Zhao Rong’s expression softened considerably compared to earlier. Meng Zhen pursed her lips, walked up to Xu Ruixi, and placed the tablet on the coffee table.

“This is a gift for Ruixi.”

Xu Ruixi let out a derisive laugh, raised his hand, and tossed the box into the trash can like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. “I don’t want your things!”

“Ruixi, is that how you speak to your sister?” Zhao Rong knew her son was averse to Meng Zhen, but she hadn’t expected his reaction to be this intense. After all, they were biological siblings. Why behave like they’re enemies?

“I only have one sister.” Xu Ruixi’s face turned bright red from anger as he spoke. Without even glancing at Meng Zhen, he turned and went straight upstairs.

The atmosphere in the living room became a bit awkward. Xu Xuero lowered her head, hiding the schadenfreude in her eyes, and took the initiative to comfort Meng Zhen, “Sister, Ruixi is going through a rebellious phase. He didn’t mean it, so don’t hold it against him.”

Meng Zhen slowly shook her head. She wasn’t the other Meng Zhen, so she wouldn’t feel hurt by the Xu family’s cold attitude. At this moment, she sat quietly on the sofa, her thick, fluffy black hair making her face look even smaller and more pitiful.

Zhao Rong sighed but didn’t say anything. Xu Ruixi was her most beloved son, and even Xu Xuero couldn’t compare to him, let alone Meng Zhen.

“Mom, Ruixi probably has some misunderstandings about me. It will be fine once those misunderstandings are cleared up.”

———pr

After half an hour, the sound of a car being parked came from outside. Meng Zhen followed Zhao Rong out to greet the newly arrived person and saw a middle-aged man with a dignified and elegant temperament approaching. It was Xu Youheng, the CEO of the Xu Group.

Xu Youheng’s gaze swept over Zhao Rong and Xu Xuero, before finally settling on Meng Zhen.

“It’s good that you’re back. In the future, don’t interact with those little animals anymore. It’s not that Mom and Dad don’t care about you, but your younger sister has a weak constitution and can’t handle allergic reactions. Last time, her allergy nearly sent her to the ICU. As her older sister, you need to be more considerate of her.”

Xu Youheng, a qualified businessman, always had a purpose behind every action. Now, after subtly admonishing Meng Zhen, he added, “The short film you shot before was produced by Luo Yang. When did you meet him?”

“A while ago, a friend uploaded a video of me online, and King Luo thought I was suitable for the role of Daffodil, so he had me audition. However, we haven’t spoken much, so we’re not very familiar with each other.” Meng Zhen didn’t know what Xu Youheng was up to, so she deliberately answered vaguely.

“Dad, do you also like Luo Yang? His songs are indeed very nice.” Xu Xuero handed her father a glass of water and asked softly.

Xu Youheng shook his head. “Next Friday happens to be the 20^th-anniversary celebration of the group’s establishment. I want to invite a few celebrities to the event. Everyone else has agreed, but Luo Yang hasn’t accepted the invitation.”

Xu Xuero exclaimed softly and looked at Meng Zhen with a pleading look, testing the waters as she said, “Sister, since you’re the only one who knows Luo Yang, can you invite him?”

Meng Zhen narrowed her eyes slightly, inwardly sneering. Xu Xuero appeared innocent and pure on the surface, but she was quite cunning. Meng Zhen had just mentioned that she wasn’t familiar with Luo Yang, yet Xu Xuero immediately begged her to invite him. It was clear she wanted to embarrass Meng Zhen.

“I’ll send him a message on WeChat to ask. If Teacher Luo doesn’t agree, there’s nothing I can do.”

Meng Zhen opened WeChat and typed a message, 【Teacher Luo, are you available next Friday? Would you be able to attend the dinner party hosted by the Xu Group?】

Although Meng Zhen and Luo Yang hadn’t known each other for long, their relationship was good, and they often joked around. Now, when Luo Yang received such a polite message, he immediately sensed that something was amiss.

【Sorry, I’m currently preparing for a concert tour so I won’t be able to attend.】

Upon reading his reply, Meng Zhen breathed a sigh of relief. She handed her phone to Xu Youheng, wearing a look of embarrassment on her face. “Dad, Teacher Luo declined.”

Xu Youheng’s face darkened. He didn’t say anything, but his expression turned notably grim.

Meng Zhen sensed that something was up, but she didn’t show it on her face. Instead, she pretended to look nervous and uneasy, appearing even more timid than Xu Xuero.

Busy with work, Xu Youheng went straight to his study after dinner without showing any concern for Meng Zhen’s thoughts or plans.

Zhao Rong sat on the sofa, flipping through fashion magazines absentmindedly. She casually remarked, “The auntie has tidied up your room so just stay here tonight. You’re a public figure now. Staying in a dirty and rundown place doesn’t suit your image.”

Meng Zhen declined Zhao Rong’s suggestion. She harbored a strong aversion towards everything related to the Xu family. If it weren’t to seek justice, she wouldn’t have appeared there at all.

Seeing that Meng Zhen was determined to leave, Zhao Rong had no choice. She could only instruct the driver to take Meng Zhen back to her apartment.

Watching the graceful figure of the other young woman, Xu Xuero’s eyes reddened. She returned to her room, closed the door firmly, and poured the bottle of perfume that Meng Zhen had given her into the toilet.

