After Zhou Liqing said that she was going to be the female lead in Xiao Yinzheng's music video, a hint of jealousy flashed across Huang Yue's face. She composed herself and gave a sweet smile. "Really? That's great, congratulations!"
Li Yan looked at Zhou Liqing in surprise. "You?"
"Why, can't I?"
"Who did you have to sleep with?"
"Bah! You're a f*cking young lady, why do you have to speak so harshly?"
"Whatever! You're just an ordinary looking person with no background. Face it, you're invisible. You suddenly caught a big pie, and you don't even allow me to doubt it for one second?"
"You don't think I could have incredible luck?"
"This is an opportunity for Liqing. There's no secrets." Xiwan was trying her best to explain, but the two girls in front were getting more and more aggressive.
"How do you know?"
Xiwan explained in detail.
Li Yan looked at Zhou Liqing as Xiwan told the story. Zhou Liqing gave off the aura of a peacock spreading its tail. "Consider it a misunderstanding and take my apologies, but..." Li Yan said, looking Zhou Liqing up and down. "You will only ever be lucky."
Zhou Liqing took Li Yan's apology without pursuing the matter further. She was very happy, so she invited Xiwan for dinner that night. She even invited Li Yan, who was still standing next to her. She waved her hand, she had decided that everyone could come.
Li Yan didn't want to follow her, but the house would be empty without Xiwan there, so she went with them. When they arrived at a small restaurant, Li Yan looked at Zhou Liqing in disbelief. "People eat here?"
"Can't you see the large crowd around you looking at how your eyes pop out of your head? You still feel disgusted when I invite you to eat!" Zhou Liqing pouted.
Huang Yue quickly said, "Li Yan, I'm sorry. Qing is just a quick talker. There's nothing special about her."
Li Yan rolled her eyes. "You're telling me!"
Xiwan looked at Huang Yue scurrying up and down like a clown, then looked at Zhou Liqing who was happily flipping through the menu. She wanted to shake Zhou Liqing by the shoulders and remind her which people she should befriend and which people she should stay away from. She decided to forget about it. For now.
For one thing, she didn't believe that intimate friendship existed in the world anymore. More than ten years of deep friendship could turn and slice a person like a sharp sword. The blink of an eye someone can betray another and stab them in the heart. What else was there to believe? Perhaps it was true that after being bitten by a snake Xiwan was afraid of the rope.
Secondly, although Zhou Liqing was still relatively innocent, even if it was not intentional, she had already made a choice between her good friend and her new friend with her previous actions. It did not matter to say that she, Jiang Xiwan, was being pretentious. People really had to protect themselves.
Thirdly, Zhou Liqing was not young anymore. If she still wanted to work in the entertainment industry, she had to grow up and learn how to distinguish people's characters. The only way she was going to learn was through experience.
Zhou Liqing originally planned to order seven dishes for the four girls. If she ordered too many, they would not be able to finish them all, but...
Li Yan was here. Therefore, under Li Yan's strong request, the small table was filled with thirteen different dishes!
Zhou Liqing felt her heart and her purse ache, but when she thought about how she was going to shoot a music video with an idol, she gritted her teeth and endured it.
During the meal, Huang Yue asked Li Yan many questions. Li Yan was quick to answer, but she wasn't happy about it. She said, "You're so annoying. You ask so many questions. Why don't you become a reporter so you can gossip instead of coming to our company to be a trainee?"
Huang Yue's big eyes were full of tears, which made Zhou Liqing very angry. She knew that this spoiled young lady should not have been invited!
Li Yan ate the dishes in front of her with disdain, right up to the last bowl of soup. She tasted it. "It's not good," she said after drinking a few mouthfuls, "I've had much better."
Xiwan slowly put down the bowl and chopsticks. "Could it be that Miss Li's new skill is that her mouth is too upright?"
Li Yan frowned. "What do you mean?''
Zhou Liqing explained cheerfully. "You say you don't like it, but your body is quite honest." She laughed, this was Xiwan after all. If she did not speak, she would kill instead. 'I love you so much,' Zhou Liqing thought to herself.
Li Yan was angry. "Your words don't mean anything. It's very annoying!"
"Likewise. " As she said that, Xiwan looked at her bowl of food and shrugged.
When Li Yan realized that she had already eaten two bowls of rice and many dishes, her face turned a deep red. Then, she said, "Waiter, the bill!"
Li Yan had already paid the bill before Zhou Liqing could react. "But... I invited you," Zhou Liqing said.
"Heh, consider it a celebration for your debut. No need to thank me. Make more money for my family's company."
"If I had known that earlier, I would have picked a much more expensive restaurant for dinner!"
They returned to the Qinshui apartments together and parted ways at building A.
Wu Yang was waiting for the elevator in the lobby of Building A. When he saw Xiwan and Li Yan coming over, he smiled. Miss Li always said that Jiang Xiwan was annoying, but she clearly liked following her around.
He nodded to the two of them as the elevator came down. He let the two of them go in first like a gentleman. Then, he pressed 8 and 15 on the panel and said to the two of them, "Have the two you eaten dinner?"
Li Yan nodded. "You just got off work?"
Wu Yang nodded. "Your brother really is a workaholic. He's still busy at this hour and as his chief secretary, I have to give my all too."
Although Xiwan didn't interrupt, she heard everything around her. So, people called the boss a workaholic. It seemed to be true.
"If this continues, how am I going to be an aunt?" Li Yan was really anxious. Although she hadn't been in a relationship before, she had a goal. But her brother on the other hand...
