"Who is this big shot you're talking about? Someone with so much influence?" Wu Yufei asked cautiously.
Qin Susu's expression was inscrutable as she lowered her voice. "I'm talking about Mr. Ma from Chengjiang Entertainment. Mr. Ma has been doing very well in the entertainment industry these past few years. He has a wide network and a lot of resources at his disposal."
"I heard he's investing ten billion yuan to shoot a historical Xianxia film, and they haven't decided on the female lead yet. If you can gain his favor today, perhaps the leading role could be yours."
Qin Susu almost let slip what she really meant. Wu Yufei's expression immediately turned unpleasant. What did she mean by gaining his favor? Wu Yufei wasn't a novice; she knew exactly how deep the waters were.
She smiled and politely declined, "I'd rather take things step by step. I haven't acted much in the past few years, and my acting skills have seriously deteriorated. If I were to take on a leading role in such a big production, I might not be able to handle it."
"What acting skills? What good are acting skills?" Qin Susu rolled her eyes upon hearing Wu Yufei's words. "Just listen to me. We're best friends, would I harm you?"
Wu Yufei thought that Qin Susu had harmed her before, but she didn't say anything. At this moment, the three of them had arrived at the entrance of the banquet hall. Before they could enter, they were stopped by a burly security guard.
The guard was tall and imposing, with a fierce expression. "Hello, please present your invitation!"
Wu Yufei handed over the boat ticket. The guard shook his head and said expressionlessly, "This is just a boat ticket, not an invitation. You cannot enter."
Wu Yufei looked at Qin Susu with embarrassment. Qin Susu's eyebrows shot up, and she reprimanded him with displeasure, "These two are my friends. Who told you to stop them? Don't you know who I am?"
The guard said calmly, "I'm sorry, Miss Qin, this is the rule of the reception. Without an invitation, no one can enter." His tone was neither servile nor overbearing. Qin Susu bit her lip and asked again, "Not even my friends?" The guard shook his head indifferently.
Just then, a short, stout middle-aged man, surrounded by a group of people, also arrived at the hall entrance. The middle-aged man was shorter than Qin Susu. He tilted his head and asked, "What's going on, Susu?"
Qin Susu quickly bowed and bent her body, making herself shorter than the middle-aged man. Then, she said respectfully, "Mr. Ma, I wanted to bring two friends to the reception, but we don't have invitations, and the security guard won't let us in."
It turned out that this short, stout middle-aged man was the Mr. Ma that Qin Susu had just mentioned.
"It's just a small matter!" Mr. Ma looked up at the security guard and said impatiently, "Susu's friends are my friends. Let them in!"
"Yes, Mr. Ma!" The security guard, who had been fierce moments ago, was now obsequious. He made a gesture of invitation, "I'm sorry, ladies, please come in!"
After everyone successfully entered the hall, Qin Susu thanked Mr. Ma profusely. "Mr. Ma, thank you so much just now. If it weren't for you, I, Qin Susu, would have lost face today!"
Mr. Ma laughed heartily and casually patted Qin Susu's backside. "It's a small matter, what's there to thank? If you really want to thank me, come to my private room later and have a couple of drinks with me. Oh, and bring your friend along." Mr. Ma pointed at Wu Yufei, then gave Qin Susu's perky backside another firm pat before laughing heartily and striding away.
After Mr. Ma and his entourage left, Wu Yufei said angrily, "This guy named Ma is too much. Susu, how can you let him take advantage of you like this..."
"My dear auntie, please speak softer!" Before Wu Yufei could finish, Qin Susu covered her mouth. "If Mr. Ma hears this, do you want me to live?"
Wu Yufei frowned and stopped talking. She naturally knew Mr. Ma's standing in the entertainment industry. "Alright, don't defend me. Get ready, I'll take you to toast Mr. Ma later." Qin Susu said.
"Toast him? Dream on!" Wu Yufei said coldly.
"Wu Yufei, don't you forget that if it weren't for Mr. Ma just now, you wouldn't even be able to get in. Even if it's just for this favor, you should offer him a toast to thank him, right?" Qin Susu's face was filled with displeasure. "Besides, do you still want to become famous? Did you forget what I told you earlier? With just one word from Mr. Ma, you could be the female lead of a ten-billion-yuan production!"
"I'm not going. If you want to go, you go by yourself. Whoever wants to be this female lead can be her, I'm not interested." Wu Yufei shook her head decisively and refused.
"Wu Yufei, what do you mean by that?" Qin Susu's tone immediately rose. "Didn't you hear what Mr. Ma just said? He asked you to come with me and have a couple of drinks with him. If you don't go, what am I supposed to do?"
Wu Yufei remained silent, her face flushed with anger. The whole situation was baffling. Besides, she wasn't desperate to attend this reception! Now, with Qin Susu making such a fuss, it felt as if she owed a huge favor.
Seeing Wu Yufei's silence, Qin Susu's tone softened. "Yufei, please, can you do it for me? If you don't go today, Mr. Ma will definitely be displeased, and my next project might be ruined..."
Hearing this, Wu Yufei's heart finally softened. She compromised, "Alright, I'll go with you, but I'll only have one drink at most!"
"You're just going to show your face. No one will force you to drink. Even if you just take a sip, Mr. Ma won't blame you!" Qin Susu said.
"Okay, Chen Xiao, shall we go then?" Wu Yufei asked tentatively, worried that Chen Xiao might not like Mr. Ma and his group.
However, before Chen Xiao could speak, Qin Susu interjected, "Why are you asking him if he's going? Mr. Ma asked you to go, not him. Do you think any Tom, Dick, or Harry can enter Mr. Ma's private room?"
"Qin Susu, don't talk nonsense. Chen Xiao is not just any Tom, Dick, or Harry. If you dare to say that again, be careful I'll fall out with you." Although Wu Yufei was a bit slow-witted, she was quite good at defending Chen Xiao.
Chen Xiao just smiled upon hearing this and wasn't angry at all. He pointed at the stage and said lightly, "You two go ahead. I'll watch the performance here." On the stage, the God of Songs, Jacky Cheung, was singing with all his heart. Although almost no one was listening to him except Chen Xiao, the God of Songs still performed with dedication. What is professionalism? This is professionalism!
Seeing Chen Xiao like this, a cold smile appeared on Qin Susu's lips. She thought contemptuously, "What an ignorant bumpkin. Where does he get the nerve? How can he dare to interfere in Wu Yufei's affairs?"