Chapter 37

The next day.

Fu Haitang got up early. Ji Xiaotong was almost up all night again, sprawled out on the sofa, sleeping soundly. Fu Haitang shot her a disgusted look, took out her phone, and started ordering breakfast.

A 5 yuan delivery fee? That’s enough for Ji Xiaotong to buy a bucket of instant noodles.

Fu Haitang muttered, “I’ll go out and buy it myself!”

“Hey.” Fu Haitang patted Ji Xiaotong, instructing her, “Keep an eye on your mom, I’m going out to get breakfast.”

Ji Xiaotong rolled over, “Okay…”

Fu Haitang was wearing no makeup and casual clothes, just like she always did when she went out, but today felt weird. She felt like someone was watching her from behind.

Strange.

Haiwan residential area was grand and spacious with lush greenery. The residents were all celebrities and elites from various fields, so there shouldn’t be any shady characters mixed in.

Fu Haitang walked a few steps, her peripheral vision constantly scanning behind her. Suddenly, she stopped and quickly turned her head!

The space behind her was empty.

Fu Haitang: “…”

“Oh, no one’s there.” Fu Haitang grinned, composedly walked a few more steps, and then her phoenix eyes suddenly flashed with a sharp glint. Fu Haitang took off running!

“Run!”

The bushes rustled, and two paparazzi jumped out, “Chase!”

One paparazzo was tall and plump, the other was short and skinny. They stumbled in their chase, unable to even catch a glimpse of Fu Haitang’s back.

“She’s gone!”

“I told you we shouldn’t have hidden there!”

“Why was she out by herself?”

“I told you, she’s an omega. How could we get any scandalous news about Fu Yilan?”

“Fu Yilan is the hottest contestant right now! If we get some dirt on her, we’ll be rich!”

“Screw this, I’m not staking out anymore. I’m going back to the TV station to photograph Lu Jing.”

Her companion: “…”

After the two of them left, Fu Haitang emerged from behind a two-story tree trunk. She crossed her arms, twisted her head, and tsked, “Hmm~ She’s even got paparazzi now. Fu Yilan, you’re really famous.”

…

After a dreamless night, Fu Yilan couldn’t remember the last time she had such a good sleep. Her black hair was fanned out. Unlike Fu Haitang’s big curls, her hair was naturally straight, clean, and smooth.

The texture was indistinguishable from the gray velvet quilt. Fu Yilan touched the bedsheets and thought it felt a little worse than Fu Haitang’s hands. She unconsciously curved her lips.

In the end, she didn’t know what she thought of, but she counted on her fingers, “1, 2, 3… 3 times?” Doesn’t that mean she still owes someone twice?

Last night was just too difficult. The third time she helped Fu Haitang release her energy was very strenuous. Fu Haitang was so agitated by her that she couldn’t come. In the end, she grabbed Fu Yilan’s hand and did it herself.

Fu Yilan let out a small laugh, and then her cheekbones ached. Realizing this, Fu Yilan immediately composed her expression, checked the time, and saw that it was already nine in the morning.

The other side of the bed was already cold. Fu Yilan fumbled to get up and saw a pair of crutches on the bedside table. She pursed her lips, knowing they were for her. She propped herself up and hobbled to the living room.

“Morning.” Fu Haitang was wearing an apron, her hair loosely tied back. She smiled and gestured to the dining table, “Want to try my cooking?”

Fu Yilan was suspicious, “You made it?”

Fu Haitang blinked, “Not really.”

Just playing dumb! Fu Yilan’s dimples showed as she said, “Then it must be delicious.”

Fu Haitang: “If I didn’t make it, it must be delicious, is that what you’re saying?”

Fu Yilan shrugged, put down her crutches, and sat down at the table. Ji Xiaotong was sound asleep on the sofa behind them, and the two of them chatted as if she weren’t even there.

Fu Haitang said, “I didn’t know what you’d like, so I bought a little bit of everything.”

There were four or five different kinds of steamed buns alone, and no fewer than three kinds of soup, along with some fried sausages and other fried foods. The table of food was dazzling to Fu Yilan.

