Wang Mingming received high-level treatment during this mainland visit.

The foreign investors’ strength was incomparable to the fledgling mainland clothing brands, which helped Wang Mingming suppress her unease.

Only when she was alone in the room with her manager did Wang Mingming sigh:

“Will things be okay with Boss Chen…”

Though Luna was a small brand, Chen Xiliang had been very attentive to her this year. He promised to send her new clothes every season, and true to his word, she received two or three pieces monthly. Wang Mingming was quite pleased with this attention.

Chen Xiliang was indeed thoughtful, even bringing a tailor to Hong Kong to take her measurements.

Master Sun’s craftsmanship was excellent – treatment Wang Mingming hadn’t even enjoyed in Hong Kong. She had a good impression of Chen Xiliang.

It was just shooting an advertisement, wasn’t it?

After Chen Xiliang brought Master Sun the tailor to help, Wang Mingming readily agreed.

Who knew her manager would instead accept an endorsement deal for Pengcheng’s golf course? The advertisement paid several hundred thousand – far more than Luna’s offer!

Her manager said they hadn’t signed a contract with Luna and directly agreed to this side’s offer.

Wang Mingming had never done something like this before. Although she felt the golf course advertisement was more upscale, she still felt guilty.

Luna’s Boss Chen must be furious.

By now, they must have completed all the pre-production work.

Unless they spent heavily, it would be difficult for Chen Xiliang to find another Hong Kong actress on such short notice. If Luna, a small brand, could afford to spend heavily, why would they have invested so much time and effort on her?

Her manager sneered, “You’re just too kind-hearted. A small mainland brand sends you a few pieces of clothing, and you wear them to give them face. Since there was no signed contract, a good bird chooses its perch. For your development and benefit, we naturally should choose the better partner. Don’t be foolish – the golf course is a hundred-million-dollar investment, and the Wilson family has deep resources. Besides, by taking the golf course advertisement, you might get double the benefits. I hadn’t expected Mr. and Mrs. Wilson to like you so much!”

The manager grew excited as she spoke.

After Wang Mingming appeared at the Spring Festival Gala on the mainland, her fame greatly increased.

Originally, the mainland market didn’t need much attention, but with reform and opening up, not only did small businesspeople like Chen Xiliang want to hire Hong Kong stars for advertisements, but many foreign investors were also flooding into the mainland.

In 1985, several hundred thousand Hong Kong dollars was a significant amount.

TVB was stingy with actor payments – TV actors earned less than film actors, and actresses earned less than male actors. While top male film stars could command millions per film, female film stars only got a few hundred thousand.

Wang Mingming’s main work was television dramas and releasing albums – she couldn’t earn several hundred thousand from a single drama.

Hong Kong filming schedules were also very tight, shooting day and night. Even lead actors would be exhausted after finishing a drama! Looking purely at economic benefits, shooting the golf course advertisement indeed maximized profits.

The manager’s words were persuasive, and the Wilsons truly valued Wang Mingming.

Wang Mingming thought she was coming to shoot the golf course advertisement, but after talking with Mrs. Wilson, she was sincerely invited to participate in another project.

Wang Mingming was surprised that her fashion sense was so good.

Since she had already broken the agreement, anything said now would be insincere, so Wang Mingming stopped worrying about Luna.

“Pack up, we’re going to Beijing with Mrs. Wilson.”

The manager was quite happy, “Your luck has turned around!”

…

There were only one or two flights daily from Yangcheng to Beijing.

Before Ge Jian could investigate anything, Xia Xiaolan needed to return to Beijing. Whether it was good luck or bad, she was on the same flight as Ji Ya’s group, and they met in the waiting area.

Chen Xiliang was urgently discussing the advertisement with her when he suddenly saw Wang Mingming appear – his face immediately darkened!

“That’s Wang Mingming!”

Chen Xiliang had just learned that Wang Mingming had been poached. Luna’s year-long courtship of Wang Mingming had all been Chen Xiliang’s work – he hadn’t even been this patient with his ex-wife, sending new clothes monthly for others to choose from.

But no amount of attention could compete with a higher price. What angered Chen Xiliang most wasn’t Wang Mingming’s cancellation, but that she didn’t even notify them. They waited until Chen Xiliang had completed all the pre-production work and actively asked when Wang Mingming would come to Yangcheng before her manager condescendingly asked about the contract… Damn, weren’t they just playing games?

Chen Xiliang was so angry he nearly burst a blood vessel. He had to hurriedly beg mainland actresses to come shoot instead. Fortunately, Xia Xiaolan knew Director Wang earlier, and through his connections, Chen Xiliang found Zhang Xiao who was willing to come quickly!

Unexpectedly seeing Wang Mingming at Yangcheng airport, Chen Xiliang’s eyes reddened with anger.

Wang Mingming also saw them and hadn’t expected to meet Luna’s Boss Chen at the airport. She felt quite embarrassed.

In front of Mrs. Wilson, Wang Mingming couldn’t bring herself to apologize to Chen Xiliang. She could only pretend not to see him, slightly turning her head aside to chat with Mrs. Wilson.

Xia Xiaolan’s attention wasn’t on Wang Mingming.

Whether they had Wang Mingming or not wasn’t important – Hong Kong had many actresses besides her. Once Luna developed well, they could hire more prestigious spokespersons than Wang Mingming! She was quite mediocre, only filming TV dramas and releasing albums, and not a top Hong Kong movie star.

Xia Xiaolan’s focus was on Ji Ya.

Ji Ya gave her a light glance but surprisingly didn’t come forward to provoke her.

It seemed Ji Ya was quite aloof at first, but later couldn’t maintain composure during their meetings. It was rare for her to maintain it this time.

Did Ji Ya seem confident of victory?

Ji Jiangyuan was also present and smiled at Xia Xiaolan as a greeting.

Seeing Chen Xiliang jumping with anger, Xia Xiaolan advised: “Old Chen, they’re so nonchalant about breaking contracts, what’s there to be angry about? Hong Kong doesn’t have just one actress – without her, we can hire others. When artists have no professional ethics, just watch if she can stay popular forever.”

Wang Mingming’s face changed color. Her manager saw how beautiful Xia Xiaolan was and assumed she was hired by Chen Xiliang to replace Wang Mingming in the advertisement. With such a beautiful face, comparable to Hong Kong’s most renowned beauties, if she were already somewhat famous, the manager would have no reason not to know her.

She must be a newcomer in the entertainment industry.

“Young lady, you should watch your attitude when speaking to seniors. Even if Mingming can’t stay popular forever, it’s better than never having been popular!”

Xia Xiaolan just smiled and ignored them.

She had never met Wang Mingming – Chen Xiliang had always handled everything. They mistook her for someone in the industry.

Arguing with such people would just be a waste of time.

Ji Ya surprisingly didn’t explain either. When everyone boarded the same plane, Xia Xiaolan’s seat was quite far from Ji Jiangyuan. Wang Mingming’s manager kept glaring at Xia Xiaolan. Ji Jiangyuan couldn’t stand it anymore, “Mr. Le, she’s not from your industry, you don’t need to be so hostile.”

“Then who is she?”

Ji Ya adjusted her skirt and said casually:

“Haven’t you seen her? She’s the other boss of Luna.”