Chapter 62
At 8:15 AM the next morning, Song Ling arrived at Li Mo’s apartment building and patiently waited in her car, watching the clock tick by. Finally, at 8:30 AM, she sent Li Mo a text message.
“Good morning~ Are you awake? Don’t forget our appointment at 9:00.”
She waited for a reply, and a moment later, her phone buzzed.
“Good morning. I haven’t forgotten. I’m ready. You can come up whenever you’re ready.”
“Then come down now.”
“You’re already here?”
Li Mo put down her phone and looked out the window. The silver Maserati was parked in front of the building. She grabbed her bag and went to the door, pausing at the mirror to check her appearance one last time before leaving.
She found Song Ling standing by the car, waving to her. Li Mo nodded and approached her.
“Have you been waiting long?”
“Not too long. I don’t like to be kept waiting.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were here. You should have told me. I was ready early.”
“It’s fine. We agreed on 9:00. By the way, you haven’t had breakfast yet, have you?”
“No, not yet. But it’s okay. I don’t eat breakfast.”
Song Ling smiled faintly and whispered,
“You don’t eat breakfast, or you don’t need to eat breakfast?”
“Huh? What did you say?”
“Nothing. Let’s go.”
“Okay.”
They got into the car. As Li Mo was settling into her seat, Song Ling leaned towards her. Li Mo, startled, shrank back. Song Ling reached over and pulled down the seatbelt, fastening it for her.
“What’s wrong?”
“… Nothing. I can do it myself next time.”
“Why are you always so afraid of me?”
Song Ling leaned closer again. Li Mo instinctively raised her hands to stop her, but her hands landed on Song Ling’s breasts. Song Ling looked down at her hands, then back up at Li Mo, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Li Mo, embarrassed, realized where her hands were. She quickly withdrew them, blushing and stammering an apology.
“Oh… I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to!”
“It’s alright. You can keep them there if you like.”
“Uh… No, thank you. Hehe.”
“You’re so cute. I just want to gobble you up.”
“Huh?”
“Don’t worry, I’m just kidding. At least not now.”
“…”
Song Ling, no longer teasing her, focused on driving. She drove them to the headquarters of Pinnacle Entertainment. They took the elevator to the top floor, and as the doors opened, a woman in a black suit approached them.
“Good morning, Ms. Song. The contract you requested is on your desk.”
“Okay, thank you. Go about your duties. I’ll call you if I need anything.”
“Yes, Ms. Song.”
Li Mo followed Song Ling into her office. Song Ling gestured for her to sit on the sofa and then retrieved a document from her desk, handing it to Li Mo.
“Take a look at the terms. If you’re not satisfied with anything, I can have it changed immediately.”
Li Mo opened the contract and was stunned. The terms were incredibly generous, even a top actress wouldn’t receive such favorable treatment.
“Ms. Song, are you sure you reviewed this contract?”
“What’s wrong? Are you not satisfied?”
“No, but this is too much! I might have won Best Actress, but I’m not worth this much! And you’re even offering me all these other benefits! Are you sure you haven’t made a mistake?”
“No mistake. I think you deserve it.”
“… Ms. Song, we’ve just met. I’m curious why you’re so interested in me and why you’re offering me such a good deal. I’m just a newcomer.”
“What if I told you that we’ve known each other for a long time? Would you believe me?”
Song Ling asked, her gaze fixed on Li Mo’s face, searching for any flicker of recognition.
“Huh? How is that possible?”
“Then let me ask you this. Did you leave anything out when you told me about yourself?”
“I… I… Ms. Song, I don’t know what you’re talking about. This is all very strange.”
Song Ling’s suspicions grew stronger with each evasive answer. She wanted to confront Li Mo, to demand an explanation, but she couldn’t risk it.
“Li Mo, I don’t know why you’re not telling me the truth, but I can assure you that we knew each other a long time ago, and we were very close. I won’t force you to tell me why you’re pretending not to know me. I’ll wait until you’re ready.”
Li Mo was overwhelmed. Why was this woman so convinced that she was hiding something? Had they really known each other before? Did she know Li Mo’s true identity? She wasn’t sure. She needed more time to observe this woman.
“Ms. Song, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t know you. Maybe there’s been a misunderstanding. I don’t want to take advantage of this situation. Perhaps we should set aside the contract for now.”
