Chapter 43
At 7:30 p.m., the fifty guests of "360 Trades" gathered again in the hotel lobby.
The director looked at them with his usual sinister expression, making him seem like a wicked and malicious person.
Xu Gui finally arrived on time this time and sat obediently in the corner. This made the director feel a sense of relief when he saw her—good, the troublesome person is finally less of a worry this time. It would be great if she could be more proactive next time she films a program and not keep getting the cameraman to turn it off.
"Here, I would like to first congratulate everyone on successfully passing the first round of eliminations and advancing to the next round of competition..." the director said with a smile. "I hope to see you all here again next time."
Everyone: "..." There's just too much to say.
Shameless, thick-skinned, crocodile tears... all sorts of insults flashed through the minds of countless people at this moment, after all, this elimination system was created by the director.
"...If you didn't have this elimination tournament system, I guarantee you would see every single one of us every time." The young woman sitting next to Xu Gui muttered softly, directly expressing everyone's thoughts.
Xu Gui glanced at the other person curiously, and after being noticed, he immediately received a silly grin from the other person.
Xu Gui's glance might have been interpreted as a friendly signal by the other woman, because the next second, the young woman with a round face and a baby-like appearance moved closer to Xu Gui.
"Hello, my name is Fu Xia!" she introduced herself.
Xu Gui: "...My name is Xu Gui."
“I know you. You’re an artist under Xinghai Entertainment, the same company as Su Ya!” Fu Xia said, then whispered, “I’ve secretly watched your live streams before, I’m a fan!”
She looked at Xu Gui with curiosity and excitement, and asked her, "Can you really tell fortunes? I see that you don't use character analysis, face reading, or tortoise shell divination. It's completely different from what's shown on TV... So, how exactly do you tell fortunes for people?"
"Could you tell my fortune? I'd like to have my love life predicted."
Fu Xia looked distressed and said, "I really want to have a relationship, but I don't know why, every relationship I have ended without a trace, and I always end up with jerks."
Xu Gui looked at the word "good" written on her left cheek and the word "liar" written on her right cheek. Put the two sides together, it was a face full of the words "easy to fool". For some reason, he suddenly thought of Zheng Fulai.
Hmm, these two look somewhat alike.
"Don't worry, I'll give you the money. You won't lose out. My dad's very rich," Fu Xia said innocently. "Do you want two million or three million... just tell me!"
Xu Gui: ...This divination is not impossible.
Just then, a loud coughing sound rang in their ears. The two looked up at the same time and met the director's face, which had somehow gotten close to them.
The director looked at them slyly and asked, "You two seem to be having a good chat. What are you talking about? Can you tell me?"
Upon hearing this, Fu Xia stuck out her tongue, shrank her neck, and dared not utter a sound.
Xu Gui, however, thought for a moment, looked at the director, and asked him, "Do you really want to hear it?"
Director: ...I have a bad feeling.
However, as a cunning director, he always had an unusual curiosity. Even if he felt that what Xu Gui and the others said might not be good, he still nodded.
All right!
Xu Gui decided to grant the director's wish.
“We’re saying that you’re shameless, hypocritical, and a wolf in sheep’s clothing, director…” A string of words came out of her mouth clearly and distinctly.
Director: "..." You actually said that?
"Alright, alright." The director interrupted Xu Gui impatiently, saying, "I'm talking up here, you two better pay attention!" He looked just like a strict homeroom teacher who had caught his students whispering among themselves.
"You're amazing!" Fu Xia looked at Xu Gui with admiration. "You actually dared to talk to the director like that. The director looks so sinister, aren't you afraid of him?"
Xu Gui thought for a moment and said, "It's alright, the director is a good person."
After all, the other party not only didn't mind that I was a newcomer in the entertainment industry, but also invited me to the show to make money. After I won first place, the director even gave me a bonus of two million... How could someone who gives you money be a bad person?
Xu Gui nodded.
Fu Xia had no idea that this was how Xu Gui judged good people. She only knew that Xu Gui was a fortune teller, and what a fortune teller said was, of course, true.
