Chapter Thirty-Four: The Influencer Resigns

“Stinky Leaf, why are you coming out?” As Liu Yiran opened the car door, Ye Qiu was already climbing into the passenger seat.

“I’m not of much use to Second Sister at the moment, so I’ll go back with Eldest Sister for now and see how things are.”

Just as he finished speaking, Mary’s voice rang out: “Eldest Sister, you promised to treat me to dinner.”

A true boss indeed.

She always handles things just right—taking care of Liu Yiran’s pride, giving her enough face, and crucially, Mary never once mentioned Ye Qiu, leaving him no chance to refuse.

Liu Yiran nodded, about to start the car when another person hurried over.

“Mr. Ye.” Jiaqi caught up, slipping a black card into Ye Qiu’s hand discreetly. “Mr. Ye, I’m in Room 808 at the Seaview Grand Hotel. If you have time, do come up for a visit.”

“Sorry, I’m busy these days.”

Ye Qiu handed the key card back to Jiaqi without looking back, and got into the car.

“People these days really have no scruples when it comes to climbing the ladder,” Zhao Ying’s mocking voice came from behind, her sarcasm towards Nu Yu barely concealed.

The two women were both striking, with similar alluring styles. But Zhao Ying, having landed major roles in recent years, was firmly A-list; Jiaqi, on the other hand, was younger by a few years. The media loved to compare them, and though they’d had no previous conflicts, friction had grown over time. Jiaqi was always looking for a powerful backer to pull Zhao Ying down.

“Please! Didn’t someone sneak into a director’s room in the middle of the night to get ahead?” Jiaqi rolled her eyes, not intimidated in the slightest.

“You little—what did you say?” Zhao Ying had meant to mock Jiaqi, but Jiaqi’s words struck a nerve. Zhao Ying’s assistant behind her hurried forward, ready to start a fight.

Jiaqi stood her ground, smiling as she pulled out her phone. “Go on, try it. The place is crawling with reporters. I’d love to see if a big star like you dares get physical.”

She waved her phone, raising her voice provocatively. “Look everyone, the big star is about to hit someone! Come and see—Zhao Ying is blocking all the opportunities for newcomers!”

Zhao Ying’s face turned livid.

Her assistant quickly pulled her into their business car. Zhao Ying, breathing heavily, was wearing a semi-formal gown that day; each breath was like a crashing wave, overwhelming and dizzying. This was like porcelain clashing with a clay pot—it was clear who would come out worse, but she couldn’t swallow the humiliation. After a moment’s thought, she said viciously, “What projects does Jiaqi have lately?”

“She’s got an endorsement and a role as the second female lead in a movie, acting alongside the new heartthrob, Hua Yuxi.”

“Find out who’s behind that endorsement and tell them I’m willing to be their spokesperson,” Zhao Ying said angrily. “Who’s directing the film?”

“Shen Quan.”

“Is it really him?” Zhao Ying pulled up Shen Quan’s contact, sending a message that she’d join at a discount. Shen Quan was overjoyed. Given the choice between Jiaqi and Zhao Ying for the same pay, of course he’d prefer the big star—her name would guarantee box office returns.

“Yingying, I’ve secured the endorsement too.”

In less than a quarter of an hour, Zhao Ying had snatched both Jiaqi’s endorsement and her film role. Still, she didn’t feel satisfied. She told her assistant, “Spread the word: anyone who works with Jiaqi is going against me, Zhao Ying.”

“That’s right, we can’t let her off so easily. She dared to talk back—let’s blacklist her from the industry.”

At that moment, Jiaqi had no idea she was being relentlessly targeted by Zhao Ying. She was still scheming to get close to Ye Qiu.

After a moment’s thought, Jiaqi returned to the plastic surgery hospital.

Even though Ye Qiu had left, George was still there. He was a big shot too—a Hollywood mogul from the United States. If she could get close to him, she wouldn’t have to hustle for a spot on the Hollywood red carpet like everyone else.

Just imagining herself on the Hollywood red carpet, cameras flashing, made her current dress feel that much heavier with anticipation.

...

“Big sister, don’t look at me like that. I don’t even know this Jiaqi.”

Liu Yiran replied coldly, “If you don’t know her, why would she give you a room card?”

Mary chimed in, “I thought only us Americans were this open—seems China’s catching up fast in this regard.”

Ye Qiu shot Mary a look of feigned annoyance. “Why are you butting in?”

“Isn’t she right?” Liu Yiran glared fiercely at Ye Qiu. “Can’t you avoid these unsavory women? You weren’t like this when you were a child.”

Mary’s eyes sparkled. “Big sister, what was Mr. Ye like as a child?”

“You’re a billionaire CEO, not an entertainment reporter. Why are you so nosy?” Ye Qiu replied irritably. “Besides, we’ve already settled our business. Why are you still in China? Don’t you have business to handle back in the States? Your research into gene coding has attracted a lot of attention. Aren’t you worried about your safety here?”

“The safest place is by your side.” Mary winked at Ye Qiu; over the past few days, she’d realized neither of Ye Qiu’s sisters knew his true identity, which only piqued her curiosity further.

“Suit yourself.”

Ye Qiu turned away, staring out the window, but was actually messaging Yun Yan on his phone.

“Master, I’ve already looked into it. The stock market manipulation this time was orchestrated by Tong Tiexing and Zhang Jun. With their original holdings and recent low-price acquisitions, they have at least six hundred and thirty million shares. If we push the share price up now, not only will they avoid punishment, but they’ll also make a fortune. However, according to my research into China’s securities laws, they’re involved in market manipulation and insider trading. The problem is, they’re very discreet, and without enough access, I can’t get hard evidence.”

“Evidence...” Ye Qiu pondered.

By this time, the car had pulled up in front of Ye Liu Group’s building. In fact, the crisis facing the group was far more complicated than Liu Yiran had anticipated.

As soon as she returned, she found the company’s top influencers already waiting in her office. The least popular among them had ten million followers, the top one nearly sixty million—major cash cows for the company.

“President Ye, we’ve made up our minds. The company’s current direction doesn’t match our expectations, so we’ve decided to resign.”

Liu Yiran had hurried back precisely because these top influencers were threatening to quit.

But once in her office, Liu Yiran surveyed them coolly, her tone light. “If you have better opportunities, I won’t stand in your way. But are you sure your new partners will promote you as much, or let you earn more?”

“President Liu, there’s nothing more to say. We’re set on leaving.” The leader spoke—the top streamer Xue Qing, who had sixty million fans, and whom Liu Yiran had invested a great deal in cultivating.