Chapter 47: Jin Li, When You Are Out and About, You Must Protect Yourself!

Jin Li stood inside the lottery station and quietly requested to purchase seven stacks of scratch-off tickets.

These were not meant for her to scratch herself; they were purely intended as gifts for others.

Jin Li had indeed wanted to scratch them herself, yet whenever that thought arose, an inexplicable sensation warned her—do not touch!

She trusted her intuition implicitly; since it told her not to touch them, she would not.

Simply buying the scratch cards to give away, however, evoked no such feeling.

The manager initially misheard and casually replied, "Seven tickets are fine; pick whatever you like. You can choose any here, just don't damage the card surfaces."

Jin Li shook her head. "No, I want seven stacks."

This time the manager heard clearly and stated bluntly, "Then we don't have any." He pointed to a sign propped up on the glass counter; Jin Li looked over and read—

[Warm Reminder: Scratch cards create tension and supply is limited. Our shop received only a small quota this month. To ensure every customer has tickets to scratch, we limit purchases to 10 tickets per person per day! Your cooperation is appreciated!]

Jin Li silently gave him a thumbs-up. "You really know how to run a business!"

The manager grinned and said, "Otherwise, if you buy a stack and he buys a stack, my entire month's inventory could be cleared out by you folks within a week. How would I stay open for the rest of the month?"

Another customer urged impatiently, "Exactly. Young people, if you can't buy for friends, then step aside. Some of us are in a hurry to buy so we can go up the mountain and scratch tickets before the God of Wealth Temple, hoping to rub off some of the God of Wealth's luck or the Lucky Carp's fortune."

Hearing this, another customer asked curiously, "Auntie, does scratching tickets before the God of Wealth Temple really work?"

The manager spoke with authority: "It really works. Ever since Jin Li did exactly that and won 200,000, young people have been coming to my shop daily to buy lottery tickets."

They specifically run to scratch them in front of the God of Wealth Temple. Although they haven't hit the 200,000 jackpot, winning ten or eight thousand is common.

Just yesterday, someone here won 5,000 yuan, and she had only bought a single ten-yuan ticket. Tell me, isn't that effective?"

Everyone else exclaimed in unison, "Effective!"

As for Jin Li...

She just wanted to finish her purchase and escape the scene as quickly as possible.

If anyone discovered she was Jin Li herself, she glanced at the number of people inside the lottery station and doubted whether she could break through the crowd.

Since the cards were limited per person, Jin Li did not buy any for Sister Xiang, letting Sister Xiang purchase her own.

A dozen minutes later, Sister Xiang emerged smoothly from the lottery station and quickly climbed into the car.

The first words out of her mouth concerned not the lottery station, but were spoken with earnest gravity to Jin Li:

"You must protect yourself!"

Jin Li: ???

A chill ran down her spine.

Sui Lingfang said, "Do you know what I heard while standing in line? I heard some uncles and aunties discussing whether they could get hold of one of your items to rub off some of your Lucky Carp fortune."

The young people were even crazier, saying they would find out your schedule and stake out locations, hoping to touch you once and rub off some Lucky Carp luck."

Jin Li widened her eyes and asked nervously, "Is it really that exaggerated?"

Speaking against her conscience, she added, "I'm not a real Lucky Carp; looking for me won't help them at all!"

Sui Lingfang shrugged. "Don't tell me that; tell them."

Jin Li pondered for a moment. "Are there any interview-style engagements scheduled recently? I want to appear on a talk show to clarify this matter about the Lucky Carp fortune."

Sui Lingfang hesitated slightly. "There is one, but the 'Lucky Carp' persona suits you quite well and would be suitable for bundled promotion. Are you certain you want to clarify it?"

Jin Li smiled, her eyes clear and open.

"Sister Xiang, I do not want to hype a persona. Although it might bring me significant traffic, those who rise to fame by hyping a persona will eventually be consumed by it."

A persona may indeed help the audience remember you, but it is also a shackle that binds you. I believe relying on one's true nature allows for a longer and more sustainable path."

As an agent, how could Sui Lingfang not know this?

Celebrities hyping personas has both advantages and disadvantages; the industry has analyzed this tactic repeatedly. Everyone wants to replicate cases where someone skyrocketed to top-tier status based on a persona.

But surging traffic often cannot be sustained.

Not even for a year; perhaps not even for a month.

Nevertheless, there are too many newcomers in the entertainment industry; to stand out, one must give the audience a distinct memory point.

She considered that, given Jin Li's current status, whether she had a persona or not was not so important, as Jin Li's popularity was already sufficient.

Moreover, the memory point of being a "Pink Girl Group Member" was already enough.

Sui Lingfang nodded. "Alright, I will arrange it for you. Recently I received an interview invitation from 'Appointment with You,' specifically inviting you for a half-hour to one-hour session."

Originally, I felt your popularity and status were not yet stable enough, and that appearing on a talk show to recount your journey was too early; I intended to wait until you became a top-tier star. But if you wish to tear off this persona, this engagement is an excellent choice."

Jin Li was somewhat surprised; she had heard of "Appointment with You."

This talk show was quite old, having run for over a decade. While its viewership could not compare to variety shows, many celebrities were willing to appear on it to allow the public to rediscover them.

She nodded. "Then let's go with this one."

The two left the Daoist temple and, instead of returning to the apartment, headed to the company office.

Originally, Sui Lingfang had intended to drop Jin Li off at the apartment first before returning to the company herself, but Zou Da called, requesting Jin Li to come to the office together, so the car made a detour halfway.

Sitting in the car, Jin Li took out her phone to photograph the souvenirs she had bought and the scratch-off tickets, then sent a message to both group chats.

[Everyone gets a share. Those who can conveniently come pick them up from me; those who cannot, send me your address and I will mail them to you.

PS: The quantity of scratch cards is limited, first come first served. However, I will make a few more trips later to ensure everyone receives one.]

As soon as this message went out, everyone began complaining that the number of scratch cards was too small.

Jin Li replied: [The manager imposed purchase limits [doge head]. Each person can only buy 10 tickets per day. If you think that's too few, you can go yourself; we cheat neither the young nor the old.]

Chen Lin had begged his team captain several times that afternoon and finally managed to get Gu Cheng added back into the group, bypassing Gu Cheng's initial resistance. Upon seeing Jin Li's message, he immediately started typing, intending to ask why there was a purchase limit.

Almost the moment Jin Li finished sending her message, Gu Cheng's reply followed closely behind.

Gu Cheng: [One of each souvenir, and one scratch card. Give them to me next time we meet.]

Yan Xingdong: [+1 to the above.]

Ji Qinglian: [+1.]

Luo Yi: [+1]

Chen Lin immediately deleted the half-typed message and was about to hit +1 when Jin Li's message arrived.

Jin Li: [Only souvenirs left, scratch cards cleared, drinking coffee.jpg]

Chen Lin: [...]

This was absolutely no illusion; he had truly, truly been incredibly unlucky lately!

Jin Li and Sui Lingfang returned to the company.

Jin Li assumed the company had summoned her to hear the outcome regarding the matter with Lu Shanjie; having listened to the entire account in the car, she knew the incident had trending on the hot search.

If the situation were allowed to ferment, growing ever larger would likely prove unfavorable; perhaps the company wanted her to issue a statement.

But who could have expected that the company never even mentioned the matter, instead presenting her with two grand promises.

Zou Da looked at her with a benevolent and amiable expression: "We just received notice that Maozhua Live Streaming Network wishes to establish a long-term strategic partnership with you. I wonder if you are interested in becoming their spokesperson?"