Sister Li, a seasoned veteran, was well aware of what had transpired. The male celebrity had been officially exposed for his crimes last night, and by this morning, public opinion had turned overwhelmingly against him. Given the fate of others who had been similarly exposed, it was now questionable whether the show would even continue filming.
Qin Ran, as the investor, would certainly apply pressure. With her meticulous nature, there was no way she would allow the male celebrity to continue filming without consequences. Sister Li's assistant had already informed her of the situation, including the pressure 99 Entertainment, led by Assistant Wu, had placed on the TV station this morning.
Sister Li, ever the sharp one, knew well that she had been in the air when most of this unfolded. Smiling, she approached the director in her high heels. "Director, thank you for your hard work. Are we taking a break now?"
The director couldn't directly confront her, saying that the situation was chaotic due to the issues between their company and the male celebrity, and that they were waiting for further instructions. He simply nodded. "Yes, the weather is too hot, so we're taking a break. We'll resume filming later."
The phrase "later" was loaded with ambiguity. It could mean a few minutes, a few hours, or even several days or weeks. Whether filming would continue depended on the higher-ups' discussions. Besides, the weather wasn't actually hot; filming had been scheduled for mid-to-late October precisely because of the cooler temperatures.
As the director spoke, he couldn't help but feel a bit resentful. He likely blamed 99 Entertainment for being so relentless, unwilling to let the male celebrity off the hook even after a few harsh words, instead forcing him out of the show entirely.
The director didn't care what happened to the male celebrity, but he was unhappy that the show's filming schedule had been disrupted.
Sister Li, naturally, picked up on his dissatisfaction. She knew the male celebrity was likely out, but Yu Shuman still needed to continue filming, and she didn't want Yu Shuman to face any backlash from the director, which would only make Qin Ran furious later on.
With a sweet smile, Sister Li had her assistant distribute the small gifts she had brought to the crew before inviting the director to sit and rest in the shade.
The director, sensing that Sister Li had something to discuss, followed her over, suppressing his irritation.
After some small talk, Sister Li shifted the conversation. "I heard you're planning to shoot a challenge-based variety show but have been struggling to secure sponsorship. Is that right?"
The director's interest was piqued, knowing that Sister Li wouldn't bring this up without reason. "Yes, do you have any suggestions?"
"We have a new rising star, trained in martial arts, who has recently acted in a few dramas and shown great skills. If you think he'd be a good fit, it would be wonderful if he could join your show for a while to learn from you." The director immediately understood what Sister Li was implying.
Everyone in the industry knew that having a 99 Entertainment artist on board was like striking gold. Not only would 99 Entertainment invest, but many international brands would also follow suit with sponsorships. These brands spanned various industries, from cosmetics to household goods, and they offered substantial funding with minimal demands.
With Sister Li's suggestion, the funding for the director's next show was no longer an issue.
"Oh… I wouldn't want to impose…"
"It's no trouble at all. I just hope you can keep an eye out for our Manman. It's her first time on a variety show, and she has a straightforward personality, so she might unintentionally offend someone. You know how close she is to our boss," Sister Li said bluntly, making it clear: if you want the funding, make sure to take good care of Yu Shuman, and you'll get every penny you're promised.
Far from being offended, the director's earlier displeasure melted away at the prospect of his new show. "Of course, of course. Yu Shuman is a good kid—honest, enthusiastic, and not at all pretentious. The crew all speaks highly of her."
Sister Li's smile grew even sweeter. "Thank you so much, Director. There are drinks over there. It's hot, so please take a break."
After finishing her conversation with the director and with no filming taking place, Sister Li went inside to find Yu Shuman. She was sitting at a square table in the lobby, enjoying a drink and some snacks that had been brought over by Xiao An. The snacks were specially prepared by Sister Li, tailored to Yu Shuman's taste.
As she entered, Sister Li removed her sun hat and sat down beside Yu Shuman, explaining, "Qin Ran wanted to come herself, but she's been called overseas for business and had to take leave. She's flying out tonight."
Yu Shuman nodded while eating her rabbit mousse cake. After a while, she softly said to Sister Li, "This morning, Xiao Xu came to see me."
"Oh? He dared to come find you?" This surprised Sister Li. Yu Shuman nodded. "He came to beg me to let him off the hook." The confusion on Yu Shuman's face was evident; she couldn't understand why the male celebrity would seek her out. To her, he was being exposed because of his poor character and illegal activities.
