From unemployment in crosstalk to top star in Chinese entertainment

Yu Liang leaned against the pomegranate tree trunk, her phone pressed against her ear.

A night breeze swept in from the alleyway, carrying the dryness and coolness characteristic of early summer in Beijing.

He listened to Yang Mi's breathing on the other end of the phone, unhurried and calm, as if she was waiting for him to speak.

"It's not signed yet," he said. "We've only finalized the contract."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. Then Yang Mi's voice rang out again, a few shades brighter than before: "I knew it."

She seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, or perhaps she had expected this answer all along.

Yu Liang couldn't quite put his finger on it, but one thing he was clear about was that Yang Mi wasn't making the call to confirm whether he had signed or not, but rather to hear the words "not signed yet" from his mouth.

Where are you now?

Yu Liang gave the address. After hanging up the phone, he stood under the pomegranate tree for twenty minutes.

A red BMW was parked at the alley entrance. The window rolled down, and Yang Mi waved to him.

"Get in the car."

Yu Liang opened the car door and got in.

"Didn't you go to discuss cooperation?"

"If I hadn't come soon, you would have flown away like a cooked duck."

"I'll admit you call me a gigolo, but where did the word 'familiar' come from? I never agreed to sign with Jiahang."

Yang Mi didn't reply and started the car.

The city of Beijing was bustling with traffic at night. Yu Liang leaned against the passenger seat, watching the streetlights outside the window recede one by one.

Occasionally, when he turns his head, his gaze will involuntarily fall on Yang Mi.

Yang Mi was wearing a thin white cotton shirt and a black pencil skirt. The collar of the shirt was half open, and her black inner layer was faintly visible.

Yu Liang smiled. Since becoming single again, this sister's style of dressing has become bolder.

Yang Mi's fingers were long and slender as she gripped the steering wheel. Her shirt sleeves were rolled up to her forearms, and the light from the streetlights slid in through the windshield, casting flickering shadows on her face.

Why not consider Chia Hang?

Yang Mi's voice pulled him back to reality. She stopped at a traffic light and turned to look at him.

Yu Liang thought for a moment and decided to tell the truth. "Stop joking, Sister Mi. Who can afford to sign Jiahang's treaty?"

The contract starts at seven years and is fully binding. The artist is almost completely controlled by the company, and must hand over the passwords to their social media accounts such as Weibo and Douyin.

He wasn't used to being strictly managed, and he also couldn't bear to part with the Douyin account he had worked so hard to build up.

It's important to know that the more than two thousand female bloggers on my follow list are all the result of precise algorithm-driven content selection.

"What happened to Jiahang?" Yang Mi's voice carried a hint of resentment.

"I admit that Xinli is indeed stronger in terms of film and television resources, but in terms of star-making ability, Xinli can't compare with us."

"That's true." Yu Liang nodded. "Xin Li is indeed no match for her in this aspect."

"Then why did you choose Xinli?"

Yu Liang did not answer.

He can't very well say that he chose Xinli because he knew Tencent would fully acquire the company three years later.

And your sister will gradually be sidelined by your two best friend agents until she leaves the company on her own initiative.

Yang Mi waited a few seconds, but didn't get an answer, so she snorted coldly.

"Where are we going?"

"I'll take you home."

"No, this isn't the way home either."

"Go back to my home."

Go back to your house?

What does "这踏马" mean?

"I received the news that Zhao Mingyuan was meeting with you as soon as I got off the plane. Then I called you and rushed over to find you."

"I went to Shanghai for business negotiations and didn't eat properly all day. You can't just watch me go hungry, can you?"

Yang Mi complained, her tone implying that he was heartless.

The carriage was silent for less than a second.

Yang Mi sat up straight, gripped the steering wheel again, and spoke in her usual indifferent tone.

"Come back and have a drink with me. Consider it compensation for not signing with Jiahang."

She pursed her lips after saying that. The more she thought about it, the more frustrated she felt.

From the moment I added this person on WeChat, they ignored me several times before finally accepting my request.

When he was recording a program in Xiang City, he intentionally or unintentionally avoided me.

In the end, she managed to finalize the contract with Xinli's people during the two days she was away from Beijing.

