Huayu Chunqiu, starting from being adopted by a fairy mother

Chapter 362 Yang Mi Goes Solo
Zeng Jia had been in Hengdian for five or six days. She had plenty of ways to see Liu Jing, but she didn't.

She only wanted to meet Liu Jing through Yang Mi, and she wasn't in a hurry at all.

She believed that even without her urging, Yang Mi would still manage to get Liu Jing to come out, no matter how unwilling she was.

When Yang Mi notified her, she was having a beauty spa treatment.

Women should treat themselves well, especially their faces, as these are the best calling cards.

The address she gave Yang Mi was a teahouse, and the environment was quite nice. She usually spent her afternoons there these days when she had nothing else to do.

Everything went according to her plan; Yang Mi arranged to meet Liu Jing.

She arrived at the restaurant a little earlier and was leisurely enjoying afternoon tea.

Fishing requires patience; otherwise, how can you catch a big fish?

These days she has been studying Liu Jing's information word by word. He is a young master from an extraordinary family, who is low-key, talented, and unrestrained.

She enjoys dealing with people like that. Since she's in the entertainment industry, it means some of her playboy habits haven't changed; otherwise, why would she be involved with Yang Mi?

However, even the most incompetent young master should not be underestimated, let alone Liu Jing.

She rehearsed many scenarios for this meeting and prepared a lot of specific lines of dialogue.

If she seizes this opportunity, her plan can be realized several years ahead of schedule.

"It seems Yang Mi still holds some place in Liu Jing's heart." Zeng Jia smiled slightly, picked up the mirror, and checked if there was anything amiss.

Being clean and tidy is also a form of politeness, and it can give others a good first impression.

Don't underestimate the importance of first impressions; they are the foundation for any collaboration.

"Sorry, there's a traffic jam. The roads in Hengdian can't keep up with the pace of development."

Zeng Jia knew this place well, and Lao Cai knew it even better. They didn't need a waiter to lead the way and went straight to the private room.

"President Cai?" Zeng Jia was surprised, her mind racing, but she smiled broadly. "Long time no see, President Cai. You look great. Is 'Chinese Paladin 3' almost finished filming?"

"It's still a long way off, it'll be another two months."

"Didn't they say 'The Message' would start filming in December? Liu Jing won't have enough time, will he?" Zeng Jia asked in surprise.

"His scenes for 'Chinese Paladin' finished filming in early December, and filming for 'The Message' started in mid-December." Old Cai shook his head. This woman really knows how to pretend. You were the one who coordinated Yang Mi's schedule; how could you not know the filming progress and the schedules of others?
“He’s really busy. I haven’t seen him idle at all throughout the year.” Zeng Jia said with admiration, then felt quite guilty. “If I had known he was so busy, I would have waited a few days to visit him.”

"He ran into an acquaintance at the entrance, so I came up first," Lao Cai explained, then added, "Today I'm the driver, you guys chat as you please, just pretend I'm not here."

"Haha, how could President Cai not exist? Your presence here is like a pillar of stability," Zeng Jia laughed.

"What 'stabilizing force'? Just now Liu Jing was complaining that I was a troublemaker." Old Cai sighed.

Zeng Jia smiled, secretly agreeing with Liu Jing's words. "You interfered, creating unexpected changes; you really are a troublemaker."

She knew that Lao Cai wanted to extract money from Yang Mi's sugar figurines. Lao Cai's presence here suddenly emptied her confidence.

The plan seems to have changed.

Both of them are agents, and they just kept talking back and forth, with hardly any honest words.

A dozen minutes later, Liu Jing came up with Yang Mi. "Sorry, something came up and I was a little late. I hope I'm not late."

"Haha, Young Master Jing, please have a seat. It's rush hour, so I didn't dare to make an appointment with you." Zeng Jia quickly greeted him, and couldn't help but mutter to herself, this young master is really unrestrained, he's even wearing headphones to listen to music.

“You wanted to see me, so I’m here.” Liu Jing sat down, took off his headphones, and didn’t rush to drink his tea.

Zeng Jia glanced at Lao Cai, who was leisurely sipping tea.

She smiled slightly, unconcerned; this scenario was within her expectations. After all, what young master doesn't have a temper? Some are even worse than Liu Jing.

These young masters are notoriously difficult to please; in fact, they are. But if you know the right methods, they are easier to please than the average person.

“Young Master Jing is a straightforward person, so I won’t hold back. Of all the artists I’ve managed, Mimi is the most talented I’ve ever seen. She was born to be in the entertainment industry. Now that she’s leaving Rong Xinda, it might not be a bad thing. I wonder what plans Young Master Jing has for her future?” Zeng Jia asked with a smile.

