Chapter 32: Fierce in a Milky, Adorable Way

The next day, Jin Li woke up early; Sister Fang was still asleep.

Feeling she shouldn't waste such fine weather, she rented a boat to leave the island first, hurrying to climb up to the Mazu Temple while it was still early.

When Sui Lingfang finally got up, she searched left and right but couldn't find Jin Li anywhere; pulling out her phone to make a call, the blue veins on her forehead throbbed visibly.

Good heavens, this girl had already run off to the Mazu Temple!

Sui Lingfang asked, "Do you really enjoy worshipping deities that much?"

Jin Li chuckled; over the phone, her voice sounded sweet and obedient.

"Sister Fang, worshipping deities can save lives! I'm counting on living to a ripe old age!"

Sui Lingfang was rendered speechless, suddenly realizing she might have misunderstood Jin Li all along.

This child merely wished to pray to the deities for good health, nothing more.

Sui Lingfang went to the Mazu Temple, picked up Jin Li, and together they rushed back to the company, where she outlined the upcoming schedule.

"My plan is for you to return to the apartment and rest for a day; if possible, we'll shoot the Duomi commercial endorsement either tomorrow or the day after."

Flipping through her notebook, she continued, "Duomi wants to officially announce you as their comprehensive brand ambassador before the show airs, hoping to capitalize on the traffic from 'PICK~Next Diva,' but I feel the timeline is too tight."

"We probably can't shoot the dynamic commercial ads that quickly, but we can squeeze in time to film the static ads first. I've communicated with them; we'll shoot the static ones these few days, and finish the dynamic ones within a month."

Jin Li asked, "Has Duomi already finalized the shooting script?"

Sui Lingfang nodded. "Yes, it's ready."

Jin Li said animatedly, "Then there's no need for such trouble; I can shoot it for them this afternoon. The sooner it's done, the sooner I can go back to studying."

Sui Lingfang asked hesitantly, "Is your body feeling any better?"

Jin Li nodded vigorously like a chick pecking at rice. "Much better after worshipping Mazu; the deities truly work!"

Sui Lingfang wondered to herself, Could this be the power of the mind? Is psychological comfort really that effective?

How peculiar.

She couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, suit yourself; if you feel well enough, then let's shoot!"

After rushing back to the company.

Sui Lingfang first held a brief meeting with other company staff, primarily reporting on Jin Li's performance in the show.

Chenxi Entertainment was now treating Jin Li as their top prospect; there was no helping it, her foundational popularity conditions were simply too excellent!

Unlike other second-tier stars who needed to diligently accumulate popularity and produce one or two outstanding works before ascending to first-tier status.

She herself already possessed many excellent works.

While others in the entertainment industry had to fight monsters and level up step by step, Jin Li's return to the entertainment circle was nothing short of a king's comeback!

Promoting her to first-tier status required far less effort than promoting anyone else.

Especially since the CEO had spoken at the last meeting, declaring their intent to build Jin Li into the company's flagship brand for external investment.

One could say Jin Li now represented the performance metrics for every employee in the company; it was hard not to prioritize her.

The meeting concluded, and Sui Lingfang hurried away; she had already arranged to meet Jin Li with representatives from Duomi.

Suddenly, Zou Da called out to her, mentioning something about He Yixuan.

After listening, Sui Lingfang frowned deeply.

Jin Li waited in the company's lounge.

The door opened, and someone walked in.

He Yixuan had just finished dancing and was still holding a bottle of mineral water; only upon entering did she notice someone inside, immediately stepping backward.

"Sorry, senior; I didn't know you were in the lounge."

Jin Li was looking down at her phone; needless to say, she wasn't watching videos but studying for the Subject One driving test.

She planned to obtain a driver's license; otherwise, traveling to Daoist temples would be somewhat inconvenient.

Hearing this, she looked up casually and said, "It's fine; you can come in and rest too. Anyone can enter the lounge."

He Yixuan paused her retreat, re-entered the lounge, and sat opposite Jin Li.

She drank several gulps of water, feeling the atmosphere somewhat awkward.

He Yixuan took a few deep breaths, mentally preparing herself, then gathered her courage to speak: "Senior Jin Li, was your recording session relatively smooth?"