One step at a time, one step at a time.

"Actually," she began, her voice a beat softer than before, "I originally planned to personally mentor you after signing you."

Yu Liang turned his head to look at her.

"I've always had a good eye for people. Your looks, your acting skills, your sensitivity to the camera."

"Given time, you'll definitely make a name for yourself in the entertainment industry. I signed you because I want to push you to become the top star at Jiahang Entertainment."

There was a faint regret in her tone, not the kind that comes from losing control, but more like finally saying something she had thought about for a long time, only to find that it was meaningless afterward.

"Never mind," she sighed. "What's the point of talking about this now?"

She glanced at Yu Liang. The man in the passenger seat was expressionless, his thoughts unreadable.

She couldn't help but roll down the car window and sigh.

Ten minutes later, the car entered the underground parking garage of an upscale residential complex. The elevator went directly to the sixteenth floor, one unit per floor.

Yang Mi turned on the light.

The living room was spacious but not very tidy. A thin blanket was draped over the sofa, several half-read magazines were spread out on the coffee table, and a guitar stood in the corner.

It doesn't look like it was carefully prepared, but that makes it seem more authentic.

"Want some drinks?" She took a bottle of whiskey from the liquor cabinet.

Yu Liang glanced at the few home-style dishes she had packed from the Sichuan restaurant, then at the wine bottle in her hand. "These dishes don't really go well with this."

"It'll have to do." Yang Mi unscrewed the bottle cap, poured herself half a cup, and then poured him a cup.

She took an ice cube tray from the refrigerator, tossed two cubes into her glass, looked up at him, and asked, "Do you want some?"

Yu Liang shook his head.

The living room lights were dimmed to their lowest setting. Warm yellow light bathed the sofa and coffee table.

Yang Mi took off her suit jacket, revealing a thin white cotton shirt underneath.

She sat cross-legged on the sofa, holding a wine glass, and complained about the business cooperation she had discussed in Shanghai that day from beginning to end.

How unprofessional the other party was, how outrageous their proposal was, and how long she endured in the meeting room before she lost her temper on the spot.

Yu Liang leaned back on the other side of the sofa and listened, occasionally interjecting with a comment.

He noticed that after Yang Mi shed her "Sister Mi" persona, she would speak very quickly, her tone would become fragmented, and when she complained, her eyebrows would furrow slightly, like a cat with its fur standing on end.

After a few drinks, she gradually became less talkative.

In the quiet moment, she raised her eyes and looked over through the rim of her wine glass.

The light refracted through the amber liquid, slicing her gaze into fragments.

A blush spread from her cheeks to her ears, then down to disappear into the shadows of her neckline.

Yu Liang remembers when he first saw her on TV.

Guo Xiang, the quirky and clever character in "The Return of the Condor Heroes".

Later came Far Cry.

Later, she became known as "Yang Mi" through a multitude of labels: queen of controversy, shareholder of Jiahang, shrewd person, and strong woman.

But sitting in front of him was a woman who was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, drunk, with a slightly unguarded blush on her face.

The atmosphere gradually became quiet and intimate.

Yang Mi put down her wine glass and used her fingertips to flick the water droplets that had condensed on the rim of the glass.

Yu Liang reached for the cup on the coffee table, but stopped halfway through the movement.

The distance between the two people was suddenly shortened to a great distance in an unexpected moment.

When Yang Mi raised her eyes, her eyelashes almost brushed against his cheek.

Then Yu Liang kissed him.

Yang Mi's lips tasted like whiskey, slightly bitter, with the astringency of oak barrels and a faint hint of sweetness.

Her fingers gripped the back of his shirt tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force.

Yu Liang's fingers slid down her waistline, touching the taut edge of her bodycon skirt.

"Wait a minute." Yang Mi suddenly turned her head away, her breathing a little unsteady. "How about—taking a shower first?"

Yu Liang lowered his head, his lips brushing against her earlobe.

"You're not trying to use this trick to get me to sign with Jiahang, are you?"

Yang Mi paused for a second.

Then the corners of her mouth curved up, a smile that carried three parts drunkenness, three parts provocation, and four parts something indescribable.

