Fan Qing had been enjoying a rare moment of leisure recently.
Unfortunately, Nie Luo still had little free time.
During his downtime, Fan Qing even went over to Nie Luo’s studio to lend a hand.
Not for anything else—it was mainly that when Nie Luo got busy, he seemed like he needed to be split in two, and Fan Qing helping out allowed Nie Luo a little breathing room.
Nie Luo’s studio was no longer small. Over the past half year, it had grown from a dozen people to more than thirty.
And finally, Nie Luo had signed some talent.
Fan Qing had met them a few times.
Neither was particularly young—one was a thirty-year-old actress, the other a thirty-five-year-old actor.
But after seeing them, Fan Qing felt Nie Luo’s taste matched his own.
Both in appearance and physique, they were quite good.
More importantly, they were acting-focused.
Compared with idol-type actors who rely on their age and peak years, acting-focused actors generally have longer careers.
Especially for male actors, many were just at the start of their careers.
Their acting skills were not poor, and as Fan Qing managed the studio’s affairs, he saw that Nie Luo planned to create a niche, humanistic film tailored for these two.
Clearly, Nie Luo didn’t intend for them to pursue commercial projects for profit, but to build their reputations as skilled actors. The film was likely aimed at awards.
Fan Qing had no objections to this.
Nie Luo himself was of this kind—he just had extra talent and luck that made him partially an idol-type.
Nie Luo’s studio following this path reinforced his reputation as an acting-focused talent.
Still… so boring.
Fan Qing’s expression remained blank as he thought this.
Then, suddenly, his eyes lit up.
Of course!
It was about Jiang Mian—time to stir things up.
With that in mind, Fan Qing called Jiang Mian over.
She arrived briskly.
Goodness.
Fan Qing immediately noticed a difference from her previous appearance.
She looked radiant, her cheeks flushed.
Her outfit had changed too—not the earlier, less-practical heels nor the intellectual, professional style.
Instead, she wore a sleek black-and-white ensemble: a black coat over a white shirt, black pants, and high-top combat boots.
She looked sharp, commanding—like an A-list big sister.
“Brother Fan, you called me?”
Jiang Mian had finally changed the way she addressed him.
Fan Qing nodded in approval.
She was already part of the inner circle; calling him “Manager Fan” every day was too formal.
Even the juniors followed suit. Fan Qing had to admit—he liked being called “Brother” better.
Even if Jiang Mian was older, who cared?
“Good, I remember the plan you proposed earlier. Should be about the right timing now, yes?”
So when would the real show start?
Fan Qing’s face was unreadable, but internally he was looking forward to it.
Ah, so that was it.
Jiang Mian exhaled quietly inside.
Since joining Tenghuang, her days had been non-stop. She had feared a new assignment would appear at any moment.
Fortunately, it was not the case.
She also chastised herself a little.
Why think that way? Even if it were a new task, it would show Fan Qing’s trust.
At her previous company, could she have been relied upon like this?
With that in mind, she quickly corrected her attitude.
“Yes, the timing is about right. I’ve confirmed with Yao Ge as well—there’s plenty of time.”
“Good. Since it’s almost time, preparations should be underway. How do you plan to handle it?”
Fan Qing looked at her.
Here it was—the moment to test her had arrived.
Jiang Mian took a deep breath, her eyes full of determination and confidence.
“I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to officially announce my transfer to Tenghuang.”
“Oh?”
Announcing this news?
Fan Qing immediately understood her intention.
The fallout with Wan Lianlian had happened some time ago, and if Jiang Mian wanted to revisit that old feud, the best entry point was indeed here.
Fan Qing considered this and nodded in approval.
“Good. That’s an excellent point of entry.”
Jiang Mian exhaled, relieved.
So Fan Qing wasn’t opposed to her using the company as leverage?
“However, I suggest you check in with Madame Wen first.”
Fan Qing tapped the table lightly.
After all, Madame Wen had personally requested that favor back then, and leaving her in debt indefinitely wouldn’t be appropriate.
Hearing this, Jiang Mian quickly straightened her posture.
“Brother Fan, I’ll do as you say.”
Fan Qing looked her over.
“This outfit… I feel like I’ve seen it before?”
Jiang Mian felt her cheeks heat up instantly.
“Brother Fan, you noticed that?”
She had thought he wouldn’t.
She cleared her throat softly.
“It’s Yao Ge who modified it for me. He said this style suits me better.”
Though Yao Ge hadn’t designed it personally, after the simple adjustments, Jiang Mian had grown increasingly fond of the outfit.
She loved this sharp, commanding style.
Speaking of Yao Ge, what a little angel he was—and the same for Hua’er, Yuan Jing, and Jian Feiyang. Fan Qing really was incredible, having such a whole squad of little angels under his wing.
Recalling this, Jiang Mian now looked at Fan Qing as if he were a god—radiant with a divine glow.
A 3D surround chorus of hallelujah played in her mind.
