Chapter 106: They Are the Ones Who Should Be Panicking

Ambition, or a road to heaven...

Lin Yanyan repeated those four words in a daze, and the light in her eyes was gradually consumed by ambition.

Seeing the look on her face, Xu Fangyuan pressed her advantage and cast out the sweet bait.

“I already have definite news on my side. Wanda is preparing to enter into a deep partnership with Starry Sky Entertainment, and as the company’s hottest leading lady right now, the actress they plan to push in this collaboration will be you.”

“Yanyan, haven’t you always wanted to try making films? Now your chance is here.” Xu Fangyuan leaned close to her ear.

Lin Yanyan felt not only her ear but her whole heart grow itchy with longing.

A spark flashed in her eyes as she exclaimed, “Really? I can make movies too?”

With a peculiar smile, Xu Fangyuan gave her an affirmative answer.

“That’s right, and not some low-budget internet film either. This will be for the big screen. If the movie turns out well, Wanda will promote it forcefully across all channels.”

“By then your popularity and status will definitely surge. Enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with those veteran top stars.”

At Xu Fangyuan’s words, Lin Yanyan grew so excited that her breathing quickened and her face flushed bright red.

To stand on equal footing with those famous stars she had once only seen on television and secretly envied was something she had never even dared to imagine.

It was one of Lin Yanyan’s dreams, too. Something she simply could not refuse.

She let her thoughts drift toward the future, imagining herself on the red carpet, under the spotlight, watched by thousands and surrounded by stars.

But just then, Xu Fangyuan put on a troubled expression and interrupted her daydreams.

“However, there may be one or two small requests from Wanda’s side...”

“What request? If I can do it, I definitely will!” Lin Yanyan said at once.

Seeing the eagerness in her eyes, Xu Fangyuan could not help smiling inwardly.

This little white rabbit had taken the bait after all.

“Here’s the thing. For the past few days, the manager over at Wanda who’s been paving the way for you has kept talking about you in front of me.”

“He’s very concerned about your current condition, and he’s invited you to dinner several times. I asked for your thoughts the first few times and turned him down on your behalf after that, too. The manager said he understood and still kept running around for you.”

“But now that things are almost settled, he really wants to meet you in person and treat you to a meal. I... really can’t bring myself to refuse that.”

Xu Fangyuan’s words brought a look of struggle to Lin Yanyan’s face.

Lin Yanyan might not be a master schemer, but she understood all too well the meaning hidden behind an invitation to dinner.

The female performers in her company were often sent out to dine with senior executives from one company or another, and more often than not, those dinners ended with the pair going off together to a hotel.

Most of the time, those women never came back that night.

Yet such actresses usually climbed the ladder in the company especially fast and received an abundance of resources.

At first she had not understood, but after chatting with them once, she learned that these so-called dinners were really just ways for the bosses to enjoy a private companion.

But the more one gave, the more one gained.

If Su Chen had not written her a few songs, the company’s hottest leading lady would never have fallen to her.

Seeing Lin Yanyan’s hesitation, Xu Fangyuan immediately went on.

“Of course, don’t overthink it. This time it really is just a simple dinner, nothing else.”

“You’ve been dragged down by Su Chen for years. It’s just the right chance to get to know some excellent men now, isn’t it?”

Xu Fangyuan’s voice kept tugging at Lin Yanyan’s heart until her last line of defense was finally breached.

Lin Yanyan lifted her head and looked into Xu Fangyuan’s eyes.

“...It really is just dinner?”

Meeting her sincere gaze, Xu Fangyuan did not even blink before smiling and saying, “Of course! What nonsense are you imagining, you silly girl?”

Lin Yanyan’s pretty face turned red at once, and she lowered her head quickly.

After two or three seconds, she said timidly, “Then... then all right.”

Xu Fangyuan was overjoyed and immediately laughed. “Heh-heh-heh, good. Let me check your schedule... Perfect, you’re free tonight! Then I’ll arrange it for tonight?”

“Mm...”

Lin Yanyan nodded, then kept her head down and continued eating as if nothing had happened.

Looking at her, Xu Fangyuan’s eyes showed a satisfied glint.

In this marketplace of fame and fortune, no innocent person could survive. Lin Yanyan had only two paths before her.

One was to bloom briefly like a flash in the pan, then fade away in obscurity.

The other was to cast aside everything, climb to the summit, and become one of the tiny handful of people standing at the very peak.

Clearly, after this period of Xu Fangyuan’s guidance, Lin Yanyan had chosen the latter.

Heh. Did this foolish girl really think it would just be a simple dinner?

Xu Fangyuan believed that once Lin Yanyan saw the benefits, she would always choose to lower herself.

Before long, who knew? She might even come to enjoy it and savor the experience.

“Then Sister Yuan will wish you a smooth debut in the entertainment world first~”

Xu Fangyuan raised her glass and drank it down in one gulp.

At the same time, Su Chen, who had only slept for five or six hours, was woken by a ringing phone.

He lifted his eye mask, picked up the phone, and found that the caller was none other than Wang Sichong.

“Why would that chatterbox rich kid think to call me?” Su Chen recalled the happy times he had spent with Wang Sichong and answered the phone with a smile.

“Hello? Why are you suddenly calling me? Can’t take over Wanda, so you want to come back and make a living in the entertainment industry?”

“Is this really the time for jokes?”

There was a note of urgency in Wang Sichong’s voice, which only left Su Chen baffled.

Before Su Chen could speak, Wang Sichong hurried on, “What are you doing right now?”

“...Sleeping.”

“...No, Brother Chen, and you can still sleep through this?!”

Su Chen said, confused, “I pulled an all-nighter last night. No matter what, I need some rest first... And what do you mean by ‘this’? I don’t get it.”

Wang Sichong stammered for a moment, not knowing how to begin.

“I can’t really explain it to you right now. Just check the trending topics on Weibo and you’ll understand!”

“...Fine.”

After saying that, Su Chen did not hang up. He opened Weibo and glanced through the trending list.

The very first item he saw was a trending post titled “Ban the Dishonorable Actor Su Chen.”

Seeing that, Su Chen paused, then laughed out loud.

Xu Fangyuan was pretty fast.

“I thought it was something serious. So it’s this,” Su Chen said.

Hearing his indifferent tone on the other end of the line, Wang Sichong was stunned.

“Brother Chen, they’ve slapped you with the label of a disgraced artist and you’re not even panicking?!”

“What’s there to panic about? Let them spread their lies; I’ll sleep my sleep. I’ve done nothing wrong, so I have nothing to fear.”

“And besides, the ones who should be panicking are them. After all... lies are costly to make.”