The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Xu Mei understood this, and Hu Man certainly did too. As long as it could drag down the ratings of *Galaxy and You*, Hu Man would definitely agree to Liang Dan’s plan and go along with the scandal with Yu Tianlin.
One was a veteran mainland superstar, the other a red-hot idol from Taiwan. The woman being over a decade older than the man made the pairing inherently sensational. With a bit of clever handling by those involved, the buzz would be off the charts. When it came to stirring up scandals, Xu Mei was an expert herself.
Tianjiao probably never imagined Liang Dan would pull such a move.
Yu Tianlin was quite the character.
Back when he fell out with Yuan Fenghui, he claimed it was because she tried to set him up with rich women for dinners, which he found “insulting.”
If that’s the case, now that he’s finally free from Yuan Fenghui’s “control,” shouldn’t he be a pure lotus rising unsullied from the mud? Agreeing to a scandal with Hu Man, how’s that different from attending those rich women’s dinners? One’s for a wealthy woman’s money, the other’s for a superstar’s fame. In the end, it’s all about climbing up by riding on a woman’s coattails.
“Exactly, it’s Hu Man!”
Cao Bo was still marvelling. “Yu Tianlin’s really going all out. I refuse to believe our drama can’t beat *Galaxy and You*.”
Xu Mei’s eyes practically rolled to the heavens.
What “our drama”? That lousy show had nothing to do with her. It was Yu Tianlin’s drama, Manager Guan’s drama, Cao Bo’s drama, but definitely not hers.
Xu Mei had already decided to do a favour for her ally in Chengdu. She brushed off the errand boy, “Then I’ll wish your drama a ratings explosion in advance. By the way, anything else? If not, I’m taking a nap. I’ve got an event this afternoon.”
Cao Bo was stunned. “You woman—”
Why was she so dismissive of him?
Cao Bo was a bit shameless. When Xu Mei revolved around him, treating him like royalty, he quickly lost interest, eyeing other young girls and getting smitten.
Now that Xu Mei clearly had no feelings for him, only using him to stay relevant, he’d developed a strange dependence on her, confiding work matters to her.
Sometimes Xu Mei listened, sometimes she didn’t.
When in a good mood, she’d tease him a bit. When in a bad mood, she’d just shoo him away.
Like now.
Cao Bo slammed the door in a huff. Next time he went to Xu Mei on his own, he’d be a puppy.
Xu Mei didn’t care if the errand boy was upset. She was more concerned with other matters. With Cao Bo out of the way, she immediately tipped off her ally.
This time, after thanking her, her ally suddenly changed the topic, “Xiao Xu, have you thought about your future?”
Xu Mei’s heart skipped a beat.
“What do you mean…”
“I mean you should plan for yourself sooner. A ship that’s not destined to sail far doesn’t need to sink with you, right?”
Her ally likened Manager Guan’s company to “a ship not destined to sail far.”
If anyone else heard this, they’d laugh it off.
With the talent show’s success, Manager Guan’s company was thriving, looking like it had a bright future, far from “sinking.”
But this seemingly absurd remark struck a chord with Xu Mei.
Her ally thought this way, and so did she.
After filming the new drama with the Taiwan romance queen, Xu Mei would jump ship.
But she never considered joining Tianjiao.
Not because of past minor grudges, but because Xu Mei had figured it out: better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix. At Tianjiao, she wouldn’t be valued, and competing for resources with Li Mengjiao and Zhang Yangning would be pointless. Having been overlooked enough at Manager Guan’s company, Xu Mei wanted a new home where she’d be the priority.
Xu Mei humbly asked her ally for advice, and their views aligned, “Water flows downward, people aim upward. If you’re jumping ship, go for a better platform. But no matter how big the platform or how many resources, if it’s not right for you, it’s no good. I’ve always believed an artist’s growth and a company’s growth go hand in hand. Tell you what, I’ll keep an eye out for a suitable company and help you make connections.”
Xu Mei was very satisfied with this response.
Not pushing her to join Tianjiao and offering to help her find a new home showed sincerity, especially since she wasn’t even their artist.
No wonder Tianjiao was doing so well.
Unlike Liang Dan and Manager Guan, who were all about superficial gestures, using people when needed and discarding them when not. Xu Mei had made sacrifices several times, promised compensation… Compensation? To this day, she hadn’t seen a single thing.
Liang Dan and Manager Guan were disloyal first, so Xu Mei felt no guilt tipping off her ally.
Likewise, she had the same attitude toward certain delusional fools.
Deputy Director Duan was arrested, and Pan Li, under stress, gave birth prematurely. The baby went straight into an incubator, and Pan Li paid a heavy price.
Though the child barely survived, Pan Li could never bear another. Like it or not, this was her only child for life.
The child, once Pan Li’s ticket to wealth and glory, had become a burden. She couldn’t even afford their hospital bills.
After recovering enough to leave her bed, Pan Li sneaked out of the hospital to confront the Duan family elders.
Without their help, she couldn’t raise the child alone and refused to be a pitiful single mother. She demanded the Duan family take responsibility.
The Duan elders naturally refused to acknowledge her.
With their son arrested, would they keep supporting his mistress?
Claiming the child was Duan Quanchang’s was meaningless without proof.
The Duan elders refused to recognise Pan Li or the child, not willing to pay a penny. Pan Li was chased out by Mother Duan with a broom.
The next person Pan Li sought was Fang Ping.
Divorcing with shared assets, reporting her ex-husband, changing locks to keep her son out—Fang Ping did these things decisively. Word got around, and neighbours whispered about her.
Some said Fang Ping was too harsh, ruining her child’s future to spite her ex, lacking a mother’s compassion.
Others thought her actions were satisfying.
A cheating, law-breaking man deserved such a reckoning.
If all betrayed wives had Fang Ping’s spirit and means, men would think twice before fooling around.
The gossip annoyed Fang Ping. Her son, sensing her coldness, kept visiting, hoping she’d soften and they could return to how things were.
Fearing she might relent, Fang Ping decided to resign from the music academy, leave Chengdu, and start anew elsewhere.
That’s when Pan Li showed up, crying buckets, admitting her wrongs, begging forgiveness, saying she was guilty but her child was innocent, still in the hospital needing treatment she couldn’t afford, trying to stir Fang Ping’s pity.
If Fang Ping didn’t help, Pan Li would abandon the child.
But Pan Li was certain Fang Ping would help, given her profession’s high moral standards.
Such moral blackmail didn’t sway Fang Ping, who only found it laughable, “Do you take me for a fool? The farmer and the snake happened once, and I should help you again? You’re guilty, but your child’s hardly innocent. You chose to have it. Whether the child suffers or thrives has nothing to do with me. I didn’t force you into bed with Duan Quanchang. Raise the kid if you want, or give it away.”
