Chapter 64: Controlled Gangnae

Jiang Lai had stayed too long in her comfort zone.

Her thinking could no longer keep up with the younger generation.

On the way to Xu Ruobing’s studio, Xu Ruobing carefully explained her plan to her.

By the time they arrived at their destination, Jiang Lai only understood Xu Ruobing’s plan superficially.

She had a general idea of what the big star wanted to do, but she still didn’t grasp some of the finer details and didn’t know how to operate them.

Jiang Lai’s understanding of the company was stuck at the stage from over a decade ago, right after she graduated from college and found those proper jobs.

She still remembered when her middle and elementary school teachers asked the students what they wanted to be in the future.

Back then, many people said things like engineer, police officer, or doctor—simple, tangible jobs.

The idea of being a video streamer like Xu Ruobing talked about was something Jiang Lai had never encountered before.

On the way, and even after arriving at Xu Ruobing’s studio, Jiang Lai was diligently trying to think and understand these unfamiliar things.

Even if she had tried before to keep up with young people, she had to consider whether she had enough energy.

But now, Jiang Lai had a brand-new body, with energy beyond anything she’d had before.

It would be such a waste not to use this body to learn.

Jiang Lai was so eager and studious, desperately wanting to understand things she never had before.

Xu Ruobing didn’t interrupt her and let her observe and learn freely around the studio, while she leaned against the wall with a faint smile watching her.

It didn’t matter if Jiang Lai didn’t understand everything; after all, others would help her complete those tasks.

As long as Jiang Lai cooperated well in filming videos, that was enough.

Since the rise of short videos, many celebrities found that besides acting and doing advertisements, there was another way to maintain their popularity—posting snippets of their daily lives on short video apps.

The scariest thing for celebrities wasn’t failing to get acting roles.

Even if they couldn’t land TV dramas, they could still shoot ads or participate in variety shows.

The real nightmare was when their presence completely vanished from the internet, with no fame left, and no one talking about them anymore.

With Xu Ruobing’s current top-tier fame, she didn’t need short videos to boost her popularity.

That’s why, on her short video account, besides one introductory video when she first joined the app, there wasn’t a second post.

Sometimes, Xu Ruobing would use a secondary account to check the comments under that video.

Almost every day, there were people waiting eagerly to see when she would upload a second video.

Originally, Xu Ruobing had no interest in this, but Jiang Lai gave her an opportunity.

Jiang Lai could film on her own or with others—it didn’t matter.

This was exactly what Xu Ruobing wanted to do, and she was more than willing to invest generously for this.

After briefly observing the studio, Jiang Lai returned to Xu Ruobing’s side.

During her observation, Jiang Lai thought a lot.

Even though her mind still held the knowledge she had before, nowadays, the first step in finding a job was looking at your education and work experience.

As a woman now, Jiang Lai was almost a blank slate.

Forget about work—she couldn’t even show a primary school diploma.

Even if she could find a job, it would be unreliable, which was why her sister-in-law often whispered in her ear.

Chi Yingyu often wanted her to work as a secretary at her law firm, so she could be with Jiang Lai almost 24 hours a day.

But Jiang Lai had never agreed, because she was currently eating and living with her sister-in-law.

If she worked and had to rely on her sister-in-law’s salary, wouldn’t that be the same as being supported?

All the pressure of her life would then be on Chi Yingyu’s shoulders, and Jiang Lai couldn’t do that.

She didn’t want her sister-in-law to suffer because of her.

She didn’t want to become anyone’s dependent, much less a parasite.

At this moment, Xu Ruobing’s proposal felt like a godsend, continuously tempting Jiang Lai.

“How about it? Do you agree with what I just said on the way here?”

Xu Ruobing could see the flicker of desire in Jiang Lai’s heart, the longing deep in her eyes.

The corner of her eyes carried a faint pinkish glow, as if the smile in her heart lifted them, and she walked slowly up to Jiang Lai, gently taking her hand.

“If you agree, I’ll start preparing the contract right now.”

Xu Ruobing’s gentle demeanor shocked the others in the studio, who kept stealing glances at the interaction between the two beauties.

Despite her current softness, only the people in the studio knew what it had been through in the past few days.

Because the manager had leaked Xu Ruobing’s whereabouts—albeit unintentionally—that manager, who had been with her for several years, was fired.

Other staff with dirty hands also left alongside the dishonest manager.

The entire studio had undergone a major reshuffle, and Xu Ruobing made these decisions without hesitation.

Yet, this strict boss was showing such a gentle and even sweet side right now.

Everyone in the studio had seen that video and knew that the woman observing the studio was the one from the video, the future center of their work.

In other words, this stranger Jiang Lai would determine the studio’s future direction.

Jiang Lai knew the terms Xu Ruobing offered were already excellent, even making her want to nod in agreement uncontrollably.

But just as she was about to say yes, she realized she was still undocumented.

Even if she wanted to sign, her identity issue had to be resolved first.

“I really want to agree, but I might need to go back and discuss the contract. I might have to make you wait a couple of days.”

Jiang Lai’s excuse was to buy time to get an ID, but in Xu Ruobing’s ears, it sounded completely different.

“Go back and discuss?

With whom?”

“If this is your job, why do you need to discuss it with anyone else?”

“Is your life after marriage controlled by someone else at every turn?”

As these questions flooded her mind, Xu Ruobing’s expression turned ice-cold.

With anger simmering inside, she brushed her long hair back and leaned closer to Jiang Lai, her voice low and barely controlled.

“Jiang Lai… do you think your life right now is happy?

If you’re not happy, even after marriage, you can divorce.

If you want to divorce, I can help you with the lawsuit.

What era do you think this is?

You have to learn to pursue your own happiness.

Think about what you really want.

You are not anyone’s dependent!”