The 'Involution King' Second Female Lead Quits [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 29

Chapter 29: World Two [2]

◎Yay, I’m Teacher Li’s Very Important Good Friend!◎

After Li Jianwei won the Best Actress award, Sheng Tang Entertainment proactively signed a new contract with her. Her personal team’s profit share was as high as 70%.

This meant that out of the 20 million yuan salary, 14 million yuan would go to her personal studio.

The cost of a three-day shoot was almost negligible, so after reasonable tax evasion, the amount she’d get in her personal account would be close to 10 million yuan.

Shu Heng wasn’t just a rich young lady; she was a money-bringing fairy. No, she should be the God of Wealth that she had to worship!

It was against Li Jianwei’s character not to make money. After confirming that it was just a live variety show about “poor travel,” Li Jianwei agreed immediately, wanting to take a taxi to the company to sign the contract right away.

After splashing some cold water on her face to calm down, Li Jianwei suddenly realized that she didn’t even have Shu Heng’s contact information. She still had to maintain a relationship with the God of Wealth.

Fortunately, before Shu Heng left, she had told her the room number. Later, she could go to her room to say goodbye and also get her contact information.

Before Li Jianwei could make her move, there was a knock on her door.

After seeing through the peephole that it was Shu Heng standing outside, Li Jianwei immediately opened the door, a professional smile on her face.

“Teacher Li, would you like to have lunch with me?” Shu Heng asked with blinking eyes. “I really want to show my gratitude to you.”

At this moment, Shu Heng had already changed into new casual clothes. The pure handmade shirt and brown trousers perfectly outlined her figure, paired with a light jacket, making her look like a dazzling and radiant young lady.

Li Jianwei stepped aside to let Shu Heng in. A hint of helplessness appeared in her dark eyes. “Teacher Shu Heng, I just received a call from my manager. A variety show offered an astronomical price for me to be a guest for one episode.”

“This kind of thank you gift is too valuable. What happened last night was just a small favor for me. No matter who I met, I would have lent a hand in that situation. You don’t have to be so generous.”

Shu Heng pretended to be dumb. “Oh, what are you talking about? What does the variety show invitation you received have to do with me?”

“Teacher Shu Heng, I don’t think a lack of sleep would affect my ability to think normally,” Li Jianwei closed the door, her gaze gentle. “Besides, Sister Lu told me that your manager contacted her and introduced this resource to her.”

Shu Heng touched her nose and muttered in a low voice, “Why did Sister Qin sell me out so quickly? I clearly told her not to make it too obvious.”

Then Shu Heng made a serious statement. “Teacher Li, what happened last night was just a small favor for you, but for me, it was something that could have changed my destiny.”

“If it weren’t for you, Teacher Li, I might have become a news headline, or even worse, a fatal weakness would have fallen into someone else’s hands.”

“So a variety show resource is just one way for me to express my gratitude. I don’t think this is enough to fully express my thanks to you.”

“If Teacher Li is willing to be my friend, please don’t refuse,” Shu Heng added. “Besides, I’ve already asked Sister Qin to finalize it with the show’s director. We can’t change our minds anymore! Otherwise, it will affect my image in the industry!”

Li Jianwei sighed softly, and a hint of compromise that Shu Heng could see flashed in her eyes. “Since that’s the case, then let me treat you to a meal. I can’t accept any more in return.”

“Mhm. I know. How about we just order takeout from the hotel? We can start with a cup of milk tea and then eat something warm,” Shu Heng’s face lit up with a brilliant smile after she achieved her goal.

Shu Heng had a strong ability to self-regulate. She only took less than ten hours to calmly accept the experience from last night and throw away all the useless emotions.

During their meal, Shu Heng’s eyes were still clean and pure, and her smile looked untainted.

If yesterday’s Shu Heng was a fragile little kitten, then today’s Shu Heng was a vibrant, sunny little kitten.

It made people want to reach out and pet her head. She wondered if the sunny kitten’s feel would be better than the fragile kitten’s.

