Can’t Trash-Talk You to Death, So I’ll Kiss You to Death - Chapter 5

Chapter 5

“Anna?” Yun Duoduo repeated the name. “It sounds really lovely.”

Even though it was her assistant’s name, Huai Jian felt as if Yun Duoduo were calling her personally. Driven by some strange impulse, she responded, “Mm. Hello, Yun Duoduo.”

They chatted for a while longer. Yun Duoduo didn’t dare disturb Huai Jian for too long; after all, the other woman was a “big shot” and surely very busy. She offered her thanks once more before hanging up.

First, Yun Duoduo saved the number, then she went straight to WeChat to add her as a friend. After sending the request, the other party didn’t accept it immediately.

Like a little fangirl, Duoduo zoomed in on Huai Jian’s profile picture and stared at it. To her, it looked more meaningful and sophisticated than anyone else’s.

Beside her, Ren Tian looked on with confusion, growing suspicious of their relationship.

“Duoduo, you aren’t actually having an affair with this big shot, are you? Didn’t we agree? We resolutely refuse to do anything that involves selling our souls!”

Ren Tian and Yun Duoduo had grown up together; they were best friends and confidantes who shared everything. Ren Tian had once wanted to enter the entertainment industry herself, but after seeing too much of the infighting and dirty tactics, she completely abandoned the idea. Now, her only goal was to become a gold-standard manager and lead a stable of A-list stars—starting, of course, with pushing Yun Duoduo to the top!

“I didn’t sell my soul; the other party stole it,” Yun Duoduo said, rolling around on the bed while clutching her phone. Her heart felt sweet, and her face flushed as she whimpered happily.

Ren Tian, not understanding her romantic whims, said, “While you were unconscious, Sister Wu came by. She said the company isn’t going to support ‘dead weight’ like you anymore and wants to terminate your contract completely. I bet the ‘Young Miss Yun’ is behind this; she just wants to make sure you can’t survive in this industry.”

Yun Duoduo’s expression instantly flattened. She sat up straight. “Did she say when she’s coming to finalize the termination?”

“She said she’d talk to you once you woke up. Personally, I think we should just sign it. Working with them is a losing game anyway. As long as we’re around Young Miss Yun, we’ll just be exploited, just like the ‘Golden Throat’ incident.”

At the mention of the “Golden Throat” incident, the smile vanished from Yun Duoduo’s face. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Yeah… she completely destroyed me then.”

Yun Duoduo’s family history was like a cliché soap opera—brutally realistic. Her father had made money and decided his wife wasn’t beautiful enough to show off, so he found a young, beautiful mistress. Yun Duoduo’s mother was a strong woman who chose to divorce the scoundrel. At the time, Duoduo was only three. The judge initially awarded custody to the father.

Naturally, her mother couldn’t bear to let her daughter grow up in that environment. She gave up all her claims to the marital assets in exchange for custody, leaving the marriage with nothing but her daughter.

Her mother was hardworking and never neglected Duoduo’s education, even when times were tough. Duoduo loved to sing, so her mother worked tirelessly to pay for her lessons. Later, Duoduo entered a talent show. It wasn’t until the finals that she realized the “Young Miss Yun”—the daughter of her father’s mistress—was also a contestant. Coincidentally, they both made it to the final round.

During their head-to-head performance, Young Miss Yun suddenly collapsed on stage and was rushed to the hospital. Rumors flew instantly, and all fingers pointed at Duoduo. Eventually, the production crew announced that someone had drugged Young Miss Yun’s water. Although they didn’t name names, everyone assumed it was Yun Duoduo.

Public opinion turned viciously against her, accusing her of doing anything to win. When their sisterly connection was leaked, it became the “smoking gun.” With no money or power, Duoduo was forced to withdraw, losing her chance at the championship and her recording contract. She was hounded by insults for a long time.

Fueled by spite, Duoduo finished university and signed with an agency as an actress, relying on her looks to find a new path. She eventually confronted Young Miss Yun about the truth; the girl admitted it was all a self-directed act just to push Duoduo out.

Duoduo could never forget how that girl—three years younger and looking like a princess—had pointed at her nose and insulted both her and her mother. “With your mother’s pathetic, poor-trash look, she thought she could send a clown like you into showbiz? I won’t allow it. I’m going to watch you live in poverty for the rest of your lives!”

