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Chapter 24 (1,000 Nutrient Solution) Extra Update…

The original novel’s timeline spanned a huge period, from the 1980s all the way into the post-millennium era.

The original female lead traveled to Hong Kong in search of relatives. Her fiancé broke off their engagement, compensating her with one million HKD, and she returned heartbroken to the mainland alone.

However, she was just an orphan with a simple mind. Holding such a huge fortune, she quickly became the target of schemers. Most of her wealth was swindled away under various pretenses. Later, she fell hopelessly in love with the novel’s male lead and used all sorts of schemes to frame the female protagonist, embarking on the path of a cannon fodder villainess.

By around 2010, the original lead was destitute and lonely, her life in ruins. During that time, she once met a soft-porn (Category III) starlet named He Yating, who had come from Hong Kong to a small county town to make money.

He Yating had been quite famous in the late 80s and 90s. She debuted as the “next-generation pure and innocent actress,” entering the industry by playing the younger version of a famous film star. Her family originally ran a small dessert stall, with a modest income. However, He Yating was frail and sickly, which drained the family’s savings and worsened their financial situation.

As she rose to fame acting in mainstream films, she later transitioned into soft-porn films, enjoying a few years of glamorous success. However, later on—due to unknown reasons—she gradually faded from the screen. Eventually, she was forgotten in the chaotic Hong Kong entertainment industry. Occasionally, she would rely on her past fame and nostalgia to participate in small county town opening ceremonies and ribbon-cutting events in mainland China to make ends meet.

At that time, the original lead was impoverished and nearly lured into working in nightclubs. He Yating, whom she had only met once, smoked a cigarette and advised her:
“No matter what the reason is, don’t take that step. Once you cross that line, you might never come back. If I could do it all over again, I would never have entered showbiz.”

That one sentence later woke the original lead up. She resisted various temptations and didn’t enter the underground scene.

…

This incident was a side story in the novel about the original cannon fodder character. The starlet He Yating was never mentioned again afterward. Lin Keying didn’t remember her too clearly, so she never connected the He Yating who appeared in her thirties to the sixteen-year-old high school girl named Tingting today.

Tingting was a cheerful and optimistic girl, with pure and lovely looks, a good temperament, and excellent grades.

No matter how she thought about it, Lin Keying couldn’t associate such a girl with the future soft-porn starlet.

When she woke from her dream, daylight had already broken. Lin Keying hurried to the He family’s public housing and happened to run into He’s eldest son, Aqiang, who was about to leave.

“Aqiang, where’s Tingting?” Lin Keying scanned around the estate but didn’t see the girl.

Aqiang politely greeted, “Good morning, Sister Keying,” then said, “My mom went with Tingting to sign a contract with Hongsheng Entertainment.”

Aqiang had a school event today and couldn’t go with them.

Lin Keying carefully asked for the entertainment company’s address, and before leaving, she wrote a note and instructed Aqiang:
“Find a public phone and call this person. Tell him I might be in danger and ask him to come!”

—

Hongsheng Entertainment was located in Tsim Sha Tsui. On her way there by taxi, Lin Keying could still see movie posters at cinemas stating that they were distributed by Hongsheng Entertainment.

Hongsheng Entertainment was a huge, well-established company with countless films under its belt and considerable fame. What Lin Keying had learned and what Secretary Yang had found out was true—but now, it seemed there might be more beneath the surface.

The square-shaped red taxi stopped in Tsim Sha Tsui. The grand and imposing Hongsheng Entertainment building loomed with an aura of opulence.

After some negotiation at the front desk, Lin Keying was finally led up to the third floor, where she saw He Ajie and Tingting preparing to sign the contract.

The beautiful young girl was bending over, steel pen in hand, ready to sign her name.

“Tingting, wait—!” Lin Keying jogged forward and called out to He Yating.

The talent scout frowned at the interruption, displeased at the delay. But when he saw the unfamiliar woman’s face, he couldn’t help being stunned by her beauty.

“Sister Keying, why are you here?” Tingting asked. She was about to sign a five-year contract with Hongsheng Entertainment, which would allow her to act in the company’s films and take on part-time roles.

He Ajie saw that Lin Keying was slightly sweaty from running and hurriedly urged, “Keying, don’t rush so much—take a breather.”

Lin Keying pulled the two aside and, parched and breathless, pleaded:
“Ajie, Tingting, don’t sign this contract!”

“Why not?” Tingting asked. She had watched many TV dramas and movies; when her heart condition flared up, it was those films that helped her get through hard times. She had once dreamed of acting.

Lin Keying didn’t know why Tingting would one day end up making Category III films, but thinking of the rampant triads in the 80s and 90s Hong Kong—with rumors of stars being forced at gunpoint to act—she could only warn:
“Tingting, even if they say it’s just part-time filming now, the dense clauses in that contract might have traps you can’t see. What if the company uses legal loopholes to force you to act later?”

Tingting, still naïve, asked, “But I can refuse, right?”

“If you refuse, they’ll fine you for breach of contract—hundreds of thousands.” Lin Keying exaggerated a little to drive the point home. Cases like that weren’t rare—even in modern entertainment circles.
“And worse still—many entertainment companies are backed by gangs. Some actresses have been forced at gunpoint to film movies they didn’t want to do. What would you do then?”

Tingting had never heard of such frightening stories. “Really? Is it that scary?”

Lin Keying had no evidence yet and didn’t know exactly why the girl in the novel would take that path. For now, she just gripped Tingting’s hand and looked at both mother and daughter:
“Trust me—this is not an easy road. Don’t sign. Or at least go home and think about it first. Take your time. Don’t sign today.”

