Chapter 167: (Extra 2)

Moonlight CEO’s Office.

Secretary Xu held an iPad, reading through the itinerary listed one by one, with a serious and tense expression. Every word was read carefully, striving to leave a good impression on the new boss—at least not to make any more mistakes.

The appointment notice for the boss had been issued internally to the company’s intranet two months ago, but there was no sign of the boss anywhere. The secretarial office had relaxed a lot. Unexpectedly, the CEO appeared in the company last week out of the blue.

Actually, the sudden appearance of the boss wasn’t a big problem. Everyone in the workplace was very experienced in slacking off. But the problem was that this female boss was too young and beautiful. When she walked straight to the CEO’s office, the secretaries were all stunned, unable to react to her true identity for a moment, causing a collective blunder on the spot.

They didn’t face any substantial punishment, but when the boss stopped in her tracks and glanced over with a faint gaze, it made the secretarial office collectively tense up, avoiding her gaze, not daring to breathe.

The boss’s appearance not only turned the secretarial office on the 22nd floor upside down but also caused a stir throughout the entire company.

The boss’s name was Song Pianxian, the most favored daughter of the Song Family, the contemporary top-tier beauty, coming to Moonlight was like a fairy descending to help the poor.

It is said that although President Song hadn’t previously appeared in the office, the crisis image of the recent scandalous PR was carried out bit by bit under President Song’s deployment, and it was a complete success.

It is also said that in the headline of last week’s entertainment circle, “Queen Lin Kisses the Dance Substitute at the Masked Ball,” the real person behind the mask turned out to be President Song—

“Wait a minute, where did this last piece of news come from?” During afternoon tea time, Secretary Xu looked at his colleagues in the tea room, looking puzzled, “What outrageous rumor is this?”

The colleague whispered, “This is a little gossip from a paparazzo I know. Don’t look at me with that silly look. I know it sounds bizarre, but you know, after that incident, the substitute disappeared from the crew. Didn’t our CEO take office last week?”

Secretary Xu spoke firmly, “Isn’t it because of a coincidence in timing that two unrelated people are being mistaken for one? Haven’t you seen such baseless rumors before? Rumors stop at the wise. Don’t be foolish.”

“Is that so?” Secretary Xu’s tone was resolute, leaving her colleague in self-doubt.

“Well, Dad is very disappointed in you. Reflect on yourself.” Secretary Xu coldly turned around with her coffee and pastry bag, striding away.

Although she had only been with President Song for a short week, she had already proclaimed herself as President Song’s fan. The sisters in the secretarial office were enthusiastically competing to become the “Number One Fan of President Song’s Looks” CP.

……

“Huh?” The exclamation woke Secretary Xu up from her career-focused thoughts.

What Lin? Lin what? Who’s making noise in the CEO’s office? Secretary Xu raised her head proudly, looking over—

“Lin Lin Lin Lin—”

Secretary Xu jumped up from her seat and stood up straight.

Lin Qinglu? Queen Lin? The other protagonist in the baseless rumor in the tea room?

Looking at the powerful and cold Lin Qinglu in front of her, Secretary Xu crashed on the spot, standing dumbfounded on her seat, like a lost macaw.

Countless bullet comments flew through Secretary Xu’s mind, as Lin Qinglu revealed a pair of indifferent amber eyes. She raised her chin slightly, and from her thin lips came a slightly hoarse and low voice:

“Song Pianxian invited me.”

Xu Secretary’s head was blank, following the secretary’s instinct, she pressed the internal call:

“President Song, Ms. Lin is here for a visit.”

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few seconds, and a gentle voice flowed from the speaker like water:

“Please let her in.”

The office door closed behind Lin Qinglu, she didn’t bring Liu Lele with her, so there were only two people in the office at this time.

One is her, and the other is Song Pianxian behind the desk.

Lin Qinglu’s gaze swept from the floor-to-ceiling window filled with dusk to Song Pianxian.

The clear and slender woman sat on the black leather chair, her pure white suit tightly wrapped her exquisite figure. Lin Qinglu couldn’t help but recall the appearance of this lofty figure dancing on the set, like an unfurling peony, gorgeous and graceful.