"Go home and have a baby."

"Pfft..." Old Cai couldn't stay relaxed anymore; this answer... was very Liu Jing-like.

"Young Master Jing is joking." Zeng Jia was still smiling; a single sentence couldn't break her guard, unlike some young masters who were even more vulgar.

"One child equals one hundred million in cash, and one billion in assets." Liu Jing said seriously, without a hint of joking. With so many women, and only winning the bid once out of so many attempts, he was starting to worry about having children.

Zeng Jia swallowed hard. "I'm thirty-three this year, still very young. I can definitely have four or five children, no problem at all."

Even if she only has one child, she'll be financially independent. What's the point of all that effort? She can just go to a spa every day from now on.

But then I thought about it again and calmed down.

Not to mention the eldest son, even his father wouldn't dare to do that.

The 100th person on this year's China Rich List has a fortune of over 3 billion yuan. A net worth of 1 billion yuan is enough to place them in the top 500.

This is absolutely a joke, or even bragging.

Zhang Min's name appears on the rich list, but Liu Xiaoli's name is not.

Liu Jing's family is definitely wealthy; in Zeng Jia's opinion, they shouldn't be much better off than Zhang Min.

As for Qin Shi Capital, its equity structure is complex, and it is nominally not closely related to Liu Xiaoli.

The public's current perception of Sister Li is that of Kangmei, Jiahe, and Samsung's branch factories.

“Young Master Jing, having children is not a woman’s value, nor can it be measured by numbers. Besides being a good wife and mother, a woman should have higher pursuits. I think Mimi doesn’t want to waste her talents and wants to realize her ambitions.” Zeng Jia looked at Yang Mi, wanting her to say something.

Since entering the house, Yang Mi has been meek and obedient, like a newlywed bride.

As Liu Jing said those words, she secretly rubbed her stomach, feeling utterly useless. More than two years had passed; she had worked tirelessly, without neglecting anything, and hadn't used any methods, so why was there still no sign of pregnancy?
If it's a man's problem, what's wrong with Zhang Min? With Sister Li's shrewdness, she definitely wouldn't be happy if the child wasn't Liu Jing's.

Zeng Jia thought it was a joke, but Yang Mi knew it wasn't. If she could give birth, why would she be stuck here as a submissive wife?

But then she thought about it again, and realized that if she really had a child, she wouldn't be willing to stay at home taking care of the baby.

Liu Jing remained silent, Yang Mi paid no attention, and Lao Cai was sipping his tea when suddenly there was an awkward silence.

Zeng Jia's prepared remarks were 30% useless: "It's not necessarily a bad thing that Mimi left Rongxinda. After Gui Yalei, the company's main focus was on developing Zhou Xun. After Zhou Xun left, the company didn't treat Mimi as a key player. Even if she hadn't left, the company's resources would have been allocated to the newly signed Li Qin, Jiang Mengjie, Yu Xiaowei, and Yang Yang."

Liu Jing glanced at Yang Mi and understood why she was conflicted; he didn't like dealing with women like that.

Liu Jing's friends are all quite distinctive. The older generation, like Fatty Wang, Cheng Long, Chen Jiashang, Jiang Wen, He Jiong, and Huang Lei, and the younger ones, like Hu Ge, Teacher Chen, and Xu Zheng, are not many serious people. But they all have one thing in common: they are not usually insincere.

Yang Mi looked dejected; it was true. She didn't know why, but as a veteran of the company, Li Xiaowan seemed to have always held a prejudice against her.

After Zhou Xun left, she thought that the tables had turned and it was finally her turn to be the top star, because there was no female artist in the company more famous than her.

But she was wrong; all her resources had always come from her older brother.

This can be explained. The company didn't have any decent productions in those two years, and they couldn't even support the young master, let alone her.

When Rong Xinda took over the project of "Dream of the Red Chamber", she felt that her opportunity had come, and she was full of energy during that period.

Later, I gradually realized that I was overthinking things. Even without the affair of sleeping with someone, I might not have been able to play Lin Daiyu.

Even before the news broke that she was cast as Daiyu and Baochai, some people in the company said that Yang Mi was too old to play Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai.

At that time, Yang Mi didn't take it seriously. The top five contestants for "Dream of the Red Chamber" were all much older than me. Not to mention, Yao Di, who was always being considered, was four years older than me.

She sighed silently. It wasn't someone in the company who said it; it was someone in the company who overheard the boss saying it. From the very beginning, the boss had no intention of giving her an important role.