When the elevator door opened, Li Yan didn't say goodbye to Wu Yang. She hurried out into the corridor as quickly as she could.
Xiwan nodded to Wu Yang. "Goodbye."
Wu Yang nodded back. "See you tomorrow."
Xiwan returned to the dormitory and heard Li Yan's voice. She was on the phone. "Mom, are you still busy with this?"
"Aiya! Mom, rather than being busy, why don't you find a few reliable and beautiful sisters to help set up a blind date? He's already 27!"
"I know you don't want to be a grandmother, but I want to be an aunt! Aren't parents very anxious about such things? Why aren't you anxious? Are you really our biological mother?"
Xiwan coughed, unable to remain silent upon overhearing such a personal conversation.
* * *
Zheng Yinyin smiled when she saw that she had a phone call incoming from her precious daughter. "Good evening, my precious," she said.
"Mommy, what are you doing?"
"Mommy is busy making little clothes for Lulu's newborn babies. It's very difficult work." Lulu was Li Yan's family's lapdog. She was old and ugly. Li Yan had never liked her even though her mother adored her.
"Mommy, you're still busy with this?"
"What's wrong?"
"Aiya! Mom, rather than being busy with this, why don't you find a few reliable and beautiful sisters to arrange a blind date for him? He's already 27!"
"Oh dear, love between a man and a woman depends on fate. Your brother will find it himself, don't worry. Besides, your brother is only 27 years old, so there's no hurry. Mother doesn't want to be a grandmother at such a young age!"
"I know you don't want to be a grandmother, but I want to be an aunt! Aren't parents very anxious about these things? Why you are not anxious? Are you really our biological mother?"
Zheng Yinyin sighed. "If I'm not then you've been calling the wrong person 'mother' all this time!"
* * *
Xiwan was thoughtful.
Mother and daughter had parted on bad terms?
Li Yan was fuming with anger. She looked at Jiang Xiwan, who was sitting on the sofa with her face mask on, and thought for a long time.
"Jiang Xiwan, why aren't you in a relationship?"
Xiwan hadn't expected Li Yan to suddenly ask this question, so she casually replied, "I'm still young."
Li Yan said nothing.
"I want to enter the entertainment industry..."
Li Yan remained silent.
Then, Xiwan thought that Li Yan might be looking for the reason why her brother wasn't in a relationship, so she said, "and I haven't found the right person."
Li Yan sighed. "Maybe my brother is the same. I'm glad that I was able to find the right person so early."
"So what if I found the right person too? You're not in a relationship yet."
"...F*ck, Jiang Xiwan, who possessed you?"
Xiwan was shocked and thought to herself, 'you guessed it right.'
"Guess."
"Hmph, I see your mouth is getting more and more poisonous!" Li Yan walked over and saw a fresh mask lying on the table. She picked it up and put it on.
"Chen Zige is going to shoot a new movie."
"Oh."
"Are you going to be the female lead?"
"Hmm?"
"I know my mother. She called me a long time ago and asked me to be the female lead."
"Why not?"
"I don't want to go. I already have a background and I have my own free will!"
Xiwan stared at the young lady in front of her.
'I really want to kill this girl!' She thought.
"If you want the role, I will help you!" Li Yan stared back at Xiwan.
"What are the conditions?" There was no such thing as free lunch in this world. Why would Li Yan, who was basically her enemy, suddenly want to give her a big cake? It didn't sound right.
"Tsk Tsk, you think you're so smart!" Li Yan wagged her finger at Xiwan.
"I want you to seduce my brother."
"Pfft!" It was fortunate that Xiwan wasn't drinking anything, she would definitely have spat it out. "Li Yan, I wouldn't say that if I were you, the movie has already been canceled."
"Do you have so little confidence in yourself?"
"I don't have confidence in your brother."
"As long as you seduce my brother, I'll pave your way in the entertainment industry in the future! And by that, I mean I'll only pave it for you for three years. Anyway, I think that three years is enough time for you to become famous, right?"
Xiwan's eyes lit up. Although she had already planned to use her acting skills to return to her former career path, she knew the entertainment industry wouldn't be easy to advance through, even if she was as beautiful as a flower.
In this industry, there were far more than one beautiful person. Lin Xia, Wang Xian, Zheng Yinyin... Of course, herself, Jiang Xiwan, and now there was Li Yan too... No one was going to turn around and give her everything, to those in charge she was practically invisible. She was going to have to put the work in.
Unless you were like Zhao Ziyan, guaranteed to be popular all over the country and attract countless fans. With the fans as a good foundation, then there was still a possibility that you could successfully branch into mainstream success without relying on unspoken contracts. But that was a question of luck more than determination.
"Then what if I don't succeed with your brother?"
Li Yan pouted. "...You just have to do it! The conditions won't change!"
"Ai! Don't you hate me very much? And didn't you warn me to stay away from your brother in the beginning? Besides, are you afraid that after I date your brother, I'll become your sister-in-law?"
"I..." Li Yan suddenly remembered. "Yeah, why would I want it to be you? I hate you. F*ck, I don't want you to be my sister-in-law!"
Xiwan rolled her eyes.
"Let's sign an agreement. You go after my brother, and I'll pave the way for you. After you get him, you can dump him. I just need to know whether my brother likes men or women! And as long as he likes women, he can find other women after he breaks up with you!" The more Li Yan spoke, the more she began to believe in her idea. By the end of her speech, she couldn't help but nod repeatedly.
Xiwan was stunned.
"Are you in?"
She thought for a moment. "Yes."