Chapter 130: Gathering of Beauties

"Nice to meet you all. My name is Xiao Xie, and I’m the owner of this company!" While the beautiful women in the room were each lost in their own thoughts, Xiao Xie pushed open the door and entered.

"It's really him! It's the God Xiao!"

"So this company is actually run by the God Xiao! I thought it was just a coincidence that the company shared his name!"

"I can't believe our boss is the God Xiao."

Recently, there was no one more in the spotlight in the entertainment industry than Xiao Xie. His name dominated every major entertainment headline, and among the women in the conference room, several were his fans.

Clapping twice, Xiao Xie signaled, and Arno entered from outside, his arms full of scripts.

"Let’s not waste time. Each of these scripts has your name on it. Please come up and take the one that belongs to you. In half a month, our company will begin shooting three TV dramas simultaneously, so the schedule is tight and I’ll have to ask you all to work hard," Xiao Xie said as he placed the scripts on the conference table.

"The Legend of Sword and Fairy I: Zhao Ling’er. A pure and ethereal woman, as graceful as a white lotus. She is a direct descendant of the goddess Nuwa and bears the mission of saving the world. Her father is the king of the Black Miao tribe, her mother, Lin Qing’er, also a Nuwa descendant, was originally the high priestess of the White Miao tribe in Dali, later married to the king. The world reveres her as the Witch Queen. As the Nuwa line is passed down singly through each generation, Ling’er is not only the Black Miao princess but also the sole heir to the throne—her status is unmatched, peerless in this world." Liu Yifei picked up her script and, reading Zhao Ling’er’s introduction, immediately fell in love with the character.

"The Legend of Sword and Fairy III: Tang Xuejian, the most beloved granddaughter of Tang Kun, head of the Tang Clan. Although the clan’s rules forbid women from inheriting its poison arts, she has been taught every other skill, from literature and martial arts to medicine. Willful and spirited by nature, she is already somewhat famous in the martial world under the Tang name. After Tang Kun’s health declines and internal power struggles intensify, Xuejian loses her protector and suffers ostracism and bullying. Ultimately, she seizes the position of clan head and, using the Five Venom Beast, Hua Ying, cures the entire Tang Fortress of poison. Disdainful of the clan’s intrigues, she leaves with Jing Tian to wander the world." Reading this introduction to Tang Xuejian in her script, Yang Mi found herself growing fond of the role, almost feeling as if she were destined to play this character.

"The Journey of Flower: The protagonist, Hua Qiangu, is a strong and kind-hearted orphan born under a mysterious fate. She is rescued by Bai Zihua, the immortal of Changliu who descended to the mortal realm as Ink Ice Immortal. Secretly, she develops feelings for him. Bai Zihua, the leader of Changliu, is burdened with the duty of protecting the world. Though he knows Hua Qiangu is his fated tribulation, not only does he refuse to kill her, he even saves her life." Zhao Liying glanced through her script and quickly grew attached to the character Xiaogu. She rejoiced for Xiaogu’s encounter with Bai Zihua, but her heart ached to know that Hua Qiangu was Bai Zihua’s fatal trial.

Clapping his hands again, Xiao Xie roused the women from their immersion in the scripts. Interrupted so abruptly, Liu Yifei and the others all cast wistful glances his way.

Suddenly faced with so many beautiful women looking at him with such reproach, Xiao Xie felt a little guilty. Clearing his throat, he said, "Ahem. It seems you all like your scripts. So, half a month from now, filming starts. Any problems?"

"None at all." The women exchanged glances and replied in unison.

"Excellent. Take some time to get familiar with the company, then you can head home. I’ll see you all in half a month," Xiao Xie said with a smile.

"Boss, can I take a picture with you?" Zhao Liying ran up to Xiao Xie, phone in hand.

Seeing Zhao Liying in her white hoodie, her smile adorably silly, Xiao Xie chuckled, "Of course."

"Boss, don’t be so serious! Could you pout for the selfie? Please, just once?" Sitting beside him, Zhao Liying watched Xiao Xie’s faint smile and thought to herself, "He already looks so handsome when he smiles, but if he acted a little cute, he’d be perfect."

Xiao Xie rolled his eyes at her, ruffled her hair, and grumbled, "Don’t push your luck." Just imagining a photo of himself pouting for the camera—surely that would become a black mark in his history. He was the God Xiao, after all; how could he act cute?

