Song Yanqi honestly recounted the entire process of Song Jinlan's madness.
Su Yanxi's stylist, Xiao Xie, listened in the entire time. As a stylist, he usually doesn't participate in conversations between celebrities—he pretends not to hear anything, and swallows even the most gossipy and explosive news. But this time, he couldn't help himself and muttered to himself in a daze.
"This stylist... could he be Xiao Chen?"
"Xiao Chen?" Su Yanxi narrowed her eyes. "I don't think I saw Xiao Chen when Song Jinlan and I were arguing yesterday. Did he come to this stadium too?"
"Hmm." Xiao Xie nodded, mustering her courage to complain to the VIP on behalf of her friend, "He posted a location-based update on his WeChat Moments yesterday, saying he's been very tired from work lately. I asked him a question in the comments, but he hasn't replied yet."
"He seems to have been really affected by this work trip! He's been updating his social media very slowly lately, and when his friends from the styling studio asked him out for dinner, he seemed very tired and unresponsive."
"That's probably it."
Zhou Tong answered leisurely.
“I was in the same state when I worked under Song Jinlan.” Zhou Tong’s tone was leisurely, yet it also revealed resentment and sorrow. “Long-term verbal suppression will affect a person’s self-confidence and mental state. Over time, people lose their ability to think, become self-doubting, and become like walking corpses.”
"That's outrageous!" Su Yanxi was furious. Ignoring the makeup and styling that was halfway done, she slammed her hand on the table and stood up. "Xiao Chen used to be my go-to stylist. Yesterday she bullied my assistant, and today she's bullying my stylist—is Song Jinlan really sick in the head? Will she die if she doesn't abuse people every day?"
As he opened the door to leave, he turned back two steps, deliberately patted Song Yanqi's head, and softly instructed him.
“You did a great job. I knew I hadn’t misjudged you. Although you’ve done a lot of extreme and biased mistakes before, you’ve proven that you’re actually a good kid with a conscience.”
"You and Xiao Chen stand further away and don't follow us, lest your crazy uncle sees you and accuses you of being an ingrate."
After saying that, Su Yanxi smiled gently and pinched Song Yanqi's cheek lightly.
The moment she turned around, Su Yanxi's smile vanished, and her expression turned icy and fierce in the blink of an eye.
"Sister Tong, Xiao Xie, let's go together."
Su Yanxi led the way, with Zhou Tong and Xiao Xie from the stylist's studio flanking her on either side. The three of them walked briskly down the corridor, exuding the aura of a massive army.
Su Yanxi mentally simulated 180 scenarios of confronting Song Jinlan, including situations where Song Jinlan would deny everything and Xiao Chen from the stylist's studio would be too afraid to admit being bullied. However, when she arrived in front of Song Jinlan's dressing room, Su Yanxi realized she had been worrying unnecessarily.
Song Jinlan made no attempt to hide it, and brazenly punished Xiao Chen by making him stand facing the wall in the corridor as punishment. When Su Yanxi arrived, Xiao Chen was holding the stained haute couture shirt, facing the wall and sobbing softly.
"...Xiao Chen, are you alright?" Su Yanxi asked with concern, tugging at his clothes. "How badly are your clothes damaged? Let me see."
Xiao Chen turned around blankly, his expression so dazed and haggard it could startle Su Yanxi: "Mr. Su..."
Xiao Chen and Xiao Xie both have job titles; one is called Charles and the other Shane. However, using their English job titles is too troublesome, so over time they've come to be called Xiao Chen and Xiao Xie.
In Su Yanxi's impression, Xiao Chen is a very thoughtful and talented stylist. Su Yanxi likes Xiao Chen's reliable aesthetic sense and trustworthy abilities, and she also likes Xiao Chen's humble yet assertive service attitude. Xiao Chen is not, and does not want to be, a styling machine for customers, but rather puts himself in the customer's shoes to consider their needs and create the most practical and perfect look for them.
