Chi Yan got up early the next day and told her mother she was going out to find a job.
Her mother reminded her, “Don’t worry if you can’t find one right away. The most important thing is you. Besides, I can also go out to work.”
Chi Yan felt a warmth in her heart and replied, “I understand. Thank you, Mom.”
Currently, the three biggest entertainment companies in the country were Bole, Xinggui, and Qianmeng.
Bole and Qianmeng both had their headquarters in this city, while Xinggui had a branch office here, making all three quite convenient.
In her past life, Chi Yan had signed with Qianmeng. However, Qianmeng’s contracts for newcomers were very unfavorable. Even though she later gained seniority and was able to switch contracts, there were still many restrictions. Moreover, Qianmeng mainly focused on singers and idols, with relatively fewer resources in the film and television industry compared to the other two.
That said, she was very familiar with Qianmeng and knew its inner workings well. The other two companies, she wasn’t as familiar with.
Still, she had contacted a friend who was signed with Bole, and that friend had agreed to introduce her to a manager.
The meeting was scheduled for 9 a.m. at a café.
Chi Yan arrived a few minutes early. Her friend and the manager had not yet arrived, so she found a quiet corner to sit in and sent a message to her friend.
Both her friend and the manager were punctual, arriving shortly after.
After ordering coffee, the manager got straight to the point.
“Sun Han told me I’d definitely be interested in you, and I must say, Miss Chi, your appearance is quite impressive. But what are your special skills?”
Chi Yan could tell that the manager was quite satisfied with her looks, but he seemed more inclined to groom her into a pop star.
“I want to be an actress,” she said firmly.
The manager was briefly taken aback and remarked, “It’s a shame you don’t want to be an idol.”
The atmosphere grew slightly awkward, but just then, the server arrived with their coffee, easing the tension.
Seeing an opportunity, Sun Han asked, “Brother Xu, can’t you at least let Chi Yan give it a try?”
Hearing that the manager’s last name was Xu, Chi Yan’s heart stirred.
Could this be Xu Yi’s older brother?
It wasn’t impossible. Sun Han was also from their school, so he might know Xu Yi.
“To be honest, Miss Chi,” Xu Wen said, “I’ve only been working here for a short time. The company only allows me to manage trainees—I don’t have the authority to handle anyone else. If you want to sign on as an actress, I can’t help you.”
Chi Yan didn’t give up and asked, “Mr. Xu, is there really no way?”
Seeing his expression soften slightly, she continued, “Even though I studied journalism in college, I later realized that I love acting. Please give me a chance.”
Sun Han also chimed in, “Brother Xu, Chi Yan is from our school, and even Xu Yi knows her. Please help her out.”
Xu Wen took a sip of his coffee, thought for a moment, then said, “I can introduce you to one of our company’s film and television managers. The rest will be up to you.”
“Thank you so much!”
Without further ado, Xu Wen immediately made a call to a manager he was acquainted with.
“Sis, I have a promising talent here. Do you have time to come and check her out?”
“Ugh, I’d sign her myself if I could, but she wants to act.”
“Alright, I’ll send you the address.”
After finishing the call, Xu Wen turned to Sun Han. “Xiao Sun, you should get back to training now.”
Sun Han nodded and said goodbye to Chi Yan.
Chi Yan encouraged him, “Good luck with your training! I’m sure you’ll debut successfully!”
After Sun Han left, Xu Wen finally spoke to Chi Yan. “If you successfully sign with the company, I need you to do me a favor.”
“What kind of favor?” Chi Yan asked politely. “If it’s something I can do, I’ll do my best to help.” She was grateful to him for his help just now.
“Nothing for now,” Xu Wen said. “Just keep it in mind for the future.”
Chi Yan was wary of vague promises like this—who knew what the future would bring?
After considering it for a moment, she finally agreed, “As long as it’s legal and within my ability, I’ll help.”
Xu Wen smiled. “Great, I’ll thank you in advance.”
The manager Xu Wen had contacted happened to be nearby, so they didn’t have to wait long. Soon, she arrived.
“Xiao Xu, is this the promising talent you mentioned?”
The moment the manager got a clear look at Chi Yan, her eyes lit up. It was rare to find such a beautiful aspiring artist.
She was very satisfied with Chi Yan’s looks and only hoped that she had strong potential as well.
That said, based on Chi Yan’s face alone, she was confident she could make her a star.
“Sis, this is Chi Yan,” Xu Wen introduced.
“Hello.” Chi Yan was polite but not timid. Confidence radiated from her.
“Hello,” the woman extended her hand for a handshake. “My name is Wang Ying, and I’m a manager at Bole.”
Chi Yan’s heart stirred at the name, and she asked, “Is it the Ying with the ‘Wang’ radical?”
“That’s right,” Wang Ying replied, giving her a glance. “But most people assume it’s the ‘Ying’ from ‘hero.’”
Chi Yan thought to herself, Then I was right.
Having been reborn, Chi Yan’s luck had significantly improved. Wang Ying was quite famous in her past life.
She had managed three Best Actors and two Best Actresses. People in the industry often said she had a keen eye for talent, able to spot true gems.
With a manager like her, there was no doubt about her capabilities.
“Oh, I see. I’ve heard of you,” Chi Yan said.
