Princess Syndrome - Chapter 13
Chapter 13: Cooperation
Su Lingyue was blacklisted for the first time when her father gave her an ultimatum, instigating her friends to persuade her to marry Zhou Yan. She blacklisted a large group, and another group of friends blacklisted her.
Because they all knew her personality and what she was about to face.
If she could compromise and marry Zhou Yan, she could continue to be the Su family's beloved daughter, a princess doted upon by everyone. But she wouldn't. Those friends, seeing that they couldn't get any benefits from her, blacklisted her under the guise of avoiding suspicion.
She didn't care about it in the past.
But this was a business partner.
Su Lingyue registered a new WeChat account with a separate number and added Yang Zhizhi. There was no response. She tried adding her every five minutes. Finally, there was a response: [Are you sick?]
Getting added is the main thing.
She ignored the insulting message and sent: [Hello Miss Yang, I'm President Ji's assistant, Su Lingyue. I'd like to discuss the endorsement matter with you.]
Yang Zhizhi was amused to the point of laughter.
She could imagine Su Lingyue's expression when sending this message. It must be the same as last night, indifferent, calm, with a hint of casualness and nonchalance. She suddenly thought of the online comments about her, a human-like doll.
It was quite fitting.
Yang Zhizhi put down her phone when her assistant asked, "Zhizhi, has Sister Lin asked if you're interested in any endorsements recently?"
Sister Lin was her manager.
Since her debut, the number of advertisements and endorsements she had done was very few. Everyone said that people should seize the few years when they were popular to make money, accepting as much as they could. She did the opposite. Even now, she hadn't taken more than five endorsements. Initially, the management company wasn't happy, but then they realized her asking price was getting higher and higher. Now, it had increased several times over, and every time she endorsed something, her fans would do their best to support it.
So, she had the leverage to negotiate endorsements with the management company.
Every endorsement needed her approval.
She turned her head. "Yilin Group?"
The assistant nodded. "You met President Ji yesterday. She seemed quite sincere."
Everyone was familiar with Yilin now. Which place didn't have a few of their branches? After acquiring Su Qi, they were faintly challenging the leading Dingsheng Group. To have developed to this stage in just a few years was enough to demonstrate Ji Zhiyi's ability.
Many artists wanted to collaborate with her, but she had asked for her specifically three times.
That was quite sincere.
But it wasn't enough.
Yang Zhizhi looked at her phone. She sent a message to Su Lingyue: [How do you want to cooperate?]
Su Lingyue thought it would take many days of negotiation. She didn't expect her to agree so easily. She immediately replied: [We have a letter of intent. I can send it to you to take a look.]
Yang Zhizhi sent: [Bring it to me.]
Su Lingyue looked at this message.
Yang Zhizhi: [7 PM, bring it to me. [Address]]
She even included an address.
It was a high school.
The same high school Su Lingyue had attended.
Is Yang Zhizhi filming there? She didn't go to Hengdian this time? Su Lingyue had no objections: [Okay.]
Putting down her phone, she felt a little relieved. Seeing that it was almost time for the furniture to be delivered, she got up and said to Ji Zhiyi, "President Ji, the furniture is about to arrive. Would you like to go somewhere else?"
Ji Zhiyi said, "No need."
Just as she finished speaking, Su Lingyue's phone rang. She answered it. The delivery from the furniture store had arrived downstairs. She said goodbye to Ji Zhiyi and walked out while talking on the phone. Ji Zhiyi closed her computer and asked Wu Meiyan to come in and tidy up the documents. Then she walked to the coffee table and looked at the files Su Lingyue had organized.
Each one had a label. Quite meticulous.
The labels indicated the category, and some included price references. She flipped through a few pages when she heard Wu Meiyan ask, "President Ji, do you need help tidying up here too?"
Ji Zhiyi said, "I'll take care of these."
She put away Su Lingyue's organized files one by one. Just as she finished, Su Lingyue led the delivery people in. From desks to sofas to bookshelves, the store had even thoughtfully included two potted plants as a gift. Su Lingyue stood at the door, looking at the office filled with new and old furniture, feeling a sense of separation.
A separation from the past.
The layout of this office was the same as the head office, which was the same as her father's office. After her mother passed away, she refused to go home for a while, always wanting to find her father and wait for him to get off work. If it was too late, she would fall asleep on the sofa. At that time, she was ignorant of emotions and didn't know the nature of her father's intimacy with Zhou Shiyu, but she instinctively wanted to get all of her father's attention.
Later, as she grew older and began to understand, she tasted disgust in the subtle details.
Arguments were inevitable. She found it increasingly difficult to control her temper, reaching a point where she would throw a tantrum every time she saw Zhou Shiyu. Her 'caring' father brought in doctors to help her accept Zhou Shiyu. She cursed the doctors away, cursed away the friends who came to persuade her. She became increasingly sharp-tongued and unreasonable. Her life was like a farce, and she reveled in her tantrums every day.