Li Jianwei sighed in her heart, and there was a hint of envy in her eyes that she didn’t even notice.

It’s so nice. After being in the entertainment industry for three years, she can still maintain such a pure personality, unlike me who was forced to become slick and worldly.

…

“Teacher Li, then it’s a done deal. When my new drama premieres, you have to help me promote it~” Shu Heng said, lifting the bag with her formal dress in it.

“Okay. I’ll pay close attention to the news related to you,” Li Jianwei agreed with a smile, watching Shu Heng being picked up by her manager.

As the room door closed, the smile on Li Jianwei’s face gradually disappeared, replaced by deep thought.

Shu Heng really was in trouble last night, and she really is a rich young lady who has hidden her identity. So, I really am the female villain in the novel, who will be so foolish as to fall for Zhou Zhao later on and be crazy enough to give him all my resources with both hands.

Remembering the ending she had as the female villain, the expression on Li Jianwei’s face became ferocious.

No. I absolutely won’t accept this ending.

Since the heavens allowed me to foresee my fate, it must be hinting that I can change the future!

Just like how I saved Shu Heng from Zhou Zhao yesterday, I was the one who got the young lady’s gratitude, not Zhou Zhao. This means that the future can be changed.

Li Jianwei clicked on the text she had recorded while the memory was still fresh and sat cross-legged on the sofa, unable to stop herself from calculating her current savings.

After getting a rough idea, Li Jianwei called her manager. “Sister Lu, do you have any connections at Manbu Entertainment? I heard they want to produce a marriage mediation show recently, but they’re still short on funds.”

“I think so. What’s wrong? Are you interested in this show?” Sister Lu’s calm voice came from the phone.

Sister Lu had been in the industry for fifteen years longer than Li Jianwei. Eight years ago, she had already trained a Best Actress and two Best Supporting Actresses. Her connections in the industry were very wide.

Li Jianwei: “I still have a little money on hand and want to try investing myself. Can you help me get in touch, Sister Lu?”

“That’s no problem. I’ll arrange a meeting with the director,” Sister Lu readily agreed. “But I have to warn you, there are risks in investing. Don’t get carried away just because you got a high-paying variety show. This kind of good thing won’t happen again.”

“Don’t worry, Sister Lu. I’m just going to invest a few million to test the waters,” Li Jianwei said on the phone, but she was still a little unconvinced in her heart.

A good thing like this might happen again. As long as I maintain a good relationship with the rich young lady, maybe another surprise will come?

Zhou Zhao was able to transform into a very influential investor in the industry just by relying on the young lady and could destroy me, who won the Best Actress award with my own strength, with just one word.

If the same opportunity falls into my hands, I’m 100% sure I’ll do better than Zhou Zhao and climb higher, until I can make him get out of the industry in a mess with just one look!

…

The live variety show was scheduled for the cool and refreshing November. Before that, Li Jianwei also shot the cover of a certain magazine for the next month.

Li Jianwei’s tall figure and defined features were a perfect fit for the cowboy theme. Just with the nine photos posted on the official account, Li Jianwei easily topped the trending searches.

[Woah, Sister is so cool and handsome. Sister, don’t ride a horse, just ride me!]

[Eat my elbow, you better be sober. How could a good thing like that happen to you? It should happen to me! I’m Sister’s six-year fan! Sister, don’t ride a horse, just pin me down!]

[Lick, lick, lick. I’m going to buy a hundred copies and put them at home.]

As a loyal fan of Li Jianwei, Shu Heng naturally didn’t miss this opportunity. She bought a large box of physical magazines for her villa and also supported 999 digital copies online.

To ensure a better effect for the live stream, the “Poor Travel” show crew was very good at keeping things a secret. They only announced the names of the guests on the night before the live stream began.

Li Jianwei and Shu Heng were on the list, and so was Zhou Zhao, who got a ticket from who knows where.

The resident cast consisted of three men and one woman. They all started as actors, but their acting careers were mediocre. Instead, they were liked by the audience for their unique personalities in variety shows and had since delved deep into variety shows.

