Chapter 3: President Jiang's Cocktail Party

“You…”

Dong Ran took a deep breath, her eyes slightly reddened.

These words had truly touched her heart. After working together for several years, when had Jiang Xiaobai ever opened up to her like this?

Accustomed to their usual arguments, seeing Jiang Xiaobai’s softened attitude now actually made her feel a bit uncomfortable!

“Ran-jie, please, have a drink.”

Jiang Xiaobai offered the beverage again.

She knew that Dong Ran had a sharp tongue but a soft heart. She couldn't bring herself to say anything too sentimental, so she wouldn't make things difficult for her.

Some things were better left understood between the two of them.

Dong Ran took it and gave her a deep look. She didn't intend to say anything; she just wanted to see how she would act from here on out.

“Have you looked at the script? What do you think?”

Glancing at the script on the sofa, she asked.

“It’s a very good script. If I can land the role of Liu Ruyan, my career should see some improvement,” Jiang Xiaobai said quite objectively.

The Yaoyue Continent where she had come from was likely something akin to the “urban supernatural” genre in the novels of this world. People there lived two to three times longer than they did here, so it wasn't difficult for Jiang Xiaobai to understand these things.

Whether it was worldly experience or perspective, she far surpassed the original owner of this body.

“It’s good that you know. I used up a favor to get a word with President Zhao this time. The role of Liu Ruyan suits you well, and it won’t be too difficult to play, so you must seize this opportunity. As for the cocktail party, I will stay by your side; you don’t need to worry about being taken advantage of.”

“Thank you, Ran-jie. I understand.”

“It’s getting late, go change your clothes. Zhuzhu will be here soon.”

Dong Ran nodded, her expression finally showing a hint of relief.

Zhuzhu was her assistant, whose full name was Ming Zhu. She was an honest and diligent girl who had worked her way out of the countryside through her studies. With younger siblings to support, she worked exceptionally hard and was one of the rare people who could tolerate the original owner’s foul temper.

She cherished this job dearly. Although she was called an assistant, she was practically an all-around nanny.

Driving, cooking, makeup, hairstyling, running errands… she could do it all.

Before long, she arrived. After washing her hands, she intended to start doing Jiang Xiaobai’s makeup and hair.

“Zhuzhu, what happened to you?”

Jiang Xiaobai asked.

Ming Zhu looked a bit disheveled; her hair was damp with sweat, and there was dirt and dust on her clothes. It was unclear what she had been doing.

“I’m sorry, Xiaobai-jie, I didn’t mean to. I’ll go wash up right now.”

Ming Zhu misunderstood. She knew Jiang Xiaobai was very particular and thought she was disgusted by her messy appearance. Her face burned, and she lowered her head, preparing to head to the bathroom.

“That’s not what I meant. You look tired, so just take a break. I’ll do my own makeup.”

Jiang Xiaobai shook her head and began to busy herself.

Ming Zhu felt a bit grateful, but she still went to the bathroom to tidy up.

“Zhuzhu, did you run into some trouble?” Dong Ran walked over to ask her.

“No, nothing at all.” Ming Zhu shook her head.

Seeing that she didn't want to talk about it, Dong Ran didn't press further.

Ming Zhu was a very quiet girl who spoke little and did much. Her appearance was very ordinary, and she wore the cheapest clothes and used the cheapest items.

Even as an assistant, this kind of appearance would be looked down upon in this circle. Sometimes, when Dong Ran couldn't stand it and wanted to spend her own money to buy her some things, she would refuse every time.

From this, it was clear she was a person with strong self-esteem, and Dong Ran didn't want to force her.

The foundation of this body was too good, and she was young; she was a stunning beauty even without makeup. Jiang Xiaobai only applied a light touch, and even Dong Ran felt her eyes light up.

Even after working together for years, she still had no resistance to this face.

“Although President Zhao is a bit of a lecher, he won’t force anyone. Besides, he has a hot-tempered wife at home, so even if he does cheat, he does it discreetly. He won’t do anything to you at the party today.”

In the car, Dong Ran gave Jiang Xiaobai instructions. “Just keep a good attitude. If you don’t know what to say, just smile. Toast when you’re supposed to. I think President Zhao will agree.”

As long as Jiang Xiaobai could keep her temper in check tonight and not cause trouble, Dong Ran felt there was a high chance of securing the role.

President Zhao wasn't stupid. As the biggest investor, he wanted to make money.

Whether a drama became a hit had a lot to do with the actors. The role of Liu Ruyan was such a perfect fit for Jiang Xiaobai that there was no reason for him to pass her over for Zhao Shan.

After all, although Zhao Shan was beautiful, she was the kind of seductive beauty that, while she might outshine the female lead when standing next to her, her temperament was too different from the original work. Choosing her would be too much of a risk.

As Dong Ran spoke, Jiang Xiaobai nodded, looking like a well-behaved child.

However, Dong Ran seriously doubted whether she had actually listened. Could she be brushing her off just like before?

“Don’t take this lightly. If this role is taken by Zhao Shan, the company will be even more disappointed in you. You still have many years left on your contract; you don’t want to spend the rest of your time without any resources, just drifting along and waiting for the end, do you?”

She wanted to make the severity of the consequences clear to Jiang Xiaobai.

“Ran-jie, I know. I will definitely take it seriously and perform well tonight,” Jiang Xiaobai said with a smile.

Soon, they arrived at the venue for the cocktail party.

It was one of President Zhao’s properties, a villa in the suburbs.

While parking, Jiang Xiaobai saw other people dressed in glamorous attire walking inside, but they were unfamiliar faces; they probably weren't from the industry.

Zhuzhu didn't need to attend this kind of occasion, so she waited in the car while Jiang Xiaobai and Dong Ran walked inside side-by-side.

President Zhao was a man in his forties. He was quite tall, around 1.8 meters. What was rare was that his physique was no less impressive than the male stars in the entertainment industry—broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and no potbelly. One could even faintly see the outline of his abdominal muscles, making him look very energetic.

This was quite unexpected for Jiang Xiaobai.

“There are quite a few people. Let’s wait a bit before going over to toast him,” Dong Ran whispered.

This was President Zhao’s home turf. Many people were greeting him, and he was surrounded by a crowd; it was certainly not the right time to push in.

However, these people only chatted for a few sentences before moving away. Dong Ran spotted the opportunity and gave Jiang Xiaobai a look when the crowd thinned out.

Jiang Xiaobai understood. She took a glass of red wine and walked toward President Zhao with her.

“President Zhao, you look very energetic today. Let me toast you.”

Dong Ran’s manners were impeccable, and she wore an enthusiastic smile.

“You’re here. Oh, this must be Miss Jiang, right?”

President Zhao took two seconds to recall Dong Ran’s identity, nodded, and then naturally looked at Jiang Xiaobai beside her. His eyes suddenly lit up.

A beauty!

A great beauty!

In fact, Jiang Xiaobai’s outfit today was very simple. She wore a white V-neck dress, lightly cinched at the waist, with a fishtail design at the hem that made her legs look slender and her waist appear impossibly delicate.