Impossible Lovers

...Zheng Baozhu had never seen someone so skilled at bargaining.

After a moment of hesitation, she finally spoke, "Is this some new type of scam??"

Qu Zhi stared at her with his deep, magnetic black eyes that were impossible to ignore, "So, you don't plan to take responsibility for it?"

"..."

Zheng Baozhu's mind went blank once again.

The server, who came in with the dishes at just the right moment, glanced at Zheng Baozhu with curiosity.

"..."

She never imagined Qu Zhi would be like this. He even learned to do moral blackmail.

"Half a year ago, a stray cat appeared at the entrance of our hotel. As soon as it saw me, it bumped into me and then just laid down on the ground. Later, Liang Huihui and others took care of it, I even saw you feeding it once."

"..."

Qu Zhi raised an eyebrow, "So what?"

"So, is this your way of repaying me by passing on that experience? Impressive," Zheng Baozhu replied.

Qu Zhi looked at her for a while and then let out a soft hum, "You said so much, but aren't you just trying to avoid taking responsibility?"

Zheng Baozhu: "..."

She couldn't believe the person in front of her was really Qu Zhi! Could he be possessed by the cat's spirit or something?

The nearby server was becoming anxious, thinking, "Come on, girl, aren't you going to respond to such a handsome guy? If you can't handle it, let someone else take over!"

"Alright, I'll take responsibility for it. I'll help you cook all the beef tripe and duck intestines!" Zheng Baozhu said as she picked up a piece of premium beef tripe, dipped it in the sauce for a few seconds, and then fished it out, "Just right!"

She placed the cooked tripe into Qu Zhi's bowl. The fragrance of the hot pot filled the air. Qu Zhi took a glance at it, picked it up with his chopsticks, and dipped it in the sauce.

Zheng Baozhu looked at him as he ate the tripe and asked with concern, "Is it delicious?"

Qu Zhi nodded, "Not bad."

"Then let me cook another piece of beef for you!" Zheng Baozhu started to serve him attentively, taking care of Qu Zhi all evening, but she didn't eat much herself.

She couldn't help feeling a bit guilty.

She wondered if Qu Zhi's earlier words held any hidden meaning, but she managed to brush it off, and Qu Zhi didn't bring it up again.

She didn't want to admit it, but she felt a bit timid. Earlier, she had told Meng Yaxin that she craved Qu Zhi, but now that the opportunity was right in front of her, she felt somewhat scared.

Could this be what they call "Ye Gong Hao Long"??1

"..."

No, that couldn't be right. Zheng Baozhu couldn't believe she was acting so timidly. It was probably just because the situation came up so suddenly that she wasn't mentally prepared. Yeah!

Taking a deep breath, Zheng Baozhu tried to clear her mind, but thoughts of Qu Zhi kept flooding in. Did he mean what he said earlier as a joke, or did he really have those intentions?

Qu Zhi wouldn't play such jokes with people, so maybe he really wants to...

No, no, she can't think about this any further.

Zheng Baozhu thought of some stimulating scenes and buried her face in the blanket, her cheeks burning.

... So it turned out she was indeed Ye Gong Hao Long! What's the use of being so excited now!

The sound of her phone vibrating was particularly noticeable in the quiet room. Zheng Baozhu reached out a hand from under the blanket to grab her phone and then buried herself back into the covers.

The message was from Meng Yaxin, who saw someone in the group chat saying that Zheng Baozhu went out to eat hotpot with Qu Zhi, so she was asking about their progress.

Zheng Baozhu: The progress is that I downloaded an anti-scam app after I came back. 

Meng Yaxin: ??? What's going on?

What kind of magical development is this?

Zheng Baozhu didn't reply further, she just held the blanket and daydreamed until she fell asleep.

A few days later, the photography team quickly organized Zheng Baozhu's photoshoot pictures. The photographers thought the photos were great and they sent more photos than originally agreed. Zhou Xiaonan asked Zheng Baozhu to pick about fifteen photos to post on Weibo.

