Chapter 237 Friends
During the evening recording, after Chen Xingzhi refused Yao Xin's offer to host the Sunday fundraising gala, Ren Limeng took the initiative to recommend An Ling to co-host. Even ordinary staff members of the program crew, after observing them these days, found it hard not to think that Ren Limeng and An Ling were good friends.
In the eyes of outsiders, it was An Ling and Dong Zhu's deliberate plan to make Ren Limeng close to their group, but An Ling did not expect that with the sudden series of high-ranking hot searches tonight, the situation suddenly changed again, which might put their group in a passive position as well.
"Li Meng, are you threatening me?"
As Ren Limeng spoke softly, An Ling's expression moved slightly. She stared at Ren Limeng intently, with scrutiny written in her eyes. The deliberate indignation in her tone faded, and she resumed her normal, nonchalant tone.
"Sister Ling, we're just getting what we need. Don't you want to be as strategic as Minister Zhong? Some things just don't happen!"
An Ling is in her prime, far from the age where she would normally move behind the scenes at the station. Minister Zhong is in power, and now is the critical period of the battle between the two sides of the channel. It can only be a personal choice for An Ling to choose to retire at this time, give up the title of the first female host of the Orange platform, and transform into a program producer.
After a moment's thought, Ren Limeng immediately caught hold of An Ling's hidden ambition. She leaned forward, and her voice seemed to be very humble, but her words were constantly tempting and controlling An Ling.
"Minister Zhong, you're the one who helped us on stage. What about you now? Whether a new program can gain popularity depends on the guests. Do you have any better candidates?"
Whether it is the ability of the guests or the star traffic, Ren Limeng and Shen Xingzhi are almost the best choices at present, and Shen Xingzhi has been on the list of the hard-to-invite top stars in the entertainment industry for many years. An Ling can fully foresee that their joining will help the program team in attracting investment, diverting traffic and other aspects.
An Ling's gaze fell on Ren Limeng again, and she seemed to see Shen Xingzhi behind her through Ren Limeng's meaningful smile. She understood Ren Limeng's proposal, which contained a hint that she could not refuse outright.
"Can you influence Shen Xingzhi's choice?"
If Ren Limeng could help get Shen Xingzhi to participate in her new show...
An Ling was thinking in her heart, trying hard to suppress her breathing which was getting heavier. Once certain thoughts came up, it was easy to completely stop them. She couldn't even help but put away her perfunctory attitude and began to think seriously about how to act in the extra episode of "Mountains and Seas".
"Sister Ling, if we were just ordinary partners, this would be a bit difficult, but if we were friends, wouldn't it be natural for us to help each other?"
The night is getting deeper.
Ren Limeng did not make any promises as An Ling expected. She stood up and sat on the bed closer to An Ling. Her ambiguous attitude made An Ling feel even more intriguing at the moment.
An Ling sat up straight, looked at his partner again seriously, and his tone became more serious.
"Li Meng, the review of the content for 'Shan Hai' is more complicated than you think. Your agricultural channel might only need the approval of leadership to air it, but as our entertainment channel's flagship variety show this season, every shot it airs is more complex. Do you understand what I mean?"
Ren Limeng smiled noncommittally. She didn't care whether she understood An Ling's evasive words or not. What mattered was that she understood the subtext behind An Ling's words.
This is a difficult matter. If she can't make a promise on behalf of Shen Xingzhi, the chips are not enough to make the final decision.
"Sister Ling, Brother Xingzhi and I have an impulsive idea."
In Ren Limeng's mind, the goal cannot be achieved by just making big promises. If she wants to control An Ling, she naturally has a backup plan.
"We are going to announce our relationship tomorrow."
"ah!"
An Ling's eyes flashed with a rare look of surprise. She opened her mouth slightly, and her body suddenly straightened. She moved quickly and stiffly to Ren Limeng's side, breathing heavily with a tone of confirmation, "Are you guys confirmed in your relationship? When did it happen?"
"Sister Ling, you are the first person in the entire program to know about this. Brother Xingzhi and I really treat you as a friend."
Ren Limeng did not answer An Ling's question. She tilted her head slightly, and her sincere words were filled with crazy hints and naked temptation. This time, An Ling finally did not refuse directly or vaguely.
The whole room suddenly fell silent. The howling wind outside the window sounded like the roaring of a wild beast or the galloping of thousands of horses. The branches and leaves of the big trees on the street were rustling in the wind, and the branches shook violently in the wind, making a creaking sound.
An Ling frowned slightly, and her whole body exuded a hint of seriousness. Her eyes met Ren Limeng's deep eyes in the air. After a long time, Ren Limeng finally waited for the reply she wanted.
"When will you announce your relationship tomorrow? I'll have the editor start working on it now so we can update it tomorrow."
"Sister Ling, don't worry about adding more episodes. We can ask the editor to do it tomorrow and it should be in time. We can just stick to the original broadcast time on Saturday. As for me and Brother Xingzhi, we can announce our relationship at any time. Do you have a suggested time?"
