Chapter Three: The Modern Society's Faux Heiress—The Decorative Actress (3)

That afternoon, in the conference room of Joy Entertainment Company.

After splitting up with Bo Yue that morning, Xian Du came with her manager Huo Ying to terminate her contract in the afternoon.

[Host, I’ve urged you so many times before to complete your tasks, but you never did. What’s gotten into you today, suddenly wanting to finish them all in one go?]

“If you’re free, you can find a job and experience what it feels like to be a living person on the brink of death.”

While Xian Du was still bickering with Wang Cai, the door to the conference room finally opened.

“Oh, who do we have here? Turns out it’s Manager Huo bringing her little nobody along.”

A flamboyantly dressed man with a somewhat androgynous air pulled out a chair and sat down without looking at Huo Ying or Xian Du. Instead, he faced the light, stretched out his hand, then withdrew it, admiring his painted nails.

Xian Du was stunned by the man’s appearance.

“Wang Cai... am I just too old and out of touch with trends? Is this how people dress these days?” Xian Du couldn’t help but complain silently to Wang Cai.

“Uh, I guess it’s just a personal preference... I’m new to this job and don’t really know yet.”

“Manager Huo not running to the set, what’s the occasion here... Oh right, I forgot you’re suspended now and have no artists left. You should’ve told me earlier...” Li Yuan rested his elbow on the table, his eyes full of provocation. “Just pick any two artists later, why get so worked up about it?”

“Li Yuan, we’re here to terminate Jiang Xian Du’s contract. I’m handling my resignation at the same time. There’s nothing else to discuss,” Huo Ying responded bluntly, ignoring Li Yuan’s sarcasm.

Huo Ying was Xian Du’s original manager, but due to her outstanding ability, she had become a threat to her superiors and was now suspended without pay.

This time, Huo Ying and Xian Du came together specifically to end the contract.

“Terminate the contract, huh... If your little artist pays the penalty and signs the papers, you can both scram,” Li Yuan sneered, tapping the table with his nail-polished fingers as he pushed the contract over.

Usually, a small-time artist like Xian Du would have to pay a million yuan in breach of contract fees.

But since this was a task, that money certainly wouldn’t be allowed to line the pockets of a heartless company like Joy Entertainment.

“Director Li, let’s not rush into the contract matter. I believe you’ll find this interesting,” Xian Du smiled faintly, standing up to block Huo Ying, who was about to object, and faced Li Yuan directly.

Like a magician revealing a trick, she produced two documents.

Her pale, graceful fingers pressed against the files and pushed them back along with the contract.

Seeing Xian Du’s confident expression, Li Yuan was naturally dismissive.

What waves could a small artist possibly make?

She was just the subordinate of a suspended employee, but he should think carefully about how to spend this money once it’s received.

“Is that so?” Li Yuan sneered as he took the documents, initially planning to humor her with a casual flip, but his smile froze stiffly.

“Rustle, rustle, rustle—”

He frantically flipped through the two files faster and faster, his expression growing increasingly panicked.

“Snap—”

Finally, Li Yuan slammed the files shut, steeling himself, and forced a smile that barely concealed his unease.

“Jiang Xian Du, huh... Miss Jiang, if you’re forging documents like this, Joy Entertainment can sue you for damaging the company’s reputation. It won’t be just about the contract penalty anymore.”

“Whether it’s true or not, your reaction just now told us everything...” Xian Du smiled and shrugged, head tilted, fearless.

The files in her hand were obtained by Wang Cai hacking into Joy Entertainment’s internal network, so they were genuine.

And it cost her 10 system points!

A single task only gave her that little!

If it weren’t true, Wang Cai would be waiting to kneel before a durian fruit.

“Where there’s water, there’s no keeping your shoes dry. Birds leave traces as they pass, the wind leaves sounds behind. Shadow contracts, embezzlement, swapping artists for resources... every single thing you’ve done could be exposed.”

Xian Du shrugged indifferently. “Since you don’t believe me, Director Li, we can always hand this over to the tax authorities. I’m sure they’ll take it seriously.”

She reached out slowly, pretending to retrieve the files from Li Yuan.

Her fingertips almost touched the folder before Li Yuan dodged away with the documents.

“Tsk, Director Li, you’re losing face here,” Xian Du pretended to be distressed, laughing lightly.

Her originally delicate face curled into a victorious smile; the upturned corners of her eyes flushed faintly, like peach blossoms; her eyes, shimmering with a spring-like gleam, held a hint of tenderness, yet beneath it all was an unwavering resolve.

Like a ghostly enchantress of the world, captivating and haunting.

Xian Du fixed Li Yuan with a piercing gaze, full of pressure.

She had never realized before that she had such a promising protégé under her command...

Li Yuan had this untimely thought.

Feeling the atmosphere was ripe, Xian Du decided it was time to push Director Li a little further.

“Peace brings wealth. If we really wanted to make trouble, we could sell these to your rivals. But then, they wouldn’t be as easy to deal with as we are.”

Xian Du crossed her arms, her fair fingertips tapping lightly on her elbow.

As an unknown artist, if she became famous for exposing these scandals, although the public would see her as a positive figure, she would inevitably offend many people in the industry.

Without enough capital, and with the main system having sealed her abilities, Xian Du would soon become the target of the entire entertainment circle.

So it was best to separate from Joy Entertainment first and plan carefully for the long run.

Li Yuan’s face darkened like the bottom of a pot. Suddenly, as if recalling a flaw, he slammed the table and stood up, pointing at Huo Ying.

“How could a small artist possibly get hold of such confidential documents? It must be Manager Huo! If you try to leave, she’ll be going to jail for violating the confidentiality agreement!”

Xian Du stepped in front of Huo Ying, facing Li Yuan head-on.

“Director Li, you can eat any food recklessly, but you can’t speak nonsense. Coincidentally, I also have a recording here and can sue you for defamation.”

Like a magician again, Xian Du produced a voice recorder.

“You! You you you...” Li Yuan was speechless, only able to point at Xian Du repeatedly.

Huo Ying patted Xian Du’s shoulder and stepped to the side, blocking Li Yuan’s hand.

“Li Yuan, you don’t need to be so angry. We’re here today to smoothly terminate the contract. As you can see, we came here instead of going straight to court, which shows we’re willing to reconcile.”

“So you mean... if I agree to the termination, you won’t expose the files you have?” Li Yuan asked skeptically.

“Exactly. It’s up to Director Li’s decision,” Huo Ying nodded.

Li Yuan looked conflicted.

...

At the same time, Bo Yue, who had just broken up with Xian Du, arrived at the Jiang residence under his father’s stern orders, ostensibly to cultivate feelings with Jiang You’an.

Still raw from the breakup, Bo Yue felt a sudden wave of shame when he saw his fiancée and childhood sweetheart, Jiang You’an.

“Let the young couple have the space, we’ll move elsewhere to talk,” Jiang’s father said with a smile, guiding Bo Yue’s father out of the living room toward the study.

“Brother Yue, you’re here! Please have a seat!” Jiang You’an pulled out a chair, gesturing for Bo Yue to sit.

“Thank you.” Visiting the Jiang residence once more, Bo Yue was much more at ease, but Jiang’s father’s words still made him somewhat uncomfortable.

There were still many unresolved matters concerning the cooperation between the Bo and Jiang families after the engagement, so Jiang’s father invited the Bo family over.

“Brother Yue, I heard from uncle that you’re preparing ‘Xiyan’ and that filming will start soon. May I visit the set? I want to see your work environment,” Jiang You’an said expectantly, hands clasped.