Hearing Sister Li's reassurance, Yu Shuman visibly relaxed. It was clear that she truly trusted Qin Ran.
After all, in front of Yu Shuman, Qin Ran was either like an ostrich hiding its head in the sand or a timid rabbit. Even when attending events and galas, where she might appear somewhat composed, she never truly revealed herself.
Seeing Yu Shuman's bright, trusting eyes, Sister Li couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt. But what could she do? Qin Ran was her boss, and Qin Ran was very generous.
"There's nothing for you to worry about. This has nothing to do with you. It wasn't you who made him belittle women or spout nonsense, and it certainly wasn't you who made him commit tax evasion and get caught by the authorities. What's happening to him now is exactly what he deserves," Sister Li reassured Yu Shuman. Meanwhile, Xiao An brought over the coffee that Sister Li had requested.
After drinking another cup, Sister Li managed to suppress her fatigue from staying up late the night before. She exchanged a few more words with Yu Shuman before heading outside. Once outside, she noticed the situation had become even more tense, especially with the director looking visibly upset.
Sister Li's assistant came over and informed her that Assistant Wu had reached an agreement with the TV station executives and had already called her. The production team likely got wind of it too, meaning that filming for today was off the table.
Sister Li nodded, staying silent for a moment before leaving the set.
The agreement Assistant Wu made with the TV station executives was simple: replace the actor.
Since only two days of filming had been completed, they would remove all footage of the male celebrity and quickly find another star to replace him, resuming filming from day three. The replacement had already been found and was reportedly on their way.
This new star wasn't from 99 Entertainment. If they had replaced the male celebrity with another 99 Entertainment artist, it would have been too obvious, potentially sparking trending topics like #99EntertainmentStealsTheShow#. Instead, Assistant Wu used other means to bring in a product ambassador to take over the male celebrity's role.
As Sister Li and her team were leaving, they saw the male celebrity's mother heading their way. The narrow village road required one car to yield to the other. Since the approaching car looked aggressive, and Sister Li wasn't in a hurry, she had her driver reverse to a suitable spot to let the other vehicle pass.
At first, Sister Li didn't recognize the other car as belonging to the male celebrity's mother, having no personal connection to her. It wasn't until she heard the commanding tone of the mother inside the vehicle, ordering the driver around, that she realized who it was.
Sister Li smirked. She had always thought that collaborating with such a family-run operation was a bad idea. Now, with her cash cow about to collapse, the mother was still acting arrogant. It was no wonder someone under them chose to betray them for 800,000 yuan.
Sister Li didn't greet the mother. She could tell from the mother's frantic demeanor that she was losing her grip and had come to find her son. However, by then, both she and her son would likely be shown the door. Sister Li disliked the male celebrity for his disrespect towards women and felt similarly about his mother.
A person's character is heavily influenced by their upbringing. In the case of the male celebrity, who didn't benefit much from formal education, his behavior was likely shaped entirely by his family.
The male celebrity's downfall was largely due to his mother's influence. Now, as mother and son prepared to pack their bags and leave the entertainment industry, Sister Li couldn't help but think they had been lucky to enjoy a few more years of comfort than they deserved.
After Sister Li's car drove off, reports came in confirming her suspicions. The director had officially terminated the male celebrity's contract. The show's official Weibo account announced that the male celebrity had voluntarily left the show due to personal reasons, and the arrival of a new star would be announced soon, bringing closure to the matter.
Any further consequences the production team might pursue against the male celebrity had nothing to do with Yu Shuman or Qin Ran. Despite everything that had happened over the past two days, Qin Ran still managed to board her flight abroad after finishing her classes that evening. Her mission was to meet with the perfume company's owner and express her sincere intent to acquire the gardenia-scented perfume that her senior loved.
After a layover, Qin Ran arrived in the city where the perfume company's owner resided at 6 p.m. local time, 8 a.m. in China. Having rested during the night, she met with the owner at 10 a.m. the next day.
The owner of the perfume company was an exceptionally stylish woman. Qin Ran couldn't accurately gauge her age but estimated she was around thirty-five. Similarly, the owner couldn't guess Qin Ran's age, only that she seemed quite young. With a peculiar accent, she addressed Qin Ran as "Qin," pronouncing it almost like "Chin," just as the brand founder had at the previous gala.
They sat on the garden terrace of the owner's home, surrounded by a sea of flowers. The owner, who had a passion for fragrance, also had a deep love for flowers, with her garden filled with various blooms. The dahlias, though nearing the end of their season, were in full, glorious bloom.
