Start by Spending One Billion [Entertainment Industry]

Not only Lin Aike, but other actors and even staff members in the crew received calls and messages from all directions.

—"Hey man, are you currently working on 'The Road of Life'? I heard a wealthy fan invested ten million just to get an actor to play Qin Heng. Is that true?"

—"OMG!!! Girl, where are you? I’ve been calling you non-stop! Get on Weibo now! That gorgeous lady who invested in your drama is trending!"

—"Yes, even the Weibo accounts of you main cast members have been discovered. Your follower count is skyrocketing. We need to seize this opportunity. I’ve already booked a flight and am coming over to see if we can negotiate with Director Wan to add more scenes for you. You’re the male lead, so it should be easier to talk."

—"Old Gao, are you still working as an extra in 'The Road of Life'? Is what’s trending online true?"

—"This drama is already a hit before it’s even aired. You’re really lucky. I’ve discussed it with the company, and we’ve secured a lot of promotional resources for you, Wang Zheng. Make sure you do your best, okay? A supporting role in a hit drama is way more popular than the lead in a flop. This kind of opportunity is something many people wait ten or twenty years for."

The content of these calls and messages was mostly a mix of verification and congratulations, with many people eager to hear more inside information and coming specifically to dig for details.

Then there were people like Lin Aike’s agent, who, after the initial excitement, quickly figured out how to position their artist and plan how to ride this wave of momentum.

For a moment, everyone was either making calls, listening to voice messages, or replying to texts, including Director Wan Bao. He was still basking in the joy when his phone started ringing non-stop, forcing him to pause his baritone singing and switch to social mode.

Exaggerated?

Not at all.

Keep in mind, the Weibo trending search titled "#What It’s Like to Have a Wealthy Fan as the Original Novel Reader#" had already climbed to ninth place and was still rising. The attention from this topic had turned into real traffic, and it was clear that these curious netizens were either scattering or swarming toward the drama’s related personnel.

The actors who had been tagged by the official account were now in the public eye within this short period of time.

Sheng Quan scrolled through them one by one, and it was clear that the follower counts of almost all the main cast of 'The Road of Life' had doubled, or even tripled.

As for Yan Hui, the protagonist, his numbers were even more impressive. Before this, no one even knew his name, but now, his Weibo followers were the highest in the entire crew.

Sheng Quan wasn’t surprised, but 006 was overjoyed!

【Host! The career points are rising!! You’re not going to die!】

Although she had already anticipated this outcome, 006’s genuine happiness for her made Sheng Quan respond in kind: 【Yeah, now you can relax and enjoy the drama, right?】

006: 【Mhm! Host is amazing! To gain so many career points in just one day! Once it reaches ten, you’ll be able to receive a stage reward~】

Sheng Quan’s eyes lit up: 【A stage reward? Is it money?】

Her current financial situation was a bit awkward. To make a strong first impression, she had spent almost all her money on critical areas, including building up her image as a wealthy person. The results were indeed obvious, as everyone she encountered now gave her the green light.

But only Sheng Quan knew the truth: she was staying at the Junyue Hotel for 188,000 a night, driving a luxury car worth over 20 million, and had invested 10 million in the drama, yet her pockets were nearly empty.

006, however, regretfully informed her: 【It’s not time for cash rewards yet. Stage rewards can only be physical items.】

Sheng Quan wasn’t too surprised. She had already figured out the reward system of the funding system. It was very generous with physical items but rather stingy when it came to money. She guessed this rule was likely designed to ensure the host fully focused on aiding the beneficiaries, as these physical items couldn’t be resold. To earn rebates, the host would naturally work hard to help the beneficiaries achieve career success.

So those wishes were probably just the wishes of the novel fans, after all.

Sheng Quan quickly became excited again: 【Can I know what the reward is now?】

006: 【Since it’s a beginner task, the reward is pretty good too. You’ll still need to draw it yourself, but this time, there’s even an SSSS-level reward in the stage rewards. If you manage to draw that, it would be amazing~】

Showing the host the reward content in advance wasn’t against the rules, so 006 happily let Sheng Quan take a look. Sheng Quan scanned it and felt quite lucky: 【It’s exactly what I need right now. What’s Yan Hui’s career value at now?】

006: 【First funding recipient career value: 8】

Sheng Quan: 【Then we should be able to draw in a few days. Want to watch some TV together?】

006 was delighted: 【Yes! I want to watch the one we saw last time!】

【Alright, I’ll turn on the TV.】

Sheng Quan smiled. Although 006 was great at making money, it had only been born less than a month ago. Faced with this naive, reliable, and always caring newborn system, she was always more than willing to accommodate.

