chapter 3
The phone rang inside the private room.

As soon as Su Jinfan answered the call, she heard Li Qin’s cold voice on the other end, “Su Jinfan, come to the company at 2 PM this afternoon. Be punctual.”

“Alright, I understand.”

No sooner had she finished speaking than she heard the line go dead with a dial tone. Su Jinfan glanced at the darkened phone screen and smirked coldly. This Li Qin was truly a petty opportunist. Although she was her assigned company agent—technically speaking, a company-assigned manager—Li Qin had never fulfilled her responsibilities as an agent, except for constantly exploiting her value.

Just five days ago, Li Qin wouldn’t have dared to speak to her like this. Truly, fortunes change swiftly—what was once east is now west. Not only was her acting career hanging by a thread, but more importantly, she had offended Liu Xin.

If Li Qin hadn’t allocated all the best resources to Liu Xin, everyone in the company would probably suspect that Su Jinfan’s Best Actress win was rigged.

“Hey, Shen Bai, are you free right now? I need to go to the company.”

She gazed expressionlessly at the still cloudless sky outside the window before stepping out of the café. The sky in City A remained unbearably hot. Spotting Shen Bai’s car, Su Jin quickly ran inside.

“Did something happen?” Shen Bai glanced at Su Jin, not missing even a trace of her cold demeanor, and couldn’t help but ask.

Su Jin turned her face away without answering. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to reply, but rather that she didn’t know how. She couldn’t very well say she had a premonition that the company was about to give her trouble and that’s why they called her in.

“So this is how you look when you’re serious.” If Shen Bai wasn’t good with words, neither was Su Jin. Originally intending to comfort her, Shen Bai could only awkwardly blurt out this line.

“Then smile for me.” Su Jinfan deliberately glanced at Shen Bai with an affected air. Shen Bai hesitated for a moment before forcing out an extremely awkward smile. Su Jinfan burst into laughter, “So this is how the great lawyer smiles, huh?”

“See, you look so much better when you smile.” Shen Bai watched Su Jinfan’s radiant smile in the car’s rearview mirror, and the atmosphere finally lightened a little. He knew she had been suffering these past few days, but he wanted to see her happy.

“If people had seen the great lawyer Shen Bai like that just now, I wonder how many admirers would have screamed,” Su Jinfan beamed. “The cold-faced lawyer’s smile would definitely make the front-page headlines.”

    ……

The moment she stepped into the company, she immediately sensed several hostile gazes around her, and some were even whispering and pointing at her.

“Here comes Sister Su, already an award-winning actress at such a young age. If she hadn’t offended Sister Liu, she’d probably have a bright future ahead of her.”

“That’s what they say. But did you know? Rumor has it she’s involved with our Director Li.”

“No wonder her resources were different from the start when she joined the company. But have you seen that handsome guy by her side now?”

Three women make a drama, standing by the elevator door whispering and gossiping among themselves.

Su Jinfan and Shen Bai stood by the adjacent elevator, their eyes occasionally glancing at the three women. For someone like Su Jinfan, who had weathered the storms of the entertainment industry for so many years—let alone having survived a life-threatening ordeal—such petty remarks were nothing she would take to heart. Compared to the vicious comments online, these words were several levels beneath.

Shen Bai, however, paused slightly in his steps.

When the elevator arrived, the women chattered their way inside. The confined space, occupied only by them, became even noisier as their endless gossip filled the air.

Suddenly, a hand slipped in just as the elevator doors were about to close, causing them to open again.

The women looked up and saw that it was the handsome guy from earlier, pulling Su Jinfan inside. The gossip they had been indulging in instantly ceased.

“Sorry, the other elevator is out of order,” Shen Bai said with a slight smile before pressing the button for the top floor. The three women in the elevator grew visibly tense, not daring to speak or even breathe loudly.

“Su-jie, is this your boyfriend? He’s so handsome!” one of the women boldly asked.

Su Jinfan glanced at Shen Bai and was about to speak when she noticed his gloomy expression as he said, “Ladies, I am Miss Su’s lawyer. Just now, the three of you deliberately disparaged Miss Su’s personal image, which constitutes defamation under Article 246 of the Criminal Law.”

Faced with such a cold-faced enforcer, the woman gaped, at a loss for words, while the woman beside her retorted irritably, “It’s just a few words—it’s not like we’re shortchanging anyone.”

“Miss Su is a public figure, and her image is of great importance. Defamation with severe circumstances can result in up to three years of imprisonment or the deprivation of political rights. As for what you choose to do next, of course, that is your personal freedom.”

The women were immediately silenced by the threat, too frightened to utter another word.

Su Jinfan suddenly realized that Shen Bai also had some mettle, but he underestimated her—she wasn’t someone so easily defeated.

The elevator doors finally opened, and the group let out a sigh of relief, quickly escaping from the elevator.

