Ever since Jiang Li's private lounge was occupied by Qin Yaoyao, she rarely showed up at Jiang Entertainment. Meetings regarding work arrangements were all set at Sister Chen's place.
During the day, Xixi had school, so Sister Chen's home was relatively quiet, suitable for discussing work.
Sway had extended an olive branch, sincerely inviting Jiang Li to be the model spokesperson for their new spring and summer clothing line in the first quarter.
The advertisement Qin Yaoyao shot last time had a pretty good response. The brand's project reviewers there hoped that Jiang Li could cooperate with her to shoot a batch of sister - outfit advertisements.
Sister Chen frowned tightly, her tone full of complaint: "Sway doesn't have any real sincerity at all. They clearly invited you, but then they had to include Qin Yaoyao."
Jiang Li didn't care. She brought over a fruit platter and said, "Capital always wants to maximize profits. Sister Chen, calm down. Have some fruit."
Although she was complaining, Sister Chen actually knew in her heart that the person in charge at Sway just wanted to be fair.
They didn't want to offend Jiang Li, the former brand sales champion, nor the newcomer Qin Yaoyao forcefully recommended by Xiao Yanzhi.
"Li Li, if you're not willing, I'll decline this cooperation. I don't want you to be wronged there just for a brand endorsement."
Jiang Li pursed her lips and shook her head.
The last time Sway terminated the contract with her, the relationship between the two parties had already been pushed to a tense state and could break at any time.
Since Sway was now taking the initiative to reconcile, she didn't need to keep acting high and mighty.
Moreover, Sway's offer was still as attractive as ever.
It would be stupid not to make money.
"Why go against money?" Jiang Li held a hot water cup, turned to look at Sister Chen, and smiled. "Besides, it shouldn't be me who needs to worry."
It should be Qin Yaoyao.
When two artists appear on stage or cooperate together, unless their strengths are comparable or their relationship is very good, the public always wants to compare them.
Who is better and who is worse can be seen at a glance.
...
Finally, the cooperation was finalized. Jiang Li arrived at Sway's shooting studio on time.
The shooting theme and style for the new quarter had been set up. The fill lights and photographers were already in place, adjusting their equipment.
Xu Yansen had been waiting for a long time.
Seeing Jiang Li step out of the car with her long legs, he walked over, smiling, and gave her a hug. "Long time no see, my beautiful lady."
"Stop being so cheesy." Jiang Li pushed him away and curled her lips.
Xu Yansen shrugged and looked Jiang Li up and down. Then he said quietly, "Jiang Li, I feel like you've changed recently."
Jiang Li asked, "How have I changed?"
Xu Yansen rubbed his eyes. "I can't quite put my finger on it. You just seem to have a different aura from before."
"Before, you were a gentle and elegant goddess, but now you're like a queen with full aura." Xu Yansen gave a proper metaphorical evaluation.
Jiang Li's expression remained unchanged. She just smiled.
Without a man in her heart, the sword swings naturally with divine power.
As people gradually arrived, Qin Yaoyao was still nowhere to be seen.
Xu Yansen looked down at the latest sports watch on his wrist. His eyebrows gradually frowned, and impatience began to show on his face.
"Why isn't that little green tea here yet?"
He spoke bluntly and was always sarcastic. "She's not even a big - name star yet, but she's already acting like one. Who spoiled her?"
"Don't talk nonsense. What if she really becomes a big - name star in the future?" Jiang Li laughed and motioned for him to be careful with his words, lest someone take advantage of it.
Xu Yansen was always straightforward and didn't care about hiding his feelings. "I suspect my boss's head was hit by a door. How could he approve such a project? He really doesn't think Sway's sales are dropping fast enough."
Jiang Li listened silently and suddenly interjected, "Wasn't the sales volume last quarter pretty good?"
Qin Yaoyao was the brand spokesperson last quarter. Sister Chen said the response was good, and Sway's sales volume had increased by a few percentage points at the end of the year. It wasn't as if the sales had declined as Xu Yansen said.
This showed that Qin Yaoyao's endorsement ability was still up to par.
Unexpectedly, Xu Yansen rolled his eyes and lowered his voice. "You don't know this, do you? Because the spokesperson was changed midway, many consumers didn't buy it at all."
"If it weren't for Xiao Yanzhi purchasing a large batch of the clothing endorsed by Qin Yaoyao at the end of the year, Sway's sales volume would never have reached the standard."
So it was Xiao Yanzhi who had helped Qin Yaoyao.
"This is internal information. Don't go spreading it around."
The more Xu Yansen talked, the worse his mood got. "I never thought that one day my designs would have to rely on such methods to boost performance. It's so embarrassing to say it out loud."
Hearing this, Jiang Li understood.
They wanted her to come to the rescue and save Sway's dismal performance.
Just then, a black Maybach drove over and parked steadily by the roadside. Qin Yaoyao jumped out of the car, followed closely by Xiao Yanzhi.
"Good morning, Sister Jiang Li, Mr. Xu!"
Qin Yaoyao was all smiles. She walked up to the two of them and greeted them actively. "Sorry, there was a traffic jam on the way when A Yan came to pick me up. Am I still in time?"
Her eyes were wide open, and her tone was full of guilt, but the pride in her words was still obvious.
Seeing Jiang Li and Xu Yansen standing together, Qin Yaoyao blinked and covered her mouth with a smile. "Sister Jiang Li came so early. Did your boyfriend drop you off?"
It was common knowledge that Jiang Li and Chen Siqi had made their relationship public.
But even so, Qin Yaoyao's teasing at this moment still felt particularly inappropriate.
Before Jiang Li could say anything, Xu Yansen spoke first. "Little green tea, others have hands and feet. Of course they can come by themselves."
"As for you, can't you walk without a man to pick you up?"
A look of embarrassment flashed across Qin Yaoyao's face. Then she took two steps back and stood beside Xiao Yanzhi.
"Oh, look who's here! The tea - lover!"
Xu Yansen laughed when he saw Xiao Yanzhi. "I'd like to remind you two that this is a photo studio, not a teahouse. Everyone is here to work, not to drink tea."
Xu Yansen couldn't stand Qin Yaoyao. Every time they met, they would clash.
The atmosphere suddenly became very strange.
Xiao Yanzhi paused for a moment and said casually, "Yaoyao, go get ready for work. I'll wait for you at the door."
His tone was serious but still carried a hint of doting.
Jiang Li was standing right in front of him. At this moment, she was also expressionless. She nodded in greeting, as if the lingering tenderness between the two of them a few days ago had never existed.
The two maintained a proper amount of tacit understanding.
Xu Yansen was straightforward and didn't want to play mind games with them. He turned around and walked towards the shooting area to prepare for his guidance.
Jiang Li and Xiao Yanzhi were left standing there.
"Mr. Xiao, I'll go change my clothes first." She was wearing a thin down jacket, and her long hair was casually pulled up. With a slight raise of her hand, she tucked the loose hair behind her ear.
She was all smiles, without a single flaw.
"Jiang Li, do you have anything to say to me?"