Lu Shihan corrected him, “I never pursued her.”
On the other end of the line, Chi Juanbei winked and grinned. “I get it. You and Qingqing were always meant for each other. No one else ever stood a chance.”
“…”
Fine, Lu Shihan thought, let him misunderstand.
“But there is something I need to tell you,” Chi Juanbei said, his tone turning serious. “I was too young to do anything when Qingqing went abroad. Now that she is back, I am going to make sure she knows how I feel. If she still chooses you after I’ve given it my all, I will be happy for you.”
Lu Shihan had long prepared himself for the possibility of his friend becoming his romantic rival. He simply replied with a calm “Mm,” and the tension between them remained low.
Before hanging up, Chi Juanbei asked, “Can I tell Qingqing about your divorce from Lin Qian?”
“Do whatever you want.”
After the call ended, Chi Juanbei immediately messaged Chu Qingqing with the news, hoping it would make her happy.
Chu Qingqing replied instantly: 【Divorced already? Haha, Shihan is so efficient.】
Chi Juanbei felt a pang of regret. Hadn’t telling Chu Qingqing that Lu Shihan was single again been an attempt to create an opportunity for him?
Chu Qingqing replied, 【You should take a page out of Shihan’s book and stay away from that scheming woman.】
As an only child who had been pampered since birth, Chu Qingqing was proud, her words often laced with superiority. But reading her message today, Chi Juanbei suddenly pictured Lin Qian gripping his sleeve, urging him to trust her, and a wave of irritation washed over him.
He quickly typed back, 【Got it.】 Finding the reply too curt, he added a cute, soft-looking emoji.
He then exited the chat and found the director’s number in his contacts.
When the call connected, the man’s voice sounded surprised. “Teacher Chi?”
“It’s me. Regarding the reshoot today, I think the latter half of the sequence was more fluid and had a stronger emotional impact.”
“Then should I have the editors use the second half?”
“Yes.”
After hanging up, Chi Juanbei muttered, “I’m not doing this to help Lin Qian. I’m just being professional.”
At her desk, Lin Qian sneezed twice in quick succession. She rubbed her nose and pulled her clothes tighter around her.
Before Lin Yajun went to rest, they talked. Lin Qian learned that their combined savings totaled just a few thousand yuan. Of that, Lin Qian had contributed only 150 yuan, the money she’d earned today as an extra.
Unsure if she could make money quickly, she decided against turning on the air conditioner. These old models were notorious power hogs.
Now, as she tried to transcribe the music from memory, her hand trembled so much that the notes on the page were crooked and messy. After a few attempts, she cupped her hands and breathed into them, trying to warm her fingers. She forced a bitter smile. “I’m not cold,” she whispered. “I’m filled with righteous energy.”
The thought made her laugh softly to herself.
Her fingers remained stiff, and it wasn’t until the dead of night that she finally finished transcribing the songs she had written in her past life. Most of them had been chart-topping hits in her world, sweeping major domestic awards.
In this new world, she was certain they could still be hits. It was a guaranteed path to making money, and she needed to be prepared.
She glanced at the time. It was already past three in the morning. Just as she yawned and prepared to get into bed, she heard a sound outside the door.
The intruder was clearly trying to move as silently as possible, but the uneven wooden floors of the old house creaked under their weight. With the walls offering no soundproofing, Lin Qian heard every single step.
Lin Qian’s heart pounded. A thief?
They were already so desperate, a mother and daughter with nothing to their name, and someone still dared to rob them? Fury surged through her. She grabbed a mop and crept to the door, cracking it open just a sliver.
The living room was bathed in the dim glow of a single small lamp. Lin Yajun was taking vegetables out of the refrigerator, apparently preparing to cook.
Relief washed over Lin Qian, but it was quickly replaced by a growing sense of unease. She set the mop down and pushed the door open. “Mom, why are you up so early?”
Lin Yajun looked embarrassed, thinking she’d woken her daughter. “I’m just making your breakfast before I go… open the shop. Go back to sleep.”
Lin Qian frowned. “It’s only three in the morning.”
“I need to get a head start. It’s cold outside, go back to bed.”
“Don’t bother with breakfast,” Lin Qian said, her heart aching. “I’ve been gaining weight lately, so I need to eat less.”
Lin Yajun understood a celebrity’s need to maintain her figure. She put the vegetables back in the fridge. “I see… Then I’ll just boil myself some noodles and leave.”
Lin Qian couldn’t shake the feeling that Lin Yajun was hiding something. She needed to find an opportunity to visit her mother’s shop.
Early that morning, Lin Qian went to Time Entertainment, the company the original host had signed with, and submitted an application to request a change of agent.
One of Lu Shihan’s private holdings, the company was managed by his most trusted associates, who had turned it into a thriving success in just a few years.
The previous night, Lin Qian had found the original contract and studied it closely.