When Zhao Liying noticed Xiao Xie’s expression change, she stuck out her tongue and put her phone away. She’d already taken plenty of photos today, so she was satisfied.

"God Xiao, can I take a photo with you too?" As Zhao Liying put her phone away, Liu Yifei came up, phone in hand, asking sweetly.

"Of course," Xiao Xie nodded with a smile.

"Yay!" Overjoyed, Liu Yifei began snapping selfies with Xiao Xie—she, too, was a fan of his.

Soon, several more women came over for pictures with Xiao Xie. Only after almost everyone had gotten a photo did they finally let him leave.

As soon as Xiao Xie returned to his apartment, he was greeted by Zeng Xiaoxian, whose face was alight with excitement. Seeing Zeng Xiaoxian’s eager expression, waiting for Xiao Xie to ask, Xiao Xie couldn’t help but smile wryly. "What’s got you so happy?"

"I know! Teacher Zeng is going to be on TV!" Guangu chimed in.

At this, Zeng Xiaoxian became even more delighted, raising his eyebrows at Xiao Xie with a smug grin, "Hehe, I’m finally going to be on television."

Just then, Lu Zhanbo rushed over, his voice trembling with excitement. "Guys, big news! I just saw a convertible Mercedes downstairs—absolutely stunning!"

Zeng Xiaoxian, as if he’d taken a dose of medicine, looked around proudly and said, "Come on, ask me whose car it is!"

Chen Meijia glanced at Zeng Xiaoxian, then promptly turned to Hu Yifei. "Yifei, do you know whose car it is? I bet the owner is a wealthy, handsome guy!"

"Xiao Xie, don’t tell me that’s your car?" Hu Yifei asked.

Xiao Xie shook his head. "No, mine’s the yellow Bumblebee. You’ve all seen it."

"Ask me! I told you to ask me!" Zeng Xiaoxian pleaded anxiously.

"Why should we? It’s definitely not yours! I see your gray Xiali every day."

"That’s not gray, it’s white! It just hasn’t been washed in years!" Hu Yifei delivered a savage blow, making Zeng Xiaoxian nearly cough up blood in frustration.

With a dramatic flick of his sleeve, Zeng Xiaoxian declared, "Everyone, I now solemnly announce: that convertible at the door is mine! Hahaha!"

"Whose car did you steal?" Chen Meijia asked blankly.

"Steal? Nonsense! A friend of mine knew I was going to be on TV tomorrow and insisted I drive his car to ‘absorb some of that stardom’," Zeng Xiaoxian replied, putting on an air of reluctant acceptance.

Xiao Xie grinned mischievously and interjected, "Renting a car for a day must be expensive, huh?"

"Twelve hundred a day! Outrageous!" Zeng Xiaoxian blurted out before he could stop himself.

Everyone paused, then burst into laughter.

Realizing he’d been set up, Zeng Xiaoxian shot Xiao Xie a resentful look and groaned, "You think this is what I want? All the people on TV are celebrities—I can’t just show up in a Xiali!"

"Teacher Zeng, you’re going to be on TV? What show?" Xiao Xie, unnerved by Zeng Xiaoxian’s resentful gaze, quickly changed the subject.

"Yeah, Lisa called and begged me for ages before I agreed. The show’s called ‘A Date with Ruyu’!" Zeng Xiaoxian replied, shameless pride all over his face.

"You really are our pride! Can I come with you, Teacher Zeng? I can be your chauffeur—how classy would that be? Giddy-up!" Zhanbo immediately flattered him, his real goal being to drive the car.

Zeng Xiaoxian thought that sounded reasonable and was about to agree, but Hu Yifei cut him off. "No way, Zhanbo! Don’t try anything. I know you just want to drive that car. You only got your license three days ago, and you want to drive on the expressway to the TV station? No chance!"

Zhanbo, exposed by Hu Yifei, looked crestfallen. But Zeng Xiaoxian was displeased—he was convinced Zhanbo genuinely admired him and wanted to support him as his driver.

"Hu Yifei, why can’t you just appreciate Zhanbo’s sincerity? Not everyone is as narrow-minded as you. He just wants to cheer me on, that’s all!"