Chapter 8: Not the Jiang Xiaobai of the Past

The meaning of those words...

In other words, if she didn't behave, she would really be getting a new manager?

When she arrived at the conference room, people were already waiting. Jiang Xiaobai picked up the contract and began to read. She had been in the industry for a few years, so she could still spot the traps in a contract, though a production team of this scale wouldn't play tricks on something like this.

"Dong Ran."

The door was knocked, and someone beckoned to Dong Ran.

"You sign first, I'll step out for a moment," Dong Ran said to Jiang Xiaobai, who hadn't looked up.

"Okay."

Jiang Xiaobai confirmed everything was in order, signed her name, and stood up to shake hands with the other party. "Pleasure doing business with you."

Walking out of the conference room, Jiang Xiaobai didn't see Dong Ran, so she planned to return to the lounge to wait for her. But as soon as she turned a corner, she heard faint voices.

She didn't intend to eavesdrop, but when her own name came up in their conversation, her footsteps stopped involuntarily.

"...You used to be a gold-medal manager, have you really fallen this far? Jiang Xiaobai is a lost cause, a hopeless case. You clearly had the chance to get rid of her, so why did you go back on it now?"

Jiang Xiaobai pursed her lips and took a step forward. Peering around the corner, she saw the person speaking.

It was another manager from Tangming, named Mo Kun. He was quite well-known; the currently popular young idol Chao Nan was an artist under his wing.

The status of a manager and an artist are linked; if an artist becomes popular, the manager's value rises accordingly. Likewise, if a manager is famous and has extensive resources, the difficulty of making an artist popular is significantly reduced.

"Kun-ge, I know what I'm doing. Xiaobai isn't beyond saving; I feel she has potential."

"What potential! You've been with her for years, don't you know what she's like? If she could be popular, she would have been already, given her looks! With that foul temper of hers, she can't act, she can't keep her fans, and her reputation and public image are a total disaster!"

The more Mo Kun spoke, the more agitated he became.

"She has already changed. I'm willing to give her one more chance. Besides, the situation is improving; she just signed the contract for the second female lead in *The Legend of the Nine Heavens*," Dong Ran said.

"What? The second female lead in *The Legend of the Nine Heavens*? Didn't Zhao Shan land that role?"

Mo Kun was stunned for a moment.

He only knew about the familial relationship between Zhao Shan and President Zhao by chance due to his work, but he hadn't publicized it. That was why, when he heard Jiang Xiaobai was competing against Zhao Shan for the role of Liu Ruyan, he had secretly thought she was overestimating herself, convinced that her hopes would be dashed.

"It was, but there were some complications."

Dong Ran didn't want to elaborate.

"Anyway, regardless, she won't last long in this circle. Sooner or later, she'll offend everyone. I advise you to look for another way out early. Even if you don't want to give up on her, you could sign a new artist. There's a female artist who just joined the company this year who's performing quite well. Why don't you..."

"Kun-ge, no need. You know my rule: I only manage one artist at a time."

Dong Ran refused.

"If every manager were like you, they would have starved to death long ago! You've already been burned once, why haven't you learned your lesson!"

Mo Kun said, sounding somewhat frustrated on her behalf.

It was clear the two had a good relationship; if they weren't close, he wouldn't be speaking so candidly to Dong Ran, and might even be eager to see her fail.

Artists fight and scheme against each other, but aren't managers the same? After all, resources are limited, and everyone is competing.

Jiang Xiaobai noticed that after Mo Kun said this, Dong Ran's expression shifted, a hint of grief and indignation surfacing.

Burned once? What kind of setback?

Was it because of a previous artist?

Jiang Xiaobai was a bit puzzled. When the original owner worked with Dong Ran, she had no other artists under her, so the original owner didn't know who she had managed before.

"Forget it, I won't lecture you anymore. Just be careful; the annual assessment is coming up soon. If you don't meet the standards, you'll be demoted," Mo Kun said.

"I know, thank you..."

Jiang Xiaobai didn't listen any further. She returned to the lounge, lost in thought, with a clearer understanding of the situation.

Tangming Entertainment had a clear hierarchy. Artists had rankings, and managers did as well. They were assessed every two years, and according to the rules, failing the assessment would affect their status and salary.

For managers, Tangming had Ordinary, Silver, Gold, Ace, and the highest tier, Star-level managers.

However, Star-level managers were extremely rare, as the criteria required having managed a heavyweight Best Actor or Best Actress-level artist to be eligible.

Dong Ran was currently a Silver-level manager, but judging by Mo Kun's words, she had once been a Gold-level manager, only to be demoted to Silver for some reason.

It was very likely related to that "previous artist."

A difference of one rank meant a world of difference in salary and resources. Silver was already on the lower end; if she failed this year's assessment and was demoted to an Ordinary manager...

That absolutely could not happen!

Jiang Xiaobai immediately perked up. Dong Ran only had her as an artist; her ranking depended entirely on Jiang Xiaobai's performance. She had to step up and not drag her down.

However, after hearing the conversation between Mo Kun and Dong Ran, the confusion Jiang Xiaobai felt in the elevator was also resolved.

It must have been that the original owner's past performance was so terrible that it had disappointed Dong Ran, leading her to consider terminating the contract and switching artists. This matter must have already been reported to the company, otherwise, so many people wouldn't have known about it.

But Jiang Xiaobai's arrival had given Dong Ran hope. She had noticed the changes in Jiang Xiaobai, and now that the contract for *The Legend of the Nine Heavens* was signed, her acting career showed signs of improvement, so she decided to give her one more chance after careful consideration.

If she was still a lost cause and messed up *The Legend of the Nine Heavens* as well, then it wouldn't be too late to give up on her then.

Jiang Xiaobai couldn't help but think how close she had come to disaster. If Dong Ran had truly given up on her, the road ahead would have been very difficult.

"Finished signing?"

The door opened, and Dong Ran appeared in the doorway.

Her expression was normal, still the image of a strong career woman.

"Yes," Jiang Xiaobai replied with her usual demeanor.

"Then let's go, let's head back."

Once in the car, Dong Ran learned that Ming Zhu had moved into Jiang Xiaobai's apartment and couldn't help but be shocked.

Having spent so much time together, she knew Jiang Xiaobai's personality all too well. She was incredibly picky—picky about food, picky about people, and picky about everything that didn't fit her status!

Although she hadn't said it out loud, every action of hers revealed that she looked down on Ming Zhu, feeling that she was presentable and not worth bringing out. The only reason she had kept Ming Zhu around was because Dong Ran had pleaded for her, but living together...

This was simply unbelievable!

Seeing her expression, Jiang Xiaobai spoke up

"Ran-jie, I am no longer the Jiang Xiaobai I once was."

Her words carried a hint of deeper meaning.