Lin Muci spent half a month in seclusion, filming with the crew.
She only left the set after completing all the scenes for the tyrannical character.
As soon as she was out of the crew, her agent Ye Tongtong excitedly sent her a message.
"Xiao Ci? Feng Group Real Estate Corporation has offered an astronomical price of one hundred million yuan a year... for you to be their spokesperson!"
Feng Group Real Estate Corporation?
Lin Muci found the name strangely familiar.
She pursed her lips, then asked Ye Tongtong seriously.
"Feng Group Real Estate, is it the Feng Group Real Estate I'm thinking of?"
"Feng Yuting's company?"
Ye Tongtong gave a positive answer.
"Yes... yes, it is. It's Feng Yuting's company!"
Lin Muci frowned and directly rejected the offer.
"No."
Ye Tongtong's eyes widened in disbelief.
"How can you say no? This is a sky-high contract worth a hundred million yuan a year. Very few people in the entire entertainment industry can get it..."
Lin Muci, however, insisted on refusing.
If she accepted, Ling Qianhe would go mad.
Although earning money was tempting... the problem was that some money felt too hot to handle, even when held in her hand.
Ye Tongtong was a little disappointed but could only let her have her way.
However, Ye Tongtong thought for a moment, then suddenly asked her.
"Xiao Ci, speaking of which."
"I heard whispers online that Qing University and several overseas universities have contacted you?"
"Do you have any plans... I see fans are also very concerned about this. Everyone is worried about you, not knowing which university you plan to attend. They've even jointly inquired with our agency, fearing you might not plan to study at all..."
Lin Muci answered this question very readily.
"I want to go to Qing University. I've already decided."
"You can tell the fans that."
"There will be singles and an album in the second half of the year. I'll use my weekends to record songs and practice dancing. It won't delay everyone's progress. Please let Weiyang and the others rest assured."
Yang Weiyang was also studying.
She was currently attending the Film Academy.
It was said that her drama "The Amnesiac Loyal General of the Delicious Little Chef" had achieved great success.
This drama ranked in the top three for viewership among all television series this year.
Its click-through rate on online platforms was also excellent, making her a rising star in the film and television industry. It was said she already had new projects lined up, showing a steady progress.
However, this meant she had even less time for vocal practice. It was said she practiced dancing day and night, fearing she would hold back the other three on stage.
Ye Tongtong took note.
"Your current endorsement contracts are all good. They have both quality and quantity."
"In the future, which area do you hope to focus on developing? Will you develop towards fashion, or do you hope to take on endorsements that fans can afford?"
"However, the latter might affect your future standing. After all, in the industry, endorsement rankings are taken quite seriously..."
"Among the top five actresses in the entertainment industry, Zhao Lan accepts some down-to-earth endorsements."
"She has endorsed snacks and the like."
"But Huo Ziyao is determined to pursue a high-end route."
"She never accepts brands that aren't sufficiently high-end. She's notoriously picky and difficult to work with in the industry, but because of her established status, people dare not speak ill of her."
Lin Muci thought for a moment and stuck to her own opinion.
"There should be... endorsements that fans can afford. And I hope to carefully select the products, so as not to disappoint them. Earning trust is not easy. People choose to like me because they believe in me."
"I don't want to let down those who like me."
She opened her Weibo account.
She could see many messages from her fans.
Lin Muci read these comments almost every day!
Love Xiao Ci Every Day: [Xiao Ci, I love you so much! You shine so beautifully and wonderfully on stage. I'm also studying now, and every day is painful, but I think, when Xiao Ci practices singing and dancing, and studies diligently, it must also be painful. You are the strength that keeps me going!]
Touched by Xiao Ci's Beauty Today: [I really like Xiao Ci!]
I Will Always Love Lin Muci the Most: [I hope Xiao Ci can be happy and healthy! That's the most important thing!]
These comments
also became her inner strength.
Then, there were some comments with a rather peculiar style.
Qian Mu Forced CPs Squad: [Xiao Ci, please check out Ling Qianhe, please, please. Do you know how well-matched you two are?]
It's Profitable to Ship: [Xiao Ci is so beautiful,呜呜呜, and she's really so cute, so cute (*╹▽╹*). Although I don't want to cause you trouble, Xiao Ci, if you really love Ling Qianhe that much, you don't have to hold back. In this world, you truly have more right to like him than anyone else.]
Xiao Ci is the Sweetest Cute Girl in the World: [I feel like every step you take, Xiao Ci, is because you want to get closer to him.]
So, there were indeed many people who hoped she would end up with Ling Qianhe.
The filming of the drama was kept secret.
Spoilers were strictly forbidden.
But because she and Ling Qianhe were both popular top stars and beloved idols.
So, the resourceful fans, through various means,
managed to obtain some behind-the-scenes photos.
Ling Qianhe, dressed in a dark imperial robe, stood on the throne, pinning her down. She was wearing a white gauze dress, breathtakingly beautiful, a beauty that could topple kingdoms.
There was also a shot of Ling Qianhe kneeling on the carpet with his eyes blood-red, a partially burned secret report glowing in the flames!
Everyone was extremely curious about the plot.
[Is it a historical drama?]
[Xiao Ci is too beautiful, with the beauty of a princess of a fallen kingdom... Did she accept this man's threat for her people? Oh my god, Xiao Ci's aura is amazing, she looks so beautiful in ancient costumes, I'm going crazy!]
