Chapter 124 - Personal Manager
Rebirth of a Fashionista: This Life Is Soo Last Season
“Jiaojiao, President Li specially arranged a very responsible manager for you and wants you to go back to the company to take a look,” Zeng Huan said as she drove.
“Then, let’s go and look.” Sheng Jiaoyang leaned back in her chair, pinching the space between her brows.
“Right, Jiaojiao, your glasses are already fixed.”
“Oh, thanks.”
Zeng Huan smiled. “No problem, this is what I’m supposed to do.”
“Tell me about the manager.” Sheng Jiaoyang closed her eyes.
“Your manager’s name is Xu Ping. She’s currently 35 years old and has the same surname as you, so you two were probably a part of the same family 800 years ago! She used to be a manager from Vortex Sound Cultural Group, but because she never had a backer, her artists always got snatched away by others as soon as they started to get famous. This time, she finally produced a reputable artist, but then that person complained about her lack of connections and being unable to fight for better resources. In the end, they chose to switch to another manager. President Li had somebody investigate her and found that she’s always worked earnestly with her previous artists, and her character is also quite good. Due to this, he decided to assign her to you.”
“Sounds like she’s pretty unlucky. Why didn’t she switch to another job?”
“She also has a five-year-old son that she’s taking care of alone and hasn’t found anyone else. She was afraid that if she left Vortex Sound, she’d become jobless and lose her source of income. So, even though she kept on being betrayed and attacked, she still didn’t leave Vortex Sound,” Zeng Huan sighed sorrowfully.
Xu Ping piqued her interest and Sheng Jiaoyang opened her eyes. For a backgroundless woman to repeatedly produce artists, it was clear that she worked very hard. Furthermore, since she was willing to swallow her anger and endure this humiliation for the sake of her son, she must definitely be a responsible single mother.
“Ms. Ping was really lucky to have been discovered by President Li this time, and be able to become your manager. In the future, she won’t have to bear such wrongs anymore,” Zeng Huan said smilingly.
The days they spent together felt like the easiest days Zeng Huan had ever had in the company. It was carefree and her salary was high, equivalent to that of a top star’s assistant. Furthermore, Jiaojiao even promised her a monthly bonus if she did well. Becoming Jiaojiao’s manager really will be a great boon for Xu Ping.
After arriving at the company, the two went up the elevator.
“Ai, wait a moment!” a girl’s voice called out.
Zeng Huan hurriedly pressed the button to keep the door open.
Soon, a girl with a ponytail ran in front of the elevator and pressed the button to keep the door open.
“Zhou Xiaozhen?” Zeng Huan recognised the girl.
“You…Zeng Huan!”
Just as the two were looking at each other, two more people entered the elevator. The first was a young woman wearing high heels and elegant makeup, followed by an older lady with heavy makeup and gaudy clothes.
Sheng Jiaoyang looked over when she heard Zhou Xiaozhen’s name. She had a good memory, and remembered that in the beginning, Li Yu had assigned an assistant named Zhou Xiaozhen to her.
When Sheng Jiaoyang looked over, Zhou Xiaozhen, who was the last one to enter, also looked up. Many of the assistants knew each other, especially the ones in the same training class who’d already exchanged private communications. As a result, Zhou Xiaozhen naturally knew that Zeng Huan had become Xu Jiaojiao’s assistant after her. If Zeng Huan was here, then the tall girl with a mask on and space bun hairstyle behind her was definitely Xu Jiaojiao herself.
Zhou Xiaozhen didn’t expect Xu Jiaojiao to become this famous so quickly. At that time, President Li was clearly angry and wanted to smother Xu Jiaojiao, so she’d hurriedly applied for a transfer to another female artist with a better future. Who would’ve thought that just a bit later, President Li would arrange gig after gig for Xu Jiaojiao as if he was worried that the whole world couldn’t see that he was clearly supporting her. As a result, the backgroundless and connectionless Zeng Huan picked up a free ride.
Look at Zeng Huan now! President Li had given her a car and treatment reserved for the highest-ranking assistant. Moreover, since her artist was already famous, she didn’t need to run around giving reports or doing publicity events, so her work was very easy. This should’ve all belonged to her!
