Chapter 485 - 232: Cultivating a Newcomer
Chapter 485: Chapter 232: Cultivating a Newcomer
Honestly, Sun Jialin was much more interested in joining Jiang Wan’s new company than one of the older, more established MCNs.
For one, the older companies usually had a strict hierarchy. They didn’t distribute traffic based on the quality of your work, but instead favored their veteran creators.
There might even be a casting couch!
It was just like the Korean entertainment industry—incredibly corrupt behind the scenes.
That’s why Sun Jialin had such high hopes for Jiang Wan’s new company.
After all, a brand-new company was unlikely to have a strict hierarchy. Even if one developed, as one of the very first members to join, she’d surely be in the top tier.
She was a firm believer in the saying, ’Better to be a big fish in a small pond than a small fish in a big sea.’
Besides, Sun Jialin was confident that with Lin Shen’s personality, he would never let his company just fade into mediocrity.
Since he was building it with Jiang Wan, he was sure to make it a huge success.
’When that happens, as a veteran of the company, won’t the resources just come pouring in?’
’Hehe!’
The corners of the usually calm Sun Jialin’s mouth turned up uncontrollably at the thought of how much money she might make in the future.
’Of course, the casting couch she was worried about might still exist, but...’
Sun Jialin stole a glance at Lin Shen’s handsome profile as he focused on driving, and her heart began to pound.
’If it was this handsome, successful man in his twenties doing the... propositioning, well, that wouldn’t be so bad.’
In fact, Sun Jialin even felt a faint sense of anticipation.
"That’s not my call to make."
Jiang Wan smiled gently, then tapped Lin Shen’s arm and said with a playful pout.
"You heard all that, right? My student wants to join our MCN company. What do you think?"
"No problem."
The moment Jiang Wan started asking Sun Jialin about her online accounts, Lin Shen knew she planned to recruit her.
Although there was a personal bias involved, Sun Jialin’s image was genuinely good.
If it weren’t for Gu Wanqing, she would have a very high chance of becoming the campus belle for the class of 2025 at Shanghai International Studies University.
’What a pity. Just bad timing!’
Still, there was one advantage: Sun Jialin’s "K-girl" fashion sense could easily capitalize on traffic trends.
’A pair of long legs in black nylons, some dance moves... what man wouldn’t be captivated by that?’
In any case, Lin Shen thought Sun Jialin had a good image and was worth signing, so he agreed without hesitation.
"We can discuss the details over dinner. How does that sound, Jialin?"
"Okay!"
Sun Jialin was overjoyed and quickly thanked them.
"Thank you, Lin Shen, Jiang Wan, and Qingqing."
Sun Jialin took Gu Wanqing’s hand and said softly.
"Thank you."
"Oh, I didn’t do anything. Don’t be so formal, we’re roommates, aren’t we?"
Gu Wanqing said with a grin, happy for her friend.
But she also felt a faint sense of unease.
’Although she couldn’t detect any ulterior motives from Sun Jialin, her woman’s intuition told her that this wasn’t so simple!’
’There are more and more beautiful women around Lin Shen!’
’If this keeps up... my rival won’t just be Jiang Wan anymore!’
Gu Wanqing kept a smile on her face, but her hands were clenched tightly in her lap. She pursed her lips, silently plotting her next move.
Soon, after a drive of more than half an hour, Lin Shen brought the group to the Peninsula Hotel in Magic City Center.
The dinner buffet here was said to be excellent.
While not the most expensive, it offered the best value.
The truly expensive places were the seafood buffets at specialty restaurants like crab houses, which could easily cost one to two thousand yuan per person.
Lin Shen felt that bringing three women to a place like that wasn’t very cost-effective.
Besides, he figured that women often value atmosphere far more than the food itself, which is why he’d brought them to the Peninsula Hotel.
Jiang Wan had no particular reaction upon entering the ground-floor lobby. After all, she and Lin Shen had been to plenty of high-end restaurants together.
Gu Wanqing and Sun Jialin, on the other hand, were wide-eyed with astonishment, looking all around at the incredibly luxurious and elegant decor.
The style was a perfect fusion of Art Deco and contemporary comfort, recreating the atmosphere of Modu’s golden age in the 1920s and 30s.