In just two or three months, Xiao Chen has become this terrifying?!
"Are you alright?" Xiao Xie stepped forward and put his arm around Xiao Chen's shoulder, checking him over. "You...were you hit?!"
The closed lounge doors opened at the opportune moment, and the "culprit," Song Jinlan, came out, giving a cold snort to the three people outside.
"So noisy, who do we have here? It's you again?" Song Jinlan glanced at Su Yanxi. "Didn't you have enough of arguing yesterday? Are you going to keep competing with me today?"
"Who wants to compete with you?" Su Yanxi was furious, shielding Xiao Chen, Xiao Xie, and Zhou Tong behind her. "Your bullying of the staff has become known throughout the backstage area! I couldn't stand your evil deeds, so I came here to uphold justice."
"Acting on behalf of Heaven?" Song Jinlan laughed and turned her gaze to Zhou Tong behind Su Yanxi. "Zhou Tong, I almost forgot about you yesterday. Is Su Yanxi your new artist?"
"From being a movie star to falling into obscurity, Zhou Tong, your judgment has indeed gotten worse and worse. You used to disagree when I said you were useless, but now I see you are indeed trash."
Chapter 172
Zhou Tong was once verbally abused to the point of questioning his life, and his mentality collapsed and he withdrew from the entertainment industry after his contract expired. But now, Zhou Tong has completed a higher level of self-reconstruction while resting at home and taking care of Su Yanxi.
She would not back down again; she was a top agent who had been specifically requested by other young mistresses and invited twice!
"The worst time I ever made a decision was when I chose you as an artist. I, Zhou Tong, have an excellent reputation in the entertainment industry, but you are the only black mark on my record in all my years in the business!"
Song Jinlan didn't expect Zhou Tong to retort: "You—"
"Can you please stop verbally attacking my manager?" Su Yanxi interrupted Song Jinlan, pressing aggressively, "Wasn't the slap I gave you yesterday hard enough? Didn't it wake you up?"
"Su Yanxi, are you sick in the head?" Song Jinlan spoke first, "How dare you mention what you did last night? If someone hadn't stopped me, I would have slapped you too!"
"Did it bother you if I disciplined my own men? Yesterday you were barely in the right, but today you're just being nosy! If you love meddling in everything, why don't you become the Pacific Ocean police?!"
Having learned from yesterday's experience, Su Yanxi didn't intend to waste time arguing with Song Jinlan—after all, reasoning with a madman is a sure way to lose!
He got straight to the point, getting to the main issue.
"Yes, it's no problem for me if you discipline your subordinates. But what if I turn them all into my subordinates?"
Su Yanxi then looked at the staff in Song Jinlan's lounge.
"My team is currently short-staffed, and I'd like to ask if anyone here wants to switch jobs? We offer six types of insurance and one housing fund, with more benefits negotiable; the salary will be double your current salary. We'll sign anyone who comes. Resign tonight, sign the contract tonight."
Su Yanxi calmly scanned the inside of the lounge, her mind racing as she calculated the cost of signing all the staff in Song Jinlan's team.
His math skills were actually average; he couldn't do mental arithmetic very well. The only thing he could calculate was the number of people in the break room. A rough count revealed about ten or twenty people—seven or eight times the size of his small team of three!
At first glance, Su Yanxi appeared confident and spoke with great boldness, but in reality, her heart skipped a beat as she suddenly thought of—
It seems he doesn't have the money to sign twenty people at once.
Author's Note:
Su Su: Hey, is the ATM here?
Dog: I'm here, honey! What's up? (Wags tail)
#64 Oh my god, is it possible that he's my husband?
After the rehearsal, the artists and staff gradually left the stadium. The usually bustling backstage corridors became quiet and spacious, and the lights were turned off and the doors locked in the dressing rooms after the artists left.
Only one place remains bustling with activity.
