Chapter 297: Undercurrent

Over the phone, Lin Yunan frankly confirmed this news to her.

He also said, “I have already organized a public relations team which will release the news that the female stars chosen are you, Luo Luo, and Zhou Yanxue as soon as possible.”

Xia Ling did not hear anything wrong and hung up the phone.

What she did not know was that there was a secret collaboration.

Lin Yunan had looked for Li Lei behind her back to give Bai Murong an order. He wanted Bai Murong to recommend Xia Ling. Thus, Bai Murong told the producers that he would only join the show if Xia Ling joined as well.

Initially, the producers wanted to replace Zhou Yanxue with Xia Ling.

However, this was not the result that Lin Yunan wanted. Even if Zhou Yanxue were replaced, Xia Ling would be notoriously known as the one who replaced her. He looked for Rong Ping’s manager Jimmy and asked him to tell the show’s team that Rong Ping preferred to pair with Zhou Yanxue. In other words, this meant that Movie King Rong would likely pair with Zhou Yanxue.

Initially, Jimmy was unwilling.

However, Lin Yunan said, “Trust me. Zhou Yanxue will be replaced. Compared to Bai Murong, Xiao Ling is more suited to pair with Rong Ping. However, in the process of replacing Zhou Yanxue, we need to ensure that Xiao Ling has a clean slate.”

Jimmy was experienced and quickly understood what he was implying. He smiled deeply. “No wonder you are the top manager of Dongyue. Discreet and scheming.”

Lin Yunan also smiled. “Deal?”

“Deal.”

Compared to Zhou Yanxue, Jimmy hoped that Rong Ping would pair up with Xia Ling. Firstly, Zhou Yanxue looked too rich and gaudy and clashed with Rong Ping’s style, so they would look awkward standing together. Secondly, Zhou Yanxue had dated B or C list male celebrities before who were of lower status than the only person Xia Ling dated. Although Xia Ling was driven out of the Li family, Skyart Entertainment had spared no effort in clearing up this matter, and news in the industry spread fast, so many people knew that Li Lei was still pursuing Xia Ling.

In the future, if Li Lei and Xia Ling got together, there would be benefits for Rong Ping if he had a scandal with Xia Ling. At least, being the rumored ex-boyfriend of a rich man’s wife was better than being the rumored boyfriend of someone who dated low-status stars.

As such, Jimmy and Rong Ping were very willing to help Xia Ling.

They told the show’s team that Rong Ping preferred to pair with Zhou Yanxue.

This way, the show’s team would not immediately remove Zhou Yanxue. After the three female celebrities were announced, no matter what the changes were, no one would think that Xia Ling squeezed out anyone.

Although Zhou Yanxue was silently being replaced, it was better than being in a difficult position after her elimination was announced publicly. However, this industry was cruel. Victors would never consider the feelings of their competitors.

Lin Yunan was emotionally unaffected as he carried out his plan and did not tell Xia Ling.

It was not because he felt that she was too innocent that he wanted to protect her, but… Lin Yunan felt that with Xia Ling’s IQ, explaining everything would be too troublesome, so he wanted to avoid unnecessary trouble.

On the other hand, Xia Ling, who he thought had low IQ, continued to be busy and productive.

In her spare time, she would always think about what Luo Luo said about letting Li Lei have confidence in her. But, after much thinking, she still did not know how to make Big Boss Li confident and could not help but ask Luo Luo for advice.

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Recently, Luo Luo was on good terms with Li Lei. She asked Big Boss Li for the recipes of her favorite dishes and was experimenting in the kitchen.

Xia Ling looked at the busy little figure in the kitchen and felt rather amused. “You’re really one of a kind. What kind of celebrity cooks for themselves like you?” Most celebrities were very busy and never had the time to cook for themselves personally. Usually, they would hire an assistant or housekeeper to prepare meals for them.

Originally, Luo Luo had a housekeeper, but after Big Boss Li’s frequent visits and the fact that both she and Xia Ling did not come home to eat usually as they were both busy, she was dismissed. Occasionally when necessary, their assistants would prepare food for them.

However, Luo Luo did not even used her assistant now and learned a bad habit from Li Lei — cooking herself.

As Luo Luo was busy washing and chopping the vegetables, her response was very crisp. “I plan to spend a few years in the entertainment industry and then retire in the countryside. I also want to marry a god and cook for him.”

“Haha.” Xia Ling laughed. It was really a distant dream.

“Marry a god?” She could not help but joke with Luo Luo. “Do you have anyone in mind? There’s a good chance during Extraordinary Risks.”

“Well, the show is very fake.” Luo Luo was very perceptive. “Your Big Boss Li is the true God. Xiao Ling, you must grab hold of him and never let go, ok?”

“Yes.” Xia Ling smiled. “How am I supposed to make him more confident?”

Luo Luo put down the spatula and looked back with a pleasantly surprised expression. “You’ve finally accepted that you should grab hold of your male god? Come, let me teach you.” She stopped frying her vegetables, wiped her hands on her apron, and looked at Xia Ling with a pair of sparkling eyes. “Let’s see. What does your male god Li usually like?”

“He likes…” Xia Ling pondered. “Pets, food, and fitness.” Naturally, she thought about the Nanshan trip when they just met. The two of them rode on horses, admired the blooming of the peach blossoms, and enjoyed the breeze.

When could she ride on a horse with him again?

“In the short-term, any fitness equipment probably won’t be good due to the clean break.” Xia Ling said somewhat disappointedly.

“That’s true.” Luo Luo was also troubled. This was the drawback of being a celebrity. If they were not careful and were caught by the paparazzi, especially now since Xiao Ling was rising in fame, the paparazzi would increase in size and monitor them more closely.

“Pets? How about you give him a cat?” Luo Luo looked at Hairball which was snoring beside Xia Ling.

Xia Ling replied, “He already has a large pet…” Give him Hairball to accompany Er Mao? That would be animal abuse.

Luo Luo frowned. “Food isn’t possible as he cooks better than you, so I don’t recommend that you upset his stomach.”

Xia Ling smiled bitterly and thought of the only time she cooked for Li Lei. That time, she was lucky he did not suffer from food poisoning. She would never try it again.

“What should you do then?” Luo Luo was conflicted. “How about…”

She looked Xia Ling up and down. Xia Ling was wearing a flowing red silk and satin gown. It was a very enchanting color when matched with her white skin and delicate face, giving her a very pure and charming look. Her black hair was hanging loosely and fell to her shoulders. As she was at home with only Luo Luo, she dressed rather casually in her nightgown. As the garments moved slightly, they revealed her delicate collarbone.

The more Luo Luo looked at her, the more she felt that Xia Ling was attractive and could not help but whistle.

“What are you doing?” Xia Ling instinctively covered her chest.

“Xiao Ling, you’re really pretty.” Luo Luo clasped her hands together as if she were dreaming. “If I were a man, I would also fall in love with you. How about you give yourself to Big Boss Li? Things will get heated when both of you are alone. Wow…”