Chapter 82: Wrap-Up Gift Scratch Cards, Sports Maniac Xi Mengze Frantically Climbing Ranks

Sui Lingfang knew these people had a close relationship and were just making a scene, so she silently watched without saying a word.

Once the three had mostly finished communicating, she said, "Thank you all for valuing Jin Li. If there are suitable scripts or production teams in the future that need your help, I will certainly let everyone know."

Her attitude was very sincere.

Although Chenxi Entertainment had money, money was not omnipotent in the entertainment industry; which boss lacked money?

Those wealthy entertainment companies had long established their own moats, making it extremely difficult for outside companies to squeeze in.

Even with Chenxi Entertainment's wealth, it was absolutely impossible to assemble an entire film and television team specifically for Jin Li.

Therefore, directors, screenwriters, and producers were valuable connections to cultivate.

If Jin Li truly wanted to develop in the film and television circle in the future, she would likely still rely heavily on the support of these three.

Sui Lingfang had seen this clearly, which was why she was exceedingly polite to the trio.

While they were communicating on their side,

on the other side, Jin Li was also distributing gifts.

Unlike Sister Xiang, who had only arrived today, her assistant Xiao Chen had rushed over yesterday to help Jin Li pack her luggage and handle various miscellaneous tasks.

Just yesterday, Jin Li had sent her specifically to several locations to gather enough items to distribute to the entire production crew—

She had bought several stacks of scratch-off lottery tickets!

When Jin Li brought out the gifts, everyone in the production crew was stunned. The looks they cast at Jin Li seemed to shimmer with golden light.

Ah, was this the God of Wealth coming to distribute money?

Jin Li said, "Thank you for the flowers and cake you gave me. I didn't have any gifts to give you, so after thinking it over, I decided to give scratch-off tickets so everyone could have some fun.

I wish you good luck: scratch the first card, and good fortune arrives; scratch the second, and wealth arrives; scratch the third, and health arrives! Everyone gets three cards; pick whichever you like."

After speaking, Jin Li, well-prepared, quickly added, "By the way, I am not a 'koi fish' [luck charm], so don't ask me to scratch them. I really am not a koi fish; I hope you all become koi fish and then carry me along!"

A foolproof strategy.jpg

Breaking away from the boisterous production crew, Jin Li went to Qiu Qiwen's side to enjoy a relaxed and carefree moment.

Jin Li had already given Qiu Qiwen her scratch-off tickets that morning.

Although she had come on this trip to help Qiu Qiwen, before that, Qiu Qiwen had acted as the intermediary to secure the role of the second female lead in "The Great Sheng Dynasty" for Qinglian, for which Jin Li was very grateful.

Some stars exchanging resources would merely introduce you; whether you succeeded depended on yourself.

But Qiu Qiwen had not only introduced her but also exerted effort to help Qinglian secure the role, which showed great sincerity.

Jin Li could feel the goodwill she emitted; returning kindness for kindness, she also wanted to befriend Qiu Qiwen.

In the entertainment circle, having more friends meant having more paths forward!

Seeing Jin Li devour three pieces of cake in a row, Qiu Qiwen said with some envy, "Your constitution is really good; I gain weight just from eating a little sweets, so I've been controlling my sugar intake recently."

Jin Li shook her head. "No, poor absorption isn't a sign of a good body; it actually means the stomach and intestines aren't functioning well. I'm the one who envies your healthy physique."

The pleasant time passed quickly.

After bidding farewell to the production crew, Jin Li boarded the company-sent van together with Sister Xiang.

She was returning to the company with Sister Xiang to hold a small meeting to discuss upcoming schedules and feedback from previous engagements.

In the car, Sui Lingfang began discussing matters with Jin Li immediately.

"The main event coming up is the final team-formation night of 'PICK~Next Stop Diva,' giving you over a week to prepare.

By May, the variety show for the boy group March Sky will also start preparations; have you received any information they've leaked?"

Jin Li nodded. "They said they're making a lifestyle variety show combined with the currently popular trend of budget travel."

Sui Lingfang frowned. "Budget travel? Can your body handle it?"

