Chapter 281: The Old-School Tyrant CEO 25

Sunlight hit the interior walls, casting a pale golden halo that gave the room a warm, cozy feel.

Su Mingyue’s mood was just as bright as the sunshine.

She hummed a little tune as she trimmed the fresh flowers in her hands.

At a glance, her room seemed submerged in a sea of blossoms.

Dense clusters of flowers filled every corner of the room.

The space looked like something out of a dream, and Su Mingyue, standing in the middle of it all, was as captivating as a forest fairy.

Shen Xiuyan had maintained his unshakable habit of sending a bouquet of fresh flowers every single day.

This had become the thing Su Mingyue looked forward to most lately.

She often found herself daydreaming: what kind of flowers would he send today?

Daisies, blue roses, or perhaps sunflowers?

Su Mingyue really hadn’t expected Shen Xiuyan to persist for an entire month. It was no wonder her father gave her teasing looks every day.

Xiuyan’s intentions were just too obvious.

If that idiot were to confess to her right now, she would say yes immediately.

But unfortunately, despite everything he had done, he still hadn’t opened his mouth to confess.

Sigh, she couldn’t exactly be the one to speak first…

Inhaling the faint fragrance of the flowers, Su Mingyue thought a bit dejectedly that it wouldn’t be impossible for her to do it.

After all, that tactless big idiot had already worked very hard to get this far.

But people always have certain inexplicable expectations.

They hope for idealized things to happen.

A soft melody rang out in Su Mingyue’s room, interrupting her train of thought.

She picked up her phone. “Hello, Qingqing? What’s up?”

“Waaaaah! Mingyue, baby, goddess, help me! It’s an emergency!”

“What’s wrong? Take it slow,” Su Mingyue said with a soothing smile.

The person on the other end seemed embarrassed, stammering, “Well… you know I invested in an entertainment program recently, right? Someone had a last-minute emergency and can’t make it. There’s less than a week until the broadcast date. The schedule is tight and the task is heavy. Where am I supposed to find someone now?!”

Su Mingyue tilted her head. “What kind of person? Do you need me to help you look?”

There was a moment of silence on the other end before the person finally gritted her teeth and spat it out.

“I don’t need you to look. Can you come?”

“Me?” Su Mingyue’s eyes widened.

Ying Qing said in a small voice, “It’s an emotional reality show. We’re inviting four ladies who are about to get married to participate. It shows the audience what different women experience when facing marriage. To put it bluntly, it’s a wedding-prep variety show…”

Su Mingyue didn’t even know what to criticize first. “Of all the shows you could make, does anyone actually watch this kind of thing?”

“Isn’t this responding to the national call¹? To let people see the happy side of marriage and stimulate the marriage rate!”

Su Mingyue: “Speak human.”

Ying Qing gave up on pretenses. “There’s a policy. After filming this show, subsequent programs will get government support and traffic priority.”

“Then if you’re short on people, you can find anyone. Why me?” Su Mingyue was very confused.

“Because you’re beautiful,” Ying Qing said, her voice gaining strength despite her lack of logic. “The four ladies we invited are a celebrity, an ordinary person, an artist, and a rich socialite. The socialite who originally agreed had something come up and can’t make it. Where am I supposed to find a ‘rich, white, and beautiful’ woman who fits the requirements on such short notice? After thinking it over, you’re the most suitable one. If you’re second in the ‘rich, white, and beautiful’ category, who would dare claim to be first!”

Su Mingyue: “…”

Ying Qing sounded pitiful. “Baby, do you just not want to be on camera? If you really don’t want to appear on screen, it’s okay to turn me down.”

Su Mingyue sighed. “It’s not that I’m against being on camera, but… I’m not preparing for a wedding. Isn’t that just lying to people?”

“No! Shen Xiuyan is preparing for—” Ying Qing slammed on the brakes just before the words left her mouth.

Su Mingyue asked softly, “What?”

Ying Qing shook her head frantically. “Nothing, nothing! You didn’t hear anything.”

What a sin! If she spoiled the surprise and ruined it for Mingyue, Shen Xiuyan would definitely tie her up and feed her to the sharks!

Absolutely!

She quickly changed the subject. “Mingyue, just have some pity on me. Since you don’t mind being on camera, help me out this once. Even if it’s a show people don’t have high hopes for, I want to do my best…”

Su Mingyue’s thoughts had already drifted elsewhere. Ying Qing definitely knew something.

Could there really be a surprise?

The corners of her mouth curled up unconsciously.

Even though Ying Qing had only let half a sentence slip, it instantly brightened her melancholy mood.

And so, Su Mingyue agreed. “Fine, I’ll help you this once.”

“Great! I’ll send you the contract right away. But the appearance fee can only be three million…” Ying Qing said quickly, as if afraid she would refuse. Her voice grew less confident as she spoke, but she tried to save face. “The previous socialite’s fee was only one million.”

Su Mingyue found her humble tone hilarious. Was she someone who lacked three million?

Helping out was purely for the sake of their friendship.

“No need to pay me. I’m not short on that kind of pocket change. You keep the three million and buy yourself something you like as a reward. You must have been exhausted lately working on this show.”

Ying Qing was moved to tears. “Waaaah! Mingyue, what kind of beautiful, kind-hearted fairy are you? What did I do to deserve a friend like you in this life! But no, this is a matter of principle. I can’t give you a penny less than what you’re owed!”

“Alright, stop being poor.” Su Mingyue stroked the flower petals in front of her, saying quite leisurely, “If you were giving me tens of millions, I wouldn’t be polite. But what can three million even buy? Listen to me, keep it for yourself.”

“Hiss—”

Such arrogant words. She absolutely loved it.

She really didn’t know when she would be able to say something like that so nonchalantly.

Ying Qing clutched her heart. If anyone else had said that, she would have called them a pretentious poser, but coming from Mingyue, it was just the cold, hard truth.

It was just like how anything under one carat was considered “diamond dust²“—it just didn’t catch the eye of socialites like them.

“Since you put it that way, I won’t be polite! Once our variety show becomes a hit, I’ll buy you a massive piece of jewelry!”

Ying Qing rubbed her hands together secretly. If she didn’t want it, then so be it.

When Mingyue got married, she would scrape together everything she could to give her a grand wedding gift.

Translator’s Notes