Start by Spending One Billion [Entertainment Industry]

Sheng Quan had heard about some unbelievable cases in the entertainment industry in her past life.

But those cases mostly happened so long ago that they felt like they’d never happen again.

True, the entertainment industry today is still chaotic, but what unfolded before Sheng Quan’s eyes was a world where everyone seemed to abide by the principle of "not breaking the law." They might take advantage of others, engage in under-the-table deals, or pressure people into ruin—but no one dared to act outright brazenly.

Yet there are always exceptions. In a world filled with all sorts of people, some delusional, law-flouting narcissists inevitably crawl out of the woodwork.

Sheng Quan knocked on the tightly shut door: "Aike, it’s alright now. Come out."

There was a pause before sounds of something being moved came from inside—probably the barricade they’d used to block the door. After about two minutes, the door slowly opened, and Lin Aike peeked out. Sheng Quan handed her a bag of clothes:

"Change into these first."

Lin Aike whispered her thanks.

A short while later, Lin Aike emerged, now dressed, accompanied by a strikingly beautiful woman. Both had traces of blood under their fingernails—likely the source of the scratches on the two bodyguards’ faces.

Though they had clearly tried to tidy themselves up, their hair was still disheveled.

Lin Aike’s eyes were still slightly red, but the moment she stepped out and saw the middle-aged man lying on the floor, her gaze burned with hatred. She snatched an intact vase nearby and lunged forward.

The two scrawny bodyguards stood frozen in fear, not daring to move a muscle. Forget helping their boss—if not for the group of burly men blocking the exit, they might’ve already bolted.

Lin Aike was pulled back by the woman beside her, who said, "He’s already stopped committing the crime. Hitting him now would be illegal."

Hearing this, the man on the floor, who had been panicking, immediately nodded frantically, as if grasping at a lifeline: "Y-yes, yes! If you hit me now, that’s against the law!"

A man who had just committed a crime now suddenly knew how to use the law to protect himself.

Sheng Quan sneered but quickly composed herself. She turned her head toward Jiang Lu, her tone laced with meaning:

"Against the law, huh… Brother Jiang, tell me—if no one reports it, does a crime still count as a crime?"

Jiang Lu glanced at Sheng Quan and nodded, then fixed his gaze on the middle-aged man, his voice dropping into something cold and sinister:

"Don’t worry. I doubt he’ll be reporting anything."

The man shuddered, his eyes widening in terror: "Y-you… what are you going to do?!"

With that tone, in this situation, and with the dozen or so intimidating men behind Sheng Quan, it was hard not to think of… silencing witnesses.

What kind of person walked around with this many bodyguards—each looking battle-hardened and rigorously trained?

Just as his panic reached its peak, the beautiful woman who had been smirking at him waved her hand.

A tall, sharp-eyed man—who looked like he could take on ten of him—stepped forward, each stride deliberate, as if calculating where to strike first.

The man scrambled backward, but Jiang Lu closed the distance in two steps.

Kneeling down, Jiang Lu stared at the terrified man and suddenly asked:

"Do you like the ocean?"

The! Ocean! Dumping! Bodies!

These people—these people were part of the underworld!

The man trembled violently. He could barely speak: "N-no… please… I’ll never do it again, I swear—"

Jiang Lu ignored his pleas and continued slowly:

"People love looking at the surface, but you know what? I go diving a lot. The seabed is actually much more beautiful. You find all sorts of things down there that you’d never see above water."

The man’s mind flooded with images of weighted crates sinking into the abyss.

"AHHH—!!!"

He was utterly petrified. Forgetting his fear of Jiang Lu, he crawled frantically toward Sheng Quan, kowtowing desperately:

"I remember now! Sheng Quan—no, Miss Sheng! Miss Sheng, I was wrong! I beg you—I have a family, I was just confused! It wasn’t me—it was President Lou from Zeng Wang! He said Lin Aike was getting too defiant after her rise to fame, told me to take compromising photos to control her!"

"Miss Sheng, please—please don’t kill me! I know I messed up, it was Lou Yihang’s idea! Go after him, please—!"

Sheng Quan took a step back in disgust, her tone lazy: "What are you talking about? I’d never kill anyone."

She patted Lin Aike’s slightly trembling hand reassuringly, then looked down at the disheveled man. Just as he began to relax, she added coolly:

"Brother Jiang, he’s all yours."

"Take him where he belongs. Oh, and those two accomplices—send them off together."

S-send them off?!!!

The man looked as if he’d been struck by lightning.

The two bodyguards, who had been trying to make themselves as small as possible behind a vase, stiffened. They tried to bolt, but the men at the door easily restrained them.

They thrashed wildly, but there was no escaping these guys. Gagged and dragged downstairs, they struggled and pleaded the entire way.