"You're overthinking it."

She looked up at Yu Liang, then slowly squatted down.

"Hiss~"

Yu Liang took a deep breath.

……

That night, Yang Mi truly witnessed the prowess of the sports students.

She was tormented by Yu Liang all night, and her voice was hoarse the next day.

Yang Mi couldn't help but sigh, no wonder the policy encourages multiple births.

Sometimes the population is small because the population is large.

The next day, Zhao Mingyuan informed Yu Liang that Zhou Jiajia had been confirmed to join the company.

The following morning, Yu Liang went to Xinli Media to officially sign his agency contract.

The process of signing, stamping, and exchanging documents took less than half an hour.

When he came out of the legal department, Zhao Mingyuan patted him on the shoulder and said that Zhou Jiajia was already waiting in the conference room.

Yu Liang pushed open the door and went in.

A woman sat behind the conference table. She had a cold expression and well-defined features, wore a navy blue suit, and had a laptop open in front of her.

She looked up when she heard the door open, her gaze falling on Yu Liang. She didn't scrutinize him or examine him, but simply confirmed who it was.

"Teacher Yu Liang? I'm Zhou Jiajia. I'll be in charge of your management from today onwards. Just call me Jiajia, don't call me 'sister'—it makes me sound old."

"Hello." Yu Liang looked at the woman who looked very much like Huo Wenxi, shook her hand, and sat down opposite her.

Zhou Jiajia opened her computer. The desktop was filled with folders categorized as "Variety Shows", "Business", "Film and Television" and "Public Opinion". There was also a small note at the bottom: "Yu Liang Project Progress Table (May 2018.5)".

"Actually, I've been paying attention to you for a while now," she said.

"Oh?"

"From TikTok. Underpants."

Yu Liang leaned back in his chair and couldn't help but chuckle.

The woman in front of me spoke in a very interesting way—direct, efficient, and without unnecessary embellishment. It was like reading a data report, but every word hit the mark.

The company assigned Yu Liang an executive agent to manage his schedule and execute his work on-site. Zhou Jiajia, on the other hand, was mainly responsible for project selection, resource negotiation, and public opinion control.

The contract was signed on Thursday, and the flight to Hunan City was on Friday. All the arrangements were made clearly on the day she took over.

Arriving in Xiang City a day early, she took advantage of the breaks in the competition to arrange several meetings with variety show directors for Yu Liang.

Early Saturday morning, Yu Liang had just finished her makeup in the private dressing room when Zhou Jiajia pushed the door open and came in.

"The guest star of 'Longing for Days' has been confirmed.

"So fast?"

"You're currently very popular, and the production team is also looking for topics to discuss. It's a perfect match." She opened a document, "There's something going on: Yang Mi and Dilraba are on this episode's guest list."

Yu Liang was about to drink water when his hand froze in mid-air.

"So I'm going with both of them?"

"Yes. If we don't work together, the production team won't be able to schedule you for the show."

"So I came up with a angle for the production team: the daily lives of the judges and contestants of 'The Actor's Singing,' which could both generate buzz for the show and promote the competition you're currently competing in. They decided on it after hearing it."

Yu Liang slowly put the water bottle down.

"Jiajia, you used to be Yang Mi's person. Now that you've come to Xinli, your first resource is to ride on her coattails, this..."

"right."

"Didn't she contact you?"

"I did find her, and she said, 'Make sure Yu Liang remembers this; he owes me another favor.'"

Yu Liang smiled and shook his head, about to say something, when Zhou Jiajia had already switched to the next page. "Never mind favors for now. There's something more important."

She turned the computer screen toward him, which displayed a draft of an artist's career path plan.

Yu Liang scrolled down two pages, her expression gradually becoming subtle. "Abstinent? Are you sure?"

"Sure."

"I'm afraid of crashing."

Zhou Jiajia raised her eyelids and glanced at him. In the few days since she started working there, she had personally witnessed him making the new assistant blush several times.

She knows this person's character inside and out.

The reason we've given him the abstinent persona isn't because he's like it, but precisely because he isn't.

Setting a tight rein on things can always help them behave a bit.

"A persona is just a framework," she said. "Without that framework, you can fly."

