After dropping Zhou Ying off at school, Jiang Cheng sped towards Xingchen Entertainment.
Before he even reached Manager Yu's office, he saw Su Wan from a distance, standing alone on a deserted balcony, talking on her phone.
"Hello, Chen Yue, are you okay?"
After a brief silence on the other end, an infuriated voice demanded, "Su Wan? What? Did you call specifically to mock me?"
Hearing this, Su Wan fell silent for a moment. A flicker of anger rose in her heart, but she ultimately suppressed it.
"Chen Yue, how can you say that? After all, we were good sisters who lived in the same dormitory! Do you really think I'm that kind of despicable person?"
"Hmph! Now every actress in the company is mocking me, saying I forced you to leave and took your place to curry favor with Huang Ming. But that was all arranged by the company; what choice did I have? Now I've ended up in such a miserable state, while you've soared to the top and are incredibly famous!" Chen Yue's words were filled with resentment and indignation.
Seeing Chen Yue speak so jealously, Su Wan couldn't help but fall silent.
She hesitated before saying, "I... I don't know what to say. If you don't want to talk right now, I'll hang up."
A heart-wrenching sob quickly came from the other end of the line.
Chen Yue continued through her sobs, "Waaa, Su Wan! I admit I am jealous of you. We both debuted from the same company and went through so much together over the years. I thought following Huang Ming would close the gap between us, but I never expected things to turn out like this... I really don't know what to do. I haven't dared to step out of my door for two days. My parents and other relatives keep calling to ask if the news is true. I'm too ashamed to face them. Can you help me?"
"How can I help you?" Su Wan sighed helplessly.
"How about... you recommend me to your company? Is that okay? I don't want to stay here anymore. The company isn't helping me at all, and they even blame me for not being able to keep things under wraps," Chen Yue pleaded tearfully.
Su Wan's expression instantly stiffened. "This... I really can't make that decision. If this hadn't happened, maybe I could have recommended you, but now..."
Seeing Su Wan's refusal, Chen Yue immediately retorted sharply, "Heh, I knew you'd say that. Figures, now that I'm like this, everyone wants to stay away from me. You never truly wanted to help me!"
"Chen Yue, ask your conscience, did I not try to help you before? I even asked if you wanted to come to Xingchen, and I kept advising you not to be with Huang Ming, but you were just so stubborn." Su Wan felt both wronged and helpless.
"Su Wan, our situations are different. Your company doesn't allow actors to take outside jobs; how was I supposed to make a living later..." Chen Yue became increasingly agitated.
"Then what are you blaming me for now?!"
Just then, Su Wan noticed someone walking over and looked up.
Seeing it was Jiang Cheng, she was startled for a moment, then hurriedly hung up and greeted him with a hint of surprise, "Chairman Jiang, good afternoon!"
Jiang Cheng's gaze subconsciously flicked towards Su Wan's chest before he quickly looked away as if nothing had happened, his eyes finally resting on her slightly reddened eyes.
A pair of exquisite peach blossom eyes revealed a pitiful state that tugged at one's heartstrings; yet, a stubborn, unyielding spirit shone through her firm gaze.
These two contrasting temperaments intertwined, giving Su Wan a unique and captivating charm.
"Why are you crying?" Jiang Cheng asked softly, frowning.
Su Wan said with a slight sob, "I was just in touch with a sister from my previous company. You must have heard about the hot searches these past two days. After I left, Huang Ming went after one of my roommates, Chen Yue. She's pregnant now..."
"Huang Ming? Is that the old man I ran into when I bought the ferrari laferrari?"
Su Wan nodded and, after taking a deep breath, began to tell Jiang Cheng the whole story.
After finishing her last sentence, she looked at Jiang Cheng with gratitude once more.
If she hadn't met him, she might still be suffering under those unfair conditions.
Recalling her days at her former company, a wave of bitterness rose in Su Wan's heart.
