`Chapter 5
Chapter 5
The night in Tan City was ablaze with lights, dazzling and prosperous.
Shi Yin stood at the intersection by Binhu Yintai in 77, and the people around her seemed to be moving at double speed, with all sorts of strange names floating above their heads as they passed. The world had become surreal, and for the first time, Shi Yin felt the system’s existence with a sense that surpassed reason.
“XiaoFu,” Shi Yin shook her head, murmuring, “you’re really so cool~”
Xiao Assistant was quiet, as always aloof.
This area was a business district, with large advertising boards everywhere. Today was a special day, and major social media headlines all pushed the news: “Golden Supporting Actress Ying Xia Passes Away.”
Ying Xia was a veteran Hong Kong actress, known for her versatile roles and superb acting skills. She never became a superstar when she was young, but as she aged, her reputation only rose. The supporting roles she played were memorable, and fans often referred to her by her character names.
To commemorate Ying Xia, fans booked the city center’s large screens to play short clips of her classic on-screen appearances on loop. Unconsciously, Shi Yin paused and looked up at the tall screens, the dazzling images reflecting in her pupils, giving off a shimmering afterimage.
Ying Xia, rightfully called the “Golden Supporting Actress,” had appeared in numerous works, including Marriage for Sale.
In the few seconds of footage, Ying Xia wore ragged clothes, her hair messy, sitting in a cowshed, hugging her swollen pregnant belly. She shrank her head in fright, nervously looking around, while just a wall away, a man drank in the courtyard, using recently earned prostitution fees to buy half a roast chicken.
The clip quickly switched to the next scene. Shi Yin lowered her gaze and turned into a nearby alley, preparing to take a shortcut home.
“Bang—!!”
A loud thud of something hitting a door came from the alley entrance, followed by the crisp sound of high heels hitting the ground. Shi Yin lifted her head alertly and saw a beautiful woman, slightly disheveled, stepping out of an MPV.
She froze for a moment, not moving away immediately, because of the name floating above the woman’s head:
【Zhao Yuqing】
A strange feeling washed over her. She had heard gossip about Anchor Zhao from Tian Tian during the day, and now she was seeing her in person. Her intense curiosity made her hesitate for a second, and between walking away quickly or watching the drama, she chose… to stay and watch. Shi Yin pulled out a mask and put it on, blending into the few pedestrians nearby, pretending to casually approach.
Zhao Yuqing was obviously angry, not even picking up her dropped bag, but as a public figure, she instinctively lowered her voice. Shi Yin could barely catch fragments of her words.
“You… @# what’s wrong with you… & are you crazy!!”
“I… on purpose… %$ dog… is it necessary?”
Zhao Yuqing cursed, patting herself down, then yanked at the car doors twice, but they wouldn’t open.
Shi Yin had her hands in her pockets, following an elderly man taking a walk, almost parallel to Zhao Yuqing now. As she drew closer, the voice became much clearer.
“Li…”
Noticing someone passing by, Zhao Yuqing awkwardly brushed her hair back and hesitated, not calling out the name of the person in the car: “If it weren’t… for me coming, who’d even bother with you… don’t go too far!”
The front passenger door opened, and a young man wearing gold-rimmed glasses, exuding an elite aura, stepped out, his expression cold: “Miss Zhao, choose your words carefully.”
Shi Yin, adjusting her mask, glimpsed the name floating above the young man’s head: 【Luo Wensheng】.
Zhao Yuqing pressed her lips together in defiance and whispered: “Got it. Can I get in the car now? What if I get photographed…”
Luo Wensheng said nothing. After a brief standoff, a car with hazard lights suddenly stopped at the curb.
“I’ve already called a car for you,” Luo Wensheng said politely, picking up an orange-yellow handbag with a slightly crumpled corner from the ground and handing it over. “Do you still want the bag?”
Zhao Yuqing’s face turned pale and red in quick succession. She took the bag in anger, the expression of concern fleeting. She shook her hair, snorted, got in, and closed the door smoothly, leaving the scene quickly.
Tsk tsk, Anchor Zhao was impressive—a sharp-tongued little firecracker, not someone to mess with. And the benefactor was impressive too—still calm, even arranging a car. Such a good temper!
Shi Yin watched with fascination, frequently glancing back, and accidentally stepped on the elderly man’s slipper.
“Shlup—” The old man’s whole foot slid out. He turned back with a blank expression, glaring at her. Shi Yin bowed and apologized, receiving two scolding comments: “Watch where you walk,” and “Don’t look around.”
Luo Wensheng returned to the car. Seeing this farce about to end, the rear window suddenly rolled down halfway without warning.
