Rong Ruoyao was utterly confused.
But now was not the time to dwell on this.
She spoke up, "Mom, my sister has been building a 'genius scholar' persona online. Whether she’s actually a top student—don’t we know better than anyone?"
"And—" she paused, "this time, she skipped the monthly exam altogether. If this gets exposed, her persona will collapse, and her fans will turn against her. If we’re tied to her in marketing, it’ll affect me too..."
"Is this true?" Rong Wangtian couldn’t believe it. "Yu got a perfect score in the physics competition. She’s a good student—how could she skip the monthly exam?"
"Sister suddenly switched from liberal arts to science and scored full marks in physics. Isn’t that absurd? Dad, do you really believe it? Because I don’t," Rong Ruoyao said softly. "And I heard from Song Huai that she left the exam hall over an hour early... He suspects she might have gotten the answers beforehand. Her physics paper was flawless, which earned her the Aerospace Research Institute’s favor. But if they find out she cheated—have you thought about the consequences?"
Rong Wangtian gasped. "She’d dare do something like that?"
"Sister hasn’t been by your side all these years. You don’t really know her," Rong Ruoyao replied. "The results come out next Monday, along with the parent-teacher meeting. Then you’ll see if I’m lying or not."
Rong Wangtian’s face darkened.
He truly didn’t know Rong Yu well.
Especially recently—he hadn’t even seen her.
When they finally met earlier, she barely spoke before leaving.
They didn’t feel like family at all.
He needed to go to the school and see for himself.
Shen Lin immediately abandoned the idea of joint marketing.
She said, "A friend told me Ji Group is selecting a high-profile contestant from your batch to star in their product commercial. Before the decision is finalized, Ruoyao, come with me to meet the person in charge."
Rong Ruoyao nodded and followed her parents to wait outside the neighboring building.
After nearly an hour, General Manager Zhao finally appeared.
Shen Lin hurried over. "Director Zhao, about the selection for the program’s commercial lead..."
General Manager Zhao lowered his voice. "Ms. Shen, it’s not that I’m disregarding you, but the higher-ups have already made the decision. As a project manager, I can’t override their choice..."
Shen Lin’s smile stiffened. "Did they pick Lisa?"
General Manager Zhao shook his head. "Not Lisa. Don’t ask—you’ll find out tomorrow."
With that, he walked away.
Rong Ruoyao’s hands trembled.
She was ranked first, Lisa second. If it wasn’t her or Lisa, then it had to be the third-place contestant—Rong Yu.
The first promotional commercial for the talent show—and they chose Rong Yu?
Why?
Just because of that tweet from the Fourth Aerospace Institute?
Because of her so-called "genius scholar" persona?
Rong Ruoyao was the top student in the liberal arts class, drowning in awards. Wasn’t she more deserving of the title?
After their late-night snack, Rong Yu’s group dispersed around 10 p.m.
Duoduo had long dozed off, curled up in Rong Yu’s arms.
Ji Zhiyuan, having finished his work, came to pick them up. On the drive back, he said, "Great-Grandma’s popularity has skyrocketed. Ji Group wants you to film the program’s first mid-show commercial. Tomorrow at 8 a.m., at Ji's Entertainment."
It wasn’t his decision.
The project team had selected her based on overall popularity and engagement metrics.
Tomorrow was Sunday, and Rong Yu had no plans. She agreed.
Early the next morning, she received a bonus from the Aerospace Institute—nearly five figures.
Back in her time, even years of wages combined wouldn’t amount to this much... It showed how far their homeland had come in seventy years, from poverty to prosperity.
"Mom, your fan club has surpassed 10,000 members," Old Master Ji announced cheerfully, holding his phone. "I’m the president, Duoduo’s the vice president. We’re determined to grow it to a million."
Duoduo proudly patted her chest. "I’m great at moderating comments! The fans all say I’m the best at it."
Rong Yu chuckled and ruffled her hair. "Only two hours of phone time a day—can you stick to that?"
"Yes!" Duoduo declared. "And I’ll make sure Great-Grandpa only uses his phone for two hours too!"
Old Master Ji: "..."
At his age, being policed over screen time—who could he complain to?
After breakfast, Ji Zhiyuan drove Rong Yu to Ji's Entertainment himself.
At the entrance, General Manager Zhao rushed out to greet them. Seeing the CEO personally escorting Rong Yu, he began to understand.
No wonder they skipped the top two and went for third place—Rong Yu had connections with Ji Zhiyuan.
But wasn’t Secretary Lan the CEO’s girlfriend?
Well, none of his business.
Ji Zhiyuan handed Rong Yu her backpack. "I’ll be working on the top floor. If you need anything, just contact me."
Rong Yu nodded. "Go ahead."
Ji Zhiyuan turned to General Manager Zhao. "This is the program’s first ad and the promotional video for Ji Group’s new product. Quality must be guaranteed."
General Manager Zhao quickly assured him. Only then did Ji Zhiyuan leave for work.
"Miss Rong, follow me to the studio."
Rong Yu followed him inside.
The commercial was for Ji Group’s newly launched large-screen foldable phone, featuring a collaboration between a popular young actor and a female contestant from the talent show.
"Miss Rong, here’s the script. Familiarize yourself with it."
While she memorized her lines, the team prepped her hair and makeup.
Everything was ready—except the male lead was nowhere in sight.
"Where is he? Why isn’t he here yet?" General Manager Zhao was frantic. "He promised 8 a.m. It’s 8:30 now—is he coming or not?"
An assistant spoke up. "Zhou Yachen is on his way. He’ll be here soon..."
General Manager Zhao didn’t dare push further.
Zhou Yachen had skyrocketed to fame after a hit historical romance drama, becoming a top-tier idol with a massive fanbase. Crossing him wasn’t an option.
It was past 9 a.m. when Zhou Yachen finally arrived.
Twenty years old, tall and lean, with sharp features—his appearance outside the building sent passersby into screams.
He greeted fans all the way into the studio.
"Mr. Zhou, you’re finally here," General Manager Zhao said, stepping forward. "We sent you the script earlier. Should we start filming now, or do you need more time to review?"
Zhou Yachen checked his watch. "I have a fan meet-and-greet livestream later. Let’s get this done quickly."
General Manager Zhao nodded and summoned the director, assistant director, cinematographer, and crew.
While waiting, Rong Yu had been rehearsing her lines and visualizing the scenes—this was an entirely new field for her.
Before stepping into unfamiliar territory, she always prepared thoroughly.
The first scene: the male and female leads meet in a bookstore.
Zhou Yachen would deliver his line first, then Rong Yu would enter.
"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven..."
Hearing this, Rong Yu’s expression instantly darkened.