After watching TV with 006 for about two hours, Sheng Quan was about to head out for a meal when there was a knock at the door. After being granted permission to enter, Yu Xiangwan walked in:

“Ms. Sheng, I’ve compiled the list of senior administrative management personnel who have submitted resumes to us, but most of them don’t meet our requirements.”

Sheng Quan took the list and glanced through it. Some had demands that were ridiculously high, while others clearly saw their company as complete novices and were spouting nonsense, painting unrealistic pictures with no sincerity. She wasn’t angry, though, and simply tossed the file aside: “It seems they don’t think Xingmang has much potential.”

A hint of irritation flashed in Yu Xiangwan’s eyes. He hated seeing others underestimate Sheng Quan: “They’re blind.”

Sheng Quan patted his shoulder with a smile: “Alright, alright, I’m not upset, so why are you? It’s understandable. After all, we’re just a shell company right now—no people, no resources, not even an office building settled. What talented senior administrative manager would want to work for me? Forget them; even regular employees wouldn’t be willing.”

Yu Xiangwan said solemnly: “Regardless of all that, I will always follow you, Ms. Sheng.”

Sheng Quan: “…”

Oh right, she forgot about his unwavering loyalty.

“Alright, don’t worry about that. Do you know what’s most important for artists in the entertainment industry to make it big?”

Yu Xiangwan thought for a second: “Resources.”

That was indeed the answer he would give. Harsh, but true.

Before stepping into society, Sheng Quan used to think that the most important things for making it big in the entertainment industry were acting skills, looks, physique, and so on.

In reality, across all industries, ability truly speaks for itself. Take Sheng Quan's previous life, for example. She lost both parents at a young age and grew up in poverty, but that didn't stop her from climbing her way up to a management position. Although she sacrificed her hair in the process, she successfully achieved a class leap.

The reason? Simply because she had the ability.

Unfortunately, the entertainment industry doesn't operate the same way.

In this fiercely competitive field, there are plenty of people with great acting skills, plenty of good-looking individuals, and no shortage of those who are both talented and attractive. However, having these qualities isn't enough—you need to showcase them for others to notice.

If no one offers you a role, how can you demonstrate your skills? Even if you do get a part, your scenes might end up on the cutting room floor. Can the audience really recognize your exceptional talent from a few fleeting moments? More often than not, you might not even get those few moments—just a blink-and-you-miss-it appearance, and even that might be cut short.

As for looks, it's even more straightforward. If you're not the lead, how can you possibly outshine them? Attractive actors without resources are often asked to tone down their appearance. Going makeup-free is considered a win, and sometimes they're even made to wear unflattering makeup or darken their skin.

No matter how talented you are, you need the perfect platform to showcase your abilities before people can exclaim, "Wow, there's such a remarkable person here!"

That's why the entire crew was overjoyed—at least the actors were. On this day, they became the center of attention, known to the public, and gained an opportunity for more people to recognize and appreciate their talents.

Sheng Quan used to despise these "rules." As a viewer, she would feel infuriated every time she saw actors with little talent but plenty of looks starring in adaptations of her favorite novels.

She didn't know how other fans of the original works felt, but she personally didn't mind novels being adapted into TV shows or movies. She longed to see grand scenes, deeply moving emotions, and the clash of stunning visuals. But those adaptations that ruined the original works didn't deliver any of that.

Thinking about this, Sheng Quan clenched her teeth in frustration. Her gaze fell on the script for *The Road of Life* beside her, and her mood gradually calmed.

Oh right—she was now the one making the rules.

Moreover, her hair had grown back. 006 was truly thoughtful. The body created for her using wish power not only matched her original one but also restored her to the age of twenty-three. Although she had already started losing hair due to late nights at that age, after a period of early nights, early mornings, and proper care, Sheng Quan's hair had regained its glossy, jet-black sheen.

Running her fingers through her smooth, silky hair, Sheng Quan cheerfully agreed with Yu Xiangwan's observation: "So we don't need to worry about these things anymore. We have the resources now, and smart people who want to take a chance will come to us."

At least in the eyes of others, Sheng Quan, who had invested ten million in the production and had the rising star Yan Hui under her wing, had indeed secured valuable resources. The buzz and attention she commanded, though seemingly intangible, could easily be transformed into various opportunities within the industry.

Yu Xiangwan immediately understood Sheng Quan's meaning. "Got it. Should we continue looking for office space?"

"No need," Sheng Quan replied with a smile. "Instead of renting a floor in an office building, we can make a better choice."

***

Sheng Quan's "splashing of cash" didn't catch the attention of her peers. After all, ten million was something they could afford too, and Yan Hui, the newly minted star, was nothing out of the ordinary for them.

Besides, while the industry was cutthroat for artists, companies generally preferred to maintain a friendly atmosphere among themselves. Everyone was just trying to make money, not wage a life-or-death battle, so exchanging pleasantries wasn't that hard.

