On the other hand, Tianzhu barely acknowledged the greeting, seeing that this guy was not an awakener.
Xueli then introduced him. "And this is my younger brother, Qin Tianzhu."
Jingmin blinked in surprise. "Younger brother? I thought you only had two elder brothers."
"Stepbrothers." She corrected him but didn’t elaborate on Tianzhu’s case. "I didn’t tell the company. No one needs to know for now."
Jingmin raised an eyebrow, intrigued but not pressing further.
"As I have ntioned on the phone, he’ll be your assistant from today onwards, a road manager alongside Yuna," she continued. "Teach him everything he needs to know."
Jingmin exhaled sharply, shaking his head with a small chuckle. "Well, that’s unexpected." He studied Tianzhu for a mont before comnting, "Tianzhu, you have great looks. Photojournalists might not care much if it is a good-looking female manager accompanying an actress, but male managers are different. They will definitely take an interest in who this good-looking manager is, all in the search for a scoop. Not to ntion, Ms. Xueli is an A listed actress. In this era, it’s easy for people to dig into your background. So, I don’t think it can be hidden for long. And when they find out you were working for your sister, so might look down on you. Are you okay with it? If you wish, I can recomnd you to another celebrity."
Xueli glanced at Tianzhu, her expression turning serious as if she suddenly realized the risk. "He’s right. If you don’t want any exposure, you’ll need to wear a mask and a hat at all tis. No sunglasses, though, especially when you were with . It’ll co across as rude, and my fans will unnecessarily bash you on the internet for no reason. Prefer wearing fake nerd glasses for aesthetic purposes."
"It’s not a problem, Jiejie... Teacher Jiang..." Tianzhu corrected his tone in the end, already going into the character. He truly has no intention to grab attention. For now, all he wanted to do was to stay near his sister to gain a foothold in the Entertainnt Industry, so that it could beco useful for his niece.
After a while, Jingmin let out another chuckle and started the car. "Alright, let’s get going."
Together, they went to Vesta Entertainnt, Xueli’s agency, located in Genesis Entertainnt Town.
Genesis Entertainnt Town is owned by a private entity of Genesis Corp, a global investing firm worth over 300 billion credits, headquartered in Lin’an City, that majorly invests in entertainnt, dia, technological, and digital platforms. Surprisingly, it has nothing to do with Hunters or their world despite its heavy influence and high net worth.
The mont they stepped on the third floor of the agency, the air buzzed with the energy of assistants rushing about, directors discussing upcoming projects, and actors going through their scripts. Tianzhu almost felt dizzy, watching the chaos. For soone like him, who enjoyed the peace of being a store owner, it was slightly overwhelming. Not to ntion, his fighting skills are practically useless here, other than to make threats. He took deep breaths to calm his nerves.
anwhile, the staff mber, as if waiting for the actress, led them directly to a eting with Song Haoxi, a fad director known for his critically acclaid Chinese historical epics.
He was in the middle of pre-production for his upcoming film, The Phoenix Throne.
"Hello, Mr. Haoxi..." "It’s been a while, Ms. Xueli." "How long has it been? Three years, right?" "The last ti we t personally on the set of ’How do you do?’ Yeah, it was a box office bomb, but it ended up in the top 10 trending movies. Anyway, please sit. Let’s talk about the project I want you in."
Xueli sat across from him, listening intently as he explained the role he had in mind for her. "Empress Wu," Haoxi said, tapping on his script, "is known to be the only female monarch in the history of Zhonggou, the founder of the Zhou Dynasty..."
As the director went on speaking about the glorious history of Empress Wu, Xueli beca more interested in the character.
Tianzhu, standing silently behind her, observed the interaction like a subordinate. But in reality, he was in deep thought. "A movie shoot will last for months, if not a year. And since she is the lead character, she will not have much ti to do other projects either way. So, I will not have much work to do, and I could still stay closer to Jiejie. That’s a good thing, I guess. Now, for the kids, I can slowly guide Vera into this industry. So, I’m not worried about her. But, Theo... that brat is the most troubleso. He was adamant about staying back at Kitezh and intending to complete his graduation there, unlike Vera, who is open to completing her graduation here. Even though Jack was paying attention to him, he couldn’t keep an eye on that brat 24/7. I need to quickly sell off my properties and forcefully bring him here."
anwhile, the director continued to explain the concept and the history of Empress Wu for the next twenty minutes.