Wang Ying raised an eyebrow. “Oh? From what Xiao Xu told me, you’re only a senior in college, and you’re not even studying at a film academy. How would you have heard of me?”
“Yes, a friend of mine wanted to sign under you,” Chi Yan replied.
She wasn’t lying—though that had been in her past life.
Hearing her explanation, Wang Ying didn’t dwell on it and instead got straight to the point. “Do you want to be an idol-drama star or a serious actress?”
Before Chi Yan could answer, she continued, “For you, becoming an idol-drama star would be effortless. With your looks, it’s completely doable.”
“Sister Ying,” Chi Yan chose a more familiar way of addressing her, “I want to be an actress—one that audiences recognize for my outstanding acting skills.”
“Then let’s put you to the test. Cry within ten minutes.”
Wang Ying wasn’t being too harsh, considering the young girl in front of her had no experience.
She was already prepared to chat with Xu Wen to pass the time, but to her surprise, Chi Yan stunned her.
Within a minute, Chi Yan’s tears had already fallen.
She was wearing a white dress today, with a light and natural makeup look. The teardrops clinging to her lashes made her appear even more delicate and pitiful, stirring instant sympathy in anyone who saw her.
Chi Yan blinked twice lightly, allowing the tears to slide down her cheeks. Then, she lowered her head slightly, her gaze fixed on the floor—like someone who had just suffered an injustice.
“Not bad,” Wang Ying praised, her expression showing approval. “Today is Sunday. Come to Bole tomorrow morning, and we’ll discuss the contract. Leave me your contact information.”
Chi Yan wiped her tears with a tissue, took out her phone, and added Wang Ying on WeChat.
Seeing how quickly she had composed herself, Wang Ying’s perception of her deepened further.
“Be at Bole at ten o’clock tomorrow morning. Tell the front desk my name, and they’ll let you in. I’ve sent you the location of my office,” Wang Ying instructed.
Chi Yan opened the message, glanced at it, and nodded. “Alright, I got it.”
“Good. I have something else to do, so I’ll head off now.” With that, Wang Ying hurriedly left.
The next day, Chi Yan arrived at the entrance of Bole.
She looked up at the towering building in front of her, feeling a brief moment of daze.
This would be her company for the next few years.
Taking a deep breath, she stepped inside with confidence and composure.
It seemed that Wang Ying had already informed the front desk, as Chi Yan had no trouble getting to her office.
However, she hadn’t expected to hear an argument inside.
“I think Chi Yan is worth signing—she has real potential!”
“She’s just a newbie, and not even from a professional acting background. She has no works to her name. How can other artists take her seriously?”
…
Chi Yan originally wanted to step away, but upon unexpectedly hearing her name, she decisively knocked on the door.
There was a brief pause inside, followed by Wang Ying’s voice saying, “Come in.”
Only then did Chi Yan enter.
“Chi Yan is here,” Wang Ying said.
“Sister Ying,” Chi Yan greeted her before turning her gaze toward the man sitting on the sofa. “And this is…?”
“You don’t need to know who I am,” the man said coldly. “I won’t approve your contract.”
Chi Yan knew that, given her current circumstances—just having graduated—getting signed wouldn’t be easy. But she had six years of acting experience from her past life to back her up. She had no reason to be afraid.
“Is it just because I didn’t attend a formal acting school?” she asked. “But what if I told you my acting skills are just as good as those who did?”
The man sneered. “Little girl, do you think I’d just take your word for it? You have nothing—no professional background, no popularity as an internet influencer—and you want to sign a contract? Dream on!”
“How can you judge me so quickly? You haven’t even seen—”
The man shook his head. “If you wanted to be a traffic-star idol, I might have bent the rules and let Wang Ying sign you. But since you insist on being an actress, that’s not going to happen.”
Seeing that she still wanted to argue, the man pointed to a document on the coffee table.
“Fine, since you have such a pretty face, I’ll give you a chance. Whether you succeed or not is up to you.”
Chi Yan glanced at him before picking up the document.
It was a casting competition recruitment notice.
Bole, Xinggui, and Qianmeng had jointly decided to select ten promising actors from a nationwide pool of applicants to sign.
The competition had several stages—an open selection to pick the top 100, a cut to the top 20, then the top 10, with a final round determining rankings among the top ten. The higher the ranking, the better the contract terms.
Chi Yan had heard of this prestigious competition in her past life. Every actor who had made it into the top ten had later become a respected figure in the industry.
She had never participated in this competition before.
At this point in her past life, she had been aimlessly working as an errand girl at Chi Hongzheng’s company.
Later, when she finally decided to enter the entertainment industry, her uncle had pulled some strings to get her a background acting role in Hengdian, which was how she slowly started her career.
But what frustrated her most about this competition was that Yang Yueyi would also be participating—and would even place in the top three.
Seeing Chi Yan remain silent, the man assumed she was scared.
“So, do you want to participate?” he asked.
“Yes,” Chi Yan’s voice was firm and decisive. “This is a great opportunity. How could I not seize it?”
—————————————————————
Author’s Note:
It’s so cold, my hands are freezing QAQ.
And my computer broke down QAQ.
Next chapter will be updated on Thursday.
Reading this novel reminded me of Zhao lusi 😭 hope she has a great year ahead
