Rong Guang was woken up by Chacha, who had rushed over after hearing her phone alarm.
The move had been too rushed, and Rong Guang hadn’t had time to buy pajamas for Chacha. She was wearing nothing but a small tank top and shorts.
With a splitting headache, Rong Guang looked at Chacha and told her to go get dressed. She pressed a hand to her forehead and wearily answered the phone that had been ringing for a long time. “Hello?”
“Sister Rong Guang?” The voice on the other end was a bit young. Rong Guang listened for a long while before dredging up the memory of the person—it was the assistant the company had assigned her in her past life. “You should come to the company quickly. I heard Brother Chen and Sister Cai are going to discuss your situation. It seems like they don’t plan on managing you anymore and want to hand you off to someone else. You… why don’t you come over?”
Rong Guang groggily hung up the phone.
Her head ached, and her eyes hurt too. She had gone to bed late last night and had tossed and turned, plagued by bizarre dreams.
In a daze, she seemed to have dreamed of Chu Feiliang, to the point that even when she knew she was dreaming, she was unwilling to pull herself out of it.
It was only nine in the morning now; she had slept for less than four hours.
Pressing her lips together, Rong Guang sat on the bed for a while longer before getting up to wash. When she came out, she saw that Chacha had already prepared breakfast and was waiting for her with wide, blinking eyes.
Rong Guang was taken aback. “When did you prepare this?”
“While you were on the phone and washing up.” Chacha shook her head smugly, holding up two fingers with a serious expression. “Ten yuan in total. A sandwich, fried egg, bacon, and milk. I also bought you a cucumber. Sister Guangguang, hurry up and eat.”
Rong Guang was touched. She grabbed the food, took a big bite, and said with a smile, “Chacha, you’re amazing.”
“Mhm, Chacha is super amazing.” Chacha nodded, then leaned in, cautiously holding up two fingers again. “It cost ten yuan. Split, that’s two five-yuans.”
Rong Guang: “…I’ll pay you back double later.”
Chacha immediately went to wash the dishes, overjoyed.
Rong Guang and Chacha waited in the reception area for the people inside to make a ‘decision’ about her future.
It was somewhat laughable.
Although Star Cluster Entertainment could be called a company, it was really one in name only. It didn’t even own a building, merely renting an office in a relatively remote building as its studio.
NO.1 had debuted three years ago and had held over a hundred concerts on tour. In their first year, they had been incredibly popular. Even if they weren’t as big as before, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. Star Cluster’s move was nothing short of extreme.
Trying to create another girl group like NO.1 was not so easy.
“Aren’t you upset, Sister Guangguang?” Chacha looked at her.
“What’s there to be upset about.” A faint smile touched Rong Guang’s lips. She couldn’t help but recall the most common thing people would say later when they mentioned her and the declining Star Cluster—girl groups could be manufactured, but there would never be another Rong Guang in this world.
After she left and rose to the top, Star Cluster began to imitate her, creating one so-called successor after another.
However, in a place like the entertainment industry, mass-produced girl group members ultimately had only one fate: to be completely buried. Some of the younger ones would even lose themselves in the process.
“Mhm.” Chacha nodded. “If it’s gone, it’s gone. The next one will be better.”
“Right.” Rong Guang’s eyes curved into a smile. “The next one will indeed be better.”
Her target was not Universe Entertainment.
Universe Entertainment was good, but its roster was already saturated. In recent years, it had only been signing formerly popular artists who had lost their heat for one reason or another as a way to build up its reserves.
After all, once its leading actress’s wings were fully fledged, Universe Entertainment would need another to carry the banner, so its reserve forces had to be ample.
Actors who had once been popular came with their own built-in traffic, making them much easier to promote than a complete newcomer.
Therefore, the resources Universe Entertainment could offer her were extremely limited. Furthermore, due to various restrictive clauses, the company itself forbade its artists from taking on any private activities. If she really joined Universe Entertainment, her path would be even more difficult than it was now.
Only a fool would look for that kind of trouble.
Her target was Big Dipper, where Chu Feiliang was.
The door to the discussion room opened, and Chen Changping and Cai Xiang emerged with several other people.
A meeting of just over ten minutes had hastily and carelessly decided Rong Guang’s ‘future’.
“Rong Guang, from now on, you’ll be with Tang Yuan. She’ll take good care of you.” Cai Xiang was all smiles, but her grin held a hint of malice.
Rong Guang was destined to be shelved by the company until her contract expired. For someone who couldn’t bring in any profit and would only cause a heap of trouble, it was best to get rid of her as soon as possible.
Rong Guang gave a nonchalant nod. “Got it.”
Faced with Rong Guang’s attitude, Cai Xiang was a little puzzled, but before she could think much of it, Chen Changping had already left.
Before leaving, and it was hard to say if it was intentional, Chen Changping made a point of mentioning, “Have Nongnong and the other two arrived? Are the hotels all ready? We can’t be careless with this concert…”
Chacha’s gaze drifted, and she glanced toward the corner again.
Hearing all this, Tang Yuan couldn’t help but twitch her lips. She now had a deeper understanding of Chen Changping’s petty nature. She couldn’t help but look up at Rong Guang, wanting to see her reaction.
