Guo Shangkun's hand became increasingly inappropriate, moving upwards along Ouyang Zixuan's arm. Ouyang Zixuan froze on the spot, her body stiffening, her mind seemingly stopping.
She suddenly stood up just as that groping hand was about to touch her sensitive area.
"I'm sorry, Director Guo! I have to go back now!"
Ouyang Zixuan's heart was pounding. She was terrified. Although she was usually carefree, this was the first time she had encountered something like this, and she clearly didn't know what to do.
Guo Shangkun's face immediately fell.
Her assistant, seeing this, immediately came over and pulled Ouyang Zixuan away, then began to persuade her, "What's wrong? You've only been here a few minutes, and you're already leaving? Don't you want to continue on the path of art?"
"I'm sorry, I don't want to anymore, I want to go back."
Ouyang Zixuan was so frightened that her mind was in complete chaos. All she wanted to do was go back and calm down.
But that person still didn't let go.
He called out to a woman next to him, who was now a moderately famous actress.
She stood up with a smile and swayed her hips as she walked over.
Ouyang Zixuan was slightly stunned when she saw the other person. The light was dim and she was nervous, so she hadn't noticed that this person was here.
The woman in front of her was her idol.
"Lin Ruyi? You're Lin Ruyi!!"
Lin Ruyi smiled slightly.
“It’s me, little sister. I just heard that you also graduated from Guangchuan Art School. What a coincidence, we are alumni. I’m a few years ahead of you.”
Lin Ruyi smiled charmingly.
Ouyang Zixuan nodded excitedly after seeing her idol.
"I know, I know. I enrolled in Guangchuan Art School because I liked your movie."
"Hehe, I see. So you're still my little fan?"
Lin Ruyi covered her mouth and chuckled softly.
She took Ouyang Zixuan's hand and led her to the side.
"Little sister, why did you leave? I heard the director was willing to give you a chance, which is something many people dream of. Why do you seem unhappy?"
"I……"
Ouyang Zixuan glanced at the director not far away, just as Guo Shangkun looked over. Ouyang Zixuan immediately looked away.
"I feel like I'm not a good fit."
Lin Ruyi knew what had happened.
She said softly, "Little sister, you seem a bit reserved. Is there something you're worried about? If you're concerned, you can tell me. As someone who's been through this, I can offer you some advice."
"I...I feel...I feel the director wants to sexually harass me."
Ouyang Zixuan is still too young; she immediately used the term "unspoken rules."
Lin Ruyi wasn't very surprised when she heard this.
He just chuckled softly.
"Little sister, is your family very rich?"
Lin Ruyi shook her head.
"My parents were both factory workers."
"Was that person who came with you just now your boyfriend?"
"No, he's just my manager. I've only been working there for less than a month."
"So what are you hesitating about? Little sister, you've been given a great opportunity today. This isn't called a shady deal, it's called being given an opportunity. Remember this term. If you want to do well in this industry, you need to understand it."
"But...but I still don't like it..."
How could a vibrant 20-year-old girl possibly like being touched by a greasy middle-aged man? Especially since Ouyang Zixuan has never actually had a boyfriend. She grew up watching idol dramas, and the person she fantasized about has always been her Prince Charming.
So she couldn't accept it.
Lin Ruyi advised her as if she were someone who had been through it all.
"Little sister, whether you like it or not, sometimes you can't help it. If you want to gain something, you have to lose something. This is called 'giving and receiving.' Many people have gone through this. There's nothing shameful about it."
"Sister Ruyi, is this how you got here?"
Ouyang Zixuan was always very bold in her questions. After she asked this question, Lin Ruyi was stunned. She did not expect Ouyang Zixuan to be so direct.
Of course she wouldn't admit it. How could she possibly tell you openly that she got her position through underhanded means?
"Hehe, little sister, I had a tough time back then, much tougher than you are now. When I first graduated, I didn't have any teachers to introduce me to. I went around to different film crews with my resume, but they didn't recognize my face. I didn't have any famous teachers to recommend me, so they wouldn't even bother to look at me. They would just throw my resume aside to collect dust. At first, I didn't give up. After all, I was the top student in my major back then. I believed that gold will always shine. I worked harder than others, going to seven or eight different film crews a day to play corpses, stunt doubles, and maids. That's how I got through a year or two..."
"My pride was finally defeated by reality. There's a saying that there are always people better than you and heavens beyond heavens. When you're in school, you think you're very good, but once you enter society, you're nothing. Especially in this industry, it's all about personal connections. Even if you're really good, people might not hire you. I've been working hard in Beijing for a year or two, studying acting every day, but... haha, I can't even afford a normal apartment. I can only live in a basement, like a rat that can't see the light of day."
Perhaps it was because she was talking about her past experiences that a tear welled up in Lin Ruyi's eyes, or perhaps it was because her performance was really good. In any case, Ouyang Zixuan was moved by her story.
"Sister Ruyi, I never imagined you had such a hard life before you became famous..."
Lin Ruyi smiled slightly.
"Yes, it's really tough. So when I see you not cherishing this opportunity, I still feel bad for you. Little sister, you have this chance to rise to the top in one step. I hope you will have a better life than me, so it's very important to seize this opportunity. What do you think?"
Lin Ruyi is a master at persuading people. She won't tell you directly to accept the unspoken rules, but will use her own experience to tell you with great emotion that if you don't choose the unspoken rules, your future path will be very difficult.