As we all know, there’s a pecking order among artists in the industry. Movie actors mostly look down on TV drama actors, and TV drama actors look down on artists who only do variety shows.

This was also easy to understand. For example, when introducing your work, saying that you starred in a certain movie was more respectable than saying you appeared in a certain variety show.

“Welcome, three teachers, to ‘Poor Travels.’ From now on, we’re brothers who will suffer and endure hardships together!” As soon as the live camera was turned on, the resident cast members smiled and warmed up the stage.

“While you guys are suffering, we sisters are going to enjoy ourselves,” the only female resident cast member, Jing Siwen, added with a smile. “Thank you very much for joining us, three teachers. Although you are all very well-known, please introduce yourselves to the audience in front of the screen.”

If you were to rank the three by their status, Li Jianwei and Zhou Zhao, who had both won Best Lead Actor/Actress, should be on par. But in terms of popularity, Li Jianwei, who just went viral with her magazine photos, was undoubtedly the highest.

Based on the principle of respecting the elders, Li Jianwei generously gave the opportunity to Zhou Zhao, the only 36-year-old person among the three.

“Hello, everyone. I’m Zhou Zhao, an actor who has been working for over twenty years. It’s an honor to meet everyone here,” Zhou Zhao pursed his lips and gave a smile.

His public image was that of a relatively shy and gentlemanly mature good man, and his labels were “homely,” “serious,” and “not good with words.”

“I’m Li Jianwei. My main job is an actress, and I have many side jobs. I was on the trending search not long ago, so you should all be familiar with me, right?” Li Jianwei’s smile was casual and bold.

Li Jianwei didn’t create a specific public image for herself. She just hid her strong ambition and pragmatism, making herself look like a nice person who was easy to get along with, so she could gain more audience popularity.

“Hello, audience friends. I’m Shu Heng, an actress who has been in the industry for three years. It’s an honor to be invited to join ‘Poor Travels.’ I’ll try my best not to be a burden to the team,” Shu Heng showed a bright smile and waved her hand at the camera.

[Hi, both of my wives.]

[Am I the only one who noticed the blind spot? Zhou Zhao seems to have worked with both female guests before.]

[I know this one. Zhou Zhao and Li Jianwei were a “couple” in the media last year. This year, Zhou Zhao worked with Shu Heng on a TV drama that just wrapped up a month ago. It’s probably going to air during the winter break. There might be a new “couple” coming out then.]

[So, a new question arises. Why do the two female guests seem more familiar with each other, immediately looking at each other after hearing the groups, and successfully holding hands?]

[Um, maybe it’s same-s3x attraction? For “poor travel,” it’s more convenient for girls to be together. At least they can squeeze in to save a lot of money on accommodation.]

According to the “Poor Travels” show’s requirements, the seven people would be divided into two groups. The starting funds would be divided per person, and the tasks for both groups were the same.

They had to check in at no fewer than nine spots in two designated cities in three days and two nights, and the time spent at each spot could not be less than half an hour.

The show provided 1,000 yuan per person. Theoretically, accommodation, transportation, and tickets would use up all of it. If they wanted to enjoy good food during the trip, they had to find a way to earn it through labor. How to make money during a “poor travel” trip was also a big highlight of the live stream.

After Li Jianwei and Shu Heng successfully teamed up by holding hands, Zhou Zhao, who had the public image of a shy and gentlemanly man, naturally couldn’t bring himself to ask to join. He could only maintain a smile and hope that they would choose him.

“Then I’ll join Teacher Li and Teacher Shu’s team. Let’s sisters work together and achieve great things,” the female resident cast member, Jing Siwen, said first.

The reason for her choice was also simple. Among the guests, Li Jianwei had the highest popularity, and Shu Heng was a popular young starlet. Their strong alliance would be more than one plus one. Of course, she had to join to get some exposure.

Besides, an old man in his thirties who was still pretending to be naive was no match for a fragrant young lady. Zhou Zhao’s public image could only fool fans and netizens but couldn’t fool her, a veteran of variety shows with good connections in the industry.

