Xia Lihua walked down the stage, her silk mermaid gown trailed behind her. She had finished singing her last song and the crowd kept cheering, praising and passed hearty compliments to her.
"Congratulation on your debut Lily!" Wang Nuozhi quickly trapped her in a tight embrace as she reached her dressing room walking through the backstage.
"Nuozhi you were here!" Xia Lihua shrieked then broke into a uninhibited laugh, a reflection of her genuine happiness upon seeing her best friend who had come to see her first official stage performance, despite Wang Nuozhi's busy schedule.
As Xia Lihua's team members flooded into the dressing room, preparing to assist her in changing into a more casual outfit now that her performance was over, the atmosphere brimmed with a sense of camaraderie and support.
Wang Nuozhi was her one of her closest celebrity friends whom she got acquainted with during her time at Music and Arts academy in America. She remained by her side selflessly through her darkest days when she had fallen from grace. She had been strong for her only friend, Wang Nuozhi was her driving force or else she would have been dead on that snowy night.
"Lily, here are some of the bouquets and gifts given by your fans." A staff member approached them holding numerous bouquets and presents wrapped in red and green shiny papers.
"Keep them on the table and it's president Xia for you." Xia Lihua said, her eyes cold and distant.
"Yes, president." As the staff member put down Xia Lihua's presents on the table she sneered to herself. All singers and actress had to keep their positive image and at least put up a friendly front even though their personality wasn't all silvers and gold, but their boss was different.
It seemed that with her notorious temperament she wouldn't survive being a celebrity who was looked up to by others. No one who hold her in high esteems once a word of her arrogant behaviour spread around, but she didn't want to badmouth her boss behind her back. Afterall she was getting paid a hefty amount which she didn't want to risk losing.
"Come on, Lily, you don't want to ruin this good atmosphere with your grumpy attitude", Wang Nuozhi urged, breaking through Xia Lihua's distant demeanor. Only people who were close to Xia Lihua knew that her seemingly distant attitude was merely a facade. Xia Lihua's genuine nature was characterized by an inherent kindness that was almost too pure for the world around her.
Unfortunately, this led to her being taken advantage of by her own family in the past. As a result, Xia Lihua had erected glass walls around herself, keeping her true emotions locked away, hidden from others.
"Lili! Something has happened!" Liang Sichen burst into the dressing room, his breath heavy from the rush. When his eyes landed on Xia Lihua, he quickly took a step back, momentarily flustered. "Um, did I come in at the wrong time?"
Meanwhile, one of the staff members was attentively zipping up the back of Xia Lihua's A-line wrap dress, inadvertently revealing her supple back as she focused on wiping off the makeup.
"No it's fine. I'm almost done. Will be leaving soon." She turned to face Liang Sichen, her sentences short and curt.
"Alright then", he heaved a sigh of relief, thanking heavens that he hadn't riled her up by entering her dressing room without a warning. "This is important."
Xia Lihua stared at him, her eyes narrowing into thin slits but she didn't utter another word. Liang Sichen interpreted her nonverbal cues as a signal for him to proceed, indicating her readiness to hear the important news he had to share.
Clearing his throat, he continued, "Someone has just offered a staggering 7 billion dollars to acquire Hua de World Entertainment." [Author's note: Hua de means flower's, translating to flower's world]
"And which fool would do this?" Xia Lihua raised her eyebrow, amused. Within 3 years Hua de World had become one of the top entertainment companies in the country, even topping over Prism Entertainment . Hua de world's claws reached overseas and buying it would cost billions.
The most interesting part was the company's CEO was a mystery. Who was this anonymous person behind the company's success?
Hua de World Entertainment had nurtured talents who were now all A-list or B-list celebrities or supermodels. CEO of most entertainment were often kept a secret to the public, that's why general never probed much into it. The talents under the company mattered more, not the CEO.
It was unknown to almost whole world that the CEO was none other than infamous Xia Lihua.
"It is the Yang Corporation."
"No way!" Wang Nuozhi gasped and her eyes flew wide. The Yang Corporation, a powerful entity that controlled a significant portion of the country's businesses, was a name known to all unless someone truly lived under a rock.
"Yes Zizi, you heard that right.", Liang Sichen confirmed his statement. Wang Nuozhi scowled at her nickname but her attention shifted to Xia Lihua.
On the contrary Xia Lihua didn't appear much surprised, it was like she had expected this. "It's just been few hours since I had my debut stage.", she snickered. "That man hates me to the core for sure, obviously say no to his face!"
Liang Sichen respectfully bowed and swiftly departed, ready to carry out the president's orders without any further inquiries.
Xia Lihua's gaze lingered on the retreating back of her capable vice president.
"Zizi, let's go home", Xia Lihua picked her vanity bag and got up, ready to leave the venue. An SUV was waiting for them, ready to escort them back to their apartments situated in one of the esteemed areas of the capital city.