Chapter 042: Walk the Red Carpet with You

In the end, with Fang Yimeng forcefully playing soft music, the comment barrage in the livestream finally calmed down.

In reality, although everyone appeared quiet on the surface, they were going wild on Weibo, frantically spreading clips from tonight’s livestream.

As the news spread like wildfire, soon everyone knew that in “11:30, Please Close Your Eyes”, Fang Yimeng’s livestream room had two major CPs (ships) worth shipping.

One was the “Actor” mentor-mentee CP — the taboo love between a senior and a junior, always a fan-favorite for how scandalously irresistible it was.

The other was a classic pairing ripped straight from gossip blogs and tabloid rumors: the “No-Delete CP” — the rich sponsor vs. the celebrity. It wasn’t as thrilling as the mentor-mentee one, but it was perfect for daydreaming. Even sweeter.

Completely unaware of the buzz she’d created, Fang Yimeng turned off her livestream promptly at 11:30 PM. While waiting for the show results, she invited the producer and Li Ke to stay over at her apartment — she didn’t feel comfortable letting two girls go home that late.

As she lay in bed, idly scrolling through her phone and trying to fall asleep, two new messages suddenly came in.

Meng Qing: “I’m furious! You finally landed a role in a historical ensemble drama on ‘Actor’, and the contract was almost finalized — but someone cut in and stole it from under you!!!”

At the same time, the official Weibo account of “11:30, Please Close Your Eyes” posted an update:

11:30, Please Close Your Eyes V:
“Good night. Like a half moon shining softly in the night, bringing tipsy warmth to the soul. Tonight’s livestream winners: Sister Ali, Lin Mingyou, and Fang Yimeng. In the next episode, each winner will be paired with a professional hypnosis guide to help everyone drift to sleep~”

The show result meant little to Fang Yimeng — but Meng Qing’s message made her sit bolt upright before she could even close her eyes.

She immediately dialed the phone.

“Sister Meng Qing, you need to explain this clearly. What do you mean my role was snatched? Who did it?”

She went straight to the point, like she always did.

Background noise buzzed from the other end of the line, making it sound like Meng Qing was still at the office. Her voice was weary, laced with frustration.

“It was someone from Qingyue Media. They offered a million to buy their way into the production. The team caved and handed over the script without hesitation. We analyzed it and figured it wasn’t worth bidding against them — but still, being cut off like that is infuriating.”

At the mention of Qingyue Media, Fang Yimeng’s brows instantly furrowed.

“We asked around and found out why. Even though netizens are warming up to you now, they still think you’re bad luck because of that flop script from Director Wang. They assume if you bring your own investment into a project again, it’ll jinx the production. So they’re steering clear of any scripts tied to your name.”

Meng Qing chuckled coldly after saying this, her voice full of sarcastic disdain.

“Spineless opportunists, the lot of them.”

Fang Yimeng narrowed her eyes.

“I knew it. There’s no way Liao Ran would sit quietly in that livestream without having something up her sleeve. So she’s involved too, huh?”

Thinking back to tonight’s livestream, she couldn’t help but laugh dryly.

“Whatever. This isn’t a huge deal. You said before that the company was evaluating Director Wang’s new script anyway. He’s got a decent set of contacts, and yeah, we both have a bit of a bad rep right now. But if we can pull this off and turn things around, everything will get easier down the line.”

Meng Qing glanced at her watch and figured it was time to move on.

“If you need help with anything, just say the word.” Fang Yimeng added.

“You’re an actress — just focus on reading scripts. That’s help enough. No need to make things worse.” Meng Qing teased.

Hearing that Meng Qing was calm enough to joke, Fang Yimeng figured the situation wasn’t all that dire.

She was just about to hang up when Meng Qing suddenly spoke again.

“Almost forgot — I got an invitation to a charity gala, and your name is on the list too. I’m guessing it came from your father’s side, since it didn’t come through the entertainment circuit.”

“Charity gala?” Fang Yimeng hesitated for a moment.

“Yeah. Tons of celebs would kill to get in. Don’t give me that picky attitude — come to the office tomorrow and pick out some luxury gowns. You must attend, in full glam.”

That was a command, not a suggestion. Before Fang Yimeng could protest, Meng Qing hung up.

She stared at the now-dark phone screen, still stewing over Liao Ran stealing her role.

Slowly, her grip on the phone tightened.

—

In a high-security conference room at the agency, two fashion designers were seated at a round table, flipping through photos of designer gowns. The event’s guest list was displayed on the large screen.

Meng Qing leaned back in her chair and, when the mouse hovered over “Hualing”, she suddenly thought of something.

“Have you picked a date for the gala yet?”

Fang Yimeng had been dragged into the office first thing in the morning to sort out her gala look. She was wearing a fisherman’s hat and oversized sunglasses that rested on her high nose bridge.

“It’s just a gala. Why would I need a date?” she said nonchalantly, flicking her wavy hair over one shoulder.

Meng Qing knew she’d say that.

Without another word, she moved the mouse down to a few other names on the list and raised her chin meaningfully.

“Liao Ran’s walking the red carpet with Li Jincheng. You really want to show up alone?”

Fang Yimeng: …Why does she always say half the sentence, just enough to put me in an awkward spot?

“I think Young Master Lu would be perfect. You’ve got some trending Weibo buzz with him recently. And remember, you’re not attending as a celebrity — you’re going as a donor. You might even get a chance to meet some big-name directors through Hualing’s connections. I’ve already done all the research. Take a look.”

Meng Qing opened another PowerPoint presentation and began explaining the gala schedule in detail.

Fang Yimeng nodded along on the surface, but secretly pulled out her phone, opened WeChat, and messaged Lu Jingshan without hesitation:

Yimeng Not Emo: “Puppy Eyes.jpg”

He replied in under a minute.

Lu: “What is it?”

Seeing his cold, two-word reply, Fang Yimeng clicked her tongue, drawing a warning glare from Meng Qing.

She pouted slightly, but her fingers kept moving.

Yimeng Not Emo:
“Mr. Lu, any interest in attending a charity gala?”
“I take you down the red carpet, you help me hold down the fort. Deal?”

Lu: “Sure. Looking forward to it. Where are you? I’ll take you to check out D&Q haute couture.”

Yimeng Not Emo: “That one of your company’s brands?”

Lu: “It’s a direct competitor of the luxury brand Liao Ran is wearing to the gala. Thought you might like it.”