From the moment Gao Anqi laid eyes on Han Xingyan, her heart pounded non-stop and she had already forgotten what had just happened. She only wanted to chase and stand in his shadow to feel close to him.
However, Han Xingyan’s voice shattered Gao Anqi’s fantasy, “General Manager Gao, what you had just said is not appropriate. It was my idea for Miss Shen to shoot this advertisement. The Han Group is not a company that spreads gossip so please remember your position.”
Han Xingyan’s words were like daggers to Gao Anqi’s heart. This was the first time he had spoken to her about things unrelated to work and each word was a wound to her heart as if she had been placed within a cavity of ice.
When Han Xingyan finished, he walked away with Secretary Wang without heeding Gao Anqi’s answer.
Initially, he had not intended to be here at the film set but as a result, he witnessed a WTF scene. She was the crème de la crème* among his employees but who would have known this was her secret self. What’s the difference between her and a woman shouting abuse on the streets? He found this very unacceptable thus he asked Secretary Wang to call her out to warn her.
*TL-note: The best person or thing of a particular kind.
When Gao Anqi saw that Han Xingyan was about to leave, she held back the tears and walked forward to explain, “ Mr Han……”
She felt somewhat hopeful when she heard his footsteps stop and their distance shortened to the point she was able to vaguely smell the distinct cologne from his body. She presented her best expression and was about to speak when Han Xingyan cut her off.
“That’s right, remember to apologise to Miss Shen.”
If those were daggers to the heart previously then right now her heart was utterly shattered. The sort of despair that crashed down from the clouds to the ground.
“Why should I apologise to her. She is only an actor.” Gao Anqi was a sophisticated individual who had studied overseas and considered herself a White Bone Spirit* among the white-collar workers. She had her pride so why should she apologise to someone she looked down on? Keep dreaming!
*TL-note: White Bone Spirit (Baigujing) is a shapeshifting demoness, and in her true form she is depicted as a skeleton.
“Plus I don’t think I said anything wrong.” There was no other choice but to admit that she had misjudged him as a man who also liked to toy with shallow actresses. It really was disappointing!
Han Xingyan finally turned around and looked straight at Gao Anqi with a cold expression, “The reason being you are still an employee of the Han Group.”
Gao Anqi burst into tears at his words, “You can’t humiliate me like this. I am an outstanding student with a masters’ degree from an Ivy League University. Plus it was the Han Group who hired me at a high salary to get me here so you can’t do something like this.”
Han Xingyan’s mouth twitched and was very suspicious of HR’s* judgement, “It doesn’t matter what your background is or how high your intellect is. I know that if one side did something wrong then they must apologise to the other side. This has nothing to do with who you are or who the other person is.”
*TL-note: Human resources (HR) are the people who make up the workforce of an organization, business sector, or economy.
“I want to quit.” Gao Anqi wiped her tears and said in a tense voice.
Han Xingyan felt he had spoken too much today and especially with these blockheads. It was a waste of time to even say a word more. In this world, there are so many talented people. Why had he found such an incompetent person for his company?
Thus he said a few final words, “Remember to apologise before you resign. You were an employee of the Han Group when it happened so you must follow the rules. It will be the same at the next company you go to.”
When Gao Anqi heard this, she leaned onto the wall to stabilise herself and coldly stared at Han Xingyan’s back. She felt as if the temperature within her heart and the outside had both reached minus zero. The threat in his last sentence was evident.
The Han Group was ranked number one in the country hence if she wanted to continue to mingle within the circle then she had to do what was asked.
Han Xingyan passed the studio and saw the somewhat lonely rear view of Shen Chuchu resting on the table.
He thought back to the conversation he heard and spoke to Secretary Wang, “You wait here until General Manager Gao has apologised. Then speak to the legal team to let them know Miss Shen has been mistreated and add another two hundred thousand for compensation. There is no need to amend the contract, just transfer it directly into Miss Shen’s card.”
Secretary Wang lowered his head with an unchanged expression and answered, “Okay, Boss.”