Jin Li smiled. "Sister Xiang, I may have a weak body, but that doesn't mean I can't endure hardship. The Pink Girl Group endured much suffering when we debuted; what is a budget travel trip compared to that?"

To be honest, even after the girl group exploded in popularity, they still endured much hardship.

Not every commercial client respected celebrities; many places even looked down on stars.

They would think, "So what if you're a celebrity? You still need to earn our money and run our engagements, don't you?"

They treated celebrities with a snap of the fingers, summoning and dismissing them at will.

Back when they had just become famous, the girl group swallowed many unreasonable demands silently.

Because they knew that even if they told the company, the company would just tell them to endure it.

Just for the sake of fame and earning money from these engagements, considering the money, who wasn't enduring?

The environment four years ago was unlike today; nowadays, if an actor posts a photo of an injury, fans would rush over to praise their dedication.

When high-profile stars attended engagements, the organizers had to take meticulous care of them, fearing the star might pull a sour face and refuse to participate.

Truly, fortune turns like a wheel; no one could predict the future.

Seeing Jin Li speak this way, Sui Lingfang said nothing more.

Indeed, Jin Li was someone who could endure hardship.

"Let me tell you something else." She paused, a smile in her eyes. "Congratulations, you have successfully entered Season 2 of the competition for the Fangfei brand ambassador. So, you still need to put effort into the promotions related to Fangfei and see if you can advance to Season 3."

Jin Li thought about it carefully and smiled as well.

If qualifying for the shortlist was considered Season 1, then further development would be Season 2.

Overcoming obstacle after obstacle to reach the final round, Season 4, also sounded quite interesting.

Hearing Jin Li's remark, Sui Lingfang raised an eyebrow. "Then you are thinking too simply."

Jin Li: ?

Sui Lingfang: "Fangfei is, after all, a top-tier brand; they wouldn't be so vague in selecting an ambassador. They distinguish ambassadors based on the importance of the endorsement.

If you were only endorsing some minor sub-product, perhaps playing four seasons would suffice. But if the brand wants you to endorse a popular sub-product line, such as their light luxury series, you might have to play six or seven seasons.

Let's think optimistically: if Fangfei wants to pick you as an ambassador for their top luxury line, the competition time will be even longer; ten-plus seasons is possible."

She paused again. "Additionally, if you are eliminated midway, there will be no chance for a replacement; that is a true and complete elimination."

Jin Li let out a soft sigh; it was difficult!

……

Back at the company, the two held a meeting immediately.

This meeting no longer involved just Sui Lingfang as her agent, but several agents.

Due to Jin Li's health issues, the company had not accepted many engagements for her; currently, the engagements on her schedule were countable and very few.

Yet whether it was the final formation night of "PICK~Next Diva" or the variety show for the boy group March Sky, both were top-tier engagements.

Therefore, the company held no dissatisfaction regarding Jin Li taking on very few engagements.

The focus of this meeting was analyzing the impact following Jin Li's previous attendance at the Duomi fan meeting and the Maozhua livestream supporting farmers.

The company always conducted such summaries, not only to let Jin Li timely understand her own influence, but also to let the company understand Jin Li's influence.

Only by constantly recognizing one's own status could one make more suitable choices.

After everyone analyzed for an hour, the meeting was nearly over.

At this point, Zou Da asked, "Should we reveal online in advance the news that Jin Li is acting?"

Jin Li looked at Sui Lingfang; on this matter, she completely deferred to her own agent.

Sister Fang pondered for a moment, then shook her head: "Better not. Actually, many fans and netizens already know Jin Li is acting, but Jin Li isn't some star forbidden from acting, so there's no need to issue a special announcement.

Moreover, the fans are quite tacitly understanding and haven't leaked the news of Jin Li acting; we should be able to wait until the production team makes the official announcement before launching our promotion simultaneously."

It had to be said that in this era of rapidly updating internet, fans were becoming increasingly sensible.

Not only would they independently help stars climb the charts and maintain popularity, but they would also consider the stars' futures, taking on the concerns of an agent.

If they felt the studio's planning for a star was poor, they would even launch protests.

Deep love brings sharp criticism.

Some matters could be advised upon, but once things went too far, it would be difficult for fans, the studio, and the star to wrap things up, and it would also be very awkward.

