After the Split

Liang Xiaoyuan realized his tone might have been too harsh. Feeling a bit nervous, he looked at Shen Tong apologetically and said, "I didn't mean to blame you. Just now, I was only... only..."

Shen Tong acted as if she hadn't heard. She stood up and said coldly, looking around, "If Director Liang has nothing else, I have some business to attend to and will leave first."

"Shen Tong, Shen Tong," Liang Xiaoyuan called out.

Shen Tong turned around and said coldly, "If Director Liang needs a promise, I will do my best to manage my artists well."

Liang Xiaoyuan opened his mouth but couldn't bring himself to ask her to stay. This incident had hurt Sangyan, and he sympathized with her because he had witnessed the many things that had happened to her. He couldn't just ignore it. He could only stare regretfully at Shen Tong's thin figure as she walked out of the company doors.

"Don't make such a fuss over my affairs. She doesn't really want to argue with you either," said Xie Sangyan with red eyes, leaning against the doorway, looking frail.

"It's nothing. I just can't believe how she was today. It's like she can't tell right from wrong anymore," Liang Xiaoyuan said regretfully. "Actually, I didn't want to argue with her either. I just wanted to wake her up a bit."

Xie Sangyan said, "Don't push yourself too hard." Then she sighed lightly and entered the office, leaving Liang Xiaoyuan alone with his tangled thoughts.

After Shen Tong turned away, her eyes reddened, and tears were about to spill. She gritted her teeth, telling herself to stay calm. The most reliable thing in the world is money, she thought. Shen Tong never had friends, only mutual interests. Now that their interests conflicted, they naturally parted ways. Only working hard and earning money was reliable. But she still felt unbearably sad, as if someone was repeatedly tearing at her heart, feeling like it was about to shatter. She had indeed lost her rationality tonight, constantly attacking Xie Sangyan. She felt terrible for Xiaoxi and Xie Sangyan and wanted to speak properly. But since she was responsible for Chen Xiaoyong, she had to fight for Chen Xiaoyong's best interests, which meant exploiting the opponent's weaknesses.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket. Shen Tong composed herself, took a deep breath, and answered, "Hello?"

"When are you coming?" Su Xiao asked directly.

"What?" Shen Tong asked impatiently; she hated guessing.

"The celebration party," Su Xiao replied.

Shen Tong suddenly remembered that the director had insisted she attend to build connections for future opportunities. She quickly asked, "Where is it?"

After Su Xiao told her the location, Shen Tong rushed to the celebration party in a taxi. She found the director and apologized profusely, "I'm so sorry, Director. I'm late."

"Hey, little Shen, you're finally here. Everyone's been waiting to make you drink a penalty!" the director said cheerfully, completely different from his on-set demeanor.

Everyone immediately chimed in, saying she should drink as punishment. Shen Tong looked at the group, knowing she couldn't escape. So she said boldly, "Alright! I'll down this glass first as an apology!" She then gulped down the drink in one go.

Everyone applauded, creating a lively atmosphere. The festive mood gradually made Shen Tong forget her recent unhappiness, and she fully immersed herself in the atmosphere.

By midnight, everyone was laughing, joking about each other's embarrassing moments and happy times.

Shen Tong sat to the side, carefully thinking about the day's events. She reminded herself that as long as her artists became famous, her salary would naturally increase significantly. Money was the most reliable thing!

In the days that followed, Shen Tong worked tirelessly like a spinning top, barely stopping to eat. She racked her brains trying to make her two artists famous worldwide.

Xie Sangyan's issue was also resolved. The CEO of the scandal-related company came forward to clarify the truth. This person was Lu Heng. Lu Heng and Xie Sangyan appeared together and issued personal statements, indicating they were just friends. The kissing photo was the result of losing a game of Truth or Dare with friends, unaware that someone with ulterior motives would publish it. He stated he would investigate the matter thoroughly. As for Xie Sangyan laughing with multiple men in a bar, it was because she was working as a waitress at the time and had no choice. There was no truth to her being involved with several men simultaneously. Chen Xiaoyong had been used by someone with ulterior motives.

This approach maintained Xie Sangyan's position without affecting Chen Xiaoyong, and the scandal that had caused such an uproar was thus put to rest.

After filming, Su Xiao's schedule cleared up. Chen Xiaoyong, having been disciplined by the company, was not allowed to participate in any entertainment programs. Even if she did participate, she wasn't permitted to discuss anything related to Xie Sangyan. So Shen Tong was constantly explaining and being rejected.

The three of them sat in the office, looking at each other. Su Xiao finally decided to go practice his singing, leaving only two people.

"Hello, hello. Are you inviting Chen Xiaoyong to participate in your show?" Shen Tong asked excitedly. Chen Xiaoyong's eyes lit up.

"Yes, our program team wants to invite her to talk about the Xie Sangyan incident," the other party said.

"I'm sorry, but can we discuss other topics besides this incident?" Shen Tong asked diplomatically.