[This is what a stunning beauty looks like, isn't it?]
Everyone was captivated by her beauty.
[Don't just praise Xiao Ci, don't you think Qianhe's look is also incredibly amazing?]
[Last time in the Republic of China era with warlord attire, I thought it was the pinnacle of handsomeness. Looking at it now, it's still ancient costumes, forever the best!]
[Young monarch, devilishly charming, he's so stunning that you'd praise him even if he were beheading you!]
[No, no, no, friends upstairs, let's cherish our lives... and stay away from the tyrant!]
Lin Muci found reading these comments immensely enjoyable, and couldn't help but get a little distracted.
And then, she heard her agent Ye Tongtong's voice.
"Eh? Chen Fei sent me a contract... Are you going to be on a dating reality show with Ling Qianhe?"
Don't bring that up. Speaking of which, Lin Muci indeed felt a little guilty.
"Yes, yes."
Ye Tongtong frowned.
"You're going on a reality show with him again? It's not that you can't, but aren't you collaborating with him too often and too frequently? I'm worried the audience will get tired of seeing you together, which might not be good for your future acting career."
"Xiao Ci, if you want to go far on this path, the most important thing is to constantly break through your own limits."
Lin Muci sighed, "I know. But..."
She paused, and Ye Tongtong looked puzzled.
"But what?"
Lin Muci gave a wry smile.
But Ling Qianhe wouldn't agree.
If she went on a dating reality show with someone else, would Ling Qianhe agree?
He wouldn't, so there was no room for negotiation.
Ye Tongtong was a very responsible agent.
"You can't collaborate with Ling Qianhe anymore after this. This dating show is a big production by Fox, so you can go ahead with it—but afterward, it's best to keep refusing him, otherwise, the audience will equate you with Ling Qianhe."
"Xiao Ci, listen to me. I'm genuinely doing this for your own good."
Lin Muci agreed, and Ye Tongtong nagged her for a few more sentences before hanging up the phone.
The system chuckled foolishly.
"It seems they're going to break up the happy couple and separate you and Ling Qianhe, tsk tsk."
"But you do need a break."
"Your favorability with this man has already maxed out, hasn't it, exceeding one hundred?"
"You've got him completely under your thumb."
The system's question made Lin Muci curious about the favorability of the others.
"What about the other guys?"
The system reported to her.
"Zhou Yuan'an's favorability towards you is ninety percent."
"Wow, that's high. This kid is still a bit slow on the uptake. It's probably because his parents' issues occupy some of his energy."
"Feng Yuting's favorability towards you is ninety-five percent."
"As expected, he doesn't have much ambition. It's not that he doesn't love you. This level of favorability, generally speaking, is already considered deep affection. But our requirement for conquest targets has always been one hundred percent favorability."
"The kind of favorability where they'd give their life for you. Under that requirement, Feng Yuting's favorability is clearly not enough, indeed."
The system sighed, then continued to complain.
"Yang Lanyan's favorability is actually as high as ninety-seven percent?"
"Wow, I really couldn't tell..."
Lin Muci listened intently, then asked a very crucial question.
"So, who do you think among these men is most likely to go mad?"
The system coughed.
"G-go mad? That, that's really hard to say."
Betting on who would go mad first, judging by their 'blackening' scores, everyone's scores had already reached very high levels.
Aside from Ling Qianhe, who had won the beauty's heart, everyone had the potential to blacken to the point of madness.
"Then I'll choose Yang Lanyan."
"So you should stay away from him."
"When he blackens, according to our prediction, it will be similar to the second Ling Qianhe!"
Lin Muci pursed her lips.
"Is that so?"
"I understand."
Understanding was one thing, but avoiding him... was difficult.
...
As soon as she returned home, Ms. Lin Cuiping was cheerfully about to go out and greeted her.
"Xiao Ci, we have a guest at home."
Lin Muci's heart clenched.
"Who... who?"
Lin Cuiping replied.
"The director of admissions for Qing University."
Lin Muci breathed a sigh of relief.
She had thought it was Yang Lanyan and was scared to death.
Then, as she walked in, she saw a refined middle-aged male professor sitting on the sofa waiting for her.
Beside him was a man wearing a white shirt and black suit pants. The system gloated in her mind.
"See, you couldn't avoid him after all."
It was Yang Lanyan.
He wore a pair of demure gold-rimmed glasses, and looked up with a smile.
"The admissions director and I are friends, so I came to find Xiao Ci."
"I want to help Xiao Ci get into the college she wants to enter the most."
"Shall we talk?"
"By the way, I'm not just a psychology expert; I have expertise in various disciplines, so Xiao Ci can feel free to discuss her thoughts with me."
But... the more he said this,
the more uneasy Lin Muci became!
Moreover, he had one advantage over Ling Qianhe.
At least, Lin Cuiping would not let Ling Qianhe enter her house so brazenly.
It could only be said that his persona was well-crafted, and his image in Ms. Lin Cuiping's mind was extremely positive.
Ms. Lin Cuiping had no guard against him whatsoever.
Lin Muci felt like crying but had no tears. She lowered her head and said in a soft voice.
"Is... is that so?"
Yang Lanyan looked at her meaningfully.
"Your talent may very well exceed your imagination."