Pei Ningxue's Open Scheme

Chen Zhi looked at Lin Wanwan's flushed cheeks and leaned in, ready to claim a little "interest."

Lin Wanwan obediently closed her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling slightly.

Just as their lips were about to touch.

"Achoo!" Lin Wanwan suddenly turned her head and sneezed.

She rubbed her nose and stuck out her tongue in slight embarrassment. "I probably caught a chill from the wind in the underground garage just now."

Chen Zhi pulled out a tissue and handed it to her, casually wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her closer into his embrace. "I told you to dress warmer but you wouldn't listen. Hurry up and eat. Once you're done, I'll take you back to the hotel early."

He felt absolutely delighted inside.

As long as Lin Wanwan was right under his nose, tonight's impending disaster would definitely be averted. No matter how shrewd a woman Pei Ningxue was, right now she could only sit at the dinner table and stare blankly at Su Man.

At the same time.

Inside a luxurious private room at the top-floor Chinese restaurant of the World Trade Hotel.

Zhang Yiming sat at the head of the table, discussing the second half of the short video industry's evolution with several executives.

Pei Ningxue sat to his right, exuding a cold, unapproachable aura.

Sitting opposite her was Lin Wanwan's manager, Su Man.

"Ms. Su, I've heard so much about you." Pei Ningxue raised her wine glass in a distant toast, a perfectly measured smile playing on her lips. "I really love Miss Lin Wanwan's songs. I was actually quite looking forward to meeting her today."

Su Man picked up her glass and took a sip, a professional smile plastered on her face. "You flatter us, President Pei."

As a seasoned veteran who had navigated the entertainment industry for years, Su Man's nerves had been taut from the moment she walked through the door.

She certainly knew who this absurdly young woman in front of her was.

The CFO of Deep Space Technology.

What was even more nerve-wracking was that Su Man knew the boss of Deep Space Technology was Chen Zhi.

And Chen Zhi was currently in a passionate romance with her artist.

Su Man's mind raced. Was President Pei's special attendance tonight and her unprompted mention of Lin Wanwan just business as usual, or was there an ulterior motive?

"Wanwan has been too exhausted preparing for her competition these past few days, and her throat hasn't been feeling well, so I had her rest at the hotel." Su Man responded flawlessly, sticking to her prepared script. "If there's an opportunity in the future, I will definitely have her visit you in person, President Pei."

"Is that so?" Pei Ningxue let out a soft chuckle. "That's truly a pity."

She lowered her eyes, concealing a flash of mockery in her gaze.

Resting at the hotel?

Like hell she was.

Knowing that bastard Chen Zhi's nature, he had probably already spirited her away to some hidden corner to get intimately cozy.

When Pei Ningxue saw Chen Zhi's guilty, sneaking demeanor this afternoon, she knew exactly what was going on.

Alright then, Chen Zhi.

You want to keep your mistress hidden in a golden house? You're afraid of me meeting her?

Then I'll just change the rules of the game.

After a few rounds of drinks, Zhang Yiming and Su Man had more or less finalized the intent for the Note Beat splash screen endorsement.

Su Man secretly breathed a sigh of relief and was about to find an excuse to end the dinner.

Suddenly, Pei Ningxue put down her chopsticks.

"Ms. Su," Pei Ningxue dabbed the corners of her mouth with a napkin and looked up at Su Man. "Since the cooperation with Note Beat is mostly settled, we at Deep Space Technology would also like to join the fun."

Su Man paused, momentarily stunned. "What do you mean, President Pei?"

"We are also very optimistic about Lin Wanwan's career prospects." Pei Ningxue interlaced her fingers. "Deep Space Technology is about to launch an independent domestic APP for Moss, and we need a spokesperson with national recognition."

"Three years, one hundred million yuan, to be the exclusive national spokesperson for Deep Space Technology."

A Note Beat executive sitting nearby trembled, dropping his chopsticks onto his bone plate.

Even Zhang Yiming couldn't help but shoot a sidelong glance at Pei Ningxue.

One hundred million for three years?

This wasn't a market rate at all; this was crushing someone with money! Although Lin Wanwan had just won the championship on Singer, her foundation was still shallow. At most, her quote would be a little over ten million a year. Did Deep Space Technology have money to burn?

Su Man drew in a sharp breath.

"Really, President Pei?!" Su Man forced down the wild ecstasy in her heart.

Coming out for a meal and unexpectedly catching such a massive windfall?

This was Deep Space Technology! The most sought-after unicorn in the domestic tech circle right now! Securing their national endorsement would absolutely trigger a terrifying leap in Lin Wanwan's commercial value.

Furthermore, this was Chen Zhi's company.

A thought suddenly flashed through Su Man's mind: Could it be that Chen Zhi was orchestrating this behind the scenes, wanting to use company funds to boost his girlfriend's career?

But in the next second, Pei Ningxue's words completely shattered her fantasy.

"However, I have a condition." Pei Ningxue leaned back in her chair.

"What condition? Please, go ahead and state it," Su Man quickly responded.

Pei Ningxue smiled faintly.

"For the next three years, Lin Wanwan cannot officially announce any romantic relationship."

"Of course, this is the entertainment industry. Hyping up on-screen couples and spreading rumors is completely normal. As long as no overly concrete photos leak out—like kissing or checking into a hotel—mere rumors won't count."

"As long as she can do that, this one-hundred-million-yuan contract can be signed tomorrow."

The smile on Su Man's face froze.

She finally realized what was happening.

As her manager, she knew all too well about Lin Wanwan's hopelessly romantic, love-struck brain. That girl wished she could stick to Chen Zhi every single day and dreamed of winning a Golden Melody Award just so she could publicly call him husband on Weibo.

No official announcements for three years?

With Lin Wanwan's clingy personality, getting caught by paparazzi in intimate photos was practically just a matter of time!

Even worse, as Su Man looked at the composed President Pei in front of her, an extremely terrifying conjecture suddenly popped into her head.

Could this President Pei already know about Chen Zhi and Lin Wanwan's relationship?

If that was the case, then this one-hundred-million-yuan contract wasn't a business collaboration at all.

Lin Wanwan, don't you want to go public?

Don't you want to tie yourself to Chen Zhi?

Fine, I'll give you a hundred million and top-tier commercial resources. The price is that for the next three years, you can only be a hidden, underground lover. The moment you dare to go public, or get caught with concrete proof, you will face astronomical penalty fees and total ruin.

"Ms. Su, why aren't you speaking?" Pei Ningxue picked up her red wine glass and took a gentle sip. "Do you think this condition is too harsh? If Miss Lin Wanwan is already in a relationship right now, then this collaboration might have to be re-evaluated."

Pei Ningxue's move was an overt scheme.

She was deliberately putting Lin Wanwan on the chopping block to roast.

"I wonder if Lin Wanwan... is currently in a relationship?" Pei Ningxue looked at Su Man with a half-smile.

Su Man swallowed hard.

How could she answer? Say yes? Then this one-hundred-million-yuan contract, along with the Note Beat resources, would all go up in smoke.

Say no? That would mean personally shackling Lin Wanwan with this chain.

"No." Su Man gritted her teeth, bracing herself to meet Pei Ningxue's gaze. "Wanwan is currently on the rise in her career and is absolutely not dating. We can fully accept your conditions, President Pei."

"That's good." Pei Ningxue nodded in satisfaction. "I will have the legal department send you the contract tomorrow."

She put down her wine glass and stood up.

"Mr. Zhang, Ms. Su, I have some matters to attend to at the company, so please excuse me."

Pei Ningxue picked up her bag and walked out of the private room without looking back.