Ouyang Zixuan hesitated as expected.
However, this time the hesitation was obviously much shorter.
"Sister Ruyi, I still can't accept it!"
Lin Ruyi thought she was being overly reserved. She had met girls like that before, so she continued, "Little sister, just think about it. Just treat it as acting. Change your perspective; maybe this can give you more experience in performing intimate scenes."
Ouyang Zixuan shook her head again.
"No! I don't want to get close to this kind of old man. I can't even get a little bit close to him. If acting requires me to act like this, then I'm not going to be an actor anymore."
"Little sister, isn't acting your dream?"
"Yes, acting is my dream, but dreams can be changed, just like aspirations. What you just said makes it even clearer to me that I don't want to be an actor anymore."
Lin Ruyi was surprised.
Her persuasion rarely failed; almost every time she tried to persuade these girls, they would be convinced and accept the unspoken rules.
But why did it have the opposite effect on this girl?
Seeing that Ouyang Zixuan wouldn't listen to her advice, Lin Ruyi was slightly displeased.
She advised that there were benefits to this kind of girl; after seeing her help, the director would always give her more screen time or recommend her for a spokesperson position.
Therefore, she didn't want Ouyang Zixuan to escape so easily.
"Little sister, how will you live in the future? You just said that your parents are both factory workers, and our major is for performing arts. If you don't want to be an actress, what do you want to do in the future? Do you want to work in administration? Or work in a factory? These are all jobs with no future. You work yourself to the bone for a few thousand yuan a month. Can you really stand that kind of life?"
Ouyang Zixuan was slightly taken aback.
Why are we talking about income now?
Shouldn't we be talking about dreams?
“Sister Ruyi, I won’t do administration, and I won’t go to the factory. I will probably still choose to continue working at the club.”
Lin Ruyi chuckled, still looking down on him somewhat.
"Sister! Working in a club like this is a job that only lasts a short time. You won't earn much money, and it sounds bad to others. When I was going through the toughest times, someone offered me a job like this, and they offered me 50,000 yuan a month, but I didn't take it. You have to have some dignity. It's the same job of serving men, but isn't being a celebrity better than being a masseuse?"
“It’s different. I think it’s great at Linglong Club. I don’t think it sounds bad. Besides, I don’t only serve men. Our clients include both men and women. We are mainly responsible for dancing and live streaming. My manager also said that we will get a share of the profits. I think it’s pretty good.”
Lin Ruyi couldn't help but laugh. She laughed at the girl's naivety and her shallow understanding.
"Sis, these online celebrities aren't much more upscale than professional technicians, and how could they possibly give you any money? I know a lot of companies that scam their streamers; you've probably been cheated."
Ouyang Zixuan shook her head again.
"No, our manager is very trustworthy. He wouldn't lie to us. Besides, I've asked my older colleagues, and they all earn very high salaries, around 100,000 yuan a month."
"Hehe, is 100,000 yuan a lot of money? Sister, it's better to be an actress. I make several million yuan from just one endorsement. Even after deducting taxes and other expenses, I can still earn hundreds of thousands. It's just a simple and easy job of taking a few photos and videos."
"But my manager said that if we calculate the profit sharing this time, I estimate we can earn about 3 million."
"How much?! 3 million!!!"
Lin Ruyi raised her voice considerably.
Ouyang Zixuan nodded blankly.
"Yes, because my sales volume from live streaming is quite high. Based on that ratio, I should be able to get that much. And it's based on the number of sessions. Our manager said it might be even higher in the future."
When Lin Ruyi heard that the price might go even higher, her lips twitched.
"You've been scammed, haven't you? How could they possibly give you that much money?"
He just said that he only needs to endorse an advertisement and shoot a few videos, and that it's very easy. But he was just lying to himself.
Securing an endorsement deal is not an easy task. Many people compete for the same endorsement, and the time and costs involved make it a relatively low-paying job, unless you're dealing with a super popular celebrity.
It's a pity she hasn't reached that level yet. She can only be described as somewhat famous, earning tens of thousands of yuan for each episode of a TV series.
These tens of thousands of yuan still need to be taxed.
Actors' taxes are also very high, and agents and companies take a large share, so what they actually get is not much.
So when Ouyang Zixuan said she could earn 3 million yuan in one live stream, Lin Ruyi was completely shocked; she couldn't believe it was true.
"Anyway, that's what my manager told me. Our manager is a man who doesn't lie. He always does what he says. This amount of money isn't a huge sum for him. Our club's renovation alone will cost several hundred million."
"puff!!!"
Lin Ruyi was somewhat shocked.
"You're kidding me? The renovation costs hundreds of millions? Who would spend that much money on renovations? Are you crazy?"
"You don't believe me? I'll show you!"
Ouyang Zixuan took out her phone and then scrolled to the video of their club.
Lin Ruyi felt that the video looked somewhat familiar.
Upon closer inspection, it seems I do have some recollection of it.
For the past few days, her agent has been telling her how popular that traditional Chinese style club is, urging her to imitate it, wear traditional costume, and film a short video for everyone to see.
But she didn't notice that.
She hadn't expected it to be true.
With so much money invested, perhaps there really will be that much return...
If this is true, then why the hell is he an actor? He might as well go sell merchandise!
...
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