Shen Bai merely curled his lips into a smile and closed the elevator doors again.

“No wonder they call you the Cold-faced King of Hell—I can see why now.”

“Su Jin Fan, why don’t you just leave the entertainment industry… If you say the word, I’ll definitely…” Shen Bai looked at Su Jin Fan with unusual intensity in his eyes, filled with concern for her. He truly didn’t want to see Su Jin Fan continue struggling in this filthy industry.

“I used to tell myself the same thing—that this industry is just a big dye vat. But if I leave now after entering, it means I’ve admitted defeat! Besides, Xiao Bai, you’ve known me for so many years—when have you ever seen me admit defeat?”

The elevator happened to stop at the top floor and slowly opened. Before even approaching the boss’s office, they could hear Elsa’s furious shouts and Li Mo Chen’s occasional cold responses.

“Are you out of your mind? Right now, Su Jin Fan is in the eye of the storm, and you’re abandoning so many other talents in the company just to promote her? Li Mo Chen, you’re the one I had the highest hopes for. Su Jin Fan is nothing but a sinking ship now—you can’t let her drag you down. I have plenty of promising newcomers on hand right now. She’s already past her prime—just give up on her.”

“I’m not wasting my time. Su Jinfan is the artist I discovered, and I know her potential.” The icy voice echoed in Su Jinfan’s ears.

“Cut the nonsense. Since you’re talking about fulfilling the contract, let me make it clear to you right now—this is absolutely impossible!”

Standing outside the door, Su Jinfan listened to the voices inside, feeling at a loss. She didn’t know what they were arguing about, but it probably had something to do with her.

“Have you made up your mind yet?” Elsa’s sharp voice was practically tearing Li Mochen apart.

“I can train a few more newcomers, but if you want to terminate the contract with Su Jin Fan, that’s absolutely impossible.” Li Mo Chen’s voice remained cold, infuriating Elsa, who paced back and forth in the room. “Li Mo Chen, do you really think I can’t find someone to replace you?”

“No matter what, I’m making it clear here—replacing Su Jin Fan is absolutely out of the question.”

Elsa was about to speak when she saw Su Jin Fan walk in, her high heels clicking.

Elsa was already fuming, and the sight of Su Jin Fan only made her angrier. “Who let you in! Don’t you know how to knock?”

“I still remember, Elsa, you told me we’d be like sisters, and I never even knocked before entering your door.” Su Jinfan stared at the termination contract in Elsa’s hand. “Is it because I’ve been ‘shelved’ that the treatment is different now?”

Su Jinfan deliberately emphasized those four words, implying that Elsa was being opportunistic.

Li Mochen hadn’t expected Su Jinfan to overhear everything he said earlier, yet his face remained filled with anger. In his view, the reason Ding Sheng had remained one of the industry’s top talent agencies in recent years was largely due to Su Jinfan’s contributions.

“I never said that… I just think Ding Sheng isn’t the right place for your career anymore. Look how many artists have gone independent these days, haven’t they?” Elsa switched from tough tactics to soft persuasion, targeting Su Jinfan.

Su Jinfan understood that the big boss was trying to push her out.

“She’s only been working for a few years. What’s the difference between letting her go independent and sending her to her death?” Li Mochen’s gaze fell on Su Jinfan, scrutinizing her closely. Indeed, she had noticeably lost weight over the past few days.

“Your current gigs are pitifully few. Basically, no one wants to hire you for acting or endorsements anymore. Staying here is just taking opportunities away from those below you.” Elsa rolled her eyes, clearly unwilling to waste any more time on this.

To be fair, Elsa wasn’t entirely wrong. After winning the Phoenix Crown Award for Best Actress at the age of 21, Su Jinfan had enjoyed immense popularity. But in the entertainment industry, you never know how long your fame will last. Since the scandal with Director Fang Hua, the unexpected car accident, and Liu Xin taking over her role in the new movie, she had been completely sidelined.

“Alright, since you put it that way. Elsa, I won’t say more. But you’ll have to wait a bit longer. I currently have a new project called ‘Chang Ge.’ You care about money, right? Then let’s see how much profit I can bring to the company.” Su Jinfan shrugged helplessly. “How about that?”

Elsa quickly calculated in her mind. ‘Chang Ge’ was just a low-budget film, something even second-tier stars wouldn’t take on. A deal that wouldn’t lose money was exactly what Elsa wanted. Afraid Su Jinfan might change her mind, she immediately agreed, “Fine! I accept!”

From the moment she entered, Su Jinfan hadn’t glanced at Li Mochen once. When she left the office, she completely ignored him too.

“Su Jinfan, do you even know what you’re doing?” Li Mochen grabbed her arm forcefully, glaring at her in frustration. “Why did you say that to Elsa?”