After An Ling said "hurry up", Ren Limeng subconsciously quickly opened the screen of her mobile phone and glanced at the screen time which was already past 10:30 in the evening. She sympathized with her colleague, recalled her own days and nights in the past, and tactfully persuaded An Ling.
"Li Meng, I don't need them, and Yao Xin won't let them rest. Don't you work overtime on the agricultural channel?"
“…”
Ren Limeng finally smiled reluctantly for a moment. She didn't expect that she and An Ling had practiced Tai Chi for so many rounds with ease, and when they were about to reach a consensus, she was almost broken down on the spot because of An Ling's calm words.
Maybe this is the difference between workers and capitalists^_^
"Regarding the public announcement of the relationship... I suggest we hold it back until tomorrow night or later. That will be perfect for the extra update."
An Ling smiled meaningfully. Ren Limeng met her obviously tentative gaze and her expression changed, but the next second, only an equally meaningful smile remained on Ren Limeng's face.
"Sister Ling, I'm not you and Brother Xingzhi. Isn't this too risky?"
An Ling wanted to take a gamble. Yao Xin and Hanxing Entertainment seemed to be standing higher at the moment, but it would only hurt more if they fell. By tomorrow night, the best time for public opinion fermentation would have passed. By then, the public announcement of Ren Limeng and Shen Xingzhi's relationship and the clarification of Ren Limeng's past on the show would be enough to completely reverse the current public opinion, making Ren Limeng and Shen Xingzhi gain a wave of sympathy from the audience, and the entire "Mountains and Seas" program gain more traffic.
This is a win-win choice, but... Ren Li's dream is not to get more attention or become more famous.
She couldn't help but care about the risks involved. She didn't have the fame and status of An Ling and Shen Xingzhi. In such a desperate gamble, if she wasn't careful, she might completely lose her reputation and become "Shen Xingzhi's girlfriend."
"Is there any difference? Li Meng, we are friends. I won't cheat you."
An Ling smiled, and her face finally showed the confidence of being in control of the situation, as if she had regained the initiative. She leaned forward slightly, gently patted Ren Limeng's shoulder, and her tone also revealed some experience that came from a long history.
"Everything in this industry is risky. You're already very lucky, Li Meng."
Ren Limeng seemed to be still pondering the pros and cons when An Ling continued, "Then it's settled. Director Yao is now very strict on everything related to the 'Shan Hai' program. Dong Zhu has been practically sidelined. I don't really have any control over the things you've asked me to do. I can only try my best and do my best."
Before and after the sentence, An Ling showed two completely opposite tones. Listening to the second half of An Ling's sentence, which seemed to be complaining, Ren Limeng just pulled the corners of her mouth and smiled politely.
Everything is just a negotiation skill. Whoever takes it seriously will lose.
Although it was Ren Limeng who was openly hesitant and An Ling who made the final decision, perhaps only Ren Limeng herself knew that the struggle and hesitation that flashed in her eyes at the end were genuine.
An Ling’s explanation was actually not comprehensive enough. There are too many things in and outside the circle that require a desperate effort.
Ren Limeng stared at An Ling's back as she left the room with her cell phone. A complex expression flashed in her eyes. Her originally straight shoulders finally slowly sank. Ren Limeng put away the seemingly impeccable smile on her face, leaned back slightly, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.
Chen Xingzhi: Everything is going well, Mengmeng, how are you doing?
Ren Limeng turned on her phone, and what caught her eyes was the message that Shen Xingzhi had just sent.
Ren Limeng: It went quite smoothly.
Ren Limeng: Brother Xingzhi, let’s make our relationship public!
Before exchanging other information, the only thing Ren Limeng wanted to share with Chen Xingzhi the most was this. It was obviously just a card that she had to play as a bargaining chip when playing with An Ling, but at this moment, Ren Limeng felt as if a huge stone had been removed from her heart, and she felt extremely relieved.
Even the sound of the wind whistling outside the window seemed like an exciting symphony, echoing in the night sky, accompanied by the sound of gently swaying branches, and became particularly pleasant to Ren Limeng's ears.
In any case, she finally had enough reasons to convince herself and tell everyone about this relationship that did not need to be hidden.
Ren Limeng doesn't like to bring her private life to the public eye, actively or passively accepting everyone's scrutiny or even judgment. So when she learned that her career change experience and discussions about mother-daughter relationships were trending on the search, she felt a little anxious and worried, and even almost uncontrollable irritability.
But... when she thought about making her relationship with Shen Xingzhi public, or when she saw the news that she and Shen Xingzhi had divorced, the thought that flashed through Ren Limeng's heart was actually more of a relief.
She was not afraid of anyone's judgment on her relationship with Shen Xingzhi, or rather, she was already undergoing countless scrutiny despite her seemingly calm and composed state.
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