Chapter 5: Rice Cakes
Full and satisfied after her meal, Mi Hongdou felt like a warm bowl of preserved egg congee as she walked in the sunshine to sign her contract. Yang Lianyi had a guest, so the contract was signed with Mengguan’s legal assistant. With the experience from her previous life, Mi Hongdou quickly scanned through it, signed her name, and the process was completed. She officially became a member of Mengguan again and was assigned an assistant named Bai Tang. A newbie, with zero experience. No need to ask, Yang Lianyi had just had her secretary pick someone from the submitted resumes last night. There was only one requirement: the name had to sound edible, to match the newly signed Mi Hongdou. How cute!
The hiring process was careless, but fortunately, the person was useful. She used her for ten years in her previous life and never changed.
As for her manager, Yang Lianyi would temporarily take on the role. So, after signing the contract, the legal assistant specifically told Mi Hongdou to stay behind and meet with Yang Lianyi after her guest left.
The legal assistant went back to work, and Bai Tang went to train with other senior assistants in the company. Mi Hongdou was left alone in the meeting room, bored. She had eaten a big pot of congee in the morning, but after just signing a contract, she was already feeling a little hungry. Perhaps it was because she was reborn and younger, her appetite had improved!
Mi Hongdou found a reason to extend her devilish claws towards the plate of guest snacks on the table.
Small, square, snow-white rice cakes, individually wrapped in sealed transparent bags. One look and you could tell it was the handiwork of the chef Yang Lianyi specially hired to take care of Yang Miemie’s diet. Yang Lianyi was saddled with a sister who got pregnant out of wedlock, came back to give birth, and then ran away. Even though she wasn’t good at taking care of children herself, she had to figure out how to raise Yang Miemie for three years. Keeping her fed and clothed, Yang Miemie grew into a cute little meat bun. Yang Lianyi put in a lot of effort, and this chef also played a significant role. Occasionally, when the chef made extra snacks, Yang Lianyi would bring some to Mengguan. But what she brought, how much she brought, and when she brought it was all a matter of chance.
This time, apparently, Mi Hongdou’s luck was good.
Mi Hongdou picked up a rice cake and held it up to the light outside the window. The light passed through the rice cake, and she could vaguely see that there was filling inside. Light yellow was banana filling, red was strawberry, purple was grape, green was candied winter melon, orange was orange flavored, the transparent one in the middle was coconut jelly, and the opaque one was the original flavor. In her previous life, Mi Hongdou’s favorites were the coconut jelly filling and the original flavor. She picked out a few, took a bite, and couldn’t stop. The snacks were just the right size for one bite. The outer layer of rice cake had a small amount of mint powder mixed into the rice flour, giving it a cool, refreshing taste that was sweet but not greasy.
If it was the solid one, the cool mint flavor would go down her throat and straight to her stomach. The taste wasn’t strong, but it made her whole body feel refreshed. If it was the coconut jelly filling, the faint mint flavor would be neutralized by the rich coconut milk fragrance, slightly cool and slightly sweet, highlighting the rich aroma. No wonder that later, when Mengguan grew bigger and there were more people, they jointly submitted a petition, willing to share the cost of the tea room, begging Yang Lianyi to have the chef make more snacks and send them over. Just this one type of rice cake was already addictive, not to mention that this was just the tip of the iceberg of the chef’s skills.
There weren’t many solid and coconut-filled ones, and Mi Hongdou finished them in a few bites. Not satisfied, she tried a few fruit-filled ones. Although they weren’t her favorite flavors, the fruit jam was made by the chef herself, and the taste was much better than those bought outside. When she stopped, she realized that the snack plate was almost half empty. Mi Hongdou then remembered that she wasn’t the popular artist who had been with Mengguan for years in her previous life, but a newcomer who had just signed the contract and come for the first time.
Being so forward on her first visit was not good. Mi Hongdou, feeling a bit regretful, quickly rearranged the snack plate. From the surface, it looked piled high, just like before. It wouldn’t be immediately noticeable that the snacks were arranged to create a hollow space in the middle.
After tidying up, Mi Hongdou didn’t have to wait long before being called to Yang Lianyi’s office. Unexpectedly, when she pushed open the door, she saw that sitting next to Yang Lianyi on the guest sofa was none other than Qiao Rubai. Would she see Qiao Rubai in Yang Lianyi’s office at this time in her previous life? Did they have any interaction then?
Mi Hongdou felt that something was off, but now wasn’t the time to think about it. After all, those ten years in the industry weren’t for nothing. Mi Hongdou suppressed the surprise in her heart, greeted Yang Lianyi generously, and gave her a slightly puzzled look.
Then Yang Lianyi’s introduction made her even more surprised. According to Qiao Rubai, there were problems with the script for , so filming was temporarily suspended. Some content was added, and a few supporting roles were added. She came this time to collaborate with Mengguan, to get a few pretty girls to fill the roles. The script that had been in preparation for so long, they only discovered problems a month after filming started? Qiong Yu, such a big entertainment company, couldn’t find a few young actresses to fill the roles? Mengguan’s reputation in the industry hadn’t even been established yet. How could such a small company catch the eye of Qiong Yu Entertainment, and even have the head, Qiao Rubai, come begging for collaboration? Are you kidding me?
