Playing Games

After scrolling through Weibo, Qin Ran didn't feel much emotion and went to brush her teeth and wash her face. While drying her face, she received a call from Sister Li. Qin Ran hung up the towel and answered the call.

Sister Li's voice came through the phone: "Boss, should we take any action?"

As she answered, Qin Ran left the bathroom and headed to the dining room, where a warming tray with freshly prepared food from the housekeeper awaited her. Her housekeeper was like a silent helper, coming in quietly to prepare breakfast, dinner, and late-night snacks, tidying up the house, and then leaving without a trace.

Qin Ran was quite satisfied with her housekeeper, as this was exactly what she needed.

While she spoke, Qin Ran sat down at the dining table to enjoy her breakfast. "What action? Did we spend money on bots to vote for Ling Miaohan? Did we hire any bots?" she asked, while thinking about her breakfast. Over the past three years, possibly because of Yu Shuman's influence, Qin Ran had paid close attention to her diet and made sure to eat on time every day to stay healthy. She knew she didn't have Yu Shuman's stamina; her senior exercised regularly and was in excellent shape, clearly someone who would live a long life. If Qin Ran's frail health caused her to pass away first, she wasn't sure how Yu Shuman would feel, but even the thought of seeing less of her senior made Qin Ran feel distressed.

Her three questions in a row left Sister Li momentarily stunned before she responded, "No, we didn't." They really hadn't. The votes for Yu Shuman were all handled by their own IT department. Since everyone else was buying votes, Yu Shuman's votes were also boosted, but they didn't hire external bots and instead used their own resources.

From the beginning, Qin Ran had set up an information department within the company, which usually handled online rumors, gathered evidence, and monitored public opinion about their artists. Occasionally, they'd engage in less official activities, like boosting votes for Yu Shuman.

The company spent a lot of money maintaining this department, and the only time Qin Ran personally used it was to boost Yu Shuman's votes, leaving Sister Li somewhat speechless. But it was the boss's decision, so she had nothing to say. Now that Qin Ran mentioned it, she realized the situation: they had nothing to do with the Ling Miaohan issue, so why should they worry?

The ones who should be worried were the companies that bought negative trends against Ling Miaohan. If the insider blogger exposed them, they'd have to figure out how to respond.

Understanding this, Sister Li relaxed, planning to sit back and enjoy the show. Just as she was about to hang up, she heard Qin Ran say, "But be prepared. If they don't bother us, all is well. But if they try to drag us down, we'll send them a lawyer's letter for defamation."

Sister Li agreed, then hung up the phone and got ready to pick up Qin Ran for the filming base.

While eating breakfast, Qin Ran's mind wandered. She understood the filth in the entertainment industry, and sometimes it was necessary to go along with it, like boosting votes for Yu Shuman. If everyone else was doing it and she didn't, Yu Shuman's votes would be noticeably lower. So, she had to boost the votes. However, she didn't want to get involved in such dirty affairs, so when others targeted Ling Miaohan, she didn't join in. She disliked Ling Miaohan, but she also disliked those who used underhanded tactics.

Now that those people were being backfired on by Ling Miaohan's supporters, Qin Ran had no intention of getting involved. She was content to sit back and watch, as long as they didn't bother Yu Shuman. Qin Ran would remain as immovable as a rock and wouldn't say a word. Ling Miaohan's sudden rise in popularity didn't concern her; it didn't affect Yu Shuman.

What Qin Ran wanted was for Yu Shuman and Ling Miaohan to be completely separate, with no connection whatsoever. She just wanted Yu Shuman to enjoy her time in the industry. Qin Ran would act as her shield, ensuring no one could harm Yu Shuman. But if the events from the novel unfolded and Ling Miaohan tried to step on Yu Shuman to rise, Qin Ran would swiftly show how agile a "rock" could be.

Especially during the first performance when Pei Qi had switched Ling Miaohan's appearance order, Qin Ran still remembered that. It wasn't that she wouldn't retaliate, but that the time hadn't come yet. She was clear on her target: if she had to act, she'd go after Pei Qi. There was no point in attacking a young girl; Pei Qi was the real culprit behind the schedule change.

After finishing her breakfast and spending a bit of time on her phone, Sister Li arrived downstairs to pick her up. It happened to be a day off from classes, so Qin Ran could wait at home for Sister Li. She went downstairs, got into Sister Li's car, and headed to the filming base. As soon as they arrived, the foreman handed Qin Ran her tasks for the day.

