Against the Light - Chapter 115
Chapter 115: Preparing for the Big Show
The two returned to the bedroom and lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
To be honest, Gu Xinran was shaken by Shi Qing's foresight and shrewdness. She had thought it was impressive enough that she had managed to make Heart Entertainment one of the top ten entertainment companies in less than two years. But Shi Qing had already planned things out for decades to come, even arranging it so that the heirs of the three families had to be mutually approved by all three. Such an alliance was simply unbreakable, impossible to dismantle!
Gu Xinran rolled over and let out a long sigh.
"What's wrong?" Yilan scooted up behind her and patted her shoulder.
"I suddenly feel a lot of pressure," Gu Xinran said, turning over to lie on her back and look at her.
"Hm?"
"Your mother is so incredible. If I don't work a little harder, I won't be worthy of you."
"Pah." Bai Yilan scoffed at her and pulled her into her arms. "Don't overthink it. Let's get some sleep."
"Okay."
The next day, Shi Qing was up bright and early. After finishing her morning run, she returned to her bedroom for a shower.
Ye Nan was setting breakfast on the table and was taken aback when she saw her emerge. Shi Qing was dressed very casually today. Her long hair, which she habitually wore up, was down, making her look less sharp and capable and more gentle and serene. The more Ye Nan looked, the more she thought she and Yilan bore a striking resemblance.
"Are they not up yet?" Shi Qing asked.
"It seems so. They probably went to bed too late last night. I'll go wake them."
"Don't. Let them sleep a little longer."
"Alright."
Shi Qing sat on the sofa, picked up a magazine, flipped through a couple of pages, and then glanced at her watch.
"Why don't I go wake them after all? They can eat and then go back to sleep," Ye Nan said, having carefully noted her glance at the watch.
"Go take a look, but don't wake them."
Ye Nan rolled her eyes. This woman who says one thing and means another. If you don't want to wake them, why are you giving me all these hints to go check on them?
After complaining internally, she still obediently went.
Gu Xinran woke up in a daze. Before her eyes were even open, she rolled over and pulled Yilan into a full embrace, nuzzling against her neck.
Yilan let out a soft hum, clearly not fully awake, and raised a hand to ruffle her hair.
Gu Xinran held her tightly for a moment before reluctantly getting up and sitting against the headboard.
"I have to go to the company today. Will you stay home and keep Auntie Qing company? I can tell she really wants you to spend time with her," Gu Xinran said, helping Yilan lie down with her head on her lap.
Bai Yilan didn't answer.
Gu Xinran gently pinched her delicate ear. "Be good."
Bai Yilan nodded, then rolled over to wrap her arms around Xinran's waist, half her body resting on her legs.
Gu Xinran smiled and leaned down to kiss her earlobe. Just as she was about to make another little move, she looked up and saw a figure standing outside the floor-to-ceiling window. The sight nearly made her jump out of her skin!
"What's…" Bai Yilan was also startled awake by her movement. She sat up with a start, just in time to see the person outside the window.
Ye Nan hadn't expected the two to be so lovey-dovey first thing in the morning and froze completely. Seeing that they were both awake, she walked over and tapped lightly on the glass.
Gu Xinran composed herself, suppressing the urge to punch someone, and walked over to slide the door open.
"Auntie Ye?"
"Since you're up, come have breakfast. You can sleep more after you eat." Ye Nan's gaze swept over them briefly before she walked away with a half-smile.
"…Oh." Gu Xinran called after her retreating figure, then gently pressed a hand to her chest and turned back into the room. "You scared me to death. I completely forgot there were other people here."
Bai Yilan was also too startled to feel sleepy anymore. She rubbed her head and reluctantly got out of bed.
Ye Nan trotted back to the main hall. Shi Qing, having heard her footsteps, had been watching the doorway, her gaze following her all the way.
"What's with you?"
"Heh, those two are really so affectionate. First thing in the morning…"
Shi Qing paused, instantly realizing what she was talking about, and shook her head with a hint of helplessness.