Zeng Jia also sighed silently. She had countless lines of dialogue in her mind, but she couldn't stop the other party from speaking.

"You're right." Liu Jing finally spoke, and Zeng Jia perked up. She wasn't afraid of him speaking; she was afraid of him not speaking.

"Now that we've finished talking about Yang Mi, I'd like to ask you what your plans are?"

Zeng Jia was stunned. When was the story about Yang Mi finished? It hadn't even started yet. Of the remaining 70% of the story, another 30% was useless.

She looked at Lao Cai, who smiled broadly. "I'd also like to know, what are your plans? From what you're saying, you're leaving your old employer."

Old Cai is naturally radiant; she's never gained the upper hand when talking to Liu Jing. A few years ago, when they first met, she could practically choke him to death with her sharp tongue. Now, she's the one who's infuriating him.

Seeing others suffer setbacks now fills her with great satisfaction.

Old Cai knew Zeng Jia well, having dealt with him quite a bit. The usual tactics used on wealthy young men wouldn't work on Liu Jing. Because Liu Jing wasn't a second-generation rich kid; he was more of a self-made millionaire.

“I have high hopes for Mimi. She has the potential to become a superstar, and her future achievements will be no less than those of Zhao Yanzi, Zhang Ziyi, and Zhou Xun. So I want to bet on her and start a business together with her.” Zeng Jia looked at Yang Mi with admiration.

Old Cai couldn't stand it anymore. "If you hadn't interfered, I would have already signed Yang Mi. You've made me unhappy, so I'll make you unhappy too." Old Cai put down his teacup. "You're closer to Zhou Xun, you could start a business with her. With Zhou Xun's current fame, starting a business is a natural progression. Of the four leading actresses, she's the only one who hasn't established her own company yet. Now is the perfect time for you to go find her; it's only a matter of time before she sets up her own company."

“To Zhou Xun, she’s just an agent. To Yang Mi, she’s like an older sister.” Liu Jing spoke frankly; at his level, he didn’t need to beat around the bush.

Of course, it depends on who the other person is. But in the entertainment industry, he has that confidence.

Old Cai continued sipping her tea, remaining silent. Worried that Liu Jing might not understand, she offered a hint.

Zeng Jia thought to herself with resentment, "You gossipy old woman, didn't you say you were going to be a driver? Why are you interrupting me? You're such a brat."

The prepared script she had prepared was basically useless.

"Young Master Jing is right, better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of an ox. I left Rong Xinda to build my own career, not just to be Zhou Xun's agent. Everyone knows about Mimi's relationship with Young Master Jing. As your confidante..."

"Brother, she's my brother." Liu Jing put his arm around Yang Mi's shoulder, acting like they were best buddies.

Yang Mi wanted to roll her eyes, but forcibly suppressed the urge. We're really good brothers, we've been through thick and thin together.

Old Cai's lips twitched. "You and Liu Yifei truly are siblings, no, they're like brothers and sisters. Their obsession with titles and status is something most people simply can't understand."

No matter the occasion, if anyone mentions siblings in front of Liu Yifei, she will reflexively correct them.

As far as Lao Cai knows, Liu Jing has different names for his female confidantes in some public settings.

Yang Mi is a brother, Liu Shishi is a junior sister, Gao Yuanyuan is a confidante, Tang Yan is a best friend, Jing Tian is a younger sister, Bai Bing is an assistant, Shu Chang is a buddy, and Fan Xiaopang is a business partner...

As for the rest, that's beyond her knowledge.

"Um! Mimi is your brother, so you must have some plans for her career. I'm Mimi's good friend, Young Master Jing, would you be interested in hearing about the plans I've made for her?" Zeng Jia gave up on her usual rhetoric. This guy doesn't play by the rules, so she'd better just play it by ear.

“I’m not interested in your plans for her.” Liu Jing shook his head, his words a bit convoluted, giving Zeng Jia time to process them. “I want to know your career plans. If you keep talking about starting a business with Yang Mi, I’m going back to sleep.”

Zeng Jia remained silent, caught off guard by the sudden reversal of roles.

Her eight-year professional career was not wasted; she quickly adjusted her mindset.

Since the usual tricks aren't working, let's be sincere and treat this like an interview.

"Rong Xinda, hey, let's not talk about Rong Xinda anymore. I'm planning to go to Chengmei next year to improve myself. When the time is right, I'll start my own agency like Sister Hua did. I'll start from the basics..." Zeng Jia skipped the pleasantries and got straight to her ideas.

Liu Jing picked up a cup of tea; it wasn't too hot anymore, and it felt just right to drink.

