Against the Light - Chapter 120
Chapter 120: Throwing Money!
"How is this possible!? How could Bai Yilan be Yi Ren's designer? She's never been involved in the fashion world all these years!" Bai Yiyue was furious. The scenes on the television were like a frantic series of slaps to her face!
Bai Yue was much calmer, her expression mostly blank.
She sighed almost inaudibly. "I should have known. How could Shi Qing not leave herself a way out?" After speaking, she closed her eyes and gave a helpless smile.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Could it be… that the Yi Ren brand is being run by Shi Qing from behind the scenes?" Bai Yiyue's pupils constricted, her eyes filled with shock.
"That's impossible. I've been by her side all these years. I understand her; I know everything she does. How could she possibly run such a huge brand without leaving a single trace? Besides, even the top designers at Chan Ye can't reach the level of those designs. How could Bai Yilan?"
Bai Yue gave her a deep look.
"You understand Shi Qing?"
"I…"
"Shi Qing has been in the Bai family for a full twenty-five years. For the first twenty, I never expressed any interest in the group, nor did I ever get involved in any of its affairs." Bai Yue paused.
"And yet, she never once let her guard down around me."
"I've fought with her for so many years, and even I wouldn't dare say I understand her. That woman's cunning runs far deeper than you can imagine."
"I even suspect that all these years, she's been creating a false impression…"
"A false impression? What kind of false impression?"
Bai Yue didn't answer, lost in her own thoughts.
"President Bai, the Xue family…" An assistant rushed in, not even bothering to knock.
"What is it?"
"The Xue family has pulled all their sponsorships! I can't get in touch with any of their representatives!"
"How could this happen?" Bai Yiyue grew anxious.
"I don't know. The calls won't go through. They're disconnected as soon as I dial, and they aren't replying to texts."
Bai Yue silently closed her eyes, a bold guess forming in her mind.
The live stream continued.
Gu Xinran smiled as she watched the group of older sisters chewing their fingers in indecision.
"So, everyone, have you decided?" Gu Xinran asked.
"This is too hard! Every single outfit is so beautiful, I want to wear them all!"
"Seriously, I love every single piece!"
"After the PK round, can the groups swap outfits and do another round? That way, we can compare and see which group performed better, right?"
"Ah, that's a great suggestion! I think that's a good idea!!"
"This…" Gu Xinran paused. If they went with that suggestion, how long would this show run? These sisters wanted to change the rules right from the start!?
"I'm afraid that won't work. It's because there's only one chance that it makes people cherish it all the more."
Everyone sighed in disappointment. Seeing that there was truly no room for negotiation, they began discussing among their close friends.
Gu Xinran then introduced the four modeling mentors, all of whom were highly experienced professionals in the industry.
"Now, please choose your desired group in the order you appeared earlier. You must remember, what suits you is what's best."
Huo Jie was the first to stand up. She looked around and said, "I'll choose this one, then. I'd like to try a cool sister style." She selected the black formal suit set.
Qin Qiong and Lin Guo chose together, picking the Starry Sky set.
Qi Qiuyan and Qi Yuwei chose Bai Yilan's ethereal, fairy-like white princess set.
Before long, everyone had made their selections, each one looking excited and thrilled, as if they couldn't wait to put on the beautiful clothes.
"Next, the production team has prepared lunch for everyone. Please head to the cafeteria to eat. Starting tomorrow, you will begin a seven-day intensive training camp. This afternoon is free for you to do as you please or train in advance. After the meal, staff will take you to your accommodations to rest."
"Okay."
After speaking, Gu Xinran gave a slight bow and left with Bai Yilan.
In the break room, the two of them pushed open the door to see Qu Qi and Fang Jinghai in separate corners, talking on the phone, while Ming Zhen was still fiddling with her own phone.
A moment later, the two hung up their calls one after another and walked over, beaming.
"What's got you so happy?"
"Several fashion brands just called saying they want to add sponsorships and asked if we still needed any," Qu Qi said.
"Same here. Even food sponsors for things like snacks and coffee have reached out," Fang Jinghai said, sounding a bit emotional.
Gu Xinran nodded. "Alright, make a list. Have Fang Yi run a big data search to check the reputation of these brands and their products. Now it's our turn to pick the sponsors."
"Okay!"
"Hey, isn't this what they call 'Today you ignore me, tomorrow I'll be out of your league'?" Ming Zhen asked with a laugh, giving herself a mental thumbs-up for her cleverness. Good thing she had secured the exclusive sponsorship title early on.
Gu Xinran chuckled, then turned to glance at Bai Yilan, giving her a wink.
Bai Yilan understood. "Jinghai, are there any new jewelry sponsors?"
"Actually, yes. Several sponsors with bigger names than Ming Xin have sent collaboration proposals."
"Hey? Hey, hey, hey, wait a minute. What do you mean by that? Are you trying to replace Ming Xin?" Hearing this, Ming Zhen couldn't help but sit up straight.