Zheng Baozhu looked at the photos for a long time, finding it difficult to choose.

Oh my, why do they all look so good! She's captivated by her own beauty!

In the end, she managed to select fifteen photos and uploaded them on Weibo at the designated time. As soon as the photos were posted, her followers started leaving comments. During this time, they even gave themselves a name - Golden Yuanbao.

However, Zheng Baozhu felt this nickname hit the nail on the head.

Zhou Xiaonan anticipated that Zheng Baozhu's photos would garner attention on Weibo, but she never expected it to attract so many people. She initially thought about buying a trending hashtag for Zheng Baozhu, but it turns out Zheng Baozhu's photos had already climbed to the fifth spot on the trending list.

This was the highest-ranking trending topic Zheng Baozhu had ever achieved, leaving her a bit stunned.

"Sister Xiaonan, this isn't a trending topic you bought for me, right?" Zheng Baozhu held her phone, looking at Zhou Xiaonan with curiosity.

Zhou Xiaonan sat in front of her computer, continuously refreshing the data: "Really not, I originally planned to get you a trending topic around the tenth spot, but I never expected... you saved me some money."

"..."

Zheng Baozhu fell silent for a moment and asked again, "But did you buy one for me, though?"

The comments were already in the tens of thousands, she couldn't keep up with all of them. Weibo seemed to have gone crazy, with hundreds of thousands of comments by now.

Zhou Xiaonan replied, "I've been busy with studio work lately. How would I have the time to buy a trending topic for you on Weibo?"

Zheng Baozhu quietly checked her comments and read through what the new ones were saying.

「Ahhh, sister, you are too amazing! What kind of celestial being are you? 」

「Wife, how can you be so enchanting!!! I'm completely mesmerized! 」

「Sister Immortal, thank you for your hard work on Earth! 」

「Zheng Baozhu looks very high-end, giving a feeling of the 70s and 80s! A bit like Su Mingmei!」

「The comment above is right. Nowadays, stars are so ordinary, all trying to become internet celebrities and losing their uniqueness! Promise me you won't lose your uniqueness, the current Zheng Baozhu is perfect!」

「Wuwuwu, thank you, sister, for taking the entertainment industry twenty years back! I'm really tired of seeing internet celebrities' faces. 」

「Zheng Baozhu is wearing the high-end brand JS's spring show outfit! She looks stunning in it. JS, take my money!! [image]」

Below are a bunch of comments urging JS to sponsor Zheng Baozhu.

Zheng Baozhu: "…"

Every netizen is a genius. Not only do they know how to praise lavishly, but they also find ways to support income-generating endeavors.

"I see many netizens are going to JS's Weibo and asking them to sponsor you," Zhou Xiaonan noticed that the netizens were having fun with memes and told Zheng Baozhu with a smile.

Zheng Baozhu replied, "I saw that too, they're also telling me not to lose weight."

Zhou Xiaonan: "…"

Clearing her throat, she pretended not to hear that statement, "This wave is JS riding on your popularity. If they were smart, they should retweet your Weibo and claim credit for supporting you."

Not long after Zhou Xiaonan said this, JS's official Weibo indeed retweeted Zheng Baozhu's post, thanking her for supporting domestic brands. Zheng Baozhu thought that things would end like this and the heat of the photos would gradually subside. The surge in attention was already an unexpected joy for her and she was quite satisfied.

However, on that very day, someone from JS contacted Zhou Xiaonan, expressing their desire to make Zheng Baozhu one of the brand's spokespersons. JS was an established domestic clothing brand that had been targeting the mid-range market. Their products were not cheap, but compared to international luxury brands, they were considered affordable. With the rise of the internet, many emerging brands emerged and posed a significant challenge to JS, resulting in declining sales.

However, since its restructuring a couple of years ago, the brand's style underwent a significant breakthrough, and its marketing strategies became more precise. The brand visibly revitalized, experiencing a resurgence and launching the high-end subsidiary line JS, promoting the slogan of being China's high-end custom.

One could see their ambition.