"Watch your mouth. Don't speak nonsense." Shi Qing was a little worried that Ye Nan's tactless jokes would embarrass Yilan. A home should be a place of freedom, without having to worry about this or that taboo.
"Hey, I know." Ye Nan mimed zipping her lips.
A short while later, the two arrived in the main hall.
When Bai Yilan saw Shi Qing, her gaze flickered slightly. She wished her a good morning with some reservation, then unconsciously glanced at Ye Nan and touched her forehead, seemingly embarrassed about what had just happened.
"Good morning. Did you sleep well?" Shi Qing stood up and naturally led them to their seats.
"Come and eat." Ye Nan also didn't mention a word about what she had seen, inviting them to have their meal.
The two exchanged a glance and breathed a simultaneous sigh of relief. It was very considerate of them.
"What are your plans for today?" Shi Qing didn't pay them too much attention, afraid that her focus would make them uncomfortable.
She chatted casually, without any airs.
"I have to go to the company in a bit. Yilan hasn't been feeling well these past two days, so I'm letting her rest at home. I might have to trouble you to take care of her."
Shi Qing looked up at her. Those words were exactly what she wanted to hear.
"Alright, don't worry," she replied in earnest.
Bai Yilan suddenly let out a soft laugh. Wasn't this earnestness a little too cute?
The family finished their breakfast in a warm and harmonious atmosphere. As Gu Xinran prepared to leave, Yilan thoughtfully straightened her clothes, gave her a hug, and watched as Ye Nan saw her out.
Neither mother nor daughter was particularly talkative. Now, they sat in opposite corners of the sofa, not speaking, just quietly keeping each other company.
Shi Qing closed her magazine and glanced at Yilan, who was sitting upright, also reading a book.
"Don't be so formal at home. Relax a little. Shall we watch some TV?" Shi Qing found the remote and turned on the television. The program playing was 【Wonderful Love】, the romance variety show that Yilan and Xinran had participated in together.
Bai Yilan noticed the icon for the online TV service in the top-left corner and couldn't help but smile knowingly. She took the initiative to get up and move to sit beside her, and mother and daughter watched the show together.
Meanwhile, Gu Xinran hadn't even made it through the company's front door before she was cornered by reporters downstairs. She had no choice but to call Qu Qi and ask her to come to the rescue.
"Sister Ran, will President Shi's incident affect Heart Entertainment?"
"How do you plan to handle your relationship with Wei Yi Group?"
"Sister Ran, can we interpret the Weibo post you made yesterday as a declaration of war against Bai Yiyue and the Wei Yi Group under her control?"
"Has Heart Entertainment received the support of the Ming family?"
Gu Xinran pushed her way toward the company building, but the reporters followed her every step, their chatter giving her a splitting headache. She grabbed the nearest microphone. "Was my declaration of war not obvious enough?"
Her retort stunned the reporters. Was she… picking a fight?
Just in time, Qu Qi arrived with a squad of security guards to escort Gu Xinran safely back into the company.
"I forgot to remind you just once not to go out these past two days, and look at you, walking right into the line of fire!"
"I have some inside information. Bai Yue is the one in charge of Wei Yi right now. Bai Yiyue's reputation and abilities are currently insufficient to take over. Most of Shi Qing's die-hard followers have left Wei Yi Group to find other opportunities. In other words, the current Wei Yi is just a paper tiger, far from the powerhouse it was when Shi Qing was there. We might actually have a fighting chance." After Gu Xinran revealed her intention to go to war with Wei Yi yesterday, Qu Qi and the others had gotten busy digging up information on them.
"I heard Wei Yi is planning some big move. Is that true?" Gu Xinran remembered Fang Yi telling her yesterday that Wei Yi was planning a big show to promote their new products.
"Yes. I heard it's a joint operation by several major companies that support Bai Yiyue. If the show is a success, it will naturally be a major accomplishment for Bai Yiyue. I suspect this is Bai Yue's way of paving the path for her."
"I see." Gu Xinran nodded.
