Jiang Lingxi received a call from Tong Yue on her way back to the hotel.
"I have something to ask you." After speaking, Tong Yue realized that her tone was a bit too harsh just now. She immediately took a deep breath and calmed her racing heart, "Did you see today’s hot search?"
"No, I was rushing with work today." Jiang Lingxi replied as she motioned for Lu Zhengzheng, sitting next to her, to open the hot search, "Does today’s hot search have something to do with me?"
Besides filming recently, it seems like she hasn’t done anything else, right?
"Today there’s a hot search saying you appeared on the show ’Inheritance’ and played Go with some genius Go player, Zhang Linxi. The contestant’s name on the show’s preview is Jiang Lingxi. I don’t know if it’s just a coincidence in name or if it’s really you!"
Before Jiang Lingxi could reply, Lu Zhengzheng, sitting beside her, couldn’t help but gasp.
"Xixi, you’re being criticized on the hot search!"
Tong Yue, who heard this from the other end of the line: "..." Her voice suddenly shot up by eight degrees, "Did you really go on that show?"
Before making this call, she actually leaned more towards believing that it was just a coincidence in names as the netizens said. After all, Go is not like other skills. Without true talent, you can’t even get started.
Not to mention that she’s been with Jiang Lingxi for so many years and has never seen this girl touch a Go piece.
But there was a faint hope in her heart.
What if, like before when she didn’t know Jiang Lingxi could shoot arrows, this girl actually knows how to play Go?
In short, her feelings were extremely complicated when she made this call.
But at this moment, all those complicated thoughts turned into shock.
"It’s me, I went to help a senior with something small."
Tong Yue: "...Help, help by going on a show? And it’s a national TV show?"
Why does this sound even more fantastical?
"To put it simply, a few days ago, I had a scene where I played Go with the male lead. The director filmed it and sent it to a senior in the Go community. That senior happened to be invited to the show ’Inheritance’ to hold a position, and needed a guest player, so they reached out to me."
No, no, no, she felt that this process was not simple at all.
But she didn’t have time to think about these things now, "How could you go on a show without telling me? If no one at the company told me about it today, I wouldn’t even know you squeezed in time to go on a show while filming."
"I just went on the show to play a game of Go, and there wasn’t any pay, so I didn’t think I needed to report it to the company?"
Tong Yue couldn’t help but rub her forehead, "But I could have helped you promote it in advance. And it’s a national TV show. None of our company’s artists have been on such a high-end variety show. You’re the first. If Manager Shao knows about this, he might allocate even better resources for you." She glanced at the files she was still holding, "No, I need to go to Manager Shao’s office tomorrow."
If it wasn’t for Manager Shao being off work already, she couldn’t wait until tomorrow.
Jiang Lingxi didn’t expect a show visit that was just a casual task for her to be so highly valued by Tong Yue. She assured, "I understand, Sister Tong. I’ll let you know before I join any show in the future."
"That’s right." Tong Yue smiled with satisfaction, "By the way, can you give a spoiler about who won the game on the show with Zhang Linxi?"
"Great! I’ll watch the show tonight when I get home. Also, don’t worry about the doubts online, the show will air tonight. The louder the naysayers’ voices are now, the louder the slap in the face will be once the show airs."
"I won’t keep you any longer. I still have some work to do. You’ve been filming all day, go rest at the hotel, bye."
After hanging up, Tong Yue turned around to see Li Yuwen still standing there waiting, so she decided to walk back.
"Sister Tong finished the call?"
"Yes," Now with a heart as steady as a rock, Tong Yue restrained her glee and tried to smile modestly, but the moment she spoke, the brimming sense of pride was overwhelming for Li Yuwen, "I just called Xixi and found out that a few days ago, while she was busy filming, she squeezed in time to appear on a show. This girl didn’t think it was worth mentioning. If Little Wen hadn’t reminded me, I probably wouldn’t know about this big deal she quietly pulled off until the show aired."
Li Yuwen was tempted to laugh stiffly.
This is showing off, definitely!
"So it turns out Jiang secured the opportunity herself. I thought Sister Tong helped her get it."
So, what are you being proud of?
But Tong Yue didn’t show the embarrassment Li Yuwen wanted to see, instead wore an expression full of pride, "Indeed. Even if that girl is out of touch, once she unlocks her potential, there’s no stopping her. Just time auditioning for ’Empress Yuan Zhao,’ I only helped her get an audition slot for a small role, but she ended up getting the lead role under Director Wei. I was shocked when I found out..."
Li Yuwen didn’t want to listen anymore. Her smile quietly turned into a forced smile, and she endured the bragging session before rushing to bring up the reason she initially approached Tong Yue, "Sister Tong, you see our Jing Huai joined the company the same year as Jiang. Jing Huai has studied calligraphy and traditional Chinese painting with a renowned artist since childhood, and won several awards at youth art competitions. I heard the next episode of ’Inheritance’ will focus on art. Since Jiang has been on the show and knows the crew, can she help connect Jing Huai with the show?"
Facing Tong Yue’s increasingly scrutinizing gaze, Li Yuwen felt a thud in her heart, "Of course, we wouldn’t let Jiang help for free. Jing Huai was recently invited to a fashion event in Country Y two months later and still needs a female companion. It’s a great opportunity to step into the international fashion circle and network."
Although it’s just a spot to accompany and view exhibitions, it’s highly coveted by domestic celebrities and can’t be obtained without connections and network.
Even Jing Huai managed to get an invitation card only because he was fortunate to be supported by a senior industry veteran.
She was sure that with Jiang Lingxi’s current fame, even after being on ’Inheritance,’ she wouldn’t have the network or connections to secure this opportunity, as the circles, despite both being high-end, are distinct.
As expected, Tong Yue showed some thoughtful expression.
Admittedly, the enticing offer painted by Li Yuwen was very appealing.
She kept silent, making Li Yuwen think that even this opportunity couldn’t tempt her, internally cursing the appetite as being insatiable, "Besides the companion spot, I can also recommend Jiang to audition for a role as the third female lead in a film. Jiang hasn’t acted in a movie since debut, right? This is a chance to break into the film industry."
Even with two seemingly great resources offered, Tong Yue wasn’t overly excited, instead becoming more vigilant.
Just for a guest spot on a national TV show, how much was Li Yuwen valuing it that she’s willing to trade two significant resources for it?
"I can’t agree to this directly. I need to discuss it with my artist first to see if she’s willing to accept, then I’ll get back to you."
Watching Tong Yue’s retreating back, she was left feeling ridiculous and somewhat incredulous.
Tong Yue and Jiang Lingxi—doesn’t it seem manager-artist relationship is reversed?