When Zhou Xiaonan saw the message from the other party, she was momentarily stunned and even suspected it might be a scam, "Baozhu, someone from JS contacted me. They said they want to discuss a collaboration for brand endorsement."

"Huh?" Zheng Baozhu was sitting there playing with her phone and was equally puzzled upon hearing this, "Um, did you download the anti-scam app on your phone?"

"..."

Zhou Xiaonan didn't reply but first verified the authenticity with the person on the other end and confirmed that they were indeed from JS. Then she told Zheng Baozhu, "It's not a scam; they really want to discuss cooperation."

Zheng Baozhu got up from the sofa and walked over to sit next to Zhou Xiaonan, pulling a funny expression, "Recently, it seems like JS has indeed started looking for non-celebrity endorsements. Lin Ziqin is their main brand spokesperson, right?"

"Yes, but their endorsements are very detailed. Lin Ziqin has the highest title, he's the only one with that title," Zhou Xiaonan was familiar with the way brands operated, "Apart from Lin Ziqin, there's a lesser-known actress and a few contestants from talent shows."

Zheng Baozhu said, "I see. The hierarchy in the entertainment industry is strict. But I'm nobody, though."

Just a while ago, she was still acting as a foreground actor at the Film and Television City.

"But you have a lot of popularity now. Your photos from today have truly gone viral. Besides, they probably really think you look beautiful in their outfits, so they offered you the endorsement for JS. Although it's a subsidiary brand, it's still their high-end line, and no star has endorsed it yet. Finally, they see great potential in your future development, so they want to sign you now while you're still relatively affordable," Zhou Xiaonan explained.

Zheng Baozhu: "…"

The last reason was quite humbling.

"So, are you interested in the collaboration?" Zhou Xiaonan asked.

Zheng Baozhu nodded, "Of course. Although the endorsement fee may not be much, every bit counts."

"Alright, then I'll go negotiate for you," Zhou Xiaonan said, "I'll try my best to get a higher price for you."

"Thank you!"

Zhou Xiaonan quoted a price that was not too low for a newcomer and was prepared for a few back-and-forth negotiations. However, to her surprise, the other party agreed quite readily without much hassle. Perhaps they wanted to capitalize on the current wave of popularity and get things done quickly. The process went swiftly, and on the day of signing the contract, both Senrui and JS announced their first brand spokesperson for JS on Weibo.

Zheng Baozhu's Weibo exploded with excitement.

「???? They actually paid for the endorsement!!!」

「Hahaha, I'm dying of laughter. Our Baozhu got her first endorsement?」

「I knew it! Value truly is currency. 」

「Congratulations, beautiful sister! Looking forward to your TV drama. 」

「Since it's like this, let me be frank. The necklace and earrings Baozhu wore in the photos last time were from Zhenyi, so shouldn't Zhenyi Jewelry also get her to endorse their brand? 」

「Zhenyi Jewelry, you're welcome!  」

Zheng Baozhu: "…"

This is going a bit too far. Zhenyi Jewelry is an absolute top-tier Chinese jewelry brand and is even older than Zheng Baozhu. They have always had high-profile endorsements and their brand ambassadors had always been top-tier celebrities like her aunt, Su Mingmei.

When Su Mingmei was still alive, Zhenyi Jewelry was always endorsed by her, and they never changed their spokesperson. Many of Su Mingmei's personal jewelry pieces were also from Zhenyi. After Su Ming passed away, Zhenyi didn't hire any new ambassadors for quite some time, showing how devoted they were. Later on, when they did hire new ambassadors, they were all A-list actresses just like Su Mingmei.

However, in recent years, they also started hiring some popular actors with high social media following. Currently, their spokesperson is Sun Jing, who had a minor conflict with Zheng Baozhu on a set before.

Sun Jing is beautiful and popular, but her acting has always been controversial, and there have been rumors of her relying on resources for her success. In the past, Zhenyi Jewelry would never have considered her as a spokesperson.

"Perhaps the brand has no choice but to cater to the current trend and rely on popularity," Zheng Baozhu said while sitting in the studio with Zhou Xiaonan, overseeing the renovation and chatting.