Back then, she never received such democratic treatment.
Usually, when a new production came along, the company wouldn't consult the actors at all. They would often settle things privately and sign the contract before simply notifying the actor to perform.
Even if it was a role she was extremely reluctant to play, she had no choice but to accept.
In such an environment, actors had almost no human rights to speak of.
Some roles were not only difficult to perform well but could also easily ruin one's image and popularity, which was detrimental to long-term personal development.
After exhausting herself to get a slightly substantial minor role,
The company would force her to accept various additional conditions just to have the chance to play that character.
It was nothing like now, where she could selectively choose scripts and endorsements.
Although she had left her original company, Su Wan still occasionally kept in touch with some familiar artists there.
Since Jiang Cheng assisted her in successfully terminating her contract and getting away, the company had arranged for Chen Yue to serve Huang Ming instead.
It was said the two had maintained an unusual relationship for several months.
In the end, Chen Yue didn't become the lead in the web drama Huang Ming had promised her.
She only managed to snag an insignificant, dispensable third female lead.
Even so, Chen Yue didn't dare to fall out with Huang Ming and continued her relationship with him.
In fact, in their industry,
Producers, directors, and investors rarely forced them into anything overtly.
They preferred to use various hints to subtly guide the other party into willingly taking the bait and offering themselves.
If you showed up at their door, you'd get opportunities.
Of course, you could refuse.
But if you refused too many times, you would quickly be sidelined in this circle.
Eventually, you might only be able to play extras and bit parts for the rest of your life.
Everyone understood this logic.
If you wanted to be famous and popular, you had to bow down, close your eyes, stick out your backside, and even cooperate by singing along.
Later, Chen Yue accidentally got pregnant, and for some reason, Huang Ming's wife found out.
Huang Ming's wife not only leaked their chat and transfer records but even went to the company to take photos.
Because of this, Chen Yue, an obscure little actress, was on the hot search for several days.
With the exposure of the chat and transfer records, netizens lamented that money wasn't easy for actresses to earn.
After all, Huang Ming was truly old and greasy.
And while Chen Yue was a few years older than Su Wan, she was still only in her early twenties.
The age difference between the two was enough for them to be father and daughter.
In this day and age, the fee for a single service from a foot massage girl has already soared to the staggering price of 666.
The key is that this price is limited to a service within a set time.
If overnight service or special requests are needed, spending two or three thousand has long become commonplace.
In contrast, the overnight compensation for actresses like Chen Yue was only ten to twenty thousand.
Honestly, such a price couldn't even compare to the amounts Jiang Cheng, Qin Fen, and others usually spent when splurging at high-end clubs.
For instance, the amount Jiang Cheng gave Xia Meng for her first time was as high as one hundred thousand.
What was even more shocking was that after the matter was exposed, Huang Ming irresponsibly told his wife to stop making a scene right in front of her.
He even directly belittled Chen Yue as a slightly high-end hen.
Although this incident once topped the hot search list, it quickly vanished without a trace after only two days.
After all, she was just a minor actress; how much heat could she generate? Plus, Huang Ming wasn't a major investor, so netizens forgot about it after some gossip.
Furthermore, other companies would never allow a minor actress to occupy the hot search list for long.
Su Wan didn't know what Chen Yue's final end would be.
Perhaps the most likely outcome was an abortion, followed by being given the cold shoulder and blacklisted by the company.
Thinking of this, Su Wan felt even more grateful to Jiang Cheng.
"So, you're crying here because of her?" Jiang Cheng asked again.
Su Wan nodded aggrievedly. "I used to be on good terms with her, but since the company helped me terminate my contract and my career took off, she kept hinting for me to mention her on social media or even recommend her for jobs. But our two companies aren't partners, and the company has been so good to me, spending so much on resources for me. For the sake of the company's development, how could I be so ungrateful as to promote an artist from another company? But she didn't understand and even became jealous of me later..."
