Chapter 434 223: I'll Be Your Patron

Beijing Film Academy, girls' dorm.

"Thank you! I'll be sure to report on time!"

A look of delight on her face, Dong Bai hung up the phone. She excitedly ran over to Gu Pan, who was diligently rehearsing her lines.

"Panpan, I got the internship offer from Pop Mart!"

"Really? That's great!"

Gu Pan was thrilled too, happy that her best friend had been accepted.

"It's just... the woman from HR told me the company is moving to Chengdu. I might have to do the internship there for a year."

Dong Bai was torn, instinctively turning to her best friend for advice.

"Chengdu?"

Gu Pan frowned, thinking. "So you really want to work for this company?"

"Yeah! The toys they design are so cute. Besides, the designer toy industry has a lot of potential. I think there's a real future in it."

Dong Bai's eyes sparkled with a hint of longing.

"If I can get a job at Pop Mart, maybe someday you'll see toys that I designed!"

"Alright, alright. I'd love for you to become a designer toy artist making over a hundred million a year. Then you can invest, say, thirty or fifty million in me so I can finally have a taste of being the leading lady."

Gu Pan looked troubled, feeling a little lost about her own future as well.

"Panpan, you're so beautiful, and so many companies want to sign you. Why would you need me to invest in you!"

Dong Bai didn't quite understand.

"You... All you do is eat all day, but I guess all that fat went to the right places."

Annoyed, Gu Pan gave Dong Bai's chest a playful pinch, feeling a tiny bit envious.

'I'm already pretty big myself.'

'But my best friend... she's even bigger than me!'

"What are you doing!?"

Startled by the sudden attack, Dong Bai blushed and covered her chest.

"Hmph. If I hadn't stepped in to block that playboy today, you'd probably have been tricked into his bed by now."

"That's not true! Stop talking nonsense."

"Nonsense?"

Gu Pan scoffed. "Are you going to tell me you weren't thinking about going on a date with him?"

"I..."

Dong Bai lowered her head, knowing she couldn't hide it from the friend who knew her best.

"Alright, Xiaobai, it's not that I don't want you to date, but that kind of guy is a total scumbag."

"You've never even been in a relationship. If he tricks you into sleeping with him, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

Gu Pan was a few months older than Dong Bai and had always looked after her like an older sister.

One was a cool and stunning "ice queen" type, the other a cute, baby-faced girl.

In the Beijing Film Academy's "campus belle" contest, they were both consistently ranked in the top three.

Of course, Gu Pan was always number one.

As for Dong Bai, she was always number two.

Even so, second place was still incredibly impressive.

The average standard of looks at the Beijing Film Academy was already very high; it was full of handsome men and beautiful women.

Earning the title of second-place campus belle among such a crowd of beauties was more than enough to be proud of.

"That won't happen. He didn't even ask for my WeChat."

Thinking about how Qi Sheng hadn't added her on WeChat, Dong Bai couldn't help but look a little downcast.

"Oh, for goodness' sake. The guy hasn't even started pursuing you, and you're already throwing yourself at him."

Gu Pan rubbed her temples in resignation, silently blaming Qi Sheng for flirting with her friend for no reason.

Now she had to be the one to clean up his mess and comfort her best friend.

"Alright, maybe you'll run into him again sometime."

"Yeah, I'm sure I will!"

Dong Bai nodded, looking utterly convinced.

"Go to sleep. You have to report in tomorrow."

Gu Pan yawned, climbed into bed, and got ready for her beauty sleep.

To make it in a place like the entertainment industry, beauty was her greatest asset.

To better maintain her looks, Gu Pan's daily routine was the complete opposite of a typical young person's.

Dong Bai, on the other hand, got back into bed after washing up.

She stared at her phone's dark screen, and it was impossible to tell what was on her mind.

The only clue was the occasional, irrepressible giggle that drifted out from under her covers, causing a drowsy Gu Pan to mumble a few complaints.

...

「The next day.」

The two were jolted awake by their alarm clock.

In their dorm room, their other two roommates were away filming with production crews.

Dong Bai had only been placed in the four-person dorm as a special arrangement, thanks to a relative who was a teacher at the school.

"Panpan, will you come with me to the company to check in? Please?"

"I swear, I don't know what to do with you. Hurry up and get ready. You need to make a good first impression on your colleagues and boss."

Gu Pan didn't feel comfortable letting Dong Bai go to the company alone anyway.

Besides, she didn't have much going on lately.

As film and television majors, a flexible schedule was one of their few perks.

Once they were ready, the two of them called a ride-share.

They headed straight for the Puxiang Center in Wangjing.

When they arrived, they stared up at the towering office building.

The two young women, who had yet to leave the ivory tower of academia, couldn't help but feel a little awestruck.

Just the location of Pop Mart's office alone was enough to considerably improve Gu Pan's impression of the company.

They entered the building and explained their purpose at the lobby on the first floor.

A woman from building management then led them through the lobby turnstiles.

"Ladies, Pop Mart's offices are on the 36th and 37th floors. I'll leave you here."

The woman from building management saw them to the elevator bank and told them which floors Pop Mart occupied.

"Thank you."

Dong Bai took a nervous deep breath and pulled Gu Pan into the elevator.

The time they arrived allowed them to avoid the morning rush.

DING!

As the elevator doors opened, the two young women found themselves in the reception area.

A white "POP MART" logo stood out strikingly against a light brown, wood-paneled feature wall.

"Hello, ladies. How can I help you?"

"Hi, I'm here to check in for my first day."

Dong Bai quickly took out her resume and handed it to the receptionist.

"Miss Dong?"

The receptionist paused for a second, then immediately recalled her boss's instructions. Her smile grew even warmer.

"Chairman Qi has already given instructions. He said for you to go directly to his office when you arrive."

"Chairman Qi?"

Dong Bai was confused.

'An intern like me was actually noticed by the company's chairman?'