transmigrating to become a wealthy lady84.31%

Chapter 43

After a few busy days before the New Year, she finally had time to relax during the holiday season.

The aftermath of the awards ceremony, especially the Best Supporting Actress award she received, was still lingering. Whether it was well-deserved or not, it was hard to say. She had been mocked by her haters, but luckily, with the Best Actor and Best Actress awards to divert attention, the overall impact was not significant.

However, what surprised Zuo Mingran was another hot topic related to her - the pairing of her and Wen Feifei. At the awards ceremony, they sat together and were captured in numerous photos by netizens, which were then turned into memes and emojis. Zuo Mingran browsed the internet and found out that some people were even using their pictures as their profile icons.

Former enemies transforming into sisters, combined with their popularity, were enough to create a hot topic.

Although the debate about who was more popular between their fans had sparked heated discussions, as long as it was handled properly, it could be turned into a positive topic. Wen Feifei's manager clearly saw the potential and contacted Shi Shuangxia, Zuo Mingran's public relations representative, after the topic started trending.

Shi Shuangxia then handed the matter over to Zuo Mingran to handle herself.

Since the sincere and open conversation they had, where Zuo Mingran expressed her intention to quit the entertainment industry, Shi Shuangxia had let go of most of Zuo Mingran's workload and gave her the autonomy to make decisions. It was not out of anger or resentment, but rather based on the specific circumstances. After all, it was a foregone conclusion that Zuo Mingran would switch careers, and her current workload was minimal. Instead of burdening Shi Shuangxia with these tasks, it would be better to free her up to handle other matters.

Zuo Mingran had specifically asked Shi Shuangxia about how to decline offers from studios that approached her with new projects, but she only received an enigmatic look in response. It wasn't until she waited for several days without any work offers that she realized Shi Shuangxia had probably found a way to block them.

As for what that method was, Shi Shuangxia still didn't say anything.

Now, with this new issue at hand, Zuo Mingran thought for a moment and made a decision. "Let's go with their suggestion. Quitting the entertainment industry should be a gradual process. I can't just post on Weibo right now saying I'm quitting. Besides, there are still many discussions about my awards online. I can use that to my advantage."

So the representatives from both sides sat down to discuss and quietly started a joint marketing campaign featuring Zuo Mingran and Wen Feifei.

Since it was the holiday season, the staff around them also took time off. Zuo Mingran was now basically independent from the company, with her own team. After giving out red envelopes for the New Year to everyone, her Chinese New Year holiday officially began.

On the first two days of her holiday, Zuo Mingran unhesitatingly indulged in eating and sleeping. She didn't even step outside her bedroom except when she was hungry. Most of her time was spent in bed. However, on the afternoon of the third day, before she even opened her eyes, her phone started buzzing like it was in a midnight disco. She reluctantly answered, and on the other end, Wen Feifei exclaimed, "Where are you? It's the holiday, let's go shopping! I've been waiting for this all year!"

Zuo Mingran regained her senses and croaked, "I just woke up..."

Wen Feifei replied, "Just woke up? Were you taking a nap?"

Zuo Mingran hesitated and said, "Sort of..."

Taking advantage of the conversation, she checked the time and was surprised to find that it was already 1 PM. She had stayed up all night watching movies until 4 or 5 in the morning, and she had slept for so long in the blink of an eye.

Wen Feifei earnestly said on the phone, "It's such a great time, how can you sleep? Come out and let's go shopping. My wardrobe needs some fresh blood."

There's a saying, every woman feels like she came into the new year without enough clothes. Although it wasn't a change of seasons, it didn't stop Wen Feifei from feeling like her wardrobe was missing many items.

Without any drowsiness after being woken up, Zuo Mingran confidently threw off the blanket and said, "Alright, wait for me for a while. I'll be there soon."

She didn't waste any time. Wen Feifei had already planned to wait at a café for two or three hours, but less than forty minutes after the call ended, Zuo Mingran, fully dressed, appeared in front of her.

"So fast?" Wen Feifei couldn't believe it as she looked at Zuo Mingran sitting in front of her. "I thought I would have to wait for a long time."

Zuo Mingran shrugged and casually replied, "You said let's go shopping. It's already almost two o'clock. If we wait any longer, the shops will be closed."

B City wasn't large in size, but it had a high population of migrants. With the Chinese New Year approaching, the city seemed half-empty, and many shops closed for the holidays. Even the ones that were open closed earlier than usual.

