Cecilia Gu thought for a moment and immediately said, "Sure, then I'll take Rona to hang out! Just so we're clear, we don't know how to do anything."
With Cecilia Gu's answer, Joel Chee immediately replied with excitement, "Alright, alright, as long as you two can make it, that's all that matters."
After hanging up, Cecilia Gu finally realized what was going on.
Why was Joel Chee so happy about her and Rona Muir visiting the set?
Why was Joel Chee so thrilled?
How could he not be happy?
Just by inviting two unrelated people to the set for a few days, he managed to secure a huge investment from Charles Yin.
Hehehe... Joel Chee is a true businessman!
After Cecilia Gu hung up, she returned to the bedroom and saw Rona Muir slowly waking up.
Rona Muir asked in a muffled voice, "What time is it now?"
"It's almost ten! Don't you have a blind date at noon today?" Cecilia Gu rescued the pillow from Rona Muir's arms, sat down beside her and said, "Are you still going?"
"Ugh! ..." Rona Muir replied, dejected, "I don't want to go!"
"Let me tell you something. Ahem, Joel Chee just called and asked us to visit his set. He wants us to be producers, but just in name only. The real reason we're going is because Sylvia Ran is joining the crew as an actress," Cecilia Gu explained quickly. "Are you in or not?"
Rona Muir's brain froze for a few seconds, then she suddenly snapped out of it: "What did you say? Sylvia Ran is debuting as an actress? Are you kidding me? Well, it makes sense, she loves acting and crying so much, it'd be a shame if she didn't become an actress! But why is Joel Chee suddenly involving us two outsiders? That doesn't add up. Joel Chee's a businessman—he wouldn't do something for nothing. Is he after Charles Yin's investment?"
No wonder Rona Muir is the Vice President of Odyssey Corporation. Cecilia Gu only said a few words, and she quickly deduced the real story.
That's a businesswoman's instinct!
Rona Muir perked up immediately.
She tugged at her hair, her eyes darting around as she said, "Since Sylvia Ran is going to be an actress, and we're going to be producers... hehehehehe..."
Hearing Rona Muir laugh so darkly, Cecilia Gu couldn't help but shiver.
"Joel Chee treats you well! Since he's so sincere, let's agree to it!" Rona Muir had already made the decision for Cecilia Gu.
"Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing? Jumping to conclusions—what about your blind date at noon?" Cecilia Gu saw Rona Muir grab her laptop and start searching for Joe Qi's new drama investment, so she couldn't help but ask, "I promised Auntie I'd make sure you went to your date."
Rona Muir replied casually, "I'll go, whatever. I'll just make up an excuse and say I wasn't interested."
Cecilia Gu was speechless.
Well, she guessed this kind of thing is fresh once or twice, but after too many times, it's honestly pretty annoying.
At lunch, Cecilia Gu and Rona Muir met the blind date just for show, politely turned him down, and immediately called Joe Qi over.
Joe Qi drove up in a flashy, bright red Maserati.
Rona Muir shook her head speechlessly and said to Cecilia Gu, "I really wonder if there's a woman in this world who could ever tame someone as flamboyant as Joe Qi."
"Isn't it Dieyi Chen?" Cecilia Gu replied offhandedly.
Rona Muir snorted, "Yeah, right. Dieyi Chen? Before I met her, I might've believed a playboy could settle down for a regular music teacher. But after meeting Dieyi Chen, I realized she's just blinded by the world, thinking she's Cinderella turned princess. What kind of man is Joe Qi? When he first met you, he was polite, but he didn't defend Sylvia Ran just because she's Dieyi Chen's friend. Sylvia Ran and Joe Qi have known each other for ages, but Joe Qi still sided with you. That means his mind is crystal clear! Dieyi Chen wants to win his heart? She's got a long way to go!"
Cecilia Gu turned to Rona Muir and said, "You look so enlightened—aren't you tired? No wonder you're Vice President of Odyssey Corporation, with that quick wit. What man would dare marry you in the future!"
Rona Muir grinned and threw an arm around Cecilia Gu's shoulders. "You want me!"
With Rona Muir's antics, Cecilia Gu's mood lifted considerably.
Driving a convertible in this freezing weather...
Cecilia Gu couldn't help but cringe a little.
Joe Qi really is flamboyant.
When Cecilia Gu saw Joe Qi walk in, she immediately waved at him. Joe Qi flashed a big grin and walked over to Cecilia and Rona Muir.
On the way, he even flirted with a pretty waitress.
Rona Muir said to Cecilia Gu, "What did I tell you? A guy like that is never going to turn from a playboy into a monk overnight."
Cecilia Gu nodded with a smile.
Joe Qi sat down in front of the two women and said with a smile, "What bad things were you two saying about me this time?"
