Inside the banquet hall, glasses clinked amid low laughter and murmured conversation.
Men were dressed in sharp suits, women in elegant evening gowns.
Even in her previous life, Shen Ci had never attended such a high-end investor gala, yet she didn’t feel the slightest bit nervous. After all, this party was specifically for investors — and tonight, she was the investor.
Fortunately, the dress Gu Lianxing lent her was tasteful enough. It wasn’t as flamboyant as what some of the other women wore, but it didn’t look out of place either.
“Wife, let me introduce you. This is Miss Shen, the one I told you about.”
The moment they entered, Lu Jinzhao introduced Shen Ci to his wife.
“Miss Shen, this is my wife, Xiao Man.”
Xiao Man, radiant with pearls and dressed in a dark emerald gown, looked striking and gracious. She warmly extended a hand toward Shen Ci. “Miss Shen, what a pleasure to meet you. You’re every bit as young and beautiful as Old Lu said.”
Shen Ci naturally withdrew her hand from Lu Jinzhao’s arm and shook Xiao Man’s with a polite smile. “Mrs. Lu, you flatter me. I’m very glad to meet you.”
“Miss Shen, would you like me to introduce you to some new friends?” Lu Jinzhao asked at the right moment.
At this kind of upper-class gathering, most attendees were influential figures eager to expand their networks and forge valuable connections.
Lu Jinzhao clearly meant well.
But Shen Ci had little interest in mingling. She smiled lightly. “No need, Mr. Lu. I came with a purpose tonight. I imagine you’ve been waiting for my answer, so why don’t we talk about the investment?”
Lu Jinzhao’s eyes lit up. He instinctively glanced at his wife.
“Miss Shen is refreshingly straightforward,” he praised with a chuckle.
Xiao Man, thrilled, quickly gestured toward a quieter corner. “Miss Shen, let’s go somewhere less crowded to talk.”
On a sofa tucked in the corner, Shen Ci sat across from the couple and got straight to the point.“These past few days, I read Destined to Be Phoenix from start to finish. The story is compelling, and I’m very interested in its screen adaptation.”
Hearing this, Lu Jinzhao’s joy was hard to hide.
“So Miss Shen is planning to invest?”
Shen Ci nodded without hesitation and didn’t bother with theatrics. “I can invest, but I have one condition.”
Lu Jinzhao wasn’t surprised — no investor parts with money for nothing.
“Please, go ahead.”
Shen Ci took out her phone and pulled up a photo of her younger sister, showing it to the couple. “This is my sister — a first-year student at Longcheng Film Academy. She ranked in the top fifty nationwide in the arts entrance exams.”
“My condition is simple: my sister must get the role of Hua Xixi.”
Using investment to secure roles is common in the industry, so Lu Jinzhao wasn’t shocked.
The only issue was that the main cast had mostly been finalized, with contracts already signed. Replacing someone now would be tricky.
Xiao Man studied the picture and nodded in mild admiration. “Your sister has great features — classic Chinese beauty.”
Lu Jinzhao pursed his lips, thinking for a long moment, then looked up at Shen Ci. “How much are you planning to invest, Miss Shen?”
Shen Ci smiled. “If you can agree to my condition, however big the funding gap is, I can fill it.”
It was a 20,000-yuan project. How much could they possibly still be short?
She spoke casually, but Lu Jinzhao and Xiao Man were stunned.
They’d never met an investor who walked in without an upper limit.
Xiao Man nudged her husband lightly, sharing a knowing glance only the two of them understood.
Lu Jinzhao nodded and rose, scanning the room before beckoning to a man in a suit busy networking nearby. “Old Feng, come over for a moment.”
Feng Shan — the casting director — quickly set down his wine glass and strode over. When he arrived, his eyes instinctively lingered on Shen Ci’s striking presence before turning back to Lu Jinzhao. “Mr. Lu, what’s the matter?”
Lu Jinzhao introduced Shen Ci and explained that Feng Shan was the drama’s casting director.
Then he asked directly, “Who’s currently set to play Hua Xixi?”
“Uh… Tian Xiaolu,” Feng Shan answered, looking a bit awkward. “But Mr. Lu, Tian Xiaolu is still negotiating her pay with us. She’s upset that Gao Fei’s fee is 850 while hers is only 600. But Gao Fei’s the second female lead — Hua Xixi is just the fourth. Naturally, the pay isn’t on the same level.”
Xiao Man gave a soft, disdainful laugh. “They debuted at the same time, but Gao Fei just won the Golden Leaf Award for Best Supporting Actress in May. Of course her pay went up.”
Tian Xiaolu and Gao Fei were both fairly popular actresses, having started their careers around the same time and kept pace with each other. Their rates had always been similar — until this year, when Gao Fei’s award-winning period drama skyrocketed her price.
Shen Ci remembered Tian Xiaolu clearly. In her previous life, Tian played Hua Xixi — and the role made her wildly popular, catapulting her into top-tier stardom.
But later, she made a catastrophic, principle-breaking mistake, was publicly named and banned by state media, and dragged Destined to Be Phoenix down with her, getting the entire show removed from all platforms.
A once bright career ruined in one misstep.
“Stop wasting time negotiating with her,” Lu Jinzhao said, tapping the table. “We have a new candidate.”
Feng Shan’s eyes followed the gesture — and widened at the phone screen showing Shen Li’s photo.
“Huh? Isn’t this Shen Li from the film academy?” he exclaimed in surprise.
“You know her?” Lu Jinzhao asked.
Feng Shan nodded and quickly explained the earlier incident: how, because of a mere 500-yuan investment, two student roles had been swapped — forcing Shen Li out of the better part.
Lu Jinzhao knew about the investment trade and the role swap in general, but he hadn’t realized the girl they’d displaced was this investor’s little sister.
“Miss Shen, I’m truly sorry. I honestly had no idea. If I’d known she was your sister…”
Lu Jinzhao looked uneasy — after all, this woman across from him was now his biggest backer, and he’d unknowingly let her sister suffer humiliation.
Shen Ci gave a faint, elegant smile. “No blame for what you didn’t know, Mr. Lu. No need to apologize. And besides, I wouldn’t have let my sister play a maid anyway.”
She put her phone away and looked him in the eye. “So — shall we consider this settled?”
(End of Chapter)