Qin Ran quickly changed into her part-time work uniform and, with Sister Li watching, followed the foreman to her duties. Today, the production team's main task was to organize some variety show activities. By now, the contestants had gained some popularity, so even if they weren't singing or dancing, viewers would enjoy watching them play simple games together.

Qin Ran was a bit worried. She wasn't sure if Yu Shuman had a sense of humor. Her senior was straightforward and sometimes blunt, which could offend people. In situations where charm was essential, a slip of the tongue could lead to backlash against Yu Shuman.

While the contestants were filming, Qin Ran busied herself with small tasks, like moving things around, guiding contestants to their positions, and handing out lunch boxes at noon.

Normally, Qin Ran wouldn't get such an easy and well-paid part-time job. Usually, these cushy jobs went to those with connections to the foreman. But since Qin Ran was recommended by Sister Li, despite how odd it was for Sister Li to send someone to do part-time work, it was assumed she was sent by the company to monitor the production team's performance under the guise of working.

So, the foreman had no choice but to treat Qin Ran well.

When Yu Shuman and her group arrived and saw Qin Ran, she was momentarily surprised, then broke into a smile and even winked at her. In the waiting area, Yu Shuman grew bolder, waving directly at Qin Ran. To others, it seemed like Yu Shuman waved for no reason, which made the moment a bit awkward.

Qin Ran wanted to cover her forehead and look away from the obvious attention-seeker.

Once Yu Shuman's group entered the stage, Qin Ran breathed a sigh of relief. This time, Yu Shuman joined the largest group, consisting of five members. With only thirty contestants left, forming a group of five wasn't easy; meanwhile, Ling Miaohan's group only had two members. With Ling Miaohan's current fame, joining a large group would only help others, so she opted for a duo.

However, Ling Miaohan's teammate was worth discussing. Despite being ranked last in the first two performances and barely avoiding elimination, no one wanted to team up with her in the third round, except for Ling Miaohan, who, feeling sorry for her, decided to pair up with her.

But that wasn't the whole story. In this type of elimination show, luck doesn't really play a role; it's either strength or deep connections. Since her teammate lacked strength, it had to be connections. Ling Miaohan's teammate was the granddaughter of the director of Beijing TV. This wasn't just any TV station, and the director of Beijing TV wouldn't hold such a position without some connections. So, this girl's background was evident.

She was just there to have fun, knowing the judges in advance and wanting to meet her idol, a top girl group member, in person. The director hadn't instructed the staff to give her special treatment, but her status ensured she'd at least survive a few rounds before being eliminated.

Qin Ran, having read the novel, knew how deep this girl's background was, but she didn't have Sister Li push Yu Shuman to team up with her. Qin Ran had always believed in what she'd said before: as long as Yu Shuman was happy, that was all that mattered. Whether it was choosing a song, selecting teammates, or deciding how to perform on stage, Yu Shuman should follow her heart.

Certainly, befriending this girl would help Yu Shuman expand her network, but Qin Ran didn't care. With Qin Ran around, she'd ensure Yu Shuman had all the resources and connections she needed.

As for whether Ling Miaohan knew, Qin Ran wasn't sure. In the novel, Ling Miaohan definitely didn't know. But in reality, Pei Qi and her family had probably informed her about the backgrounds of all the contestants before the show, just like Qin Ran had access to that information.

Qin Ran didn't believe they were unaware of the girl's background. Many of the remaining contestants knew who the girl's grandfather was. Even if they didn't, they could guess her identity from how the production staff treated her. In this situation, it was impossible for others to ignore her. The storyline of an incognito princess could only happen outside of this industry.

There was only one reason the others ignored the girl: her grandfather had probably told them to let her have her fun and then be done with it. But Ling Miaohan, oblivious to this, still wanted to befriend the girl.

Qin Ran pushed these thoughts aside and focused on watching Yu Shuman's team play games. The games were simple and designed for entertainment. The first game was a relay version of "Pictionary," where one person draws, and the next person guesses, passing it along until the last person guesses the final answer. Three groups participated, with five members in Yu Shuman's group and 2+3 members in the other two teams. This time, Ling Miaohan's team wasn't involved.

Yu Shuman's team drew the word "Mona Lisa," and Yu Shuman was the one guessing. The first team member thought hard but didn't know how to convey it, so they struck the iconic Mona Lisa pose with a matching smile. But as the pose got passed down, it became more distorted, and by the fourth person, it looked more like a different iconic pose.

Yu Shuman looked at it and immediately guessed, "Marilyn Monroe?"

It wasn't her fault; the previous players had indeed mimicked that pose.

Hearing Yu Shuman's unhesitating answer, even Qin Ran couldn't help but laugh.