Chen Yiran was still in the company at the moment. Fu Angsi came after a meeting and knocked on the door of Chen Yiran’s office. “President Chen, time for dinner.”

Chen Yiran was about to say no when Fu Angsi added, “Little Sister Linlin has told you to eat on time every day.”

Chen Yiran: “……”

How long would he continue this gag?

Although he was complaining in his heart, he honestly closed the computer, got up and walked out of the office.

Fu Angsi smiled mischievously and deliberately said to Chen Yiran, “Linlin recently wrapped up filming, did you know?”

“I heard from Assistant Wu.”

“Oh, then did Assistant Wu told you that her and Shang Ci’s CP has been popular recently?” Fu Angsi said as he took out his mobile phone and clicked on a video he had saved. “Look, this is a video of the two of them edited by netizens. It has been played more than three million times.”

Chen Yiran furrowed his brows slightly and glanced at Fu Angsi’s phone screen. The video cover was a photo Li Linlin and Shang Ci, but it was of both of them dressed up as their characters in the drama. He looked at Fu Angsi’s face. “Is this what you do every day when you come to the company?”

“……I’m only watching during break time.” Fu Angsi put the phone back. “Since Huachuang has entered this field, what’s wrong with paying attention to the developments in the entertainment industry?”

“There are specialized people responsible for this sort of thing, or do you want me to transfer you to take charge of it?”

“……” Fu Angsi coughed and shut up obediently.

———

Please only read this translation at S h a n g h a i f a n t a s y . c o m to support the translator

On the other side, Li Linlin was eating barbecue next door and watching her own TV drama. Originally, she was a little embarrassed since there were so many people watching it together. Li Linlin tried to liven up the atmosphere at the dinner table and divert everyone’s attention elsewhere. Unexpectedly, everyone was watching the drama with great interest.

Li Linlin finally gave up her resistance and started watching along. The plot this week involves a business battle. Ou Jiaxu used some means to control the Ou family’s company. But because Xiao Yiren was keeping his eyes on her, her plan almost failed.

Well, although it’s all going to fall apart in the end.

After watching for a while, Li Linlin didn’t feel so embarrassed anymore. Wang Xin’s screenwriting ability was very strong and the plot had always been very compact. The interaction between the male and female leads was also sweet when viewed alone, but because Ou Jiaxu was so popular right now, people naturally didn’t see the two of them as sweet.

Today, the male and female leads were being sweet for a whole minute on TV, and tomorrow, there would be ten more Northern Beauty CP-oriented videos on the Internet.

After the two episodes of the drama aired and the barbecue was almost finished, Wu Hui insisted on dragging Li Linlin downstairs for a jog to burn off calories. Seeing that they were leaving, Chen Xi couldn’t stay there alone, so she followed them down.

After they all left, several guys began to clean up. Lu Yuxuan stuck to Lu Ruizhou’s side and asked him in a very gossipy manner, “Brother, do you like Sister Linlin?”

Lu Ruizhou’s hand wiping the table paused and he looked at Lu Yuxuan with narrowed eyes. “Is this what a primary school student should be thinking about?”

“Heh, primary school students shouldn’t buy and cook their own food either.”

“……” Lu Ruizhou was speechless.

Seeing his reaction, Lu Yuxuan knew that he must be interested in Sister Linlin, so he encouraged him to confess his feelings. “If you like her, tell her, otherwise you’ll regret it later!”

“……” Lu Ruizhou continued to clean the table. “You’re thinking too much.”

Lu Yuxuan studied him from the side and made a soul torturing question, “Do you think you’re not worthy of Sister Linlin?”

Lu Ruizhou: “……”

“Don’t be afraid. Even if you’re really rejected, at least you’ve tried.” Lu Yuxuan spoke more eloquently than Lu Ruizhou, “Besides, Sister Linlin isn’t that kind of person, you might have a chance!”

Lu Ruizhou finally put down the rag in his hand. “I think you just don’t have enough homework. I’m going to contact your class teacher right now and ask her to give you separate assignments.”

