Chapter 23: A Professional Manager Part 6

Ming Li picked her up and placed her on the sofa, then began the task of changing the bedding. The room was lit only by a nightlight. Seeing Gu Qingshuang sleeping right in front of where she stood, a sense of satisfaction welled up in Ming Li’s heart.

She quickly finished changing the sheets and duvet and threw the old ones into the hamper. Her body felt like it was falling apart, but Gu Qingshuang was still sleeping on the edge of the sofa. Ming Li massaged her waist before picking her up again.

Gu Qingshuang woke up when her arms were draped around Ming Li’s neck. She was dazed, her eyelids feeling like they were glued shut as she looked at Ming Li.

“What time is it?” Gu Qingshuang burrowed into Ming Li’s chest, seeking relief from the light. Someone who was so cold in daily life was exceptionally soft when sleeping.

Ming Li answered softly, “3:40.”

“You’re still awake?” Gu Qingshuang buried her head in the pillow and smelled the fresh scent. she took a deep breath and looked at Ming Li with half-open eyes. “You changed the sheets?”

“Mm-hmm,” Ming Li said. “Go to sleep. I’ll sleep after I dry my hair.”

“You dried mine for me?” Gu Qingshuang asked slurringly.

Ming Li urged, “Yeah, now go to sleep.”

Gu Qingshuang lay on the bed, half-awake and half-dreaming as she said, “A-Li, you’re so good.”

Ming Li glanced at her and brushed a strand of hair away from her face. She wanted to say something, but she didn’t.

“A-Li,” Gu Qingshuang called out.

Ming Li gave a low hum. “I’m here.”

“Let’s be good to each other, okay?” Gu Qingshuang said.

Ming Li paused. She asked, “Who am I?”

“Ming Li.” Gu Qingshuang’s words were barely intelligible; she was truly exhausted.

Ming Li smiled. Good. Not Shen Lideng.

Ming Li didn’t know how much sincerity was in that request, but at least she was willing to say something soft. Be good to each other. Such a simple phrase. She wanted that too. But sometimes, she couldn’t control her own heart.

“You haven’t answered me.” Gu Qingshuang gave her hand a little shake.

Ming Li took her hand in hers and sat by the bed. “It will be fine.”

Once she no longer cared about Gu Qingshuang’s moods or actions—once she could go back to viewing her as just a “boss”—then everything would truly be fine.

Gu Qingshuang was almost asleep, but she said it once more: “Ming Li, you’re so good.”

Ming Li smiled helplessly. In the soft, dim yellow light, the room was quiet, save for the intermittent sound of their breathing. Ming Li’s face was close to hers. She reached out and gently traced Gu Qingshuang’s eyes and brows, whispering almost soundlessly, “Then why don’t you try loving me?”

Gu Qingshuang had fallen asleep. She didn’t hear, and she didn’t answer.

Ming Li sat by the bed for a while before going to dry her hair. Even after her hair was dry, she wasn’t sleepy. She sat quietly in the room for a while before finally lying down. The moment she got into bed, Gu Qingshuang rolled over and found a comfortable spot beside her.

Ming Li couldn’t help but smile. If she didn’t know Gu Qingshuang better, she would have thought the woman actually liked her.

What a pity. Gu Qingshuang would never love her.

***

The next morning, Ming Li woke up early. Despite only sleeping a few hours, her mind was clear. Gu Qingshuang had already gotten up; the room was empty.

Ming Li did some simple grooming and went downstairs for breakfast. Neither Gu Qingshuang nor Gu Xueqiang were there, which suited her just fine. After eating, she headed to Xingwan.

Xingwan was a talent agency that specialized in training idols. During the height of the survival show craze, they had signed nearly a hundred young idols. However, with the tightening of regulations in recent years, the idol industry had practically died out. The company had survived for a few years on the contract termination fees of those idols, but it had finally reached its limit.

Ming Li knew nothing about this industry. When she asked Hanxing, her friend had also been stumped for a few seconds. “Babe, I’m a singer and actress. I know nothing about the idol industry.”

Ming Li: “…”

“Different fields are like different worlds,” Hanxing said. “But I can look around and see if I know anyone who does.”

Eventually, Hanxing found an idol manager in her circle who happened to have left Xingwan. Ming Li did a deep dive into their business and realized the water was very deep. To put it simply, their previous profit model was a dead end in today’s market—otherwise, they wouldn’t be on the verge of an acquisition.

Ming Li spent two or three days working with Assistant Lin’s help and finally gained some understanding. After pulling several all-nighters, she finally produced a decent acquisition proposal and had it reviewed by professionals before handing it to Gu Xueqiang.

Before she turned it in, Assistant Lin comforted her. “Don’t worry, Miss Ming. You’ve done very well for a beginner. President Gu should be able to see your progress.”

Ming Li was still worried. “Mother has always had high standards.”

Assistant Lin couldn’t deny that.

However, this time Gu Xueqiang was indeed quite satisfied with Ming Li’s proposal, even though Ming Li’s first and second conclusions had been completely opposite. During her first assessment, Ming Li thought the company was good and should be acquired. After a detailed evaluation, she realized that from its profit model to its debts and assets, it was a company not worth acquiring.

Gu Xueqiang held Ming Li’s proposal. “Do you want to acquire this company?”

Ming Li hesitated before answering, “Given the current situation, I don’t believe this company is worth acquiring.”

“I’m asking if you want to,” Gu Xueqiang said.

Ming Li was startled. Only then did she realize Gu Xueqiang might have other intentions.

“If a company’s profit model is flawed, you can change it. As long as the foundation is there, you can change it—it’s just a matter of how difficult it will be,” Gu Xueqiang said calmly. “As for whether it’s worth acquiring… if it’s not worth it at a hundred million, what about fifty million? Thirty million? As long as the price is low enough, it becomes worth it.”

Ming Li asked cautiously, “Then you mean…”

“I want to leave this to you,” Gu Xueqiang said. “You’ve been learning for a few years; you can try handling this yourself.”

Ming Li was stunned. This was effectively giving her money to play with.

“Lin Xun is someone I’ve trained for five years. I’m assigning her to you. You will be responsible for the acquisition of Xingwan. The budget is eighty million. Can you make the company profitable within two years?” Gu Xueqiang spoke of eighty million as if it were eighty dollars. Her tone was calm, yet it was strangely exciting and pressuring at the same time.

Still in a daze, Ming Li asked, “But… don’t you know about the contract between me and Shuangshuang?”