My Fortune-Blessed Leading Lady-Chapter 573: Yes, I’m Rejecting Your Olive Branch

It had been a day since Catherine appeared before Xi Gu, and during this day, Xi Gu had been mocked by those chaotic internet comments, feeling disgraced that as Catherine’s collaborator, he couldn’t even control her.

Catherine looked distinctly Asian, quite different from her brother.

Upon seeing her, Xi Gu’s expression was far from pleasant, even though Catherine was an exceptional beauty, his mood was still sour.

Because of her, he had been humiliated online.

And had been for two days.

As Catherine took a seat in the receiving area of Xi Gu’s office and accepted a coffee from the assistant with a thank you, she then nonchalantly looked at Xi Gu, "Mr. Xi, may I ask what you wanted to see me for?"

She was feigning ignorance.

Xi Gu also took a seat beside her, looking at her indifferently, "Miss Catherine, do you realize the loss your actions caused to Huanya in the past two days?"

Catherine shrugged, feigning surprise, "Mr. Xi, I believe I haven’t brought any negative impact to your company. Could you be specific?"

Her agent who came with her yesterday had already described the situation here in detail. Now ’Miss Rose’ and Bo Yan’s wife’s ’City of Temptation’ had signed a bet agreement, and the ultimate dispute was between the two Mr. Xis—over who would ultimately gain absolute control of Huanya.

The other Mr. Xi, whom she had not met, appeared to be a tough character according to her agent’s narrative, at least much more capable than the one before her.

If not for Bo Yan, she wouldn’t have taken the lead role in ’Miss Rose’ at all.

She was of mixed heritage and her image didn’t fully match the female lead’s setting in ’Miss Rose’, but her only advantage was her fame and widespread recognition.

At least much better than the previous Jinchu.

When she first took this role, her intention was not to play the character well, but because Bo Yan was here.

Even if she breached the contract now, she could afford the penalty.

Therefore, there was no need to watch Mr. Xi’s mood in front of her. Xi Gu had originally wanted to give a lecture, but remembering what the old Master Xi had emphasised to him before he left London— he swallowed the anger brewing inside him.

"Miss Catherine, regarding our contract signing, I think it’s necessary to remind you.

You came from the US to complete a film project with us, which our company holds in high expectation. We hope Miss Catherine will also put in your heart and soul, so that we may have a pleasant cooperation."

After all, the remuneration paid to her was not low. To get two top-tier stars domestically, they valued her fame, finding the cost acceptable, otherwise, who would wish to hire her.

Before leaving London, the old master had said if he still failed under these circumstances, then he truly lacked the capacity to manage Diyang, and stepping down would be reasonable. If he didn’t put in the effort, it would be better to step down at once rather than suffer an embarrassing defeat.

The old master had mentioned something else as well.

Thinking of this second matter made his face look even gloomier.

Catherine didn’t like this accusatory style of conversation. She believed that even though she had signed a contract, she was still a free person. As long as she behaved during the shooting period, why should her personal freedom be constrained in her own time?

She looked at Xi Gu indifferently and smiled, "Mr. Xi, I think your understanding of the contract differs from mine. I believe that outside of my scenes, I am free to manage my own time, without your control. That’s correct, isn’t it?"

That’s not wrong, but, "but you confronted our rival company."

Catherine chuckled, replying with understanding, "The matter of me visiting the rival company wasn’t mentioned in my contract before. I was just meeting two friends, is that not allowed either? Do I have to report to you in advance as well?"

Xi Gu frowned, "Miss Catherine, by doing this, you’ve had a significant impact on the company’s public image. Everyone is saying that I’m making a wedding dress for someone else. Miss Catherine, I don’t want to deal with any scandals after ’Miss Rose’ restarts its project. Do you know what I mean?"

Catherine waved her hand, "OKOK, I get your point, I’ll be more careful in the future. But this doesn’t mean you can summon me to your office for a lecture anytime. That’s kind of an invasion of my personal freedom, thank you."

Xi Gu: "..."

The conversation ended on a sour note.

As Catherine walked out of Huanya’s door, she bumped into Xi Nian who was entering. When her agent told her Xi Nian’s identity, she paused midstep, waited for Xi Nian to approach, and reached out to stop him, "Mr. Xi, let’s get acquainted, my name is Catherine."

Xi Nian ignored her, sidestepped the arm blocking his path, and continued forward.

In just a few short days since her arrival, Catherine had faced countless rejections, leaving her in a sour mood. She took several steps forward to block Xi Nian again, "Mr. Xi, how about a deal? Are you interested?"

"No."

Xi Nian kept walking with no change in expression.

Catherine, annoyed, blurted out directly, "I can refuse ’Miss Rose,’ but please give me a role in ’City of Temptation.’

Xi Nian stopped in his tracks and looked at her amusedly, "Miss Catherine, don’t you know that ’City of Temptation’ has already wrapped filming?"

"I know, but isn’t it still in post-production? I don’t need other actors to continue playing out a scene with me. Just one person is enough."

Xi Nian watched her, saying nothing as if waiting for her to continue.

Catherine had no idea what it meant to be polite, she made her demand outright, "I hope to act in a scene solely with Yuran. Naturally, this scene must be significantly meaningful. In return, I will decline the invitation from ’Miss Rose.’ How about that?"

Xi Nian looked at her with calm, deep eyes, "How about not."

Catherine, thinking her bargaining chip wasn’t enough, quickly added, "I can invest in it, or, I can help you gain control over Huanya."

Xi Nian, not wanting to deal with what he considered a crazy person, continued walking. Catherine, angered, reached out to grab him, and Xi Nian’s gaze turned icy as he shook off her hand, "Miss Catherine, please behave yourself."

Catherine was irate, "Mr. Xi, what kind of attitude is this? I’m seriously negotiating with you. My request is so simple; are you stupid to not accept it?"

Xi Nian, "I’ve just finalized a partnership with Xi Gu, and now here you are, downstairs at the company, talking about betraying and abandoning loyalty. Miss Catherine, let me explain something. The way I was raised prevents me from accepting your invitation at this moment. Is that clear enough for you, do you understand?"

Catherine narrowed her eyes, "Are you rejecting me?"

Xi Nian, "Yes, I’m rejecting your olive branch. Please leave, I will not see you out."

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