“……Don’t, don’t, Brother, there’s no need for you to do that.” Lu Yuxuan stopped him. He showed a cute smile and said, “I’m going back now to my room to do my homework, bye.”

Lu Ruizhou watched him close the bedroom door, then let out a sigh.

———

Li Linlin had no idea that Lu Ruizhou might have thoughts about her as her entire attention was on her high level of popularity.

Every week when 《Fatal Heartbeat》 aired, her popularity would go up a notch but with a slow downward trend. Then it would be time for next week’s 《Fatal Heartbeat》 to air again!

And now with the CP added to the mix, her popularity was even higher than before, and the number of edited videos of her and Shang Ci online was increasing more and more.

There hadn’t been a single message from Bother Yiran in the past few days. It must all be because of this!

“Linlin.” Li Linlin was fretting, but Wu Hui rushed into her room happily. “You’re such a business genius!”

When Li Linlin saw Wu Hui’s appearance, her eyebrows jumped. “What are you talking about again?”

Wu Hui happily hugged the folder in her hand with a smile blooming on her face. “Aren’t you unwilling to accept the few advertisements I told you last time? I rejected them. They thought the price was too low, so they increased the endorsement fee by a lot! Tell me, is this your strategy?!”

Li Linlin: “……”

No, it’s not.

“Linlin, you’re surprisingly business-savvy!” Wu Hui placed the folder on the table, which contained some papers. Li Linlin’s heart thumped and she had a bad premonition. “You didn’t sign any contracts, did you?”

“That’s right.” Wu Hui flipped one of the contracts and pointed to the endorsement fee part. “They’re just giving too much.”

“……” Li Linlin glanced at it and saw that it was indeed a lot.

But, this wasn’t what she wanted!

“Why did you decide on your own?” Li Linlin questioned her angrily.

Wu Hui was stunned and said, “Didn’t you tell me to work hard? My job is to pick up work for you.”

Li Linlin: “……”

“And I thought you’ll be satisfied with the price so I signed it.” Wu Hui looked at her carefully. “Is it still little? No offense, Linlin, we’re newcomers after all, this price is already very high. Adding more will make it seem like we’re going overboard.”

Li Linlin: “……”

Darn! The biggest mistake she had made in her life was indeed making Wu Hui’er her manager!

Wu Hui thought she was dissatisfied with the price and continued to talk some sense into her, “This-, you can’t just look at the endorsement fee but also the brand value. The two endorsements I helped you accept are selected from a myriad of brands and are good in all aspects. Their products are also suitable for you!”

The corners of Li Linlin’s lips twitched. The two brands chosen by Wu Hui were indeed good and the previous spokespersons were also well-known. In fact, it was a bit out of her league.

But, this wasn’t what Li Linlin wanted!

Wu Hui observed her reaction and added, “These two endorsements are really good and the brands are very sincere. They said they will send you the full amount today.”

Just as she said so, Li Linlin received an SMS notification. She mechanically picked up her phone and took a look. It was a money transfer notification from the bank. She hadn’t counted the zeros clearly when another notification came. It was a new entry, with seemingly the same number of zeros as the previous one.

Li Linlin: “……”

Don’t, enough! Stop stuffing her with money!

Linlin was in despair.

Wu Hui glanced at Li Linlin’s phone like a thief, and when she saw that it was indeed a payment notification, she immediately became happy. “Great, now our studio has money to recruit people! Tonight, let’s call Xixi, Xiao Xi and Xiaoxiao out to celebrate!”

Li Linlin: “……”

Human beings’ joys and sorrows weren’t the same. 🙂

That day, Wu Hui was probably really happy, she actually agreed to let Li Linlin eat hot pot. Li Linlin’s heart, which was hurt by money, received a hint of warmth.

Five girls went to a famous hot pot restaurant, asked for a VIP private room, and ordered a table of dishes.

