Daddy Sponsor, Count Me In

Chen Sinian suddenly followed her over. With the cameras off, he got straight to the point. "Su Tangtang, I have a dinner gathering tonight. Would you like to come along?"

Su Tangtang: "?"

Question marks popped up over her head. [What does your dinner gathering have to do with me?]

[Are we that close?]

[Our relationship is purely you paying me and me taking your money.]

Chen Sinian: ...It was all because of Bai Zhitao's tax evasion.

The director was proving pretty useless and hadn't managed to get any evidence of her tax evasion behind the scenes.

Nor did he dare bring it up openly. The money backing Bai Zhitao's agency had some serious clout, and the director wasn't about to offend them based on Chen Sinian's word alone. They were still at an impasse.

But the longer this dragged on, the greater the losses would be.

So he planned to arrange a gathering and bring her along. Once her inner thoughts came out, everyone would know.

With that in mind, he spoke again. "A drama I'm in was officially announced the day before yesterday. Did you happen to see it?"

"There's still one role left. It doesn't have much screen time, but I think it would suit you. I'd like to recommend you for an audition."

Su Tangtang: "!!!"

[Daddy Sponsor!!!]

"Count me in!"

ヾ(*ΦωΦ)ﾉ

The corners of Chen Sinian's lips lifted ever so slightly. "All right. I'll send you the time and place on WeChat in a bit."

Su Tangtang nodded like a chick pecking at grain. "Yes, yes, yes."

"Thank you, Brother Chen. I'll definitely be there on time!"

[Daddy Sponsor is so nice~]

[May he and his little sponsor stay together forever~]

Chen Sinian felt inexplicably guilty. After all, he was scheming to use her, yet here she was praising him.

He raised a hand to rub his nose, replied, "No problem," with a perfectly straight face, then hurried back to his room next door.

Since neither of them had kept their voices down, practically everyone had heard their conversation.

When Su Tangtang stepped into her room, An Ruzhi gave her an adorable smile. "Congratulations. I hope everything goes well tonight."

She would look around later for a good role to recommend to her too. She absolutely couldn't lose to Chen Sinian!

Besides, if she brought her into her own production, there would be an endless supply of juicy gossip!

Ahhhhh, admiring a beautiful woman while enjoying juicy gossip! Both of life's greatest pleasures at once! Just thinking about it makes me happy!

Seeing how sincere she was, Su Tangtang smiled and replied just as sincerely, "Thank you."

But not long afterward, when she came out wheeling her suitcase, she ran into Xue Ruyin from next door, who immediately shot her a hateful look.

Su Tangtang: "..."

[Huh? What's with that look? Jealous again?]

[Be as jealous as you want. You still don't have a daddy sponsor this handsome!]

[Nyah, nyah, nyah, nyah, nyah~]

╭∩╮(￣▽￣)╭∩╮

Hearing that, Chen Sinian felt even guiltier. He didn't dare leave his room until she was gone.

Outside the villa, Du Lanxi was already waiting beside the van.

She wore a blue suit, silver heels, and sunglasses today, radiating an overwhelming aura.

"Sister Du!" Su Tangtang called out. Du Lanxi took off her sunglasses and hooked them onto her suit collar, opened the large black umbrella in her hand, then walked over in her heels to take Su Tangtang's suitcase.

The sun was blazing today, and with noon approaching, the heat was even harsher. Su Tangtang had been shielding her eyes with one hand. Once Du Lanxi came over and the large umbrella blocked the glaring sunlight, she lowered it. "Sister Du, how long have you been here?"

Du Lanxi said nothing. She held the umbrella over her as she escorted her to the van door, motioned for her to get in, then took the suitcase around to the trunk and put it away.

Once she returned, the door closed, and the van started moving, Su Tangtang immediately told her about Chen Sinian's invitation to dinner that evening.

Du Lanxi's brows instantly furrowed. "Did he say exactly who would be there? Are you supposed to go alone, or can I come along?"

Su Tangtang replied, "I don't know. He didn't say."

When she heard Chen Sinian's invitation, she'd never even considered any other implications.

Maybe she already thought of him as one of the girls?

Besides, after learning so much about him, she could tell that Chen Sinian wasn't that kind of person.

"Should I ask him now?"

Du Lanxi immediately raised a hand and poked her forehead with her index finger. "When are you going to realize that your face is so breathtakingly beautiful that even women want to sleep with you?"

Su Tangtang kept grinning. She was being complimented, after all. Who wouldn't be happy?

"So, Sister Du, do you want to sleep with me?" she asked.

"..." Du Lanxi said, "I'm not into that, thank you."

"Besides, if I wanted to, would I have waited until now?"

Su Tangtang: "..."

That makes so much sense!

Chen Sinian soon replied. She glanced at the message, then handed her phone to Du Lanxi.

Probably to put her at ease, he'd listed everyone attending the dinner: the two leads, himself and Bai Zhitao, along with the director, producer, investors, and screenwriter. Seven people in all.

After a glance, Du Lanxi knitted her brows. "He told you it was just a role with very little screen time?"

Was this really a gathering someone with a tiny role should be attending?

Su Tangtang nodded. "That's what he said."

Du Lanxi handed the phone back. "Turn it down." Although he'd said she could bring her manager, Du Lanxi was sharp enough to sense something was off.

Su Tangtang: "Okay."

She'd never worked in the entertainment industry before and didn't understand its unwritten rules, but she knew Du Lanxi would never harm her.

In the end, between Du Lanxi and Chen Sinian, she chose Du Lanxi and messaged Chen Sinian to tell him.

To her surprise, the moment Chen Sinian received the message, he made a video call.

The ringtone went off so suddenly that it startled her.

As soon as the call connected, Chen Sinian asked, "Was this your manager's idea?"

He certainly saw right through it.

Su Tangtang nodded at him.

Chen Sinian said, "Didn't you tell her I like men?"

Su Tangtang: "?"

Was I supposed to tell her that?

Du Lanxi: "!"

What did I just hear?!

Even someone as composed as her couldn't keep her expression entirely calm. Cracks were beginning to show.

Chen Sinian spoke again. "Give her the phone. I'll talk to her."

"Okay."

Su Tangtang handed the phone to Du Lanxi.

Chen Sinian kept it simple. He'd arranged the gathering himself, and it was just a meal. None of the things she was worried about would happen. If she didn't believe him, she could record the video call right now as evidence.

She could also stay there the entire time. No one would make her leave Su Tangtang's side.

The cracks in Du Lanxi's composure gradually healed, and she returned to being the picture of a polished career woman. "Then thank you, Brother Nian, for giving our Tangtang this opportunity."

Chen Sinian knew it was settled.

It was a little, well, conceited of him, but he'd personally called and laid everything out. Her manager was reasonable; there was no way she would refuse.

He nodded lightly. "See you tonight."