To depart for the airport, Xia Qingtian skipped her morning run. When she dragged her small suitcase into the living room, Xia Qingyu had just returned from her morning exercises, wiping sweat from her forehead. "Ready to leave?"
"Mhm." Xia Qingtian wore comfortable running shoes and her attire was that of a casually dressed student. Her long hair was loose, and around her neck hung a U-shaped travel pillow for sleeping on the plane.
Xia Qingyu didn't say anything more, merely feigning busyness with her stretches, staying close to Xia Qingtian.
Only after Xia Qingtian got into the car did Xia Qingyu quietly remind her, "Be safe."
"Don't worry," Xia Qingtian heard Xia Qingyu's voice and flashed a wide smile. "I'll come back and run with you."
With that, Xia Qingtian got into the car and drove away.
"It's me who accompanies you!" Watching the car recede into the distance, Xia Qingyu murmured under her breath, snorting softly.
That was why she hated Xia Qingtian, she hated Xia Qingtian the most!
Upon arriving at the airport, Xia Qingtian spotted Li Mengxiao dozing.
For business trips like this, assistants were expected to accompany them. Wen Ning, however, had unavoidable work and couldn't join them.
Without Wen Ning, the two of them felt a bit more at ease.
As soon as she settled into her seat on the plane, Xia Qingtian's phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, Xia Qingtian raised an eyebrow, her eyes filled with disgust.
Still, she answered, "Hello."
"Qingtian, am I disturbing your rest?" Mo Jianing's voice came from the other end of the line.
"No, I'm at the airport, the plane is about to take off." Xia Qingtian gestured for Mo Jianing to speak quickly.
"Where are you going? Are you going abroad for fun? Then you absolutely must not forget to bring me back a gift!" Mo Jianing was in a good mood, and even knowing Xia Qingtian was going out didn't make her feel like she was showing off. She playfully asked for a gift.
How could she not be in a good mood? Although the contract with Gu Corporation Entertainment didn't go through, she had signed with Wanqing Entertainment, which was also a well-known entertainment company in the industry and had promoted quite a few stars.
The other party was very sincere, not only processing the contract quickly but also paying promptly.
Four hundred thousand yuan!
She had never received so much money in her account at once!
It had excited her so much that she hadn't slept all night.
Even though her initial thought was that if she got thirty thousand, she would give Xia Qingtian twenty thousand to placate the young lady and keep her singing.
But seeing so much money, Mo Jianing felt she couldn't bear to give Xia Qingtian even ten thousand, let alone twenty thousand.
Not to mention, she still had debts to repay.
She had borrowed over a hundred thousand yuan, and the deadline was fast approaching. Gu Corporation Entertainment hadn't responded, which had truly frightened her.
After all, she had heard these past few days that those rich second-generation heirs were not to be trifled with. They used their family's wealth and influence and had even caused deaths!
Mo Jianing wanted to repay her debts sooner and buy her peace.
Of course, this money had to come from Xia Qingtian. After all, if Xia Qingtian hadn't pressured her to repay the debt, she wouldn't have borrowed money from such people.
After deducting that, she hadn't made much profit. As for splitting the money with Xia Qingtian...
She would think about it later.
"The plane is about to take off. If you have nothing else, I'll turn off my phone now," Xia Qingtian said.
"Alright, then have a great trip. When you get back, we'll talk about virtual idols again. This time, we'll definitely make big money!" Mo Jianing was now full of confidence!
"Virtual idols?" Xia Qingtian's lips curled as she said, "I'm not interested in that anymore. You can play by yourself. I'm out. I'm more interested in antiques now. Bye."
With that, Xia Qingtian hung up the phone and paid Mo Jianing no further attention.
In her previous life, Mo Jianing had thrived by exploiting her voice.
Now that she was withdrawing, she wanted to see how much trouble Mo Jianing could stir up.
On the other end of the line, Mo Jianing was struck as if by lightning, unable to react for a long time.
What did Xia Qingtian say?
She... was quitting? She was quitting now, saying she wasn't interested!
Dream on!
When Mo Jianing finally came to her senses and frantically dialed Xia Qingtian's phone with bloodshot eyes, she discovered that the phone had already been turned off.
After turning off her phone, Xia Qingtian yawned lazily and leaned her head against the U-shaped neck pillow, falling asleep.
The flight from Z City to C City was neither long nor short.
By the time Xia Qingtian and Li Mengxiao arrived in C City, it was almost lunchtime.
By the time the two arrived at the hotel from the airport, lunch had passed, and there was only an hour left until the recording.
Fortunately, Wen Ning had made arrangements in advance, and coupled with Ling Feng'han's reliability, he had prepared lunch for the two of them beforehand.
This ensured that Xia Qingtian and Li Mengxiao did not go hungry.
As they ate their boxed lunches, they gave Ling Feng'han a thumbs-up, praising him for being considerate and dependable.
Ling Feng'han smiled at them. At that moment, his phone's alarm rang. Ling Feng'han's gaze flickered, he made a gesture, and turned to leave hurriedly.
Xia Qingtian and Li Mengxiao didn't gossip and focused on eating their fill.
"Gu Corporation Entertainment can't even afford employee meals? Hiring two people who look like they haven't eaten in days?" an annoying voice came from behind them. Xia Qingtian and Li Mengxiao turned to look and saw a woman with pigtails, dressed in a vibrant girl-next-door outfit, looking at them with disdain.
Xia Qingtian sized her up. Then she heard Li Mengxiao whisper beside her, "She's a newcomer from Wanqing Entertainment, named Wen Shengsheng. She's the predetermined champion of Wanqing Entertainment's talent show this year. Her singing and dancing are decent, and Wanqing Entertainment is promoting her."
After Li Mengxiao's explanation, Xia Qingtian recalled such a person. However, in her previous life, Wen Shengsheng had only been popular for a short while. It couldn't be helped; she had too many scandals for Wanqing Entertainment to cover up.
Later, she heard rumors online that she had slept with the boss and was then packed off to Japan by the boss's wife to film adult films. After that, there was no more news.
Xia Qingtian didn't pay much attention. Looking at Wen Shengsheng now, she was indeed quite good-looking, but...
"Pigtails? I haven't worn those since middle school. How old are you, auntie?" Xia Qingtian didn't intend to spare Wen Shengsheng any dignity. She held up her lunchbox and asked with wide eyes.
"Pfft, cough cough." Li Mengxiao almost choked on her rice.
Although there were rumors that Wen Shengsheng's age was fabricated, she had had good cosmetic surgery and was willing to spend money on injections, making it perfectly possible for her to appear young.
But was it necessary to say it so directly?
Seeing Wen Shengsheng's nose practically crooked with anger.
"You!" Wen Shengsheng took a step forward and raised her hand as if to hit Xia Qingtian.
"With the recording about to start, it's not very wise for you, auntie, to make a move at this time, is it?" Xia Qingtian didn't dodge. Instead, she tilted her head and warned.