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Back in the city, Shen Yan pulled out her phone to contact Zhou Ruo, but she was caught off guard by a flood of Weibo notifications.
She stopped in place and opened the app—her latest post had over 3,000 likes and hundreds of comments.
[Post 1:] *Is this even real? How is she *this* gorgeous?*
[Post 2:] You’re the smartest and prettiest girl in your crew.
[Post 3:] Miss, why didn’t you invest with the others? Why did you go your own way?
[Post 5:] I have nothing to say except… I want to stare at her face forever.
【Sixth Floor: Such an enchanting beauty, but what does this Weibo post mean? Does it mean she has a boyfriend?】
【Seventh Floor: A girl this beautiful must be single—after all, I’m her boyfriend fan.】
【Eighth Floor: She said her heart is full of ‘you’… I envy that person.】
…
【199th Floor: Absolute goddess-level beauty. Drooling.】
Shen Yan thought for a moment and searched for her own name on Weibo.
After understanding the full story, she realized that the group extras had called reporters because they lost money.
There was a video on Weibo. Shen Yan clicked on it and saw He Han looking disheveled, desperately explaining, but no one believed her. The scene was chaotic, and in the end, it was the security team that rescued He Han.
The Chen Fei production team went from being completely unknown to trending on Weibo—though not for a good reason. Netizens were mocking the crew’s intelligence for blindly following He Han’s stock tips and losing money.
Meanwhile, Shen Yan gained a wave of popularity, attracting many fans who admired her beauty. Her Weibo followers skyrocketed from over 30,000 to 100,000—a qualitative leap.
Zhou Ruo proactively contacted Shen Yan. “Where are you?”
Shen Yan replied, “I just got to the city. I was about to contact you.”
Zhou Ruo instructed, “Come straight to the office. If you’ve seen Weibo, don’t respond yet. Don’t post anything. Wait until you get here, and I’ll explain.”
Shen Yan agreed, “Okay.”
Half an hour later, she was seated in Zhou Ruo’s office.
“In the entertainment industry, you can never predict who will rise to fame next, but when an opportunity comes, you have to seize it. Right now, this is a golden opportunity for you,” Zhou Ruo said as she paced the room. “For someone like you, who gained some attention due to your looks, it’s best not to have any public romantic relationships.”
Zhou Ruo assumed Shen Yan was currently dating someone, unaware that she had broken up.
Understanding what Zhou Ruo was implying, Shen Yan chuckled. “I don’t have a boyfriend.”
“You’re single?” Zhou Ruo paused for a moment before saying, “That’s good, then. I won’t say more—just post a clarification on Weibo. If you want to focus on your career, it’s best to put romance on hold for now.”
Zhou Ruo clearly didn’t want a relationship to interfere with Shen Yan’s rising career.
Luckily, Shen Yan wasn’t interested in dating at the moment either. She preferred working hard on her career.
After agreeing, Shen Yan picked up her phone and posted on Weibo:
【Shen Yan: No boyfriend. My heart is full of strawberries. They taste amazing.】
Once her post was live, some fans even commented, “Boyfriends aren’t as sweet as strawberries.”
Shen Yan then asked, “Sister Zhou, have you found out more about the xianxia drama audition?”
Zhou Ruo nodded. “You can sign up, and it doesn’t conflict with your current audition schedule. The audition is in two days. I’ll go with you.”
If it were before, Zhou Ruo wouldn’t have accompanied her, but Shen Yan was different now.
Leaving Zhou Ruo’s office, Shen Yan felt a little troubled. She had always worked hard to land roles through auditions, but this time, she was going for an audition for a drama invested in by the Meng Corporation. No matter how she tried, she wouldn’t be selected—but she had to try.
She just needed to find a way to avoid all resources connected to Meng Yi’an.
Soon, Meng Yi’an would meet the female lead.
She hoped he would fall for the heroine quickly and forget about her completely. She had no intention of staying in his sight.
Remembering that the assistant director was still out seeking investments, Shen Yan checked in on him—only to be surprised that he had actually secured funding.
Before, no one was willing to invest, but now that Chen Fei was trending, investors came forward. The funding was enough to fill the gap left by Zhang He’s withdrawal and still had some surplus.
Shen Yan advised the assistant director again, “You should consider investing yourself.”
The assistant director asked, “Why do you keep telling me to invest in Chen Fei?”
Shen Yan replied, “Because it’ll make money.”
“How do you know?”
“I guessed.”
“…”
After a moment of contemplation, the assistant director reluctantly said, “Fine, I’ll invest using the money I made from stocks.” He figured he had only profited thanks to Shen Yan’s stock tip, so he might as well reinvest that money into Chen Fei.
