Chapter 192 Quick, quick, see if there's a crack in the ground for her to crawl into!

"Wow~ Wow~ Wow!"

Song Xinyao kept exclaiming the whole way.

Her curious eyes darted everywhere.

A standalone building! Luxurious decor! A film and television Company! Stars everywhere!

She couldn't even imagine how happy it would be to work here.

Chasing stars for free, getting autographs until your hands go soft, then reselling them to fans—wouldn't that make a killing!

Every day would be, pfft, one hundred, two hundred, three hundred...

Counting money until your hands cramp.

In the face of money, chasing stars is completely trivial.

They just arrived at the elevator lobby.

Ding—

The elevator doors opened.

Director Jin Ming walked out, his face brightening when he saw Ling Yue.

"You're here. I was just about to go out and meet you. I saw you during the ribbon-cutting ceremony just now."

Director Jin Ming fully understood why Ling Yue had agreed to the ribbon-cutting but chose to keep a low profile and stay off the stage.

If he could, he would also want to work in a temple.

Besides, no one could influence the major shareholder's decisions.

Back to business.

"Chen Dong is on the third floor doing media interviews, which are expected to last an hour. If you're worried about being photographed, we can finish our chat quickly and head to the banquet hall."

The guests have been arranged in the lounge on the fourth floor, so we'll go straight there."

The guests who came today might be potential collaborators in the future.

Since Ling Yue was already here, not meeting them would seem like she was looking down on them.

Inside the lounge.

Everyone was from the same circle—a director on the left whom she had worked with before, an actor on the right who had been in several of her dramas. They were all gathered together chatting; any random topic they discussed would be enough to make headlines on Weibo.

"Knock, knock, knock."

The knocking interrupted the noise inside.

After a second's pause, Director Jin Ming pushed the door open and entered.

The room was filled with the thick smell of smoke, and looking closely, the air above was shrouded in a haze.

Because they were worried about being photographed, the windows were closed and the curtains drawn, so there was no ventilation.

Walking in abruptly and inhaling the smoke caused Ling Yue to cough.

Good heavens, did a bunch of chain-smokers live in here! Ling Yue felt like she'd been licked by a chain-smoker—what a stench!

"Sorry."

Seeing the young girl coughing her lungs out, a certain director holding a cigarette quickly pinched the butt, stubbed it out in the ashtray, and waved his hand in front of his mouth to disperse the smoke.

"It's fine." Ling Yue pressed a fist against her lips, her voice barely escaping.

The discomfort from the smoke made her face flush red.

She didn't care about others, but her workspace had to be smoke-free.

Director Jin Ming quickly opened the lounge door wide.

To prevent anyone from wandering in by mistake, the entrances and exits on the fourth floor were guarded, so there was no fear of being overheard with the door open.

He also adjusted the ventilation settings to the maximum on the wall control panel.

The equipment received the command and began to 'hum,' and the smell of smoke slowly dissipated.

Since they were guests, and he was the one who invited them, Director Jin Ming naturally couldn't say anything.

As slow as he was, he noticed that the atmosphere had become a bit cold.

He wasn't good with words and was still trying to think of how to ease the atmosphere.

He Xin stood up from the sofa in the corner. "President Ling, long time no see."

She took the initiative to break the awkward atmosphere.

As her voice fell, everyone in the room turned their gaze toward the door.

"President Ling?" someone asked in a confused tone.

They had heard that the major shareholder of Company was a youngster, but seeing her today, was this girl just a rich young miss thrown out by her family to experience life right after graduation?

No.

Squandering hundreds of billions—how could that be compared to just experiencing life!

She must be extremely doted on at home, to the point where they didn't hesitate to throw away hundreds of billions for her to play around in the entertainment industry.

The world is truly unfair.

Some people are born at a height that others can't reach even after a lifetime of struggle.

Becoming capital at such a young age—comparisons really are odious.

They silently put away their cigarettes, with no intention of lighting them again.

Everyone standing there had fought their way to fame; they were all very shrewd and didn't show their thoughts on their faces. Ling Yue couldn't tell at all what they were thinking.

Director Jin Ming gave He Xin a grateful look and took over the conversation. "Xiao He, when did you meet President Ling?"

He Xin was dressed very casually and simply today, but with just a light touch of makeup, she was so beautiful that one couldn't look away. She was fair and beautiful, and the white fluorescent lights in the room hitting her face made her look like she had a layer of highlighter on, giving her a holy radiance that was even more eye-catching than the exquisite heavy makeup she wore at the previous banquet.

"I had the honor of meeting Miss Ling once before while attending the Chaumet jewelry exhibition banquet."

He Xin's face held a smile that made people feel very close to her, and the shallow dimples on her cheeks seemed capable of intoxicating others.

