The Unexpected Rise Before My Exit from the Entertainment Industry

Chapter 179

After returning to the dormitory that evening, she went back to her own room. Sun Tiantian originally wanted to go chat with her, but was stopped by Youyou:

"Let her be by herself today. We can just go livestream."

Lying in her room, Qin Wei carefully thought about everything she had discussed with the director that afternoon. She also recalled the attitudes of Xu General Manager, Li Yao, and even Youyou. She felt that they didn't necessarily think she was right.

Before long, there was a knock on her bedroom door. Qin Wei thought it was Sun Tiantian, so she just said, "It's unlocked."

The one who opened the door and came in was Qiao Sixiao.

Sitting up on the bed, Qin Wei asked her:

"How come you came back? Weren't you busy filming these days?"

Qiao Sixiao turned on the light and slowly walked in with her arms crossed, looking condescendingly down at Qin Wei.

Her expression was very serious, and her silence made Qin Wei even more nervous.

Looking up at her, Qin Wei quickly gave up under the pressure and asked in a tiny mosquito voice:

"Ms. Qiao, do you have something..."

Only after she asked did Qiao Sixiao start speaking:

"Come record a show with me tomorrow."

Qin Wei sighed and frowned unconsciously. She thought for a moment, then simply laid flat. She waved her hand weakly at Qiao Sixiao and said dispiritedly:

"Never mind that. You're famous enough on your own."

She pulled up the covers to sleep! But Qiao Sixiao lifted the covers on one side.

"Qin Wei, I know what happened today. If you admit defeat, forget what I said. But if you want to confront the production team, I support you."

Opening her eyes, Qin Wei took some time to digest Qiao Sixiao's words before understanding the meaning. She rolled over to look at her:

"You'll support me confronting them?"

Qiao Sixiao did not deny, but still frowned:

"Can you sit up and talk to me? Lying like that makes me feel like I'm talking to a terminally ill patient."

"You're just waiting for me to die. You're afraid to have to give me gold bars every year."

Though reluctant, Qin Wei sat up and patted a spot beside her.

"Can you sit down? Your imposing manner is becoming more and more like your mother's."

She was glared at by Qiao Sixiao after saying this, scaring her into immediately shutting up like an obedient dog.

But Qiao Sixiao didn't hold it against her. She sat down beside Qin Wei and said:

"To act willfully, you must have the capital for willfulness. The director dares to take you lightly now not because you're not assertive or because he deliberately wants to, but because there is an inequality of resources backing you two.

Those cunning people know exactly how much money is in your account, or at least can guess a ballpark figure. They know you wouldn’t dare quit rashly, and finally compromise by giving you a way to step off stage while still insisting you yield. "

Qin Wei looked at her suspiciously and leaned in to stare at her:

"You wouldn't be trying to use me as a pawn, would you?"

Qiao Sixiao pinched her face:

"Our individual contracts with the production team are all different. Worst case, if I used your contract and insisted on quitting, I can afford to compensate for the breach penalty. It would depend on whether they dared not hold me to it.

I'm telling you, money can't buy everything but it is still leverage. I'm having you record this show to give you that leverage. No more nonsense, just tell me directly - will you go or not?"

Qin Wei didn't even dare hesitate:

"I'll go. Even right now is fine! First let go of me, I feel like your pinching has become smoother from practice lately..."

...

Qiao Sixiao had already gotten her agent to coordinate with Li Yao about going on the show, since the show Qin Wei was in now was not running smoothly either. Xu General Manager’s side also hoped Qin Wei could change her environment, otherwise keeping her in the same production team in a bad mood, who knows what could happen.

So after roughly understanding the content and nature of the show, the contract was signed.

Qiao Sixiao gave Qin Wei some videos related to the show and asked her to have a basic understanding, because this was an "open-format celebrity competitive reality show". There was a lot of room for improvisation. The theme was set by the production team long ago, but would only be announced after the guests arrived.

Qiao Sixiao let her take a look at previous episodes to roughly know what kind of show it was.

After speed watching several episodes, Qin Wei’s only feeling was:

"The production team is quite rich."

...

Early the next morning, or more accurately within a few hours before dawn after little sleep, Qin Wei was woken up. After washing up simply, she was pushed into the car by the assistant sent to her by An Xing Entertainment. Qiao Sixiao was already sitting in the car at this time, currently looking over her script.

"Hello Ms. Qiao, I'm Qin Wei's assistant Xiao Li. I'll be going with her to record the show this time."

After Qin Wei got in the car, the assistant also got in and didn't forget to actively greet Qiao Sixiao.

"Oh? Qin Wei has an assistant now?"

Qiao Sixiao nodded to Xiao Li in acknowledgement, then waved for her to come in. She turned and looked at the drowsy Qin Wei beside her.

She couldn't help raising her hand with the urge to pinch her face, but held back upon seeing Qin Wei suddenly open her eyes.

Qin Wei turned her head to look at her:

"We make our living with our faces. Don't pinch my face. If you keep pinching, I'll suspect you're jealous of my beauty."

Qiao Sixiao rolled her eyes at her and coldly shot back while hugging her arms:

"You think too much!"

It’s just because you got fatter, your face rounded, and it feels nice to pinch!

Traveling under moonlight to make it on time, both were already used to this kind of life. Whenever there was time, they would hurry to sleep. No one spoke the whole way, continuously sleeping until the sky lightened faintly.

Opening her eyes to look at the time, Qin Wei also glanced out the window.

Wow, pretty far. This car drove four hours!

Qiao Sixiao had also slept enough. Opening her eyes to adjust to the light, she then asked Qin Wei:

"Did you watch the videos I had you look at last night?"

Qin Wei nodded.

"Come, summarize for me what kind of show this is."

Qin Wei looked at Qiao Sixiao with an [old person looking at cell phone on subway.jpg] expression:

"Why the sudden test?"

Qiao Sixiao: "Afraid you'll get scolded when you arrive without understanding anything about the show beforehand?"

"Triangle Video’s exclusive large-scale open-format celebrity competitive reality show ‘Time Will Tell You’ has already aired one season. Due to its big budget rivalling movies in on-location filming and open gameplay, blah blah blah praise from the audience, it launched the second season."

Qin Wei truthfully answered. Luckily she had watched it last night, otherwise she really wouldn't have been able to bluff her way through.

What she said was all correct, but...

"What does ‘blah blah blah’ mean?"

"It means praising how strong the gameplay and plot were. I didn't research the specific words of praise."

Fine...

Seeing Qiao Sixiao not dwell on it, Qin Wei quickly added with a smile:

"I also know the theme of the first season was future technology. This season is set in the Republican era. In comparison, I’d rather play last season’s - space battles, much cooler."

Qiao Sixiao also agreed with this. After all there were more possibilities for freely developing concepts around future technology:

"The theme and background aren't important. What is most crucial is completing the tasks while following the plotline. This is no different than other variety shows.

But this show is different from previous ones. The recording length depends on everyone's own ability. I know the shortest failed and left after half an hour. The longest recorded for three days. You can see how much freedom it offers. Do you understand now?"

Thus it was only suitable for online broadcasting. Sometimes a few stories in one episode, sometimes one story spanning a few episodes, with the length fully depending on the task completion of the participating guests.

"I understand," Qin Wei said.

"Watching through it all, it's just a roleplaying game."