Fu Xia suddenly realized something, and her gaze towards the director changed. Her innocent, naive eyes suddenly held a newfound trust: Ah, so the director is a really good person!
Director: ...I don't know why, but suddenly I felt like I was getting goosebumps all over.
*
"Our second round of eliminations will begin on the second day. All the money you've earned will be reset to zero and we'll start counting from the beginning. That means the person who was 30th in the previous round might be the person who came in first tomorrow!"
The director's voice was cold: "This time, only ten people will advance, and the remaining twenty will all be eliminated!"
With thirty people competing for only ten spots, the cruelty of the competition was self-evident. The room fell silent, and the gazes of the guests around them revealed a hint of hostility and competition.
The director's gaze swept over everyone, and he suddenly laughed again, saying, "Well then, I hope everyone will work hard and make lots of money tomorrow."
...
The guests dispersed, but a few were called away. The other guests, seeing this, couldn't help but speculate and began to whisper among themselves.
"What did the director ask them to do?"
"I heard from my uncle's aunt's son's daughter that our program has many sponsors. If a guest is favored by these sponsors during filming, they may receive various resources sponsored by them... Maybe these few are the ones who have caught the eye of the sponsors?"
Upon hearing this, Su Ya's brows furrowed, and she said, "It's one thing for the others, but who is Xu Gui? She's just a newcomer. What makes her so special that she can win the favor of the sugar daddy?"
That's right, Xu Gui was also among the guests who were called away. For some reason, Su Ya had been paying attention to her, so she personally saw Xu Gui being called away by the staff.
Su Ya scoffed: "Xu Gui has no fame, no fans, and no works to her name. Why would any sugar daddy want to be interested in her? What makes Xu Gui so special?"
How would we know? If you want to ask, you should ask the sponsor!
People couldn't help but have their own doubts.
"...It's also possible that my relative misspoke. The person who was called away might have had other matters to attend to." The guest who had just mentioned "insider information" gave an awkward smile and tried to smooth things over.
Su Ya looked indignant. She wanted to say something, but Tang Rou suddenly spoke up: "Regardless of whether the guests who were called away were chosen by the sponsor or for other reasons, all we can do is work hard to film and try our best not to be eliminated."
She smiled faintly: "Perhaps we will be the next ones to be noticed by our sugar daddy, so let's all work hard together."
Everyone knows Tang Rou's background: the youngest daughter of the Tang Corporation, a pampered young lady. Therefore, regardless of what people thought about her words, they all flattered her as if her words made perfect sense.
Surrounded by the crowd, Tang Rou remained as indifferent as ever, seemingly unconcerned about the fact that Xu Gui and the others might have been favored by a sugar daddy. However, only she herself knew what she was truly feeling at that moment.
But as her gaze swept in the direction Xu Gui and the others had left, Tang Rou's expression suddenly darkened.
...
Three guests were called away, including Xu Gui. However, they were separated and taken to different rooms.
When Xu Gui entered the room, he saw his agent there. Opposite the agent sat two other people, a man and a woman, both of whom were very young. When Xu Gui came in, the man's eyes lit up, and he stood up and started to walk towards Xu Gui.
However, before he could take a step, his secretary pinched him, and his face immediately turned into a bitter face, grimacing. By the time he recovered from the pain, Xu Gui had already walked up to him.
Xu Gui's agent also stood up and introduced the two people, mainly to Xu Gui, saying, "This is Mr. Ji Kaiming, and this is his secretary, Ms. Ai Lan."
Ji Kaiming eagerly extended his hand to Xu Gui and said happily, "Hello, Miss Xu, I'm Ji Kaiming... I watched your live stream before, and you looked so cool doing fortune telling for people on the live stream. Did you know you could tell fortunes? How do you do it?"
Xu Gui felt that these words sounded familiar, as if he had just heard them before.
Before Ji Kaiming could say anything more, Ailan, who was beside him, naturally stepped forward and placed her foot on his instep.
Ji Kaiming: Okay, I understand, I'll shut up.
