How can you ascend to heaven when you are a star?

Chapter 410 Eavesdropping
in the afternoon.

To avoid the evening rush hour, Gao Yue left the company an hour early.

Artist managers need to handle work related to artists, and this work often relies on communication efficiency and the ability to handle emergencies. Therefore, the company does not have strict attendance requirements for agents, nor are there fixed working hours and off-hours; it is all up to the individual.

As long as the work can be arranged properly, it doesn't matter if I don't come to the company.

Gao Yue picked up her bag and left the office. She took the elevator to the underground parking lot. As soon as she got into the car and fastened her seatbelt, she looked up and saw a minivan parked in the opposite parking space. Then a man and a woman got out of the car.

Although the man was wearing a mask, she recognized him at a glance as Song Haoran.

The other person hurried toward the elevator, as if something urgent had happened.

Watching Song Haoran's retreating figure, Gao Yue, out of curiosity, unbuckled her seatbelt, opened the door, got out of the car, and quickly chased after him.

However, it was too late; the elevator doors had already closed.

She quickly pressed the button for another elevator, and the elevator doors opened soon after.

However, when Gao Yue entered the elevator and saw the buttons on the panel, she was at a loss.

She didn't know where Song Haoran would go—whether he was going to the artist management department to see his agent, to the film and television production department to inquire about project progress, or to the training department to find an acting teacher to study his character.

After thinking for a moment, she decided to go to the floor where the artist management department was located.

She had just confronted Song Haoran's agent, Guo Yaoming, three hours earlier. Song Haoran's return to the company at this time was most likely because Guo Yaoming had called him back.

The elevator slowly ascended and finally stopped at the artist management department.

Gao Yue went directly to Guo Yaoming's office, stopped and pretended to look for something in her bag, but actually listened to what was happening inside the office.

Even though the office door was closed, she could still hear everything that was being said inside, unless someone deliberately lowered their voice to whisper.

But who would whisper like a thief in their own office?

"..."

Gao Yue listened for a while and couldn't help but frown.

No sound?

Why is no one speaking?

Did Song Haoran not come to his manager's place?

She couldn't help but reach out and knock on the door.

"Dang Dang Dang!"

Soon, the door opened.

"Xiao Gao?"

Guo Yaoming was taken aback when he saw the person standing outside the door. He wondered if they had come to interrogate him again.
Has Song Haoran's pursuit of Bai Lu been exposed by the media?
He had been following entertainment news but hadn't seen any news reports on this topic.

"Ming-ge, did I leave a USB drive here when I came over this afternoon?" Gao Yue asked, glancing into the office.

Song Haoran was not there.

Where will they go?

"USB flash drive?"

Guo Yaoming looked back at the office floor and then at the chair Gao Yue had sat in. It was clean and empty.

Someone came looking for him earlier, but they couldn't find the USB drive.

"No, what color is it?" Guo Yaoming asked with concern.

"It's black, it might have fallen somewhere else. I'll go look in the car again. Sorry to bother you." After Gao Yue finished speaking, she turned and left.

Guo Yaoming didn't take it seriously and casually closed the door.

As Gao Yue walked, she wondered where Song Haoran might be.

If they don't come to find their agent, then...

Did he go to see General Manager Li?
Thinking that Song Haoran's pursuit of Bai Lu was likely at the behest of President Li, Gao Yue quickened her pace and took the elevator to the top floor of Tianxi Media.

Outside the general manager's office, she saw General Manager Li's secretary.

"Secretary Hu, is General Manager Li here?" Gao Yue asked, while concentrating on listening to the sounds coming from inside the office.

"Yes, I am." Secretary Hu stood up and said with a smile, "Brother Gao, President Li is talking to someone. Is there anything you need? I can pass it on for you, or you can wait here for a moment."

"Then I'll wait here for a bit," Gao Yue said after hearing this, and then stood by the door, looking like she was waiting patiently.

Little did she know, the reason she stayed was because she heard Song Haoran's voice. Just as she thought, Song Haoran had indeed returned to the company to see President Li.

"Mr. Gao, there are chairs here. Please sit here and wait," Secretary Hu said.

"Thank you, Secretary Hu, but I've been sitting in the office all afternoon, so standing for a while is fine," Gao Yue said with a faint smile.

Secretary Hu didn't say anything more and sat down to continue organizing the documents on the table.

Gao Yue also focused her attention on the office once again.

"President Li, Bai Lu has rejected my invitation. What should we do now?" This was Song Haoran's voice.