Jiang Cheng shrugged. "As the saying goes, 'You're afraid your relatives will suffer, but you're also afraid they'll drive a Land Rover.' Isn't that just how it is?"
After Jiang Cheng said this, Su Wan couldn't help but burst into a giggle, as if a spring breeze had dispersed the gloom that had gathered in her heart for so long. Her mood instantly lightened.
With a smile on her lips, she asked, "It's been a long time since I've seen you at the company."
Seeing that Su Wan didn't ask him to help Chen Yue, Jiang Cheng was secretly satisfied.
"Yeah, Manager Yu has a few things to discuss with me."
When Jiang Cheng mentioned Yu Xiaoxiao, Su Wan's eyes flickered for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure.
"Oh, I see... I just finished filming the day before yesterday, and my manager told me to come back to the company to discuss future work arrangements."
Watching Jiang Cheng hurry towards Yu Xiaoxiao's office after a brief conversation, Su Wan couldn't help but feel a twinge of annoyance.
After all, she was no longer an ignorant young girl; how could she not know about the relationship between Jiang Cheng and Yu Xiaoxiao?
She had previously seen Yu Xiaoxiao come out of her office with some lotion on the corner of her mouth, which confirmed their relationship.
She really couldn't figure out what kind of feelings Jiang Cheng had for her.
To say he was uninterested didn't seem quite right,
But to say he was interested felt like a huge joke.
For such a long time, let alone meeting, Jiang Cheng had never once taken the initiative to contact her in daily life.
Every holiday, she was always the one to send greetings first, and sometimes she didn't even get a response from him.
With such an attitude, if someone said he liked her, they'd have to be seeing ghosts.
Jiang Cheng arrived at Yu Xiaoxiao's office door with practiced ease, pushed it open, and walked in.
Yu Xiaoxiao, who was buried in work, looked up at the sound. When she saw Jiang Cheng suddenly appear before her, a look of pleasant surprise crossed her face, and she quickly stood up to greet him.
Today, Yu Xiaoxiao was dressed as usual in a long, pure white dress that fluttered in the breeze, looking as ethereal as a fairy descending to earth.
On her slender legs, she wore a pair of Valentino high heels, which made her figure appear even taller and more graceful.
Her skin was as white as snow and translucent, like mutton-fat jade.
Her features were as delicate and beautiful as someone in a painting, and every smile could capture one's soul.
Her slender and exquisite curves were just right, neither plump nor thin, exuding a unique charm.
Every gesture she made was naturally noble and elegant, making people couldn't help but be captivated by her.
"Hubby! Why did you suddenly come over?" Joy sparkled in Yu Xiaoxiao's eyes, her voice carrying a hint of irrepressible excitement.
The corner of Jiang Cheng's mouth curled into a doting smile as he said, "Didn't you say you had something you wanted me to do? I figured your time was about right."
Yu Xiaoxiao's heart warmed. She quickly walked to the door and locked it.
Turning around, she jogged back to Jiang Cheng's side and, without a word, sat astride his lap, hooking her arms around his neck and saying coquettishly, "Hmph, bad younger brother, I didn't expect you to remember my relative's business so clearly."
"Of course, you're so tight, how could I not remember?"
Yu Xiaoxiao gave Jiang Cheng a flirtatious look and then said expectantly, "Then you must have plenty of ammo now. I'm in my safe period."
Jiang Cheng instantly understood Yu Xiaoxiao's words.
Although he had already discharged five rounds since last night.
If it were any other guy, they might be completely out of commission by now, leading to an awkward situation.
But he was, after all, someone who possessed the Great Kidney Returns skill.
Although this skill might not protect his lower back, lying down and relaxing a bit wasn't out of the question! Jiang Cheng didn't feel disappointed; instead, he smiled, stroked Yu Xiaoxiao's charming cheek, and said softly, "Naturally. I've been carefully saving it for you these past few days, guaranteeing you'll be satisfied."