"Miss Xu, please have a seat." Ai Lan said with a smile. After Xu Gui sat down, she introduced their background to Xu Gui: "We are from [Miaoyu]. We at [Miaoyu] mainly deal in aquatic pets, such as fish, shrimp, and turtles."
She still gave her boss some face: "Mr. Ji is our boss. We came here mainly to invite Ms. Xu to become our company's spokesperson!"
Xu Gui: "Ah, me?"
The agent also wanted to ask: "Are you sure the person you've chosen is Xu Gui?"
The agent couldn't understand what Ji Kaiming and the others saw in Xu Gui. It couldn't be because of her rambling, could it?
Ji Kaiming was finally able to speak. He said enthusiastically, "I watched your live stream the other day, Miss Xu, and I happened to hear you recommending turtles as pets to the audience. My family also has a turtle. It was raised by my grandfather, and it's said to have been passed down for several generations, from my great-great-grandfather's generation. Later, I also raised several turtles..."
"The moment I saw you, Miss Xu, I felt that you and I both love turtles. Don't you think that's fate?"
His eyes were full of admiration as he looked at Xu Gui.
Upon hearing his words, Xu Gui's face showed interest, and he couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Ji, do you also like turtles?"
Ji Kaiming nodded firmly: "Of course."
He beamed, "Let me tell you, I know a lot about turtles. My grandpa's turtle was raised by me since it was a chick. Later, I started a pet company because of this..."
The two started chatting about turtles. Ji Kaiming really knew a lot about turtles, and he spoke fluently and knowledgeably about many things related to them.
Xu Gui didn't really know much about turtles, but she was a turtle herself, a black tortoise, so listening to Ji Kaiming's words, she couldn't help but feel more fond of him—who wouldn't like someone who likes turtles?
Xu Guilai has been in the human world for so long, but he has rarely seen anyone who likes turtles. Instead, people like to bring turtles when they are cursing.
Thinking this way, she found Ji Kaiming even more pleasing to the eye.
Both of them liked turtles, so they naturally hit it off immediately and got along very well.
Ai Lan and Xu Gui's agent watched as the two chatted more and more happily. By the end of the conversation, Ji Kaiming looked like he couldn't wait to drag Xu Gui to become sworn brothers with him.
Alan: "..."
She rubbed her forehead, looked at her agent, and said, "Let's talk about the endorsement contract."
If the boss is unreliable, then she, the secretary, has no choice but to step in.
What followed was a bizarre scene in the room: on one side, everyone was joyful and the atmosphere was so harmonious that they were about to go out for dinner; on the other side, the atmosphere was serious, sharp and menacing, with no room for compromise.
After Ji Kaiming finished talking with Xu Gui, he finally had the mind to listen to Ai Lan's conversation with her agent. Hearing the two still arguing about the endorsement fee, he said nonchalantly, "I think giving Xu Gui three million for the endorsement fee is pretty good!"
Alan: ? ?
She stared at Ji Kaiming in shock, her face clearly saying, "Are you crazy?" She had just asked for 800,000 yuan for the endorsement, and this was almost four times that!
Having worked as a secretary for so many years, Ai Lan says this is the first time she's ever seen a boss actively raising prices... So, is this reasonable?
Ji Kaiming said confidently, "I think Xu Gui is very suitable to be the spokesperson for our product. We definitely won't lose money on three million... Besides, she and I are friends. Would I let my friend suffer a loss?"
He had changed his way of addressing Xu Gui from "Miss Xu" to calling her by her full name, indicating that their relationship was progressing rapidly.
Three million, more than I made at the Zheng family's house... Xu Gui couldn't help but look at Ji Kaiming.
Ji Kaiming thought she was afraid of being taken advantage of, so he comforted her, "Don't worry, my family is very wealthy. You are my friend, so of course I can't let you suffer."
Xu Gui looked at him and suddenly nodded seriously: "Yes, friend!"
She made up her mind that no matter who came, Ji Kaiming would be her best friend, without exception.