As for those anti-fans who kept clamoring online, Sui Lingfang paid them no mind.

Wasn't there a saying: Love deeply, and naturally one turns black?

Let them be black; as long as they weren't spreading rumors, there was no problem. Besides, once a person becomes famous, it's impossible to have only one voice.

Just let it go.

Sui Lingfang also never brought these matters up with Jin Li, because there was no need.

Zou Da nodded: "Alright!"

The meeting thus concluded.

Just as Jin Li stepped out of the conference room, she bumped into Xi Mengze coming toward her.

The two happily cuddled up.

Mengmeng touched Jin Li's face with a look of pity: "Alas, our youngest returns from filming a drama, why has she lost so much weight? Look at this little face; the flesh has even sunken in!"

Jin Li blinked and honestly said, "The food on set was quite good; I weighed myself, and I'm actually one jin heavier than before."

Xi Mengze: "……Anyway, you just look haggard!"

Jin Li smiled.

Xi Mengze changed the subject: "Originally, I thought since you just returned, you'd be very tired, so I wanted to give you some rest time. But seeing you so lively and energetic, even having the strength to talk back to me."

She paused, then said with a smile, "Carp, let's start rehearsing today."

Jin Li was stunned: "Rehearsing?"

Xi Mengze nodded: "Yes, aren't we going to participate together in the final formation night of 'PICK~Next Diva'? I asked Sister Fang, and mentors also have to perform on stage.

Since the two of us are going together, we won't each have a separate stage; let's do a duet dance."

Jin Li's expression stiffened slightly.

She hadn't forgotten about participating in this event.

But she had completely forgotten about the rehearsing part.

Xi Mengze happily pulled Jin Li, with an imposing manner, half-dragging her to the dance studio on the upper floor.

Scenes from her past dance training flashed through Jin Li's mind, making her inexplicably break out in a cold sweat.

If Qinglian in the girl group was a workaholic, then Mengmeng in the girl group was a fitness maniac!

She firmly believed that maintaining a good figure, good stamina, and good health all relied on exercise.

Therefore, Mengmeng was very skilled in various forms of yoga and Pilates, and also excelled in mountain climbing, rock climbing, dancing, and other sports.

Especially when it came to dancing, a single practice session often lasted at least two hours.

Jin Li looked at Mengmeng's back, nervously swallowing several times.

Help...

Was it too late to say I'm very tired and want to rest now?

Three days later.

"PICK~Next Diva" had just finished recording its seventh episode, yet it was already building hype online for the eighth episode's final formation night!

Netizens all felt something was off.

[You haven't even broadcast episode seven yet, and you're already promoting episode eight; isn't that a bit too excited?]

[It feels like Penguin attaches great importance to the formation night; will they provide any high-quality resources to support the new girl group?]

[Capital never acts without profit; just wait, the formation night in episode eight will definitely involve big moves!]

The netizens didn't have to wait long for these big moves.

On the very day the seventh episode of "PICK~Next Diva" aired, the production team released news on their blog that two mysterious guests would appear at the formation night of the eighth episode!

Simultaneously, the production team posted silhouettes of the two mysterious guests on their promotional blog.

Having learned from the lessons of other variety shows where releasing star silhouettes allowed netizens to match them up, identifying the stars merely from a simple black silhouette of their backs.

The silhouette released by the production team this time consisted of two black circles, each marked with a question mark.

Of course, this promotion featured not only a surprise guest appearance but also news about the boy group March Sky.

On the final night of the group's formation, March Sky will perform their debut song, recreating the breathtakingly beautiful stage of their debut.

While no one knew the identity of the mysterious guest, aside from speculation by some netizens, most were drawn by the news concerning the boy group March Sky.

[They're actually performing their debut song! Oh my god, I can't wait to be there in person!! When do tickets go on sale!]

[Finally, I won't have to just drool over my screen online; I'm going to the live show!]

[Tencent really went all out this time. March Sky became gods solely because of their debut dance, yet Tianding Entertainment strictly limited their performances of it, using scarcity marketing. We fans usually only get to see them perform their debut dance during major holidays! This time, we must rush to support them!!]