However, he didn’t believe he would make a profit from the drama itself.
The next day, Chen Fei resumed filming. He Han was kicked out of the production by Li Jun, who also paid the contract termination fee. However, the penalty was small because He Han’s initial pay wasn’t high.
Shen Yan only learned about this from the assistant director. He also mentioned that when He Han was escorted out, the extras pelted her with rotten vegetables.
Although He Han had encouraged them to buy the stock, no one had forced them—it was their own choice. They couldn’t blame her for their losses, but throwing rotten vegetables was their way of venting frustration.
Zhou Ruo had arranged for Shen Yan to audition for a drama called A Lifetime Together. The story revolved around three couples, and Shen Yan was auditioning for the role of the male third lead’s younger sister. This character played matchmaker for her brother and his love interest, with a decent amount of screen time for a supporting role.
Most importantly, this drama would air on a major TV network.
The only issue? It was funded by Meng Yi’an.
After receiving the audition script, Shen Yan didn’t even bother reading the lines. She tossed it aside and lounged on the couch, watching TV instead.
The drama had good potential, but Shen Yan wasn’t interested.
Soon, there was a knock at the door. Shen Yan got up to answer it.
Zhou Ruo: “Have you read the script?”
Shen Yan: “Yes.”
Zhou Ruo: “Go over it again in the car. We’re heading to B City now—the audition location and time were changed last minute due to the director’s schedule.”
After packing her suitcase, Shen Yan followed Zhou Ruo downstairs and left for the airport.
The two cities weren’t far apart, and the flight took just over an hour.
——
He Han: “Chu Chu, you have to help me!” He Han clung to Chu Chu’s hand desperately. Chu Chu was also one of Zhou Ruo’s artists and the one who had previously suggested that He Han convince Zhang He to invest in Chen Fei.
Looking at the disheveled He Han in front of her, Chu Chu tidied up her messy hair and said anxiously, “I saw the news on Weibo. I thought about it carefully, and I believe the issue was that Zhang He wasn’t strong enough. If it were someone else, do you think people would dare to say anything?”
He Han was smart and quickly understood.
Chu Chu: “Do you know Meng Yi’an?”
Meng Yi’an? How could He Han not know? He was the long-lost son of the Meng family—wealthy, handsome, and the ultimate bachelor. Many female celebrities in the industry wanted to seduce him, but so far, he hadn’t been involved in any scandals.
He Han: “Meng Yi’an, he…”
Chu Chu: “A friend of mine works at a hotel front desk. She told me Meng Yi’an checked in there. You could give it a try—maybe he’ll take a liking to you.”
——
When Shen Yan and Zhou Ruo arrived in B City, they checked into a hotel near the audition venue.
Shen Yan held her script, pretending to read it, but she was actually thinking about how to make sure the director wouldn’t like her performance.
There was still time before the audition, so Zhou Ruo went out to buy food for Shen Yan. If the audition line was long, Shen Yan might not have time to eat later.
As Shen Yan took a sip of water, she was about to thank Zhou Ruo when she heard her say, “President Meng is staying at this hotel.”
Shen Yan choked and coughed. “Huh?”
Zhou Ruo: “Meng Yi’an is in B City for a meeting, and since this hotel belongs to the Meng Group, he’s staying here.” She handed Shen Yan the boxed meal and continued, “A lot of actresses who came for the audition are asking about him.”
Shen Yan: “He won’t attend the audition, right?”
Zhou Ruo: “No, why would he bother with an audition?”
Relieved, Shen Yan started eating. Casually, she asked, “Zhou Jie, what happens if someone offends Meng Yi’an?”
Without hesitation, Zhou Ruo replied, “They can forget about surviving in the industry.”
Shen Yan: “Oh…”
After finishing her meal, Shen Yan, tired of pretending to read the script, stood up. “I’ll go wait for the audition. Zhou Jie, you don’t need to come with me—it’s tiring to stand in line. Just wait in the room.”
Zhou Ruo: “Alright. Go early and get your audition number.”
That was exactly Shen Yan’s plan. She wanted to audition quickly and return before Meng Yi’an finished his business engagements, ensuring she wouldn’t run into him.
She pressed the elevator button and watched as the numbers descended.
A few seconds later, the elevator doors opened.
Shen Yan froze—inside the elevator stood Meng Yi’an and He Han!
She had no interest in Meng Yi’an anymore. To her, he was just another stranger. Who he was with had nothing to do with her. If she avoided him now, it would only make her seem guilty.
With that thought, she stepped into the elevator in her high heels.
