Back at Xu Lin's place, Liu Qinnuan went directly to Qin Tiantian's side, wearing a wide smile. Qin Tiantian, however, seemed quite uncomfortable, her hands resting on her lap.
"Well..."
"Sister Qin Tiantian, I'll offer you 10,000 a month, including accommodation and meals. How does that sound?"
"It's not about the money..."
Qin Tiantian was a bit surprised by the offer of 10,000 right off the bat. Having been in the entertainment industry for a couple of years, she was familiar with the typical salaries.
Assistants, despite being around stars all day, usually earn between 5,000 and 7,000, especially for prominent stars.
Smaller actors often don't have assistants and do things themselves. Even personal assistants earn around 10,000. So, receiving an offer of 10,000 from someone who had never been an assistant before was quite unexpected.
"Then what do you need? Feel free to tell me, whether it's about accommodation, or your family situation, or anything else."
"It's not about those things. I just don't want to deal with the entertainment industry anymore. I just want to live a simple life as an ordinary worker."
"But you've already dropped out of college voluntarily. What will you do then?"
"Sell things… maybe open a small shop selling clothes."
Qin Tiantian said this with a carefree attitude, showing no signs of sadness about leaving the entertainment industry.
"Being an ordinary person sounds nice. I've also dreamed of a simple life," Liu Qinnuan said, her eyes reflecting a genuine longing.
"Yeah, but since you're so famous, don't end up like me."
Even though she had left the entertainment industry and had no more dreams, she hoped the film world would still have more actors and fewer people like her.
"But for me, acting isn't a lifelong career. I didn't want to act in the first place. I was only doing it for the money, and now it's because of the contract. Do you believe that?"
Liu Qinnuan suddenly shifted from her sweet persona to a mature tone, raising her eyebrows slightly and striking a chord with Qin Tiantian.
"I believe it, but I feel that actors like you must have higher pursuits compared to us outsiders. Though, in the end, everyone has their own mundane needs."
Qin Tiantian continued, reflecting on her initial desire to join the entertainment industry not just for money, but also for fame and admiration.
"Some people indeed have high aspirations, but not me. What I can do is just act well, deliver good performances, and take my earnings."
"Actually, being able to do that is already impressive. Many people earn money but don't act well or can't act at all."
"Don't say that. Their existence has its purpose. I don't mind."
Liu Qinnuan couldn't see through the entertainment industry and had no desire to. After a few more years, she planned to finish her contract, earn some money, and then leave.
"You're quite a unique person, Miss Liu."
"I'm not special. The real special ones are people like Brother Xu. Coming from an ordinary background but possessing extraordinary charm and ability, and working hard—those are the truly special ones."
Hearing Liu Qinnuan say this, Qin Tiantian noticed a spark in her eyes and her curiosity was piqued.
"Do you like Xu Lin?"
"No, no. Brother Xu is just my savior."
"Savior?"
Qin Tiantian was puzzled. Having just experienced a life-threatening situation and being saved herself, she was curious about this savior the other party was talking about.
Liu Qinnuan on the opposite side glanced at the other person's expression and half lowered her head in thought.
When Qin Tiantian didn't notice it, there was a cunning look in her eyes, as if she had succeeded.
"Well, let me tell you the story."
Liu Qinnuan began recounting a embellished version of the story from Jinling, highlighting her helplessness and Xu Lin's heroic image.
"Did that really happen..."
Qin Tiantian was moved by Liu Qinnuan's words. She realized her own helplessness and was surprised that even a talented actress like Liu Qinnuan had moments like this.
She felt a sense of empathy, but Liu Qinnuan had mentioned her father and mother's past, which made Qin Tiantian even more curious. However, asking about someone's family wasn't quite appropriate.
But Liu Qinnuan then intensified her efforts and retold the story she had shared with Xu Lin yesterday, adding more emotion.
Sorry, Dad, for putting you through this for your daughter's assistant. I embellished the story a bit.
Liu Qinnuan spoke about the hardships at home, her father's passing, and later entering the entertainment industry, her voice even trembling with emotion by the end.
This made Qin Tiantian cry as well because her own parents had divorced, and she hadn't seen them in many years. Hearing about Liu Qinnuan's father passing away made her tears flow uncontrollably.
"Sister Qin Tiantian, why are you crying…" Liu Qinnuan hadn't expected her words to have such an impact and quickly grabbed a tissue, handing it to Qin Tiantian. But Qin Tiantian held her wrist tightly.
"Miss Liu… Can I call you Nuannuan?"
"Of course."
"You're much stronger than I am. You've faced so many difficulties since childhood and still persevered. I nearly gave up just because of this one issue…"
"No, no, Sister, if I were in your shoes facing such a matter of great honor, I'd also find it hard to endure."
"I should thank many people. Even though I seem like this, I was actually quite a terrible person in the past."
"Who hasn't made mistakes?" Liu Qinnuan recalled her own dark history. When she first joined the company, she pretended to be a small bird but secretly, with her manager's help, took away many people's jobs.
Later, to maintain her 'little fairy' image, she made many mistakes, including the incident with Brother Xu in Jinling. But fortunately, Brother Xu and others made her realize her errors and brought her back on track.
Otherwise, she might have done something outrageous for the sake of face and profit.
"Nuannuan, I think I can give it a try."
"Huh? Give it a try with what?"
"With the assistant matter."
"Ah! Really?!!"
Liu Qinnuan jumped up from her seat, hugging Qin Tiantian tightly, startling her. But feeling the genuine joy from the girl in her arms, Qin Tiantian couldn't help but smile.
Perhaps she should indeed start stepping out a bit more.
A few minutes later, as they calmed down, Liu Qinnuan received a text message.
"Sister Chu Qingchan is coming over."
"Then I'll go downstairs. You wait for her to arrive. I really can't face her right now."
Qin Tiantian prepared to leave, as she really couldn't face Chu Qingchan again.
"Then leave me your phone number or WeChat, and I'll contact you."
"Okay, Nuannuan… you keep working hard too."
"Working hard at what?"
"Hmm, in terms of relationships."
"I've told you, I'm really not… brother Xu..."
"Okay."
Qin Tiantian nodded, looking into Liu Qinnuan's eyes, thinking, 'I hope you won't regret this.' Love is something that requires opportunists to seize.