"cough."

The female judge next to him lowered her head, coughed lightly, and tugged at the man's sleeve.

Realizing his words were somewhat ambiguous, the man quickly added, "I meant you performed very well, very well."

Luo Jiu smiled shyly after being praised, "Thank you."

The man pushed up his glasses, his fervor fading, and smiled reservedly at Luo Jiu, saying, "Go back and wait for our notification."

Luo Jiu knew she wouldn't get the results so soon, but she would do her best and leave the rest to fate.

In short: Buddhist-like.

Before Luo Jiu stepped out the door, she seemed to see a familiar figure. The man was hiding in a corner, wearing a baseball cap, looking unusually mysterious.

Luo Jiu didn't think much of it and erased the image from her mind. Shen Jinchen wouldn't be so idle; encountering him three times was practically like the system had a cheat code.

[007, 09: ...]

The two, who were inexplicably called, silently swallowed the words that were on the tip of their tongues.

After Luo Jiu left, the man took off his hat and walked out from the corner.

"Director Wang."

Wang Xucai, who was talking to his assistant, stopped and turned to Shen Jinchen, teasingly saying, "You have a good eye, kid. Where did you find her?"

A smile appeared in Chen Jinchen's eyes: "Guess."

"Hey, you little rascal."

Wang Xucai's eyes darted around as he looked him up and down. "I was wondering why you were so diligent today. You didn't have any scenes to film, but you came to the set. Turns out you were waiting for that young lady."

"But...you're dressed like this, you don't want her to see you, could it be..."

A hint of gossip and amusement flashed in Wang Xucai's eyes: " Came here to spy?"

Upon hearing those two words, Shen Jinchen's face showed a hint of unease. He coughed lightly twice and once again resumed his usual calm and gentlemanly demeanor.

Wang Xucai was a shrewd man, and naturally he didn't miss this slight change. With the air of someone who had been through it all, he said calmly:

"Young man, you've already resorted to such tactics, why don't you confess your feelings? If you wait any longer, she'll be snatched away, and then you'll regret it."

Shen Jinchen didn't want to pay attention to his nonsense, so he didn't explain and turned to leave.

"Hurry and catch up, they might not have gone far."

At Wang Xucai's urging, Shen Jinchen's back suddenly seemed to be fleeing in panic.

"Director Wang, should we call the next person?" An assistant on set asked, unsure of what to do.

"No need, can't you see how excited you big directors are? The rest of the story probably has no chance."

A woman in business attire sitting next to Wang Xucai smiled faintly, and the latter returned her a knowing look.

...

Sitting in the car, Luo Jiu felt a surge of joy. She had just landed another script, and her progress with the male lead had taken another big step forward. "I'm such a genius!" she thought.

A moment later, Lili, who was sitting in the front row, turned to look at Luo Jiu and said, "Sis, our hot pot dinner is probably going to have to be canceled."

"Huh?" Upon hearing this, Luo Jiu immediately perked up.

Li Li forced a smile. "Sister Liu just called me and asked us to come to the company to discuss the termination of the contract."

When the two arrived at the company, their representative and lawyer were already waiting for them.

The lawyer took out a document and placed it in front of Luo Jiu, saying, "Ms. Luo Jiu, your contract with Xingyu Media has expired. During this period, you have not created value or profit for the company, which is inconsistent with the initial expectations. Therefore, we have the right not to renew your contract."

The lawyer opened the documents in front of Luo Jiu: "This clearly outlines the distribution of assets after the termination of the contract, in full accordance with the previous contract requirements. You can sign it after you have carefully reviewed it and found no problems."

Then he took out another contract: "This is the handover contract. Please sign it if there are no problems."

Luo Jiu thought to herself, "They're moving so fast. They just finished filming and they're already planning to terminate the contract. That's why people say capitalists are vampires, huh?"

She took the contract, glanced at it casually, and her fingertips rustled through the paper, making a sound that stood out in the quiet office.

"Even if you don't achieve anything, the company won't treat you unfairly, so don't worry."

The representative was the son of the company's CEO, a complete spoiled brat. He saw Luo Jiu's behavior as a delaying tactic and his words carried a hint of impatience.

"Yeah?"

Luo Jiu chuckled and slammed the contract on the table, the whole action exuding an indescribable domineering aura.

"I was stabbed by Shuya some time ago, and I didn't receive any compensation or apology. The company should have taken the compensation."

"I originally thought that it would be returned to me in the contract, but I didn't expect that it only stated that I should return the house, the sponsoring brand and the jewelry, and there was no indication that I should return the money at all."

At this point, Luo Jiu scoffed, "You said you wouldn't treat me unfairly, but your behavior is really disgusting."

Liu Zhen hadn't actually seen the contract, and now, hearing Luo Jiu's words, her expression grew even more unpleasant.

"I don't want to make any demands or talk about renewing the contract. I don't care!"

"But you still have to return this money to me. Otherwise, what do you think will happen when Shuya's company finds out they've lost money and can't get rid of the trouble?"

The person in front of him was a spoiled brat who only knew how to play around. He was completely intimidated by Luo Jiu and kept glancing at the lawyer next to him.

In an instant, everyone in the room turned their attention to this elite man.

“This…” The lawyer pushed up his glasses and hesitated, “It is a bit difficult to handle.”

"OK".

Luo Jiu quickly signed the contract, clapped her hands, and stood up. "I've finished signing the contract. I just didn't want to see your faces anymore. They're disgusting."

"But... remember to transfer the compensation, otherwise... you won't want to see it."

Luo Jiu smiled slightly, exuding an imposing aura.

Liu Zhen, who was standing to the side, realized that Luo Jiu had changed a lot, but her radiance was becoming more and more undeniable.

"Oh, right."

Luo Jiu, who had just walked out the door, turned back again: "Li Li has just submitted her resignation, so there's no need to bring her along when handing over the work."

Free from any contract, Luo Jiu felt completely at ease, even her walk exuded an aura of confidence. Looking out the window, it was as if the midday sun had become more welcoming, beckoning to her.

"Ah, I've become unemployed," Lili sighed.

Luo Jiu took Li Li's arm and said affectionately, "Li Li, don't worry. Once I win over Shen Jinchen, I'll give him to you, and you can do whatever you want with him."

Lili quickly pushed her away: "What are you saying, woman! He's my idol! Don't think you can get him just because you're good-looking. Let me tell you, as his biggest fan, I absolutely will not allow such a thing to happen!"