"What, you're backing down after just one rejection? Haven't you heard of the saying 'the more you are rejected, the more courageous you become'?" That was Mr. Li's voice.

Although the sound was not loud, and most people might not be able to hear it even if they listened carefully, it was no problem for her.

The "miracle drug" reputation of the Life Essence is well-deserved; its efficacy explains why so many wealthy people are eager to buy it.

"I know, so I went there for three days in a row, but she was particularly rude to me today and said a lot of hurtful things, she was almost cursing at me." Song Haoran's voice was full of grievance.

"Then it means you invited me the wrong way. How did you invite me?" Li Lehua asked.

"They bring her food and drinks, tell her how good the script is, and praise her acting skills. Isn't that enough?"

"Hmph, using these outdated methods, do you think Bai Lu is some kind of naive fool? Don't you know what it means to cater to someone's preferences?"

"But Si, but Si, I don't know what she likes. I asked her, but she wouldn't tell me." Song Haoran pursed his lips, and his speech started to slur again.

"This shows you're incompetent and useless. You can't even handle this little thing. Aren't you good at making female fans happy? Show them your skills in getting female fans to book hotel rooms!" Li Lehua said irritably.

"..."

Song Haoran looked embarrassed, his face turning red with shame.

He thought to himself: Why would I need to coax a female fan into going to a hotel?

With just one sentence, which female fan wouldn't eagerly go to a hotel to wait for him?
“But Bai Lu’s boyfriend came back. From then on, he spent every day with Bai Lu on set. I couldn’t invite Bai Lu, let alone have a chance to pursue her. You don’t know, everyone on the set was on his side. I was a laughing stock. I’ve never been so embarrassed.”

Even now, Song Haoran still feels that his self-esteem has been severely damaged when he thinks about what happened at noon.

"You mean Zhang Wen went back?" Li Lehua was slightly taken aback. She hadn't expected that the man surnamed Zhang would go straight to the film set after returning from Shenzhen. Now that Zhang Wen was back, did that mean the future girl had also returned to Beijing?

"Yes, I went to the film set at noon," Song Haoran said.

"Even if he comes back, it won't stop you from inviting Bai Lu. Haven't you heard the saying, 'One woman, a hundred suitors'? They're not even married, so what are you afraid of? Don't all those female fans you've been dating have boyfriends? You still go to hotels with them, don't you? Don't talk like you're so morally upright." Li Lehua's voice was full of disdain.

“Well, the four of them have a very good relationship, and I can’t interfere,” Song Haoran said.

"Nonsense, if it were that easy, why would I be looking for you? Anyway, I've already told you, for Teacher Xiaoman's drama, the male and female leads can only be you and Bai Lu. If you can't convince Bai Lu to speak up, then don't even think about acting in this drama," Li Lehua said with a sneer.

Upon hearing this, Song Haoran immediately panicked. In all the years since his debut, he had never worked with a famous screenwriter or director. Now that he finally had a chance to work with a top-tier screenwriter, how could he give it up so easily?

It's worth noting that the male actors who collaborated with screenwriter Xiaoman saw their status and market value skyrocket after the dramas aired.

For a male actor like him who is hovering around the third or fourth tier, advancing to the second tier would be absolutely no problem.

"Are you sure you can handle it? If not, I'll find someone else. There are plenty of male artists who want to work with Xiaoman anyway," Li Lehua said calmly.

As a well-known entertainment media company in China, it has no shortage of handsome men.

If one doesn't work, then bring another; if two don't work, then bring five. With so many handsome men of all types in the company, there's bound to be one that can make Bai Lu's heart flutter.

“Okay, I can do it!” Song Haoran immediately replied.

He doesn't care about losing face now; he just wants to keep this opportunity.

As for how to persuade Bai Lu, he'll have to think about it carefully when he gets back; he was careless this time.

"I'm only giving you half a month. If Bai Lu still doesn't agree after half a month, you can forget about working with famous screenwriters and directors in the future," Li Lehua said coldly.

Song Haoran was startled.

Half a month?
Is the time too short?

He was planning to go see Bai Lu after he finished getting his teeth fixed, otherwise, with two missing teeth and a lisp, Bai Lu would laugh him to death.
"Mr. Li, could you please give me a little more time? My teeth..."

"Not negotiable!"

Song Haoran's expression froze, and his face grew increasingly grim.

Inviting Bai Lu was already difficult, but now that he's missing two teeth, the difficulty has doubled.

"Is there anything else?" Li Lehua asked.

"That's all," Song Haoran said dejectedly.

