The two would post personal photos and tag each other, sparking immense adoration from their fans.
Over time, Jiang Ling and Ya Ya truly became close confidantes.
Fueled by fans who shipped them, both their popularity soared, and they were inundated with opportunities.
The entertainment industry is a circle, fundamentally no different from other industries.
A few years ago, when a certain tea's "Melon with Grapes" became a hit, before long, a swarm of brands followed suit, launching similar products.
It was the same for actors in the entertainment industry. Previously, Jiang Ling portrayed the role of Tianshan Tong Lao with such precision that nine out of ten dramas looking for her cast her as an elderly woman.
Now that the role of Zhao Hede has exploded, the characters offered to her by various production teams are mostly for villainous roles like mad enchantresses and femme fatales.
That evening, Jiang Ling and Ya Ya went out for dinner together and posted photos on Weibo to interact with their fans.
"OMG, posting tempting food late at night, trying to make us drool?"
"The dishes in these pictures look so delicious!"
"Beauty and good food, a feast for the eyes. No need to eat, just looking is satisfying!"
"Wuwuwu, I want to eat too! Please set a place for me, right between the two sisters. Believe me, I'm not here to break up this family, but to join it. Dog emoji for protection!"
Just then, the phone rang.
Jiang Ling picked it up and saw it was an unknown number.
"Hello, this is Jiang Ling, may I ask who this is…"
"Hello, I am Wang Zhongding, the General Manager of Zhu Yue Entertainment."
Zhu Yue, one of the top five entertainment management companies in the film and television industry.
However, despite being in the top tier, Zhu Yue, like Huohua Media, chased traffic and capital, neglecting artists' acting skills and talents.
What Jiang Ling detested most were traffic stars who lacked acting skills and relied solely on hype to rise.
Having heard about Zhu Yue's situation from Wang Jianzhong before, she had already blacklisted the company.
She hadn't expected the general manager of Zhu Yue to call her.
Jiang Ling was taken aback for a moment, her eyes flickered as she guessed his intention, and she asked with a smile, "Oh, it's Mr. Wang. My apologies, my apologies."
"Miss Jiang, I'm truly sorry to disturb you so late at night."
"You're too kind, Mr. Wang. You are a busy man, and you've called me specifically, so you must have something to tell me. I don't like beating around the bush. Let's get straight to the point."
"Certainly, Miss Jiang. You're very direct, and I won't play games. It's like this: I saw your performance as Zhao Hede, and it was truly brilliant. I greatly admire your acting. I'm calling to ask if you're interested in joining Zhu Yue?"
Capital's nose for opportunity was always more sensitive than a dog's.
Although the role of Zhao Hede did not make Jiang Ling completely explode into stardom,
all the major companies had seen the potential of this former top-tier celebrity. Naturally, they wanted to act first.
Otherwise, once she truly became a sensation and returned to her peak popularity, signing her would be difficult.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ling, despite her dislike for Zhu Yue, did not refuse directly. She replied lazily, "I'm somewhat interested, but I wonder how you plan to arrange things for me if I sign with Zhu Yue?"
Indeed, signing with one of the top five domestic management companies was the dream of many artists.
Jiang Ling's previous unpleasant contract termination with Huohua Media made her hesitant to sign with any company again.
However, the incident with Lü Wenwen had changed her mind.