She had met Cen Xiucheng before. Although the meeting hadn't been pleasant, she could tell that Cen Xiucheng was somewhat proud and, to a degree, principled.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have needed to pay to "buy out" Cen Ya's relationship with the Ye family, and he wouldn't have paid so readily and without hesitation.
From her perspective, Cen Xiucheng was somewhat arrogant and overbearing. But from Cen Ya's point of view, Cen Xiucheng was definitely a responsible, dependable, and loving elder brother.
Now, Cen Xiucheng had even resorted to using his looks. It seemed he truly had no other options left.
Pursuing the princess of Country K was not a good choice. The reason the King of Country K had shown leniency towards the Cen family was not due to the thin familial ties within the royal family. It was purely because this would provide a more respectable reason for the royal family to take over the Cen family's businesses.
After all, the majority of the Cen family's industries were still located in Country K, and the Cen family hadn't had time to liquidate them.
It was a pity that Cen Xiucheng had gone so far as to sell his body to save the Cen family, yet Ni Na and Cen Ya still had no sense of urgency, believing the Cen family's money was inexhaustible.
The competition ended, and as they had predicted, contestant number 3 won the championship, while contestant number 2, whom Ye Zhi had favored, took third place.
The final four contestants were all highly skilled. The competition tonight could be described as a battle of deities, and Ye Zhi was very satisfied with this outcome.
Ye Zhi's gaze swept across the venue. She saw Ni Na rise and head backstage, so she turned and called out to Qi Xuan, and the two of them followed.
Ni Na, with her money as her guide, cleared a smooth path to the backstage of the program.
The competition had concluded, and the contestants backstage were cheering and jumping with joy. After all, they were all thrilled to have secured a ranking.
It was at this moment that a stagehand led Ni Na in.
"Everyone, please pause," the stagehand said, introducing her. "This is Madam Ni Na, Director of Shanjin Jewelry."
The contestants looked at her with some confusion, but they all politely nodded, acknowledging her.
Ni Na didn't mind. She took out several velvet boxes from her handbag and presented them to each of them in turn. "Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you for the first time. These are small tokens of appreciation. I hope you don't find them too humble."
They received the boxes with a touch of bewilderment. Upon opening the velvet boxes, they saw several identical necklaces lying within.
"I'm sorry, Madam, we have regulations against accepting gifts privately. If you wish to advertise, I suggest you contact the director." Contestant number 2 closed the lid, politely refusing.
"However, the competition is over. Advertising now wouldn't make much sense, would it?" contestant number 3 spoke up frankly.
Seeing that none of them intended to accept the gifts, Ni Na's expression faltered slightly.
"You've misunderstood," Ni Na maintained her smile. "These are simply gifts for meeting you, not for advertising."
However, hearing her words, the contestants exchanged glances, still reluctant to accept the gifts.
Ni Na, however, failed to notice. With an elegant smile, she began, "You all received calls from our company before, didn't you? Feilong Film and Television is under Shanjin Jewelry. We have substantial capital and boundless prospects. Signing with Feilong Film and Television would be the best choice for you. What have you considered?"
The contestants exchanged glances. In fact, before today's competition, they had already been "pre-selected."
The champion, contestant number 3, had signed with a record label. Contestant number 2 had been internally selected by Taoxun, while the other two had reached an agreement with the Su family.
After all, signing contracts was a mutual choice, requiring the willingness of both parties.
Although they had received calls from Shanjin Jewelry before, they hadn't taken them seriously. After all, given better options, who would choose a company with a notorious reputation?
What they hadn't expected was for Ni Na to personally come and inquire about them, and even with her arrogant demeanor, she practically had the words "signing with Feilong Film and Television is your fortune" written all over her face.
"I'm not interested! I won't sign!" contestant number 3 stated first.
"Excuse me, Madam Ni Na," contestant number 2 refused, "I'm still a newcomer. I'm not worthy of your esteemed company."
The other two also refused, their attitudes no better.
Ni Na's smile began to falter. She couldn't understand why they were refusing so decisively!
"You should think carefully," Ni Na couldn't help but persuade them again. "If you sign with Feilong Film and Television now, you'll receive significant resource allocation from Feilong Live in the future! Furthermore, Feilong Film and Television has several films in pre-production that will allow you to enter the film and television industry directly! You can even become the brand ambassador for Shanjin Jewelry, and there will be no shortage of advertising resources!
I know you might prefer to sign with other companies. But think about it, if those large companies sign so many artists, how much will be allocated to newcomers like you?
Doesn't your country have an idiom, 'It's better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix'? Shouldn't you reconsider your choice more carefully?"
After speaking, Ni Na looked directly at contestant number 2. With anticipation, she said, "Your name is Shi Ling, isn't it? Among these contestants, you are the one I admire the most. The leading role in one of Feilong Film and Television's upcoming films is perfect for you, and it's a renowned director and a big production, which will make you a star. You really must think it over..."
"I have already considered it carefully," Shi Ling directly refused. "Madam Ni Na, our country also has a saying: a melon twisted by force does not taste sweet. I have no fate with Feilong Film and Television. Please find someone else."
"Oh, and I don't like wearing necklaces. Here you go!" With that, contestant number 3 threw the box back into Ni Na's arms.
The others also found their own excuses and returned the necklaces together.
Ni Na was stunned. She had never imagined that when she personally came to recruit talent, she would encounter such a situation!
They had refused without even considering it. Even so, why did they return the necklaces she had given them?
Although she was so angry that she wanted to lash out on the spot, her upbringing prevented her from doing anything so discourteous.
She took a deep breath, maintaining her smile. "Even if the deal doesn't go through, we can still be friends. Since you all have better options, I won't force it. Consider these gifts a memento..."
"Let's not bother!" contestant number 3 sneered. "A necklace from Shanjin Jewelry, let alone in public, I wouldn't be able to wear it even in private!"
Ni Na's face changed slightly. "What do you mean by that?"
"It means nothing!" contestant number 3 said impatiently. "I'm going to meet the reporters. What about you?"
The others followed suit, leaving Ni Na alone in the room, her face a mask of changing emotions.