The studio renovation was almost complete and would be ready for official use soon. Due to Zheng Baozhu's sudden surge in popularity in recent days, there was a significant increase in job applications to the studio, and both Zheng Baozhu and Zhou Xiaonan were overwhelmed with the number of resumes.

Zhou Xiaonan shuffled through a file and said, "It might have something to do with their internal conflicts as well. I've heard some gossip about Zhenyi. They say there's a serious power struggle within their family. The young master of Zhenyi was not very powerful and was sent abroad for a while. Recently, I heard that he has returned."

"Really? Tell me more!" Hearing about this, Zheng Baozhu's interest was piqued. Who doesn't enjoy hearing about gossip in wealthy families? "The young master of Zhenyi was not very powerful?"

"Why, haven't you seen it in palace drama? Wouldn't the crown princes always have less power? The emperors don't like to be sidelined by their heirs," Zhou Xiaonan explained.

"Haha, that makes sense," Zheng Baozhu recalled some palace dramas she had watched, "So, this is a struggle between the pro-imperial faction and the reformist faction?"

"More or less, but the spokespersons are just an external manifestation of their struggle," Zhou Xiaonan replied.

"Wow, it's so exciting."

"..."

Zhou Xiaonan glanced at Zheng Baozhu, "You better get back to screening resumes. Zhenyi's situation is much more complicated than Senrui's. It's not like a few comments from netizens can secure you the endorsement."

"I'm not doing it for the endorsement," Zheng Baozhu muttered, "I'm just interested in the gossip. I've been buying things from their brand for so many years, yet I had no idea about all this drama."

Sitting back at the computer, while screening resumes, Zheng Baozhu received a message from Wang Jingyi.

Wang Jingyi: Sister, I just saw the trending topic. You got an endorsement deal with JS!!!

Zheng Baozhu: Yes!

Wang Jingyi: Wow, that's awesome! Congratulations, sister, wuwuwu!

Wang Jingyi: It's amazing how we both came from the same background. Now I suddenly feel emotional. 

Seeing this, Zheng Baozhu also remembered the days when they both worked hard together, doing foreground roles in the Film and Television City. Although it wasn't that long ago, it felt like a distant memory.

Zheng Baozhu: How have you been lately? I've been really busy after the New Year and haven't contacted you for so long.

Wang Jingyi: I'm still taking on acting roles in the Film and Television City.  Luckily, now I'm getting some supporting roles, so it's not as tiring as before.

Zheng Baozhu thought for a moment and asked, "Have you considered signing with a talent agency?"

Wang Jingyi: You know how it is in the Film and Television City. Many people come to approach us, but there aren't many trustworthy ones.

Zheng Baozhu: I'm in the process of setting up my own personal studio. If you're interested, you can sign with my studio. Although I don't have many projects right now, I can guarantee that I won't deceive you. 

Wang Jingyi was taken aback. She didn't expect it could be done like this!

Wang Jingyi: Wow, I feel at ease following you! Moreover, I believe in your potential. Once your drama airs, you'll definitely be popular. If I stick with you, I can enjoy the limelight too. 

Zheng Baozhu: Hahaha, sure! I'll send you the studio's address, and whenever you have time, you can come over for an interview.

Wang Jingyi: Alright! You're truly a treasure of a sister. 

Zheng Baozhu sent the location to Wang Jingyi and then called out to Zhou Xiaonan, "Sister Xiaonan, come here!"

Zhou Xiaonan didn't raise her head and asked, "What's up? Did you find a suitable assistant?"

"No," Zheng Baozhu chuckled, "I just signed a new artist for our studio!"

Zhou Xiaonan: "???"

Finally, Zhou Xiaonan lifted her head to look, is this Zheng Baozhu's self-cultivation as a businesswoman?

But what surprised her, even more, was that just as the two of them were busy preparing for the studio, a trending topic called [Zheng Baozhu Plastic Surgery] unstoppably soared to the top of the trending list.