Chapter 812: The Strange Tastes of the Rich

Life is like a dream—full of both good and bad things.

For several days, Naily felt as if she were living in a dream, something unreal.

Lynch had bought her what he called cheap little trinkets, but even the cheapest of them were luxuries to Naily.

Like that snow-white bearskin coat she had seen displayed in so many shop windows—soft white fur, specially treated to puff outward. When worn, it made her look like a giant snowball.

Every time she passed a window displaying that coat, she would stop and stare for a while.

Every girl has her colorful dreams. So did Naily. But she knew not all dreams come true. Some are simply impossible.

And more often than not, the only dreams that come true are nightmares.

That coat cost tens of thousands. With her current income, she’d need twenty or thirty years to afford it.

Yet here she was, wearing it just days later.

The soft fur made her want to hug herself constantly—it was so comfortable, its smooth and gentle touch made her forget the passage of time.

And the jewelry, the accessories—she now had them all.

What surprised her most was that Lynch had bought her all these things, yet never gave her money.

Strange, wasn’t it?

She thought so too. She had given so much of herself. Yes, she received plenty of expensive gifts, but why wouldn’t Lynch give her some money to improve her life?

Didn’t people say that once you’re being kept, you become rich?

Lynch never mentioned money—not even when she was about to leave. And she was too embarrassed to ask.

That was her biggest difference from Penny. If it had been Penny, she would’ve chosen the moment she was on top of Lynch to ask.

But Naily, out of shyness or something else, never found the right moment.

Just as she was about to return to Raldimore, Lynch unexpectedly gave her the answer she had been wondering about.

“You’re not anyone’s possession, and you’re certainly not a kept woman. Your identity is your own.”

“I respect you. I won’t use money to insult you or make you feel like some kind of pet.”

“In this new era, independent women are what people truly admire. And I believe you can do it.”

“And don’t worry about money. You’ll soon realize—it’s not that hard to get.”

Lynch’s words left Naily confused. It felt like she’d been used for free, but not exactly—after all, Lynch had bought her so many valuable things.

It was a conflicting feeling. Those items were worth hundreds of thousands at least, yet when it came to real money, he hadn’t given her a cent.

And strangely, she didn’t hate him or resent him for it. Instead, she felt a kind of relief she couldn’t quite explain.

That afternoon, just as Naily arrived back in Raldimore, even before she could leave the train station, staff from Fox Pictures were already there holding a sign for her.

A lean woman in her thirties stood at the front, dressed in a neutral, professional outfit, with short hair and a strong presence.

Beside her stood a young man and woman—assistants, clearly. They didn’t have the same commanding aura.

Naily hesitated, then walked over.

Ordinarily, this kind of personal reception wouldn’t be arranged for a low-tier contract performer. It was a privilege reserved for stars or executives.

She still hadn’t fully realized what the trip to Eminence meant. It wasn’t just about being used—a lot had changed in the process.

“Hello, Naily. I’m your new agent…” The confident woman extended her hand, a rare smile breaking across her otherwise serious face. “Starting today, your contract is upgraded to Tier Two. I’ll be fully responsible for every aspect of your professional and personal life.”

She emphasized, “Every aspect. We’ll be living together.” She turned to introduce the two assistants.

They were both company employees—now part of the “Naily Team.”

This was one of the perks of being close to Lynch: a quick rise to the top.

Naily was still adjusting. “The place I live in is really small…”

She meant her tiny apartment couldn’t accommodate so many people. Her new agent had made it clear—this team would be together for work and for daily life.

Naily felt a bit embarrassed. Her apartment was ridiculously cramped.

But her agent just laughed. “No worries. Tier Two contracts come with housing benefits.”

“We’ve got a company-owned residential complex on the outskirts. You’ll have your own standalone house there—usage rights only, of course. But we’ll all be living together.”

Naily’s eyes widened. She had heard of that place. Tier Three actors could live there too, but had to share houses with others in the same tier.

Tier Two meant having a whole house for yourself and your team.