Wen Feifei exclaimed, "As a female celebrity going out without makeup, you're the first one I've ever seen."

Zuo Mingran pointed to her mask and said indifferently, "Since we have to cover ourselves completely, what difference does it make if we wear makeup or not?"

They happened to be at a café, so Zuo Mingran ordered a dessert for herself. After taking a few bites, she and Wen Feifei embarked on their shopping spree.

Winter shopping had its advantages for celebrities like them. The weather was too cold, and the streets were filled with people bundled up. Even if they were wearing hats and masks, they didn't stand out. If it were summer and someone suddenly appeared in sunglasses, a mask, and even a hat, even if people didn't know they were a celebrity, they would still find it hard to resist taking a few more looks. And who knows, they might just come across a fan who would recognize them, no matter how disguised they were.

Without the worry of being discovered, the two of them walked hand in hand for a few hours and had dinner together before returning home when it was completely dark.

Wen Feifei called a driver to pick her up since Zuo Mingran had given her own driver a break a few days ago. Zuo Mingran couldn't drive and had been taking taxis in the afternoon. Worried about her safety going home alone at night, Wen Feifei was about to offer her a ride when she received a phone call.

After hanging up, Zuo Mingran leaned against the car door and said, "Feifei, you go ahead. Someone will come to pick me up later."

Wen Feifei was concerned and asked, "Who? Didn't your driver take a break?"

Zuo Mingran hesitated for a moment, unsure whether she should mention Yan Yunyang by name or say something else. After a pause, she mumbled, "It's...my husband."

Wen Feifei immediately put on a sarcastic expression, but closed the car door and stood with her. "Then I'll wait with you. It's late at night and I can't leave you alone on the roadside."

Fortunately, there weren't many cars at night, so it didn't take long for Yan Yunyang to arrive. Zuo Mingran didn't postpone her departure.

After waiting for about ten minutes, a familiar black car parked next to them. Yan Yunyang got out of the back seat and saw Wen Feifei waiting with Zuo Mingran. He paused for a moment when he saw her, then nodded at her, but didn't say anything.

Zuo Mingran, caught in the middle, introduced them to each other, but it was clear that neither of them had any intention of getting to know each other better. After some polite words, the conversation came to a halt.

Now that the person they were waiting for had arrived, Wen Feifei opened the car door and waved to Zuo Mingran, saying, "Ranran, I'll go first. Let's make plans another day."

Zuo Mingran nodded and smiled, "Definitely."

She added, "But not too early."

Wen Feifei got into the car and quickly disappeared from sight. Zuo Mingran hugged her arms and turned to Yan Yunyang, saying, "Let's go too."

Wen Mo was driving. Seeing that he had also taken a break, Zuo Mingran couldn't help but ask, "It's almost Chinese New Year. Why haven't you taken a break?"

Wen Mo remained silent, keeping his eyes on the road. Yan Yunyang pulled out a hot water bottle from somewhere and handed it to Zuo Mingran to warm her hands, casually saying, "We'll take a break after the company's New Year party tomorrow."

Mentioning the New Year party sparked Zuo Mingran's interest. She had never worked in a large company before, so she had never attended such events. The Yan Group was one of the top leading companies in the industry, so the scale of their New Year party must be quite grand. She eagerly asked, "What is the New Year party like? Is it just a large gathering where people have meetings? Do people also have to perform on stage? Can you sing and dance too?"

A series of questions were asked, and Wen Mo quietly looked back through the rearview mirror, thinking to himself: Just changed my immediate boss, and there has been a major turnover in the top leadership. They're even performing at the event. Yan Yunyang would be lucky if he doesn't scare a few people to tears.

Just as he was thinking, a gentle voice came from behind, "Do you want to go?"

Zuo Mingran hesitated and asked, "Can I go too?"

Yan Yunyang replied, "Hmm, you invested in shares before."

Wen Mo: "???"

When did this happen?

Wen Mo wanted to hear more, but they had already arrived at the destination. He could only watch as Yan Yunyang and Zuo Mingran got off the car and walked side by side into the building.

Damn, it's true that no one cares about a single dog.

***

The fact that Zuo Mingran held shares and participated in the annual meeting was not just something Yan Yunyang casually mentioned. He even sent Zuo Mingran a card the next day, saying it was this year's dividend.

