The Movie Queen's Silly CEO - Chapter 30

“No merit, no reward.” After receiving the bags sent by Mu Qing, Su Xiu and the others were a bit confused.

“President Mu, did you just close a big deal?” Shao Qiushuang glanced at the bag in her hand and joked, “Did you make a fortune and decide to share a little soup with us?”

Mu Qing chuckled, “No, I didn’t go to negotiate any business today.”

“Then why?” Shao Qiushuang asked curiously.

Mu Qing glanced at the nearby cameraman and simply smiled without elaborating.

Shao Qiushuang, Su Xiu, and the others were all in the entertainment industry. Seeing that Mu Qing and Feng Xi didn’t intend to continue the topic, they naturally understood it wasn’t convenient to discuss and quickly changed the subject.

For this leg of the trip in the U.S., the program team had arranged fairly humane accommodations each person had a separate room with a large bed and even a bathtub suitable for soaking.

After a full day of shopping, the five were all somewhat tired. So after handing over the mission items, they tacitly dispersed without lingering.

While riding the elevator together, Shao Qiushuang quietly asked Feng Xi, “Sister Feng Xi, why did President Mu give us bags?”

Feng Xi held Mu Qing’s hand and showed off the rings on their fingers. “Mu Qing and I are together now. The bags were gifts from her.”

Shao Qiushuang blinked and whispered to herself, “President Mu moves fast…”

To be honest, Shao Qiushuang wasn’t surprised they got together, but it had only been a few days—Mu Qing had already succeeded. Maybe chasing love across thousands of miles really does add points?

“Sister Feng Xi, I hope you and President Mu have a long and happy life together.” Shao Qiushuang felt a bit of loss, but more joy. After all, with Mu Qing by her side, Feng Xi wouldn’t be bullied by investors anymore. Her path to stardom would be much smoother.

Su Xiu was also in the elevator. Hearing the conversation, she instinctively looked at Feng Xi and Mu Qing’s hands. Seeing the rings on their left ring fingers, her heart felt a bit empty.

The rings were already on. She and her senior were probably impossible now. She hadn’t even tried yet, and she was already losing her.

“Sister Feng Xi, you…” Su Xiu opened her mouth, wanting to offer congratulations like Shao Qiushuang. But the words got stuck in her throat. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t say them.

“If you ever need anything, you can come to me.” Deep down, Su Xiu still felt a trace of unwillingness. Feng Xi and Mu Qing did seem like a good match, but who knows what the future holds?

After all, many female celebrities marry into wealthy families, but few have happy endings. Most are treated as baby-making machines or trophies for the powerful.

“Don’t worry, you won’t get the chance.” Mu Qing wrapped her arm around Feng Xi’s waist, clearly staking her claim.

After demanding a goodnight kiss, Mu Qing reluctantly left Feng Xi’s room. Even as she opened the door to the room next door, she was still smiling.

According to plan, Mu Qing had work to handle the next day. It was a scheduled itinerary, so she didn’t make any changes.

The next morning, Mu Qing got up early and had breakfast with Feng Xi.

“I have some things to deal with today. I’ll be back around evening,” Mu Qing reported her schedule. “If you run into any issues during filming, just call me.”

“Okay.” Feng Xi nodded. “Don’t worry, I’m not some clueless rookie. It’s just shopping no big deal.”

“Do you want me to leave Chen Ning with you?” Mu Qing was still worried. The U.S. wasn’t exactly the safest place.

“No need. We’re in New York. Even if something happens, you’ll have time to get back.” Feng Xi smiled and instinctively touched the ring hanging from her neck.

Because of filming, Feng Xi had taken off the ring in the morning and strung it on a necklace.

“Alright, now for today’s mission,” the director announced after Mu Qing left. “Each person gets $200. Your task is to exchange it for at least 1,000 RMB without going to a bank. You can only exchange with strangers.”

“Director, I have a question,” Le Xiaoxiao raised her hand. “Can we use the RMB after exchanging it? Are there any denomination requirements?”

“You can’t use it. No denomination requirements. But you can’t go to a bank only exchange with strangers,” the director clarified.

This task was both easy and hard. It mostly depended on luck. If they ran into a Chinese tourist with RMB, it could be done quickly.