Being raised in an orphanage really shows in the gifts she gives. Everything reeks of cheapness. It’s absolutely disgusting.

———pr

After returning to her apartment, Meng Zhen logged into her email as usual and noticed a new message in her inbox, which was an invitation to a variety show.

It was called 《Do-Re –Mi-So-La》, one of the few prime-time shows on the Yellow Peach network. Even though Meng Zhen hadn’t watched the program, she had heard of its name.

After all, this variety show centered around traditional Chinese folk music as its theme. The regular mentors included Professor Ning Fenghua from the Conservatory of Music, renowned guqin master Zhang Zhongqing, and musician Fang Jing.

These three masters not only have fame but also bring prestige to the program, enhancing its overall quality and appeal.

Meng Zhen naturally couldn’t serve as a regular mentor. Instead, the show’s producers wanted to invite her as a guest.

According to the usual practice of 《Do-Re –Mi-So-La》, each episode invites one or two guests as youth mentors. These mentors, unlike the three regular ones who were highly accomplished in their professional fields, were often popular actors or idols who were currently trending. The show uses their popularity to attract fans and boost viewership ratings.

“Am I the only guest for this episode?” Meng Zhen casually asked the staff on the phone. She had just checked Weibo and noticed that the list of regular guests remained unchanged, however, the identity of the youth mentor had not been announced, leading many traditional music enthusiasts who were attracted to the show to flock to the program’s official account to inquire about it.

“No, there will be two guests for the next episode. The other one is Teacher Yue Yuanzhao.”

Remembering Yue Yuanzhao’s attempt to undermine her, Meng Zhen narrowed her eyes slightly and said with a smile, “It’s my honor to collaborate with Teacher Yue.”

Meng Zhen finalized the contract details with the staff and agreed to meet and sign the contract tomorrow. After that, she hung up the phone.

———pr

The next day before leaving, Meng Zhen changed into a short-sleeved avocado green top paired with slim-fit cropped jeans, revealing her slender and fair ankles.

The staff of 《Do-Re –Mi-So-La》 was a loyal fan of Luo Yang. She had watched Meng Zhen’s newly released short film 《Daffodil》 dozens of times, captivated by the flower spirit character. She assumed Meng Zhen’s real-life personality might resemble that of the flower spirit she played, but she was surprised to see the actress in such fresh and casual attire.

“Hello, Teacher Meng. Here is the contract for your guest appearance. The payment will be transferred to your account within a week after the show airs.”

Thanks to this folk music variety show, Yellow Peach made a lot of profit, so they were quite generous in their treatment of artists, especially when it came to appearance fees, which were particularly substantial.

Meng Zhen appreciated this straightforward approach from the program’s producers. After confirming that the terms were satisfactory, she signed her name at the bottom of the contract.

That evening, 《Do-Re –Mi-So-La》’s official account, posted an announcement,

【A gentleman unmatched in the world, a person like jade in the crowd @Yue Yuanzhao

As charming as the peach blossoms of spring, as pure and elegant as the chrysanthemums of autumn @Meng Zhen】

When netizens saw this post, they were all stunned. They hadn’t expected Meng Zhen to have such good resources and actually be chosen as 《Do-Re –Mi-So-La》’s guest.

One should know that there is a difference between variety shows as well. Some go on television and are broadcast on stations with ample budgets, ensuring exceptionally high production quality. Others, however, are online variety shows with not as strong of a team, needing to control expenses at every step, which inevitably affects the program’s quality.

Meng Zhen had only debuted for less than a year and had previously endured a wave of criticism across the internet. If it hadn’t been for starring in a short film produced by King Luo, everyone might have forgotten about her by now. Unexpectedly, she not only didn’t fade away but also made a stunning breakthrough.

With 《Daffodil》 as a prelude, most netizens were looking forward to Meng Zhen’s appearance. However, Yue Yuanzhao’s fans weren’t quite as pleased.

In their view, Yue Yuanzhao had been working hard in the entertainment industry for many years. As a member of a boy group, he was skilled in singing and dancing, excelling in both aspects. Therefore, they believed he was well-deserving to be a guest of 《Do-Re –Mi-So-La》.

But Meng Zhen was different. The talent show she was in had high ratings, and those who followed it knew well that Meng Zhen didn’t have much talent in singing and dancing. Moreover, she was an orphan who didn’t even attend high school. Being on the same stage as her would lower their brother’s prestige.

Even before the program started recording, Yue Yuanzhao’s fans began posting on various forums, fabricating scandals to defame Meng Zhen. Some even went as far as to say she was being kept by some company boss, insinuating that’s how she managed to secure such good opportunities.

Most of these fans were students who had yet to enter society, making them easily influenced by others.

When they look at an artist, their first thought isn’t about the artist’s professional skills and personal abilities, but rather whether the other person had connections or used relationships to get ahead.

Artists like Meng Zhen, who have been hidden away by their management companies, were more likely to arouse suspicion.

These days, Weibo is the most active platform for celebrities. Meng Zhen’s frequency of using this app had gradually increased. She roughly browsed through the comments from netizens and then reposted the program group’s post.

Within less than a minute of going online, her post had already garnered over a thousand comments.

【The missing person returned.】

【Wife, how about taking a selfie? It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you.】

【Sister, you should post more often and be diligent, alright?】