Chapter 484 - 268: A Woman’s Competitive Spirit

The Phantom arrived at the Banyan Tree Hotel’s parking lot.

Gu Hai got out first and stopped the doorman who was about to step forward.

After waiting a moment, Qi Sheng opened his door and walked calmly into the hotel.

The doorman was about to close the car door when he suddenly heard a somewhat delicate voice from inside.

"Wait a minute."

"Uh, of course."

The doorman was a little surprised and quickly pulled the door wide open again.

The woman inside was wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses perched on her nose.

She had a petite figure, but she was still well-endowed.

"Thank you."

The woman gave a slight nod and got out of the car with some difficulty.

Her trembling walk made it clear she must have had a rough time in the car.

’Tsk, it’s not easy being a beautiful woman!’

...

Banyan Tree Hotel, banquet hall.

This wasn’t the first time the cast and crew of *Thirty Years Old* had been to the Banyan Tree.

They had previously filmed the scene where the three "sisters" go wild after Zhong Xiaoqin’s divorce right here at the Banyan Tree.

Although they didn’t pay for advertising, the Banyan Tree had provided a presidential suite for the shoot free of charge.

All the expenses for today’s wrap party were also considered part of that advertising deal.

Otherwise, how could Zhang Xiaobo have dared to hold the wrap party here?

Feeding and housing hundreds of crew members, not to mention spa treatments, would probably cost millions.

"President Qu, thank you to the Banyan Tree Group for your strong support of our *Thirty Years Old* production!"

Zhang Xiaobo thanked Qu Man very politely, his smile a little too eager.

After all, Lin Meishan had given him a heads-up.

This heavenly beautiful President Qu held a very high position in their own boss’s heart.

Gu Pan, from their cast, was already considered a stunning beauty.

But this President Qu was a cut above even Gu Pan.

With looks like that, she could dominate the entertainment industry.

Unfortunately, the man behind this President Qu was their boss.

Something like money was naturally not an issue for her.

Maybe not an infinite amount, but not far from it.

"Director Zhang, you’re too kind. This was all part of the sponsorship agreement."

"If you need anything, just let us know."

Qu Man smiled faintly, already very comfortable in her current position.

She had the hotel’s several hundred employees completely under her thumb.

She had the background, and she had the ability.

If she wanted, the entire Banyan Tree Group could be handed over to her to manage in the future.

"Of course."

Zhang Xiaobo watched Qu Man leave, then began to usher the crew members to their seats.

The main actors, of course, were all upstairs in their rooms getting their makeup done.

Even though it was just a wrap party, the competition to outshine one another was inevitable.

...

11th Floor, Supreme Bund Riverview Suite.

When Mao Xiaotong walked into the room, she saw her anxious-looking agent and assistant.

"Xiaotong, how did your chat with Chairman Qi go?"

Her agent, Wang Bing, came closer and asked with anticipation.

"Mm, it was okay."

Seeing that Wang Bing was about to say more, Mao Xiaotong quickly held up a hand to stop her.

"I’m going to take a shower first. I feel a little... uncomfortable."

After saying that, she ducked into the bathroom under the strange gazes of Wang Bing and her young assistant.

"Yueyue, go buy the medicine now."

Wang Bing sighed and instructed her young assistant, Xing Yue.

"Buy medicine?"

Xing Yue froze. "What kind of medicine?"

"What else?"

Wang Bing rolled her eyes at Xing Yue. "Xiaotong’s career is just starting to take off. We can’t have any accidents."

"Oh, oh, I’ll go buy it right now."

Xing Yue hurried out.

Afraid that if she delayed any longer, it would be too late.

When Mao Xiaotong came out and saw that Xing Yue was gone, she asked curiously while toweling her long, wet hair.

"Where’s Yueyue?"

"She went to buy medicine."

Wang Bing started blow-drying Mao Xiaotong’s hair very naturally.

"Buy medicine?"

Mao Xiaotong couldn’t help but ask with concern, "Is Yueyue sick?"

Wang Bing and Xing Yue were among the few friends she could truly trust.

When she left her previous company, both of them had resolutely followed her to go independent.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they were as close as sisters.

"She’s buying it for you."

Wang Bing skillfully combed through Mao Xiaotong’s long hair, her tone tinged with helplessness.

"If I’m not mistaken, you two already... did it, right?"

"Mhm..."

Mao Xiaotong was mortified. It felt like social suicide in front of her sister-figure.

"I knew it. Jiang Shuying arrived an hour ago."

Wang Bing sighed. "Xiaotong, I know it’s not easy for you, but we don’t have to debase ourselves like this. Once *Thirty Years Old* airs, you’ll at least become a little famous. Maybe more good scripts will come our way."

"Even if scripts come our way, they won’t be for a leading role, right?"

Mao Xiaotong smiled and said, "Bingbing, I’ve already agreed to Chairman Qi’s offer to become a signed artist at Universal Entertainment. He agreed to let you and Yueyue continue as my agent and assistant."

"Didn’t you say you would never sign with an agency again?"

Wang Bing was stunned and asked in disbelief.

"That was then, this is now."

Mao Xiaotong shrugged, her tone light. "Going it alone is too exhausting, and there are no good resources. Chairman Qi offered me a first-tier artist contract, plus the lead role in a production with a budget of over one hundred million every year. I’d have to be an idiot to refuse."

"The lead in an A-Level production?"

Wang Bing was shocked too.

This was a top-tier resource that a small independent operation like theirs couldn’t even dream of.

In the film and television industry, the higher a project’s budget, the fiercer the competition.