Jin Li, busy answering practice questions, merely hummed "mm-hmm" twice.

Receiving a response, He Yixuan immediately began talking incessantly about many things.

After finishing, she didn't forget to look up at Jin Li, asking anxiously, "Senior, I hope I didn't disturb you?"

Jin Li happened to finish the last question just then; smiling at her, she said, "Not at all; everything you said was quite interesting. Just now, I heard you mention being confronted during your audition?"

He Yixuan hesitated slightly before replying, "Yes; my agent wasn't there at the time, and other stars tried to disrupt my emotions so I wouldn't perform well."

Jin Li clicked her tongue. "Then you should have talked back to them!"

Her voice was very sweet, yet carried a fierce edge—fierce in a milky, adorable way!

He Yixuan stared blankly. "Huh?"

Jin Li said, "Next time, don't let them talk nonsense freely; talk right back to them. We're all second-tier stars; no one is nobler than anyone else."

"Would you like me to find some witty comebacks for you? I saw one a few days ago that was quite interesting; it's humorous and witty when retorting, requiring several mental twists to grasp its deeper meaning."

He Yixuan quickly shook her head. "No need, no need."

The lounge door opened.

Sui Lingfang walked in and said first, "Jin Li, we can go now; I've arranged a meeting with the Duomi team, so you two chat first."

After speaking, she turned to look at He Yixuan, her tone somewhat serious.

"Yixuan, I'll find time to discuss your development plans with you separately; don't harbor certain ideas—we at Chenxi never engage in stealing bread from our own family!"

He Yixuan's face instantly turned pale.

Only after getting into the car and hearing Sister Fang mention it did Jin Li understand what had happened.

Sui Lingfang: "She quietly asked Zou Da how many endorsement deals had approached you, saying that if you didn't want those endorsements, could they be arranged for her?"

Jin Li had just placed the 'Five Three' workbook on her lap when her motion of opening the exercise book suddenly paused.

This... the feeling was somewhat subtle!

She recalled what Sister Xiang had said in the resting room, "So that is why you spoke those words?"

Although her feelings were somewhat subtle, Jin Li still addressed the matter objectively: "Many endorsement deals have approached me; if there are ones I do not want, recommending them to her is fine. I recall many companies operate this way, correct?"

Sui Lingfang rolled her eyes.

"That is what those companies do when they want to shelve a star; only then do they push the notices approaching that star onto other artists within the same company!

Even without such reasons, I still disapprove of her picking up the endorsements you rejected.

She walks a different path than you. You come from a girl group, already have representative works, and have once exploded in popularity. The endorsements approaching you, though strict in conditions, are of good quality. But she is different."

Sui Lingfang had personally guided He Yixuan from an eighteenth-tier artist to a second-tier one, so she was very clear about her development path.

"She is an actress; the suitable direction for endorsements is completely different from yours. Moreover, with her status, she cannot reach that level. I just feel she is too anxious. If something suitable arises, I will certainly recommend it to her, but nothing here is suitable, is it?"

Simply put, He Yixuan was not yet qualified to reach for the endorsements Jin Li did not want.

There are distinctions even among second-tier stars; can a currently popular second-tier star be compared to one struggling on the edge of the second tier?

"Furthermore, a company has so many artists; if everyone keeps eyeing other artists' endorsements, that company will sooner or later descend into chaos!" Sui Lingfang declared solemnly.

Jin Li thought that while Sister Xiang's words held some truth, the entertainment circle was only so large, and resources were limited.

If minor stars do not keep an eye on what is in others' bowls, hoping to pick up some scraps, do they expect to go out and pull in an endorsement deal themselves?

Moreover, regarding the matter of "recommending rejected endorsements," Jin Li truly did not feel He Yixuan had done anything wrong.

To speak plainly, they were all workers struggling hard to break through.

Jin Li pondered and said: "Your thinking is correct, but you need to explain it clearly to her: the endorsements approaching me are unsuitable for her, not that there are other issues. I feel that in the resting room, your words to her were a bit too harsh."

Seeking recommendation tickets, monthly tickets, comments, and follows~ By the way, I recommend my previous entertainment circle novel, though it was written five years ago. If anyone is interested, feel free to add it to your bookshelf (*/ω\*) Goodnight~

(End of Chapter)