"With Wang Jinghua leaving, Chengmei is short-staffed, so it's indeed a good choice," Liu Jing commented after Zeng Jia finished speaking.

“A few months ago, before Wang Jinghua left again and Mimi left Rongxinda, Mr. Wu from Chengmei quietly approached me, inviting me to become Chengmei’s artist director, in charge of the talent agency business of Orange Sky and Meiya. If I could train a group of artists, he promised to make me Chengmei’s vice president and entrust me with public relations, marketing, planning and other businesses.” Zeng Jia hesitated for a moment, then continued, “Chengmei has invested in ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’ and has many good talents in talent shows. He wants to poach a few and put them under my management.”

“Chengmei is a listed company with a bright future, abundant resources, and a well-established distribution channel. A wise bird chooses a good tree to perch on, and your plan is excellent. One year at Chengmei is worth five years at Rongxinda.” Liu Jing was speaking from the heart.

It has to be said that Lao Wu's success is no accident; he's got more than a few tricks up his sleeve.

Before he and Wang Jinghua had a falling out, he was looking for a replacement while secretly trying to steal Wang Jinghua's boyfriend.

If Wang Jinghua hadn't been prepared, she would have almost been dug up by Lao Wu this time.

“A good bird chooses a good tree to perch on, you’re right. Young Master Jing is the golden phoenix tree, can I settle down here?” Zeng Jia asked directly.

“You’re a golden phoenix, but I’m not a golden sycamore. Boss Wu is the real deal, and he’s a returnee from overseas.” Liu Jing was speechless.

“When I was talking to Mr. Wu, someone called him in Japanese. I don’t understand Japanese, but I heard Mr. Jing’s name several times.”

This was a very secretive matter; Zeng Jia hadn't even told her husband. She didn't want to reveal it unless absolutely necessary. This kind of behavior, while trying to please one person, also meant offending another.

She didn't understand Japanese, but she knew how to manage her facial expressions and understood the meaning of some expressions.

"Everyone talks about others behind their backs, and everyone talks about others behind their backs." Liu Jing said nonchalantly, but he was secretly wondering about it.

When "Under the City Wall" premiered at Cannes, the Japanese made quite a fuss. But now that it's about to be released in China, everything is quiet, which Liu Jing finds very unsettling.

Old Wu is the front man for the Japanese company, and Liu Jing has been paying close attention to him lately.

"Young Master Jing, wait a few minutes, I'm going back to the car." Zeng Jia took a deep breath. This guy won't act until he sees something, it seems I have to pledge my allegiance.

"Okay, do you need any help?" Liu Jing asked politely, knowing that the recording was being made.

This woman is someone you have to be wary of; she even records private conversations. I don't know if she recorded anything today, but even if she did, it doesn't matter. He was prepared and didn't say anything.

"No need." Zeng Jia shook her head. If you're going to be this polite as soon as you come in, I've already reached the climax of my conversation.

boom……

The door closed softly.

"Rong Xinda is finished." Old Cai sighed, feeling utterly disappointed.

Yang Mi woke up with a start, "Why? Where's Sister Jia?"

"She thinks you're hopeless, a hopeless case, and doesn't want to work with you. You're as stupid as a pig, as dumb as a donkey, utterly brain-dead, a complete idiot, a total weirdo..."

Yang Mi punched her older brother twice. "I didn't really listen just now, but it's not like I didn't hear anything. These are all your true feelings, that's how you think of me. The Golden Eagle Awards just ended, and she brought this up. At first, I didn't take it seriously, thinking she was joking. A few days ago, she suddenly came to Hengdian to see me and talked to me about it in person. She told me a lot, but I still feel there are some problems, and I can't figure them out, so I didn't dare tell you. She's staying in Hengdian and not leaving, and she's not urging me to leave. I'm getting more and more uneasy."

"If you don't have any ideas, she won't even stay the next day," Liu Jing mocked.

“Of course I have my own thoughts. I just realized why I’ve been so conflicted. Sister Cai is right. If we cooperate with her, she will definitely be the one in charge. I’ll be working for Rong Xinda, and then I’ll become working for her. At most, it sounds better in name, like I’ve gone from being an employee to a partner. But frankly, I’m still a high-level employee. She has no funds and no connections, so she wants to use me to bind you.” Yang Mi had been thinking and hadn’t noticed Zeng Jia leaving.

She was never stupid; she was just blinded by a leaf and couldn't see the whole mountain, failing to grasp the crucial point.

Cai Yinong reminded him, and Liu Jing already understood. Yang Mi suddenly realized.

"There's still hope for him," Liu Jing mocked.