Until the old house was transferred to Zhou Shiyu.
The farce ended.
Then her father found her a new farce, Zhou Yan.
She hated this person and, consequently, began to hate going to the company and entering this office.
These instinctive rejections weren't strong, as faint as eating a disliked food. There was just a hint of displeasure when she recalled them. In fact, she knew that it wasn't the office she disliked.
It was the person sitting in the office.
Because now the person sitting there was Ji Zhiyi.
So, that hint of displeasure was diluted.
Now, with everything disrupted and starting anew, the only things left in the office were the wallpaper and floor tiles. Su Lingyue looked at the empty office, feeling a sense of novelty and unfamiliarity. Su Lingyue asked Ji Zhiyi, "President Ji, should we put the desk back in the same spot?"
Ji Zhiyi said, "You decide."
The weight on her shoulders instantly increased.
Su Lingyue began to plan. Fortunately, the salesperson also came along with the delivery and offered many suggestions. Ji Zhiyi watched Su Lingyue busily running around, hesitating in front of the sofa about where to place it, then standing by the French windows, asking them to move the desk to the left, acting like an interior designer. She stood behind her with a smile, watching her work.
Soon, the office gradually became different from before. The bookshelves needed to be organized. Ji Zhiyi checked the time and said to Su Lingyue, "I'm going to the design department for a meeting. You oversee things here."
Without her, Su Lingyue relaxed a bit and even prepared iced tea for the delivery staff. Wu Meiyan watched Su Lingyue going in and out of the office and asked, "President Ji doesn't like this office?"
She said, "Maybe."
Someone else said, "The previous office was too dull. It's normal for President Ji not to like it."
Su Lingyue thought.
Ji Zhiyi was quite a dull person herself.
But it was probably true that she didn't like it, otherwise, why would she spend money to renovate it? She walked inside. Most of the furniture had been replaced, except for the bookshelves. However, Ji Zhiyi had previously asked her to dispose of all the books and decorations, so they were empty, not a single item left. The bare bookshelves and desk looked a bit out of place.
Su Lingyue pondered for a few seconds and placed the two potted plants the store had gifted on top.
At least they added some life.
The secretary from the marketing department passed by the office door, then returned and peeked inside. "Wow!"
Su Lingyue turned around.
The secretary said, "Did President Ji choose all this furniture?"
Su Lingyue asked, "What's wrong?"
She said, "She has great taste."
Su Lingyue smiled. "I chose it."
She had originally intended to praise Ji Zhiyi.
The secretary: ...
She nodded. "It's nice."
Su Lingyue forced a smile.
The secretary took another look. The scattered furniture looked quite impressive when arranged. Abandoning the previous pure white and cold tones, they had added some dark gray and creamy white furniture, which neutralized the coldness, immediately giving a sense of stability and warmth.
A welcoming comfort.
Much more comfortable than the sharp, exposed coldness she felt every time she passed by the office and looked inside.
So, the secretary couldn't help but return for another look.
Su Lingyue was also quite satisfied. She and Wu Meiyan put all the files back in Ji Zhiyi's office. There was also a dark gray briefcase. Perhaps it had bumped against something during the move, as the clasp was open. Su Lingyue didn't notice when she picked up the bag, and a few files fell out. She bent down to pick them up and realized they were all discarded documents. Just as she was wondering, a hand reached over and took the briefcase and files from her hand. There was a light gray watch on the wrist.
Ji Zhiyi.
She looked up.
She saw Ji Zhiyi putting the files back in the bag and fastening the clasp, her movements slow, even a little cautious.
Su Lingyue finished tidying the other files and stood up. "President Ji, the office is ready to use."
Ji Zhiyi's voice was indifferent. "Understood."
Su Lingyue followed her into the office and placed the files on the desk. Everything in the office had been replaced, oh—except for the rug under the sofa.
That rug was really comfortable.
When Ji Zhiyi said they were replacing everything, she was a little reluctant, but then Ji Zhiyi said, "That one doesn't need to be replaced."
She was happy.
The files she hadn't finished organizing on the coffee table were piled up. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ji Zhiyi turning on the computer. The original desk and coffee table faced each other, so Ji Zhiyi could see Su Lingyue as soon as she looked up. Now, there was a sofa in between. When Su Lingyue sat on the sofa, her back was to Ji Zhiyi.
Ji Zhiyi also noticed this.
When she looked up, she didn't see Su Lingyue, but the back of the sofa. When Su Lingyue sat on the sofa, she could see a little, but when she sat on the rug, she could only see her head bobbing. Perhaps Su Lingyue thought she couldn't see her from this angle, so she relaxed her body. Since their reunion, this was the first time she sensed a hint of joy from Su Lingyue's body language.