"You can't say that," Yu Liang said seriously. "I don't think a persona needs to be deliberately crafted."

People like me are naturally simple and genuine; I'm the same in front of the camera and behind the camera.

If you really want to create a persona for me, you might as well just be yourself—a sunny, clean-cut young man.

Zhou Jiajia stared at the self-proclaimed narcissus in front of her for two seconds, then pursed her lips.

"You're more suited to being a womanizer."

Yu Liang's eyes lit up. "This is good."

"Do you know how many times this persona can be hyped up? First, there's a rumor, then it's denied, then another rumor, then another denial. The more it's hyped up, the more stable it becomes, and the less afraid it is of collapsing."

"Find me a suitable candidate to test the waters."

"How about Dilraba? We're on the same variety show anyway, so we have a lot of footage that we can edit into a compilation."

Zhou Jiajia remained silent, staring at him expressionlessly.

"If all else fails, Liu Yifei will do. Of course, if you can help me get in touch with her."

"Don't even think about it." Zhou Jiajia slammed her laptop shut.

That's when the door was pushed open.

Yang Mi stood at the door, wearing a loose light gray knit sweater, her hair casually tied back. She looked like she was just passing by and came in to take a look, but when her gaze fell on Zhou Jiajia, she lingered for more than a second.

"Sister Mi." Zhou Jiajia stood up. Beneath her cold and beautiful exterior, there was no emotion to be seen.

"Mmm." Yang Mi nodded. "Are you settling in well at Xinli?"

"Not bad. Just finished our first gig with Yu Liang."

The two chatted back and forth.

The tone and rhythm were familiar, but the distance between them was new. It was like two people who had once been on the same boat, one of whom had disembarked, while the other remained on the deck, talking across a stretch of water.

Just then, Dilireba poked half his body in from outside the door.

"Liang-ge, you're here so early, you've even finished your makeup—" She started to say, but then suddenly saw Zhou Jiajia and froze. "Jia-jie? What are you doing here?"

Yang Mi answered for her: "Jiajia is currently with Xinli and is Yu Liang's exclusive agent."

Reba's eyes widened for a moment. She looked at Zhou Jiajia, then at Yu Liang, her expression suggesting she hadn't fully processed the information.

"It was dug by Yu Liang," Yang Mi said.

She said those three words in a flat tone, as if she were just stating the weather.

This gave Zhou Jiajia a way out while also saving face for herself. As for Yu Liang, who dared to openly slap Wu Yifan in the face, taking the blame is nothing to him.

Yu Liang shrugged. "Okay, I dug it."

He glanced at Zhou Jiajia. Zhou Jiajia's face was expressionless, but the almost imperceptible curve at the corner of her mouth betrayed her attitude.

That concludes this topic.

"By the way, Jia-jie," Yu Liang changed the subject at the right moment, "what was that show you were talking about again?"

"The Days I Long For," Zhou Jiajia said, "I'm going with Sister Mi."

"What?" All three of them looked at her at the same time.

"This episode's guests include Sister Mi and Dilraba. I discussed it with their production team, and the three of you will participate as a group, under the guise of promoting 'The Actor's Singing.' The platform approves of this approach."

Yang Mi was the first to react.

She looked at Zhou Jiajia with a complex mix of emotions in her eyes: surprise, admiration, and a little bit of resentment.

"Jiajia," she said, "I kind of regret letting you go."

Even Yang Mi never expected that one day she would be manipulated into a game by her former colleague, becoming the one whose traffic was being exploited.

Zhou Jiajia remained unmoved, her face still cold, as she looked down at the flowchart in her hand.

Yang Mi turned to look at Yu Liang. "You poached such a great agent. I don't care, you'll definitely owe me this favor."

Yu Liang wanted to retort, but swallowed the words back. "Fine. I'll owe you."

Before long, it was time to record the show.

Reba was fixing her hair in front of the mirror when Yu Liang, leaning against the dressing table, suddenly remembered something. "Reba, who's the replacement guest for this episode?"

"I didn't see the person either." Dilraba shook her head, thought for a moment, and said, "I think I heard Sister Mi mention it, her surname is Li—Li something?"