Now that Young Miss Yun was signing with the same agency, she clearly had bad intentions. Duoduo thought for a moment and said, “Let’s terminate. I want to be done with them too.”

That night, Yun Duoduo sat with her laptop and wrote out a plan. In the past, she always had plans that were defeated by reality, but now that she was “borrowing the tiger’s skin” of the Beauty Lady, she had to work hard!

The next day, as she was processing her discharge from the hospital, the staff handed her the bill. She realized then that a VIP room was excruciatingly expensive.

Ren Tian’s eyes twitched as she looked at the total. “Duoduo, didn’t your Beauty Lady already pay for this? Why do you look so pained?”

Yun Duoduo folded the bill carefully and tucked it into the small pocket over her chest, right against her thumping heart. “What do you know? The money has to be paid back. Besides… I want to thank her in person and treat her to a meal!”

“I think that last part is the real reason,” Ren Tian rolled her eyes.

“That is my current life goal,” Yun Duoduo said shamelessly.

Ren Tian tutted and hailed a taxi. “By the way, I looked into your Beauty Lady’s identity. She really is impressive. She’s the manager and assistant for Huai Jian—you know, the mega-star Film Queen with a massive family background.”

“Oh? Then ‘Anna’ is amazing! Her work must be very exhausting; no wonder she hasn’t replied to my WeChat yet.” A trace of disappointment flickered in Duoduo’s eyes as she got into the car. She stared out the window. “Do you think if I become a Film Queen, I can hire her?”

Ren Tian gave a “fighting” gesture. “I think you definitely can. But… what will I do then? Are you going to fire me?”

Yun Duoduo flicked her forehead. “By then, you’ll be my head assistant! You’ll be the person who gets paid just to sit still while ten other assistants do the work behind you!”

Ren Tian’s eyes lit up. “Exactly!”

The two girls chatted and laughed, full of hope for the future. At a café, they ordered coffees they usually couldn’t afford. A while later, Duoduo’s manager, Sister Wu, arrived late, dressed in a white blazer and brown slacks—the image of a corporate elite.

She slammed the contract onto the table. “I’ve said all I need to say. Sign this, and our contract is officially terminated. Got it?”

Yun Duoduo held her cup with both hands, looking pitiful. “Sister Wu, can we not terminate? That Director Zhang is forcing me to pay five million.”

“What does that have to do with me?” Even behind her black sunglasses, Duoduo could feel the woman’s disdain.

Yun Duoduo lowered her head, her fingers secretly sliding across her phone screen under the table. “But you tricked me into signing that contract. I have no money to pay it back.”

“If you have no money, go sell yourself. Go film those ‘special’ movies,” Sister Wu sneered. “How many ‘clean’ artists are there in this circle? You know the actress who played the third female lead in your last show? She hooked up with the director and now she has a second lead role. Look at you—I’ve introduced you to so many people, and all you do is push them away!”

“I want my talent to speak for itself, not those tactics.” This was Yun Duoduo’s honest feeling, and her voice was firm. “The things you said…”

“Fine, fine, don’t give me that idealistic talk. Just sign the contract. I have to go to the Yun family villa to sign Young Miss Yun later. Don’t waste my time.”

Sister Wu urged her impatiently. Yun Duoduo gave a weak “okay,” her fingers trembling as she held the pen. She put on a convincing act.

Sister Wu stuffed the signed contract into a folder. “Go to your Weibo backend and apply to remove your artist verification. I’ve already made the arrangements.”

“So fast?” Yun Duoduo pulled out her phone. Even a chicken needs to be plucked slowly; this woman was so eager to promote Young Miss Yun that she wasn’t even afraid of a backlash.

“Who told you to be born with a good last name but no luck? If your mother hadn’t divorced, everything she has now would be yours,” Sister Wu said tactlessly. “Otherwise, you could have used her to climb up. Without money, you are nothing.”

Yun Duoduo squeezed her phone hard. A smirk tugged at her lips, and a cunning glint flashed in her eyes. “Fine. I’ll apply right now.”

Sure enough, as soon as she sent the application through the backend, Sister Wu made a call, and it was processed instantly. Simultaneously, Young Miss Yun’s name appeared on the Weibo trending searches.