"Is she onto us?" Wang Jiahui asked, his gaze fixed grimly on the screen.
Last time, he had brought Fang Miaomiao to a banquet with the intention of sending her to CEO Li's bed. Instead, he had been the one caught in the crossfire, ending up on the trending list. If he and CEO Li hadn't worked together to suppress the news, he would have been a laughingstock.
He had wanted revenge on Fang Miaomiao, but she had been like a rabbit, darting everywhere except back to the company. Hesitant due to her connection with the Wen family, he could only swallow his pride.
He hadn't expected Fang Miaomiao to show up at his company so brazenly today, talking about wanting to terminate her contract.
Would he agree? Of course not. He planned to use the excuse of being out of town for business, making Fang Miaomiao unable to find him, and then have her contract automatically renewed by tomorrow. But Zhou Li had stepped in, claiming she could handle it perfectly.
Because he had a favorable impression of Yan Huan, he had handed the matter over to Zhou Li, intending to just listen from the sidelines.
When he heard that they were trading the role of the second female lead for a contract termination, he already felt it was unfair. He hadn't expected Fang Miaomiao to refuse. Trading a second female lead role for her freedom, and Fang Miaomiao still wouldn't agree? Was this person out of their mind?
He had been about to go directly to Zhou Li's office when Fang Miaomiao looked up directly at the camera.
Her slightly cold gaze nearly made him jump.
"I don't understand what you mean."
"You don't need to understand. In short, I am terminating this contract, and the second female lead role is a matter for Director Chen Tianming."
"Fang Miaomiao, do you really think you can do whatever you want just because the Wen family is behind you?"
"Mhmm," Fang Miaomiao nodded seriously. "It can't be helped. I'm just lucky. Not only did I marry into the Wen family and gain a backer, but I also have a voice within the family, like watching surveillance footage."
As she spoke, Fang Miaomiao raised her phone and gestured towards the camera. "What do you think will happen if the news gets out that the company forces female artists to solicit resources?"
"Fang Miaomiao!" Zhou Li's face darkened completely. "Do you know what you're saying?"
"Manager Wang, what do you think? About what happened at the last banquet?"
"Bastard."
Wang Jiahui, from the adjacent office, could no longer contain himself and burst in. "Fang Miaomiao, you really are something else."
"Manager Wang."
"Oh, isn't this Manager Wang who was on a business trip? What are you doing here?"
"Fang Miaomiao, stop being so sarcastic. I never knew you were so eloquent before."
"Thank you for the compliment," Fang Miaomiao retracted her phone, her tone flat. "But it's not too late to know now."
"Do you know who I am, to dare threaten me?" Wang Jiahui interrupted Zhou Li, his face a mask of anger as he stared at Fang Miaomiao.
"I don't," Fang Miaomiao smiled innocently at Wang Jiahui's displeased face. "Besides, does it matter? Once we terminate the contract, we'll go our separate ways, and I'll have no reason to threaten Manager Wang, right?"
Hearing this, Wang Jiahui almost burst out laughing. "If you want to make a living in the entertainment industry, how can you just go your separate ways?"
"That's your problem then."
"Fang Miaomiao."
"Don't threaten me. There's surveillance here, and my driver is waiting downstairs. If I don't go down, it can only mean something has happened to me," Fang Miaomiao said faintly.
"Well done, you've truly mastered the art of the fox borrowing its might."
"It's just good fortune, what can I say."
Seeing Wang Jiahui's hesitant expression, Zhou Li quickly called out.
"Shut up. I'll settle this with you later. Get out now."
Zhou Li shot Fang Miaomiao, who waved at her, a venomous glare before suppressing her anger and leaving the office.
Wang Jiahui took a deep breath and relented. "You want to terminate the contract, fine. But I want the video."
He didn't want to see those trending topics he had painstakingly suppressed reappear online.
"Sure," Fang Miaomiao agreed readily.
"Aren't you afraid I'll release this and ruin your Wen family's reputation? After all, no one wants their business dealings to be under constant surveillance."
"What are you talking about?" Fang Miaomiao looked at Wang Jiahui in surprise. "What does the video I bought at a high price from the paparazzi have to do with their hotel?"
Wang Jiahui blurted out, "How is that possible? We bought all the paparazzi's footage."
"Who knows," Fang Miaomiao shrugged and said earnestly, "Why bother? We both dislike each other now, and I'm just a slacker, bringing in little profit for your company. Why should we torment each other like this, right?"
"If you agree to terminate the contract, we won't have to see each other all the time, which is much better. I'll even hand over the remaining assets to you, so you have no more worries, right?" Fang Miaomiao tutted. "Besides, am I your priority right now? Of course not, right? You must have noticed Zhou Li's expression just now."
Wang Jiahui fell into thought.
"Her expression clearly shows guilt, a guilty conscience. Think about it, you've invested a lot of money and resources into promoting Fang Yan Huan to where she is now. If she suddenly terminates her contract and leaves, what will you gain?" Fang Miaomiao looked at Wang Jiahui with an expression of "I'm doing this for your own good."
"Instead of clashing with me, you'd be better off figuring out how to keep Fang Yan Huan, that cash cow, in your company. You've seen my market value. You won't make back your investment on me; you'll only get more frustrated."
"If I were you, I'd sign the termination contract now and focus on Fang Yan Huan."
Wang Jiahui looked at Fang Miaomiao meaningfully, then glanced at Wen Yan'an, who was sitting obediently outside. "I didn't realize you were so eloquent now."
"I'm just speaking the truth. I know what you're trying to do, to tie me down and leave me with no future. But I'm not short of money now. Did you see what happened when I first arrived? If that surveillance footage gets leaked, I'll be slandered again."
"Then, I'll still be your artist, and I'll be forced to take the blame again. What, do you really think netizens are fools? Won't they see that I'm being framed? I also saw that you definitely wouldn't step forward to defend me. Then, won't netizens suspect that you did this intentionally? At that point, won't your reputation be tarnished along with mine?"
"Won't Fang Yan Huan then have a reason to terminate her contract? Oh, after all this talking, I'm a bit thirsty."
Wang Jiahui instinctively signaled for his secretary to bring water and then winked at Fang Miaomiao.
Fang Miaomiao: "..."
She was finding it a bit difficult to continue, it was too mentally and verbally taxing.
"In summary, we've both been played."