Dominated by cream and celadon hues paired with black marble floors and limestone walls, the atmosphere was warm and gentle.
The Art Deco-style backlit and carved glass ceilings with their chandeliers, the open-air minstrels’ gallery, and the two-story-high murals—all these architectural details firmly established the Peninsula Hotel’s overall style of opulent elegance.
’It must be really expensive to eat here, right?’
Sun Jialin felt a pang of anxiety and quickly tugged on Gu Wanqing’s sleeve.
"Isn’t this a little too much for your brother to be spending?"
"Is it?"
Gu Wanqing turned and asked Lin Shen loudly.
"Brother, Linlin wants to know how much this meal costs."
"Qingqing!"
Sun Jialin couldn’t believe it. ’How could Gu Wanqing be so tactless? Just blurting it out like that!’
’She’s making me look so bad!’
Sun Jialin immediately moved to cover Gu Wanqing’s mouth, but stopped when she saw her friend’s cheeky grin. She realized then that Gu Wanqing had done it on purpose.
"It’s not that expensive. A little over a thousand per person, so about twelve hundred with the service charge."
’That’s not expensive?!’
Sun Jialin grew a little anxious. She felt bad that Lin Shen had already spent over a thousand yuan on her when they had only just met.
Lin Shen, however, looked completely unfazed. Seeing her tense expression, he smiled reassuringly.
"Don’t worry about it. You’re Qingqing’s roommate. I’ll be counting on you to look after her at school."
The best way to ease the awkwardness of someone who feels indebted to you is to give them a way to repay the favor.
Through such exchanges, relationships grow stronger.
Sure enough, Lin Shen’s tactful handling of the situation dispelled Sun Jialin’s embarrassment. She nodded at him gratefully and made a promise.
"I will! I’ll take good care of Qingqing."
"You’d think I couldn’t take care of myself," Gu Wanqing muttered.
Seeing how cute she was, Lin Shen couldn’t resist reaching out and patting her head fondly.
A moment later, a waiter led the four of them to a quiet corner to enjoy the buffet.
The Peninsula Hotel’s buffet was truffle-themed, and its most famous signature dish was likely the truffle risotto.
Of course, the other seafood was also exceptionally fresh and delicious.
Oysters, king crab, salmon... all the classic seafood staples were there.
For hot appetizers, Lin Shen got Alaskan crab cakes, grilled oysters, and teriyaki eel.
The main courses were more numerous, including a Hawaiian-style salmon and avocado poke bowl, angel hair pasta with clams and green peas, and British-style fish and chips served with malt vinegar and tartar sauce.
The dishes were not only fragrant but also beautifully and uniquely plated.
Sun Jialin couldn’t resist pulling out her phone and snapping a flurry of pictures to post online. Noticing everyone watching her, she sheepishly put her phone away and apologized quietly.
"Sorry, that was rude of me."
"It’s okay."
Jiang Wan smiled warmly. To save Sun Jialin from further embarrassment, she took out her own phone to snap a photo before gesturing for everyone to start eating.
"Let’s eat. You must all be hungry. Dig in, tonight’s on Young Master Lin."
Jiang Wan winked at Lin Shen with a rather charming smile.
In response, Lin Shen affectionately pinched her soft cheek, a clear sign of their close relationship.
This stirred a mix of conflicting emotions in Gu Wanqing—happiness and a sense of loss.
She was happy for Jiang Wan, but she didn’t want to see her being so intimate with Lin Shen.
A knot formed in Gu Wanqing’s chest. It would be no exaggeration to call it jealousy.
So, she channeled her negative feelings into her appetite, gorging herself on the food and stuffing her cheeks like a little hamster, which only made her look all the more adorable.
Seeing this, Lin Shen quickly ordered her a cold strawberry drink.
"No one’s going to steal it from you. Slow down."
"Oh."
Gu Wanqing started chugging her drink, GULP GULP GULP, while Sun Jialin, who was more curious about her contract with the MCN company, broached the subject with Lin Shen.
"Um... Shen, who else has your MCN company signed?"
"So far, just one."
Lin Shen said with a smile.
"’Miss Yuji is So Cute Today.’ Do you know that account?"