"So if we can sabotage this show, it would be like adding fuel to the fire for Bai Yiyue's already poor reputation. We can make a move there," Qu Qi said.
"I want to put on a show, too." The moment Gu Xinran finished speaking, Qu Qi nearly spit out her water.
"What? You have no resources, and you're already thinking of breaking into the fashion world?"
"Hear me out. The show I want to do isn't a pure runway show, but a variety show. We'll have our artists experience different professions. A group of successful women crossing into a new field and starting from scratch—wouldn't that be worth watching?"
Qu Qi was stunned. She pictured the scene Gu Xinran described, and her eyes lit up. But then she grew troubled. "But we have too few artists who fit the criteria. It's not enough to carry a whole show. Besides, if it's just a few people walking dryly down a runway, it won't be very interesting. We still need some kind of competitive mechanism."
Gu Xinran looked at Qu Qi, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.
"??? What are you plotting!?"
"How long has it been since you've contacted Sister Cen?"
"Su Cen? It's been a while. Why?" Qu Qi said, then had a flash of inspiration. "You want me to contact artists from Light & Shadow?" Light & Shadow was, after all, their old agency. When Heart Entertainment was first founded, they had helped them out a lot. Borrowing a few artists shouldn't be a problem.
"Yes. And I'll contact President Han from Star Moon Entertainment. At President Shi's birthday banquet, she was also highly regarded by President Shi."
"Alright. If the artists aren't a problem, then all that's left is the issue of sponsors."
"A runway show… the models are mainly there to display the clothes. If we can't get a clothing sponsor, what are we going to display? Besides, the clothing brands on the market that can compete with Chan Ye have basically all sided with Bai Yiyue. The Ming family is an option, but… their reputation is a bit worse than Chan Ye's."
Gu Xinran fell silent for a moment. In truth, she had a very suitable brand in mind.
There was a knock on the office door. The two turned to look. "President Ran, Miss Ming is here."
Gu Xinran nodded and went to the reception room, where she saw Ming Zhen sitting on the sofa, looking annoyed.
"What's wrong, my dear young lady?"
"Have you figured out a way to deal with Wei Yi? My mom is driving me crazy."
"I do have an idea, but I need sponsors right now." Gu Xinran laid out her idea for the runway variety show.
Ming Zhen tapped her knuckles on the sofa. "Clothing has always been my family's weak point. That's Wei Yi's specialty, so we can't compare. Our main business is fashion magazines and some high-end cosmetics, and we've also trained many of our own professional makeup artists. Do you think you can use that?"
"I'll help you get sponsors for jewelry. With my connections, I should be able to pull in some sponsorships," Ming Zhen declared grandly.
"But as for the clothing part, I really am…"
Gu Xinran nodded. They discussed it a bit more before Ming Zhen got up to leave.
"Hey, you have to hurry this up. My mom is pushing me hard. I don't even dare go home now."
"Hm? Pushing you to do what?"
"That old rich woman."
Gu Xinran paused, nearly laughing out loud. "Hey, have you ever met this… Boss Xue?"
"No. I heard she's been abroad and only came back recently because of the Wei Yi situation. I've never met her."
"Ahem, well… what if she's really beautiful?"
"? What do you mean? You think I'm the type of person who only cares about looks??"
Gu Xinran fell silent for a moment. Aren't you?
"No, what I mean is, what if she's not what you imagine? You know, old, overweight, caked in gaudy makeup… uh… a rich old dame. You know what I mean, right?"
"Did she pay you off?"
"Huh?"
"Are you here playing matchmaker for her?"
"No, no, you've misunderstood. I've never met her," Gu Xinran said, quickly waving her hands. This girl's resistance to Xue Yuexian was way too strong.
"I'm young, beautiful, and full of life. Can't I find a pretty young lady or a cute girl? Why should I go out of my way to suck up to some old auntie? I wouldn't marry her even if every other woman on earth dropped dead. Heh." That final heh was particularly inspired, dripping with scorn.
Gu Xinran rubbed her forehead. Right, everything you say is right.
Comments
Post a Comment