Seeing the two acting like close friends, Ai Lan's lips twitched slightly, feeling rather conflicted. She turned to look at Xu Gui's agent, who was also dumbfounded, clearly having never seen such a "generous" client before.
"Are you sure you want three million?" Alan asked.
Ji Kaiming nodded, his tone firm: "Three million it is."
Ailan sighed, trying not to get too angry. After all, it wasn't the first time she'd heard that Ji Kaiming was...
As for why their company has been able to grow so big and strong without going bankrupt, it's entirely due to the hard work of their employees and the fact that the company has a powerful backer who provides Ji Kaiming with a lot of support. Otherwise, given Ji Kaiming's extravagant spending habits, their company would have collapsed long ago.
“Then let’s go with a three million endorsement fee…” Ai Lan looked at Xu Gui’s agent, “Let’s sign the contract now.”
Xu Gui's agent: Hmm?
“I think you can reconsider.” He smiled insincerely. “Xu Gui is still a newcomer. Don’t you think this price is too high? How about this, I have another artist under my management. Unlike Xu Gui, she’s not a newcomer. She has over a million followers on Weibo and has already filmed quite a few TV series.”
The agent tentatively suggested, "How about you get her to be your spokesperson?"
Ai Lan was surprised that Xu Gui's agent would not speak up for her and even wanted to give the endorsement to another female celebrity. She couldn't help but turn to look at Xu Gui, and Ji Kaiming also looked at Xu Gui.
"Does your agent have a grudge against you?" Ji Kaiming couldn't help but ask. "This is the first time I've ever seen an agent give their artist's endorsement to another celebrity."
This is clearly a deep-seated grudge.
Xu Gui looked at his agent's frozen face, nodded, and said, "Pretty much. I remember the last time we met, he said he wanted to ruin my reputation."
Ji Kaiming suddenly realized: "No wonder."
He glanced at his agent, curled his lip, and said, "You're dreaming of seeing an art exhibition—you're dreaming. This endorsement deal for my company is something I specifically sought out because I had my eye on Xu Gui. Do you think just any Tom, Dick, or Harry can endorse our company?"
Ji Kaiming clearly comes from a very good family background and was pampered growing up. He didn't give his agent any face when he spoke.
“I don’t think your agent is very good. Why don’t you terminate your contract with him and switch to another company?” He looked at Xu Gui.
Xu Gui said, "Although he's not a very good person, our company is quite good. Before I had a job, they paid a basic salary of 5,000 yuan every month and also paid for my social insurance and housing fund."
Ji Kaiming: "Five thousand, is that a lot?" His tone was very serious.
“That’s quite a lot,” Xu Gui said seriously. “It’s enough for me to eat every month.”
Ji Kaiming: "That's actually pretty good."
Xu Gui: "So, I'm thinking that from now on, just changing an agent will be enough; I won't need to change companies..."
Agent: Are you two treating me like I don't exist?
"Do you need my help?" Ji Kaiming asked eagerly.
Xu Gui looked at him, her eyes brightening slightly: "Can you help me?"
Looking at him like that, Ji Kaiming's confidence soared, and he raised his head high, declaring, "Of course I can! Don't let my appearance fool you, I have a vast network of connections! If I can't do it, my brother can, or my sister can too!"
He asked Xu Gui, "Do you know what my brother is? He's the CEO of Holy Emperor!"
Xu Gui honestly shook his head: "I don't know him."
The agent standing to the side spoke up and asked, "Could it be... Saint Emperor Jewelry?"
Ji Kaiming gave him a look and said, "I didn't realize you had such good taste."
The agent took a breath, his expression changing slightly.
He certainly knew "Holy Emperor," or rather, anyone in the entertainment industry would know this name, after all, it was an extremely well-known luxury jewelry brand, famous even abroad.
Celebrities in the entertainment industry consider it an honor to wear "Holy Emperor" jewelry at any event; this is not just being famous, but being extremely famous.
