After that day, Gu Mingdong’s harassment of Dong Xi noticeably decreased. He put on an appearance of suddenly finding it all tasteless, acting as if it were his own subjective choice.

And Long Qi was squeezed by the ensuing complicated affairs without a single moment’s breathing room.

Lao Ping, sympathetic to the fact that she was still in school, planned out a relatively long-term path for her. He said she wasn’t yet suitable for taking on a large volume of work, because her foundation wasn’t deep—singing and acting were both weak areas. The current batch of fans she’d attracted were mostly looks-based fans. Frequently increasing her screen time would only consume the novelty factor. Moreover, she had appeared out of nowhere and occupied quite a bit of media space. Domestic competing companies would be watching her for the time being. If she became too prominent and blocked some young starlet’s path to fame, it wasn’t impossible for someone to secretly trip her up. And the topic most easily used to define her was: besides her face and figure, what else does she have?

So besides training in artistic skills, Lao Ping specifically hired several private tutors to follow up on her studies. He wanted to cultivate her as a future idol, not a fleeting meteor. So those domestic practices of accepting a large number of commercial performances to establish presence once someone became slightly famous—he wouldn’t do that.

He wanted her to take the old path, continue being a model.

On this path, Long Qi had a foundation and a group of loyal fans. Her characteristics were being young enough and individualistic enough, with a keen enough grasp on fashion taste. Lao Ping wanted to cultivate her into a domestic trendsetting IT GIRL. So during her school years, she could go all out occupying magazine spreads—what she wore, ate, and played with should all follow her style even more thoroughly. As for the big screen and big stage, they would plan for those after her foundation was built deep and thick enough. Simply put, four words: accumulate strength for a breakthrough.

Lao Ping didn’t manage her personality much. Although rumors often circulated in the community about things like her foul temper, it hadn’t reached the degree where she could be slandered as acting like a diva. Moreover, the targets of her foul temper were mostly magazine executives and second-generation rich kids whose reputations were already poor. This was actually utilized by Lao Ping’s later public relations efforts, guiding public opinion toward the point that she had a straightforward personality and dared to love and hate.

He believed that Long Qi’s name, appearance, clothing style, and everything inside and out all fit this point very well, easily attracting niche personality fans.

Long Qi found it rather ironic. A person nobody loved at school—in the entertainment industry’s big environment, those aspects that had been spread by word of mouth with foul ridicule had instead become the now-appealing promotional points.

After all, it was a place Bai Aiting couldn’t reach anymore.

And Lao Ping also turned a blind eye to the fact that Long Qi had a boyfriend. It wasn’t that he was open-minded about emotional issues. From Long Qi’s understanding of him, he must have privately investigated Jin Yiken’s background, knew he was a formidable figure, so he basically didn’t interfere with the two of them—he even contacted the other party more diligently than Long Qi did. (Once when she was busy and didn’t notice Jin Yiken’s incoming call, Lao Ping answered it and they chatted quite congenially. After that, Lao Ping would proactively send Jin Yiken her schedule. Long Qi felt that whether it was Lao Ping or Jin Yiken, both of them were quite strong at utilizing opportunities.)

Lao Ping only made one request about this matter: just don’t get photographed.

Before the graduation exams arrived, Long Qi received a series of music video invitations. The other party was also a band. Different from the previous veteran band was that this was a new popular band with extremely fierce momentum, with a style leaning toward hip-hop and electronic music. When the veteran band had switched from the international battlefield to the domestic market to give back to fans, their hit single was a farewell work (the lead singer had transitioned to being a behind-the-scenes producer). This band planned to expand from the domestic market to the international market. The first stop for their output was Japan and Korea (with quite a harvest), the second stop was Europe and America (currently in preparation). So they decided to use the resources made famous by their predecessors, using Long Qi to build familiarity. Moreover, they hoped she would be the female lead for the entire album’s music videos.

Lao Ping believed this was a good idea full of adventurous spirit. Long Qi believed this was a very large workload.

Lao Ping said: “Actually, their company’s sincerity isn’t bad. The price they’re offering is very high.”

“What’s the character setting they’re giving me?” Long Qi asked this.

Lao Ping: “Your setting in the music videos is the big boss’s woman. There are some nightclub scenes and early days as a woman of the world scenes. Later it’s a wealthy wife setting—from naive youth to sorrowfully mature. Pretty interesting.”

“Woman of the world to what degree?”

“They wanted you to smoke, but I’ve communicated with them. At most they’ll just have you holding it in your mouth. Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on the styling—it’ll be done very impressively.”

“What about them?”

“They’re a group of poor boys who get involved in gang conflicts because of you. Later, because of you, they separately enter the underworld and the law enforcement world, loving and killing each other. Let me summarize the entire series for you—it’s the bloodshed and fraternal betrayal caused by one woman. Who else but you for this heartless femme fatale role? Fans will love it most.”

“You said before, where is their market this time?”

“Europe and America.”

“So there’s England?”

“Obviously.”

“Take it then.” Long Qi said.

So Lao Ping immediately went to arrange a meeting between both parties. He needed to convince the other party to set the filming date after her graduation exams ended. Long Qi added: “Don’t schedule any work for me around June 21st.”

“I know,” Lao Ping immediately responded, “that’s your birthday. I’ve already reserved a private room for you. That day you just have fun, no work.”

Long Qi’s gaze returned from the review test papers she’d been looking at: “I never told you that.”

And then she immediately realized who had informed him in advance. She twirled her pen and asked Lao Ping to give her his phone. After giving it to her, Lao Ping went out to make calls arranging matters. Long Qi dialed Jin Yiken’s mobile number.

But no one answered the phone.

At this time, it should be late night on his end. Not answering the phone was normal. Long Qi didn’t dial again afterward. She took a photo of the desk piled with review materials and posted it to her Instagram account, visible only to him.