Shen Li had spent the night in her own bed and still hadn't slept well.
Even in her most upbeat mood, the accumulation of issues gave her a feeling of breathlessness. After Shen Yueh was taken away, she had received a call from Lawyer Zhang, who cautiously asked her how to deal with Shen Yueh. Shen Yueh really wasn't involved in the case, so they released her for now, but unexpectedly, she went to find trouble with Shen Li.
"Judge as it should be judged, based on the law." Although she was dying to strangle Fang Hongxia, using Huo Siyu's influence made her feel weird inside. According to Suo Luo, this was being inflexible; not knowing how to adapt at all.
"Celebrity Qiao Xin needs a temporary assistant, two hundred yuan a day, settled upon completion, including food and accommodation," Suo Luo said, taking care to remind her, "Qiao Xin has a very bad temper and has driven away many assistants. There are many engagements over the New Year, and they only look for temporary assistants as a last resort, so be mentally prepared."
Shen Li said, "As long as the money is paid promptly, I don't care about the rest."
So-called celebrity assistants are essentially full-time nannies and scapegoats. The pay is very good; it just requires a good temperament. Anyway, she wasn't going to do this for long, just about ten days, which she could endure.
"I'll give you the number, and you can contact them yourself," Suo Luo said. She couldn't help but remind Shen Li, "Go buy some decent clothes. I'll pay for them. You have to dress nicely for our reunion."
"I'm not going," Shen Li said. Initially, she had been somewhat hesitant, but after seeing Fang Ze yesterday, she had completely lost interest. To say she still had a little feeling for Fang Ze four years ago, now it was entirely gone. Besides, there was Huo Siyu; she couldn't possibly spend the night with Huo Siyu and then spend the day talking about love with Fang Ze.
When it was over, it should be cleanly cut off. Why drag it out and lead someone on?
"Ah? You!" Suo Luo was first taken aback, then sighed. As her confidant for so many years, she knew Shen Li's temperament well; once she decided something, she wouldn't regret it. She had already withdrawn back then; what more now. She then said, "It's up to you then. You better move fast if you want the assistant job."
"I'll call right away," Shen Li said.
"You know," Suo Luo suddenly said, seeming to want to say something but then said, "Never mind. I'm about to go back now. We'll talk when we meet."
"Sure, we'll talk when we meet," Shen Li hung up the phone.
Suo Luo sent over the number of Qiao Xin's manager through a text message, and Shen Li hurriedly called. The person was very enthusiastic when she heard Shen Li was coming to be an assistant; there was no need for an interview, and she was just asked to come with her luggage.
After the address was sent, Shen Li took her bag and left. The Hua Star Agency was not too far from Shen Li's home—just an hour with the subway and bus. She explained her purpose at the front desk, and not long after, Brother Zhang, Qiao Xin's manager, came down. He was in his thirties, looked very capable, and paused slightly when he saw Shen Li, before saying, "Didn't expect a big beauty."
Shen Li smiled upon hearing this; being called a beauty was all too familiar. But she hadn't fully realized the benefits of being beautiful, and said, "You flatter me too much."
Brother Zhang also smiled and said, "Come with me to meet Qiao Xin."
"Sure," Shen Li said, carrying her bag and following him.
As soon as they came out of the elevator, they heard the loud voice of a woman scolding: "So stupid, what's the point of having you around, pigs are smarter than you."
Brother Zhang's face showed a look of exhaustion as he sighed and said to Shen Li, "Qiao Xin's work hasn't been going smoothly recently, she's under a lot of pressure, and her temper hasn't been good. She's driven away quite a few people. You need to hang in there, and if it really doesn't work out, I'll give you a raise."
Shen Li felt a twitch at the corner of her mouth. She often watched TV, and Qiao Xin had always presented the image of a sweet and adorable girl on the screen. Even though it might not reflect her real personality, did it have to be such a stark contrast?
For the sake of money, she'd endure.
Following Brother Zhang into the resting room, Shen Li saw the place was in complete disarray. Two young assistant girls, both around twenty years old, stood at the door, and then there was Qiao Xin. Her face was twisted, and she stood with her arms crossed—far from being the little sweetheart, she was more like a shrew.
"Ah Xin, what's the matter now?" Brother Zhang moved forward with an apologetic smile, though his eyes betrayed helplessness. He added, "Didn't you complain that these two aren't clever enough? Today I brought another one, I guarantee she's clever enough. I snatched her from Zhou Wei's place."
While speaking, Brother Zhang pointed at Shen Li. Shen Li tried to make her smile look more natural and said, "Hello, Miss Qiao."
The polite greeting seemed to change Qiao Xin's expression. Actually, her face had turned sour the moment she saw Shen Li, and now she burst into a fit of anger, "Is this the kind of assistant you find for me? What do you mean by this? Do you think I'm washed up, so you're in a hurry to find someone to replace me?"
"Huh?" Shen Li couldn't understand the situation. She was just here to do a few days of temporary work; what was this all about?
Brother Zhang's expression became even more resigned as he said, "Ah Xin, you're overthinking it. She's just here to work part-time; you have a lot of engagements right now, and two assistants can't keep up. That's why I thought about getting you someone temporary. She's just here for the New Year's period. If you don't need her, then where can I find someone else during the holiday?"
"But her..." Qiao Xin glared at Shen Li, her finger pointed at her as if she was about to rush up and hit her.
Brother Zhang patted her on the shoulder, coaxing her, "It's just for these few days, just to get past the New Year, and then I'll let her go. Otherwise, you'll be short-staffed during your shows and if you get caught up, it won't be worth it."
Qiao Xin bit her lower lip and finally seemed to accept Brother Zhang's words but then glared at Shen Li and said, "After the New Year, make her leave immediately."
Shen Li blinked, looking very innocent. Somehow, even lying down, she was caught in the crossfire, which was totally incomprehensible to her.
Brother Zhang coaxed Qiao Xin a bit more and finally managed to pacify her. Shen Li started cleaning up the mess with the other two assistants. Taking advantage of a moment when Qiao Xin stepped outside, Assistant A said to Shen Li, "Qiao Xin is jealous because you're beautiful. You might not know this, but Qiao Xin used to be Zhou Wei's assistant and climbed over her to the top. That's why she's so guarded about the people around her, fearing the same will happen to her."
"I see." Shen Li understood. An assistant is like the nanny to the artist, almost sticking by them 24/7, naturally getting chances to interact with the upper echelons of the entertainment circle. It was not uncommon to start as a star's assistant and then seize the opportunity to rise to stardom, especially since Qiao Xin herself had risen this way, she would naturally be wary of others.
"But you're so beautiful and yet you choose to be an assistant. Are you planning to enter the entertainment industry?" Assistant A added.
Shen Li shook her head repeatedly, explaining, "I'm a college student. I just wanted to find some part-time work during the winter break."
Assistant A didn't say anything, just smiled at her.
Shen Li didn't bother to explain further. Whether or not people believed her was their own business, she just needed to do her job well.