Hearing this from outside the door, Gao Yue knew that Li Lehua was trying to get rid of him, so she turned to Secretary Hu and said, "It seems that President Li is very busy. I have something to do on my end. I'll come to see President Li another day."

"Okay, Mr. Gao, take care." Secretary Hu stood up and smiled as she watched Mr. Gao leave.

Gao Yue took two steps at a time and quickly walked towards the elevator.

"Crack!"

Just as Secretary Hu was about to sit down, she saw the door to the general manager's office open from the inside. She quickly straightened up and then saw Song Haoran walk out absentmindedly.

Secretary Hu was surprised by the coincidence. Just after Manager Gao left, Song Haoran came out. When she tried to call Manager Gao, she found that he was no longer visible.

Forget it.

Gao Yue took the elevator directly to the underground parking lot on the basement level, slammed the car door shut with a "bang," and her face was as cold as ice.

Was it really President Li who instructed Song Haoran to pursue Bai Lu?

Moreover, judging from their conversation, President Li did this not to promote Song Haoran, but rather Song Haoran was merely a pawn that could be replaced at any time.

Why did Mr. Li do this?
What are the benefits for the company?
What benefits would that bring to Mr. Li?
Doing so will only harm Bailu's business, its commercial value, and consequently, the company's revenue.

This is absolutely detrimental to the company and to Mr. Li!
She couldn't understand why anyone would turn down money.

Could it be that they don't want Bai Lu and Zhang Wen to date, and are worried that it will affect Bai Lu's career, so they want to break them up?
But wouldn't sending Song Haoran to pursue Bai Lu affect Bai Lu's career?

Gao Yue fastened her seatbelt, started the car, and left the company immediately. She needed to tell Zhang Wen and Bai Lu about this, as the parties involved might find out.

night.

Zhang Wen and Bai Lu returned home together. Just as they put their suitcases on the ground, Gao Yue walked over with a serious expression.

After not seeing Gao Yue for a few days, Zhang Wen wanted to give her a warm hug, but seeing her expression, he abruptly stopped.

"What's wrong?" Zhang Wen asked curiously.

“It was Li Lehua who encouraged Song Haoran to pursue Bai Lu,” Gao Yue said.

Previously, she had always addressed Li Lehua as President Li, but today she called him by his first name.

Because of this incident, her opinion of Li Lehua underwent a complete change.

She used to have great respect for Li Lehua. He started as an artist manager and later built Tianxi Media from scratch, making the company a top-five entertainment media company in China. This is something that not just anyone can do.

However, she has now done something so unprofessional, even though she used to regard the other person as a role model.

"How do you know?" Zhang Wen asked. He had thought about it, but he had never had any evidence.

“I overheard Song Haoran going back to the company to see Li Lehua this afternoon outside the office,” Gao Yue said. “Li Lehua used Xiaoman’s script as bait to get Song Haoran to pursue Bai Lu. As for inviting Bai Lu to act, I think it was to increase the time the two spent together and achieve the goal of developing feelings over time.”

"What? How could President Li do this? Why would she do such a thing?" Bai Lu frowned, both puzzled and angry.

Compared to Bai Lu, Zhang Wen was much calmer, after all, he had already thought of it during the day, and Gao Yue's words confirmed his guess.

"Li Lehua also said that if Song Haoran cannot get Bai Lu to agree within half a month, he should find someone else to pursue her," Gao Yue said.

"What does Li Lehua mean by this? What does she take me for?" Bai Lu clenched his fists, his eyes burning with anger.

“It’s very simple,” Zhang Wen said calmly. “She’s using you as a tool to get revenge on me.”

He then recounted in detail his confrontations with Li Lehua during this period.

He hadn't taken it seriously before; he would just accept whatever moves the other side made. But now that Li Lehua had dragged the war into Bai Lu's life, it was necessary to let Bai Lu and Gao Yue know about these things.

Li Lehua used Bai Lu to retaliate against him, but who knows if the other party will use Gao Yue to retaliate against him again?
"Despicable! Shameless!" Bai Lu said through gritted teeth after hearing this.

Although she knew the cruelty of the entertainment industry and that Li Lehua was not a kind person, she never expected him to do such a thing. She was innocent from beginning to end.

"What do you plan to do?" Gao Yue looked at Zhang Wen, waiting for him to make a decision.

"there is always a solution to a problem."

Zhang Wen said with a sneer, "Since she sent Song Haoran, then I'll take care of Song Haoran first. I'll take care of one person at a time, and two people at a time. I want to see how many people she can send."

……

(End of this chapter)