"She doesn't have a damn cent to her name, she was groveling for money in a demeaning role this morning and offended people."
Zhou Yuanyuan couldn't hold back and muttered a complaint only she could hear.
Though she felt incredibly drained, she knew she had to pamper her own best friend, so she mustered energy and voiced Yang Yuran's intentions, "She wants to form a new boy group. You're not interested, right?"
"Haha, you sure have a smooth way of using the word 'should.' Of course, you're used to playing the omnipotent god in the world of us lower beings, making decisions for us. I know I don't have a choice, I can only acquiesce for the next two years, do whatever you want."
He Qian straightened up again, trying to show the last bit of pride he had left. But his eyes belied his facade, empty and desperate, just like the puppet he described.
Zhou Yuanyuan suddenly patted Yang Yuran on the arm and then pointed at He Qian, signaling: Why bother with such a stubborn jackass that doesn't know what's good for him?
Yang Yuran grasped her best friend's trembling hands and rubbed them back and forth. After warming both the hands and her bestie's heart, she faced He Qian and spoke indifferently.
"No, you do have another choice. I'm not joking, if you want to terminate the contract, I can pay the penalty for you, and you can pay me back in installments. If you choose to stay, I hope you can embrace the new group wholeheartedly."
He Qian widened his eyes in surprise and asked the only reasonable question that came to his mind, "What do you want? Sleep with you for one night, like those rich people?"
Yang Yuran twirled a stray lock of hair by her ear with her little finger, speaking her true feelings light-heartedly, "You're not handsome enough for that, and I don't like to force men. I prefer to indulge in pleasures with a man willingly. Don't overthink it, I'll give you half a day to decide, let me know at the office tomorrow if you've made up your mind."
"Pervert, degenerate!"
A flushed He Qian stormed off without regard for any rules.
"Hahaha, when it comes to handling men, you're the best. I'll discuss it with my dad tonight, if all else fails, we'll just transfer the Fan Family nuisance to your group instead."
Zhou Yuanyuan was laughing so hard she was bending over backwards.
Yang Yuran's face was the picture of stern righteousness as she flatly rejected the suggestion, "No thanks, I can't handle someone like Fan Sirui, let's leave him to his fans to bring joy into their lives."
Zhou Yuanyuan wholly disagreed and began to fantasize about a beautiful future, "I believe in your ability; it's perfect for you to tame that troublemaker Fan."
Yang Yuran didn't pick up the thread and left her best friend, who was already lost in her melodramatic fantasies, in the cold.
She lit up her phone and glanced at the latest message, her heart warming at the thought, and declared her next move, "You go on, I'm heading back to the apartment. My mom sorted out some everyday items for me and had someone send them over."
"I'll drive you then, the most essential everyday item you need is a car. Have your mom drive those three dowry cars to your Xiaoshan Apartment garage so they stop preying on Yang Fei and the others' minds."
Zhou Yuanyuan pulled out a sleek card key and dangled it in front of Yang Yuran's eyes.
Yang Yuran smartly hooked her best friend's arm and coaxed, "Alright then, I appreciate it, Mr. Xiaozhou."
"It's no trouble, you're treating me to dinner tonight, right? By the way, you plan to win over He Qian with money?"
As the two best friends moved toward the elevator, Zhou Yuanyuan saw Yang Yuran first nod, then shake her head, more baffled than ever about her friend's motives and kindly reminded her, "He Qian is quite composed; he won't be swayed by a few words, nor will he faithfully follow you. He's very wary of people in the circle. Don't be foolish, it's not worth going into debt for him."
Yang Yuran pressed the B2 button and gazed steadily at the floors counting down on the display with her fox-like eyes, responding lightly, "I know; I'm just testing how deeply he loves his dream."
"Dream?" Zhou Yuanyuan was surprised, as the word seemed out of character for the obstinate donkey.
"Mhm, since he was half-frozen out, I suppose you haven't paid attention to his status, have you?"
Yang Yuran hit the nail on the head, and Zhou Yuanyuan had no choice but to admit, "Yeah, why should I care about someone who's going to be kicked out sooner or later anyway."
"Actually, if your dad had wanted to get rid of him, he would have done it long ago. He belongs to the disadvantaged group; finding a breach of contract to either kick him out or make him serve someone is standard practice in entertainment companies. The reason Uncle Zhou hasn't done it is that he discovered He Qian's shining points."
Yang Yuran analyzed slowly as the elevator dinged, reaching the second basement level; the two best friends walked side by side toward Zhou Yuanyuan's bright red Porsche 911.
Zhou Yuanyuan pondered carefully and found it interesting; her dad certainly was no philanthropist. If He Qian hadn't been useful, he would have been dealt with forcefully a long time ago.
Interest piqued, patience followed, and she asked, puzzled, "Do his shining points have something to do with his dream? That can't be right. He's not my dad's illegitimate son; there's no way my dad would foot the bill for his dream."
"It's impossible. Uncle Zhou is keeping him for two reasons: first, he can check Anas's second in command, proving your Jiade and Anas's strength are evenly matched. Your dad can bribe their people, but touching someone from your side is a no-go. Secondly, he does have some pretty outstanding qualities. Even if he's arranged to play the clown in some prank variety show, he still invests himself deeply in the performance."
Yang Yuran took out her mobile phone and searched for exciting clips of He Qian on variety shows, but the results were pitifully few, only five, proving He Qian didn't have many diehard fans.
She randomly clicked on one video to play, carefully critiquing He Qian's performance: "Look, he's supposed to sing a modified song on this variety show, but he hasn't just phoned it in; he's worked hard to achieve the effect the production team wanted. And on this one, where he played a jerk, it was precisely because he acted so authentically that it sparked an even more intense backlash from netizens."
"So when Fan Sirui was tormenting me, you weren't messaging your mom at all; you were researching the stubborn donkey in every way." Zhou Yuanyuan felt a bit sorry for her solitary struggle.
"Yes, I needed to fully understand him to decide whether he's worth bringing along. Even in endless darkness, he's still striving to do his best, proving his deep passion for his craft. I also found that when he was the leader of that six-person group, the popularity was decent, but as soon as he left, it dropped right back down."
Yang Yuran slid into the passenger seat of the 911 and fastened her seatbelt.
Zhou Yuanyuan started the car, pulled off her well-practiced feat, gripping the steering wheel with one hand, stylishly driving out onto the surface street, and once again finding room for a bit of chat distraction.
"You can have He Qian play around in the middle and lower tiers of competition no problem, but if you want to move up, you need to deal with someone, and I won't be able to help you with this person."
Yang Yuran rested her chin in one hand, replying with the obvious name: "Shen Gu, Anas's second in command."
"Smart, not guessing my dad. Just be careful yourself; Shen Gu is involved in eating, drinking, gambling, and whoring—all of it—a perfect example of moral bankruptcy."
Zhou Yuanyuan cast a glance at a car that suddenly cut in from behind, her road rage flaring as she cursed, "Bloody hell, lucky for them I was quick to react and avoided an accident. Is the turn signal just for show? Will using it kill them?"
Yang Yuran just nodded, silently closing her mouth to avoid catching flak.
Throughout the rest of the journey, Zhou Yuanyuan cursed at more than ten cars. Still feeling unsettled, she bought a bottle of ice-cold Coke and downed it before feeling somewhat calmer.
The two best friends sat waiting at home for two hours without seeing anyone Mrs. Yang had sent to deliver something.