“Hello—I’m Yun Chen.”
Due to intense inner turmoil—Yun Chen’s facial expressions were vivid—it was his good upbringing that prompted him to politely extend his hand and introduce himself.
If this truly was a scam shell company—the one who deceived him was Producer Yuan—not the young girl in front of him. Yun Chen even suspected Wen Ying was—like him—a victim duped by Yuan Fenghui.
This future idol star—who would captivate countless girls across Asia—now had a face full of worry—his gaze toward Wen Ying tinged with sympathy. If an ordinary girl were looked at like this by Yun Chen—she’d likely blush and feel flustered.
Screenwriter Wen’s heart was not only unruffled—she even felt a slight urge to laugh… Yun Chen hadn’t acted in any dramas yet—his aura was clean and youthful—but his natural attributes were indeed exceptional—with a face that could withstand the camera’s scrutiny.
“Since you’ve already signed the contract—per the rules—you can see the entire script. You haven’t checked into the hotel and came straight to the company—right? It’s about dinnertime now—how about we take you to eat something first—then go over the script together? If you have any questions—you can discuss them with us—sound good?”
Yuan Fenghui had called Yun Chen from Baodao to Rongcheng for an audition—already leaning toward casting him as the male lead.
If he wasn’t suitable after meeting—Yuan Fenghui’s tactful style wouldn’t send Yun Chen back immediately—at the very least—she’d let him rest in Rongcheng—so the hotel was booked in advance.
But Yun Chen indeed hadn’t checked in—he’d come straight from the airport with a small suitcase.
Wen Ying’s arrangement was reasonable—and Yun Chen couldn’t help but nod.
“Great—let’s also meet the female lead and assistant producer—you’ll be working with them during filming.”
Wen Ying called Wang Shuang to handle hospitality—and introduced Li Mengjiao separately—letting the male and female leads get acquainted early.
Yun Chen slipped into a daze.
He’d thought Wen Ying was errand girl number one—Li Mengjiao was errand girl number two—and Wang Shuang was errand boy.
Now—errand girl number one was the drama’s screenwriter.
Errand girl number two was the female lead.
Errand boy was the assistant producer.
No matter how well-mannered Yun Chen was—the smile on his face faltered.
Li Mengjiao fit the idol drama heroine standard—leaning more toward cute than beautiful—but she looked so young! Was it appropriate for him to play an on-screen couple with such a young girl?!
And Wang Shuang… assistant producer?
This Tianjiao Film Company’s job assignments were absurdly casual!
Yun Chen’s head wasn’t just spinning—it throbbed faintly: he tried recalling the contract he’d signed. If this shell company was truly unreliable—could he afford the penalty if he backed out now?
No—he couldn’t bring it up yet—he needed to observe more.
Yun Chen feigned calm—though inwardly panicked.
Perhaps—after Yuan’s tarnished reputation forced her to leave Baodao—her new livelihood was contract fraud?
Lure newbies from Baodao—rush them into signing without time to think—trap them after signing—then when they couldn’t take it and broke the contract—they’d owe Tianjiao Film a hefty penalty.
Yun Chen could afford the penalty—but most newbies couldn’t.
With this thought—Yun Chen’s panic eased.
If he hadn’t encountered this—fine—but now that he had—how could he tolerate such a scam?
If he let the scammers succeed—they’d scam even more people.
Yun Chen decided to play along with this shell company.
He could afford to bide his time.
Once he had evidence—he’d expose Tianjiao Film and Yuan Fenghui’s true colours—so Baodao’s peers wouldn’t fall for it!
Shifting his mindset—Yun Chen’s hesitation and fear vanished. He proactively engaged with Wen Ying and the others—since they were so young—unlikely to be the scammers’ accomplices—probably victims too.
Wang Shuang had just said Yun Chen wasn’t as handsome as him—but when it came to hospitality—Wang Shuang was quite professional.
Wen Ying and Li Mengjiao lagged a few steps behind—Li Mengjiao whispered: “This Yun Chen doesn’t seem to trust us!”
Li Mengjiao had an instinct like a young animal—she could sense danger—and tell if someone liked or disliked her.
Yun Chen neither liked nor disliked her—he pitied her… Why should a 25-year-old nobody pity her—a 16-year-old debutante!
—Could news of her being shelved by Boss Guan have reached Baodao?
Wen Ying thought—obviously.
If she were in Yun Chen’s shoes—she might not have his mental resilience.
In her previous life—fresh into her career—if she’d been called from Rongcheng to Modu for an interview—only to find a shell company—she’d have been devastated.
“He probably thinks he’s stumbled into a scam company—and he’s unsure of our stance—so he won’t trust us. But it’s fine—he’s likely cursing Teacher Yuan in his head—yet still willing to communicate with us.”
“…Oh.”
Cursing Teacher Yuan? No problem then.
So many people cursed Teacher Yuan—and she never cared.
Li Mengjiao—unburdened—pulled Wen Ying to catch up.
Young people bond quickly—after a meal—both sides learned more about each other.
For instance—when Wang Shuang said it was his first time meeting someone surnamed “Yun”—Yun Chen candidly said it was a stage name.
Yun Chen also learned that Wen Ying—Li Mengjiao—and Wang Shuang were close friends.
All three were minors. Li Mengjiao debuted last summer through a mainland talent show—landing the female lead because her father was willing to fund her. Tianjiao Film was built around Li Mengjiao. Wang Shuang was assistant producer because he was a shareholder’s son.
Despite learning this—Yun Chen wasn’t reassured—but grew more worried.
This was barely different from a shell company!
Just a playground funded for the kids.
Only Wen Ying wasn’t a boss or shareholder’s daughter—likely a fool duped by Producer Yuan—like him.
Yun Chen quietly asked Wen Ying: “Did the company sign a contract with you?”
Wen Ying nodded—Yun Chen’s face filled with pity.
Breaking the contract would cost a fortune—how tragic!
Wen Ying blinked.
Yun Chen seemed to have misunderstood.
Her contract with Tianjiao was for screenwriter fees—different from Yun Chen’s actor contract.
Yun Chen would owe a penalty for breaking his contract—but Wen Ying had already received two payments.
In fact—she’d earned over 400,000 yuan after taxes for one script from Tianjiao—and another 100,000 for revisions—half her dream of buying a house in Modu was funded by Tianjiao.
If this was a scam—Wen Ying would happily lie down and be scammed—hoping Tianjiao would trick her more—without resistance!
Suppressing a smile—Wen Ying handed Yun Chen the full script.
“Read the script first—then we’ll talk in detail.”
It was good for boys—like girls—to be cautious when away from home. Once he read the script—and the crew was in place—Yun Chen would stop overthinking.
Yun Chen was a diligent young man—though still distrustful of Tianjiao—he read the script with full focus.
And he was hooked.
After reading it twice—he was still immersed.
This script was perhaps the best “gift” he’d received since coming to Rongcheng for the audition—and the most reliable part of this whole affair!
