Jiang Mian truly hadn’t expected that Fan Qing would make an invitation at a time like this!
Even more surprising was that she had assumed, being a peer, Fan Qing would be more aligned with her professional level—but in reality, their statuses were quite far apart.
At that moment, Jiang Mian suddenly recalled something.
She had, in fact, heard the related gossip before.
At the time, she had dismissed it as nonsense—how could it possibly be true?
Fan Qing had once been an assistant, and had only recently taken the manager position. How could he possibly be…
Now thinking about it, the joke was on her!
He was just that impressive!
Gathering herself quickly, Jiang Mian focused on Fan Qing.
“Fan Qing, are you serious?”
She felt asking that alone wasn’t enough.
In a self-deprecating way, she added a few more lines.
“Right now, I’m completely blacklisted online—even the company has fired me, and all the people I managed have left. If I go to Tenghuang, I’ll be completely alone.”
Fan Qing remained calm, like clouds drifting.
“Isn’t that perfect? Tenghuang has plenty of everything—except for a capable manager to fill an empty spot.”
Of course, why else would he be reaching out to Jiang Mian?
Jiang Mian was slightly stunned.
She had been headhunted before, but never like this.
Shouldn’t he be after the talent she managed, like Wan Lian Lian or others?
Shouldn’t he care about the resources she held?
Ah, the resources.
Jiang Mian persisted.
“But I don’t have any good resources left. Even if I join, the people who come with me will still face hardships.”
She didn’t believe Fan Qing wouldn’t mind that.
This time, Fan Qing couldn’t help but smile.
He didn’t really understand what Jiang Mian was testing, but it didn’t stop him from occasionally showing off a little.
“Manager Jiang, I think you haven’t understood.”
Resources? Hardships?
If he couldn’t handle that, why bother headhunting her?
Fan Qing’s face radiated absolute confidence and strength.
“Perhaps you didn’t hear me clearly before. What I mean is: Tenghuang lacks nothing except a manager to share my workload. Do you understand, Manager Jiang?”
In that instant, Jiang Mian felt that Fan Qing didn’t just carry holy light.
He even came with his own BGM!
For a moment, her mind was filled with the soundtrack of The Godfather.
This… was the world of the strong!
Jiang Mian could hardly hide her excitement—damn! When would she ever reach Fan Qing’s level?
Heart racing, she suddenly regained her confidence.
If this was the case, she was fully capable!
A manager is just a manager—having stumbled once, she wouldn’t fall again on such a matter.
Certainly not!
Her hands clenched into fists on her lap.
She took a long gulp of her black coffee, finally speaking calmly.
“Since that’s the case, it seems I have no reason to refuse.”
Bingo. The headhunting plan was going smoothly.
Fan Qing, listening, felt a wave of satisfaction.
He could already imagine a future with significantly less workload.
His only requirement was that he’d have extra time to visit Nie Luo on set.
Fan Qing recalled the last visit—there had been some regrets.
Next time, he would find a set where Nie Luo had a private rest area.
Then, perhaps, it could be just like the first time…
Fan Qing ordered another cup of milk.
Quenching thirst wasn’t bad either.
“So it’s settled then? Pick a time in the next few days, and we’ll meet at Tenghuang.”
Fan Qing seemed to really like milk?
Somewhat inconsistent with the image he usually projected.
Jiang Mian made a mental note, then shook her head.
“Hmm?”
Fan Qing raised an eyebrow.
“What do you mean?”
Jiang Mian took a deep breath.
“No rush on this yet.”
She calmed herself, and her eyes returned completely to the way they were when Fan Qing first met her.
“Since the new employer values me, I can’t just arrive in a mess. I’ll need a few days to handle this matter personally. Then we can meet again.”
“Oh?”
Fan Qing sipped the fresh milk the server had just brought over.
He was genuinely a bit surprised.
“You’re sure?”
He had expected Jiang Mian to let Tenghuang handle the issue for her.
But she actually had the resolve to do it herself.
That made him regard her even more highly.
Jiang Mian inhaled deeply.
“Of course, I’m sure.”
She also inexplicably ordered a cup of milk herself.
“I may not match Fan Qing’s methods, but if I can’t handle something this small, how could I ever perform in front of a future employer?”
She brushed back her slightly messy hair, exuding the confidence of a mature woman.
“Rest assured, new employer. If I couldn’t handle even this, I wouldn’t need to continue being a manager anyway.”
Not bad.
No wonder he saw her as a future “tool.”
Fan Qing nodded appreciatively in his mind, then raised his glass toward Jiang Mian.
“Then let’s toast to your swift success—see you at Tenghuang?”
Jiang Mian lightly tapped her glass against his.
“See you at Tenghuang.”
She lowered her head to take a sip. The rich aroma of the milk lingered in her nose. Much better than the bitter, harsh black coffee, she thought.
After Jiang Mian left, Fan Qing sat for a while longer before making a call to Tang Sheng.
