As a capitalist, Su Yao only values her commercial worth. If she becomes a complete flop, would he still want her?
Xia Duo praised herself and Xiao Miao's quick thinking and dragged Xiao Miao out for a big meal.
Xiao Miao looked flattered: "Sister Xia, you must stay popular so I can keep eating meat."
Xia Duo took the meat from her plate, and she asked, bewildered, "Did I say something wrong?"
"Wrong everything! Please wish me a flop!" Xiao Miao was terrified after Xia Duo said that.
Xia Duo laughed at her reaction: "Scared? Let me tell you, I'll flop sooner or later. I'll help you and Sister Qin find a new job."
Xiao Miao's pupils widened even more. Xia Duo thought she believed her, but she said, "My Sister Xia is just extraordinary. Her declaration of wanting to become a sensation is so unique. Actually, I understand. Saying things the opposite of what you mean makes them work."
Xia Duo: "..." Why doesn't anyone believe the truth? Just then, Sister Qin sent a message: "President Su just arranged a new job for you. You'll be speaking as the artist representative at the company's annual media appreciation party the day after tomorrow. The speech has been sent to your email; prepare well."
Xia Duo's eyes widened like saucers. Had Su Yao lost his mind? The company's annual media appreciation party actually wanted her to speak on behalf of the artists?
This was clearly announcing to the entire media that they were going to heavily promote her.
Could she, someone who aspired to be a nobody, accept this?
She wanted to refuse immediately, but then she thought this might be an opportunity.
As long as you're quick-witted, the boss will treat you to a meal.
She smiled and opened the email.
—
Two days later, Su Entertainment's appreciation party officially began.
This year, Su Yao was very dedicated, inviting media from all over the internet, broadcasting the entire event live, and with various marketing efforts, the buzz was incredibly high. Every artist in the company was vying for exposure.
Xia Duo, dressed in a haute couture outfit provided by her company, obediently completed her red carpet walk.
She had planned ahead: aside from giving a speech as a representative of the artists, she couldn't attract any attention.
Therefore, she had to conform to the norms; she had to look like every other female celebrity. If she wore jeans and a white T-shirt, the trending topics would definitely explode.
After entering and settling into her seat among the artists, Xia Duo gestured to Xiao Miao, who was waiting in the corner, to bring her her phone. She checked Weibo, and sure enough, her unremarkable name wasn't trending.
Next to her sat a contemporary whose popularity far surpassed hers; the other woman's name was currently high on the trending list.
She noticed Xia Duo's concern about this out of the corner of her eye and said with considerable pride, "It's just one trending topic; don't be too discouraged."
"Discouraged? I'm overjoyed, okay?" Xia Duo laughed uncontrollably, leaving the female celebrity next to her dumbfounded, wondering if she was crazy. Unbeknownst to them, the live stream camera was pointed at them, and Xia Duo's inexplicably silly laugh attracted the attention of many netizens.
[What's Xia Duo laughing at? What happened to her aloof princess persona?]
[Has she lost her mind? Look at that silly face.]
[My mom just came over and saw it, and actually said she looked very lucky with her smile?]
[Your mom isn't alone; I've already taken a screenshot to keep for the New Year's lucky charm event.]
[Lucky charm event my foot! I'll take a screenshot too.]
Xiao Miao, who had been watching the live stream closely, immediately took a screenshot and sent it to Xia Duo.
Xia Duo's face turned green when she saw everyone talking about her: She'd miscalculated.
The female celebrity next to her also pulled out her hidden phone and noticed what was happening. She couldn't help but speak her mind, immediately leaning close to Xia Duo's ear: "You can hype things up like this? I've learned something new."
Xia Duo: "..."
At that moment, Xu Jin'an, the final performer, arrived. The live stream camera turned to him, and fans frantically spammed his name.
Seeing no one mention her name in the live stream, Xia Duo was extremely pleased and couldn't help but glance at him a few more times.
