`Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Shi Yin found a hotel near the Qin King Palace. It was very cheap, just over a hundred yuan, and after staying up all night, she could rest for two or three hours.

During the day, she went to the mall and bought some Cordyceps and official swallow’s nest gift boxes, totaling over ten thousand yuan, and found an opportunity to give them to Miao Huizhong.

Giving gifts was a matter of etiquette. Miao Huizhong could refuse, but Shi Yin couldn’t skip it; otherwise, it would be considered impolite. Although the situation with “Yu Ying” was special—she was chosen based on talent—she still slightly encroached on someone else’s little piece of cake. Miao Huizhong had selected her this time; next time, it might not happen.

Moreover, having a good relationship with a casting director could not hurt. The only regret was that her pay over the past few days had all gone into this.

Truly, Yun Xi earned and spent money as fast as the wind, thinking of taking a fraction home.

In the following days, Shi Yin went through a cycle of waiting for her turn, waiting, filming, catching up on sleep, and waiting again, no different from an ordinary featured actor. The crew was uneventful, and Zheng Zongyao did not appear.

In the early hours of the seventh day, Yu Ying’s scenes were all finished. Shi Yin yawned as she left her room.

Leaving the Qin King Palace, it was still dark. On the roadside, a red SUV flashed its hazard lights. A woman stood by the hood, her face illuminated by the phone screen, blindingly pale.

Shi Yin slowed her pace. The relaxed expression on her face vanished, and before the other noticed, it instantly changed to defiance and impatience.

The woman raised her head—it was indeed her agent, Yan Li.

“The casting assistant for Song of the Turbulent Age contacted me a couple of days ago, trying to get me to give a little bribe. Implied that my person had been cast,” Yan Li stared at Shi Yin, feeling uncomfortable. “My person got the role, and I didn’t even know about it.”

Shi Yin: “Now you know.”

Yan Li was momentarily speechless. After a while, she asked sharply: “Why did you take Xia Xia’s role?”

Shi Yin was opening the car door, paused, tilted her head, and gave a provocative smile: “Take? That’s a weird word to use. She hadn’t even shown up, and the role was pre-assigned to her? So you’re already that good?”

“That’s because she’s dumb!” Yan Li blurted out. “I didn’t tell her about Zheng Zongyao to keep her calm, so she could perform well. But she couldn’t tell the priorities, and for a little money, wasted the opportunity!”

Yan Li sniffed coldly twice, gritted her teeth, and couldn’t help asking: “How… did you get cast?”

For certain reasons, she wouldn’t inform Shi Yin of her own assignments. Yan Li used a hands-off approach, letting her fend for herself. She knew Shi Yin had been hustling around Yun Xi for the past year, but sneaking into a crew with Zheng Zongyao was never easy.

“That goes without saying. I look good.” Shi Yin nodded her head proudly.

“…” Yan Li rolled her eyes.

Inside, though, she sighed with relief. It seemed the troublemaker didn’t even know how she got the role—probably just got lucky.

Yan Li got into the car and spoke flatly: “Yang has already learned about this. He is not happy.”

The interior of the car was cramped, stifling. Shi Yin pressed the window, and the cool morning breeze hit her face, cooling her overheated mind.

Mr. Yang was Yang Tianming, the founder of Feng Yang Media, Shi Yin’s big boss.

Yan Li’s gaze shifted elsewhere, and after a pause, she said: “You signed the contract yourself. The terms were clear: your management rights are with Feng Yang. Taking roles privately is a breach of contract.”

Shi Yin nodded: “Taking roles privately is a breach, but you never fed me, so…”

Yan Li reminded her: “That’s because you offended Mr. Yang. Don’t you remember?”

“Oh,” Shi Yin replied dryly, “then he’s stingy.”

Yan Li: “…”

She didn’t want to talk to Shi Yin. This kid was a thorn; she even dared to sass the boss—so unmanageable!

When Yan Li first signed Shi Yin, she was genuinely overjoyed, thinking Shi Yin was a promising talent and resolved to nurture her properly, perhaps to launch a top-tier star. Unfortunately, things didn’t go smoothly afterward.

