Chapter 32: Fierce in a Cute Way

The next day, Jin Li woke up early, but Sister Fang had not yet risen.

Feeling that she shouldn't waste such beautiful time, she rented a boat to leave the island ahead of schedule, hoping to climb the Mazu Temple while it was still early.

When Sui Lingfang finally woke up, she searched everywhere but couldn't find Jin Li. She pulled out her phone to make a call, the veins on her forehead throbbing with frustration.

Good heavens, this girl had already run off to the Mazu Temple!

Sui Lingfang: "Do you really like praying to deities that much?"

Jin Li smiled, her voice sounding sweet and obedient through the phone.

"Sister Fang, praying to the gods can save lives! I'm counting on them to help me live to a ripe old age!"

Sui Lingfang was speechless. Suddenly, she realized she might have misunderstood Jin Li before.

The girl just wanted to pray for good health and protection.

Sui Lingfang went to the Mazu Temple to pick up Jin Li, and the two returned to the company together. Sui Lingfang then discussed the upcoming itinerary.

"My plan is for you to return to your apartment to rest for a day. If possible, we'll go film the Domy advertisement endorsement tomorrow or the day after."

She flipped through her notebook. "Domy wants to officially announce your status as their full-line spokesperson before the show airs to capitalize on the traffic from *PICK~ Next Station Diva*, but I think the timeline is too tight. We probably can't film the motion advertisements that quickly, but we can squeeze in the static advertisements first. I've communicated with them—we'll shoot the static ones in the next few days and finish the motion ones within a month."

Jin Li asked, "Has Domy already thought out the script?"

Sui Lingfang nodded. "Yes, they have."

Jin Li said excitedly, "Then there's no need to make it so complicated. I can film for them this afternoon. The sooner we finish, the sooner I can go back to studying."

Sui Lingfang asked hesitantly, "Are you feeling any better?"

Jin Li nodded like a pecking chicken. "I feel much better after praying to Mazu. The gods really do work!"

Sui Lingfang thought to herself: *Is this just the power of the mind? Is psychological comfort really that effective?*

How strange.

She couldn't help but chuckle. "Fine, have it your way. If you feel well enough, then let's film!"

After returning to the company.

Sui Lingfang first held a small meeting with the rest of the staff to report on Jin Li's performance in the program.

Chenxi Entertainment was now treating Jin Li as their number one seed player. There was no other way—her foundational popularity and conditions were simply too good!

Unlike other second-tier stars who had to steadily accumulate popularity and produce one or two outstanding works to ascend to the first tier, Jin Li already possessed many excellent works.

While others had to grind through levels like monsters in a game to make it in the entertainment industry, Jin Li's return was nothing short of a king's homecoming!

Promoting her to the first tier required far less effort than promoting anyone else.

In particular, the CEO had stated in the last meeting that they intended to build Jin Li into the company's flagship brand for external business recruitment.

It could be said that Jin Li was currently the performance metric for every employee in the company; it would be difficult not to prioritize her.

When the meeting ended, Sui Lingfang left in a hurry, as she had already arranged to meet with the people from Domy.

Suddenly, Zou Da called out to her and mentioned the matter regarding He Yixuan.

After listening, Sui Lingfang frowned deeply.

***

Jin Li was waiting in the company's lounge.

The door was pushed open, and someone walked in.

He Yixuan had just finished dancing and was still holding a bottle of mineral water. Upon seeing someone inside, she immediately stepped back.

"I'm sorry, Senior. I didn't know you were in the lounge."

Jin Li was looking down at her phone. To be clear, she wasn't scrolling through videos, but was studying for her Driver's License Theory Test (Subject 1).

She planned to get a driver's license; otherwise, it would be inconvenient to travel to Taoist temples.

Hearing this, Jin Li looked up at her and said casually, "It's fine. You can come in and rest too. Anyone can enter the lounge."

He Yixuan paused her retreat, walked back into the lounge, and sat opposite Jin Li.

She took several gulps of water, feeling the atmosphere was a bit awkward.