Fu Haitang said, “Soy milk, regular milk, and tofu pudding. Which do you like? You can try them all if you want, and leave the leftovers for Ji Xiaotong.”

“Achoo!” Ji Xiaotong on the sofa rolled over, muttered something, and fell back into a deep sleep.

Fu Yilan hummed and chose the soy milk. Fu Haitang seemed to have already eaten and was sitting across from her, scrolling on her tablet. Fu Yilan swallowed a crab roe bun and asked, “What are they saying about me online?”

Fu Haitang smiled, moved over to Fu Yilan’s side, and looked at Weibo with her. “The announcement just came out. Li Qingqing and Fang Qian were fired.”

Fu Yilan raised an eyebrow, “That fast?”

“Yep!” Fu Haitang chuckled, “They both have agencies, and the agencies issued statements, firing them and stating they will never be hired again. At this rate, those two are finished.”

Fu Yilan: “That’s a relief.”

“You’re not relieved yet?” Fu Haitang looked up, then realized their arms were touching, so she moved back two inches. “Congratulations, by the way. After the first performance, you’re still number one in online votes! You’ve clinched the top spot again!”

Fu Yilan: “But my performance wasn’t that great.”

Fu Haitang: “If the entertainment industry only relied on skill, then…”

“Don’t be sad,” Fu Haitang said, “Some people are born with good fortune, like you. You don’t have to worry about these things. Your skills are good enough to debut.”

Fu Haitang continued, generously giving her two-tenths. As for the rest, Fu Haitang took out her calculator again, “Your medical fees, accommodation fees, and food costs… I’ll take care of it.”

Fu Yilan didn’t feel like she was losing out, so she had no objections to the 20,000 yuan she received. “Okay.”

“And this,” a check was handed to her. Fu Haitang said, “This is the remaining 500,000 yuan from before. Ahem… that’s it, we’re all settled.”

During the dressing room incident, Fu Yilan demanded 700,000 yuan. Now, Fu Haitang sold everything she owned except for her house and car, plus the 100,000 yuan the rich young lady gave her last night, to finally pay Fu Yilan in full.

“All settled?” The words sounded a little strange. Fu Yilan asked, “What about interest?”

Fu Haitang: “Hmm?”

Fu Yilan: “You’ve had hundreds of thousands in your hands for a week, and there’s no interest?”

The corner of Fu Haitang’s mouth twitched. She then transferred 200 yuan to Fu Yilan on WeChat. “Is that enough?”

“We’re not settled yet,” Fu Yilan said.

Fu Haitang: “Hey, hey, that’s enough. Miss Gu’s work last night didn’t require any effort from you! It was all me and Ji Xiaotong’s doing. I even have to buy her ninety bags of tortilla chips.”

Fu Yilan reminded her, “I still owe you something.”

Fu Haitang was confused, “What money did I miss?”

“Twice,” Fu Yilan said, her teeth puncturing the thin skin of the soup dumpling, a stream of juice dripping down to her chin. She reminded her vaguely, “Did you forget?”

Fu Haitang: “…”

Fu Haitang’s eyes darted away, “No, no need.”

“Hmm?” Fu Yilan put down her chopsticks.

Fu Haitang moved to the other side of the table, avoiding eye contact, and buried her head in a date cake she took from a plate. “That… I’ll sleep in the guest room tonight.”

Fu Yilan’s eyes narrowed. After a moment of silence, she replied, “I’m the guest. It’s too much trouble for you to take care of me. Of course I’ll sleep in the guest room, or I can even squeeze into the living room with Xiaotong.”

Fu Haitang: “No need to be so polite. I’ve calculated all your expenses, so you can stay here without worry.”

Fu Yilan lost her appetite, but she finished the food in her bowl to avoid wasting it. Then she took her medicine, poured water, and applied ointment to her foot, stubbornly doing it all herself.

Stubborn! Fu Haitang cursed under her breath.

Fu Haitang: “I’ll do it for you.”

“No!” Fu Yilan moved away.

Fu Haitang pursed her lips, “Then I won’t give you back the money.”