“Sheng-ge, the previous arrangements won’t be needed for now.”
Tang Sheng made a small sound of surprise.
“What? You didn’t manage to succeed?”
With Fan Qing’s abilities, he actually failed to recruit someone?
“How could that be?”
Fan Qing was naturally more relaxed in front of Tang Sheng. He let out a light chuckle, his confidence evident in every word.
“Sheng-ge, do you think a small matter like this could go wrong?”
“I honestly didn’t expect you to fail, so…?”
Tang Sheng hadn’t really considered that Fan Qing might stumble.
So what did Fan Qing mean earlier?
“That’s because my judgment is indeed good. She wants to treat this as a token of loyalty.”
See—that’s his future “tool,” carefully selected.
There was a faint pride in Fan Qing’s words. Tang Sheng noticed and understood. He couldn’t help but sigh.
“Your judgment is certainly sharp, but now our plans are foiled.”
Foiled? That was even better.
“That’s fine too,” Fan Qing replied. “Since she wants to treat this as a token of loyalty, we can also see exactly what she’s capable of, right?”
Although he had always been extremely confident in his judgment of people, he didn’t mind letting her demonstrate her abilities for observation.
“That makes sense.”
Tang Sheng nodded.
“By the way, Sheng-ge—”
Fan Qing spoke again, his voice carrying a slight, subtle teasing tone.
Tang Sheng noticed, but still responded.
“What is it? Something else?”
Fan Qing chuckled lowly.
“Nope, nothing. Is your afternoon free?”
Tang Sheng’s ever-present smile faltered for a moment.
He had a sense that he might not want to respond.
“So…?”
“So Sheng-ge, why not take this chance to give yourself half a day off? I heard from Er Shao that you’ve been losing sleep over these past few days.”
This year’s gift-giving would naturally go to Sheng-ge first.
What gift in the world could be more cherished by Jin Si than Sheng-ge himself? Fan Qing thought, seeing right through it.
Tang Sheng’s expression twitched slightly.
This brat… he realized for the first time he could feel a kind of shared understanding with Jin Si.
Did he not know what Fan Qing was implying?
Tang Sheng thought it over, and his expression slowly returned to normal.
“That’s fine too. But when did Er Shao learn to use the phrase ‘losing sleep at night’? Did Nie Luo teach him?”
This made Fan Qing freeze mid-expression.
“…My mistake.”
Tang Sheng smiled lightly.
“I’ll let it slide this time. Don’t make the same mistake again. Also, since you said that, I’m logging off now. The remaining work, you can finish back at the office later.”
He ended the call gracefully, truly clocking out.
Fan Qing stared at his phone for a moment.
…Tsk, miscalculation.
What level of figure was Sheng-ge?
Someone who could align so well with Jin Si—was that a simple person?
Whatever.
Fan Qing stood and stretched.
He wouldn’t be visiting sets again in the near future anyway, so extra work it is. Perfect timing to see Jiang Mian’s “token of loyalty.”
After parting with Fan Qing, Jiang Mian returned home and first thing, gave herself a flawless makeover.
She even deliberately painted a bold red lip, one she rarely wore before.
She hadn’t used such a bright shade around Wan Lian Lian for a long time, worried it would steal her spotlight.
Now?
The woman in the mirror was polished, elegant, and striking.
Jiang Mian gazed at her reflection for a full minute before brushing her hair aside.
She was still herself—only that now, it no longer mattered to those who were irrelevant to her future.
By now, evening had fallen.
After a full day of rumors, combined with the company hastily posting the news of Jiang Mian’s firing, Wan Lian Lian’s fans were even more furious.
Passersby who didn’t know the truth were shocked.
The screen was filled with unseemly insults.
However, those unaware of the facts assumed Jiang Mian had truly done the things alleged, and thought it unnecessary to sympathize with the persecutor.
Occasionally, a few would voice disapproval at certain male fans’ crude behavior, but almost immediately, they were labeled as “defending Jiang Mian.”
Some tried to fight back but were quickly overwhelmed by the backlash.
Most people remained silent.
By nighttime, almost everyone assumed the matter was over.
Even Wan Lian Lian and her manager, Li Zong, thought so.
Wan Lian Lian even breathed a sigh of relief.
“Li Zong, you’re clever. Jiang Mian probably won’t dare to say anything now.”
Li Zong chuckled.
“Of course. This was just a little trick—to catch her off guard. See? Now she can’t do anything at all.”
So what if Jiang Mian found out about him and Wan Lianlian?
Was she not dealt with by him all the same?
Just then, Jiang Mian—who had remained silent the entire time—suddenly posted several updates on Weibo in a row, forcibly tearing open what had nearly come to an end and dragging the drama into an entirely new phase.
One of the posts in particular blew up the gossiping netizens’ scalps.
In less than half an hour, it shot straight to number one on the trending list.
#JiangMianResponds#