Superstar Assistant [GL] - Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Li Ziyu’s use of the words “Mother-in-law” left Zhou Tiantian completely speechless, not daring to strike up a conversation again.

Zhou Tiantian didn’t even dare to look up at Li Ziyu, let alone continue a deep discussion about their relationship face-to-face. Although she had been slowly changing, she still couldn’t be as broad-minded as Li Ziyu.

She was a person who had been reborn; she needed to change her life. Therefore, she was unwilling to take the wrong path in these matters, simply because she was terrified of the consequences of making a mistake again.

Li Ziyu didn’t force her. It was better to take things slow when it came to matters of the heart; she didn’t believe she couldn’t eventually win Zhou Tiantian over.

By unspoken agreement, the two of them suppressed the topic once more and turned their focus toward their careers.

After the variety show aired, Li Ziyu continued filming. However, unlike before, many companies now took the initiative to contact her, hoping she would become a spokesperson for their products.

This was a massive shift for a celebrity. Once a star begins to become popular, their resources are no longer hunted down by an agent through every possible means; instead, the resources come knocking on the door, offering various terms and hoping to be placed in the star’s hands.

Zhou Tiantian couldn’t control her excitement when she received a call from Luo Na. “Are these companies all actively requesting Ziyu for endorsements?”

Luo Na’s tone was also very gratified. “Yes. Although Ziyu doesn’t have any major hit film or television works yet, after the recent hype, her popularity has surpassed many other stars. Many companies are eager to cooperate. I’ll send you the information on these companies; you filter through them yourself and report back to me. Consider it a form of training.”

Zhou Tiantian agreed immediately. “Okay, I will definitely choose carefully.”

Soon after, Zhou Tiantian received the email from Luo Na and began seriously considering the endorsement opportunities.

As Li Ziyu had just started becoming a “trending” star, many companies were still in a “wait-and-see” phase, so the available endorsements weren’t actually top-tier.

It wasn’t until Li Ziyu finished filming and returned to the hotel that Zhou Tiantian discussed the matter with her.

Li Ziyu looked at Zhou Tiantian trustingly. “You can decide directly. I trust you.”

Zhou Tiantian looked at her disapprovingly. “You can’t just not participate. This is your career.”

Li Ziyu reached out and stroked her chin. “Do you think I’d have this attitude if anyone else told me this? It’s only because it’s you. If it’s you, I definitely trust you.”

Zhou Tiantian froze for a moment, even forgetting that Li Ziyu’s hand was stroking her chin like one would a cat. She looked at Li Ziyu, stunned deep down by this trust, and stammered, “What if I only looked out for myself and ignored your career development?”

Although she didn’t currently take a commission, how much money Li Ziyu made was tied to her own bonuses. In this industry, there were plenty of agents who exhausted their artists for the sake of commissions; after all, an artist becoming an award-winning actor didn’t necessarily mean the agent would make the most money in the short term.

Li Ziyu said with total certainty, “But I trust you, because you are Zhou Tiantian.”

Zhou Tiantian’s heart twitched. She lowered her eyes for a long time to calm herself before saying, “I feel that the snacks and drinks in this list aren’t very famous. I don’t even know if their quality is up to par. These merchants just see your rising traffic and want to use a low price to ride your current hype. Choosing them is not only unsafe but would lower your brand value. I think you shouldn’t take these.”

Li Ziyu nodded. “Mm, Baby’s reasoning is very sound.”

Zhou Tiantian’s face turned red again, but she insisted on continuing with business. “However, there is one good endorsement here: Golden Arches’ Black Pepper Chicken. Golden Arches is a world-renowned fast-food brand that many stars have endorsed. They chose you because your ‘dark cuisine’ has been very popular online. Lately, fans have been voluntarily imitating it, creating trending topics across major platforms. That’s why Golden Arches chose you.”

The black pepper fried chicken was a new product. Its color, featuring the characteristic dark hue of black pepper, happened to match the look of Li Ziyu’s previous “dark cuisine.” This was precisely why the brand chose her.

Li Ziyu continued to nod with eyes full of trust. “Mm, Baby has great vision.”

Zhou Tiantian suddenly felt a breath catch in her chest. Her cheeks puffed out involuntarily as she glared at Li Ziyu, feeling both annoyed and shy.

Li Ziyu smirked. “Alright, I’ll stop teasing you. But your choice and analysis are indeed excellent. I have no objections; I think your choice is very clear.”

