Jiang Zhe had picked a business clubhouse as the venue for the dinner.
Cheng Xiangyun had indeed made effort to dress up. Instead of dressing casually like she usually did, she wore a dress and high heels.
Even Ning Ran felt tired just looking at the way she was walking.
I already told her to just treat this as an informal dinner. Why did she insist on putting herself through such suffering!
After being in an elevated mood for a while, Cheng Xiangyun gradually returned to her normal state.
That was because she could sense Nan Chen had something to discuss with her, and was not just purely buying her dinner.
“Ms. Cheng, thank you for taking care of Ning Ran all this while.”
Nan Chen raised his wine glass to propose a toast to Cheng Xiangyun.
Cheng Xiangyun was of course very flattered and lifted her glass as well.
“Ran is my friend, so I ought to take care of her. Actually, more accurately saying, we are taking care of each other. She often looks out for me too,” Cheng Xiangyun replied self-consciously.
“I would also like to thank you for taking care of my kids.”
Upon hearing this, Cheng Xiangyun’s eyes widened. She looked at Nan Chen and then shifted her gaze to Ning Ran.
A blush of embarrassment spread across Ning Ran’s cheeks and she nodded at Cheng Xiangyun.
“Ah! So you are the father of those children. Oh my God… “
Cheng Xiangyun had almost wanted to shout out loud but decided that it would not be proper to do so. As such, she hurriedly regained her composure.
Nan Chen looked at Jiang Zhe.
Jiang Zhe immediately took the hint and said, “Yup, so Ms. Cheng, there’s something we would like to discuss with you.”
“What is it?”
“A few of the senior management personnel from Star Entertainment had a meeting today. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss a plan to mold Ms. Ding into a superstar, including how to make the best use of the company’s resources in order to do that.”
“Wow, is that for real? Is Ran finally going to soar and skyrocket?” Cheng Xiangyun was so excited that her face turned red.
“Not exactly skyrocket, but we will take proper and consistent steps for her to enter into the ranks of the A-listers first, becoming a superstar would be the next step. No doubt Ms. Ding has the caliber to achieve that, but it’s also essential for her to have a first-class team to support her on the journey,” Jiang Zhe said.
“So?” Cheng Xiangyun was not dumb. She was alert enough to detect that the assistant was implying something.
“The company had intended for Wang Xiaoou to be Ms. Ding’s manager, but Ms. Ding has already rejected the arrangement.” Jiang Zhe did not bat an eyelid as he said that.
“Wang Xiaoou, she’s one of the best managers in the industry.”
Cheng Xiangyun started to realize where the man was getting to.
“I can nullify my contract with Ran in order for her to soar to greater heights.”
Cheng Xiangyun had said that in a very resolute manner, without even a single trace of hesitation.
“Aunt, you… “
Cheng Xiangyun waved her hand to stop Ning Ran from proceeding. “It’s not a big deal for me. In fact, it’s also my wish to see Ran reach the peak of her career, that’s my goal too. If my presence poses an obstruction to Ran, I have no issues withdrawing from the position as her manager. I think that’s the right thing to do.”
Ning Ran felt a warm glow in her heart as tears welled up in her eyes.
As Cheng Xiangyun had mostly displayed only her snobbish side, Ning Ran had not expected the woman to act in such a selfless manner.
“No, don’t say that. The successes I get to enjoy today are a result of your efforts and hard work. I won’t turn my back on our friendship for my personal gains.”
“Ran, this wouldn’t affect our friendship at all. I am not upset and don’t blame you for anything. It’s a fact that I am still lacking some abilities to support you further in your career. Wang Xiaoou is indeed a more suitable candidate. She’ll be a great asset to you in your journey to stardom.”
Cheng Xiangyun did feel slightly nostalgic when she expressed her views.
“I intend to honor my contract with you. We will always proceed as a team,” Ning Ran was very determined as well.
“Actually, both of you don’t have to fret over this. We have already come up with a better solution for you. Ms. Cheng can join Star Entertainment and continue to be Ms. Ding’s manager. However, Ms. Cheng might have to take on the work of an assistant in the initial stages, while Wang Xiaoou acts as the main manager for Ms. Ding. After all, she has access to more resources and has built up a wider network in the industry due to her many years of experience. After Ms. Cheng learns the ropes and is familiar with the job scope of a manager, she can then become Ms. Ding’s full-time manager. Is that okay with you, Ms. Cheng?” Jiang Zhe asked, after elaborating on the proposed plan.
