When the news of Shen Xiaoyu leaving Xingheng Entertainment exploded across the internet, the person in question was comfortably resting at home.
Beautiful, wealthy, and leisurely—she never imagined her dreams would become reality in this world.
Shen Xiaoyu looked at the long string of zeros transferred to her card and felt even more complicated emotions. "System, I still have quite a few points. Can you transfer this money to my mother in the other world?"
With financial support, her lifespan should be extended considerably.
The system drew a big X in her mind.
[Things from this world cannot leave, and transferring that much money would affect the currency in that world.]
[Useless.] Shen Xiaoyu evaluated.
Isn't that how novels always write it?
The reward for successfully completing the mission allows you to take away one thing of your choice, and even if you fail, you can exchange points for some rewards.
Besides, she wasn't asking for the stars in the sky—just to transfer most of this money to her mother. The system couldn't even do that.
Truly useless.
The system's temperature gradually rose. [Host! I can hear you!]
She responded with an "oh," completely unconcerned.
Shen Xiaoyu held her phone, looking around, thinking she should plan what to do with her remaining time. She couldn't just stay at home staring into space twenty-four hours a day, could she?
Just as she was browsing travel guides online, considering whether to go sightseeing—after all, she wouldn't have the chance later—Shi Qiubai called.
As soon as she answered, Shi Qiubai's voice came through the receiver. She seemed to have just learned about Shen Xiaoyu leaving the company that evening and was now crying so hard she could barely breathe.
"Sister, what am I going to do if you leave the company? I finally got such a good manager like you, how could you leave me?"
Hearing the rustling sounds from the other end of the phone, Shen Xiaoyu quickly said, "I agreed to it. The news about me 'pushing' Tang Tang has spread all over the internet. The company definitely needed to provide a solution, otherwise they wouldn't be able to appease Tang Tang's fans."
"But they're clearly bullying you!" Shi Qiubai became even more agitated. "And what evidence is there that you pushed Tang Tang? Her movement at that time clearly showed she fell on her own! I'm going to protest to the company!"
Shen Xiaoyu was stunned, not expecting her to still trust her. A warm feeling surged through her heart, and her voice grew increasingly gentle.
"No need. I haven't been wronged. And I received compensation from the company. It's an amount you haven't seen before. With this money, I can live comfortably for the rest of my life. So don't feel bad for me. Theoretically speaking, I'm the one who profited."
Shi Qiubai whimpered, "But-but what about me? I can't bear to part with you~ wuwuwu"
"Come on, don't be sad. The company will arrange a new manager to continue guiding you. Besides, without me, your future might be even better," Shen Xiaoyu quickly consoled her. "And we still have each other's contact information. You can come find me anytime when you're free."
"Really?"
She hummed in agreement. "Really."
"Then I want to come now!" Shi Qiubai insisted. "I don't care, I want to see you right now. If I can't see you, I won't even have the heart to film."
Shen Xiaoyu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Don't be silly, focus on your filming first."
"But Su Huan and Tang Tang have both left, and the crew hasn't scheduled any scenes for me in the past two days. Rather than staying at the set feeling anxious, I might as well come back to see you."
She pleaded coquettishly, "I promise, after seeing you, I'll focus on filming properly, okay?"
Shen Xiaoyu couldn't resist her and finally agreed. "Then I'll send you my location, come directly here."
There was a cheer from the other end of the phone, followed by Shi Qiubai's serious promise, "When I reach the position of an award-winning actress, I'll make the company invite you back!"
Shen Xiaoyu remained silent, hung up the phone, and sent her location to Shi Qiubai.
She replied with an OK and sent a photo—a selfie showing she was already in a car, clearly having planned to return regardless of whether Shen Xiaoyu agreed or not.
Whether Shen Xiaoyu agreed or not, three hours later she would have received a call from Shi Qiubai asking for her location anyway.
Shen Xiaoyu told her to be careful on the way, then looked at the screen and couldn't help but smile. This artist she picked up hadn't been in vain—she had even painted a bright future for her.
But none of this would happen. She wouldn't have the rest of her life, nor would she have a future.
Shen Xiaoyu hummed a tune as she made a series of plans, even going out to buy groceries.
By the time Shi Qiubai pried open her door, she could smell the hot pot aroma wafting from the apartment.
"Sister!" Shi Qiubai rushed into her arms in a few quick steps, pouting pitifully. "Sister, why did you agree to leave the company? What will I do without you? You know those people aren't good."
The last sentence pleased Shen Xiaoyu. She ruffled Shi Qiubai's head. "If you don't want to stay at Xingheng Entertainment, I can pay the breach of contract fee for you to leave. But there's one problem—your future career path won't be easy after leaving."
She led Shi Qiubai to sit at the dining table, eating hot pot as she spoke earnestly, "Xingheng Entertainment has a top-tier position in the entertainment industry. If they want, they can create all kinds of trouble for you, especially for the drama you're currently filming—they could replace you with another Xingheng artist with just one word."