The next second, her foot was shoved back to her. Fu Haitang smiled brightly and happily applied the medicine to Fu Yilan’s foot. The topical medicine needed to be massaged until it was warm.

Fu Haitang was meticulous, and Fu Yilan watched her for a while. This woman was truly hard to figure out.

It was almost noon when they finished tidying up. Fu Haitang received a call from the station. It was Sini.

Sini said, “This episode isn’t doing so well.”

Fu Haitang went somewhere private to take the call, avoiding Fu Yilan. Fu Yilan was scrolling on her phone in the living room. Ji Xiaotong woke up and was eating the leftovers from their breakfast. “Mom, this crab roe bun is so good. Do you want some?”

Her delighted look was pitiful. Fu Yilan said, “Heat it up before you eat.”

Ji Xiaotong pouted, and then complained about Fu Haitang, “I don’t want to. Fu Haitang wants to charge me for gas. She’s so stingy. In this house, I can’t even use hot water whenever I want!”

Fu Yilan: “…”

Fu Yilan logged into Weibo. Her personal account had gained over 700,000 new followers overnight. She thought she was seeing things, but after checking it several times, the number was correct!

Her direct messages were full, with various messages of concern mixed with some slander and speculation, but the messages of concern and encouragement were the majority. Fans… Fu Yilan pursed her lips, never thinking she would be liked by so many people one day.

She registered for Weibo after she decided to participate in the show and wasn’t very familiar with how it worked. She started replying to messages from the first day, and even just typing out “thank you” made her hands ache.

Among the messages, there were also some business inquiries.

Work opportunities?

Fu Yilan’s eyes lit up. She had just noted down the contact information from the message when her phone was plucked from her hand with two fingers.

Fu Haitang: “Playing on Weibo?”

Fu Yilan: “Give me back my phone.”

Fu Haitang scoffed, “Do you know how to manage an account? And you want me to give it back to you?”

Fu Yilan: “…Of course, I’m not as professional as Teacher Haitang.”

“Good to know!” The phone spun halfway in Fu Haitang’s palm. She pinched the phone’s body and tapped Fu Yilan’s nose twice. “Your business opportunities are at the TV station. When you get private offers, you have to ask me about them, so you don’t undersell yourself. And… this one is probably a scam, so don’t contact them.”

Fu Yilan: “A scam?”

Fu Haitang hummed lazily, “A private Weibo account with a blank homepage and no business advertisements. What else could it be but a scam?”

Fu Yilan took her phone back, deleted the person, and then looked at the messages where she was tagged. The most common one was the post about Li Qingqing and Fang Qian being fired.

Fans were celebrating, but some were still angry on her behalf. Her foot injury hadn’t healed, and even though Li Qingqing and Fang Qian were gone, it still impacted Fu Yilan’s work. It was a lose-lose situation. Some fans were demanding compensation for her.

But Fu Yilan was already satisfied. She had no power or influence. Getting Li Qingqing and Fang Qian removed with the help of real-time public opinion was a result of perfect timing and circumstances. If she pushed for more, she was afraid she would be backed into a corner and they would find a way to bite her back.

“How do I look in this?” Fu Haitang had changed and come out of the room at some point.

Fu Yilan looked up. It was a high-quality pantsuit, a silk shirt with a brooch, a short pencil skirt, and her hair, which was like seaweed, tied back. Fu Haitang only had on nude lipstick, but it was clear her complexion had improved a lot after a few days off.

Ji Xiaotong: “Are you going on a date?”

Fu Yilan cleared her throat.

“Tsk.” Fu Haitang gave her a sideways glance. “Who goes on a date in a professional suit? I’m… going back to the TV station!”

Fu Yilan: “Your vacation is over. You should go back.”

Ji Xiaotong raised her hand, “Bye bye.”

Fu Haitang: “…”

“I’m making a glorious return!” Fu Haitang put her hands on her hips and announced from the center of the living room, “Sini just called. The broadcast data from last night is out.”

Fu Haitang: “The completion rate for the first pilot episode was less than 10%, with a total of only 10,000+ views. This is a huge drop compared to the data for the first episode I planned! The main episode’s performance was even worse! The peak viewership was during Fu Yilan’s fall, and other times were very uneventful.”

