Caught in Affairs with Superstar

Chapter 605: Chapter 451: Another Game (Part 8)

Zhou Lan patted Zhou Yun on the shoulder in a comforting manner, saying, ”I believe you. It’s very likely that the hotel concealed the incident to avoid trouble.”

”They must be lying,” Zhou Yun declared with absolute certainty.

Zhou Lan suggested, ”Why don’t I stay with you tonight? We’ll go back tomorrow.”

Zhou Yun understood the implied meaning in Zhou Lan’s words.

They would leave tomorrow and hadn’t been substantially affected by the incident. No matter what the truth of the situation was, it was better to avoid making a fuss.

Zhou Yun nodded, ”Okay.”

However, after such an incident, Zhou Yun found herself unable to sleep.

The panic she had briefly experienced earlier seemed to have seared her heart, unable to heal immediately, leaving her deeply shaken.

After a while, Zhou Lan’s voice suddenly came from the darkness.

”Xiao Yun, actually, if you’re willing, there’s really no need to get involved in a scandal with Song Chi to get access to good resources.”

Zhou Yun heard what Zhou Lan said, remaining silent.

She knew what Zhou Lan was talking about and knew that she was right.

When Zhou Yun first signed with the company, she thought that as long as she worked hard step by step, she could gradually become popular and earn money. However, although the entertainment industry is a place of dreams, those dreams are not meant for people in the industry to see. Zhou Yun was good-looking; everyone around her said so, but in the entertainment industry, there were too many handsome faces—without exposure, without marketing, the brief heat of a pretty face is nothing but a fleeting night-blooming cereus. To stay in the limelight continuously, a pretty face alone is not enough.

Many so-called legendary beauties had merely become passing topics of casual conversations, where people rush to catch a glimpse before moving on.

A senior executive in the company was interested in her and had launched a pursuit campaign, quietly persistent in his efforts.

Zhou Lan knew about this and had told Zhou Yun that just by dating him, she could gain valuable resources—a good business deal from a business perspective. Not just the entertainment industry, but in any workplace, regardless of gender, such arrangements were common. Mutual satisfaction for both parties, two to three years pass by, and then they part ways.

But Zhou Yun could never accept it. She could cling to Zhou Lan’s arm, act coquettishly, and say that she didn’t want to, but she didn’t want to force herself to cling to a man’s arm just for some tempting candies. After all, Zhou Yun had a line in her heart that she couldn’t cross, not even a small compromise.

Zhou Lan sighed softly.

”Actually, I understand why you don’t want to. Let’s just say I was talking off the top of my head just now. Given your character, if it weren’t for the debt, you probably wouldn’t have wanted to enter the entertainment industry to be a Celebrity.”

Zhou Yun was silent throughout the night, not knowing when she fell asleep.

The next day, they checked out and returned to Shanghai with Zhou Lan.

But upon landing, Zhou Yun couldn’t immediately return to her apartment to rest. Zhou Lan had lined up several ”fast food jobs” for her, capitalizing on the heat from the day before.

One of them was as a brand ambassador, which only required her to post a promotional advertisement on Weibo. However, the advertisement needed her to take pictures with the recommended product.

Zhou Yun arrived at the shooting location. The product side was all set up, just waiting for her, the catalyst.

The product was a home appliance, a new item that desperately needed brand recognition—it happened to coincide with Zhou Yun, who was trending on the hot search.

The role of brand ambassador wasn’t as a spokesperson but rather a promotional title. Yet such a promotion could bring in seven figures.

That’s how it is in the entertainment industry—when there’s no buzz, you’re struggling and invisible, destitute and nonexistent. But once you catch the wind, it blows from all directions, and even a pig could be blown sky-high.

Makeup, changing clothes, memorizing advertisement scripts, shooting...

The shoot took three hours to finish.

And that wasn’t all. An hour later, she had to go to a streamer’s live studio, also for a product promotion, another fast-consuming snack product.

Zhou Yun hurried off with Zhou Lan, grabbing just a sandwich to eat on the way.

Zhou Lan was constantly replying to messages. Only when they were close to the streamer’s company did she finish replying and put her phone down. She took a deep breath, glanced back at Zhou Yun, and with a mixture of happiness and resignation, smiled and said, ”These past two days you suddenly became so busy as if the whole world was looking for you.”

Zhou Yun chuckled and shook her head, ”It’s just a momentary heat.”

”You’re calmer than many others,” Zhou Lan nodded. ”You’re also less of a worry than many newcomers.”

”Sister Lan, why haven’t you managed other artists?” Zhou Yun suddenly asked.

Other agents in the company managed more than one artist. Even though Zhou Lan had also just started, in terms of benefits, managing five newcomers surely would earn more than just one.

”I don’t have spare resources to manage, and I can hardly afford to support you alone. Taking on more would be a waste of time and energy with no real meaning,” Zhou Lan explained. ”I know many agents like to sign a bunch and see who makes it as if raising gu; they leave it to fate. But the mentor who brought me into this career is an industry veteran, who puts more emphasis on the traditional agent-artist relationship, and I prefer this way too. When you become famous and can support me, I’ll consider taking on more, without holding them back.”

Zhou Yun mentioned, ”Yesterday during the show, Sister Ying said her agent has been with her since her debut, and they have been working together for over twenty years.”

”The era when Chen Quanying debuted is different from now. Back then, the whole entertainment market was just starting to develop, and everyone was figuring things out as they went. Now, there’s a mature system in place. Agents rely on the company’s direction and act more like nannies appointed by the company to manage artists,” Zhou Lan said. ”I don’t want to just be a nanny.”

”Right.”

”I chose to take you under my wing because you’re different from the other newcomers,” Zhou Lan said with a slight smile. ”While other newcomers were busy circling around those few top agents in the company, you stood outside the crowd, calm and composed. I thought you must be someone with your own ideas. Rather than becoming a puppet arranged by an agent, you would prefer to have some autonomy.”

”Ah? Sister Lan, did you see through me? I thought you just liked that I didn’t talk much and seemed obedient, that’s why you wanted to sign me,” Zhou Yun said with a smile.

”Your conditions are the most outstanding among all the newcomers. Do you think those top agents didn’t fight with me for you?” Zhou Lan chuckled. ”Times have changed. In the past, artists had to be unique, have their own personality, talent, and stand out. Now it’s the idol era, everything can be packaged, as long as you’re obedient.”