She remembered shortly after signing Shi Yin, just over a month, Yang Tianming asked her to bring the newcomer out to dinner. Yan Li took Shi Yin along. That evening at the table, besides them, there was a strange middle-aged man. Yang Tianming introduced him as Mr. Hu, involved in real estate, recently wanting to invest in making something for fun.

Mr. Hu often made a few comments while casually glancing at Shi Yin with suggestive intent.

Shi Yin, meanwhile, focused on her food like a starving ghost reincarnated. Yan Li kicked her under the table several times, telling her not to eat so horribly. Finally, she put down her chopsticks and claimed she needed to use the restroom. Once outside, she didn’t return for almost half an hour. Yang Tianming had to call with an apologetic smile: “Xiao Shi, where are you?”

“I’m at home.” Shi Yin answered confidently on the other end.

“No,” Yang Tianming fumed, nearly losing his expression. “Who told you to go home? The meal isn’t finished—why did you run off?”

“I finished eating,” Shi Yin explained understandingly, “Oh, you all can continue if you want. Don’t worry about me.”

Yang Tianming was so exasperated he laughed, hurried a few steps into the restroom, closed the door, and ground his teeth: “Do you understand? Why did I call you here today? Can’t you figure it out? Mr. Hu is already here, and now you tell me you’re not happy?”

On the other side, after three seconds of silence, a chilly voice responded:

“I don’t understand, so do you know the law? I’m only sixteen. Do you and that uncle inside want to go to jail?”

Yang Tianming smiled darkly, lecturing her from an adult’s perspective: “Xiao Shi, the rules of the world are far more complicated than you think. Then let me ask you…”

Click. The call ended.

Yang Tianming: “…”

The corner of his eye twitched continuously, his teeth chattered, his face darkened in a terrifying manner. It took a full five minutes before he could barely calm down, letting out a snide laugh.

Kids, after all, a little temper is normal. Let it cool off and learn a bit of hardship.

From then on, Shi Yin never got another audition. Offending the big boss was essentially the same as being shelved.

Even now, Yan Li still held a grudge over that dinner: “I just asked you to have a meal, and you made such a scene…”

“Just a meal?” Shi Yin asked in confusion. “Wasn’t Yang Tianming trying to pimp me out?”

Repeatedly provoked, Yan Li’s tone sharpened: “You talk so offensively, no wonder Mr. Yang doesn’t like you. What, now that you’ve gotten close to Zheng Zongyao, your ego’s inflated? Don’t forget your contract still has eight years left. Mr. Yang can manipulate you like squeezing a persimmon…”

“I just want to act,” Shi Yin interrupted bluntly, snapping back: “There’s something you may have forgotten. When I signed, I said I wanted to become a Best Actress.”

Yan Li couldn’t comprehend: “You’re just a little girl. Where does such ambition and desire come from? Best Actress? Becoming a Best Actress is that easy? You’re reckless and clueless!”

Shi Yin closed her eyes and remained silent.

The car was quiet for a long time. Only after reaching the elevated road did Yan Li speak again: “Go back and properly apologize to Mr. Yang. Maybe there’s still some room to maneuver.”

“Don’t blame me for discouraging you. Look at Korea next door—so many young celebrities have committed suicide in the past two years. Do you know why? You have no background, no resources…” Yan Li admitted reluctantly, “Yes, you’re decent-looking, but what use is that? Beauty is a good card, but alone it’s a trap. You have to smash your head against it, and in the end, you’ll die without even knowing how.”

In the pitch-dark view, the semi-transparent system interface suddenly popped up.

【Main Mission: Self-Reflection Three Times a Day: Have you terminated the contract? Have you terminated the contract?? Have you terminated the contract???】

【Mission Objective: Terminate the management contract with Feng Yang Media and regain freedom】

【Mission Time Limit: 15 days】

Shi Yin froze. She pinched herself, pain bringing tears to her eyes, confirming that the newly popped mission was not an illusion. Her previously suppressed and heavy mood vanished instantly.