Zhou Tiantian stood up to get away from her, stopping Li Ziyu from being “hands-on.” “Then go shower and rest. After I report to Sister Luo tomorrow, if she has no issues, we’ll go discuss your schedule with the director.”

Li Ziyu’s gaze—tender yet strangely aggressive—fell on Zhou Tiantian. “Okay.”

Zhou Tiantian felt an internal urge to scream. She set her phone on the table and immediately grabbed her change of clothes, heading for the bathroom.

Once the door was shut, she could hear her heart thumping clearly in her chest. She covered her heart with her hand and looked in the mirror; the person inside was flushed from her cheeks to her neck, her eyes full of shyness, and her eyelashes trembling from the palpitations.

Zhou Tiantian closed her eyes and silently began to count, forcing herself to calm down.

But she knew deep down that once her heart had been stirred, it would never be as peaceful as before.

Fortunately, Li Ziyu knew the limits. She knew Zhou Tiantian was close to her breaking point that night, so she didn’t tease her further.

The next day, Zhou Tiantian had a small video meeting with Luo Na to present her ideas. Luo Na nodded with great satisfaction. “I also only favored this one endorsement.” Although the other resources weren’t great, one company had offered a very high fee; Luo Na had let Zhou Tiantian choose as a test.

Seeing that Zhou Tiantian’s choice and analysis were spot on, Luo Na gave her full authority to handle the matter.

During the early stages of her pregnancy, Zhou Tiantian had followed Luo Na through many contract negotiations, so she was well-versed in the process. However, because she was going to B City alone to negotiate, Li Ziyu was worried and wanted to go with her.

Zhou Tiantian disagreed. “You still have filming to do.”

Li Ziyu remained worried. “But you’re quite far along now. I’m not at ease.”

“It’s fine,” Zhou Tiantian said. “So many pregnant women stay at their posts; I already have it quite easy.”

Dong Minsi, listening nearby, also advised Li Ziyu: “Being worried is one thing, but if you want her to develop well in the industry, you have to let her go so she can be trained. If someone bullies her, then you can go protect her.”

Finally, Li Ziyu sighed and let the life assistant, Xiao Xu, accompany Zhou Tiantian to Golden Arches to negotiate the contract.

When Zhou Tiantian arrived at Golden Arches, the person in charge saw she was alone and asked with a smile, “You must be Agent Luo Na’s assistant. When will Ms. Luo be arriving?”

Zhou Tiantian gave a faint smile. “Sister Luo couldn’t make it. I am here today to negotiate the contract with your company.”

The manager, Manager Zhang, visibly stiffened. “You mean Luo Na sent an assistant to negotiate the contract?”

Zhou Tiantian knew what Manager Zhang meant—she thought Luo Na didn’t value this endorsement.

However, this was within Zhou Tiantian’s expectations. Her expression didn’t change, and her gaze became even more sincere.

Zhou Tiantian had sweet features and a friendly smile. In the past, she might have given off the impression of being easy to bully, but she had slowly learned to project an aura. Although she looked soft and sweet, her eyes were resilient.

“Manager Zhang misinterprets. The reason Sister Luo sent me is that I have been handling all of Ziyu’s recent work,” Zhou Tiantian said without fear.

Manager Zhang calmed down and suddenly remembered why she had chosen Li Ziyu in the first place. She looked at Zhou Tiantian curiously. “So, Ziyu’s recent trending topics and those cooking live streams were mainly handled by you?”

Zhou Tiantian thought to herself, Finally, you mentioned it. This was her most impressive credential. “Yes. Sister Luo has entrusted Ziyu’s PR and promotion entirely to me. I registered the Weibo account, published news about Ziyu, and used it to guide the fans.”

Only then did Manager Zhang look at Zhou Tiantian in a new light. She turned to look at her own assistant, who immediately understood the signal.

Manager Zhang continued the meeting, but for a while, she didn’t mention the cooperation. Zhou Tiantian wasn’t flustered; she knew Manager Zhang was verifying whether her words were true or false.

Half an hour later, Manager Zhang received an email from her assistant. She looked at Zhou Tiantian apologetically, opened the email, and confirmed that Zhou Tiantian’s words were true. She realized then that Zhou Tiantian wasn’t just a simple assistant; she was likely being groomed by the company as an agent—and a top-tier one at that, since not just any assistant would be given someone like Li Ziyu to practice on.

