Chapter 146

Some students lived in the dormitory building, which was convenient. For those farther away, it was a bit more troublesome. She delivered gifts to the student council as well and didn’t forget Liu Rushi’s share. Liu Rushi even received an extra one—for Miaomiao. It could monitor heart rate in real time and was very practical.

Zhong Ning asked, “Are you spending the New Year here?”

Liu Rushi nodded. “I’ll just celebrate at home. A neighbor invited Miaomiao and me to spend the New Year at their place.”

“Isn’t that great?” Zhong Ning said in surprise.

She had already thought of the New Year’s gift—a longevity lock, for Miaomiao. It was absolutely fitting.

After finishing her round of deliveries, it was nearly noon. The two of them casually had a bowl of rice noodles at the school’s snack street, then went their separate ways.

Xie Shiqing didn’t come to pick her up today; Zhong Ning had driven herself and would drive herself back as well.

Recently, there had been some trouble with the Xie Corporation. There were always some ambiguous rumors circulating online, claiming problems with their contracted actors—one after another. Some even involved tax issues.

It was easy to spread rumors but exhausting to dispel them.

Xie Shiqing had been in a foul mood, frequently losing her temper over the matter. However, she dared not show any attitude at home toward Zhong Ning, so the employees bore the brunt of it. The PR and legal departments had been so busy their feet barely touched the ground, all in an effort to handle the mess.

The fan market in the entertainment industry, though seemingly unstable, actually had its own structure.

People who weren’t into celebrity culture wouldn’t spend money on stars even if they liked them. That came down to personal habits.

And even among those willing to spend, who they chose to spend on was another issue.

Money was limited—if you spent it on one, there’d be less for another.

The fan market was enormous, and everyone wanted a slice.

Older actors relied on their works to speak for them, endorsing haute couture and luxury brands. Their consumer base was separate from that of younger artists.

But the Xie Corporation wanted it all—the low, mid, and high-end markets.

Other companies weren’t too happy about that. The cake was only so big—if you ate it all, what was left for the rest?

There was currently a talent show airing. The few people Xie Corporation had sent were strong in both skill and appearance, clearly aiming to debut as a group. But the show had accepted benefits from other companies, so the editing became biased.

The free version easily attracted negative attention, while the extended version for paid members showed the actual content—but only if people watched it.

There had been endless disputes with the production team. It was utterly frustrating.

Zhong Ning didn’t go home after driving out; instead, she went to the Xie Corporation. The atmosphere in the company was tense. Everyone was silent as if treading on thin ice, aware that their superior was in a bad mood and unwilling to stick their necks out.

Seeing her arrival, the braver ones shot desperate glances at her, eyes full of pleading.

‘Please go soothe her!’

Zhong Ning couldn’t help but laugh.

When she arrived at the office, Xie Shiqing was summoning the PR department manager. Assistant Fang, waiting outside, shot her a meaningful look. Zhong Ning understood immediately and knocked on the door.

She used their special knock pattern.

Less than a minute later, the PR manager came out looking dejected and disheveled, casting a grateful glance at her. Zhong Ning gave her a slight nod and pushed the door open.

She pretended not to know anything and asked, “Shiqing, I finished my exams. I think I did pretty well.”

“How’s everything going at the company?”

Xie Shiqing’s expression looked truly unpleasant.

She had called in the PR department manager mostly to scold her.

In terms of sheer power, no entertainment company could rival the Xie Corporation, but when those companies teamed up, they gained the confidence to challenge Xie Corporation.

Xie Shiqing summoned the manager not because she had responded too slowly or failed to reach an agreement with the production team, but because she was too slow in finding the weaknesses of the other companies.

Even if the competitors had joined forces, they weren’t a united front. Normally, they were all rivals—how much true sincerity could there be? Forming alliances and shifting loyalties was the name of the game. There was always a weak spot to be found.

There was no need to fight them head-on and exhaust oneself. If you want a piece of the cake, I’ll just give you a slice.

But after several days, no breakthrough had been found. Naturally, Xie Shiqing lost her temper, putting the manager on the metaphorical frying pan. Drawing a high salary came with high expectations—Xie Corporation had no room for dead weight.

Zhong Ning noticed her slowly pouting and walked over to kiss her on the lips.

“Mother’s birthday banquet is tomorrow. Shouldn’t we go a little early?”

Xie Shiqing said, “Kiss me again.”

Zhong Ning smiled and kissed her once more.

Having received two kisses, Xie Shiqing finally relaxed her sour expression and sulked as she replied, “Yes, we should go early.”

The Head of the Zhong family didn’t often host birthday banquets. She was still young and didn’t need to celebrate longevity. It had already been years since the last one. Holding such an event at this particular time clearly had an ulterior motive.

The two of them dressed to the nines and arrived early in the morning at the Zhong Family Villa in the suburbs. This venue was larger, complete with a wine cellar and horse stable.

Zhong Ning was no longer as cautious as she had been when she first arrived in this world. More than half a year had passed, and she had been thoroughly tempered. Most importantly, she now had confidence.

This birthday banquet was no less extravagant than the engagement banquet back then.

At the banquet, the Head of the Zhong family tapped her wine glass and announced an important matter.

She called Zhong Ning to her side, smiling brightly, and said, “From this day forward, Zhong Ning will be the next successor of the Zhong family.”

Amidst the applause, Zhong Zinuan’s expression turned utterly dreadful, with no intention of hiding it.

She had worked so hard for so long just to become the successor of the Zhong family, only to lose at the final step—everything was in vain!

She practically wanted to cough up blood.

The congratulatory voices around her, Zhong Ning’s modest smile, and the Head of the Zhong family’s proud expression spun before her eyes like a kaleidoscope.

“Your expression doesn’t look so good right now,” Le Xi said beside her with a bright smile. “Fix it.”

Zhong Zinuan couldn’t force a smile even if she wanted to, but Le Xi grabbed her wrist and gave it a hard squeeze, forcing her to curl her lips into something resembling a smile.

“Why her?” she squeezed the words out from between her teeth. “She must be blind!”

“The Zhong Zinuan I know always finds a way, doesn’t she?” Le Xi said while clapping.

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