Strangely, though the hotel lobby was full of staff, no one lifted a finger to help. Some even gathered to watch.

In broad daylight, under the rule of law—how could people be so cold? Was this even still China?

Sheng Quan had only brought one car, so the rest of the group hailed taxis outside. After flagging one down, Jiang Lu turned and shoved the bound man inside.

The guy somehow managed to spit out his gag and screamed at the taxi driver like a drowning man clutching at straws:

"They’re mafia! They’re going to kill me! Call the police—quick, get the police! I’ll pay you! I’ll pay anything!"

To his horror, the driver didn’t even blink. At a red light, he turned around and said:

"Stop yelling. You’re being noisy. You think I’m stupid? Like I’d let you go? What, you think I’m a kid or an idiot?"

He even said to Jiang Lu: "Hey, buddy, gag him properly. Don’t let him distract me while I’m driving."

In that moment, the man felt his blood run cold.

Even the taxi driver was one of them.

Of course—Sheng Quan had bought the Huaxing Building, donated 100 million like it was nothing. Her influence was terrifying.

He went limp like a wet noodle.

There was no escape. None.

In all of China, how could someone like her operate with such impunity?

Sheng Quan… just who was she?

——"I’m a law-abiding, upstanding citizen."

Sheng Quan was now at the police station, speaking to an officer:

"But given the nature of my work, privacy is a concern. We couldn’t report it at the hotel, so we came straight here. Yes, my friends are bringing those three in another car. They’ll be here any minute."

Just as they were speaking, the taxi pulled up in front of the police station. Jiang Lu stepped out, dragging the middle-aged man who was tightly bound with ropes. He held the man at arm's length—a stance that allowed him to maintain control while keeping a safe distance.

Sheng Quan moved forward to greet him, but Jiang Lu took a step back with the man in tow. "Don’t come too close," he warned. "He wet himself."

Hearing this, the police officers who had rushed out hesitated for a split second. But the next moment, they bravely stepped forward to take custody of the suspect—while carefully avoiding the damp patches on his pants.

***

"They were trying to kill me! They said they’d dump my body in the sea!"

—"I mentioned I like diving during a casual conversation. Who knew he’d take it so literally? We came straight to the police station from the hotel."

"He beat me up! I swear at least three of my ribs are broken!"

—"He tried to attack my employer after we stopped his crime, so I pushed him away. If he insists on making claims, let’s get a medical exam. I guarantee there’s not even a scratch on him."

"That hotel, and the taxi driver—they were all in on it! They’re accomplices! And Sheng Quan! She told that tall guy to 'send us on our way'! You hear that? 'On our way'!"

—"My employer only instructed us to escort them to the police station. As for the hotel, yes, we did coordinate with them—because the incident happened there, so we asked the manager to come as a witness. The taxi driver? I don’t even know him. When he found out we were delivering a criminal to the station, he even praised us for doing the right thing."

The police officers weren’t blind—they could tell Sheng Quan and her group had deliberately frightened the man.

But objectively, all they’d done was chat, and while some of their words might’ve been ambiguously phrased, they hadn’t actually harmed him. Even his claims of being beaten only amounted to minor redness upon inspection.

Sure, the officers suspected Jiang Lu had the skills to inflict excruciating pain without leaving marks—but there was simply no evidence to prove it. Even if this went to court, Sheng Quan and her team wouldn’t face consequences.

Besides, the suspects’ crimes were so vile that anyone would want to throttle them. As friends of the victim, a little scare within legal limits? Understandable.

So in the end, the officers simply advised gently:

"Next time something like this happens, try to avoid ambiguous phrasing. If the suspect takes it seriously, they might try to jump out a window or off a moving car to escape. You meant well, but complications could arise."

Of course, Sheng Quan didn’t say, *"With so many of us surrounding him, he wouldn’t have a chance to even try."* Instead, she nodded obediently. "Understood. Thank you, officers."

"Good. Your friend’s out now—go comfort her."

Lin Aike didn’t actually need comforting anymore.

At first, she *had* been terrified. More than the fear of assault, she’d been paralyzed by the thought of her career being destroyed in an instant.

Her first instinct had been to call the police, but as her finger hovered over the dial button, hesitation set in. Once officers arrived in such a public place, even without paparazzi, bystanders would record everything. If the incident spread that way, her career would be over—regardless of whether she was at fault.

Then she remembered Sheng Quan.

Back when Sheng Quan was still on set, she’d told Lin Aike to reach out if she ever needed help.

Even after Sheng Quan rushed over and stayed on the phone with her, Lin Aike’s heart had been drowning in despair and rage.

Then, abruptly, those emotions were eclipsed by a new panic.