He Yixuan took a few deep breaths to steady her nerves and gathered her courage to speak: "Senior Jin Li, has your recording been going smoothly?"

Jin Li, busy with her practice questions, gave a couple of "mhm" responses.

Receiving a response, He Yixuan immediately began talking incessantly.

After finishing, she didn't forget to look up at Jin Li and ask anxiously, "Senior, I'm not disturbing you, am I?"

Jin Li happened to finish her last question and smiled at her. "No, what you're saying is quite interesting. I heard you say just now that someone snapped at you during your audition?"

He Yixuan hesitated before replying, "Yes. My manager wasn't there at the time, and some other stars tried to mess with my emotions so I wouldn't perform well."

Jin Li clicked her tongue. "Then you should have snapped back!"

Her voice was sweet, but it carried a hint of ferocity—a "cute but fierce" vibe!

He Yixuan was stunned. "Huh?"

Jin Li said, "Next time, don't just let them talk nonsense. Snap back at them. Everyone is a second-tier star; no one is inherently more noble than the other. Do you want me to help you find some comeback quotes? I scrolled past one a few days ago that was quite interesting—it was humorous and witty, requiring a few mental turns to understand the underlying meaning."

He Yixuan shook her head hurriedly. "No, no need."

The lounge door was pushed open.

Sui Lingfang walked in and said first, "Jin Li, we can go now. I've arranged to meet the Domy people; you two can chat first."

After saying that, she looked at He Yixuan, her tone turning somewhat serious.

"Yixuan, I'll find a time to talk to you privately about your development plan. Don't harbor certain ideas—we at Chenxi never engage in snatching the bread from our own people's mouths!"

He Yixuan's face turned deathly pale instantly.

***

Once they were in the car, Jin Li only understood what had happened when Sister Fang mentioned it.

Sui Lingfang: "She quietly asked Zou Da how many endorsements had approached you, saying that if you didn't want them, whether they could be arranged for her instead."

Jin Li had just placed her study guide on her lap, and her movement froze as she opened the workbook.

This... was a bit of a complicated feeling!

She thought of what Sister Fang had said in the lounge. "Is that why you said those things?"

Despite the complicated feeling, Jin Li spoke objectively: "Many endorsements have approached me. If I don't want them, recommending her is fine. I remember many companies do that, right?"

Sui Lingfang rolled her eyes.

"That's because those companies want to sideline a star, so they push the endorsements meant for that star to other artists in the same company! Even if that's not the reason, I don't approve of her picking up endorsements you don't want. She follows a different path than you. You came from an idol group, you already have representative works, and you've been a massive hit. The endorsements that come to you might have strict conditions, but the quality is high. She is different."

Sui Lingfang had personally brought He Yixuan from an 18th-tier star to the second tier, so she knew her development path very well.

"She is an actress; her suitable endorsement directions are completely different from yours, and with her current status, she wouldn't meet the requirements anyway. I just feel she is being too impatient. If something suitable comes up, I will certainly recommend her, but isn't it because nothing is suitable right now?"

To put it simply, He Yixuan wasn't at the level to take the endorsements Jin Li rejected.

Even among second-tier stars, there were differences. Could a star at the peak of the second tier be compared to one struggling on the fringes?

"Besides, a company has so many artists. If everyone keeps eyeing the endorsements of other artists, this company will fall into chaos sooner or later!" Sui Lingfang said with conviction.

Jin Li thought to herself that while Sister Fang had a point, the entertainment industry was small and resources were limited. If small stars didn't keep an eye on what was in others' bowls to see if they could catch a break, how could anyone expect them to go out and land endorsements themselves?

Furthermore, regarding the matter of "recommending unwanted endorsements," Jin Li didn't truly feel that He Yixuan had done anything wrong.

To put it bluntly, they were all just workers struggling to make a living.

Jin Li mused, "Your thinking is correct, but you should explain it clearly to her—that the endorsements approaching me aren't suitable for her, rather than it being about anything else. I think, in the lounge, your words were a bit harsh toward her."