The agent remembered that the boss behind "Holy Emperor" was indeed surnamed Ji, and the Ji family had three brothers: an older brother, an older sister, and a younger brother. The person in front of him was probably the youngest son of the Ji family.
The agent's gaze towards Ji Kaiming changed, and he forced a smile, saying, "So, you are Young Master Ji."
Ji Kaiming looked at him: "You know me?"
Agent: "Of course I know you. I even had the pleasure of meeting your sister, Ms. Ji Mingwei, once. You two siblings look very alike."
Upon hearing this, Xu Gui couldn't help but glance at his agent, realizing for the first time what it meant to "lie through one's teeth." How could Ji Kaiming possibly resemble his second sister?
But Ji Kaiming didn't think so. In his view, he was just like everyone in his family.
"You have good taste!" He gave his agent a look and said, "Let me tell you, Xu Gui is my friend. Don't even think about bullying her. If you dare to do anything to her, I'll have my brother and sister teach you a lesson!"
The agent chuckled awkwardly and said, "No, no, how could that be?"
He glanced at Xu Gui silently, wondering how she had won the favor of this young master. Could it be that this young master Ji had taken a liking to Xu Gui? The agent felt that he understood something.
*
Thanks to Ji Kaiming's generosity, Xu Gui quickly signed an endorsement contract with [Miaoyu]. Starting tomorrow, Xu Gui will be responsible for promoting [Miaoyu] during his live streams.
Looking at the contract, Alan couldn't help but sigh—he didn't even know if he could earn back the three million in endorsement fees.
Forget it, just consider it as spending three million to entertain the young master. The Ji family isn't short of money.
“Tomorrow our employees will deliver our company’s products to your fortune-telling stall,” Ai Lan said to Xu Gui. “At that time, we’ll trouble you to promote our products.”
As for whether the publicity is effective, it doesn't matter. [Miaoyu] was originally opened by Ji Kaiming on a whim because he likes aquatic pets. He simply opened a full-service business to serve himself. Although it has slowly grown, it is still just a small company.
When Ji Kaiming left, he said to Xu Gui, "Good friend, I'll treat you to dinner next time. I know several private kitchen restaurants that serve really good food."
Xu Gui nodded: "Okay."
She and her agent escorted the boss and his secretary downstairs. After waving goodbye to Ji Kaiming, the two seemingly incompatible agents and artists simultaneously fell silent, looking at each other with disdain.
"I never expected you to have climbed such a high branch as the Ji family," the agent mocked.
Xu Gui looked at him with disdain and commented, "Your heart is really filthy, and your head is full of abnormal things... But then again, with your habit of sending your artists to investors' beds, you can't possibly have anything good in your head."
The agent's expression changed, and he subconsciously said, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
Xu Gui said, "I'm not making this up. I've already said I'm a fortune teller, so of course I can predict anything... For example, I predicted that you introduced another artist under your management to an investor last night, and I also predicted that you've been keeping a mistress behind your wife's back."
When Xu Gui was talking about the first part, the agent's expression didn't change much, but when he heard the latter part, his expression changed.
"How did you know?" he blurted out.
Xu Gui glanced at him and chuckled, "I've already told you I'm a fortune teller... So, it would be best if we could just stay peaceful like this. But if you try anything to me, don't blame me for telling your wife about it."
Upon hearing this, the agent's expression began to change drastically, turning pale and then red.
Xu Gui knew why he was reacting so strongly. Between his agent and his wife, his wife was more assertive, especially his wife's brother. If word got out that his agent was having an affair...
"Your brother-in-law will definitely break your legs, won't he?" Xu Gui sighed.
The agent's face darkened further—Xu Gui had guessed right again.
Xu Gui left, and as she left, she could feel her back burning up, as if the other person wanted to stare a hole through her back.
Xu Gui muttered to himself: "Just wait and see, I'll go blind from looking at this all day!"
Xu Gui planned to go straight back to her room to rest, but as soon as she stepped out of the elevator, she heard someone call her name:
"Xu Gui!"
Xu Gui turned his head, looked at the person who appeared in front of him, and raised an eyebrow.
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