"Because time is too tight, it's impossible to complete the signing today. So, I'll send everyone an onboarding notice first, which can be considered a job offer for now. The onboarding notice contains a brief introduction to the management system, which you can take home and read carefully. If you're interested in continuing with the signing, see you at our studio tomorrow at 3 PM."
Zhou Tong passed the documents in his hand down to others.
“Our team was small before, only three people including myself and the artist. If there’s anything you’re not satisfied with or think can be improved, feel free to bring it up when we sign the contract tomorrow, and we’ll work together to improve it.” Zhou Tong smiled at everyone, trying to boost morale. “I completely understand your grievances and breakdowns; you’ve all worked so hard these past few days! Try to let go of all your anxieties and doubts about yourselves, and embrace tomorrow!”
"Tomorrow is a new day, and a new beginning. Everyone here is excellent, and I look forward to becoming a team with you all!"
Zhou Tong's words deeply moved the former Song Jinlan team members present. Several empathetic girls were almost in tears, bowing repeatedly to Su Yanxi to say thank you and patting their chests to guarantee that they would definitely sign the contract!
Su Yanxi gently told the girls, "You don't need to make such a promise just because you're moved or grateful. Sister Tong used tonight's rehearsal to carefully assess your abilities and, after confirming that you are all outstanding, she sincerely extended an invitation to you."
"We are very sincere, so we hope you will consider this carefully. Remember, you are job seekers, and you have the right to choose!"
Su Yanxi's words, full of respect and humanistic care, deeply moved the employees who were used to being verbally attacked. After receiving the offers, everyone bowed to Su Yanxi in gratitude, then left with their backs straight and high spirits.
Su Yanxi breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't help but exclaim, "There's finally light in their eyes!"
After the staff left one by one, Su Yanxi picked up the stained haute couture shirt and went to stylist Xiao Chen.
Xiao Chen had suffered too much suppression and shock, and his emotions had been unstable just now. As a stylist, the fact that the haute couture clothes he had worked so hard to borrow were dirtied was enough to make him waver and back down from his career—if it weren't for Su Yanxi, Xiao Chen would have had a hard time surviving in the styling industry after such an incident.
With Xiao Xie's reassurance, Xiao Chen's emotions stabilized considerably.
Su Yanxi gently sat down next to Xiao Chen and said softly, "Xiao Xie said this shirt is priced at 12,000 yuan. Including the matching suit, tie and shoes, the whole outfit will cost 220,000 yuan."
“Go back and tell the brand that I accidentally dirtied the clothes, and as an apology, I’ve decided to buy them in full. I have VIP status with many high-end brands, and they’ll be happy to sell the clothes to me.”
Chapter 173
"But..." Xiao Chen clutched the hem of her clothes, unwilling to accept it, "This clearly wasn't soiled by Mr. Su! Su Yanxi took the blame for Song Jinlan and wasted so much money! I... I really—"
“Song Jinlan isn’t admitting guilt. What else can we do about him?” Su Yanxi patted Xiao Chen’s head. “The crime is indeed his, but as the stylist, you bear the risk of the clothes getting dirty or damaged. I’m not taking the blame for Song Jinlan, but rather mitigating the risk for you.”
“You are a great stylist, and I don’t want your career to be affected by this.”
"But no matter what, 220,000 is still..." In the end, what Xiao Chen felt bad about was the money. "Mr. Su, you gave me 220,000 to avenge me—and signed so many employees at once. I don't know how to repay this kindness."
"I don't know how long I'll have to work to save up 220,000 yuan. It might take a year or two, or it might take longer."
Although Xiao Chen is a stylist with a decent reputation in the industry and his annual income is already quite substantial compared to the average person, he is a migrant worker in Beijing and his monthly expenses on food, clothing, housing, and transportation are also considerable; and since he works in the fashion industry, his daily expenses will only be higher, not lower.
Two hundred and twenty thousand, conservatively speaking, it would take him more than two years to earn that...
