The next morning, Luo You paced back and forth in the hospital corridor, contemplating for the umpteenth time whether to slap himself fiercely.
He looked utterly annoyed and, in the end, could only stare blankly at the white wall, stewing in his frustration.
It was his own fault for agreeing so hastily yesterday, and now he got himself stuck with someone clinging to him!
Heaven knows that yesterday, when he ambitiously wanted to discuss future development paths with He Jinxia, she suddenly brought up the need for a health check-up and mentioned she was short on cash, asking to borrow some from him first.
Despite being a second-rate star with a team responsible for her lodging and board, one would think that she wouldn't be without money even for a check-up, but then...
Luo You thought back to last night when he went to He Jinxia's room and watched her throw pile after pile of diet pills into the trash, and it couldn't help but give him a headache.
Alas, it was a miscalculation; those diet pills shouldn't have been thrown away. They were all branded, and perhaps he could have recouped some costs by reselling them second-hand.
When He Jinxia stepped out after seeing the doctor, she saw Luo You with a look of utter desolation, as if he wished he could walk into a wall.
With a somewhat bemused expression, she said, "Brother Luo, it's just a few thousand Hua Coins. When I earn money later, I'll pay you back threefold."
Upon hearing her voice, Luo You turned his head to look at her and helplessly waved his hand, "Forget it, forget it, money is not the issue. I'm just..."
Feeling the after-effects of his emotional excitement, now replaced with a sense of reality's helplessness and confusion.
"Brother Luo, I hope you see that whether I can continue working at Tonghua or not really depends on you."
He Jinxia put away her smile and looked at him solemnly with her round face, saying, "Don't worry, I won't disappoint you."
Luo You shook his head. He had heard these reassurances too many times and no longer felt anything. He changed the subject, "How did the medical check-up go?"
He Jinxia's eyes flashed subtly as she spoke indifferently, "The doctor says I have an excess of male hormones and a bit of an endocrine imbalance."
Luo You furrowed his brow, "So what can be done about that?"
He Jinxia: "There's one solution, and that's to lose weight."
Luo You's mouth twitched, and he suddenly stepped back, distancing himself from her, "Let me clarify one thing, Brother Luo doesn't have extra money to buy you diet pills."
He Jinxia gave a slight smile, her eyes lifted playfully like a sly fox, "Don't worry, I'm not buying diet pills. Reasonable exercise and dieting might be more effective than taking pills."
Luo You nodded his head, agreeing that life is about movement, and as they walked, he said, "That's fine, the bookings I'm planning for you are all song and dance. Dancing is a form of exercise too, so you can combine them."
He Jinxia paused. Although saying it out loud might make her seem really unreliable to Brother Luo, she decided to be honest anyway.
"Brother Luo, I think I forgot to tell you something."
He Jinxia's crisp voice echoed through the corridor—
"I don't dance, I act."
***
In the afternoon, Luo You logged onto the company website and, in He Jinxia's name, requested the stage on the first floor of the company. His hands were trembling as he clicked "confirm."
He simply couldn't believe that a singer who started with singing programs would so vehemently tell him she wanted to act?
Could this really not be a trap for him?
Acting, where did she get the experience to act?
To give up her identity as a singer to go into acting was to abandon the stage and start with bit parts, oh, or perhaps with her currently not yet completely faded second-rate popularity, she could still play the "comic relief" in certain drama troupes?
But that was a step backward!
Luo You could already imagine, when the roles He Jinxia played appeared on the screen, what kind of overwhelming ridicule she would face, and then, with a 'down', her popularity would plummet to rock bottom.
"Hey, He Jinxia is actually applying to use the company's first-floor stage. What is she preparing to perform? Eh, wait, I remember that stage is specially for trainees to showcase themselves, right? Only occasionally would a big star walk a few shows to inspire the trainees."
A loud voice suddenly came from beside him; Luo You jerked and subconsciously turned off the monitor, but someone seized the mouse before he could, and Li Jing said with no small amount of glee:
"Luo You, it's rare for He Jinxia to want to use the stage, it's a good thing, don't turn it off. Let me see which day it's scheduled for; I might as well take my trainees to watch, all learning from her."
Other agents were attracted and began to glance over.
Luo You felt embarrassed on the face but didn't know what to say.
Deny not using the stage? That wasn't an option.
Admit it? That would fall right into Li Jing's trap, absolutely not.
The first floor, as the company's façade, saw many people passing by every day. The company purposefully placed a stage there— not big, but not small, equipped with top-notch lighting and sound equipment.
Usually, only three types of people used the stage.
The first type: trainees from the company, who would sing and dance on the stage to build up their confidence for performing and simultaneously showcase their abilities, hoping to catch the eye of a passing agent.
Trainees haven't debuted, so they didn't have agents. If they were spotted by an agent, it was very likely they would be promoted and debut, which was a great opportunity for the trainees.
The second type: top stars, who every month the company would invite to sing, dance, or share experiences to encourage the trainees.
As for the third type, it was the has-beens, generally referred to as third-rate stars.
Because they were washed up with no gigs, they could only use the stage to showcase themselves, hoping to be seen by a passing senior member of the company and given another chance.
If He Jinxia were to use the stage, she would undoubtedly be categorized as the third kind.
When Luo You heard her decision that morning, without even thinking, he denied it. They weren't at wits' end yet, could they not be so defeatist...
But He Jinxia looked at him very seriously and said, "Brother Luo, I debuted in a girl group. I am very clear that my strength is not in my voice. If I want to continue in the music industry, I can only be a sing-and-dance artist, which, with my image, is not suitable."
"Rather than entertaining the public on stage like an ugly duckling, I would be better off transitioning to an actress. But I don't have resources in acting, so I can only use the company's stage to promote myself."
Luo You was extremely anxious inside but refrained from saying anything about her current image and acting; it would still be like an ugly duckling entertaining the public—such demoralizing truth. Instead, he earnestly asked:
"First, tell me, can you act? Once you get the stage, how are you going to use it?"
Can she act?
He Jinxia couldn't help but recall her past life, in those treacherous places filled with deception and struggles. If she couldn't act, she would have died countless times over.
She smiled faintly, and her plump, chubby face at that moment seemed to shimmer, exuding a confident charm.
"I can act. I'll perform a monodrama."