117 Eager to Recruit Talent

If Xiao Yao weren’t so handsome—if his appearance were more ordinary—perhaps she might have summoned the courage to accept his pursuit. If he weren’t so wealthy, that would be even better; she would undoubtedly have accepted his declaration of love without hesitation and lived happily ever after with him.

But there are no “ifs” in this world. Reality is reality, and she must clear-headedly recognize it.

Xiao Yao’s looks were simply too striking. Even if he were a poor boy, he certainly wouldn’t lack admirers. And on top of that, he was incredibly wealthy. Such an elite combination of looks and riches was like a nuclear bomb in terms of attraction to women.

Whenever Xiao Yao snapped his fingers, she believed any woman would be swayed.

She had never lacked confidence in her own appearance. Her family background was decent—her father a mid-level official in a government department, her mother a staff member at a public institution—a comfortably middle-class upbringing.

With her looks and family background combined, she was worthy of 99% of the men in the world.

But Xiao Yao was definitely not within that 99%, not even in the remaining 1%. If one were to assign an appropriate ratio, Xiao Yao was among the rarest—one in a hundred million, or perhaps one in a billion.

Xiao Yao was unique, and so was she. But in people’s value systems, wealth carried overwhelming weight. Xiao Yao’s uniqueness had a denominator of hundreds of millions or even billions, while hers was at best in the tens of thousands.

There was simply no comparison between the two.

This was a harsh reality.

If she accepted Xiao Yao’s pursuit, she believed that with her looks, they could share a sweet romance. But how long could such a time last?

She was not lacking in confidence, but she was sufficiently rational to understand that to monopolize a man like him for a lifetime would be no easier than winning a multi-million lottery jackpot.

The kind of love she yearned for was sweet, romantic, and founded on mutual trust.

But whenever she thought about accepting Xiao Yao’s pursuit, she imagined having to constantly fend off competitors, even after marriage. She would have to invest great energy protecting their love, which alone exhausted her just to contemplate.

Love is sweet, but if one is always on guard and filled with anxiety, where is the safety in that? If all one’s energy is spent safeguarding love, can one truly feel happiness?

It was precisely because she was rational, because she foresaw the future, that she drew a red line in her relationship with Xiao Yao.

Though she was rational enough, humans are emotional beings and cannot be governed solely by reason. If she were truly rational, she would keep her distance from Xiao Yao, reduce their meetings, and perhaps never see or contact him again. That would be true rationality.

But she couldn’t do that.

She had long been deeply attracted to Xiao Yao. To reduce their encounters and uphold the red line she set was already a testament to her extraordinary self-control.

If she continued to engage with him, would she still be able to maintain that rationality? Could she still honor the boundary she drew?

Even she had no answer.

Perhaps one day she would cast aside reason, be wholly ruled by her emotions, cross that red line, and become a moth drawn to the flame—that was also uncertain.

Between reason and emotion, which would ultimately prevail? She did not want to contemplate this heavy question. For now, at least, reason held sway over emotion.

Today, the respect Xiao Yao showed her touched her deeply, yet she still resolutely declined the olive branch extended by Ding Songqing.

Although Xiao Yao did not explicitly state that Sang Qingye was his girlfriend, introducing her to everyone on such an important occasion clearly showed how much he valued her.

He deliberately highlighted Sang Qingye’s profession. Everyone present was intelligent and grasped Mr. Xiao’s intention, racking their brains to see if their companies had roles directly related to broadcasting and hosting.

Ding Songqing’s arrangement was already good, but it was still declined. Wang Xiaoxian and others could not immediately propose a better professional placement.

On Lu Yahong’s face appeared a sincere smile. He said earnestly to Sang Qingye, “I have shares invested in Tianyi Video. They are preparing to invest in a new online variety show and are currently recruiting suitable hosts. If you’re interested, Miss Sang, I can recommend you to try out.”

Sang Qingye had chosen broadcasting and hosting as her major because her dream was to become a host. But now, competition for hosting positions was fierce, and young people like her struggled to secure opportunities to appear on screen.

After graduation, her family exerted great effort to arrange a position for her at a local station, but despite six months of hard training, she was still stuck doing menial tasks with no chance to appear on camera. Eventually, unable to endure the harassment, she disappointed her family and resigned in frustration.

She had firsthand experience of how difficult the path to becoming a TV host was.

Given her ideals, Lu Yahong’s proposal was indeed enticing.

Though online streaming had brought her some fame and income, being an internet celebrity was not her dream. She still aspired to one day become a host recognized by a wide audience.

Competition for TV hosting was brutal, but the standards for hosting an online variety show were equally high. Having the chance to host such a show was like a blessing falling from the sky.

At this moment, Sang Qingye hesitated.

Fan Jingyu suddenly spoke, “Although online variety shows are on the rise, truly outstanding ones are still rare. Miss Sang, your image and temperament are excellent—such talent should not be buried. It would be more fitting for you to enter television and develop through the traditional channels.”

“Our Hanzhou Satellite TV, though somewhat behind the top-tier local stations, is among the best second-tier stations. Some of our programs have good ratings. We have long lacked excellent hosts, and having someone like you join would be a tremendous boost. Miss Sang, would you be willing to work at Hanzhou Satellite TV?” Fan Jingyu spoke as if earnestly seeking talent.

If Sang Qingye had any hesitation moments ago, it was now impossible to refuse.

A senior leader like Fan Jingyu personally inviting her to join the provincial satellite station carried immense weight, which she understood very well.

Sang Qingye glanced at Xiao Yao. He smiled and nodded at her, saying, “Director Fan has a keen eye for talent. You shouldn’t decline. After all, your major is broadcasting and hosting. It’s important to gain experience at a provincial station. If you ever feel unhappy, you can always resign.”