Chapter 164 Mutual Appreciation

Ji Sheng laughed heartily. "The young are to be feared. The ancients were right. You young people are the ones who dare to fight and struggle. I admire your courage, and I admire your ability even more. Not only me, but several directors also admire you and praise your sharpness."

He is a man who is generous with praise, but he is a man who is reluctant to give salary increases.

Hu Xiaoxiao didn't miss the opportunity to flatter Qiu Lihua. After all, she hadn't returned his "return gift" yet. "Ji Sheng, you really should have praised me. Otherwise, Wang Shasha would have snatched up the role of 'Mu Guiying,' and the previous 'Fan Lihua' would have become the current 'Mu Guiying.' If I hadn't fought for it, there wouldn't be a single TV series that could have helped you redeem yourself, let alone increase the company's revenue."

"That's right. Thanks to your courage back then, I should toast you a glass." Ji Sheng gestured at the wine in his hand.

Hu Xiaoxiao humbly waved his hand again and said, "I can't say I respect you. It's only right that I, as a junior, should respect you. Actually, I didn't think too much about it at the time. As a member of the company, the company has given me such a good stage and has been so kind to me. I naturally thought that I should put the company's interests first.

At the time, I thought that a TV station is a company, not a charity, and a company is certainly not a place for people to satisfy their selfish desires or keep mistresses, so I was so bold as to borrow Ji Sheng's influence.

Ji Sheng's smile remained unchanged as he said, "You are absolutely right and you did a great job. If something like this happens again in the future, feel free to borrow my influence and I will be your backer."

"Then it's a deal. I won't be polite. Don't blame me for using chicken feathers as a token of authority in the future, Jisheng."

"Hahaha, you already said you'd prioritize the company's interests. If I don't support you, then how could I support those losers who mess around with the company's money?"

Hu Xiaoxiao listened to what Ji Sheng said, and her smile deepened. She raised her glass and said, "I will definitely help Ji Sheng make a lot of money in the future."

"I believe you. You are famous for attracting wealth." Ji Sheng also raised his glass.

“Cheers!”

“Cheers!”

Hu Xiaoxiao clinked the wine glasses together and drank the whole glass in one gulp.

After greeting Ji Sheng, Hu Xiaoxiao went to the drinks counter and got a glass of freshly squeezed juice. She looked over when she heard the pleasant sound of a piano.

In the center of the venue, Zhu Wanwen was performing piano music to liven up the atmosphere.

Zhu Wanwen played the role of Yang Paifeng in the TV series "Mu Guiying". Due to her good characterization and outstanding performance, her fame rose rapidly. Although she was not scheduled to perform at the anniversary celebration, she was arranged to perform a piano piece at the evening party, which shows that the company intends to promote her.

Hu Xiaoxiao saw Linda holding a glass of wine, tasting it while enjoying Zhu Wanwen's piano music.

Hu Xiaoxiao walked over and said to Linda, "Sister Linda seems to appreciate Wanwen."

Seeing that it was Hu Xiaoxiao, Linda smiled, not as serious as usual, and said, "Actually, I admire you more."

"Really? I'm very honored." Hu Xiaoxiao said happily. It was a high praise for her to be recognized by Linda, who always had high standards.

Although Ji Sheng had been praising her just now, it was because she brought profits to her company. Ji Sheng would praise anyone who could create value for the company.

But Linda has no vested interest in her, and she is not someone who praises others easily. For such a person, her words of praise are more valuable.

Seeing Hu Xiaoxiao so happy, Linda couldn't help but smile again and said something very emotional, "If women want to make a career like men, they often need to put in more effort. In many things, men can do 60% of the time, but women have to do 100% of the time to be respected."

Hu Xiaoxiao nodded in agreement, "Indeed."

Even though she has achieved a lot, there are still people who look down on her because she is a woman. The prejudice against women in this society is very deep and deeply rooted.

"A lot of people scold me behind my back for being overbearing and unreasonable, but if I were too reasonable, there would be no place for me, Linda, here." Linda didn't know if she was drunk, or it was just a rare occasion for her to meet someone she could talk to, so she couldn't help but talk a lot.

In a highly competitive and brutal workplace, it’s not enough for a woman to just have the ability. If she doesn’t have a strong personality and can’t stand up for herself, she’ll often be seen as someone who can be bullied. Once that image is established, it becomes very difficult for her to get anything done.

Hu Xiaoxiao seemed to understand something. He held out his glass and clinked it with Linda's. He said, "It doesn't matter if others think we are overbearing or unreasonable. As long as we know what we are doing, that's fine."

Others? What does it have to do with her?

"That's right." Linda also clinked glasses with Hu Xiaoxiao.

"Wan Wen is a good person. I think Sister Linda is also optimistic about her." Hu Xiaoxiao said.

Linda nodded and said, "Her performance as Yang Paifeng was quite good. I've looked up her performance since she joined the TV station, and she's a promising talent. It doesn't matter if someone has little talent. As long as they're willing to learn and make progress, I'm always willing to support them."

Hu Xiaoxiao couldn't help but feel happy for Zhu Wanwen. After all her hard work, she finally saw results. She believed that Zhu Wanwen would go further and further in the future.

She also believed that Zhu Wanwen would seize this opportunity.

Zhu Wanwen is also a person who is very good at seizing opportunities.

Hu Xiaoxiao was holding a glass of juice and after greeting someone she knew, she was about to go to the dessert area to find something to eat, but was stealthily pulled aside by Mingxu.

Mingxu held a tray in his other hand, which was filled with delicious food.

He found a darker spot, put down the tray, and asked Hu Xiaoxiao to sit down as well. "Eat first, and we'll talk while we eat."

"You've eaten so much, aren't you afraid that Charlie will come and attack you again?" Hu Xiaoxiao took a piece of dessert, tasted it, and said, "I heard that Charlie seems to be starting a new drama for you."

"I'm going to tell you something. Don't tell anyone else and keep it a secret for me." Mingxu also took some desserts to eat. He finished one in just a few bites, and then finished another in just a few bites.

"Does this matter have anything to do with me?" Hu Xiaoxiao snatched a piece of his favorite food from his hand to prevent him from eating it all.

"It's nothing."

"Then don't tell me, I don't like secrets." If she is not asked to keep it a secret, she will not say anything, but once she is asked to keep it a secret, she will be particularly concerned about it and might accidentally tell it one day.

Mingxu said, "We're friends. It would be disloyal of me if I didn't tell you. Besides, everyone in the company would know about it soon."

The most important thing was that he was happy and wanted to show off to someone. After much thought, he decided that showing off was only suitable in front of Hu Xiaoxiao. He was afraid that showing off in front of others would make people put him in a sack or attract jealousy.