TPH Chapter 20

The Protagonist’s Halo [Arc 1] Chapter 20: Entertainment Circle Vase (26)

Pei Yiren asked tentatively, “I heard that you invested in a movie?”

Luo Qiyi touched her head. He still had some appreciation and love for Pei Yiren. “I have already informed the director. The second female role is yours.”

Luo Qiyi has an advantage. He is not a playboy, but he is always surrounded by women. Therefore, he does not require others to have a spotless past. Even though Pei Yiren was accused of being a scheming bitch on the Internet, he did not believe it because of his good impression of Pei Yiren. He is also very generous. He does not think it is a big deal if Pei Yiren wants some resources for filming, and he is willing to give it to her.

Female No. 2? Pei Yiren was not in a very happy mood. She thought that with a favorability of 60, Luo Qiyi would be able to arrange the female lead for her. Could it be that her favorability with Luo Qiyi was not high enough?

Even if Pei Yiren’s displeasure didn’t show on her face, Luo Qiyi could sense it. He wasn’t used to acting like Ji Yanhuai, but he understood women very well and was very shrewd. He smiled and said, “Why, are you unhappy?”

“No.” Pei Yiren certainly would not admit her true thoughts.

Luo Qiyi knew Pei Yiren’s cover-up, but he didn’t care. Sometimes women would play tricks, which was fun. He even smiled and patiently explained to Pei Yiren, “This investment is very important, and it’s not something you can just play around with.”

The entertainment industry is getting hotter and hotter, and he can see that there is a lot of potential in it. This movie is a project that he attaches great importance to and cannot be ignored. He is a businessman and is not good at making movies, but he will leave it to professionals. Even when he chose Su Man, it was unanimously agreed by the director and screenwriter.

Pei Yiren had been with him for quite some time, and she knew that although he seemed to be explaining to her gently, it would not change his decision. If Pei Yiren continued to pester him, it would only reduce his favorability towards her, so she tactfully stopped asking for more.

“Who is the heroine?” Pei Yiren still couldn’t help asking.

Luo Qiyi said a name slowly and calmly: “Su Man.”

Pei Yiren couldn’t control her expression, and her face froze for a moment, “Why her?”

“Why, do you have a grudge against Su Man?” Luo Qiyi glanced at her and smiled with interest. He didn’t know much about gossip in the entertainment industry, but he roughly knew that Pei Yiren seemed to have some entanglement with Su Man.

Who is not good enough? Why Su Man? Why does she have to play a supporting role to Su Man? And Luo Qiyi is attending a dinner for the film’s investors today. Could it be that he is meeting Su Man? Pei Yiren was a little flustered and felt threatened again.

Luo Qiyi ignored her distraction and said slowly, “She is very suitable, both in terms of popularity and acting skills. This is a mutually beneficial thing for both parties.”

Pei Yiren lowered her eyelids and said in a somewhat sad tone, “You are right, she is a popular star, and I am just a small artist who still needs to beg the director for a role.”

Luo Qiyi recalled the experience when he first met her, and knowing her helplessness and pain, his heart softened slightly, “You know, that’s not what I meant.”

“And you won’t have to go through anything like this again.”

Luo Qiyi was somewhat interested in Su Man and had been thinking about her for a long time, but Pei Yiren’s efforts on his part were not in vain. The sixty points of favorability still made him tend to favor Pei Yiren and he comforted her softly.

Pei Yiren knew that she might not be able to change the fact that Su Man became the heroine of the movie, but she could ruin Luo Qiyi’s impression of Su Man first.

Men always have more sympathy for women who are in a weak and pitiful situation.

…

A week had passed since the dinner, but the contract had not yet been delivered. When the agent Bu Yu contacted contacted, they were also making excuses, dodging her and saying that they would get back to her soon. She frowned, “Are they standing us up?”

Xiao Han was not in a hurry. She was calm as if she was not the one who was about to play the leading role in a big-budget movie.

She is now considered a popular star, so it is not easy for her to go out on vacation or go shopping. She just stays at home, playing games or watching performance videos of some veteran actors in the circle that her agent found for her.

Just as agent Bu Yu was privately using her connections to find out about the situation, an invitation from Luo Qiyi came through.

He recently wanted to find a spokesperson for his group.

Moreover, the contact was made through the company, rather than some controversial private invitation. The method and location were also legitimate, in a cafe next to the company.

Agent Bu Yu was not sure about Luo Qiyi’s intention, but she didn’t want to push the opportunity away.

Luo Qiyi had a confident demeanor and smiled, “Last time we met, I felt that Miss Su’s appearance and temperament were very suitable for being the spokesperson for Yaojing Group. After we went back and discussed it, no one else had any objections, so I took the liberty to propose it. I wonder what Miss Su thinks.”

The contract signing fee alone is as high as 30 million per year, which seems too generous. Even the agent Bu Yu is very cautious and speaks up for the artist, saying, “We still need to go back and discuss this matter with the company. We will reply to Mr. Luo as soon as possible.”

Xiao Han did not deny her words.

Luo Qiyi suddenly asked, “Does Miss Su know Pei Yiren?”

Xiao Han narrowed her eyes slightly and said coldly, “What do you mean, Mr. Luo? You can just tell me directly.”

Luo Qiyi’s eyes were filled with an ambiguous meaning, and then he smiled politely, “She will be the supporting actress of this movie. I just informed Miss Su in advance that the two of you will be working together in the same crew.”

Xiao Han raised her eyebrows slightly. Pei Yiren recovered so quickly. She thought that the previous turmoil must have been a big blow to a newcomer. It seems that this system host is quite powerful.

Luo Qiyi smiled and said, “Miss Su, don’t you want to know what she said to me?”