However, that was all in the past. Lin Qinglu’s slightly relaxed expression hardened again, her lip line tightened into a straight arc.

Song Pianxian remained silent. Lin Qinglu didn’t speak first either. The sound of high heels tapping on the wooden floor echoed as Lin Qinglu walked straight to the sofa and sat down. Her gaze swept over the butterfly pastry on the coffee table.

As the sound of high heels echoed, Song Pianxian flipped through the last page of the summary report on the serious losses incurred by the company’s self-produced drama.

She set the summary aside and looked up to find Lin Qinglu.

“You’ve been waiting for a while.”

With that, Song Pianxian stood up, walked out from behind the desk that separated them, and sat opposite Lin Qinglu, taking the initiative to pour her a cup of tea.

Lin Qinglu remained noncommittal, not touching the tea cup. Her legs crossed, revealing slender and fair ankles above jimmych’s pointed high heels.

“It seems President Song is very busy.” Lin Qinglu said lightly, “I am not a Moonlight artist. If President Song invited me, it can’t just be for catching up, right?”

Song Pianxian’s gaze swept over the untouched butterfly pastry and said, “There’s a collaboration I’d like to discuss with Ms. Lin.”

“Your Moonlight’s self-produced drama?”

Song Pianxian raised an eyebrow, “As always, Ms. Lin is well-informed.”

Lin Qinglu leaned against the sofa back, scoffed, her eyebrow sharp as a blade, “Not as skilled as President Song in hiding identities.”

Song Pianxian fell silent, her slightly lowered neck appearing soft and gentle in the twilight.

Lin Qinglu took a deep breath, forcing herself not to look away before speaking again, “I don’t understand why President Song insists on having me in this self-produced drama. You should know I never appear in small screens, let alone this kind of low-budget…” Lin Qinglu’s sarcasm was evident, sharp as ever.

She didn’t understand Song Pianxian’s intentions, even suspected that this invitation was a deliberate attempt to humiliate her, to show how she was being manipulated by her—

But Lin Qinglu still went to the appointment. Damn it, it’s like she can’t control her own legs.

Lin Qinglu said stiffly, “You should give up. I won’t take it.”

Her words left no room for negotiation, the atmosphere dead silent, unnerving in the office.

Lin Qinglu sat with her jaw tense, after a while, Song Pianxian still didn’t speak. Lin Qinglu’s pupils slightly moved, glancing at the woman across from her and met Song Pianxian’s gaze.

As she looked over, Lin Qinglu immediately lowered her eyes, avoiding completely.

“I’ll answer your first question,” Song Pianxian said, “Inviting Ms. Lin to act is because Ms. Lin has a good appearance, strong abilities, and a remarkable popularity. Both in terms of traffic and reputation, she is at the top of the entertainment circle. With Ms. Lin, it’s the obvious choice.”

“…” Lin Qinglu’s lowered eyes widened slightly. What kind of reason was this? Clearly just a string of ordinary compliments, suitable for Liu Lele to write an 800-word essay in ten minutes.

But coming from Song Pianxian’s mouth, why did it sound so… so pleasing?

Lin Qinglu quickly snapped out of the corrosive effect of the sugar-coated bullet. She remembered Song Pianxian’s past actions, how Song Pianxian toyed with her emotions.

Sure enough, in the next moment, Lin Qinglu heard Song Pianxian’s gentle voice:

“But I need to make it clear to Ms. Lin, you’re not the female lead in this drama. I invited you to mentor some new talents in the company. Her acting skills are not very good.”

An artist nanny who comes and goes at a call? Song Pianxian’s stepping stone for a new love?

What was she here for after all? Just to endure this expected humiliation? Or was she being presumptuous?

The expression on Lin Qinglu’s face vanished almost entirely. She picked up her chain bag, unwilling to look at the woman opposite her, stood up, and walked towards the door, facing away from Song Pianxian, her head held high:

“I know President Song has a big family business. With Moonlight dominating, no one dares to refuse your requests. You’re used to having your way—but I don’t want to play along anymore.”