"No, we were just complimenting you—how you're still as charming as ever, even as you approach forty," Cecilia Gu replied with a laugh.
"Hey, hey, hey, that's not cute!" Joe Qi stroked his chin and said, "Even though I'm thirty-eight, that's the golden age for a man—very attractive!"
Cecilia Gu and Rona Muir both burst out laughing at the same time.
Honestly, with Joe Qi interrupting like this, everyone's mood just got a lot better.
No wonder Joe Qi is such a ladies' man—with that silver tongue, it's a miracle if anyone doesn't like him.
"So, my proposal has your unanimous approval, ladies?" Joe Qi leaned back lazily and grinned. "You two don't have much going on lately anyway, so just help me out."
Rona Muir really didn't have anything going on.
To avoid Sean Kerr, even if she had something to do, she'd pretend she didn't.
As for Cecilia Gu... all she needed to do now was eat well, drink well, and sleep well—what else was there for her to worry about?
Besides, the drama is filming right here in N City, so it's basically just a chance to relax.
"Honestly, I need a ton of extras for this show. Hey, Cici, Rona, you two look great—want to do a cameo?" Joe Qi eyed Cecilia Gu and Rona Muir, getting more familiar with his nicknames. "Cici, you could be a pregnant woman shopping, and Rona, you're so talented, I'll give you the fourth female lead!"
"Stop right there," Rona Muir glared. "I'm not interested."
Joe Qi kept pitching, "Hey, come on! Filming is a blast! Besides, you guys are just doing it for fun, you don't have to work as hard as the real actors. If you mess up, it's fine—the roles aren't important! The point is to join in and have fun! Life's short, so you have to make yourself happy, right? Otherwise, these decades will fly by, and wouldn't that be a shame?"
Cecilia Gu glared at Joe Qi. "Joe Qi, you sure know how to talk. All this just to save on extras, huh?"
Joe Qi grinned, "Ah, you caught me!"
Rona Muir just rolled her eyes.
Even though she knew Joe Qi was just joking, she suddenly felt that he was actually a pretty good guy.
Especially when it comes to friendship.
Because Joe Qi valued Cecilia Gu as a friend, he started caring about her too.
The best cure for heartbreak is to distract yourself.
And now, since she's avoiding Sean Kerr, she definitely can't go to the office. With nothing to do, it's easy to overthink things.
So when Joe Qi made this suggestion, it looked like he was just trying to save money and recruit outsiders.
But in reality, isn't it just another way to help them take their minds off things?
Once Rona Muir figured that out, she tapped her manicured nails on the table and said, "Alright, since we're friends, we'll help you out! But you'd better give us a big red envelope!"
Joe Qi grinned, "No problem!"
The three of them happily had lunch together. Cecilia Gu felt like she was really getting brainwashed by Joe Qi—she was about to become an actress!
Yep, that's right—she was going to play a pregnant woman!
A cameo as a pregnant extra—playing herself!
Even if it's just a few scenes and a couple of lines, it's still her debut!
By the end of the meal, Cecilia Gu and Rona Muir had gone from reluctant to excited, chatting about the script and their roles, and gossiping about the other actors in the drama.
Especially when they heard that Sylvia Ran was competing for the second female lead, the gossip topics multiplied instantly.
Eating and chatting with a 'ladies' friend' like Joe Qi is just too relaxing, isn't it?
Joe Qi was both handsome and gentlemanly, taking care of the two ladies in every possible way. After this meal, the collaboration was basically set in stone!
After Joe Qi left, Cecilia Gu finally snapped out of it and asked Rona Muir, "Did we just get brainwashed by Joe Qi?"
Rona Muir burst out laughing. "Yep, that old rascal really knows how to brainwash people. But we're just doing it for fun—if he's willing to spend the money, why should we worry? Let's just enjoy ourselves!"
Cecilia Gu thought about it and agreed.
When the two of them got home, they told Mama Mu and Papa Mu that they were going to be producers for a TV show—and do a cameo, too. So, matchmaking? Not happening!
Mama Mu looked at Rona Muir with regret, disappointed she hadn't managed to 'sell' her daughter off this time.
But apparently, Rona Muir and the Russian guy she met on the blind date last night had exchanged contact info and agreed to start as friends, so Mama Mu was still pretty satisfied!
Since they'd decided to help Joe Qi, they couldn't just hang around at home.
After a short break, Rona Muir drove Cecilia Gu back to N City.
Little A kept a close watch on Cecilia Gu's movements, and seeing Rona Muir recklessly dragging the heavily pregnant young mistress all over the place, he was crying inside.
On the surface, it looked like the young mistress was acting alone, but in reality, who knows how many people were secretly protecting her!
Young mistress, next time you go out, could you please bring a few more people along?