Blasted by the official announcement from "PICK~Next Stop Diva," hashtags like #MarchSkyBoyGroupDebutStage#, #MarchSkyBoyGroupAllPerformanceStages#, and #MarchSkyBoyGroupFamousDebutDance# surged onto the trending lists one after another.

No one within the industry doubted the drawing power of the top-tier boy group March Sky.

After all, never before had any celebrity managed to hit ten trending topics simply by announcing they would perform their debut dance, just as March Sky had done.

From the first spot to the tenth, the top rankings were entirely filled with news about the boy group March Sky!

Once again, the industry witnessed the immense drawing power of the boy group March Sky.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Jin Li...

...found herself plunged into a life of sheer torment.

Ever since returning from filming and being dragged into rehearsals by Xi Mengze, Jin Li had spent nearly every day soaking in the dance studio.

Jin Li felt nothing but resentment!

She resented herself for not hiding her abilities!

At first, Old Meng had been quite kind; she hadn't assigned any difficult routines, just simple, easy dances to perform.

As a result, Jin Li mastered that dance on the spot, hitting every beat and rhythm perfectly.

Upon discovering that Jin Li still had stamina and was in good physical condition, Xi Mengze proceeded to teach her another dance.

This routine was somewhat difficult; Jin Li spent two days learning it, successfully performing it with flawless execution.

The look in Xi Mengze's eyes changed slightly, and without pause, she began teaching Jin Li a third dance.

The third dance saw the difficulty level escalate once again.

If the first and second dances represented a step-by-step increase in difficulty, the third dance skyrocketed straight to the fourth or fifth level.

The difficulty was simply too great!

Jin Li had no choice but to spend every day in the company's dance studio, often practicing until she could barely walk.

However, her physical condition had improved significantly recently, so she no longer risked fainting from exhaustion.

At the same time, she discovered that serious dance practice could actually cultivate spiritual energy.

It wasn't that spiritual energy consumption was minimal; rather, the practice directly generated spiritual energy, which explained why Jin Li never fainted no matter how hard she trained.

A single thread of spiritual energy always sustained her.

Yet, the efficiency of cultivating spiritual energy this way was far lower than that of studying.

Inside the dance studio.

Jin Li was stretching her legs.

There were no intense movements; she was merely stretching her legs, forcing her body into a deep bend, yet a layer of fine, dense sweat already appeared on her forehead.

It hurt!

She hadn't trained in a long time, making her limbs stiff; to quickly restore her body's flexibility, she had to push herself ruthlessly.

Xi Mengze stood nearby, recording a video on her phone.

"Come on, let's take a look at today's star of diligence—Jin Li! Wow, our youngest member is truly something else; after four years, she's still as vigorous as ever, capable of enduring hardship!

When we were first preparing for our debut, the youngest one trained desperately, and now compared to back then, she's even more relentless.

Look at that sweat, each drop crystal clear, so beautiful!

Look at how pale her lips are, and her little face is so white and wan, how pitiful!

I propose conferring upon her the title of the representative 'Beautiful, Strong, and Tragic' figure of our era; what do you all think?"

Jin Li couldn't help but roll her eyes.

She had thought Xi Mengze was merely recording a video for documentation, but suddenly a voice emanated from the phone—it was Nana's voice.

"Mm, it is quite beautiful; the 'Beautiful, Strong, and Tragic' makeup applied on set is nowhere near this natural."

A crisp crunching sound rang out, as if someone were eating an apple.

"It looks great. When I practice dancing, my face doesn't turn white; instead, my blood accelerates too quickly, making my face red, which isn't attractive at all, just all ruddy."

That was Zhenzhu's voice.

Another crisp crunching sound followed; this one sounded like someone eating a Hami melon?

"Turning red is normal; who doesn't flush during strenuous exercise? The youngest one is also exercising; the reason she isn't flushing is because she's in pain! Look at how straight she's pressing that leg, no hesitation whatsoever; truly, she's working hard, working hard."

Tongtong's voice rang out, accompanied by a background clatter of sounds.

Listening carefully, Jin Li realized it sounded like someone cracking walnuts.

The corner of her mouth twitched involuntarily; so, she was the only one suffering this much, was she?