Twelve wings unfurled.
In short, he was incomparably awe-inspiring.
Although no one could know exactly what Jiang Mian was imagining, her gaze wasn’t one of a mere human.
Fan Qing, noticing her daydream, decisively interrupted it.
“Since that’s the case, why not visit Madame Wen in this outfit?”
As he spoke, he handed her an invitation.
Jiang Mian blinked.
“This…?”
She opened it, frozen for a moment.
“Oh—it’s an invitation to a banquet hosted by Madame Wen.”
If Madame Wen had sent this invitation, it wasn’t just to see Jiang Mian.
It was to give her some support.
Jiang Mian instantly understood.
For a moment, she felt almost dazed.
Was this really happening?
But in the next instant, her eyes hardened with resolve.
“Brother Fan, I understand. I’ll make the arrangements immediately.”
If heaven had given her a second chance, she would grasp it and cherish it fully.
She would not disappoint Fan Qing.
Good girl.
Fan Qing’s gaze softened slightly.
The grand performance he had been waiting for was now in Jiang Mian’s hands.
Their eyes met.
Jiang Mian: Brother Fan trusts me. I won’t let him down!
Fan Qing: Honestly, this is boring—better not mess this up.
Though their thoughts were not on the same wavelength, the outcomes coincided.
Fan Qing observed, and indeed, Jiang Mian acted immediately.
The Tenghuang official account posted a simple welcome message for Jiang Mian.
She posted a reply on her own account.
Two brief posts—but they shattered the recent calm.
Who was Jiang Mian?
She was the agent who had recently torn ties with Wan Lianlian.
What happened after that fallout?
Wan Lianlian’s fan base dropped dramatically, and her status plummeted from top-tier to… somewhere unknown.
Still, Wan Lianlian had some skill.
Even now, she hadn’t fully settled things.
Her fanbase was heavily male, and though many left due to her questionable actions with older men, some stubbornly defended her, claiming she acted out of necessity.
Relying on self-deception, these fans became even more protective.
So when news of Jiang Mian’s transfer broke, they exploded.
“What the hell? Even someone like Jiang Mian gets a job?”
“What kind of trash company is this? How dare they hire Jiang Mian?”
“Gross—this Jiang Mian ruined Lianlian so badly, and she has the nerve to jump ship? Someone like her even deserves to be an agent? Tenghuang must be a terrible company if they dare hire people like her!”
Fans fumed, scrambling to rally others in shared outrage.
But before they could gather reinforcements, a new wave of voices appeared.
However, their criticism came from a different angle than the fan groups expected.
“Wait, what does Jiang Mian joining Tenghuang mean? Surely she’s not thinking of dragging up that custom project again, right? Surely not, right?”
“LOL, it’s obvious—otherwise why would she join Tenghuang? She’s trying to get close to Fan Qing and maybe score something from him.”
“Jiang Mian’s intentions are so obvious. Honestly, the couture she selected for Wan Lianlian before was terrible. Does she think she can fix it just by switching people? I’ll be watching to see her get slapped in the face.”
Wan Lianlian’s fans were stunned at first.
But then, on second thought, they started following the trend and joined in the bashing.
Doesn’t matter what exactly they were criticizing—so long as it was Jiang Mian, it was right!
They joined the chorus of insults.
“They’re kind of cute like this, actually.”
They didn’t even think—they just followed along with the batch of shills Jiang Mian had planted and joined in the mockery.
Fan Qing thought to himself, Well, that probably saved Jiang Mian quite a bit in expenses.
Should this really be called “cute”?
Jiang Mian glanced at the Weibo posts, then at Fan Qing.
She felt as if something strange and delicate was starting to sway precariously.
“Not bad. The effect is quite good. But are you sure Wan Lianlian will take the bait?”
Normally, after everything that had happened, Wan Lianlian should know to keep a low profile, right?
Yet judging by Jiang Mian’s confidence, she seemed very sure of herself.
Fan Qing cast her a sidelong glance.
A confident smile slowly appeared on Jiang Mian’s face.
Why wouldn’t she be confident?
She had managed Wan Lianlian for so many years, wiped up so many private messes, and given countless behind-the-scenes suggestions—could that all be in vain?
Thinking this, she spoke with certainty:
“Don’t worry, Brother Fan. Wan Lianlian will definitely take the bait, and she’ll do it quickly.”
No sooner had she finished speaking than Fan Qing’s special notification pinged.
Jiang Mian’s expression stiffened.
No way.
It couldn’t be what she thought, could it?
“This Weibo feature is quite handy,” Fan Qing mused.
It allowed him to stay at the forefront of the gossip.
He opened his small account, specially following Wan Lianlian.
Sure enough—she had posted.
Well done. Jiang Mian had calculated this perfectly, even accounting for this detail.
The feature was indeed useful.
But Weibo certainly didn’t intend it for users like Fan Qing to stalk gossip!
Jiang Mian, the stylish one, was momentarily speechless.