"She kept talking about how much potential I had, what my future would be like, and how great the industry would be. She painted such a grand picture that I was already full of it and didn't realize what was going on," Yang Mi said sullenly.

"You can't stomach the empty promises she makes," Liu Jing grumbled.

"Don't just stand there and talk like you don't know what's going on. I don't care anymore, you can decide what to do." Yang Mi pouted and started to throw a tantrum. "I'm going home to have babies, ten or eight of them, you can raise them yourself."

"She wants to leverage the wood's strength, and you can leverage its momentum. With her help, your pace of establishing your own business will be much faster," Lao Cai suggested.

“That’s true. I’ve known her for six years. She’s never acted like this in front of Sister Shao Hong or the boss. A few words from Mu Tou disrupted her rhythm, and she seemed a little flustered,” Yang Mi said with a smile.

"If you had achievements on your merit list, a position of power, and money in your pocket, you could also interrupt her with a few words." Old Cai didn't take it seriously. "How many people in this world can be so unyielding to power, unmoved by poverty, and uncorrupted by wealth?"

"Wow, that's incredibly extravagant." Yang Mi grinned. Although her older brother didn't say anything, she understood. If it weren't for his support, he wouldn't have made this trip, much less sit down and chat with Zeng Jia for so long.

"You could say that," Old Cai sighed.

"How do you take advantage of this? By borrowing someone else's power? By making a big deal out of nothing?" Yang Mi deliberately looked at Liu Jing, as if to say, "You like to support me behind my back, but now you're doing it."

"As long as you two remain brothers, this bond will always be there," Old Cai said with a smile.

"Looks like I need to have a son to stabilize things," Yang Mi muttered.

"Cough cough..." Old Cai coughed violently, praying to Heaven to discern loyalty from treachery, this was not something I taught him.

Yang Mi stuck out her tongue, knowing her older brother was about to get angry, so she quickly changed the subject, "Sister Cai, you're saying Rong Xinda is finished? That's impossible. So many people are scrambling to get into the 'Dream of the Red Chamber' production team. By filming 'Dream of the Red Chamber,' Rong Xinda has not only pleased the top leaders but also secured a lot of resources. I feel like they're at the height of their power, with an imposing aura."

"They've staked everything on 'Dream of the Red Chamber,' which is incredibly risky. If the production is successful, it'll be icing on the cake. If it's a disaster, it'll be like sending snow into a fire. The two Li sisters will be brought down from their pedestals, and warriors will vie to slay the dragon. One whale falls, and all things are born." Old Cai's tone was complex.

It's rare to see women in charge of the Chinese entertainment industry. Some busybodies have made a ranking: two top directors, three top agents, and four top leaders.

The directors are Hu Mei and Li Shaohong, the agents are Wang Jinghua, Chang Jihong and Li Xiaowan, and the leaders are Jiang Xuerou, Cai Yinong, Li Xiaowan and Zhang Min.

As top-tier leaders, Zhouyi is declining, Tangren has just overcome difficulties, and Rongxinda is showing signs of decline, while only Chunqiu is at its peak.

Seeing this situation, how could Lao Cai not have mixed feelings?

"Mu Tou said that it's impossible for remakes of the Four Great Classical Novels to surpass the originals, but they have a strong audience to back them up. They're definitely not going to be super good, but they won't be too bad either." Yang Mi still didn't believe it. Although she had left Rong Xinda, she had once been proud of it.

When she joined Rongxinda, all the companies like Huayi, Chunqiu, and Tangren were run by younger brothers.

"I didn't really believe many of the rumors before. Zeng Jia is a smart woman. For the general manager of Rongxinda's artist management department to be looking for a way out, or rather, seeking another livelihood, makes one suspect that Rongxinda is indeed in trouble." Old Cai chuckled.

"People strive for higher positions, just as water flows downhill. Every job change is for better career development."

"Wang Jinghua left the company the first time and became a shareholder of Orange Sky. The second time she left, she established an independent agency. What did Zeng Jia gain from switching agencies? From being the general manager of artists at Rongxinda to becoming a department head at Orange Beauty? That's a lateral move; she'll have to start all over again at Orange Beauty, which is meaningless," Lao Cai explained.

Yang Mi remained silent, glancing at the doorway. "Why hasn't Sister Jia returned yet?"

"Check the recording again, make sure there's nothing in it that shouldn't be there," Old Cai mocked.

"Recording?" Yang Mi glanced at the Samsung player on the tea table. Did Lao Cai know that his older brother was recording?
She hadn't listened carefully to Zeng Jia's words; she only knew that her good friend had taken something.

(End of this chapter)