Superstar's Development Diary
Chapter 44: Finalizing a Bundling Hype

Chapter 44: Chapter 44: Finalizing a Bundling Hype

"Hello?" Luo You picked up the phone after it rang for a while, and there was some noise on his end.

He Jinxia got straight to the point, "Dong Qiin talked to me earlier, she asked me about some things in the company."

"Hold on a second!" Luo You said loudly, followed by the sound of running and panting.

He Jinxia waited quietly, and a few minutes later, Luo You, still out of breath, said, "What did she ask you?"

He Jinxia replied, "She asked if the company knew I was shooting this movie. I told her only my agent knew, and no one else; for details, she would have to ask my agent."

"She also asked me how I was developing in the company and whether I had any interest in changing jobs?"

He Jinxia paused for a moment, then continued, "I said I was doing okay in the company but might not have any roles to play after this movie, and for now, I don’t intend to change jobs."

Not intending to change jobs—that’s because even if she wanted to, it would have to be discussed in secret, not openly. Nothing was certain, and no one knew what the future held.

As for having no roles...

If she hadn’t slimmed down after finishing the movie, she would have to leave the entertainment circle altogether—how could there possibly be more roles for her?

Dong Qiin probably got the hint, falling silent for a while.

She thought to herself that if things were truly going as well for Jinxia as she said, the company, no matter how much they disliked her, wouldn’t let her make a "quitting the circle declaration" that would destroy her future prospects.

So, the kid was probably one of those not valued by the company.

He Jinxia, who had successfully led Dong Qiin to follow her line of thinking, keenly noticed a hint of pity in Dong Qiin’s eyes when she looked at her.

He Jinxia truly didn’t care. She gave Dong Qiin a relaxed smile, which only deepened the pity on Dong Qiin’s face.

She probably thought Jinxia was putting on a brave face?

"Jinxia, He Jinxia?" Luo You called out after waiting a few seconds without hearing her voice.

He Jinxia came back to the moment and said, "After that she didn’t ask much more, she just repeated asking if the company really doesn’t value me, saying isn’t it true that they specifically gave me the variety show notice for JY girl group, that should mean they value me, right?"

"I carefully said that the company is quite good to me, but there are so many talented artists inside that one must be more hardworking and diligent to succeed. It was because of my efforts that I won this notice, as for whether it was originally set for JY or not, I’m not clear, and then I didn’t say anything else."

Actually, He Jinxia could have added one more thing—she originally had several music videos to shoot, but for some reason, they were later canceled.

If Dong Qiin heard this, she would definitely keep it in mind, and might think it was sabotaged by someone.

If Dong Qiin specifically had it checked out, she could definitely find that those music videos were indeed maliciously canceled, matching exactly what He Jinxia said.

But He Jinxia went over the matter of the music videos in her mind and in the end, chose not to talk about it.

Deliberately letting something slip and accidentally mentioning something are very different.

If she could have made it seem like she accidentally mentioned the music videos, she definitely would have, allowing Dong Qiin to further confirm that she was indeed not valued by the company, but she didn’t think she could deceive Dong Qiin.

Moreover, at that moment, as an artist of Tonghua, speaking with Dong Qiin, she had to stand on the company’s side, and couldn’t possibly speak ill of the company. This was a matter of an artist’s integrity.

Standing by the company’s side, then suddenly saying, "However, there were a few MVs that were supposed to be shot, but for some reason, they weren’t," feels rather abrupt. Dong Qiin might notice something, and this is not in line with the image she was trying to establish for Dong Qiin.

The persona that was established isn’t just for fun. Being disloyal to the persona instead gives off a duplicitous vibe, and, having been through the trials of her past life, He Jinxia had some insight on this.

"Okay, I understand. Your answer wasn’t wrong, although I don’t know why Dong Qiin would ask if you are valued by the company. Your response, whether it’s being valued or not, is incorruptible," Luo You said after a moment of silence.

"Also, you... how did you know about the JY notification?"

He Jinxia paused, then a faint smile crossed her lips as she countered, "Brother Luo, is this question very important?"

Luo You fell silent again.

He Jinxia’s voice came slowly from the phone, exuding calm confidence: "I don’t think it’s important. What do you think?"

Luo You took a long breath as if shaking off some burden: "Right, it’s not important at all. Jinxia, you—"

Suddenly, his tone shifted abruptly, and he said hastily, "Wait a second, Dong Qiin just called me. I have to hang up here; wait for my call!"

Without waiting for He Jinxia’s response, the phone line went "beep beep beep—" with a busy signal.

He Jinxia’s eyes flickered slightly, and she looked down in thought for a moment.

Clearly, Dong Qiin had obtained the information she wanted from their conversation and decided to call Luo You. Most likely, she wanted to discuss promotion tied with the crew, and barring any surprises, Dong Qiin would agree.

But from their conversation, what exactly had she confirmed that ultimately made her relent and allow her to engage in publicity bundled with the crew?

He Jinxia couldn’t help but shake her head gently; she still had too little information, and no matter how she analyzed it, she couldn’t come to a conclusion. So, she should just obediently...

Well, stick to her diet plan.

After a round of dinner, He Jinxia watched the video sent by the nutritionist Xiao Tiantian, learning to do the yoga exercises shown on screen.

All the fitness equipment was stored on the third floor rented by the crew, and since she didn’t have many scenes at home, she was estimated to be done within a week. Therefore, she didn’t bring the equipment with her. Xiao Tiantian had asked her to do yoga and stretch whenever she had time.

And to be honest, although yoga isn’t as intense as running or jumping, those postures can be quite torturous if done for too long.

After completing a series of movements, He Jinxia felt like her body wasn’t her own anymore.

Before going to sleep, she finally got a call from Luo You.

"I communicated smoothly with Director Dong, and she agreed to let you and the crew do promotion together. I am still discussing the specifics with Director Dong’s assistant; we’ve just started touching on the details. I specifically requested a contract for the collaboration, and Director Dong agreed to it," he said.

He Jinxia understood why Luo You insisted on having a contract; it was probably because the delays from Dong Qiin had unnerved him, and he feared that the negotiated collaboration might fall through.

"I will rush back tomorrow to continue the discussions with Director Dong’s assistant, aiming to get everything settled for you soon so that everyone can be at peace," he said.

Upon hearing this, He Jinxia frowned, "Brother Luo, don’t you have something to do these next few days?"

Today, when he dropped her off at the crew location, Luo You received a phone call out of the blue, his expression changed immediately, and after the call, he hurriedly told her he had to leave for a few days but would be back as soon as possible.