Station Head Feng grabbed hold of her shoulders. He had no intention of letting his prey escape from his grasp.
"I'm going to shout if you continue to act like this." Changqing threatened him agitatedly as she yanked his hand away. Afraid of her causing a big commotion in the office, Station Head Feng had no choice but to release his grip with a face full of malice.
"Yan Changqing, stop acting like an entitled bitch. How else would you have achieved what you have now if not for the sponsorship fees your family gave in the past?"
"Then go ahead and replace me, station head. However, in the long run, you'll find out whether it was the sponsorship fees or my own skills that I relied on for my achievements." Not wanting to look at him ever again, Yan Changqing opened the door and left the office swiftly.
"Just you wait, Yan Changqing!" Station Head Feng shouted as he stared venomously at her figure leaving the room.
——-
In the afternoon, Changqing returned home. Information about her being replaced by another host was all over the Internet.
In the evening, Yan Lei knocked on the door of her room after he returned home. "Darling, it's your Dad's fault. Blame it on me for not sponsoring the TV station this year and letting you get bullied."
"Dad, it's not your fault," replied Changqing. Not wanting her dad to worry about her, she cried discreetly earlier in the afternoon so her eyes wouldn't appear red when her dad saw her. "If I was more popular, the station head wouldn't have dared to replace me, similar to how he wouldn't dare to replace Teacher Zuo. However, I've come around to the idea of hosting the cartoon show. I'm content enough with being able to show my face around the TV station."
Yan Lei sighed. "Silly girl. There are so many fresh graduates who enter the field for internships every year. Today, you were pushed out of the show 'Challenge to the End' by Chi Yining. Next time, you'll be pushed off the cartoon channel by a second Chi Yining. Once your contract expires, the station head will then ask you to leave the TV station."
Having received yet another blow, Changqing became depressed. It wasn't that she didn't think about the possibility of that happening, but what else could she have done when the situation already unfolded that way? "Dad, what's the situation like at your company?"
Yan Lei sat on the side of the bed and patted her head. "Changqing, do you have anything to do tomorrow? How about you accompany your Dad on a meal outside and go on a blind date?"
Changqing was dumbfounded. "Dad, I'm still young. Don't tell me—are you planning on doing something like forming a business alliance through marriage?"
Looking at his daughter's hurt look, Yan Lei felt miserable. However, he had no other choice. "The blind date was suggested by President Song of the Sky conglomerate. He met you once when you accompanied Dad to attend an evening party in the past. He had a good impression of you back then. He has a son who's now at a suitable age for marriage, and he wants the two of you to get to know each other. Changqing, truth be told, the reforms of national policies in recent years have been detrimental to the company. Our company's performance has slipped since last year, and the company has been covering up the deficits since the beginning of this year. Other companies from the same industry as us have been putting pressure to suppress our business from the beginning of the year, and now the company has been entangled in several lawsuits as well. If this goes on, sooner or later, we will have to declare bankruptcy and live our lives burdened with hundreds of millions in debt."
"It's fine if I shoulder the debt alone. But you and your sister are still young, and no matter how much your brother-in-law likes your sister, he won't be able to withstand shouldering this huge family debt."
All of a sudden, Changqing noticed there were already white hairs growing on Yan Lei's sideburns. Looking at her dad, her heart kept aching. From a young age, her dad loved her the most, and her dad wouldn't have told her all this if not for the crisis that he found himself really unable to overcome. However, she had always lived a carefree life and had never thought about such matters. "Dad, what if he looks fat, ugly, and is a jerk? Do I have to force myself?"
She pouted.
"President Song is much more handsome than your Dad, so his son definitely wouldn't be ugly. As for his character, we'll see tomorrow. If he really doesn't cut it, Dad would rather enter prison than make you go through with it," Yan Lei said as he forcefully squeezed out a smile. "To be honest, if you can marry into the Song family despite their high standards, that would be our family's honor. Actually, Dad hopes you can marry into their family then you'll live a life where you won't ever have to worry about money. With the Song family's backing, that Station Head Feng will even have to act according to your whims and moods in the future."