“Li Mo, do you truly want to pursue a career in the entertainment industry?”
“I am interested in acting.”
“Then that’s all that matters. We can discuss other things later. But if you truly want to succeed in this industry, I can offer you the best opportunities.”
“But I’m not the person you’re looking for.”
“Whether you are or not is irrelevant. You have no choice. If you don’t sign with me, you can forget about going anywhere else. I’ll make it clear that anyone who tries to poach you will be crossing me, Song Ling. I might be new to the entertainment industry, but with my reputation in the business world, few would dare to oppose me.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“I just want you to give me a chance, to give us a chance to get to know each other. Is that okay?”
Song Ling, sensing Li Mo’s anger, softened her tone. She didn’t want to push her away. Li Mo, initially annoyed, was swayed by Song Ling’s sincerity and even a hint of pleading in her voice.
She couldn’t understand why she couldn’t bring herself to be angry with Song Ling. There was something familiar about her, a sense of comfort and connection that she couldn’t explain. It was this feeling that made her tolerate Song Ling’s overbearing behavior.
She looked into Song Ling’s eyes, seeing the sincerity and determination in her gaze, and decided to give in, to allow them time to get to know each other.
“I’ll agree to your terms, but I have one condition.”
“Anything. Just name it.”
“You can’t interfere in my personal life, and you can’t flirt with me all the time.”
“… Am I flirting with you?”
“Yes, you are! You’ve been flirting with me since yesterday! You’re making me blush!”
“So… You’re attracted to me?” Song Ling leaned closer, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
“See! That’s what I’m talking about! You’re flirting again! If you keep doing that, I won’t sign the contract!”
“Hahaha, alright, alright, I promise. I won’t flirt with you. But I can’t help it if you’re attracted to me.”
“You… Do you even want to sign this contract? I can leave right now.”
“I’m sorry, I’ll stop. Let’s sign the contract, okay?”
Song Ling, seeing Li Mo’s flustered anger, decided to back down. She wanted to spend more time with this woman. Pushing her away now wouldn’t benefit her. Besides, once she figured everything out, she would have plenty of time to settle the score with this little rascal. There was no rush.
Li Mo picked up the contract, skimmed through it, and then signed her name. Song Ling extended her hand, and they shook on it, sealing the deal.
Song Ling then drove Li Mo back to her apartment. True to her word, she refrained from flirting, maintaining a professional demeanor throughout the journey.
However, this made Li Mo even more uncomfortable. She had grown accustomed to Song Ling’s playful teasing. This serious and formal Song Ling was unsettling. But she wouldn’t tell Song Ling that, of course. She simply stewed in her own thoughts.
Upon returning home, her phone rang. It was Director Xu. She remembered Xu’s warning about Song Ling and her insistence that Li Mo not meet with her alone. But now, she had even signed a contract with her. She didn’t know how to explain this to Director Xu. She took a deep breath and answered the phone.
“Hello, Director Xu.”
“Sigh, Mo Mo, did that Ms. Song contact you today?”
“Yes…”
“Did you tell her to contact me?”
“Um… Director Xu, I went to see her myself.”
“What?! Where are you now? Are you still with her? Send me your location! I’m coming over right now!”
“It’s okay, Director Xu, I’m home now. Don’t worry, she didn’t do anything to me.”
“Why are you so careless? I called you yesterday and specifically told you not to meet with her alone! Honestly! So, what did she want? Was it just about work? I don’t trust that woman. Don’t agree to anything she offers, okay? I don’t trust her…”
“But Director Xu, actually… I already signed a contract with her…”
“What?! You signed a contract?!”
“Yes, I did. I’m sorry. I didn’t discuss it with you first. The terms were really good, so I signed it.”
“… How could you be so careless? Sigh… I… I’m coming over to your place now. This is too important to discuss over the phone. I’ll help you review the contract.”
“There’s no need. I read it carefully. It’s fine.”
“What do you mean, ‘it’s fine’? No, I’m coming over. Wait for me.”
“Oh…”
Li Mo hung up the phone, sighing in frustration. She didn’t want Director Xu to come to her apartment. She had already sensed Xu’s feelings for her and had tried to let her down gently, but Xu seemed oblivious, clinging to her with unwavering persistence.
She didn’t want to hurt Xu’s feelings, so she pretended not to notice and simply avoided her, hoping she would eventually get the hint.
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