As they descended the hotel stairs, her mind spiraled:

*"My wealthy friend is about to commit murder for me."*

*"How do I stop her from staining her hands with this trash’s blood?"*

Lin Aike had been completely stunned.

Her thought process went something like this:

*"President Sheng loves me this much?"*

*"She’s willing to kill for me."*

*"But murder is illegal."*

*"Yet she’s doing it for me—she really loves me."*

*"No, no, it’s still a crime! I can’t let her go to prison because of me!"*

Sheng Quan had mistaken her trembling hands for lingering fear.

In reality, Lin Aike was shaking because she was terrified Sheng Quan would *"throw away everything for love"* and cross a line of no return.

A scumbag like that wasn’t worth a second thought—but President Sheng couldn’t commit a crime for her sake!

So Lin Aike’s earlier despair and terror vanished, replaced by sheer urgency to make Sheng Quan *stop*.

In the car, her voice quivering with tears, she finally managed to say:

"I know you’re doing this to avenge me, but it’s illegal. If you’re caught, you’ll go to prison. Can we… *not* kill him, please?"

The car fell silent for a second.

Then the two girls beside her burst into laughter.

Sheng Quan nearly doubled over, clutching her stomach. "HAHAHAHA—so *that’s* why you’ve been so quiet! You actually thought I’d kill him? Oh my god, do you think I’m some kind of mafia princess or something?"

Their new friend, equally beautiful and now laughing so hard she could barely sit straight, added:

"HAHAHAHA—so *that’s* what that conflicted look was about! It was *obviously* just a scare tactic!"

And just like that, Lin Aike was mercilessly teased for the entire ride.

All her earlier anguish, despair, and helplessness evaporated.

If possible, she would’ve dug a hole in the ground and disappeared.

***

While the police investigated the case—unraveling a whole network of connections and exposing an underground "trade chain"—Sheng Quan and Lin Aike gained a new friend.

Xu Man.

Despite her striking beauty, she was actually a director.

She hadn’t even known Lin Aike before that night. She’d simply been staying at the same hotel, stepping out to pick up a food delivery when she spotted a dazed Lin Aike being dragged toward a room. Sensing trouble, Xu Man tried to call the police—but the men noticed and snatched her phone.

They forced her into the room too.

So she smashed a vase over one of their heads.

Armed with broken shards, she slashed at anyone who came near. When Lin Aike, still groggy, managed to rise and join the fight, the two of them went berserk—attacking with everything they had.

Two against three was already a losing battle, especially with the physical disadvantage. Lin Aike was still drugged, and both women’s clothes were torn to shreds. But their sheer ferocity bought them enough time to barricade themselves inside the bathroom.

Recounting the ordeal later, Lin Aike shuddered with lingering fear and gratitude.

"If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have woken up in time."

Xu Man looked every bit the elegant, intellectual beauty—but beneath that exterior, she had the same bold, righteous streak as Yuan Zixin. The kind of person who’d step in without hesitation when she saw injustice.

She waved her hand dismissively: “It’s nothing. Even if it weren’t you, I’d have helped anyone in that situation. Though next time, I’ll remember to retreat to my room before calling the police. Those scumbags—I’ve trained for this. The hotel just didn’t have the right tools. Those chairs were bolted to the floor. If I’d gotten my hands on a proper weapon, who’s to say who’d have won?”

Sheng Quan quietly munched on an apple beside her.

She believed Xu Man’s words.

Xu Man—a prodigious director, a fleeting figure in the story.

Her fleeting presence wasn’t because her works were short-lived, but because, during a late-night snack run, she was cornered by a group of men who coveted her beauty.

—Xu Man grabbed a chair and fought five men in a chaotic brawl.

In the end, three of the men died, two were severely injured, and she herself succumbed to an infected wound.

After reading that part of the plot, Sheng Quan immediately signed up for a gym membership.

Then, thanks to constant overtime, she only went three or five times the entire year.

Meanwhile, Xu Man was still chattering away:

“I’d recommend you pick up some martial arts too. Natural stamina is hard to change, but we can compensate with weapons. Next time something like this happens, at least you’ll have a fighting chance.”

“Ah, gotta go—I’ve got a meeting with that Director Liu. Let’s see if I can convince him to invest. Ugh, these investors—they throw money at projects but always insist on stuffing their people into the cast. Fine, but at least pick someone decent! No acting skills, and on top of that, they’re ugly. When will their taste align with normal human standards?”

Sheng Quan caught her arm.

The ethereal-looking Xu Man turned, puzzled. “What’s up?”

Sheng Quan swallowed her bite of apple. “I’m normal.”

“I’ll invest in you. No meddling with the crew, no forced casting. Just tell me—how much do you need?”

Xu Man: “…”

By her own account.

At that moment, she saw light.

The golden, shimmering kind.