Therefore, although Zhou Tiantian was currently an assistant, her status was equivalent to being Li Ziyu’s co-agent. Manager Zhang’s attitude became respectful, and they began discussing the contract details.

After the meeting, Zhou Tiantian took the contract back for Li Ziyu and Luo Na to sign. On the way back, Xiao Xu looked at her with admiration. “Tiantian, you’re so amazing! I was so scared I didn’t dare speak when I saw Manager Zhang’s face earlier. I thought they were unhappy about you coming alone.”

Zhou Tiantian looked at the contract, feeling her fingertips slightly cold from the lingering tension, but a smile touched her lips. “She was unhappy, but Sister Luo’s status in the industry is well known. While this endorsement is great, it’s only a single-item endorsement for one season. It’s unclear if they will renew after this season, so my coming here wasn’t actually a slight to them.”

After all, Zhou Tiantian’s position in the company wasn’t just an assistant; she was a key agent in training.

Zhou Tiantian didn’t return to Hengdian immediately. She went straight to the company to hand the contract to Luo Na. Luo Na looked it over and was very satisfied. “Very good, Tiantian. Go back to Hengdian, coordinate the schedule with the crew, and then interface with the company. You’ll need to coordinate things well during the ad shoot.”

Zhou Tiantian smiled. “Will do.”

On the plane back to Hengdian, Zhou Tiantian finally began to relax. Her body trembled slightly, but her eyes were full of joy.

Exiting the airport terminal, Zhou Tiantian suddenly froze. At the arrival gate, Li Ziyu stood there wearing a black down jacket that reached her ankles, a mask, and a hat. Her eyes were full of smiles as she looked at her. In that moment, Zhou Tiantian suddenly felt like crying.

She walked slowly to Li Ziyu, who stepped forward and pulled her into a hug.

In this moment, she finally understood a question she hadn’t grasped across two lifetimes: why people need a partner to spend the rest of their lives with. It was because a life where someone waits for you and accompanies you is simply too addictive.

She buried her head in the crook of Li Ziyu’s neck, took a deep breath, and felt her heart finally settle down.

Li Ziyu stroked her head. “I heard from Sister Luo that you did a great job this time.”

Zhou Tiantian nodded gently in her arms. “The manager didn’t want to talk to me at first. She only stopped minding after she found out I was the one handling your affairs.”

Li Ziyu said as if it were a matter of fact, “Of course. You have more right to make decisions for me than Sister Luo does.”

Zhou Tiantian looked up at her in surprise. “How could that be? I’m just an assistant; Sister Luo is your agent.”

Li Ziyu’s hand slid down to her stomach, and she raised an eyebrow. “You tell me why.”

Zhou Tiantian understood instantly. She lowered her head and said to Li Ziyu, “Let’s go back.”

Only then did Li Ziyu wrap an arm around her shoulder and lead her back to the hotel.

Xiao Xu was with them the whole time, but even she felt invisible. Sister Ziyu and Tiantian’s relationship was truly good—though she figured hugging and leaning on each other was normal for girls; she was the same with her own best friend.

Black pepper fried chicken was fast food, and the production speed of the advertisement perfectly matched the company’s culture.

In March, the Black Pepper Chicken advertisement was released. Like previous ads, it spread across the internet, television, and billboards in a “viral” fashion. In an instant, it flooded people’s vision.

Because Li Ziyu’s “dark cuisine” still had significant heat, the effect of the advertisement was unexpectedly good.

The fans were the first to react.

“Seeing this ad gave me a shock! Our Ziyu finally has such a good endorsement! It’s decided, I’m having this for lunch!”

“I went to Golden Arches today and saw Ziyu’s billboard. Although the fried chicken doesn’t look as ‘pretty’ as the others, I had to support her. Surprisingly, it’s delicious!”

“I think I finally understand the true essence of Ziyu’s dark cuisine. The ad says dark cuisine can be delicious too. I was skeptical, but after seeing so many videos of her dark cuisine winning people over, I had to try it! It’s truly amazing!”

Then, passersby began to learn about Li Ziyu through the advertisement.

“The black pepper fried chicken tastes great. After eating it, I was recommended the lady’s dark cuisine videos and variety shows. What should I do? This foodie is addicted. I want to eat a meal cooked by her!”