Changing Jobs

When she arrived at the president's office, Chen Shaoyuan was discussing matters with three shareholders.
The topic of discussion was the scheduling of the artists' upcoming engagements.
Qisheng Company predominantly housed female artists; out of twenty signed artists, there was surprisingly only a single male.
Song Wanning had reviewed the photographs of all the artists, and even this lone male artist appeared excessively effeminate.
The female artists all shared one common standard: they possessed exceptionally fine figures.
She had also examined the schedules previously accepted by the artists, which consisted entirely of modeling for photoshoots, participating in fashion catwalks, appearing on variety shows, and occasionally taking on a role in a drama or two.
At a glance, nothing seemed amiss.
However, after carefully examining every single schedule taken on by each artist, Song Wanning discovered the hidden reality.
The photoshoots were excessively revealing, carrying heavy suggestive undertones.
The outfits for the fashion shows were thoroughly unappealing, and the organizers all possessed rather unsavory reputations.
Every appearance on a variety show invariably involved fabricating romantic scandals with the male guests on the program.
The acting roles accepted were invariably minor parts requiring the actors to dress overly scantily within the plot.
Searching the internet for information regarding Qisheng's artists yielded nothing but a torrent of vitriol and abuse.
At present, Chen Shaoyuan and the three shareholders were debating whether the artists should continue to accept such work.
Chen Shaoyuan and the female shareholder were of the opinion that they should reject these jobs.
However, the two male shareholders wished to tacitly condone such practices, because Qisheng's artists could only secure this type of work anymore, and they simply wanted to stabilize Qisheng and prevent a complete collapse.
Yet, while Chen Shaoyuan appeared to be soliciting the opinions of the three shareholders, he had already quietly arranged for someone to cancel all of these schedules, and his presence today was merely to inform them of his decision.
The older male shareholder was commonly addressed by everyone as Brother Wei, but Song Wanning boldly referred to him as Little Wei.
Song Wanning stepped forward and knocked on the open door. "Little Wei, this time I am siding with Secretary Chen. If you still wish for Qisheng to survive, you must eradicate this decadent atmosphere within the company."
"But if we don't accept these, what else can the artists do?! Are we supposed to just sit back and watch the company go bankrupt?" Little Wei shouted, growing so agitated that he sprang to his feet.
"Oh? Then do you happen to know whose money was actually used to buy Qisheng?"
"Isn't it you?"
Song Wanning shook her head. "It is the Wen Group."
"What?!"

Three voices rang out simultaneously, belonging to the three shocked shareholders.
By the time Song Wanning finished handling Qisheng's recent work documents and left the premises, the three shareholders were still in a state of utter bewilderment.
Having assumed that Qisheng was on the brink of bankruptcy, they never expected that fate would play such a magnificent trick on them. Since the entity that acquired Qisheng was the Wen Group, whether it became a subsidiary or was fully merged into the conglomerate, they, as employees, at least wouldn't lose their jobs.
Having finished her business there, Song Wanning went to see Jiang Xiuxiu in the evening. Ever since they parted ways last time, the young girl had been constantly talking about wanting to see her.
She was also worried; Jiang Xiuxiu was required to go to the bar every single day, and Sister Yu had taken a fancy to her. If Sister Yu stubbornly managed to poach Jiang Xiuxiu away, that would spell trouble.
Therefore, whenever she had free time, she would come to meet Jiang Xiuxiu.
Inside the restaurant, Jiang Xiuxiu was eating voraciously. Song Wanning watched with a furrowed brow and hurriedly urged her to eat slower, assuring her that no one was going to snatch her food.
Jiang Xiuxiu polished off the three plates of food before her in a flash and let out a hearty burp.
Unable to bear it any longer, Song Wanning asked, "Just how long has it been since you last ate?"
Jiang Xiuxiu counted on her fingers, recalling earnestly, "About three days, I suppose?"
Song Wanning fell silent.
"Do you need money that badly?"
She was not entirely clear on Jiang Xiuxiu's family background, knowing only that the girl was desperately in need of money, though the exact reason remained unclear to her.
"Yes."
Mentioning this caused Jiang Xiuxiu's gaze to drop, revealing a trace of desolation. "My mother fell ill, and my father injured his leg at a construction site while trying to earn money for her treatment. He is still recovering in the hospital to this day, and my younger brother is in middle school, right at the age when he needs tuition fees..."
Because Song Wanning had once saved Jiang Xiuxiu, she held nothing back when speaking with her.
"Then would you like a job with a higher salary—one high enough to support your entire family?"
"I would!" Jiang Xiuxiu nodded resolutely, but her expression immediately fell into disappointment. "However, the highest-paying job I can currently get is the money I earn at the bar."
"I will take you to participate in a competition. As long as you make it to the semi-finals, the prize is one hundred thousand yuan."
Jiang Xiuxiu's eyes widened in disbelief. "One hundred thousand yuan just for the semi-finals? What competition is this?"
"Song of the Stars."
"That show?! Would I even be good enough? Besides, without an invitation from the internal staff, how could I possibly get in?"
Her tone was laced with a lack of self-confidence.
Jiang Xiuxiu loved to sing, so she was well-aware of various singing variety shows and competitions.
*Song of the Stars* was a massively popular national music variety show and a competition of the highest caliber.
It had already produced five seasons, with a new ultra-popular singer emerging from each season. It was the ultimate destination for countless people who loved to sing and dreamed of fame.
However, the competition featured numerous formidable masters, making it exceptionally difficult for newcomers to stand out, let alone match the strength of seasoned veterans.
An invitation from the internal staff allowed direct entry into the competition, but without one, contestants had to endure preliminary auditions just to fight for five coveted newcomer slots.
Jiang Xiuxiu lacked the time, energy, and financial resources to endure such an ordeal.
Aware of her worries and difficulties, Song Wanning said, "You only have one chance, and you must seize it. I believe in your capabilities."
With that, she retrieved two contracts from her bag and handed them to Jiang Xiuxiu.
Upon inspection, Jiang Xiuxiu saw that one was an employment letter from a company, while the other was an artist contract specifically drafted by Song Wanning, detailing the company's expectations of its artists and standards of professional ethics.
Song Wanning continued, "As long as you become an artist with our company, all expenses incurred during the competition will be covered by us. As for your family's financial burdens, our company will advance the funds for you, and you can repay the company once you have the means."
In her past life, it was Sister Yu who had allowed Jiang Xiuxiu to participate in *Song of the Stars*, propelling her to massive stardom.
In this lifetime, Song Wanning was allowing Jiang Xiuxiu to bypass those detours and enter the competition directly.
Hearing this, Jiang Xiuxiu was deeply tempted.
Yet, she still harbored some hesitation.
"But... why are you being so good to me?"
This inevitably aroused Jiang Xiuxiu's suspicion, as such overwhelming fortune felt far too sudden.
However, Song Wanning dispelled her doubts with a single sentence.
"My choice of you is not based on who you are as a person, but on your talent. Your singing voice is what guided me to choose you."
Jiang Xiuxiu grasped Song Wanning's hand. "Sister Wanning, don't worry! I will not let you down! I will sign this contract!"
Wearing a rare, maternal-like smile, Song Wanning felt a great sense of relief now that she had eliminated the risk of Jiang Xiuxiu being poached by Sister Yu.
At that moment, the sound of a car horn echoed from the entrance. Finding the sound somewhat familiar, Song Wanning turned her head to look outside and caught sight of Wen Jingxing's car.
A surge of delight washed over her. Why had Wen Jingxing come here?