Jin Li glared at Mengmeng, who was still gloating; Mengmeng smiled back at her, patted her shoulder, and said with earnest gravity:

"Skip one day of practice, and your hands and feet slow down; skip two days, and you lose half your skill; skip three days, and you become an outsider; skip four days, and you can only stare in disbelief.

Youngest one, to repay our fans with a perfect stage, we must work hard; the road ahead is long and arduous!"

Jin Li: ...

Although she hated to admit it, the words made sense.

She pushed herself so hard because she didn't want to disappoint the fans, after all, a full group reunion was a rare occurrence.

She whispered, "Go to my bag and bring me my phone and the 'Five Years of Gaokao, Three Years of Simulation'."

Xi Mengze froze. "What are you doing?"

Jin Li: "To practice dancing better."

Bewildered, Xi Mengze handed the Five-Year Gaokao, Three-Year Simulation book and his phone to Jin Li, who flipped the book to a certain page and placed it on a nearby shelf.

Then she initiated a voice call on the phone; once connected, she set it to speakerphone.

And then...

She stretched her leg, solved problems, and discussed those very problems with the person on the phone—all at once!

Xi Mengze was speechless; silently, he gave her a thumbs-up.

So! Relentless!

Xi Mengze still had the group video call open; the other three idle members, seeing Jin Li's maneuver, couldn't help but sigh in admiration.

The youngest truly deserves the title of the youngest.

From past to present, she has outworked everyone.

Meanwhile, Gu Cheng had just finished his schedule and stepped out of the venue.

His Five-Year Gaokao, Three-Year Simulation book was in the car, so Jin Li could only read the difficult problems aloud to him.

Gu Cheng never boasted about his mental arithmetic, but for someone as bright as he had been since childhood, first-year high school science problems were hardly worth calculating.

Even problems that appeared complex merely revolved around a single knowledge point.

Only when Jin Li began practicing third-year high school problems would they become comprehensive, testing multiple knowledge points; that would be truly interesting.

After listening for only a moment, Gu Cheng noticed something off in Jin Li's voice.

Keenly, he asked, "What are you doing? Why are you panting? Are you feeling unwell?"

Jin Li: "No, I'm stretching my leg. I have to perform at the Formation Night; to showcase my stage presence, my teammates have been frantically pushing me to improve these past few days."

The words were no sooner out than she realized her mistake.

Oh no, she had slipped up!

"No, no! Anyway, I need to practice dancing; just pretend you never heard what I said!" she hastily added, trying to mend the fence.

Gu Cheng readily complied: "Alright, I heard nothing."

Jin Li felt slightly relieved.

Gu Cheng did not seem like a blabbermouth; he probably wouldn't spread it.

Gu Cheng continued, "Let's return to the problem and continue discussing this one. Your initial approach was correct; what it tests is..."

While Jin Li was making a huge fuss preparing for the stage, at LP Company,

Lian Baozhi encountered a bit of trouble.

Messages kept pouring into her phone; even glancing briefly at their content, Lian Baozhi could feel the profound malice lurking behind them.

Liu Xuan: [If you accept this assignment, I can introduce you to the Resource Mutual Aid Society. There are many big-name directors and renowned photographers there; you'll never worry about resources again.]

Liu Xuan: [You specifically sought me out to be your agent for the sake of resources, didn't you? I offer this opportunity to every artist under me.]

Liu Xuan: [You've been considering this for several days; haven't you made up your mind yet?]

As these messages were sent, they were repeatedly withdrawn, leaving no trace.

Lian Baozhi took a deep breath, opened the messages, and stopped screen recording.

Ever since she sensed something amiss, she had been screen recording.

But Liu Xuan hid his tracks well; all his communications were face-to-face, in places that strictly prohibited any electronic devices, so she couldn't bring in her voice recorder or anything similar.

Because she delayed her reply, he grew anxious and sent these messages, giving her this opportunity to catch him.

Yet none of the words he had spoken earlier appeared in those messages.

Judging from the conversation, the content seemed quite normal; a Resource Mutual Aid Society sounded harmless enough.

But Lian Baozhi never expected that Liu Xuan actually intended to drag her into a quid pro quo sex-for-favors deal!