She discovered that the company granted every signed artist one opportunity to change agents. As long as an artist submitted a request, the company was guaranteed to approve it. If the artist had a specific agent in mind and that agent agreed to take them on, the company would assign them together. Otherwise, the company would appoint a new agent.
Though Lin Qian had only skimmed the novel in her past life, her memory was exceptional. She knew that according to the original plot, her current agent, Hou Xiaoguang, would not only deny Lin Qian any good opportunities but would also help others exploit her.
His professional competence was dismal, and the scripts he chose were all cheap and poorly written.
It was best to escape before Hou Xiaoguang could trap her with one of his draconian contracts.
As for which new agent the company would assign her, she had no idea. Still, the approval process would take some time, giving her room to maneuver.
What truly surprised her, however, was the level of the original host’s contract. How had a newcomer secured such a high-tier agreement? Regardless, the generous terms were a boon, at least ensuring the company couldn’t exploit her.
After submitting her application, Lin Qian returned to her office. The moment she stepped inside, her brow furrowed. The scent of perfume in the air wasn’t the one the original host usually wore. And the photo in the frame on the desk wasn’t of the original host, either.
She walked over, picked up the frame with a look of disgust, and tossed it, photo and all, into the trash.
***
Just over an hour later, the office door swung open, and Hou Xiaoguang stormed in.
When he saw Lin Qian sitting in her chair, his gel-slicked hair seemed to bristle. He threw his arm out in a dramatic, affected gesture, his voice shrill. “Well, well, Lin Qian! I was just looking for you, but you’ve delivered yourself right to my doorstep!”
Lin Qian guessed he’d found out about her request for a new agent. She feigned innocence. “What’s wrong, Brother Hou?” Everyone called him that because his surname sounded like the word for monkey.
“What’s wrong?!” Hou Xiaoguang marched up to her and slapped the desk with a dainty, effeminate flourish. “You’ve grown bold, haven’t you? Trying to switch agents?”
Lin Qian’s expression shifted to one of sudden realization. “Oh, you mean that,” she said, her voice sounding pitiful. “But… I only did it for your own good.”
Hou Xiaoguang rolled his eyes so hard they nearly vanished into the back of his head. “You think I’m buying that? You’re just dissatisfied with me!”
I am dissatisfied, Lin Qian thought. The way you act like you’re having a seizure every time I speak is pretty off-putting.
Outwardly, she maintained her gentle tone.
“Brother Hou, you know I’ve offended the wrong people. I’ll never get any of the good roles now. You’ve managed me for so long, what if my reputation drags yours down? I couldn’t let my failure affect your performance reviews.”
Hou Xiaoguang’s anger gradually subsided as he considered her words.
“Really?” he asked, his tone suspicious.
Of course it’s a lie, you idiot, Lin Qian thought.
But her expression remained grave.
“Absolutely. But if you can’t bear to let me go, Brother Hou, I’ll withdraw my application. You can just toss me a few scraps of work from your other artists so I can at least eat. The person I offended is a real big shot. I’m not hoping for a comeback, so I’ll have to rely on you. Hehe.”
Hou Xiaoguang’s brow furrowed so deeply it could have crushed an ant. Every agent wanted their artists to succeed. Lin Qian was useless at everything except for her face. Now she was telling him she had no hope of a comeback. Why should he keep such a waste of space on his payroll?
He had previously felt guilty for dividing her minor roles among other artists and leaving her with only the most insignificant extras. Now his mind had changed. Without him, she wouldn’t even get to play a corpse. She should be thanking him!
Lin Qian watched his expression shift several times. Then she lowered her voice, curious. “So, who is this person you’ve offended?”
She didn’t answer. Instead, she simply raised a finger and pointed upward.
Hou Xiaoguang asked, “The department manager?”
Lin Qian pressed her lips together and shook her head, her voice sounding defeated. “Higher than that.”
“Could it be the corporate executives? No wonder they told me…” Hou Xiaoguang caught Lin Qian’s gaze and immediately cut himself off. “Sigh, you’ve really been dealt a bad hand.”
Lin Qian’s head drooped, making her look like a deflated bun. “I’d be satisfied just to stay with the company. I’m actually grateful for the job you arranged for me yesterday, Brother Hou. It earned me one hundred fifty yuan as an extra. Do I need to turn that over to the company?”
Hou Xiaoguang found himself pitying her. For the big stars, one million five hundred thousand yuan was nothing, but for Lin Qian, a mere one hundred fifty yuan was a fortune. What a pathetic little creature.
Even if he wanted to hold a grudge against her, he couldn’t bring himself to exploit her over such a trivial sum. He waved his hand generously. “No, keep it.”
Lin Qian’s eyes lit up. “Can I keep the money from future extra roles too?”
Hou Xiaoguang, completely oblivious to her acting skills, thought to himself how little money an extra could possibly make. He replied immediately, “Go ahead, keep it!”
“Thank you, Brother Hou! You’re so good to me!”