Once he was done and left the area, stating that he needed to go for auditions for various roles, Manager Jingmin couldn’t help but congratulate Xueli on securing the role.
He remarked. "Teacher Jiang, Director Haoxi’s movies always perford exceptionally well, with the past two films in the franchise selling at least 10 million tickets each." Xueli, however, had a calm smile as if she had expected that much and responded, "I guess I’m lucky."
Then, turning to Tianzhu, she instructed, "Xiao Zhu, follow Jingmin to the CEO’s office. With my recomndation, you’ll definitely get the job."
Tianzhu smiled with a slight nod. "Thanks," he said before following the manager out.
As they walked together, Manager Jingmin offered so words of caution, "Tianzhu, before we go, I want to remind you of sothing."
"Hmm? What is it?"
"The CEO has a pretty erratic personality. He might approve you because of Teacher Jiang’s recomndation, but every ti sothing goes wrong, he’ll remind you that you got the job because of her. He doesn’t hesitate to bla employees’ qualifications for any mistake. And... he has a short temper. If you argue with him, he won’t care if others are around. He’ll scold you in front of everyone." The manager explained.
Tianzhu listened carefully before smiling. "Then don’t tell him I’m Jiang Xueli’s brother. Just say that she recomnded and leave the rest to ."
"Eh?" Jingmin was visibly surprised but nodded in understanding. "Alright."
Soon, they arrived at the CEO’s office. The secretary sitting at her desk outside the office looked up and inford them, "CEO Tang is currently in a virtual eting. Please wait."
As they sat down, Jingmin leaned in and whispered, "There’s no eting. CEO Tang just likes making employees wait on purpose."
Tianzhu simply nodded, understanding this CEO’s sadistic personality. He already knew how to deal with people like him.
He waited in patient silence for twenty minutes and did nothing but shut his eyes
And then finally, the secretary looked up and said, "You may go inside now."
They nodded and rose from their seats. As they stepped inside, a man appeared in Tianzhu’s sight, sitting at his desk. He seed like a man in his 50s with a well-grood, sharp appearance. He has short, dark hair, styled neatly, and a sowhat serious expression.
Manager Jingmin greeted the CEO with a deep bow and a goofy grin, while Tianzhu offered only a slight bow as if he didn’t acknowledge the latter’s status. CEO Tang Wenhao’s eyes flicked between them, his frown only deepening further. "What is it?"
Manager Jingmin cleared his throat. "Sir, this is Qin Tianzhu. He cos recomnded by Ms. Xueli as a road manager."
The CEO’s frown deepened even further, his gaze studying Tianzhu. He leaned back in his chair but didn’t say a word for a mont, regarding his looks, which certainly have quality, but his age is not young. Then, exhaling sharply, he gestured toward Tianzhu. "Let’s hear it from you, Qin Tianzhu. What are your qualifications? Experience?"
Tianzhu t his gaze without hesitation. "None. Zero experience in this field," he said plainly. "Before this, I was a store owner."
A flicker of surprise crossed the CEO’s face, but he masked it quickly. His fingers drumd against the polished desk as he scoffed. "A store owner wants to beco a road manager, and that too, in his 30s? Xueli certainly has quite a humor..." He narrowed his eyes. "Alright, let’s go with that. Why the sudden career change? Did you go bankrupt or sothing?"
Tianzhu remained composed. "Not really. My daughter wants to be an idol, and I just want to stay by her side to support her career and protect her."
As a beat of silence passed, Jingmin turned to Tianzhu, his expression a mix of confusion and intrigue. No matter how he tries to process it, Tianzhu’s reasoning sounds absurd to him.
The CEO, anwhile, stared at Tianzhu in silence. His gaze carried seriousness, and his legs were on the desk.
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