"So beautiful~"

Before anyone else could speak, a dazed voice drifted out from behind Ling Yue.

Everyone looked toward behind Ling Yue in unison.

They saw Song Xinyao wearing a besotted expression, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on He Xin's face, completely drunk on her beauty.

If this were outdoors, she definitely would have roared it out.

He Xin's smile didn't fade.

She was used to such 'impolite' behavior and had a sense of numbness from being accustomed to it.

Ling Yue extended two fingers, reached around to Song Xinyao's waist, and twisted hard, like turning the channel knob on an old black-and-white television.

"Hiss!" Song Xinyao snapped back to reality, turned her head, and put on a mask of pain.

"Sorry, this is my friend. She really likes you; she has watched all of your TV dramas and movies." Ling Yue patted Song Xinyao's shoulder.

Song Xinyao was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening, her little heart pounding wildly! Joy filled her brow.

Godmother!

She didn't even forget to seek benefits for her sister while working!

Listen to me, thank you!

She turned shy in a second, looking as docile as a little lamb nestled in its mother's arms in front of He Xin. "He~ Fairy, can I take a photo with you?"

"Sure." Facing a fan, He Xin's smile was more like a winter blanket, carrying a warmth that strongly enveloped her.

Song Xinyao was incredibly glad she had put on makeup before leaving the house today.

That way, she could post it and show off!

The frame captured both of them.

He Xin's head was a full half-size smaller than her own!

And that face was even more beautiful.

Wow-yay-yay~

He Xin's fair skin was so white it could light itself up~

After the photo was taken here.

She also got an autograph, a dedicated one at that.

Song Xinyao couldn't put it down; she suddenly felt that even if a fan offered 10,000, she wouldn't be willing to sell it.

Her infatuation with her idol briefly overcame her money-loving nature.

Ling Yue then walked straight toward a middle-aged male celebrity in the crowd who had been smiling the whole time.

"Hello, my friend calls you her childhood idol, an existence like a white moonlight. She basically grew up watching your dramas through middle school, high school, and university, and even collected your photo albums.

The deep impression you left in her heart means that many male celebrities these days can't catch her eye. In other words, you are her god!

So, could I trouble you to take a photo with her too?"

In an instant, there was a deathly silence all around.

The childhood idol's mouth twitched; he didn't know how to feel.

He didn't find the phrase 'I grew up watching your dramas' offensive coming from Ling Yue, because given Ling Yue's age, she could indeed be his daughter.

Ling Yue turned back and raised an eyebrow at Song Xinyao.

Fulfilling a sister's dream—it was her duty!

Song Xinyao was clearly still maintaining a smile, but inexplicably, her nasolabial folds deepened, and a faint sense of social death emerged.

Having her teenage thoughts expressed in public... but she was no longer that child.

So... so socially dead! I want to die!

Quick, quick, see if there's a crack in the ground for her to crawl into!

Seeing that Song Xinyao didn't react for a long time, Ling Yue decided to go the extra mile and pulled her in front of the childhood idol. "Come on, you two take one."

The childhood idol had experienced a lot.

What had he not seen in his youth?

Someone had once written fanfiction about him and another male star and even read it aloud in public, and he had managed to remain unflustered. Now, it was just a little fan who treated him as a 'god,' which was nothing.

Song Xinyao, with red ears, quickly snapped a few photos and slunk back behind Ling Yue.

"Why are you shy?" Ling Yue's mouth was going on and on today.

Song Xinyao gritted her back teeth. "I thank you."

Ling Yue: "It was my duty!"

Song Xinyao lowered her head: Please, stop talking!

This interruption actually made the atmosphere relaxed and lively.

Some simple exchanges let those present roughly understand what kind of personality Ling Yue had.

On the spot, five directors decided to sign up for this competition.

Yes, the competition didn't have much prestige.

It felt like playing house.

But they were genuinely putting up 400 million in funding!

And they could find their own screenwriters, write their own scripts, and find their own actors.

Who was Director Jin Ming? He was the spokesperson for directors who went their own way.

The reason he was disliked by current investors was that he didn't want to cater to the market or follow the trend; he wanted to shoot dramas that were interesting but not very profitable.

Ling Yue inviting him to preside over this conveyed 'delegation of power'.

With such a good opportunity, they had to get in on it.

Who didn't want to shoot a drama completely according to their own ideas?

No director could resist this kind of temptation.

The minimum broadcasting conditions set by them—who present couldn't shoot that with their eyes closed?

If there was no money, that would be one thing, but now that someone was paying, shoot it—they absolutely had to shoot it!

It was great; many screenwriters and actors were there today, so they quickly went around inviting people.

In less than half an hour, six teams were formed on the spot, and they asked Director Jin Ming for the registration link right there...