Listen to that, even Xiao Assistant couldn’t stay calm.

“…If you really have the ability, find yourself a backer. A strong backer. Otherwise, wasting a few years will eventually ruin you.” Yan Li kept nagging, but after all, she had signed Shi Yin—there was nothing she could do. She could only hope that the troublemaker would figure things out or find a way.

When Yan Li turned and saw Shi Yin’s eyes shining brightly, excitement barely contained, she exhaled in relief. Finally, she listened to at least one word.

~

Just entering Tan City, she ran into traffic control. The exit to the elevated road was jammed. Shi Yin unbuckled her seatbelt, jumped out of the car without looking back: “I’ll take the subway home.”

Yan Li shouted from behind: “Come to the company this afternoon. Mr. Yang wants to see you.”

【Side Mission: Stir the Grass Without Alerting the Snake】

【Mission Objective: Go to Feng Yang Media to negotiate with Yang Tianming without revealing true intentions, to buy time for contract termination】

【Mission Reward: Skill – My Eyes Are a Ruler】

【My Eyes Are a Ruler (Passive Skill): Displays the target’s real name and their favorability toward you, shown as a scale in the range [-10, 10]】

Shi Yin twisted the words in her mouth and replied decisively: “See him! I’ll definitely see him.”

The morning subway was unusually smooth. Sleepy, Shi Yin rubbed her face as she exited the station, passing the Tan City landmark, Lotus Hotel.

In recent years, Tan City had developed rapidly, hosting various summits, economic forums, and sporting events. The city had no shortage of high-standard state guesthouses, Lotus Hotel being one of them. Its overall design was unique—a massive, glorious petal shape. Every morning at sunrise, the entire hotel would glow brilliantly.

Shi Yin turned onto the sidewalk. Along the way, two rows of fully armed security stood guard. Having seen this for two years, she walked forward as usual.

In the soft morning light filtering through the trees, a few beige Coaster vans were neatly parked at the entrance. Exhausted, Shi Yin deviated from her path but was stopped in time by security, signaling her to wait a moment.

A group of people was exiting the hotel’s main entrance.

First to appear was a tall, upright man. Very tall, wearing a dark administrative jacket, broad-shouldered and long-legged, dignified and imposing, surrounded like a star among moons. As he shook hands with others, his stern profile flashed past. His secretary caught up, whispered a few words. The man paused slightly, nodded, and stopped at the front of the Coaster.

The people around reached out to push and yield for a while. The man shook his head, seemed to say something, and only then did the others board the car one after another.

Shi Yin, with 5.0 vision in both eyes, recognized several faces that had appeared in local news.

After the Coaster fleet left, a black MPV quietly followed over, discreetly stopped in front of the man, the car door automatically opened, the man extended his long legs, slightly bent his waist, and sat inside.

That secretary in his early thirties, dressed in a sharp suit, sat in the passenger seat. The MPV passed in front of Shi Yin and slowly drove toward another direction.

Security released them at the right time. Shi Yin also withdrew her gaze.

After walking another seven or eight minutes from the Lotus Hotel, Shi Yin returned home. The house was a second-hand one bought more than ten years ago, a typical old and shabby small place. The exterior facade now looked aged, but because it was located in the city center, the surrounding facilities were complete, the bound school district was good, and the listing price remained high. Along the way, she would from time to time encounter old men and old ladies doing morning exercises, full of lively atmosphere.

Shi Yin opened the door, passed through the entrance hall, and the view suddenly opened up.

The entire living room was opened up horizontally and transformed into a professional audio-visual room. Bookshelves on both sides were piled full of optical discs of film and television dramas that were either hot or niche from recent decades. Opposite the floor-to-ceiling windows was a full 120-inch projection screen.

Having stayed up through several all-nighters in a row, Shi Yin's whole person was like a wandering soul. With a plop, she sank into the sofa.

Before sleeping, she habitually opened the blind box vending machine and saw the remaining times: 7. She hesitated.

After struggling hard for a while, Shi Yin convinced herself.

"Better to save up for a ten-link..."

Author's words: ----------------------