“Come on, let’s wish Linlin a successful career in the future!” Chen Xi held up the orange juice in her hand and called for everyone to get up and toast.

“I wish Linlin will become more and more popular and rich!” The glasses of orange juice in the hands of the five people touched each other. “Cheers!”

With a bitter look on her face, Li Linlin muttered quickly in her heart, ‘No, no, no, don’t listen to them, please!’

Even though Li Linlin was reluctant to take on advertisements, the contracts had been signed and the money had arrived, thus she could only accept her fate and go shoot. It was indeed much easier than filming a drama and Li Linlin was done in almost no time.

“The next step is to cooperate with the brand’s promotion. You don’t have to worry about this. I’ll take care of it.” Wu Hui didn’t come to the scene with Li Linlin that day, so she video chatted with her over the phone. “I have to go to class soon. Ask Xiao Xi and Xiaoxiao to take you back to Yinwan.”

“Mm.” Li Linlin nodded listlessly. Wu Hui thought she was tired from filming, so she didn’t take it to heart.

Li Linlin hung up the phone and leaned back in her chair, lost in thought. Xiao Xi and Xiaoxiao sneak glances at her and sent each other messages with their mobile phones.

【Why does Linlin still look unhappy after making so much money?】

【I also think it’s strange. Shooting advertisement is easy and makes a lot of money. Why is she dissatisfied?】

【I don’t know. Do you think it’s because it’s too unchallenging?】

【……Is that it? As expected of a top student at Imperial University!】

After the exchange messages, they raised their heads and glanced at Li Linlin. Xiao Xi tentatively said, “Linlin, do you want to go have a dessert? We promise not to tell Wu Hui’er!”

“Right, right.” Xiaoxiao also agreed. “Which one do you want? We’ll buy it for you.”

When it came to food, Li Linlin finally recovered a little. She thought for a while and said to the two of them, “I want to go to the buffet at Dingou Hotel. The desserts there are pretty good.”

“Okay, then we’ll go with you.”

“No need, I’ll just go by myself.” Li Linlin refused them. Although the two didn’t manage her like Wu Hui did, they would definitely stop her if she ate too much. So, she’d better go alone!

Xiao Xi and Xiaoxiao were actually a bit uneasy, but Li Linlin was insistent, so they had no choice but to let her go.

After arriving at the buffet restaurant on the second floor of Dingou Hotel, Li Linlin immediately became happy. She went to the members-only dining area, took a plate and put a pile of food for herself, before finding a corner seat to sit down.

The members’ dining area was much less crowded than in the front, and the privacy was better. Even the food served was different.

Li Linlin was eating happily when she heard an argument coming from the side. She took a curious look and saw a tall, thin, middle-aged man talking to a man dressed like a boss on the opposite side.

“Boss Qian, our drama really has great potential. As long as it can air smoothly, it’s guaranteed to make money.”

Boss Qian laughed and made it clear that he did not believe the other person’s words, “You should find someone else to fool. The last person who told me that has caused me to lose tens of millions and is still hiding at home, not daring to face me.”

“……”

“Your drama’s IP have no traffic, how can you guarantee that it will make money?” Boss Qian stood up and patted the other man on the shoulder. “You directors shouldn’t lie to me alone. Am I a well-known gullible person in your circle?”

“……”

Boss Qian left with his bag clamped in his hand, leaving the tall, thin man sitting slumped on the sofa.

After a while, the man picked up his mobile phone and made a call, “Hello, Boss Liu? This is Tao Ye—”

As soon as he introduced himself, the other side hung up the phone.

The man looked absentminded for a moment, then flipped through his address book and dialed another number. “President Xie, hello, it’s Xiao Tao. Yes, yes, it’s about the investment I told you last time. I don’t know if you’ve considered about it? No, no, I’m not rushing you, it’s just that my crew is still waiting for money to resume work. Oh…… I see…… well, I won’t disturb you.”

After hanging up, he sat there while holding the phone, his whole person shrouded in shadow, as if he would cry at the next moment.