Mi Hongdou was shocked by Yang Lianyi’s introduction. She couldn’t believe that Yang Lianyi was taking such a flawed story seriously, without any doubt. Yang Lianyi wasn’t the type of person to go to work without thinking. Full of suspicion, Mi Hongdou tried her best to maintain a normal gaze at the excited Yang Lianyi and the unfathomable Qiao Rubai.
Then, she looked closely at the two, and was struck by lightning!
Mi Hongdou finally realized what had been wrong since she entered the room! Black-framed glasses, a white shirt, a black pencil skirt, a mature and restrained look. This was the outfit Qiao Rubai wore five or six years later, when Yang Lianyi first took a liking to her. Looking closer, Qiao Rubai’s almost shoulder-length straight hair was very smooth, and she had a small beige starfish hairpin on it, adding a touch of playfulness to her restrained look, like a crack in the tightly wrapped, stern exterior, waiting for someone to appreciate it.
That hairpin, Mi Hongdou remembered that in her previous life, Yang Lianyi had complained to her about how Qiao Rubai’s restrained look was so cute it made her heart itch. Mengguan had signed so many cute artists, but none of this type. Then she pestered Qiao Rubai for years. Although she didn’t manage to sign her, their relationship seemed to have eased a lot, and they weren’t just chasing and avoiding each other anymore. On Qiao Rubai’s thirty-third birthday, Yang Lianyi gave her a beige dolphin hairpin. Qiao Rubai disliked such girly things, and Yang Lianyi had to pester her for a long time before she agreed to wear it.
At that time, Ji Junxin even said that Qiao Rubai had never had such a girly heart since she was a child.
Qiao Rubai and Ji Junxin were the same age, only 24 years old now. This outfit was too mature for her. Fortunately, she had a serious and unfathomable expression, which helped her pull it off, so it didn’t look too out of place. No wonder Yang Lianyi had no doubts about Qiong Yu’s collaboration. Qiao Rubai in this look was her ultimate favorite. She probably even forgot her own name.
Mi Hongdou wasn’t sure if Qiao Rubai looked like this at this time in her previous life. If not, what was going on now? She had a guess in her mind that even she didn’t dare to think about in detail. It was absurd, but not impossible.
Her mind was racing, but she couldn’t show it on her face. Yang Lianyi’s words started to get to the point: “This time, Mengguan will send three female artists to participate in the filming. Two of them are Mengguan veterans, Ye Xin and Hao Ba. The last one, your contract just came in. Rubai saw your photo and decided on you.
The script will be sent later, and you will be notified of the specific role arrangements.”
It couldn’t be more ridiculous! Photo, what photo? Attached to the contract was a copy of her ID card! In black and white! The ugliest photo of her life, with no other until she changed her ID card! So the third role that was needed was definitely and certainly an ugly one! And Rubai, you’re calling her so intimately, and the person next to you has no reaction? How well do you two know each other! Mi Hongdou finally confirmed one thing, that Yang Lianyi’s IQ was definitely negative when she was facing Qiao Rubai, especially a Qiao Rubai who had been modified according to her preferences!
Her inner self was like being trampled over by ten thousand alpacas three hundred times, but on her face, she had to show the nervous expression of a new girl in the industry who had been hit by a gold ingot, flattered, wanting to laugh but restraining herself.
Hehe, actually, after being reborn, everyday life was where she really needed to show off her acting skills!
“But what about the previous TV series?” Mi Hongdou wasn’t sure what role she was given.
Being in the same drama as Ji Junxin was certainly attractive, but if she had to give up a script that would definitely make her famous for a role where she could only show her face and not become famous, then her distance from Ji Junxin would only grow further.
Qiao Rubai, who had been like a background board, spoke up, “Your TV series hasn’t started filming yet, and your role isn’t that heavy. Here, the role I’m giving you is also just a supporting role, so as long as the two sides are coordinated, you can definitely handle both at the same time.
This has already been discussed with your Manager Yang, don’t worry.”
“Aiyo, what Manager Yang? Didn’t I just say, although this is our first time meeting, I knew we were kindred spirits as soon as I saw you. I’m a few years older than you, just call me Sister Yang~” Even though they were talking business, Yang Lianyi couldn’t suppress her desire to flirt with cute things. Today, she was wearing a floor-length red dress with dark gold floral embroidery on the hem, which, combined with her undeniable charm, made her look like a vixen trying to seduce a white rabbit.
Those who knew her, knew that she just had a hobby of collecting cute things. Those who didn’t, might think she had some special fetish. It was a pity that she met someone like Qiao Rubai, who was impervious to her charms. It was going to be a long road. Mi Hongdou looked with a bit of sympathy at Yang Lianyi, who was trying her best to attract Qiao Rubai’s attention like a peacock spreading its tail. How long did it take her in her previous life to get Qiao Rubai to start tolerating her and interacting with her normally as a friend? Two and a half years?
Or three years?
“Sister Yang,” Qiao Rubai’s voice was a little stiff, lacking the usual charming cadence and playful tone that Yang Lianyi’s voice was known for. But these two simple words made Yang Lianyi ecstatic and shocked Mi Hongdou. In her previous life, Mi Hongdou never heard Qiao Rubai call her “Sister Yang” until she fell!
Where was the cold, serious, and aloof face that rejected people from a thousand miles away!
So, could Qiao Rubai also be… Mi Hongdou didn’t have a definite answer yet when the office door was suddenly pushed open.
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