Zhou Xiaozhen bit her lip, feeling a bit aggrieved. However, she didn’t dare to show it as she pressed their floor before turning to ask Zeng Huan, “What floor are you guys going to?”
“The top floor, thank you!” Zeng Huan said.
The other two glanced over, and the older woman looked a few more times at Zeng Huan before turning to look at the innermost person wearing a mask, asking probingly, “Who might you be?”
“Ah, Yu Jie’s probably too busy to have remembered me!” Sheng Jiaoyang smiled.
Behind Yu Jie, Zhou Xiaozhen quietly reminded her, “She’s Xu Jiaojiao.”
Yu Jie was startled for a moment before quickly reacting, a wide smile appearing on her face. “So, so it’s actually Jiaojiao! What a coincidence!”
“Xinyan, hurry and call her senior sister, she’s an artist with both talent and skill. You need to learn from her. Jiaojiao, this is my artist, Li Xinyan. Please take care of her in the future!” Yu Jie acted like they were very close, talking animatedly as if nothing had happened.
Sheng Jiaoyang looked up. “It’s your stop.”
Ding! The elevator doors opened.
“Then, we’ll leave first. See you later!” Yu Jie left the elevator with Li Xinyan and Zhou Xiaozhen, her gaze remaining on the gradually closing elevator doors.
“Didn’t Jiaojiao debut after me?” Li Xinyan frowned.
“Who cares when she debuted, she’s currently more popular than you so you have to give in a little. Furthermore, her relationship with President Li isn’t clear, we can’t be hostile.” Yu Jie’s smile disappeared.
Li Xinyan grimaced, muttering angrily, “What’s so amazing about climbing up with unspoken rules.”
Yu Jie reminded her, “Don’t say those things again or somebody might hear them.”
At the top floor in the president’s office, Sheng Jiaoyang met her manager. Xu Ping had short, neat, ear level hair with light makeup applied, seeming very capable and experienced. When she saw Sheng Jiaoyang enter, she rose from her seat with a smile.
“Get to know each other, you’ll be working together in the future.” Li Yu told them.
“Hello Jiaojiao, I’m Xu Ping, your manager.” Xu Ping extended her hand.
Sheng Jiaoyang took off her mask and shook her hand, “Hello.”
Xu Ping looked at the girl in front of her and sighed inside. Being young really is great. Her skin is so smooth and glowy and her figure is even more attention-grabbing and attractive compared to her pictures. Confidence and charm exuded from her every action.
“Let’s all take a seat and have a good chat about our future plans,” Li Yu said.
After everyone was seated, Li Yu spoke to Xu Ping, “I’ve already given you an overview of Jiaojiao’s current situation, what do you think our next step should be?”
Xu Ping muttered to herself for a moment before speaking, “Jiaojiao’s foundation is very good and she is still very young, so there’s no need to be hasty. It’s better to study well first and then pick a few common roles to temper her acting skills, stabilizing her position step by step. As for being a brand ambassador, I think it’s better to leave it for now and wait until her value’s risen before considering it again.”
“Furthermore, news about Jiaojiao had never stopped appearing since her debut. I’m not saying this is a bad thing, the first step to being famous is guaranteeing publicity. However, if there’s too much exposure, it’s easy to make others jealous. If a tree is too outstanding, it would one day be ravaged by the winds- many people who become famous too quickly become the butt of criticism from everyone, receiving all kinds of slander. If you’re strong enough and get through it, your position will stabilize. Otherwise, you’ll just become another person of the past. After being trodden down by the public, there won’t ever be a comeback. Therefore, Jiaojiao should keep a low profile for now.”
Li Yu nodded in approval before turning to look at Sheng Jiaoyang, “What do you think?”
Sheng Jiaoyang blinked, her voice innocent, “I think I’ve always been acting lowkey!”
Everybody was speechless.
“My face is probably the only thing that isn’t lowkey!” Sheng Jiaoyang rubbed her face.
“…Haha,” everyone laughed.