Chapter 026: If There’s an Enemy, I’ll Be There

When Meng Qing heard Lu Jingshan speak so protectively and generously, the dark expression on her face finally softened a little.

But she still didn’t let Fang Yimeng off the hook, warning sternly, “Next time, if you act on your own without going through the internal team review, you’ll be punished by not getting any scripts to choose from for a whole month!”

That was a devastating blow to Fang Yimeng’s fragile little heart. She gripped Lu Jingshan’s sleeve tightly and let out a pitiful hum.

Seeing that the troublemaker had finally shown some remorse, Meng Qing was about to leave when a colleague quietly reminded her of something. She had no choice but to turn back and approach Fang Yimeng and Lu Jingshan.

Lu Jingshan raised an eyebrow and slightly turned his head to glance at the small, impulsive person still hiding behind her manager.

Just as Fang “Little Impulse” Yimeng was about to take a step forward, she caught her manager’s sharp look over the shoulder and immediately withdrew her foot in fright.

“One of these days, you’re going to kill me with worry,” Meng Qing sighed deeply, took a folder from a colleague, and handed it to Fang Yimeng. “Come to my office. A variety show reached out to you. I think it’s pretty good, so I signed a preliminary agreement. Take a look.”

With that, the manager walked off coolly, leaving behind her composed figure. Fang Yimeng looked up at Lu Jingshan, and he looked down at her in return.

“I’ll wait for you in the underground parking garage and drive you home afterward,” Lu Jingshan said in a low voice, his deep eyes filled with a gentle smile.

“Li Ke, go buy a cup of freshly squeezed juice for Mr. Lu,” Fang Yimeng said, a little embarrassed about making someone wait, so she had Li Ke go get a drink as a small token of thanks.

The overly formal gesture made the smile in Lu Jingshan’s eyes pause slightly. But Fang Yimeng, already hurrying after Meng Qing, didn’t notice the change in his expression at all.

“Sister Yimeng once said she doesn’t like seeing friends drink bitter stuff, so she usually has me buy freshly squeezed juice,” Li Ke, always quick to read a room, noticed that Mr. Lu didn’t seem as pleased as before and quickly tried to smooth things over on Yimeng’s behalf.

But his expression remained unchanged.

Meanwhile, the carefree Miss Fang followed Meng Qing into the office. When she opened the folder, the bold title of the show jumped out at her:

“Please Close Your Eyes at Eleven-Thirty”

“A Werewolf game show?” Fang Yimeng casually tossed the folder onto the sofa and flopped down in a practiced motion, crossing one leg over the other as she looked toward her manager.

“I don’t mind doing variety shows, I can take more. But won’t people start thinking I’m just a variety show personality if I take on too many? I’m supposed to be walking the path of an actress, after all.”

She frowned, instinctively about to reject the show.

Hearing this, Meng Qing let out a cold snort. She sipped some water to moisten her throat before speaking. “It’s actually a live-streamed sleep challenge show with real-time comment interaction. The contestants go through various themed challenges to promote better sleep habits.”

“Oh, a proper program? I’ll look like just a pretty face on screen again and get mocked, won’t I?” She frowned and was still thinking of turning the project down.

Meng Qing didn’t rush to respond to her artist’s resistance. She calmly took another sip of tea and pointed at the folder. “Take a look at the other guest challengers before making a decision.”

Why so secretive?

Suspiciously, Fang Yimeng glanced at her manager and flipped to the second page. Her expression changed instantly into one of fiery determination, a stark contrast to how she’d been trying to throw the project out moments ago.

“Why didn’t you say Liao Ran was going to be on the show?! Then there’s no way I’m missing it!” Fang Yimeng’s eyes lit up, practically sparkling.

Meng Qing had already expected this reaction. She smiled and set down her cup, walking over to sit across from Fang Yimeng.

“The show is hosted on your friend’s platform. I originally thought your friend would side with you and reject Liao Ran. So why did they send the invitation to her first?”

“They’re childhood friends. Of course he’d invite her. I’m not the least bit surprised.” Fang Yimeng’s attention was completely on the show proposal now.

“I only agreed to be the spokesperson for the iVisit app because it was your friend’s company. Should I go back on it now?” Meng Qing tested the waters.

iVisit was a newly developed live-stream and short video entertainment app by Hualing Group.

Fang Yimeng noticed that her variety show appearance fee was listed as 500,000 per episode in the folder. She was very satisfied with the number. But more importantly—wherever Liao Ran went, she had to go too.

She had to seize every opportunity to compete—and use her strength to defeat Liao Ran!

“Eight-figure spokesperson deal? I’d have to be out of my mind to say no,” she said, frowning as she rejected Meng Qing’s suggestion. “Hurry up and arrange professional hypnosis training for me in the next few days. I need to cram like crazy and at least crush Liao Ran in the knowledge segment!”

Hearing that, Meng Qing finally let out a breath of relief.

Then she corrected her, “Who told you the iVisit deal was eight figures?”

“Huh?” Fang Yimeng looked up from the folder. She was still giddy from the idea of outshining Liao Ran.

Meng Qing thought for a moment, then pulled another folder from the pile on the desk and placed it in front of her.

When Fang Yimeng opened it and saw the actual payment amount in the agreement, she was stunned. Even as someone born into wealth, she had never seen a number this huge!

“You raised the price?! Sister Meng Qing, you’re seriously my idol! When I tried negotiating an eight-figure deal with Lu Jingshan, he looked so reluctant. You have to teach me—how did you pull this off?!”

The little money-grubber’s eyes widened like saucers, her lipstick in a muted rose color couldn’t hide the joy spreading across her face.

She looked like a kitten hearing a can of food being opened—her invisible ears practically twitching with excitement.

Meng Qing glanced at the innocent actress in front of her with a strange look.

What Fang Yimeng didn’t know was: during the actual negotiation, Meng Qing had only asked for seven figures. After all, since Fang Yimeng had rarely done endorsements and had focused almost entirely on acting over the years, her market value wasn’t particularly high despite her many roles.

The seven-figure price was already bold and based entirely on the assumption that Lu Jingshan, CEO of Hualing and a friend of Yimeng’s, would show some personal goodwill.

Meng Qing had even mentally prepared to fully convince Lu Jingshan that seven figures was reasonable.

But she didn’t even get to make her case.

The CEO hadn’t even lifted an eyelid before tossing over a finalized contract—marked with a nine-figure deal.

It was like a golden pie falling from the sky—smack—right in their laps, leaving the whole team dumbfounded.

And Lu Jingshan’s indifferent expression, acting as though the enormous financial loss didn’t bother him at all, was still fresh in her mind.