A budget of 50 million only qualified as a B-Level, low-cost web series, with no chance of even being broadcast on a satellite channel.

A budget of 100 million was considered an A-Level production, a medium-to-large-scale project.

Just like with the *Thirty Years Old* cast, the biggest star was only the second-tier Jiang Shuying.

A budget of 150 million would be an A+-Level production.

It would be considered a key project for the three major platforms and would receive relatively heavy promotion.

A budget of 250 million was a true S-Level major production.

The three major platforms would go all out with promotion, and the cast would be filled with nothing but A-list celebrities.

A budget of 350 million belonged to the S+-Level blockbuster category.

The three major platforms would spare no expense on promotion, relentlessly buying up trending topics.

Never mind being the female lead of an A-Level production.

They had never even dared to dream of being the female lead in a B-Level, low-cost production before.

Even for low-cost web series, how many female leads didn’t have a sponsor behind them?

"Then you made the right decision. From now on, we won’t have to go around begging people for favors."

Wang Bing was very supportive of Mao Xiaotong’s decision.

If they had a choice, who would want to act like a suck-up, begging and fawning over people everywhere?

"Right?"

Receiving Wang Bing’s approval, Mao Xiaotong also broke into a smile.

She felt a bit more confident about her future.

"But, Xiaotong, you should still be careful and try to pick safe days."

"Taking that pill all the time is bad for your body, and it can make you gain weight."

Wang Bing’s well-intentioned reminder only made Mao Xiaotong feel quite awkward.

"He said it’s fine, that I don’t need to take the pill."

Mao Xiaotong decided to throw caution to the wind. "If I really get pregnant, is he going to just abandon me?"

"Uh..."

Wang Bing thought about it and nodded.

"That’s actually true. For someone of Chairman Qi’s status to say that to you, he must be confident."

"But, Xiaotong, are you really planning to just follow him like this, with no clear status?"

Wang Bing had carefully researched Qi Sheng’s net worth.

Just his publicly disclosed net worth was at least in the tens of billions.

If his companies went public, his net worth might even break a hundred billion.

For a super-tycoon of this level, whatever little bit fell through the cracks of his fingers would be more than enough for them to live on lavishly.

"Why think so much about it? My career is just taking off, so I can’t possibly consider marriage anytime soon. We’ll see about it in the future."

Mao Xiaotong’s expression fell slightly, clearly showing that wasn’t what she truly felt.

In terms of looks, she was far inferior to Gu Pan.

Thinking too much about it would only make her miserable.

"Ahem, my bad for running my mouth."

Wang Bing clearly realized this too and quickly changed the subject, starting a discussion about her hair and makeup for the evening.

With the three female leads gathering together, none of them wanted to be outshone by the others.

When Xing Yue returned, she saw that Mao Xiaotong had finished her makeup and was choosing an outfit.

"Sister Xiaotong, hurry up and take this."

Xing Yue held a glass of warm water and eagerly handed the pill to Mao Xiaotong.

"Thanks, Yueyue."

Mao Xiaotong pretended to take the pill, but actually palmed it.

When Xing Yue wasn’t looking, she casually tossed it into the trash can.

Seeing Mao Xiaotong take the pill, Xing Yue finally felt relieved.

Although she was just an assistant, she completely regarded Mao Xiaotong as a close, older sister figure.

Having a child out of wedlock was a huge blow to a female star’s career.

At the very least, this was something that absolutely could not happen to Mao Xiaotong right now.

...

Mao Xiaotong arrived at the banquet hall with her agent and young assistant.

Dressed in a silver sequined, strapless gown, Mao Xiaotong instantly caught the attention of many men.

It not only perfectly accentuated the curve of her shoulders, but the large expanse of her exposed back made her look exceptionally sexy.

"Am I the first one here?"

Mao Xiaotong had thought Jiang Shuying and the others would have arrived long ago.

She was a bit surprised to see four empty seats still at the main table.

"Heh, the other two were waiting for you to arrive first."

Wang Bing wasn’t surprised, having already guessed the reason the other two hadn’t shown up yet.

"No wonder."

Mao Xiaotong understood instantly and walked in her high heels to take her seat at the main table.

Right now, she had the lowest status, and she didn’t have a sponsor to back her.

But this situation would probably only happen this one time.

"Sister Xiaotong, you look beautiful today."

Several of the male actors at the main table immediately showered her with praise.

*Thirty Years Old* is a typical female ensemble drama.

The male actors were all eighteenth-tier small-time celebrities, serving only as foils.

Even though Mao Xiaotong was only a third-tier actress.

But in the eyes of these eighteenth-tier nobodies, she was already a big shot who needed to be fawned over.

"Xiaotong, I heard from President Lin that you’ve also joined Universal Entertainment?"

Zhang Xiaobo, sitting to the left of the head seat, greeted her with a friendly smile.

"Yes, I’ll have to ask for Director Zhang’s guidance in the future."

Mao Xiaotong didn’t start acting like the boss’s wife just because she now had a connection to Qi Sheng; she remained as humble as ever.

"You’re too polite. We’re all on the same team now."

Zhang Xiaobo smiled and waved his hand. "The quality of this show is excellent. I guarantee you won’t regret it."

"I believe in you, Director Zhang, and I believe the hard work of our entire creative team won’t be in vain."

Mao Xiaotong was also quick with the pleasantries.

After so many years struggling in the industry, if she wasn’t a slick veteran, she was close to it.

"Shuying is here!"

Seeing the equally lavishly dressed Jiang Shuying, the corner of Zhang Xiaobo’s mouth couldn’t help but twitch.

’Is it necessary to be so over-the-top for a simple wrap party?’