“Let’s go straight to Chinatown in New York. There must be lots of Chinese people there,” Le Xiaoxiao suggested.

“Should we go together or split up?” Shao Qiushuang asked, looking to Feng Xi.

“Let’s go together and keep a bit of distance while we search,” Feng Xi quickly decided. “If we finish early, we can explore the area.”

New York’s Chinatown is located in the southern part of Manhattan. It’s not just one street but a network of over 40 streets, covering more than four square kilometers.

“Familiar vibes. At least here I don’t have to worry about my broken English,” Shao Qiushuang said excitedly. As someone who struggled with English, Chinatown felt like home.

“This place is huge. To avoid getting separated, let’s not spread out too much,” Feng Xi said. “Let’s search on this street. Most people here are Chinese it should be easier.”

There were many overseas Chinese and tourists in Chinatown. Once the five appeared, their good looks quickly drew attention. With cameras following them, many young people started taking photos.

“I think this mission is super easy. We might finish in under an hour,” Shao Qiushuang said just before spotting two young women holding skewers.

“Hi ladies, do you have any RMB?” Shao Qiushuang smiled sweetly and got straight to the point.

“Yes, are you filming a show?” the shorter girl asked while digging through her pocket.

“Yes, I’d like to exchange some RMB with you,” Shao Qiushuang smiled even wider. Her luck was amazing randomly picking someone who had RMB.

The short girl pulled out her wallet, which had two red bills. She tugged on her taller friend’s sleeve. “Do you have any cash?”

The taller girl shook her head. “You said RMB was useless, so I exchanged it all for dollars.”

“I only brought 200 yuan…” the short girl said apologetically.

“No problem. That’s a fortune to me.” Shao Qiushuang did a quick exchange rate calculation and handed over $30. “Here, take this.”

“You’re giving me money? No need I have enough,” the short girl said. “Filming a show must be tough. Consider this my friendly support.”

Before Shao Qiushuang could respond, the assistant director stepped in. “Only currency exchange is allowed. No gifts!”

“…Alright, just take it. Our mission is to exchange dollars for RMB.”

“Okay. Is 200 yuan enough?” the short girl asked. “If you need more, I can run to the bank.”

Shao Qiushuang shook her head. “We have to exchange with tourists.”

After Shao Qiushuang’s successful start, the others also found people carrying RMB. Since they were in the U.S., most people were happy to exchange RMB for dollars.

They all offered generous exchange rates. Feng Xi, being the most famous, was recognized first and completed her task quickly.

An hour later, everyone had exchanged for 1,000 RMB.

“This mission was surprisingly easy,” Shao Qiushuang said, counting her cash. “Can we just go play now?”

Le Xiaoxiao suddenly asked, “How much money do you all have left besides the 1,000 RMB?”

Feng Xi checked her pocket. “Ten dollars.”

Su Xiu: “Twenty.”

Shao Qiushuang: “Twenty.”

Xu Leran: “Twenty-five.”

Le Xiaoxiao: “Fifteen. That’s ninety dollars total, and forty is for the ride back.”

Feng Xi frowned. “So we only have fifty dollars for breakfast and dinner combined.”

Le Xiaoxiao nodded. “That means five dollars per person per meal. That won’t get us much here—just cheap fast food.”

“Fast food is unhealthy,” Su Xiu frowned. It would take several salads to undo the damage of two fast food meals.

“Fifty dollars is over 300 RMB. If we’re frugal, it should be enough?” Shao Qiushuang said uncertainly.

“In China, yes. But here…” Le Xiaoxiao paused. “If we buy ingredients and cook ourselves, it’s enough. But at a restaurant, fifty dollars might only feed one or two people.”

Clearly, the program team had set a trap, waiting for them to fall in.

With no immediate solution, Shao Qiushuang and Le Xiaoxiao instinctively looked to Feng Xi, hoping she’d come up with something.

Seeing their hopeful gazes, Feng Xi took a deep breath. “There are lots of restaurants in Chinatown. Since lunch is coming up, I think we can talk to the owners and offer to help out temporarily in exchange for some pay. If we’re lucky, we might earn a decent wage.”

It was a solid plan. With fellow Chinese, things would be easier to negotiate.

“Let’s get started then,” Su Xiu agreed.

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