Although it was expected that investing in Yan Group would bring returns, Zuo Mingran didn't expect them to come so soon. After checking the balance in the card, she covered her chest and murmured, "Alright, this is a good deal."

With such a large sum of money, why should she continue writing novels? She could just lie in bed and wait for death.

Yan Group's annual meeting was held in a five-star hotel in B city. With these benefits, Zuo Mingran was in a particularly good mood. She planned to rush to find a formal dress, but Yan Yunyang stopped her, "No need to bother. There won't be any media coverage this year, and we don't need to be formal. Just dress warmly."

In previous years, media presence was allowed at the annual meeting, but this year was slightly different. The internal restructuring of Yan Group had not been fully disclosed yet, and some information was being kept under wraps. Not inviting the media was the result of their discussions.

Although that was the case, Zuo Mingran still invited Zhuang Bai to come and help her with outfit coordination and makeup for the annual meeting.

Yan Group's annual meeting started at 4 p.m. just after she finished her makeup. She hadn't had the chance to change her clothes when a message popped up on her phone.

The sender was Wen Feifei, asking if she could use their photo from yesterday to post on Weibo.

Zuo Mingran casually replied, "Go ahead if you want to post."

Translation in English: A series of questions were asked, and Wen Mo quietly looked back through the rearview mirror, thinking to himself: Just changed my immediate boss, and there has been a major turnover in the top leadership. They're even performing at the event. Yan Yunyang would be lucky if he doesn't scare a few people to tears.

Just as he was thinking, a gentle voice came from behind, "Do you want to go?"

Zuo Mingran hesitated and asked, "Can I go too?"

Yan Yunyang replied, "Hmm, you invested in shares before."

Wen Mo: "???"

When did this happen?

Wen Mo wanted to hear more, but they had already arrived at the destination. He could only watch as Yan Yunyang and Zuo Mingran got off the car and walked side by side into the building.

Damn, it's true that no one cares about a single dog.

***

With such a large sum of money, why should she continue writing novels? She could just lie in bed and wait for death.

Although that was the case, Zuo Mingran still invited Zhuang Bai to come and help her with outfit coordination and makeup for the annual meeting.

Yan Group's annual meeting started at 4 p.m. just after she finished her makeup. She hadn't had the chance to change her clothes when a message popped up on her phone.

The sender was Wen Feifei, asking if she could use their photo from yesterday to post on Weibo.

Zuo Mingran casually replied, "Go ahead if you want to post."

Wen Feifei: "The main reason is that you didn't have makeup on yesterday. My agent told me to ask you first. I thought it would be better to get your opinion."

Zuo Mingran typed: "Whether I have makeup on or not doesn't make much of a difference. We have a million retouchers, don't we?"

"Then I'll be relieved. I'll go retouch the photos and post on Weibo."

"Okay."

After replying to the message, Zuo Mingran thought for a moment and asked Zhuang Bai, "Oh, who is the person who usually retouches my photos?"

She sent a few selected photos to the retoucher and instructed them to make it look natural. When she came out after changing her clothes, the retouched photos had already been sent.

Wen Feifei had already posted on Weibo, and the comments were stacking up. After checking the photos and confirming there were no issues, Zuo Mingran logged onto Weibo and posted a set of nine grid photos.

On the second day she mentioned her intention to retire, Shi Shuangxia returned her Weibo account along with the password.

***

It is often said that mysterious things are the most attractive, and Zuo Mingran agreed with that.

Attending the annual meeting, perhaps due to high expectations, she was somewhat disappointed when she saw the actual event. Plus, she wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but she felt like whenever these people saw Yan Yunyang, they all had a fearful and cautious expression, as if they were afraid he would suddenly draw a dagger.

Zuo Mingran chuckled at her own thoughts. Although Yan Yunyang was serious during work, he was still a real person and shouldn't be demonized like that.

One of the vice presidents was giving an end-of-year summary speech, but she was only half-listening and decided to log in to her Weibo alternate account on her phone.

The previous Weibo post already had over ten thousand comments, with the most likes at the top, and they all said, "I bet next year's salary that these two are definitely good friends. Look, they even retouched each other's photos!"

Translation in English: Wen Feifei: "The main reason is that you didn't have makeup on yesterday. My agent told me to ask you first. I thought it would be better to get your opinion."