The night street lights cast flowing shadows. Shi Yin realized a bit too late that there was a third person in the car. The third person handed something resembling a tissue, which Luo Wensheng took and tossed into a nearby trash can.
Across half the street, Shi Yin couldn’t see clearly but noticed the person had sharp brow bones and an unexpectedly cold profile. She froze, instinctively looking at Luo Wensheng in his suit and secretary-like demeanor. The more she looked, the more familiar he seemed. When she recalled Zhao Yuqing’s slip of “Li,” Shi Yin drew in a sharp breath.
No way… such a coincidence?
Shi Yin hurried a few steps, glancing at the license plate.
Yue A88688.
It was the same car from this morning at the Lotus Hotel.
A few seconds later, the car window slowly rolled up, and the pitch-black MPV blended into the night, moving away smoothly.
~
Shi Yin poured herself a glass of water and typed a name into the computer:
“Li Yun”
The first result on the encyclopedia popped up: “Chao Xian Jingzong, the 20th monarch of the Chao Xian Dynasty.”
Same name? She added more ice, shivering at the cold, and scrolled up through the entries. There were over thirty different entries under the same term.
Li was a common surname, and Yun (meaning sunlight) was a favorable name often used. Having multiple people with the same name was perfectly normal.
Shi Yin clicked through each entry but, as expected, didn’t find the one she wanted.
Was the information secret? Pondering, she tried combining “position + name” for her search, switching browsers a few times, even using a VPN, and finally got some results.
Most of what she could find were news reports, with only a few sentences of introduction: birthplace, life events, step-by-step resume, activities attended in a certain month and year, meetings attended—no photos, no videos.
In such a developed Internet era, someone still maintaining secrecy already said a lot about his identity and status.
It wasn’t completely fruitless—Shi Yin detected some clues.
A man not yet forty, a director-level official, wasn’t the youngest, but rare among elites. A true “dragon among dragons,” ordinary people couldn’t even come close. Li Yun either had a powerful background, formidable abilities, or both.
Shi Yin leaned back in her chair, slowly turning twice, and sent a voice message to Tian Tian: “Agent Tian, can you push me Zhao Anchor’s gossip?”
“Your reaction arc is way too long!” Tian Tian’s voice boomed, shaking her head through the speaker. “It’s been a few days; the gossip is old news. I’m currently researching ‘Actor Z cheating on a popular young actress,’ interested?”
Shi Yin wanted to ask, “Who? Who is everyone?” but held back, cutting off Tian Tian’s overwhelming chatter: “Hold on. Wait until you have time to explain everything to me. For now, just send Zhao Anchor’s.”
“Okay,” Tian Tian sounded disappointed that she couldn’t share gossip, “I think I saved some. Let me check.”
Not long after hanging up, an account named “Squirrels in the Melon Field” sent several links with the message: “Be careful when eating gossip; don’t comment with your main account. If it goes viral, it’ll be a black history moment.”
Shi Yin typed: “Relax, I’ve been lurking for years.”
Speculations about Zhao Yuqing’s benefactor were many and messy—everything imaginable was suggested. Some threads had especially high engagement. Shi Yin clicked in.
@YuQuanBaSister: Purely a bystander. By the way, did the hosts of Seagull TV just vanish? Last night’s 618 Gala seriously had no successors. HJ and ZXY have retired, and now every random nobody is on stage dancing? Even ZYQ, a vase-like celebrity, gets on stage? Why?
@Self-destructiveCommenter: Lol, purely a bystander? Stop acting so jealous. ZYQ’s professional ability is solid, unlike some gaffe-prone lady who mispronounces celebrity names. Even if you envy, she’s already on the midday news. Bitter much?
@NotChangingNameUnlessLost20: Who’s HJ? Who’s ZXY? ZYQ? You can’t type the full names?
@PasserbyG: Why? Because ZYQ has a powerful backstage! Enjoy chatting carefully; watch out for the benefactor getting upset, topics might get locked, threads deleted, leaving you a clean 404 blue ocean.
@Self-destructiveCommenter: What’s with the passive-aggressive tone upstairs? What benefactor? Stop spreading rumors or get ready for a lawyer letter!
Below this were hundreds of comment pages of pointless fan wars. Shi Yin sipped ice water, scrolling down, and finally noticed something different.
@WenYiLuMingZhe: So what’s ZYQ’s benefactor’s background? Please explain.
@Third-ratePD Zhao Xiaogang: South Yu, North Li.
@WenYiLuMingZhe: What does that mean? I only know about South-to-North Water Transfer.