Cheng Xiangyun looked at Ning Ran, who shook her head, indicating that she wasn’t aware of any of these.
Ning Ran had travelled to the clubhouse with Jiang Zhe and Nan Chen, but nothing had been discussed along the way.
In reality, Nan Chen had never explicitly instructed Jiang Zhe to convey the message, but Jiang Zhe could read his boss’s thoughts just by a single look.
It could be said that Assistant Jiang was the person who knew Nan Chen best. It was no wonder no one had been able to replace him as Nan Chen’s assistant.
“You want me to join Star Entertainment and continue working with Ning Ran?” Cheng Xiangyun clarified.
“Yup, salary-wise, we can discuss it later. If Ms. Cheng has any other requirements, you may let us know as well. We will try our best to make it work for you,” Jiang Zhe said.
Both Ning Ran and Cheng Xiangyun looked towards Nan Chen, as they wanted to make sure that the boss was agreeable as well.
Nan Chen nodded slightly, expressing that it was in line with what he had in mind.
The situation left Ning Ran puzzled. Nan Chen had not said anything, how did Jiang Zhe know what his boss wanted?
Could he really read the man’s mind?
“Alright, this plan sounds good to me. As long as I can continue to work with Ran, I won’t mind taking a pay cut. I will gladly accept the role,” Cheng Xiangyun agreed readily.
“Great. I will get the secretary to draft your contract then. When it is ready, I will need Ms. Cheng to look through and let us know if there are any areas which you would like us to amend, and we can take it further from there. If that’s the case, I shall welcome Ms. Cheng into our Nanshi Corporation family in advance, welcome!”
Jiang Zhe raised his wine glass after he spoke. However, the man quickly realized that it was inappropriate for him to do that before his boss had even said anything. He was acting exactly like a presumptuous guest usurping the host’s role.
“How does Mr. Chen feel about that?” Jiang Zhe asked Nan Chen dutifully.
“Good,” Nan Chen merely replied with one word, before lifting his glass.
“Then, let’s toast to Ms. Cheng joining our big family!” Jiang Zhe let out a sigh of relief.
“Cheers!”
Nan Chen took a sip of his red wine and cast a meaningful look at Ning Ran.
He was asking her if she was happy with such an arrangement.
Ning Ran could feel her face slightly flushed. She never knew Poker Face could be so kind.
“Thanks,” Ning Ran expressed her gratitude to him for doing this.
Then, Nan Chen took a glance at Jiang Zhe.
As usual, the assistant immediately understood what his look entailed. “Ms. Cheng will be required to work at Star Entertainment’s office in the future. As part of your duties, you will also need to report Ms. Ding’s activities to the company. The reason for that being, if an artiste’s commercial value is affected by her personal affairs, she would have to bear full responsibility for it.”
That sounded strange to Ning Ran. Did that mean aunt has been tasked by Poker Face to spy on me?
What did he mean by ‘an artiste’s commercial value affected by her personal affairs’? What sort of personal activities would cause my commercial value to be affected?
“Sure, I understand. I will do my best,” Ning Ran could not believe Cheng Xiangyun had just agreed to that.
“But please don’t worry, Ms. Cheng will still enjoy a high degree of freedom as there won’t be many restrictions placed on you. You will be able to have more clarity on the details once your contract is ready,” Jiang Zhe said.
“Sure, I am okay with that,” Cheng Xiangyun graciously accepted it.
Just then, Nan Chen’s phone started vibrating.
It was Nan Chen’s personal phone. He rarely used it as no one really called him on that number. In fact, he hardly shared it with anyone.
Those who contacted him on that phone were the people closest to him.
Nan Chen glanced at his phone but did not answer the call.
As Ning Ran was just seated next to him, she couldn’t help but peek at his phone.
It was a number ending with several ‘6’s, but it was not saved as a contact.
For no reason, Ning Ran had a hunch the caller was a female.
A feeling of displeasure arose in her heart.