Lin Qinglu closed her eyes, a self-deprecating smile tugging at her thin lips. She couldn’t afford to play in front of Song Pianxian, she admitted.

Lin Qinglu’s voice was extremely cold and proud:

“President Song, go ahead and praise that newcomer, try to suppress me as much as you want. Even if I, Lin Qinglu, end up destitute in the future, I don’t want to have any dealings with you ever again—”

“This newcomer… is me.”

Lin Qinglu’s remaining words abruptly stopped.

“Ms. Lin, would you like to star in this self-produced drama with me?”

Lin Qinglu took a deep breath, crossed her arms, her gaze sweeping from Song Pianxian’s body, from the neckline to the waist.

She didn’t know that as her eyes fell on the intersection of the desktop and Song Pianxian’s body, Song Pianxian’s hands on her lap tightened slightly, fingertips hooking the fabric below.

After these waves of emotional tug-of-war, the Lin Qinglu in front of her seemed to have completely settled down and calmed down. The setting sun outside sank towards the horizon, and Lin Qinglu’s eyes deepened accordingly, her expression intriguing. After a while, she spoke, her voice low and mellow:

“Well, that depends on whether President Song is willing to offer the compensation I want.”

Song Pianxian remained calm and said, “You can ask for whatever you want.”

Lin Qinglu turned completely around, looking up and down with interest at the Song Family’s president.

“President Song also knows that I’m quite lucky, achieving fame at a young age, and I can have whatever I want. There aren’t many things that interest me.”

As she spoke, Lin Qinglu swayed back, returning to the sofa. She crossed her legs, reached out to pick up a piece of butterfly pastry, her red lips white teeth, biting off a crispy and fragrant corner.

Her tongue seemed to casually slide over her lips, particularly stirring.

Song Pianxian narrowed her eyes slightly and said, “I know Ms. Lin is picky about her fellow actors. If my acting skills are not good and I still need your guidance—how about double the pay?”

“I’m not interested in money. I don’t know about President Song’s acting skills, but at least I have some understanding of the acting profession.”

Song Pianxian fell silent.

It seemed that Lin Qinglu already had a plan in mind. At this point, anything further was useless. Song Pianxian sat quietly, waiting for Lin Qinglu to make a request.

The initiative in the negotiation was silently transferred, and both of them knew it well.

After finishing the butterfly pastry, Lin Qinglu wiped her fingers with a wet wipe, her movements unhurried.

She lifted her eyelids and looked at Song Pianxian, her tone lazy, teasing:

“Accompany me for one night, and I’ll agree.”

Song Pianxian’s breath caught.

Lin Qinglu said, “I heard that Moonlight has been suffering heavy losses in this aspect of self-production? The investment scale of this self-produced drama has been greatly reduced. The original female lead who was supposed to play the role got married and terminated her contract. If this self-produced drama can’t hold up, I wonder how President Song will explain to the board of directors during the mid-year meeting.”

“Of course, President Song has a strong background and is not afraid of being held accountable.” Lin Qinglu subtly paused and continued, “If President Song is willing to rely on the family.”

Another silence fell, and the only sound in the office was the ticking of the clock.

Lin Qinglu turned the silver-white ring on her finger, licked her lips, and patiently waited for Song Pianxian’s answer.

In the sky, the orange-red sun had completely sunk below the horizon, leaving behind an endless crimson glow, burning half the sky like a raging fire, approaching the two women facing each other by the French window.

As the fiery clouds licked the French window, Lin Qinglu finally got Song Pianxian’s response—

“Tonight, 9 o’clock, the presidential suite on the top floor of the Songshi Hotel.”

In the slightly dim room, Lin Qinglu’s eyes lit up astonishingly.

She sneered, “Going to a hotel is boring, let’s do it here.”

Lin Qinglu raised her hand, her slender fingers pointing to the long table Song Pianxian used for work, her voice somewhat hoarse:

“Now.”

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Translator: Glariosa
Editor: Ruu

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