"Ah?"
Tao Guangguang was taken aback for a moment, then shook her head repeatedly. "No, but as always, I'm still planning to play the male lead myself!"
Ji Xiaoli was speechless. "I'll give you more money. Don't make it look so shabby."
"The matter of adding money... Hmm?! Adding money?!"
Tao Guangguang suddenly realized that the premise of adding money was that Ji Xiaoli was willing to invest!
Tao Guangguang immediately beamed with joy and nodded like a bobblehead. "Sure! As long as the price is right, I can do whatever you want! Cough cough, no, you can choose whoever you like."
Who did she want to choose...
Ji Xiaoli narrowed her eyes, and her gaze casually landed on Zhong Canxi, who had been silent for a long time.
"What do you think... of him?"
Hearing this, Zhong Canxi felt as if his blood had suddenly frozen, and he even forgot how to breathe!
Did she mean for him to be the male lead in Tao Guangguang's new drama?!
...
After Tao Guangguang and Qin Xiangxiang left, Zhong Canxi still sat on the chair, looking at Ji Xiaoli with a strange and complex look in his eyes.
He couldn't figure out what Ji Xiaoli was up to.
According to what she said, she had no intention of keeping him as a kept man. Well then, he might as well terminate the contract, and they would never have to see each other again. - But then she threatened him with the liquidated damages and made him come here.
After listening to her sign artists and invest in a new drama for almost two hours, he never expected that she would even help him get a chance to be the male lead.
He... really couldn't understand Ji Xiaoli's thoughts.
"Zhong Canxi," Ji Xiaoli said calmly and casually, "do you know why I was a fan of you in the first place?"
Zhong Canxi was taken aback. He didn't expect her to suddenly ask such a question.
"Because you're a strange person." Ji Xiaoli frowned, but the corners of her mouth were still upturned.
"You could clearly make a living just by your looks, but you insisted on relying on your talent to win people's love. As you said back then, you said you would work hard so as to live up to everyone's love, right?"
Listening to Ji Xiaoli's soft words, Zhong Canxi felt a surge of emotion in his chest.
Yes... those were all the words he had said, the ideas he had once set. It was a pity that now...
"At that time, you inspired me a great deal. I thought this boy was really amazing. He was excellent, hardworking, and had a correct outlook on life. I was also living in poverty and having a hard time back then, but I thought, if such a handsome boy could work so hard, what right did I have to be a good-for-nothing?"
When Ji Xiaoli talked about these things, the corners of her mouth were upturned, and her memories were extremely gentle.
One could imagine that those memories were very gentle and beautiful to her. If only what happened later hadn't happened...
Ji Xiaoli lowered her eyelids, and a hint of disappointment flashed in her eyes. "No one could have predicted what happened later. Natural disasters and man-made disasters are beyond anyone's control. But what disappointed me even more was you yourself."
"You actually became so self - deprecating one day. You gave up on improving your skills and even wanted to be a kept man... Not for anything else, just as a former fan of yours, I'm very disappointed."
"I..."
Zhong Canxi hesitated to speak.
He didn't know what to say, let alone how to defend himself.
Although Ji Xiaoli spoke lightly, without a single strict accusation, the word "disappointment" seemed to hit him like a boulder on his chest.
Disappointed?
Yes, he was disappointed...
Even he was very disappointed in himself like this.
Zhong Canxi involuntarily tightened his fists.
"I also know why you didn't want to continue filming." Ji Xiaoli continued. "Because of me? You thought that because of our conflicts, I should not want to see you anymore and wanted you to disappear as far as possible. Or maybe you didn't want to face me either?"
Ji Xiaoli gave a self - deprecating smile. "But Zhong Canxi, do you really think so of me? Am I such an unreasonable person?"
"I don't!"
Zhong Canxi felt that his defense was so weak. "It's me. I don't know how to face you..."
"What about now?"
Ji Xiaoli calmly looked at him. "Now that I've made everything clear, is it still the same?"
Ji Xiaoli's eyes were as clear as water. There was no more admiration when she first saw Zhong Canxi, nor the disappointment she had just mentioned.
Her eyes were just calm, without a single ripple, as if a friend was looking at another friend.
"Actually, Zhong Canxi, I called you here today not because I'm bored and want to amuse myself with you. I want you to consider signing with Canxing Entertainment."
Ji Xiaoli took out the contract she had prepared long ago. "You heard the situation just now. If you're willing to sign with Canxing, at least most of our resources will be concentrated on you, and we will definitely make you popular."
"Similarly, once you sign with Canxing, your first job will be Tao Guangguang's next drama. He's very popular right now. If you act in his drama, you don't have to worry about not becoming popular again."
Ji Xiaoli spoke very sincerely, so sincerely that Zhong Canxi couldn't even find a reason to refute her.
After a long, long time, Zhong Canxi finally said, "Thank you."
"... What are you thanking me for?"
"I'm willing."
Ji Xiaoli saw that Zhong Canxi had regained his former smile. Confident and warm, it gave people infinite strength.
In a few quick strokes, Zhong Canxi signed his name on the contract.
In return, Ji Xiaoli quickly signed a check with an amount and gave it to Zhong Canxi.
"What's this?"
"Signing bonus. It's not much. I hope you'll accept it."
Zhong Canxi looked down at it. After hesitating for a moment, he finally accepted it. "Thank you."
After saying it again, he finally left with the contract and the check.
Ji Xiaoli watched him walk out, and the smile on her face didn't fade for a long time.
Never before had spending money made her feel so satisfied.
She even felt as if she had saved a wayward teenager and pulled him back onto the right track...
"Not bad, CEO Ji,"
Zheng Nanfeng had been sitting on the sofa listening for a long time and finally said coolly, "You've finally managed to sign Zhong Canxi back to your own company in such a roundabout way."
Zheng Nanfeng walked towards Ji Xiaoli step by step, with a hint of ridicule in his eyes and eyebrows.
"What's your next plan? Seize the opportunity since you're so close to him?"
Ji Xiaoli was both angry and amused. She thought this guy must be jealous. Just as she was about to speak, the system voice suddenly rang out -
【Congratulations to the player for successfully spending 10,000 good - luck points!!】
The system voice made Ji Xiaoli's mind go blank.
What was going on?!!
When did she spend money again?!!