Not many in the entertainment industry paid much attention to Sheng Quan. Ten million wasn't enough to make them drop everything and scrutinize trending topics. Those who dug into Sheng Quan's background were mostly small companies with limited registered capital, aspiring artists hoping to become the "next Yan Hui," and a few directors seeking investments.

At the moment, the ones most interested in Sheng Quan were Yan Hui's former agency.

Yes, that would be Huafan Entertainment, the company that had held him back for ten years.

They had completely forgotten that Yan Hui had once been under their banner. Over the past decade, this small but murky entertainment company had gone through several rounds of personnel changes. Even the original owner was no longer a shareholder, so who would remember a name like Yan Hui?

If it weren't for the public's fervent search for information about Yan Hui, with resourceful netizens digging up Huafan's name, they wouldn't even have known this had anything to do with them.

Huafan's first thought was to ride the wave of hype.

The buzz had already passed through several hands. It had been three days since the topic first trended, yet netizens were still enthusiastically discussing and uncovering new tidbits. Fans from book clubs were sharing screenshots, and someone had even posted photos of the luxury car Sheng Quan drove when she first met Yan Hui for a pancake breakfast. Now that the story had blown up, those same people were sharing screenshots, claiming they were there from the very beginning, and so on.

Such a golden opportunity to jump on the hype train—only a fool would pass it up.

Fortunately, the majority shareholder, the big boss, was level-headed. He raised a crucial question: Yan Hui had the looks, the charm, and the talent. Why had such a promising star languished in obscurity at their company for ten years?

Well... that was a good question.

After some digging, things got awkward.

The management team stopped thinking about riding the hype and focused on one thing: "Does he hold a grudge against us? Should we try to clear up any misunderstandings? He's at the peak of his popularity right now. If he says something to the media..."

Clearing up misunderstandings wasn't a bad idea. After all, it wasn't them who had suppressed Yan Hui back then. The company still bore the name Huafan, but everything else had changed multiple times over. If Yan Hui held a grudge against Huafan for past grievances, it would be an undeserved blow to them.

The big boss, however, remained firm. The company might be small, but he had other ventures and was a seasoned player in the industry. He was far more composed than his subordinates:

"What's there to say? Even if he has a young woman backing him with ten million, or even an entire company, these things are understood between us. There's no need to say more."

He turned to his assistant and asked, "What's the background of this Miss Sheng?"

The assistant did his best to investigate, but this wasn't a TV drama where a quick search would reveal all the details. In such a short time, he could only gather surface-level information, and even that required spending money and calling in favors.

The good news was that the expenses were reimbursed.

"Miss Sheng's name is Sheng Quan. She's twenty-three years old and seems to have returned from abroad. Since coming back, she's been staying in the penthouse suite at the Junyue Hotel, booked for six months straight. Beyond that, there's not much else we could find out."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but marvel inwardly. The Junyue Hotel was notoriously expensive, and Miss Sheng had booked the penthouse suite for half a year—that alone cost over thirty million. Even his boss hadn't lived so lavishly.

"Junyue Hotel," Mr. Wang narrowed his eyes slightly. "It seems her family does have some substantial background. Young people love to indulge and show off, but there's no need to be overly cautious. They're just kids, after all. It's all about novelty for them. I'm sure after a while, she'll lose interest and won't want to play in this circle anymore."

Seeing Mr. Wang's confidence, the management team felt reassured.

Indeed, their Mr. Wang had been in the entertainment industry for decades and could be considered a seasoned veteran. He had seen it all—big storms and small waves. To others, a young tycoon who splurged without a second thought might seem impressive, but in his eyes, they were just kids craving attention.

After speaking calmly, Mr. Wang picked up his teacup and was about to take a sip when his assistant's phone buzzed. The assistant glanced at Mr. Wang, who waved his hand, signaling him to check the message.

As soon as he read it, his expression changed.

Without even putting his phone away, he hurried over to Mr. Wang's desk and whispered into his ear, "Mr. Wang, the person we asked to investigate Miss Sheng just sent me a message. Huaxing Building in Shanghai was transferred to Miss Sheng's name yesterday."

Mr. Wang's hand, holding the teacup, paused. "Huaxing Building in Shanghai?"

"Yes."

"The one with rent at 70,000 RMB per square meter? That Huaxing Building?"

"Yes, that's the one. We rent half a floor there ourselves."

Mr. Wang slowly took a sip of tea, set the cup down gently, and then stood up.

The assistant quickly followed. "Mr. Wang, where are you going?"

"To meet Miss Sheng."

"I think you're right. If there's a misunderstanding, it should be cleared up."

Our CEO Sheng hit the jackpot on her first try! Hahahaha!