"It's mainly because this boss of Ming Xin is too mysterious. She won't even show up to discuss the partnership. If I can't even meet the person, I just don't feel secure. It might be better to find a more reliable partner," Bai Yilan said, frowning slightly as if in a dilemma.
"Tsk! Yilan, you don't trust me?"
"Of course I trust you. But you've only met this President Jiang once. You're too naive. I'm afraid you'll get scammed and not even realize it."
"Exactly. The business world is even murkier than the entertainment industry," Gu Xinran chimed in.
"Wait, where does that leave me?" Ming Zhen was getting flustered.
"How about this… Young President Ming, you invite this President Jiang to meet with us? It's all for the sake of the partnership. It's better to know each other a little better to put our minds at ease," Fang Jinghai suggested.
Gu Xinran and Bai Yilan exchanged a look, spotting the hidden laughter in each other's eyes.
"I…"
"Fine, I'll ask her."
At Shi Qing's residence.
After watching the live stream and seeing the artists happily eating lunch, the two realized it was time for them to eat as well.
Ye Nan hurried off to cook. While she was busy, her phone rang. She took it out, glanced at the screen, and froze.
"What is it?" Shi Qing heard the phone still ringing and noticed the other woman just staring at it, realizing something was wrong.
"It's Bai Yue."
Shi Qing narrowed her eyes, her mind racing. She gave a nod.
Ye Nan took a deep breath, immediately ran to the sofa, grabbed a throw pillow, buried her face in it, and let out two muffled screams.
Shi Qing was stunned by this action, staring at her blankly.
"Ahem, cough, cough…" Ye Nan sat up, coughed twice, then answered the phone and put it on speaker.
"Hello? President Bai, cough…" Her voice was extremely hoarse, as if she had just been crying.
Shi Qing closed her eyes and pressed a hand to her forehead. This woman was going to be the death of her. Did she really have to go that far just to fake a crying voice? Really?
"Ye Nan, how is Sister Qing?"
"Still the same. No improvement at all." Ye Nan's words were laced with deep sorrow, and combined with her raspy voice, it was actually quite convincing.
On the other end, Bai Yue chuckled lightly.
"Please let me speak to her."
"???" Ye Nan was dumbfounded.
Was my acting not convincing enough?
"Huh? But Sister Qing is still…"
"I know there's nothing wrong with her. This is all her scheme."
"What scheme? I don't understand what you're talking about. Sister Qing is lying in bed right now, hooked up to an IV drip!"
"She built Wei Yi with her own two hands. Would she really have the heart to watch it go downhill just like this?"
"President Bai, I don't understand what you're saying. Besides, Yilan has already signed the papers on her behalf. She and her mother have no more ties to Wei Yi or the Bai family. I don't know what's happened to Wei Yi, but right now, she has neither the will nor the strength to care. She's lying right in front of me. If you don't believe me, I can send a driver to pick you up so you can see for yourself."
Bai Yue was silent for a long time on the other end.
"That won't be necessary. Just take good care of her. No matter what, she's still my sister-in-law."
Hearing this, Ye Nan rolled her eyes so hard she almost gagged.
"Don't worry, I'll take good care of her," Ye Nan said, then let out a sniffle before hanging up.
"Ugh! That woman is so disgusting! 'Sister-in-law,' how does she have the nerve to say that!"
Shi Qing sighed and shook her head helplessly.
"Sister Qing, do you think she really figured it out?"
"She was trying to bait me. If I'm not mistaken, she recorded that call."
"Why?!"
"She wants to use my name to salvage Wei Yi's decline. Once it's proven that I'm fine, she'll hand power back to me, and those who support me will continue to support Wei Yi. To put it bluntly, she wants me to keep working for the Bai family."
"Oh~ That woman is so shameless."
"After all these years, she finally realizes she can't beat you. After doing so many evil things, now she's trying to get on your good side. She's both stupid and wicked," Ye Nan added.
"You've got quite a way with insults. Who did you learn that from?"
"Weibo! I used to be too busy to look at these things, but I've found that the things netizens say are quite interesting, especially the insults. They always hit the nail on the head."
"?"
"Weibo. Delete it," Shi Qing commanded domineeringly.
"Don't! I still have to follow my idols, I… okay." After getting a glare from Shi Qing, she immediately complied.
Her finger hovered over the Weibo icon, still a little unwilling.
"Hey, Sister Qing, how was my acting just now? Was I sad enough?"
Shi Qing glanced at her, her eyes full of disdain.
"What's with that look?? Listen to my voice, it's still hoarse. I made a huge sacrifice!"
"So what are you getting at? You want praise? Or a reward?"
"No, no~" Ye Nan chuckled, her original intention being to ask if she could keep Weibo to continue following her idols.
Shi Qing clearly didn't get her hint. She reached into her pocket, pulled out a coin, and tossed it into Ye Nan's hand. "Buy a throat lozenge."
"…?"
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