Chapter 17

This film studio area was located in the basement levels of the TV Station. One could take the elevator from the underground floors straight up into the station.

Jiang Sisi had her own private office inside the TV Station, so she led Leng Xiang there.

Jiang Sisi hadn’t been here for three months, but her office was cleaned by a housekeeping auntie, so it wasn’t dirty.

The office was decorated quite warmly. Next to the desk stood a massive floor-to-ceiling bookshelf with hanging pothos cascading down. Potted flowers bloomed by the windowsill, showing that someone had been tending to them over the past three months.

Jiang Sisi pulled out a coffee machine she hadn’t used in three months from the cabinet and leisurely took it to the office’s attached lounge to wash it clean before adding coffee beans.

Leng Xiang sat on the sofa, wanting to speak up several times.

What Jiang Sisi had said shocked her too much; she wasn’t quite calm at the moment.

The female lead in a new film?

She had to exhaust every method just to audition for a third female lead role, yet now Jiang Sisi had casually placed “female lead” right over her head.

She took a deep breath and waited for Jiang Sisi to finish brewing the coffee. Then Jiang Sisi brought over a cup of scalding hot coffee and placed it in front of her. The cup and silver spoon were all exquisitely delicate.

Jiang Sisi reminded her, “Careful, it’s hot.”

Leng Xiang ignored the coffee entirely. She looked into her eyes, her words forceful and probing: “What exactly did you mean by what you just said?”

In her heart, Jiang Sisi was no good person at all. They’d even had unpleasantness before, so how could she believe Jiang Sisi wanted her to play the female lead in her new film?

Jiang Sisi was in a great mood. She sipped lightly from another cup of coffee and said, “Exactly what I said, word for word.”

Leng Xiang asked, “Why?”

Jiang Sisi smiled. “Maybe as compensation for last night?”

Leng Xiang stood up and turned toward the office door.

Jiang Sisi had anticipated this reaction from her. With quick hands, she grabbed Leng Xiang’s wrist.

Leng Xiang stood still, lips pressed tight, her expression very unsightly.

Jiang Sisi set down the coffee in her other hand and said, “Alright, I was joking. Do I seem like someone that casual?”

She spoke with a smile, her tone lilting upward, turning the words into something that stirred the imagination.

Leng Xiang thought, You do seem pretty casual.

Leng Xiang sat back down. Jiang Sisi said, “What happened last night—I really did wrong you.”

Leng Xiang didn’t want to continue the topic. “It’s fine. It was my own issue.”

Last night, Leng Xiang had been taken away by someone and drugged. Jiang Sisi had come with people to rescue her, and afterward even helped her relieve the effects.

Had Jiang Sisi wronged her? One could say yes, or no.

“Alright then, we won’t talk about that.” Jiang Sisi continued, “What I said in the studio wasn’t a lie either. You really are suitable for the female lead in my new film.”

Leng Xiang said nothing.

Jiang Sisi looked at her for a moment, a curve hooking at her lips. “You say it’s fine, but you’re still hung up on what happened last night.”

Nonsense. How could she not be?

Leng Xiang was extremely conservative in this regard, especially since it was her first time.

Leng Xiang pressed her lips together and said, “I don’t like you.”

Jiang Sisi used a more precise term. “You hate me.”

Jiang Sisi stated it so openly that Leng Xiang averted her eyes, staring instead at the intricate patterns on the coffee cup.

Leng Xiang fell silent, but her lack of denial was tacit agreement.

So she really did hate her.

Jiang Sisi gazed at her face—that face was truly a sight for sore eyes. Even now, with Leng Xiang in a bad mood, an unsightly expression, and poor spirits, it didn’t diminish its beauty one bit.

With beauty like that, she could topple empires.

Jiang Sisi even thought Leng Xiang didn’t need acting skills at all. That face was made for the camera. Standing still, with every frown and smile, she could captivate audiences.

But she also understood a bit now why someone with such a face had ended up in her current state in the industry.

If that beauty came with stubborn pride, it was a sin.

Leng Xiang was too straightforward, unyielding to the point of refusing even false courtesies. Even knowing Jiang Sisi wanted her for the female lead, she admitted outright that she hated her.

Such a person evoked images of thorns on a rose stem—touch them, and blood would flow.

If that beauty couldn’t be controlled, she was bound to earn resentment.

Suddenly, Jiang Sisi felt a strong interest in her.

What kind of person was Leng Xiang?

What would her future hold?

What brilliance would she show in her new film?

Jiang Sisi smiled and said, “Too bad. You hate me, but I rather like you.”

“My last film is in post-production editing. The new one’s team is still assembling, the script is tentatively set but needs a second revision. Earliest, we can start filming in three months.”

“My invitation for you to play the female lead in my new film is serious. You can think it over.”

“I bring my own investment team. I know roughly your situation. I can talk to Excellence Media for you—they won’t hold you back. And if you want, I can even help you terminate your contract with them.”

Excellence Media had signed her to a fifteen-year long contract back then; five years remained. She was twenty-five now—five more years, and when her contract naturally expired, likely no audience would remember her.

Leng Xiang gave a self-mocking smile. “What do I do after terminating? Which company would sign me?”

Jiang Sisi said, “I’ll sign you.”

Leng Xiang froze, sitting motionless on the sofa.

The coffee before her was still hot, wisps of steam rising, the misty vapor blurring her face. She couldn’t quite make out the woman sitting across from her.

What was Jiang Sisi thinking?

Why help her like this? Giving her the female lead, promising contract termination—why go this far?

Leng Xiang’s first instinct was that it was a scam, but what benefit did Jiang Sisi gain from deceiving her?

While Leng Xiang was lost in thought, another business card was pushed toward her by Jiang Sisi.

The fingers pressing down on the card were slender and strong. Leng Xiang followed her hand to the words on the card—this was the same one she’d seen that morning: black background, embossed silver lettering, elegant and textured.

Jiang Sisi.

Variety show host and director.

Shiyue Studio.

Leng Xiang repeated, “Shiyue Studio?”

Jiang Sisi nodded. “Yeah. Artists can sign with film companies or studios—you should know that.”

Film companies offered more comprehensive support, while studios were more specialized. Each had pros; the difference wasn’t huge. What mattered most was the studio’s or company’s strength.

Jiang Sisi smiled. “My contact info’s on the card. Figure it out, and come find me anytime.”

Leng Xiang slipped the card into her pocket casually. She wanted to ask why, but the words wouldn’t come.

It had been so many years since she’d felt this kind of treatment. She thought for a long time, opening her mouth several times, unsure how to speak.

Finally, Leng Xiang spoke. “What do you want?”

There was no such thing as a free lunch, nor pies falling from the sky. Even elementary school kids knew that.

What did Jiang Sisi want? What could she get from her?

Jiang Sisi knew Leng Xiang’s situation all too well. If she weren’t at the end of her rope, with Leng Xiang’s personality, she never would have sat down to talk properly.

At times like this, Jiang Sisi tended to entertain some mischievous thoughts.

She couldn’t help it—Leng Xiang like this was just too amusing; she couldn’t resist teasing her.

Jiang Sisi smiled and said, “Like I said, I really do like you. Sleep with me one more time, okay?”