Wen Ying and Mr. Liu weren’t comparing whose eyes were bigger or rounder.
A stare-down.
A silent clash of gazes.
No words were needed, their eyes conveyed their thoughts, a quiet exchange brimming with undercurrents, each with their own demands.
Wen Ying’s bottom line was simple: Mr. Liu chose Li Mengjiao as the spokesperson, and Li Mengjiao valued this chance to skyrocket her fame and break Mr. Guan’s “blockade.” But the deal hinged on a proper contract, if Li Mengjiao “lowered her price” voluntarily, the opportunity wasn’t worth it, all partnerships are a two-way choice!
Mr. Liu’s thinking was equally straightforward: choosing Li Mengjiao was his call, the group wasn’t short on budget, but keeping the endorsement fee low was ideal, nobody dislikes extra money, after all, money’s hard-earned, a big group should save where it can.
If savings weren’t possible… they’d cross that bridge.
They locked eyes for a moment, but Mr. Liu’s aging body couldn’t match a teenager’s, his eye muscles strained, stinging, on the verge of losing, when Wen Ying suddenly looked away, muttering, “No more, no more, winning won’t raise the fee, my eyes hurt!”
Oh, the girl conceded?
Mr. Liu, who moments ago wanted to outstare her, now felt childish.
He was in high spirits from finding the right spokesperson, hence his mood to banter with a high schooler.
Even beating a teenager wasn’t something to brag about.
Wen Ying’s mix of mature speech and childishness amused Mr. Liu—she was younger than his own kids.
Looking at Li Mengjiao, she was even more childlike.
Compared to scheming adults, Mr. Liu preferred dealing with minors.
Childishness, though immature, felt more genuine.
Wen Ying’s talk of “Li Mengjiao growing with the brand” stirred a small spark in him.
Growing with the brand?
At 19, fresh from technical school, he wasn’t much older than Li Mengjiao, now 25 years later, he’d spent half his life in the dairy industry, truly growing alongside China’s dairy sector.
Mr. Liu’s expression turned thoughtful.
Wen Ying’s early surrender softened his stance.
Yuan Fenghui smiled knowingly.
Mr. Liu disliked being pressured, whether by Liang Dan or Wen Ying, he made decisions his way.
Liang Dan kept pushing her choice of spokesperson, but Mr. Liu proved it impossible, Wen Ying pushed for a higher fee, selling Li Mengjiao’s potential, but didn’t force him, she let him weigh it himself.
A step back could be a step forward.
Knowing when to retreat or advance was a skill few mastered!
Yuan Fenghui seized the moment, “Alright, you two go have fun, roam the station, at your age you know nothing yet love meddling in adult affairs.”
She shooed Wen Ying and Li Mengjiao away, their presence would hinder serious fee talks.
Wen Ying had set a strong start, now Yuan Fenghui would handle the formal deal.
Wen Ying didn’t linger, dragging Li Mengjiao off.
Mr. Liu mumbled, “Really high schoolers?”
“Guaranteed,” Yuan Fenghui said, noting Mr. Liu was easy to talk to if you hit his wavelength—prescribe the right cure, and it works!
…
In a quiet corridor, Li Mengjiao grinned at Wen Ying, “Is Mr. Liu easy to fool? Wonder how much fee he’ll give me.”
TV shoots only earned pocket money, but ads and endorsements were real earnings from outsiders—her dad couldn’t skim this, right?
The higher the fee, the fatter her savings, she used to not care about money, but Wen Ying’s influence made her value it.
Once rich, she’d just follow Wen Ying’s lead, never losing out!
Wen Ying whispered, wary of eavesdroppers, “Teacher Yuan’s probably aiming for seven figures.”
The station was a gossip hub, “A million is a great headline, even if you get just that, it’s seven digits, future brands will use today’s quote as a benchmark.”
The entertainment world thrived on mixed truths and lies.
If Li Mengjiao’s first fee was a million, Yuan Fenghui could hype it to millions, boosting her image.
“You guys think so much…” Li Mengjiao sighed.
Not complaining about Wen Ying or Yuan Fenghui, she felt inadequate.
Wen Ying just smiled.
Everyone needs time to grow, Wen Ying took years to think this way, Li Mengjiao had no shortcuts, only learning bit by bit.
Though the fee wasn’t finalized, news spread fast at Hunan TV that Mr. Liu picked Li Mengjiao.
Most knew her feud with Liang Dan and her husband.
A rookie outshining them, achieving what Liang Dan couldn’t, was stunning!
Mr. Liu, the station’s big sponsor, had clout, when he said Li Mengjiao would record the promo song that afternoon, a studio was cleared instantly.
Wen Ying and Li Mengjiao had no worries, staff handled everything—some brought drinks, others asked about lunch, waves of people treated Li Mengjiao like the station’s darling.
Flattered, Li Mengjiao was reminded by Wen Ying’s grin, when feeling puffed up, think of the rejected Xu Mei!
These staff fawning over her today likely did the same for Xu Mei before.
Now Xu Mei lost the deal, they switched to her.
If her deal with the dairy group fell through, they’d turn away too.
Li Mengjiao showed Wen Ying her phone, “I’m not dumb, look at these texts, I haven’t replied to any!”
Friends who vanished during her blacklist days were now crawling back!
As they talked, Yuan Fenghui came out after finishing with Mr. Liu.
Her face wasn’t smug, but her raised brows betrayed joy.
“Teacher Yuan, how’d it go with Mr. Liu?” Li Mengjiao asked.
Yuan Fenghui tilted her chin proudly, “Endorsement fee, 2.8 million a year, signed for two years!”
Wen Ying’s young mastery of relaxed negotiation tactics was no fluke, Yuan Fenghui was no pushover!
—2.8 million in 2005, no mainland rookie could match that.