He Ajie was already anxious about the matter. She had only gone along because her daughter liked it, and because the company seemed formal and grand, with many employees and persuasive talent scouts.

Now, hearing about potential contract traps and gang backgrounds, her heart was pounding in fear.
“Forget it—we won’t sign.”

Tingting was torn. On one side was her dream within reach; on the other were her mother and Sister Keying’s warnings. She had always been considerate, so she slowly nodded. “Okay.”

…

“What? You’re not signing?” The scout’s expression darkened immediately.
“Mrs. He, are you and your daughter fools? This is a golden opportunity, and you’re turning it down?”

He Ajie smiled awkwardly. “Sorry—she’s still young, and I’m worried it’ll affect her studies.”

The scout repeated his argument that part-time acting would only take up weekends. Seeing the mother and daughter remain firm, he suddenly changed his expression:
“The contract’s already printed. Whether you want to sign or not—you have to sign.”

This gangster-like attitude startled the He family women. The previously friendly scout now showed his true colors.

Lin Keying didn’t expect even such a legitimate-looking company to be so blatant. Luckily, she had prepared in advance.

Before leaving, she had told Aqiang to call for backup and wait near the company. If she didn’t come out in an hour, he was to call the police.

Grabbing the contract, Lin Keying quickly skimmed through the five densely packed pages. Most laypeople would get dizzy reading it.
But in her past life, as an office worker, she had handled many contracts, fallen into traps, and dodged many pitfalls. With sharp eyes, she spotted the hidden dangers.

“Mr. Tang, you keep saying you won’t force Tingting to act, but Clause 25 states the contracted star is obliged to obey company arrangements and cooperate in filming. Won’t this obligation be used to coerce her later? And Clause 41 says if either side breaches, they have to compensate the other with 500,000. If your company shelves someone, it’s no loss to you—but for ordinary people, 500,000 is astronomical. This contract is not something regular folks can afford to sign.”

Tingting grew more and more frightened as she listened. The dense contract already made her dizzy, and the scout uncle had brushed it off as standard clauses. She had only skimmed it, thinking it all sounded reasonable—but hadn’t realized there were so many traps.

Talent scout Tang Qiankun sneered. Seeing the sharp woman before him, he suddenly slapped the table and pulled a gun from his waist, aiming the cold barrel at Lin Keying.
“Today, either she signs—or you do. Either way, our company doesn’t do losing deals. Someone’s signing today!”

Tingting was terrified and instantly threw herself in front of Lin Keying to shield her:
“Uncle Tang, I’ll sign! Just don’t hurt Sister Keying!”

He Ajie also stepped forward, afraid the gun might go off and cause a tragedy.
“Mr. Tang, please put the gun down first.”

Lin Keying, having already experienced someone pointing a gun at her not long after arriving in Hong Kong, found her courage had grown.
She gently pulled the worried girl aside, calculated the time, and feeling a little calmer, smiled reassuringly at Tingting before facing the scout:

“Mr. Tang, Hongsheng is a reputable company with many hit movies. Are you saying you’ve fallen so low you have to threaten people at gunpoint to sign contracts? Has your company really sunk to this level?” Lin Keying’s face didn’t change.

— Clap clap clap clap

A middle-aged man with a cigar walked in from the hallway. With just a glance, talent scout Tang Qiankun withdrew the gun.

“Pointing a gun at people is indeed rude,” the man said, nodding as he signaled Tang to apologize.

“Yes, Mr. Wang.” Tang Qiankun instantly dropped his tough act and respectfully apologized to Lin Keying.

The boss of Hongsheng Entertainment, Mr. Wang, had arrived. Ignoring the high schooler Tingting, his appreciative gaze landed instead on Lin Keying. Before long, he handed her a business card:
“Miss Lin, you’re beautiful and brave. You should really consider acting for us. I guarantee you’ll be famous across Hong Kong within a year and worth tens of millions!”

The bigger the pie from the sky, the more cautious Lin Keying became.

Don’t be fooled by this middle-aged man’s gentle demeanor—such men were usually smiling tigers.

“Mr. Wang, my little sister’s still young and doesn’t understand much. I’ll just take her home to do homework. As for your company’s generous offer… I’m just average-looking and have nothing special, so I wouldn’t dare accept.” Lin Keying signaled to He Ajie and Tingting, and the three prepared to leave quickly.

“Wait.” — Mr. Wang called after them.

At that moment, the sound of screeching tires echoed outside Hongsheng’s doors. A silver Rolls-Royce Phantom, like a sharp blade, cut through the air and screeched to a stop in front of the company, flanked by three black sedans.

The car door opened, revealing a man in a suit with polite manners but cold, piercing eyes. Behind him were dozens of armed black-suited bodyguards.

The company entrance was completely blocked. Not long after, a red taxi arrived, and a doctor in a white coat hurried out, meeting up with Aqiang nearby.

Following the red taxi came a Bentley, and two plainly dressed elderly people got out, supporting each other.

Such a bustling scene was rare at Hongsheng. Soon after, police sirens blared, completely sealing off the entrance.

Two police cars arrived, and armed officers quickly disembarked, forming a tight perimeter.

In the crowd, a uniformed officer hurried over, confused after receiving a report about gang-related violence—only to see so many people already present: the chairman of Huanyu Group, dozens of black-clad bodyguards, a doctor in a white coat, and even two ordinary elderly people!

Thinking of the reported gang conflict, the officer hurried to advise:
“Uncle, Auntie, please step back so you don’t get hurt!”

Lin Keying stared at the scene outside: “…”

There’s way too many people here!

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