@Third-ratePD Zhao Xiaogang: North Li can’t be said, too easily traceable. Haven’t heard of South Yu? Here are some keywords: Jingshan Yu clan, server-opening players, industrial salvation, donated money to the country, family business spanning the globe, commercial empire covering finance, banking, energy, pharmaceuticals… etc., just check it yourself. Hua Mao Bank, known? Market value 9 trillion, that’s just one subsidiary under the group. Figure it out.
@LittleFlowerLearningPPT: So impressive, what’s the connection with ZYQ?
@Third-ratePD Zhao Xiaogang: Go watch the replay carefully. The biggest sponsor of 618 was who?
Shi Yin paused, her thoughts racing. Her intuition told her a certain place name was very important.
She scrolled through her history search: Li Yun, male, Han ethnicity, born August 1986, ancestral home Jingshan, Yue Province.
Jingshan Yu clan… North Li… Li Yun…
This was “you-know-who”! No wonder Zhao Yuqing was so furious that night, yet didn’t dare to say the person’s name directly.
Shi Yin rotated the empty cup in her hands, thinking of the star-studded attention at the Lotus Hotel and the flawless white shirt on television.
Zhao Yuqing threw a scowl in public, and he didn’t care; he even sent her to the 618 Gala. For this benefactor, Shi Yin almost wanted to give him a thumbs-up. Makes sense—he was highly powerful, old money, with ambitions elsewhere; the fleeting fame and fortune of the entertainment circle meant nothing to him. Just a little hint of a rumor, and countless people scrambled to handle things on his behalf.
Some people are born in Rome, some are born to be strong.
Shi Yin thought of all her messy issues with Feng Yang and felt even more distressed.
Three days had passed since her negotiation with Yang Tianming, and there were twelve days left on the contract termination mission. The good news: she had acted in a scene, making Yang Tianming think she had compromised, so he hadn’t troubled her for now. The bad news: Shi Yin had no idea how to terminate the contract.
She drew a mind map, pondering her options.
Xiao Assistant’s mission hadn’t been wrong: directly confronting Yang Tianming was absolutely impossible. Never mind whether he’d agree to let her go; forcibly terminating the contract would mean huge breach-of-contract penalties.
She had been soft-hidden for two years, and still had to pay Yang Tianming? Why? Just because he had a big face, a bad heart, and was cunning and treacherous?
Shi Yin drew a heavy X over the name “Yang Tianming.”
She had considered terminating via lawsuit and consulted a lawyer. The general framework of the contract was fine, but there were many contentious clauses. Litigation would be time-consuming and costly, and if Feng Yang used some tricks, it could drag two or three years, even three or four. Taking this path meant preparing for a long battle, and during that period, no production team would hire an actor embroiled in lawsuits.
Shi Yin singled out one line, circling “find a new agency,” adding a question mark. Find a new agency to take over? She had no fame, no works, and a huge breach-of-contract penalty. Which agency would charity-sign her? Even if they did, all capitalists were the same; who could guarantee the new agency would be better than Feng Yang?
Shi Yin slumped into her chair, worried, rubbing her cheeks.
She summoned Xiao Assistant and reviewed the main mission. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed an icon on the interface and sat up sharply.
Wait, what day was it today?
With a burst of flashy, colorful light, the long-forgotten blind box vending machine appeared.
The bottom right corner boldly displayed: Remaining attempts: 10.
Shi Yin clenched her fists and waved them—ten consecutive draws… she went to wash her hands first, then sat down to click the draw.
White White White White White White White White Purple White!!
【Obtained Ye Peiqian’s Gossip (White) x1】
……
……
【Obtained Liu Cong’s Gossip (White) x1】
……
……
Skipping over a string of unfamiliar white gossip entries, Shi Yin excitedly clicked on the only purple light cluster.
【Obtained Wen Jinhe’s Gossip (Purple) x1】
【The disappointed Wen Jinhe returned to Tan City. She knew she had been abandoned; the news of her termination with Guan Xi would inevitably be released. Many were waiting to mock her, but she would not admit defeat. Wen Jinhe, a top-tier agent, could launch an actor to stardom once—she would do it again. This time, she would reclaim everything that belonged to her!】
【Wen Jinhe is looking for new artists】
At the same time, a new mission popped up.
【Side Mission: For the Pain of All Who Love Obsessively】
【Mission Objective: Go to Stellar Culture, pitch yourself to Wen Jinhe, and earn a favorability score ≥ +2】
【Mission Reward: Popular Song Singing Technique (Beginner)】
Author’s Note:
Ten draws to get purple—a beginner’s guaranteed reward.