But the internet seemed to be working against her; the screen was frozen on the image of Xu Jin'an posing for a photo, and no matter how many times she tapped, there was no response.
Xu Jin'an himself had already entered. His seat required passing by Xia Duo, and her frantic tapping of her phone had been too conspicuous. As he passed, he couldn't help but glance at her and realized that the person she was staring at looked a bit like herself.
Xia Duo, her eyes blocked by the light, looked up in surprise and met Xu Jin'an's outrageously handsome face, feeling so embarrassed she wanted to disappear.
Actually, Xu Jin'an didn't react much. He paused for two seconds and then walked away, and no one at the scene thought anything was amiss. Xia Duo was certain this arrogant man still believed she was deeply in love with him!
How utterly shameless!
Fortunately, the party officially began, and the live stream camera focused on the stage, denying the eagle-eyed netizens a chance to feast their eyes.
But Xu Jin'an quickly sent her a message: "Since you've already signed the divorce papers, stop staring at me on screen and stop having any illusions about me."
Xia Duo, furious, replied: "Thanks for reminding me, you're still in my contact list."
She then deleted him from her WeChat.
Xia Duo took a few deep breaths to distract herself. Xu Jin'an tonight was insignificant; the important thing was her boss, Su Yao. The success or failure of her retirement from the entertainment industry hinged on this!
Because of this, Xia Duo was so nervous that she didn't even notice what was happening on stage until Su Yao finished his powerful speech and called her name.
Xia Duo walked onto the stage, lifting her skirt, and smiled sweetly as she took the microphone: "Hello everyone, I'm Xia Duo. Next, I'll be speaking as a representative of our company's artists..."
The viewers in the live stream were flooded with comments like:
[Is SuYu going to promote Xia Duo?]
[A hopeless, unknown actress is being promoted?]
[SuYu is doomed!]
They were so caught up in the criticism that they overlooked Xia Duo's hesitation after her introduction, initially assuming she was just being idiotic.
Unexpectedly, she said, "Oops, I forgot my lines."
Both the live stream and the audience were abuzz with discussion. Forgetting lines at such a crucial moment?
And not just a tiny bit! Forgot right after her self-introduction?
Was she even prepared? Xia Duo quickly replied, "I really wasn't prepared, but it's not my fault. The script our boss, Mr. Su, gave me was just too insincere; I was afraid reading it would shorten my lifespan."
Upon hearing this, the entire room erupted in uproar. Everyone whispered among themselves and looked at Su Yao, whose face instantly turned ashen.
Seizing the moment before Su Yao kicked her off the stage, Xia Duo continued, "Everyone's probably tired of hearing this kind of script. It's nothing more than me, a working-class person, profusely thanking the boss for his kindness, promising to work hard and earn more money for him. The boss is everything; we bow and scrape, smiling on the outside but cursing inwardly. This acting is more tiring than filming a movie."
The room erupted in chaos. All the media cameras were focused on Xia Duo, and the live stream chat was like a pot of boiling oil:
[Xia Duo's gone crazy! Does she even want to stay in the entertainment industry?]
[Publicly confronting the boss—won't he blacklist you?] [Awesome, if you don't lose your job, who will?]
Xia Duo had been observing Su Yao's expression from below the stage. Seeing his anger growing stronger, she felt relieved.
His secretary came to ask Su Yao if he should pull Xia Duo down from the stage. Su Yao suddenly laughed, waved his hand, and had someone hand him a microphone. He asked Xia Duo, "So dissatisfied with me? Let's say it all today."
Xia Duo saw his strange half-smile and assumed he was holding back. She intensified her attack: "Friends in the live stream, don't be fooled by our glamorous lives as celebrities. We're still just working people. Our bosses are all capitalists. We work late into the night, overwork on weekends, reply to WeChat messages instantly, and are available at a moment's notice. How are we any different?"
At this moment, the comments section was filled with:
[I feel like I'm being subtly insulted.]
[Isn't she talking about me?]
[I never thought I had anything in common with a celebrity.]