Pei Yiren told him about her “grudge” with Su Man, and was very frank and straightforward. She said that she did have a crush on Ji Yanhuai, but the breakup between Ji Yanhuai and Su Man had nothing to do with her. Their relationship had long been cold, so how could they break up just because of a newcomer like her?

Luo Qiyi believed it. Most of the words on the Internet were exaggerated, and Ji Yanhuai did not show any responsibility in this incident. Pei Yiren, on the other hand, was really pitiful. Ji Yanhuai was safe and sound, and Su Man was not in any trouble at all. Only she was abused by netizens and became a black circle. She couldn’t even get a play. When she met him, her acting career was almost cut off. He just happened to be Pei Yiren’s lifeline.

A little bit of scheming is nothing, Luo Qiyi instead thinks she is just being genuine.

It was Pei Yiren’s real situation that earned Luo Qiyi’s sympathy.

Xiao Han didn’t know that there were so many stories between the two people, but she asked directly, “Does this have anything to do with the movie?”

She had no interest in listening to Luo Qiyi talking about Pei Yiren.

When Luo Qiyi heard her words, he was stunned for a moment, then smiled, “No, of course it doesn’t matter.”

He curled his lower lip slightly, “Ms. Su is a serious and good actor. Now I believe that Miss Su Man will not affect the filming of the movie because of a little personal emotion.”

These words hinted at provoking Su Man’s emotions.

Luo Qiyi seemed to expect Su Man to refute him, or explain something like Pei Yiren, but Su Man remained calm and was not disturbed by his words.

…

As soon as she got back, Bu Yu called to inquire about the movie. She didn’t even know that Pei Yiren would be the second female lead in the movie.

After receiving the news, Bu Yu said with a serious expression, “Pei Yiren actually hooked up with Luo Qiyi and used her connections to get the supporting actress role in this movie. Also, her negative reviews on the Internet were suppressed by someone. It’s very likely that Luo Qiyi did it behind the scenes.”

Xiao Han didn’t expect that these two people would be involved with each other, but it was possible if she thought about it carefully. Because of that scandal, Pei Yiren’s reputation after being mocked on the Internet was no better than Su Man’s at the beginning. Her original road to fame was difficult to follow, so she might want to take another shortcut to climb up. Luo Qiyi was a good choice.

Although Bu Yu was unhappy, she was also helpless. Su Man was not a big star enough to replace the actors she was working with, not to mention that she was added by the investors.

Sometimes in the entertainment industry, it’s like this, you have to talk and laugh with people you hate, and even play the role of good sisters. But she was worried that Pei Yiren would use some tricks on the investor Luo Qiyi, which led to the delay in signing the filming contract.

Judging from the fact that Mr. Luo mentioned Pei Yiren several times today, the relationship between the two must be unusually close. Maybe Mr. Luo supports Pei Yiren more.

But what about the endorsement contract proposed by Mr. Luo? Bu Yu was a little confused.

Xiao Han closed the book she had been reading for a long time, thought about it, and asked her agent to leave it alone for the time being and wait and see what happens.

She didn’t guess, because the purpose would be revealed sooner or later anyway.

In fact, Pei Yiren had often acted pitiful and weak in front of Luo Qiyi. She wanted to use some means to destroy Su Man’s chances of becoming the heroine of the movie, such as creating some black material. But Pei Yiren didn’t dare to repeat the same trick again. Luo Qiyi was not Ji Yanhuai. If it affected his investment in this project, even if he didn’t dislike her, his favorability would drop sharply. She still had to rely on the resources Luo Qiyi gave her to increase her positive reputation.

The true colors of some people were revealed just as Xiao Han had expected.

This time it’s a private invitation.

Luo Qiyi wanted to whet her appetite with film contracts and spokesperson contracts, but he didn’t expect that the other party was not in a hurry at all. Su Man’s personality was more interesting than he thought. With her moving beauty and interesting soul, Luo Qiyi became more and more interested in her.

So in this invitation, he directly asked, “Miss Su, would you consider dating me as a girlfriend?”

“Mr. Luo, are you discussing with me matters of sponsorship and monetary transactions?” Xiao Han said this without any shyness.

Luo Qiyi was stunned for a moment by her bluntness and boldness, and then said, “Of course not.”

He smiled slightly and said, “I said, it’s a normal relationship. You can choose whether to make it public or not. I respect you.”

Compared with how Luo Qiyi treated other women, this was the most devotion he had ever given.

Xiao Han laughed sarcastically, “For someone like you, what’s the difference between the two?”

Luo Qiyi’s expression was slightly serious, and he said slowly, “Su Man, you are joking now.”

Xiao Han said sarcastically, “Then you probably have never been sincere to anyone.”

Luo Qiyi thought she meant something else, “I can tell you clearly that I am single now, you don’t need to worry about anything.”

He even took the initiative to analyze the pros and cons for Su Man, “Don’t be in a hurry to reject me. Although Youyi values you very much and is willing to support you, it doesn’t have that many resources to take care of you. I know you have offended Tianhuang and the Ji family, but I can protect you and you can have a smooth journey in the entertainment industry.”

His words were sincere, but Xiao Han still wanted to laugh, “Mr. Luo, what do you think I have?”

Luo Qiyi’s face showed a slight confusion, but she continued, “I can say that I probably have nothing. What I have is just that I can barely be praised for my good acting skill.” Even appearance is nothing, just look at how badly Su Man was ridiculed in the past.

Xiao Han rarely made fun of herself and said calmly, “Since I have nothing, what do I have to be afraid of?”

Luo Qiyi was puzzled and said, “You can have it, and you deserve it.”

Xiao Han looked at him calmly and said, “No, I have always maintained this mentality, and there is no need to change it for anyone or anything.”