath. "Li Qianqian, let me tell you, I, Pei Jin, would rather die than submit to you!"
"When you go back, make sure you..."
Two voices rang out simultaneously, and Li Qianqian's unfinished sentence was abruptly cut off.
The air fell silent for a long moment. Puzzled, Li Qianqian asked, "Huh?"
Seeing her innocent and bewildered expression, Pei Jin remained full of vigilance. "You speak first. What were you about to say just now?"
"I was going to say, remember to read the script carefully when you get back, groom your external appearance, shave off your stubble, eat your three meals on time, and take good care of yourself during the period leading up to joining the cast."
In the novel, Pei Jin's daily routine was described as utterly undisciplined, which was why Li Qianqian couldn't help offering a few extra reminders.
Pei Jin: "???"
Just that?
Impossible!
It had to be a show of courtesy before a hostile move!
"Go on and get to work," Li Qianqian waved her hand, signaling that he could leave.
"Oh... okay." Pei Jin found it hard to believe that Li Qianqian had actually just wanted to care for him.
In a daze, he stood up and walked toward the door, half-doubting, with a vague sense of unease in his heart.
"Wait." The sweet, clear female voice sounded from behind him once more.
Pei Jin gave a start, stopped in his tracks, and couldn't help letting out a self-deprecating chuckle. See? His guess had been right after all; how could Li Qianqian possibly have changed her tune?
She was probably just embarrassed and acting coy. It would be a miracle if he walked out the office door in one piece today!
He turned around. At the mere thought of the vulgarities he was about to hear, his face darkened as if he had swallowed something foul.
"What else is there?"
"Right, if Xi Jiayi looks for me later, tell her I'm not at the company. Let her rest easy, tell her not to act rashly, and say we'll discuss everything when I get back."
Li Qianqian shoved the documents in her hand into the drawer, stood up, and hurried out the front door.
She left Pei Jin standing alone for a long time, unable to snap out of it. He looked at the empty office in disbelief.
She really just left?
She wasn't lusting after his body?
Was it really all just in his head?
-
-
Imperial Bar
The bustling, noisy lobby was crowded with people. In the dim environment, red and green lights flashed; this was an upscale entertainment club in Jing City, frequented exclusively by the wealthy and elite.
Li Qianqian remembered the original novel stating that Gu Shinian injured his hand here today, which resulted in him never being able to pick up a musical instrument again.
Come to think of it, a major reason he ended up working as a male escort at Imperial was that the original owner had signed him without providing any resources, forcing him to seek out private gigs for the sake of his grandmother, who was gravely ill in the hospital.
When she arrived, she was stopped at the door because she didn't have a membership card.
"You cannot enter without a membership."
Li Qianqian tried to slip past. "I have one, I just forgot to bring it. Can you make an exception for today?"
"Still not allowed in," the security guard stubbornly replied.
"I can just make one on the spot, then!" Li Qianqian grandly produced her black card and handed it over.
A bank card flashed brightly before the security guard's eyes. Seized once more by the urge to feel embarrassed on someone else's behalf, he slowly averted his gaze.
Li Qianqian: "..." Damn it, she brought the wrong card.
"Miss, you'd better leave. I don't want to be that kind of security guard who looks down on people. Our club has clear regulations: if you can't enter, you can't enter. Please don't make things difficult for me."
The security guard sighed. Having frequently read novels about youth refusing to be looked down upon, he found this kind of scenario somewhat familiar.
"Right, I have an electronic card. Can I go in now?" Out of options, Li Qianqian could only pull up on her phone the electronic card her mother-in-law had previously shared with the original owner.
If she went all the way back to get her black card and came back again, it would be too late for regrets, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and swipe her mother-in-law's card to get inside.
"Yes, absolutely. Please go right in, honored madam." After scanning it, the security guard's attitude underwent a 180-degree turnaround.
The age of sixty-seven listed in the electronic card's information left him profoundly shocked. The young lady looked so youthful, yet she was actually quite elderly.
As soon as she walked in, Li Qianqian headed straight for the bar. "Excuse me, do you have a male escort here named Gu Shinian?"
"Yes, but... he has already been reserved by someone." The receptionist was a gorgeously striking beauty with a gentle smile on her face.