[I actually want to argue with my boss too, but I'm too cowardly.] [+1]
[+2]
[+ID Number]
[Wake up, upstairs! Xia Duo is doomed.]
[What good will come of offending your boss? Just be a good worker.]
Xia Duo changed the subject: "Actually, my boss is pretty good too. He's handsome, the most handsome man in the universe. He's decisive, has an unconventional mind, and doesn't follow the beaten path. He's incredibly considerate to his employees, always caring and attentive. He's the brightest star in the business world, an absolute role model for our times."
The chatter below grew louder. Why was she praising him again?
Unexpectedly, Xia Duo paused and added, "Of course, that's all he thinks."
The audience laughed, some were speechless, and the live stream chat exploded with comments:
[This is amazing!]
[Hahaha, I'm laughing so hard my stomach hurts!]
[That's exactly what I'm thinking!] [My boss is just as inexplicably confident!]
[Please copy and paste this verbatim and tell your boss.]
[Coward!]
The secretary immediately informed Su Yao of the situation in the live stream. His smile widened, and he stood up, walked to Xia Duo's side, and loudly replied, "Thank you for Xia Duo's excellent speech. As the boss of Su Entertainment, I will reflect on myself, correct my mistakes if I have any, and strive to improve if I don't."
Thunderous applause erupted. Xia Duo felt he was just putting on an act, forced a smile, and returned to her seat.
She took out her phone to check the netizens' comments. Most were criticizing her for being crazy and self-destructive.
The female celebrity sitting next to her was also laughing at her, leaning closer and saying, "Prepare to retire from the entertainment industry."
Xia Duo grinned, "Thanks for your kind words."
Female celebrity: ???
This was undoubtedly the biggest highlight of the entire party. The rest of the event became meaningless. Xia Duo simply excused herself to go to the restroom and never returned. She wanted to go home and sleep, but she couldn't leave. Su Yao had Sister Qin and Xiao Miao stop her, planning to talk to her properly after he finished his work.
Sister Qin first gave her a thorough dressing-down: "Is your brain malfunctioning? Do you know who you're insulting? That's the company's big boss! If you offend him, what will your end be like!"
Hearing this, Xia Duo perked up and publicly berated Su Yao. Su Yao must hate her to the core, right? He definitely doesn't want to see her again, right? He definitely wants to terminate her contract immediately, right?
Ah!
Her dream of early retirement!
Because Xia Duo was so engrossed in her own world, laughing foolishly, Sister Qin, who was furious with her behavior, didn't scold her for long.
Every time she scolded her, she laughed, and the more she scolded, the louder she laughed. Who could continue scolding her?
After a long time, Su Yao finally arrived and told Sister Qin and the others to leave. He wanted to talk to Xia Duo alone.
After the door closed, Xia Duo said, "Mr. Su, just say what you mean, no need to beat around the bush."
Su Yao's face darkened, as if he was holding back anger: "You did this on purpose tonight, didn't you?"
Xia Duo nodded without hesitation: "Punish me however you like, Mr. Su."
Blacklist, freeze out, terminate contract, fire—basically, make sure I never work again!
Su Yao said coldly: "You've got some ideas, coming up with something like this."
Xia Duo: "Thank you for the compliment."
She thought this attitude would infuriate Su Yao, but instead, he laughed—a rare occurrence for him, laughing so hard he was doubled over, unable to stop.
Xia Duo was a little surprised: "Mr. Su, your reaction to anger is quite peculiar."
"Angry? Why would I be angry?" Su Yao said, laughing loudly.
Xia Duo frowned in confusion. Su Yao, barely suppressing a laugh, gave her a thumbs up: "I never realized you were such a master of unconventional marketing."
"Huh?" Xia Duo looked bewildered.
Su Yao: "You publicly confronted your boss, speaking the minds of so many working people, doing what so many wouldn't dare to do. You successfully resonated with a segment of viewers in the live stream. I've already got marketing accounts guiding this public opinion; I guarantee it'll make you a sensation."