A vast array of dahlias clustered together, their vibrant colors striking and beautiful. The scent of dahlias wasn't overly strong, but when inhaled deeply, there was a slight bitterness. This bitterness blended with the fragrance, becoming an essential undertone.
Many perfumes are similar. They aren't just purely sweet and fragrant but often contain different scents to balance the composition. Whether it's the crispness of fruit wood, the freshness of pine, or the unique boozy aroma of agave, these elements blend together to create complex, distinctive fragrances.
Yu Shuman's favorite gardenia perfume didn't rely solely on gardenia as its base note. Qin Ran could detect the presence of many other scents. The fragrance profile was a classic oriental floral, with pear blossom as the top note, transitioning to white gardenia at the heart, with hints of jasmine. The base note evolved into a warm blend of red sugar and fruit.
Qin Ran had studied the specific breakdown of this perfume and knew that it also included citrus and red berries, with patchouli and red sugar added at the end, creating the blend that made this gardenia perfume Yu Shuman's most-used scent.
The owner's love for perfume was genuine; otherwise, she wouldn't have created such a harmonious fragrance.
"Qin, you're the fifteenth person I've met with. The previous ones failed to satisfy me with their answers, so I didn't choose to hand the company over to them." She raised her cup of tea and gestured toward Qin Ran. "I'm sure you've already done your research on me. In truth, I don't really want to sell this company—you know, I'm not in need of money."
Qin Ran was well aware of this. Before deciding to acquire the company, she had Assistant Wu conduct a thorough investigation. The owner had substantial assets, far from needing to sell the company to avoid financial ruin.
"Yes, so I'm curious why you want to sell it," Qin Ran asked.
The woman smiled, her brightly painted lips particularly striking. "This company has always required my personal subsidies to operate normally. My manager has advised me that continuing this way could hinder my other investments. The truth is, I'm not a competent businesswoman."
"If it were any other company, I'd hand it over to my manager and step back, but I can't do that with this one. I can't imagine my perfumes being tainted by the hands of people who only care about money."
She took a delicate sip of her tea, her gaze steady as she looked at Qin Ran. "So, I set this rule: You must answer my question to my satisfaction to acquire the company. Unfortunately, most of the previous candidates were purely businessmen, and their answers were unacceptable to me."
Qin Ran listened quietly as the woman spoke. She picked up the tea on the table and took a sip. Then, she heard the woman's question: "So, Qin, why do you want to acquire my perfume company?"
Qin Ran had considered lying. In business, honesty is rarely the winning strategy. Deceit, traps, and manipulation are the tools that enable businesspeople to succeed, and Qin Ran was raised as the perfect businesswoman under such principles. She was selfish, and lying to gain an advantage came naturally to her.
But in this life, she didn't have to lie. The cutthroat business world was her domain, but the sincerity in the woman before her made it impossible to respond with a lie. Too much honesty reminded her of Yu Shuman.
As soon as she thought of Yu Shuman's eyes, Qin Ran found herself unable to lie. Besides, even if honesty didn't work, she could always use other methods later to find a suitable perfume for Yu Shuman.
But at this moment, she didn't want to lie to the woman before her, who had the same earnest and passionate eyes as Yu Shuman.
"Because my beloved likes your perfume very much."
When Qin Ran said this, the woman across from her was momentarily stunned, especially when she realized that Qin Ran used the pronoun "she."
"She has been using your gardenia perfume. Although she's never explicitly told me she likes it, I believe she does. She has many perfumes, but this is the one she uses most often. I also like how it smells on her. It suits her perfectly. The sweet, refreshing fragrance makes it impossible for me to escape."
"When I first saw the news that your company was up for sale, I didn't consider whether it would be profitable or bring me more money. My only concern was that if someone else acquired your company, my beloved might no longer be able to use this perfume."
Qin Ran shrugged. "Of course, the new owner might continue to produce this perfume, or they might release a new and improved version. But I don't want to take that risk, so I'm here to acquire the company's ownership and ensure that the perfume my beloved likes continues to be made."
As she spoke about Yu Shuman, a smile spread across her face, and her eyes softened. By the time she finished speaking, she was no longer particularly concerned about acquiring the company's ownership. She could always buy the perfume's formula directly from the owner, no matter the cost.
After hearing Qin Ran's response, the owner was silent for a moment before asking, "Is that the only reason?"
"Isn't that reason enough?" Qin Ran replied