She saw Rong Guang gazing at the spot where Cai Xiang and Chen Changping had left, a half-smile on her face. There was no anger at being abandoned, nor was there any bewilderment at being handed over to a new manager like herself. There was only an emotion she couldn’t quite decipher.
“Ahem.” Noticing the room had become a little too quiet, Tang Yuan gave an awkward cough to break the silence, feeling a bit flustered. “Let’s go get something to eat first—what would you like? My treat.”
Chacha scrutinized the person before her for a moment, then her eyes lit up. Just as she was about to speak, Rong Guang covered her mouth. Then, she heard Rong Guang say, “A home-style restaurant would be good. Chacha needs to drink more soup these days.”
Chacha immediately deflated. She followed listlessly behind Rong Guang, and when they passed a small convenience store, the longing in her eyes was practically overflowing.
Tang Yuan felt her own little heart tremble. Several times she was about to take out money to buy something for Chacha, but she was deterred by Rong Guang’s stern and impartial expression.
She could only settle for the next best thing, cautiously reaching out to pat Chacha’s head. “We’ll eat some in a few days. I’ll buy you Häagen-Dazs, okay? Be good.”
Chacha had never had Häagen-Dazs and didn’t know what it was. All she knew was that she couldn’t have a popsicle today, and her face was full of grievance.
Not many people ate out in the summer. Since they needed to talk business, the group chose a small private room and ordered a few of the more exquisite dishes.
Tang Yuan could see that the relationship between Chacha and Rong Guang was unusual. Thinking that this was an artist who was, for her, a ‘top-tier’ celebrity she would be working with for a long time, she had a mind to curry some favor and specially catered to Chacha’s tastes by ordering several sweet dishes.
One of the desserts was similar to jelly, also served cold. It was smooth and refreshing, but still a bit icy.
Rong Guang saw how happily Chacha was eating, her cheeks puffing out, and considering Chacha had never really eaten anything very good in her life, her heart softened for a moment and she let it slide.
“Rong Guang.” Tang Yuan introduced herself, handed Rong Guang a business card, and then said, “For the next year, I’ll be your manager.”
Rong Guang nodded and gave Tang Yuan a smile as well.
She had a rather deep impression of Tang Yuan.
She was a girl with a distinct personality. In her past life, Tang Yuan had also been her manager.
It was just that back then, Tang Yuan had just entered the industry. She had no connections and no resources. Rong Guang herself was in a daze all day due to her grandmother’s funeral and all the trouble with the company. The two of them were mocked down to the lowest level.
—Of course, things weren’t much better now.
But Tang Yuan was the type to bounce back after hitting rock bottom. She was usually soft-spoken and good-natured, and didn’t like to fight with people.
But after watching her get treated like a piece of merchandise in her past life, about to be tossed off to Universe Entertainment for having no value, Tang Yuan had practically thrown her pride away. She rolled up her sleeves, went to a casting call for extras, and under the scorching summer sun of over forty degrees, talked herself hoarse just to win her a few supporting roles that didn’t require much acting and only showed her face.
After that, relying on the word ‘stunning,’ she had completely opened up her path as an actress in her past life, finally not letting Tang Yuan’s hard work go to waste.
Rong Guang smiled and nodded, her attitude very friendly.
Tang Yuan, after all, had only been in the industry for half a year. Her family background was average, but her parents were loving, and it was clear she had been raised well.
But unfortunately, she had no connections in the industry and no access to any truly big-name artists. Rong Guang herself had at least been an A-lister before. Even if her pearl was now covered in dust, she was still a major figure that Tang Yuan normally wouldn’t even get a chance to meet.
Seeing Rong Guang’s friendly attitude, with not a single trace of resentment or dejection on her face, Tang Yuan was a little surprised, but also slightly relieved.
After a few bites, the three of them had more or less warmed up to each other.
Rong Guang ordered some low-alcohol fruit wine, and a few glasses were enough to get them all talking.
Tang Yuan put down her glass, her eyes sparkling. “Guangguang, the path of a singer is difficult. Your situation is rather awkward right now, and the company won’t give you any good projects. My suggestion is that you could try acting. At least you’d have a notable work to your name. Or you could consider switching to variety shows, but the risks with variety shows are greater… And I heard you auditioned for the crew of The Eldest Princess, so maybe you’re personally more inclined toward acting…”
“No need to consider it.” Rong Guang interrupted Tang Yuan with a smile. “I’m not planning on considering variety shows for now. Let’s go with acting.”
Given her current status and the company’s hands-off attitude, she could imagine what the final edit of a variety show would look like.
She hadn’t reached the point of being so desperate that she’d clutch at any straw.
Tang Yuan’s eyes lit up. She nodded and said, “That’s great! As for acting, I mean we can take it slow and not be too rash.”
Tang Yuan moistened her lips and said cautiously, “About The Eldest Princess crew, I heard them talking about it during the meeting. Jiang Ruyi’s acting is indeed very good. You’re still a newcomer, so it’s normal to be overshadowed by her. There’s no need to be discouraged. We can start with supporting roles and hone your acting skills…”
Hearing this, Rong Guang’s expression became rather thought-provoking.
Chacha also looked up, her cheeks puffed out like a little squirrel’s, and said with a curious look, “Who said Sister Guangguang was overshadowed by her? It was obviously Sister Guangguang who overshadowed her!”