"If you can't pay it back, then don't." Su Yanxi waved her hand indifferently and said magnanimously, "Keep the clothes and see if they're still useful after you wash them. It would be best if they were useful; then you'll have a few more pieces to add to your wardrobe."
"Don't customers often give gifts or nice clothes to their favorite stylists at TOPISSUES? I've had my hair styled by you so many times before, so giving you a gift once isn't too much to ask, is it?"
There are indeed quite a few wealthy men and women in TOPISSUES who have so much money they don't know what to do with it. They often buy high-end ready-to-wear clothes outside, but when they get home, they don't even remove the tags before thinking they don't like them or that they look bad.
Wealthy people wouldn't stoop to returning or exchanging items—it's considered shameful and would make them lose face among their friends. In this case, the best solution is to give them to relatives or friends, or to a trusted stylist.
Xiao Chen had no reason to refuse, so he could only explain in a low voice: "Those are all ready-made clothes that are sold normally... You are indeed the first person who would be willing to send high-end custom-made clothes to the store."
After the rehearsal, Song Yanqi sat in Su Yanxi's dressing room and watched the whole process in Chen Yongyan's quiet company.
The more he looked at Su Yanxi's gentle and generous demeanor, the more he felt that he had been blind in the past: "Brother Yanxi is so approachable and has such great charisma."
Without batting an eye, he threw down 220,000! Such boldness and financial resources are truly rare among ordinary people!
Even someone from a wealthy family like Song Yanqi, or someone with the title of "Best Actor" like Song Jinlan, might not be able to easily pull out 220,000 yuan. It depends on whether they're willing to spend it and whether they actually have that much money. In the lucrative entertainment industry, many stars are incredibly wealthy, yet they can be extremely stingy when it comes to money.
Even if you occasionally attend a charity gala, you might not be willing to donate 100,000 yuan—let alone 220,000 yuan!
Su Yanxi not only spent 220,000 yuan to solve the career problem for her favorite stylist, but also signed 20 people into her team, which originally only had three people! This outrageous and outrageous behavior, which completely disregarded the cost of hiring, made Song Yanqi increasingly suspicious and puzzled.
He couldn't understand how Su Yanxi could be so rich. Was it really because she was being kept by a sugar daddy and favored by him that she could spend so lavishly and do whatever she wanted?
As if in response to Song Yanqi's question, the next second, a tall and handsome figure pushed open the door and walked in through the single wooden door, which was of normal size but suddenly seemed small and cramped.
"Honey, you're so slow. What's wrong with you today?"
The man swung the supercar keys in his hand, his tone and expression showing impatience, but after entering the room, he went straight to Su Yanxi's side.
Song Yanqi was slightly taken aback, feeling that there was something subtly off about what he had just heard.
Xiao Xie was quick-witted. Seeing Mr. Su's husband enter, she quietly pulled Xiao Chen aside, picked up the bespoke shirt Su Yanxi had left behind, and they left first. Good professional ethics bound them; they couldn't stay in the break room to eavesdrop.
"I've added some fresh blood to my team." Su Yanxi stood up affectionately and took the man's hand. "Didn't you help me register a studio before? Because there were only Sister Tong and Xiao Hai in the team, the studio hadn't been used yet. Today it's finally put to good use!"
Bie Yunzong grabbed his wife's soft, smooth hand, seemingly understanding but not quite: "You've signed people into your team?"
“I’ve poached Song Jinlan’s team.” Su Yanxi raised an eyebrow, happily letting her husband touch her hand. “I’ll send out the offers tonight and sign the formal contracts tomorrow. The cost of hiring has suddenly increased, and I’m worried that I don’t have enough money for daily operations, so I’m asking you for money.”
"—Do you have any money?"
"What are you talking about?" Bie Yunzong frowned, seemingly displeased, but actually asking confidently, "Of course I have money! Wife, are you asking me this kind of question because you don't trust me?"
"I still have about eight million in my account. I'll give you five million first. Is that enough? If not, I'll have to have someone go to the bank to cash it out first thing tomorrow morning."