Sister Li observed Yu Shuman's expression and then asked Xiao An to fetch her a cup of coffee. Xiao An glanced at Yu Shuman, who nodded, and then smiled, saying she'd be right back. Xiao An was truly perceptive. Before, she had shown some hesitation when Yu Shuman shared hand cream with Qin Ran, but now, understanding that Qin Ran was the big boss, she fully aligned herself with Yu Shuman.
Whatever Yu Shuman said, Xiao An would do. Now, even Sister Li had to go through Yu Shuman if she wanted to ask Xiao An for something. Sister Li couldn't help but marvel at how sharp people were these days. Xiao An had quickly recognized that Yu Shuman was someone worth aligning with, especially after the previous assistant had been removed by Qin Ran for trying to stir up trouble between her and Yu Shuman.
Xiao An was making the right move. As long as she stayed close to Yu Shuman, she'd be financially secure. After all, who would want to work as an assistant to a celebrity if not for the money? Sister Li knew many stars in the industry who treated their assistants poorly, viewing them as nothing more than servants and making their lives difficult when displeased.
Some assistants couldn't take it and would be pushed out of the industry altogether by the stars, who wouldn't risk them working for someone else because they knew too much. Compared to that, Yu Shuman was incredibly easygoing. She rarely asked her assistant for help and even carried her own luggage, never burdening Xiao An.
Yu Shuman was also polite, never deliberately making things difficult or sending Xiao An on wild errands under the scorching sun for some snack she craved.
Most importantly, the benefits and treatment for Yu Shuman's assistant were top-notch. Many products sponsored by companies were shared with Xiao An. The necklace she was wearing was a ruby, the latest product from a brand Yu Shuman endorsed, worth at least several thousand dollars on the market.
As for salary, there was no need to mention it. In less than a year of working with Yu Shuman, Xiao An's pay had jumped several times, comparable to that of assistants to top-tier stars.
Money, light workload, and a kind employer—there was no better job than being Yu Shuman's assistant. The previous assistant had even contacted Sister Li, asking to return to work for Yu Shuman. She had been an assistant to other stars in the industry and was well aware of the news about Yu Shuman's close relationship with her boss, having learned that Qin Ran was the boss of 99 Entertainment.
If she had known earlier, she would never have complained to Sister Li about Yu Shuman wanting Qin Ran to be her assistant; that was the boss, after all. There was no way she could compete with a lowly assistant.
But now, it was too late for regrets. Sister Li had politely turned her down, suggesting she stay with her current rising star, as her salary was bound to increase. If her current star found out she wanted to return to Yu Shuman, it might damage their relationship.
The former assistant, discouraged, had no choice but to hang up.
She wasn't doing badly at all, but the comparison with Xiao An made the difference stark.
After sending Xiao An off, Sister Li took a good look at Yu Shuman. Her confusion was genuine; she couldn't understand why the male celebrity had come to plead with her. Sometimes, Yu Shuman was genuinely naive, unable to grasp the complexities of the situation. Naturally, she didn't realize that many of the "helpful netizens" who had contributed to the revelations online had been influenced and directed by interested parties.
She had just had a confrontation with the male celebrity on the show, and afterward, he was immediately caught and "sentenced." The speed of it all made it hard to believe it wasn't connected to her.
Netizens didn't believe it either. Under the trending topic of the male celebrity's downfall, the comments were full of speculation:
[I've always said you shouldn't mess with 99 Entertainment's artists, especially not Yu Shuman.]
[This one's a heavyweight. I can't believe someone actually had the guts to go head-to-head with Yu Shuman.]
[This is my favorite episode from my childhood—99 Entertainment going crazy again.]
[As a fan of 99 Entertainment, I'm warning you not to talk nonsense. This has nothing to do with 99 Entertainment. Watch out, or they'll send you a lawyer's letter! (dog head emoji)]
[Sigh, when I saw Xiao Xu going after Yu Shuman, I knew something bad was coming. I just didn't expect the retribution to come so quickly.]
Of course, there were some clueless bystanders asking what was going on:
[I don't get it. What does this have to do with Yu Shuman?]
And naturally, others jumped in to explain:
[Right, right, it has nothing to do with Yu Shuman. Xiao Xu did it all to himself.]
[Don't fool them. Let me explain: Yu Shuman is best friends with the boss of 99 Entertainment. Of all people, why would he mess with her?]
[Turns out 99 Entertainment usually holds back. But when the boss's bestie is bullied, they go all out.]
Yu Shuman, having read all this, couldn't help but ask, "Sister Li, did our company really have a hand in this?"
Sister Li wavered between revealing how ruthless Qin Ran could be and helping to keep Yu Shuman in the dark. Before Xiao An returned, she chose to keep up the pretense. "Of course not. You know your junior; would she really do something like that?"