The last time Li Linlin saw a guy cry was when she was in high school. Because she always comes first in the exams, the boy who comes in second would cry in grievance while talking to her. But for high school students, it’s normal to be emotional. An adult man wouldn’t expose his vulnerability easily.

Li Linlin looked at him for a while in her seat, then grabbed her bag, put on her sunglasses, and walked towards him.

“Hello.” She greeted the other party. The devastated man was stunned for a moment, then he raised his head and looked at her in a daze.

Li Linlin lifted her sunglasses and smiled at him. “Are you okay?”

The man was stunned again and recognized her as Li Linlin. He hurriedly stood up from the sofa. “It’s Miss Li. Hello, hello.”

Li Linlin sat down on the sofa opposite him. “I was sitting over there just now and heard you talking to Boss Qian. Is there something wrong with your drama?”

Tao Ye heard her ask this question and was silent for a while before speaking, “I’m ashamed to say that I encountered some problems. Sigh. But it’s also my fault. Our crew didn’t have much investment in the early stage, but when I’m filming, I always wanted it to be perfect. I spent too much money without realizing it, and coupled with the fact that one of the investors pulled out halfway through, our fund was now gone and the entire production has been suspended.”

“Oh…… so it’s like that.”

“I’ve been looking for new investors these past few days, but no one is optimistic about our drama. Nowadays, the industry is too shallow. Everyone only sees IP and traffic, as if having those is a guarantee. But does a truly good drama rely on that? Why is it that those dramas with only a shell always have the best resources, while those who really want to make serious dramas are ignored? This world, what’s wrong with it?!” Tao Ye spoke and directly brought himself to tears.

This aggrieved appearance really looked like the boy who was second in Li Linlin’s class at that time. She pursed her lips, took out a tissue from her bag, and handed it to the other person. “I understand, now everyone only looks at money, but not everyone only wants money!”

As if encountering a bosom friend, Tao Ye wiped away his tears while nodding. “That’s right, in life, there’s always something else to pursue!”

Li Linlin nodded along with him. “Tell you what, how much money is your crew short? I’ll invest.”

Tao Ye’s movements froze and his entire person was astonished. “You’re willing to invest in our production?”

“Yes.” Li Linlin nodded. “Although I’m not a big boss, I have some savings. How much money do you guys need?”

Li Linlin was also a popular celebrity after all and has an international superstar father, so Tao Ye wasn’t worried about her not being able to produce the money. He deliberated for a while and then told her, “T-two million?”

Li Linlin said, “Is two million enough? Why don’t I give you five million?”

Tao Ye stood up abruptly, almost knocking over the table in front of him in excitement. “R-really?”

“Of course. It’s too late to transfer money today so I’ll send you the money tomorrow!”

“T-then I’ll go print the contract now!” Tao Ye picked up his bag, his voice trembling as he spoke, “The hotel’s business center will be able to print it, p-please wait for me here, I’ll be right back!”

He said so, then ran downstairs with his bag. Li Linlin returned to her table and waited for him while eating. Not a moment later, Tao Ye came over like a whirlwind. “T-the contract has been printed!”

“Okay.” Li Linlin signed her name without even looking at it.

Tao Ye was stunned and asked her, “Aren’t you reading the contract first?”

Li Linlin smiled and said, “It’s okay. A person with dreams like Director Tao will not cheat me on the contract.”

Tao Ye’s heart was moved and tears were about to flow down his face again. “Rest assured, I’m confident that our drama will definitely be a hit!”

Li Linlin nodded with a smile.

After Tao Ye left, Li Linlin continued eating in her seat and finished everything she took. Although she admired people like Tao Ye, those bosses who rejected him were right. In this industry, the possibility of making money from a drama like his was indeed very slim.

However, she wasn’t investing to make money, but…… to spend it, which was really enjoyable!

She hummed a little tune as she headed downstairs. Just as she reached the lobby, she saw Chen Yiran walking among a group of businessmen.