After the groups were formed, the show crew gave each person an envelope with their starting funds and then announced the start of the challenge.

“Teacher Li, I think we can make a rough plan first to avoid taking unnecessary detours,” Shu Heng said, raising her hand.

“I agree,” Jing Siwen also raised her hand.

Li Jianwei nodded as a form of strategy and spread the map provided by the show on the table. “Then let’s first choose the nine spots to check in. The show crew provided a total of twelve places. Let’s first eliminate three.”

Shu Heng leaned in, almost touching Li Jianwei as she looked at the map. “Spots number three and nine are in very secluded locations and are also very far from the other spots. For the sake of transportation costs, I think we can eliminate them first.”

Jing Siwen, who was standing across from the two, chimed in, “We’ll definitely arrange to go to the other city tomorrow or the day after. On the weekend, spot number twelve is super crowded and might even require a long line to get in. I suggest we eliminate it.”

“Okay, the next step is to plan a reasonable route for the remaining nine spots,” Li Jianwei neatly drew a red “X” on the mentioned spots and offered a suggestion, “The nighttime can also be used, for example, spot number one, which is famous for its night view.”

The three of them discussed and came up with a preliminary plan in less than half an hour, which was highly efficient.

On the other side, Zhou Zhao had the highest status and was the oldest among the four. The three resident cast members were very respectful and handed the decision-making power directly to him.

“Our funds combined are more than the girls’ group. Why don’t we follow them? Whether they run into trouble or run out of funds, we can lend a hand,” Zhou Zhao said with what he thought was a gentle and elegant smile.

“Jianwei and Shu Heng are both my friends. I want them to have a good time.”

After hearing Zhou Zhao’s words, no matter what the resident cast members thought in their hearts, they all cooperated with Zhou Zhao and praised him highly.

“I agree with Teacher Zhou Zhao’s plan. If the girls’ group can complete the task, we can do the same.”

“I also want to learn from Teacher Zhou in the future and pay more attention to the female guests during the trip.”

“I’ll do whatever Teacher Zhou Zhao says. I’ll cooperate fully!”

[Wait, am I the only one who thinks Teacher Li’s three-person team’s plan is clear and highly feasible? Why did Zhou Zhao think the girls’ group would run into trouble and have financial problems before they even started?]

[Reject stereotypes. All the people who share travel guides on a certain book are girls. Whether it’s “poor travel” or “rich travel,” they can all find a suitable plan. From this point of view, girls clearly have better overall planning skills.]

[Zhou Zhao didn’t mean anything else. He was just showing concern for the girls and his juniors. Besides, Zhou Zhao has always been like this. He cares about his juniors and takes care of female artists. You wouldn’t be surprised if you knew him better.]

[Exactly. Don’t be so sensitive. Teacher Zhou Zhao is also thinking for the female guests. He has no ill intentions.]

Zhou Zhao had been in the industry longer than everyone there. He debuted at sixteen and had been in the industry for twenty years. During this time, he had accumulated a large number of loyal fans.

Once there were unfriendly comments about Zhou Zhao in the live chat, his little fans would immediately refute and attack them. Regular netizens couldn’t withstand this kind of organized counterattack and siege, and they could only watch them gain the upper hand.

While the live chat was in chaos, Li Jianwei had already led her two followers on foot to the nearby subway station.

Taking a taxi to the scenic area was too luxurious for a “poor travel” show. Public transportation was more cost-effective.

After the three of them set off, the four-person group also packed their things and followed closely behind.

Who knows if Zhou Zhao forgot or for some other reason, but not only did he not wear a hat, but he also didn’t wear a mask, the most basic item to hide his identity. As soon as he entered the subway station, he was recognized and surrounded by fans.

The show crew staff subconsciously wanted to stop them, but Zhou Zhao interrupted them. “It’s okay. They just want my autograph. I only need five minutes. It won’t delay our schedule.”

[Wahh, Teacher Zhou Zhao is so good to his fans. I knew I should be a fan of this man!]