These words stopped whatever Shi Qiubai had intended to say.
That was indeed what she had been thinking. She preferred Shen Xiaoyu as a person over Xingheng Entertainment.
There was no shortage of entertainment companies in the country. Even if she left Xingheng Entertainment, with her abilities, she could find a second company comparable to Xingheng to sign with.
Shen Xiaoyu naturally could see what was written all over Shi Qiubai's face. She smiled and picked up a piece of beef for her. "Although you're on a diet and shouldn't eat hot pot, it's okay to eat a little without dipping sauce."
"Leaving Xingheng wasn't just the company's decision, but also my personal choice," she said. "Even if the company hadn't talked to me, I would have chosen to leave today."
Shi Qiubai didn't move, looking at her with complicated eyes. "Why?"
"I don't want trouble," Shen Xiaoyu said straightforwardly. "You've seen the trending topics about me online. As long as I stay, I'll be a topic of discussion for everyone, but once I leave, gradually people will stop talking about me. Naturally, I won't be cursed by everyone anymore."
Almost instantly, Shi Qiubai understood everything.
She clenched her hands tightly, looking at Shen Xiaoyu without blinking, her eyes glistening with tears.
Shi Qiubai seemed to want to say something, but in the end, she didn't say a word. She silently picked up her chopsticks and ate the beef piece by piece.
Shen Xiaoyu looked at her and had an idea. She suddenly stood up and walked to the kitchen. "Although you're on a diet, I still want to ask—do you want a drink?"
"Yes!" Shi Qiubai shouted.
Drowning sorrows in alcohol—after sobering up, everything would be clear.
Shen Xiaoyu brought two glasses and a bottle of red wine from the kitchen.
She had just bought these at the supermarket, originally planning to drink alone later to deal with the system's electric shock, but ended up using them earlier than expected.
Shen Xiaoyu poured a glass for herself and Shi Qiubai, then sighed lightly and said, "Although I don't know which manager you'll be assigned to next, because of my relationship with them, Qin Miao definitely won't take you on."
Shi Qiubai downed a glass of wine in one gulp, then poured herself another, taking a moment to answer: "On my way here, the company contacted me. They've already arranged a new manager, someone called Fang Jiong. He's currently on a business trip but will come to the set to find me when he returns."
Shen Xiaoyu was somewhat surprised. She thought of all the current managers in the company but hadn't expected it would be Fang Jiong.
In her ten years at the company, she had never seen Fang Jiong take on any artists. His work seemed focused on public relations. Although he was rarely at the company, he was on standby twenty-four hours a day, ready to rush back with just one phone call.
As someone with a tendency to trend on social media, Shen Xiaoyu had dealt with him quite often, but their relationship wasn't particularly close. The reason was that Fang Jiong approached everything with a cool detachment—speaking and acting in a strictly professional manner, never showing any emotion.
Shen Xiaoyu didn't have time to socialize with him either, so their interactions were mostly work-related. But based on her understanding of him over the years, Fang Jiong was a decent person.
She smiled while resting her chin on her hand. "Since Fang Jiong has decided to be your manager, you should follow him well."
She added meaningfully, "Building a good relationship with him will benefit your career."
Shi Qiubai looked at her in confusion, not understanding why she would say this. Before coming, she had researched Fang Jiong online, but there wasn't much information about him—she only knew he was from Xingheng Entertainment's public relations department.
Originally, she had doubted whether someone from the PR department could be a good manager for her, but after hearing Shen Xiaoyu's words, she was completely reassured.
Shen Xiaoyu only gave this reminder without saying more, continuing to eat hot pot and chat with her.
Shi Qiubai wasn't in high spirits, but she still responded to her conversations now and then.
Gradually, both of them got drunk, lying on the table mumbling to each other. Shi Qiubai didn't have a good alcohol tolerance. When she got up to go to the bathroom, she accidentally knocked over the sauce on the table, spilling the brown liquid all over herself.
Shi Qiubai let out a cry and, cupping her sauce-stained clothes, ran to the bathroom.
Shen Xiaoyu stood up and walked toward the bedroom. As she passed the bathroom, she called inside.
"Don't come out. I'll get you some clothes. Take a shower and just rest here tonight."
Shi Qiubai in the bathroom responded with a sound of agreement.
Shen Xiaoyu found some of her unworn clothes from her room and put them in the guest room next door. She also found a bath towel, but before she could give it to Shi Qiubai, she heard a knock at the door.
"Coming!" She hung the towel on the door and walked to answer.
She thought it might be the landlord coming over for something, but when she opened the door, she saw Su Huan standing outside.
The smile on Shen Xiaoyu's face instantly disappeared, and she tried to close the door.
How did she find this place?
Shen Xiaoyu immediately went to the window to look outside. She didn't see any paparazzi or fans, but she was still cautious enough to pull all the curtains.
Su Huan was nothing but trouble—meeting her never led to anything good!
At that moment, Su Huan's voice sounded from outside the door.
"Xiaoyu! Let's talk!"