Secretary Wang waited until Han Xingyan had left then glanced at Gao Anqi in the distance and instantly gave the legal department a call. In a moment, someone from the legal team rushed over.
At this moment, Gao Anqi had regained her spirit. She looked at Secretary Wang who was standing at the entrance and stepped into the studio without another word while the person from the legal department closely followed behind. Secretary Wang stood outside and watched because Shen Chuchu knew him.
Presently in the studio, everyone whispered to say they only need to wait for the higher ups since the incident had already been reported.
On the other side, the resting Shen Chuchu was asleep on the table after an early start. When the new assistant Wang Qian called her, she was still in a dream. Shen Chuchu fixed her appearance then looked at the expressionless Gao Anqi in front of her.
The reappeared Gao Anqi’s face was grey, unlike the arrogant female elite expression she had before as if she had been disturbed by something. She suddenly made up her mind, stooped down and bowed her head to speak, “Miss Shen, I’m sorry. I was wrong to say those things, please forgive me.”
Shen Chuchu felt she could not understand the show while nobody dared to speak a word at the change of development. There were no more than thirty people in the studio and a phone vibration could be heard amidst the absence of sound.
“Please forgive me.”
Shen Chuchu finally recovered when Gao Anqi repeated her words. She was not an unreasonable person and besides, she also did not have the nerve to break it off with the Han Group. Although she did not like this General Manager Gao, she still said, “It doesn’t matter. I just hope that you don’t speak like this from now on.”
When Shen Chuchu finished, Gao Anqi raised her head, turned around and stiffly walked away. This was her most humiliating moment and to think that she had to apologise to a vulgar and uncultured actress. Gao Anqi looked at Secretary Wang by the door and coldly snorted, “Will Mr Han now be satisfied? You can report it to him now.” Then she walked away without ever turning back.
Everyone in the studio watched as Gao Anqi left and understood Shen Chuchu had won this round. The individuals who had previously said some remarks all became speechless and wished they were at the back so Shen Chuchu would not see them.
While everyone was still anxious, the person from the legal team suddenly spoke up, “Hello Miss Shen, I am from the legal department of the Han Group. The higher-up in our company was made aware that you’ve been wronged therefore we will add another two hundred thousand for your compensation. Can I ask whether you would be happy to proceed with the shooting?”
Even without the stunned crowd beside her, Shen Chuchu was shocked by the Han Group’s gesture. Add two hundred thousand? She had already planned to continue the shot even with the original amount. After all, she was willing to overlook it since the troublemaker had already apologised.
She felt dizzy as if had been knocked down by the money and replied, “You don’t have to add that much money. Besides, I haven’t suffered much and General Manager Gao already apologised so I will continue the advertisement.”
The person from the legal team continued to smile and replied, “It’s a must. This is a shortcoming on the Han Group’s part and the two hundred thousand is our compensation to you. Please write down your account number and we will transfer it there.”
When Shen Chuchu realised their sincerity, she boldly agreed and retrieved her bag to give out her card.
The person took the card and smiled, “The money will be transferred to your account within half an hour. Please remember to check and good luck on your shoot.”
Everyone barely recovered when the two big shots in the company left and now they all had a new impression of Shen Chuchu. Does this person really have some sort of relationship with the higher-ups? It was one thing to mock her but if it really was the higher-ups that are protecting her then they dared not say another word.
The director was the first to reach out amidst the awkward situation.
The effectiveness of the first shoot increased a lot. After some adjustments to the uncooperative limbs, she was now slowly able to control her own limbs.
At one o’clock in the afternoon, three hours after, the advertisement was finished. The first thing Shen Chuchu did was to check her phone and inconspicuously counted the number of zeros. Good, a total of five zeros. The Han Group is indeed a huge company.
This two hundred thousand was her psychological compensation and completely belonged to herself so not a bit will be involved in the company shares! In this instance, she had actually earned five hundred thousand through this one advertisement. It really is easy to make money when you are a celebrity! Her hope was once again rekindled.
After packing up her stuff and removing her make-up, Shen Chuchu left with the new assistant Wang Qian.
Chapter 9 | Index | Chapter 11