The computer screen hadn't lit up yet. Ji Zhiyi retracted her gaze and saw the smile on her face reflected in the black screen. She called out, "Assistant Su."
Su Lingyue jumped as if a complacent cat had been startled. She came back to her senses, looked at Ji Zhiyi, and her expression returned to calm. "President Ji, do you need anything?"
Ji Zhiyi said, "Pour me a glass of water."
Su Lingyue got up, took her cup, went out, poured a glass of water, and returned. She was very quick. When she came back, Ji Zhiyi was on the phone. She moved more quietly. Ji Zhiyi looked up and met her eyes. Seeing that it wasn't convenient for her to speak after putting down the cup, she mouthed, "Thank you."
Although her expression was still indifferent, her politeness made Su Lingyue feel overwhelmed.
Her heart fluttered for a moment. She stood there for a few seconds before returning to the coffee table to continue sorting the files.
Ji Zhiyi was on the phone for almost half an hour. By the time she hung up, it was almost time to get off work. Su Lingyue received a message from Chu Yi, asking if she was off work. She checked the time. It was just past six.
Su Lingyue turned to Ji Zhiyi and said, "President Ji, I'll leave work first."
Ji Zhiyi knew she was going back to pack her clothes and nodded.
Su Lingyue left the office with her bag.
After she left, Ji Zhiyi walked to the French windows with her cup. From the tenth floor, she could see the scene below. People leaving work were in a hurry, some taking buses, some riding bikes, some driving cars, and some chatting idly at the entrance.
Su Lingyue was one of those waiting for a ride. She checked her phone from time to time, the gazes of her colleagues beside her carrying some judgment, but she didn't care. As soon as Chu Yi's car arrived, she opened the door and got in.
Chu Yi asked, "How was today?"
Su Lingyue had only one feeling: "Tired."
Chu Yi said, "I'll make you something good to eat when we get home?"
Su Lingyue said, "No time, I have to go to Second High."
Chu Yi was curious. "What are you going to Second High for?"
Su Lingyue said, "To see Yang Zhizhi."
Chu Yi immediately looked worried. One Ji Zhiyi wasn't enough, now there was Yang Zhizhi. Su Lingyue's life, how turbulent!
In contrast, Su Lingyue leaned back in her seat calmly and even scrolled through Weibo for a while.
Remembering that she was going to collaborate with Yang Zhizhi, she hadn't followed her yet, so she found Yang Zhizhi's Weibo and tapped follow.
Yang Zhizhi was on a break, drinking a cold drink and scrolling through Weibo. Even when she was gaining tens or hundreds of thousands of followers a day, she wouldn't necessarily click on the new followers to take a look. But today, on a whim, she clicked, and Su Lingyue's Weibo account was displayed on the screen.
She choked on her drink.
Her first instinct was to blacklist her.
Thinking that Su Lingyue would be coming over later, she held back and asked her assistant, "What time is Su Lingyue coming?"
The assistant said, "Seven o'clock."
Yang Zhizhi checked the time. It was almost time. She said, "Go buy a few cups of lemonade, the kind with extra lemons."
The assistant understood. "Okay."
Yang Zhizhi leaned back in her chair, picked up the script, and began to study it. More than half an hour later, the assistant returned and handed the drink to Yang Zhizhi. Yang Zhizhi put it aside. The assistant asked, "Zhizhi, do you want me to rehearse lines with you?"
Just as she finished speaking, the assistant's phone rang. It was the stage manager, saying Su Lingyue was outside and wanted to come in to see Yang Zhizhi. She stood up, saying, "I'm coming."
Yang Zhizhi leaned forward and saw the assistant leading Su Lingyue in. It was hot, and there was sweat on her face, her fair skin flushed, her eyes bright, and she walked up calmly and said, "Miss Yang, this is the letter of intent..."
Before she could finish, Yang Zhizhi said, "Sit."
She didn't take the letter of intent.
Su Lingyue sat in the chair in front of her.
Around them were stagehands and staff, and many other artists were looking over. Yang Zhizhi couldn't really do anything. She glanced at the script and said, "Rehearse a scene with me."
Su Lingyue frowned. "Huh?"
Yang Zhizhi said, "Help me rehearse lines. Assistant Su should know how, right?"
Rehearse lines.
Just read them out, what's so difficult about that.
Su Lingyue asked, "Which lines?"
Yang Zhizhi looked at the assistant, who quickly put the script in Su Lingyue's hand and said, "The lines are in this section. The character is a spoiled and vicious young lady."
Su Lingyue nodded, read through the lines, and looked at Yang Zhizhi. "Shall we start?"
Yang Zhizhi was drinking water and choked when she heard this. "Aren't you going to study it for a bit?"
"No need," Su Lingyue said expressionlessly. "I'm playing myself."
HAHAHAHAHA
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