[Damn it. Is it too late for me to take the high-speed rail there now? I want to interact with Teacher Zhou Zhao!]

[Although this behavior is very friendly to fans, does Zhou Zhao still remember what he’s here for? Is it really okay to leave the three resident cast members in the lurch? He’s in a team now.]

[Please pay attention. On the edge of the camera, Teacher Li’s team of three has already gotten on the subway. Five minutes isn’t long, but it’s enough to miss one subway train. I hope they know which stop to get off.]

[What the heck are these people thinking? The subway station has so much foot traffic. How can they gather here?]

To ensure that the final edited version had enough appeal, the live stream would only show one camera angle. In other words, when the camera was on Zhou Zhao’s group, the audience couldn’t know about the progress of the three-person group.

The director knew exactly what the audience wanted to see. Only after Zhou Zhao and his group were hesitant about which stop to get off did he turn the camera to the three-person group.

“Teacher Li, I’ll just sleep against you for a little bit. When we get there, just wake me up,” Shu Heng said, yawning. After getting Li Jianwei’s permission, she naturally hugged her arm and closed her eyes, leaning on her shoulder.

Jing Siwen looked like she wanted to say something, but she held back. Taking advantage of the station announcement, she couldn’t help but ask in a low voice, “Teacher Li, are you and Teacher Shu good friends?”

“Mhm. We met at a banquet before and became good friends after hitting it off,” Li Jianwei answered softly.

“I see. I thought you two hadn’t met before,” Jing Siwen said with a sigh, using her words to ask a question that the audience would be interested in. “So, did you two agree to join this show together?”

“I personally only found out who the other two guests were after I received the director’s group message yesterday,” Li Jianwei smiled appropriately. “I was quite surprised when I found out that Shu Heng was also in it.”

“Didn’t Zhou Zhao’s participation surprise you?” Jing Siwen asked in a joking tone. “To be honest, I was a fan of you and Teacher Zhou Zhao’s ‘couple’ last year. I thought you’d be more familiar with him, Teacher Li.”

“The theme of the commercial shoot was a couple. To promote the product, we had some interactions,” Li Jianwei said, discreetly distancing herself from Zhou Zhao.

“Teacher Zhou Zhao is a decent person. We’re just regular friends. I prefer to get along with Shu Heng. Maybe it’s because we’re similar in age and can talk about a lot of things. Although Teacher Zhou Zhao looks young, he’s almost ten years older than us.”

After subtly mocking Zhou Zhao’s age, Li Jianwei didn’t forget to deliver the final blow. “Teacher Zhou Zhao always says he’s happy being single. I think next time, the advertisers can consider letting me have a different partner.”

“Of course, friendship is also a great selling point. They can invite Shu Heng and me to shoot it together.”

Jing Siwen nodded in agreement. “Teacher Zhou Zhao seems to be a single-lifer. He’s in his thirties and has never been in a relationship. He’s still a pure boy.”

“Indeed. Isn’t there a saying that a man is a boy until he dies? Maybe Teacher Zhou Zhao will never fall in love and will just grow old with his fans,” Li Jianwei said with a smile, digging a hole for Zhou Zhao along with Jing Siwen.

It was hard to say whether the audience who was watching the live stream understood the passive-aggressive remarks hidden in their words. Shu Heng, who was pretending to be asleep on Li Jianwei’s shoulder, didn’t understand.

At this moment, Shu Heng’s mind only registered the news that Teacher Li wanted to shoot a commercial with her. The thought of being recognized by her was almost enough to make her unable to suppress the curve of her lips.

Hehe, Teacher Li has me in her heart! I’m a very good friend that Teacher Li has personally acknowledged!

In Teacher Li’s heart, I’m more important than Zhou Zhao, who has a “couple” fanbase with her. Yay!

Since Teacher Li wants it, then as someone who was saved by her, I must fulfill her wish.

After we get off the subway, I’ll send a message to Sister Qin and ask her to contact a suitable advertiser to invite them to shoot a promotional video together!