“I know you’re not wealthy. It’s important to be careful with your money and not to try to impress others too much. Being flashy all the time can make people think you’re vain. I hope one day I’ll earn enough money to buy a fancy car myself. That’s when I’ll feel truly accomplished! And when that day comes, I’ll take you for a ride!”
Bianca’s smile brightened at the thought. At that moment, the sunlight illuminated her, making her look like a sweet angel.
Her infectious smile made even Dave smile. “Alright, I hope you’ll keep that promise.”
Later that day, Bianca went to the copy room with a form in hand.
As she walked past the company’s in-house studio, she heard Ashley’s angry voice from inside.
“How dare you expect me to eat such gross food? Are you trying to get fired?”
Getting curious, Bianca stopped to take a peek. She saw Ashley scolding her assistant, who looked upset and had food stains on their clothes. The floor was also messy with spilled food.
Just then, one of the staff came out of the studio. Bianca politely stopped him and asked, “What happened?”
The staff shrugged helplessly and explained, “The new artist is acting like a diva. Before the shoot even started, she complained about her feet hurting and refused to wear anything but Balenciaga’s platform shoes. Then, she demanded food, but when her assistant got her seafood risotto from a food truck, she threw it at her.”
“Today’s the deadline for this advertisement, and Jasmine’s the brand ambassador. If we can’t keep her happy, no one will be able to leave work today.” After venting, the staff sighed and hurried away.
At first, Bianca didn’t want to get involved. After all, it wasn’t her problem. But Ashley was her stepsister, and she felt sorry for her colleagues who would have to work late because of Ashley. Eventually, Bianca felt like she had to do something.
Bracing herself, Bianca walked into the studio. She saw that Ashley’s assistant’s eyes were red and swollen. Ashley stood with her arms crossed, looking haughty as she demanded, “Go buy me seafood risotto from a Michelin restaurant right now. I won’t start the shoot until I’ve eaten.”
“But… but the nearest Michelin restaurant is far away, and it’s really expensive…” the assistant protested hesitantly, lowering her head.
Ashley sneered, “If you’re so poor, why don’t you just beg on the streets? Why did you even come to Phoenix Entertainment? Just to waste our time? Humph!”
“Phoenix Entertainment hires people based on their abilities, not their family background,” Bianca intervened, stepping in front of Ashley’s assistant protectively. “Your assistant chose to buy food nearby to save time for the shoot. What’s wrong with that?”
“Bianca?” Ashley wrinkled her nose in disdain. “Why are you interfering? This has nothing to do with you!”
“You’re right; this really isn’t my business, but I wanted to remind you of something,” Bianca said while wearing a calm smile. She took out her phone and opened the calculator app. “Today is the deadline for this advertisement. If you don’t finish the shoot on time, everyone will have to work overtime with you. At Phoenix Entertainment, the standard overtime rate is five hundred dollars per hour. Based on your current pace, they’ll be here until midnight, which means six hours of overtime. Considering the preparation and post-production work, there are likely at least thirty people involved in this advertisement. So…”
Bianca stopped tapping on her phone and showed Ashley the result of her calculation. “The company will have to pay nearly a hundred thousand dollars in overtime, not to mention other expenses like water and electricity. Do you really think the bosses will want to spend that much money because of you? Who do you think they’ll blame?”
Ashley became flustered immediately. She had never thought about this before.
She was new to the industry and just wanted to make a statement that she shouldn’t be ignored. However, she had to admit that her actions were rash. If the company got angry with her and even blacklisted her from the entertainment industry, all her hard work would have been for nothing.
Ashley cleared her throat and said hesitantly, “Never mind. I’ve lost my appetite now. Let’s start the shoot.”
None of the staff knew how to handle Ashley’s behavior. Surprisingly, Bianca was able to resolve the issue with just a few words. Everyone silently thanked her with grateful looks.
While the company did offer overtime pay, it wasn’t as much as Bianca had estimated.
Using Ashley’s lack of knowledge about company policy to her advantage, Bianca convinced Ashley to cooperate with the crew through bluffing.
Feeling pleased with herself for resolving the situation, Bianca left the studio and completed her work without any further issues.
****
A few days later, Bianca got a call from Dave. He said he found some good apartments within her budget and asked if she wanted to check them out together.
Bianca said yes right away.
One afternoon, Dave took her to one of the apartments. It was in a good location, had nice amenities, and, most importantly, the rent was affordable. Bianca really liked it.
The only downside was that she’d have to share it with someone else.
After thinking for a moment, Bianca was ready to sign the lease.
But just as she was about to, she saw her future roommate running around with a knife, shouting, “Let’s have a knife fight! It’ll be a duel to the death!”
Bianca was shocked. She didn’t know if this person had mental problems, but either way, she immediately put down the pen and pulled Dave away.
As soon as they rushed out of the apartment, the roommate with the knife stopped and wiped sweat off her forehead. Acting like a psycho was tough work.
Bianca and Dave went to see more apartments, but each one had strange issues.
After a whole afternoon of unsuccessful apartment hunting, Bianca felt defeated. She lowered her head and said, “My graduation is tomorrow. If I don’t find a good apartment by then, I’ll be homeless!”
Glancing at her, Dave said casually, “Actually, the place I’m staying at belongs to my friend. He offered to rent it to me at a low price, but it’s still a bit pricey for me. How about moving in with me? We can split the rent 50-50.”
Bianca was shocked.
The one time she had been to Dave’s apartment, she found it in a beautiful neighborhood with luxurious amenities. Plus, it was close to Phoenix Entertainment.