Tier One actors lived in villas in the city—and might even have the house transferred to them as a gift.

Back when she was just a trainee, everyone dreamed of this day. She never thought it would come so soon.

“I still have some checked luggage…” she said, stepping forward. Lynch hadn’t bought a huge amount, but it wasn’t little either—too much for a girl to carry. So she had checked most of it in the cargo hold.

Her agent put an arm around her shoulder and led her out, taking the cargo claim ticket from her hand and passing it to the male assistant. “What you need to focus on now isn’t your luggage—it’s picking a script.”

Naily paused. “Picking a script… What does that have to do with me?”

She still hadn’t fully processed or adapted to the change. After spending so long at the bottom, seeing so many shattered dreams, she had stopped believing.

She didn’t yet realize that everything she had done in Eminence—her effort and sacrifice—was already starting to pay off.

The agent continued walking with her arm around Naily’s shoulders. “The company’s planning to invest 300,000 to shoot a romance film. You’re lucky—you’ve been chosen as the female lead.”

“You know, in this industry, nothing is more important than the lead…”

What she didn’t say aloud was: “Nothing is more important than the person behind the lead.”

Naily remained dazed until they arrived at the house assigned to her by the company. Gradually, she understood why Lynch hadn’t given her money—because it simply wasn’t necessary.

She could earn it herself. That was Lynch’s way of showing respect. She finally understood his intention.

Out of the 300,000 production budget, 50,000 was set aside as her pay. Considering how unknown she still was, that amount was extremely generous—more than what many others received.

“I suggest you talk to the company’s production department about voluntarily lowering your pay,” her agent said, sitting in a bright, clean living room, peeling imported fruit from Nagaryll.

Naily had just finished eating a piece when she looked puzzled. “Why?”

The agent handed her the remaining fruit and wiped her hands with a moist towelette. “Because starting out with such a high rate will make outside projects hesitant to hire you.”

“To be honest, I don’t know who you’ve got backing you, but now that I’ve taken over your career, I have to be responsible for it.”

“You have no standing yet—you’re still a newcomer. Most new actors playing leads at your level don’t earn more than 10,000. Many only get three to five thousand.”

“The company gave you 50,000. That’s way too much. Your starting point is too high. Going forward, anyone who wants to cast you will need to pay at least that much.”

“But you haven’t yet proven your value in this industry. Honestly, I don’t think you’re worth that kind of money.”

“And I’m sure many others will feel the same. Once you step outside the company’s umbrella, you won’t get any offers.”

“No one will take that kind of financial risk. Without opportunities to work on different types of films and with different studios, your career path will be very narrow.”

After listening carefully, Naily nodded. “I’ll speak to the company. If that’s the case, we can lower the pay even more. Maybe…”

“Ten thousand?”

The agent didn’t respond right away. Instead, she asked, “Can you tell me who’s backing you?”

No one would believe a completely unknown trainee could suddenly get promoted and start choosing scripts without powerful help behind the scenes.

This kind of rapid rise came with both benefits and risks. If the backer wasn’t strong enough, it might not last more than a few years.

But if the person had real influence, her career could be carefully planned and much easier going forward.

To the agent, the difference was like having a ticket versus having a car.

A ticket meant Naily could shoot to fame quickly. If her skills were strong enough, she might even stay at the top.

But that path required more effort—acting ability, networking, everything.

A car, on the other hand, could take her to a high place quickly. As long as she wasn’t completely useless, she would always have a place in the industry.

Naily hesitated, but eventually told her.

From the day she entered the industry, she knew just how important an agent was to an artist’s career.

When the name Lynch came out of Naily’s mouth, the agent gasped.

Her gaze toward Naily changed, slightly confused. She didn’t see anything particularly special in Naily that would explain why someone like Lynch would be interested.

She wasn’t as young as Penny. Word was, Penny met Lynch when she was just seventeen—youth was a major factor for men.

But Naily? She was already twenty-two. She had no real advantage.