"We're particularly interested in this matter and want to hear Ms. Chen's thoughts," the other party insisted.

"We've already explained this matter, so we probably won't..." Shen Tong was interrupted before she could finish.

"If it's not about this incident, then we'll have to invite someone else to participate." The other party hung up after saying this.

This kind of thing had happened more than once or twice. Newspapers, entertainment gossip shows, interviews - sometimes they even made it to the recording studio, but as soon as they heard that they wouldn't discuss this matter, the other party would immediately apologize, "Sorry, if this topic is off-limits, then it probably won't work."

Chen Xiaoyong's face turned green with anger from these rejections. She constantly cursed these programs, looking very disappointed. "These shows really go whichever way the wind blows!"

Shen Tong rolled her eyes and said, "These shows only want gossip. Without gossip, you need to be famous, and you're not famous enough yet."

She dialed a number, "Hello? Hello? Is this Director Zhang? I heard you're preparing to shoot a movie recently. How about it, do you have any suitable roles or vacancies?"

"I have two here, they're my artists. What do you think, can we come for an audition?" Shen Tong asked cautiously.

"Ah, not possible? Well, never mind then. Thank you for your time, thank you." Shen Tong hung up the phone, clearly disappointed.

"Hello, Director Li? This is Shen Tong. I heard you're preparing to shoot a new drama recently. Do you have any vacant roles?" Shen Tong asked. "You've heard of Chen Xiaoyong, right? Yes, her."

"Oh? You do?" Shen Tong's face lit up with a smile. "Mm-hmm, good, we'll head over right away."

"Let's go," Shen Tong immediately stood up and called out.

Chen Xiaoyong's eyes brightened, and she quickly followed, asking repeatedly, "How is it? Is there a role?"

"Yes, but it might be an insignificant role. Don't throw a tantrum when we get there!" Shen Tong said seriously.

"What do you mean by a small role?" Chen Xiaoyong immediately became dissatisfied.

"Do you have any objections? If it weren't for the trouble you caused, would the company have abandoned you like this?" Shen Tong questioned, leaving Chen Xiaoyong speechless and feeling resentful towards her.

Shen Tong's heart was filled with unease and extreme insecurity. She just wanted to increase their exposure, make them quickly rise to fame, and earn more money, which would bring her a sense of security. So she constantly contacted various parties, shows, and newspapers. Now that there was finally an opportunity, she had to seize it.

Arriving at the set, everyone's face wore a cold and busy expression. Everyone was doing their part, and from the looks of the set, it was a Republican-era drama.

"Director, hello, I'm Shen Tong, the one who just called," Shen Tong said with a sweet smile.

"Oh, hello, hello. What a young lady," Director Li said with a smile.

After carefully observing Shen Tong for a moment, he added, "I think your aura is very suitable for the second female lead, the male lead's first love. But you'd have to take off your glasses."

Shen Tong smiled and quickly explained, "It's not me who's here to act, it's my artist Chen Xiaoyong. My artist is much more talented than I am."

Director Li also laughed and looked carefully at Chen Xiaoling, saying, "Hmm, your aura is very suitable for playing the evil maid beside the female lead. Her scenes are also quite substantial."

"What? You want me to play a maid?" Chen Xiaoyong screamed in disbelief. "No way, how could this be!" She flatly rejected the proposal.

"It seems you haven't discussed this thoroughly?" Director Li looked back and forth between them, puzzled.

Shen Tong apologized repeatedly, "I'm sorry, Director Li. Let me talk to her."

"If you don't seize every possible opportunity to become famous, how will you ever make it big?" Shen Tong said.

"What does my fame have to do with this role? I absolutely won't play a maid!" Chen Xiaoyong said haughtily.

"Is this the time for you to throw a tantrum?" Shen Tong asked.

"Hmph, it's not like you're the one acting, of course you don't care," Chen Xiaoyong said, turning up her nose.

"How can I not care? If you don't become famous, my salary won't increase, and without a raise, there's no money," Shen Tong said.

"Anyway, don't even think about making me play this role!" Chen Xiaoyong said arrogantly, then turned and left.

Shen Tong helplessly held her forehead, then ran back to apologize to Director Li. "Director, I'm so sorry. Ms. Chen feels her aura doesn't suit this role, so... I'm really sorry!" Shen Tong didn't want to miss any opportunity to build good relationships with people in the entertainment industry, as it could be hugely beneficial in the future. You never know when you might need those connections.

"It's alright, it's alright. Girl, I think if you became a celebrity, you'd definitely become an overnight sensation!" Director Li said with a friendly smile. "I really like you. If you ever decide to enter the entertainment industry, you must come find me!"

Shen Tong smiled and said, "Aren't I already in the entertainment industry? Thank you for your kind words, Director Li. I'll take my leave now." She then turned and left.

"This girl will achieve great things!" Director Li mused behind her.

Back at the company, Chen Xiaoyong had disappeared somewhere, and Su Xiao had gone to practice his singing.