“So!” Fu Haitang said powerfully, “The higher-ups had a meeting all day today and finally learned from Ren Qing who the real mastermind behind the first episode’s plan was!”

Fu Haitang pointed at her own nose with her thumb, “That would be me!”

Fu Yilan raised her hands and applauded, “Congratulations, Director Fu. Your patience has paid off.”

Fu Haitang raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms and leaning gently against the wall. Her eyes held a smile and also a hint of mockery. “Ren Qing’s approach is outdated. When I saw the plan, I knew that kind of content wouldn’t make a splash. I was just waiting for this day.”

Ji Xiaotong looked confused, “What? What are you talking about?”

Fu Yilan didn’t know much about the entertainment industry, but even as an outsider, she could see that a person with a resume as ordinary as Fu Haitang’s dared to directly get involved with a top-level production and boldly plan Fu Yilan’s publicity stunts.

She really had amazing guts!

Fu Yilan smiled, “You really have a talent for this industry.”

Fu Haitang chuckled, “It’s all for money.”

At the entrance, Fu Haitang looked at Fu Yilan with a half-smile. She was feeling incredibly bold and proud to have Fu Yilan living in her home. Even Lu Jing didn’t get this kind of treatment!

“Wait for me to get off work,” Fu Haitang said with a smile. “I’ll make sure you’re number one in the third episode too!”

Fu Yilan raised an eyebrow, “I’ll be waiting.”

Fu Haitang left.

Fu Yilan closed the door, propped herself up with her crutches, and went back to the living room. The trainees were still given a day off after the first performance, so Fu Yilan naturally didn’t have to report back. But the worry about her injured foot soon came over her.

In the third episode, she could only do simple moves, and it would be a purely vocal performance. To get first place on a dance and vocal stage… how easy would that be?

Fu Yilan clicked into the work group chat.

The group chat was all muted. The elimination list for the latest episode would be announced tomorrow when they returned to work.

There were 99 trainees left, and now only 72. This time, 25 more would be eliminated, so the new class structure would definitely change.

Ji Xiaotong: “Mom, what are you thinking about?”

Fu Yilan: “Nothing. Just thinking about work.”

…

“Congratulations!”

At the TV station, the entire A and B planning teams held a welcome ceremony for Fu Haitang. Oh no! It was a promotion ceremony.

Ren Qing walked up to Fu Haitang, handing her the bouquet of flowers in her hand. “The higher-ups said you’ll be the new vice-director. They hope you’ll do your best to plan the third episode. Even I have to cooperate with you.”

Fu Haitang accepted the flowers, as well as the new ID badge handed to her by HR. Regular first-line employees had blue badges and lanyards. Team leaders had green. Ren Qing and other directors had yellow.

The higher-ups had red.

Fu Haitang really didn’t expect her yellow badge to come so quickly.

Everything had changed for the better. Her workspace was no longer a shared corner with Sini. A single desk by the window was specially cleared for Fu Haitang in the employee office area.

She was facing the entire planning team alone. It was obvious to everyone that Fu Haitang was their direct supervisor.

Sini was also promoted to a green badge. She was overjoyed. After working for over a year with no promotion, she was suddenly promoted just like that! It was true that fortune favored the bold!

Ren Qing returned to her office. From her perspective, the first thing she saw through the one-way glass was Fu Haitang’s single long desk. Fu Haitang was promoted too quickly. The next step would be her position, which she had held for almost three years!

“Bang!” A stack of documents was knocked to the floor. The assistant, who had just come in with coffee, was startled. She shivered and quietly closed the door, not daring to disturb Ren Qing.

At that moment, Fu Haitang received her first instruction after the promotion.

Gu Jingjing: (I heard you got promoted?)

As soon as the message arrived, Fu Haitang was immediately on alert.

Sure enough, the next second, the young lady said, (In the third episode, I want to be the center!)

Fu Haitang: “…”

She had just bragged to Fu Yilan at noon that she would make her the champion!