My Virtual Girlfriend-Chapter 126: Is There Such a Good Thing? (Asking for Subscriptions!)

Chapter 126: Chapter 126: Is There Such a Good Thing? (Asking for Subscriptions!)

Lu Man looked beautiful tonight, dressed in an elegant cocktail dress adorned with shiny appliqués. This made her look like the popular actress from the television screen once again.

Upon hearing Mei Li’s comment, she responded with an "Oh," while cocking her leg and playing with her phone, she dismissively added, "Actually, I think it’s fine. Chen Yan doesn’t seem like the petty type."

Mei Li looked at her with frustration, "Even if Chen Yan isn’t petty, he’s not a fool either."

She paused, then said earnestly to Lu Man, "Man Man, I think there are some things that I need to talk to you about ahead of time."

"Those willing to invest in the entertainment industry have one of two objectives: money... or people."

Mei Li gazed at Lu Man and said seriously, "Chen Yan will be no exception."

"So... if you want him to keep supporting you, you... at least have to make him gain one of them."

"Make him feel that his investment is paying off."

Lu Man put down her phone and looked at Mei Li.

Mei Li looked at her with a grave tone,

"That’s also why I let you take on more ads and endorsements after you became popular in the last two years."

"As long as you’re making money, no one will dare to touch you lightly."

"After all, you can bring them enough benefits to ’suppress their desires.’"

"Even if you make enough money, you could even ascend to being capital and no longer be under someone else’s control. Of course, by then no one would dare to harbor ill intentions towards you."

Having said this, her tone shifted to a lower register, "But... if you aren’t making money anymore, and still want to get resources like you are now,"

"Then you need to consider what else you can offer."

"This is an incredibly realistic circle."

"...That’s the real reason why I’ve always pushed you to work harder."

"So, Man Man... do you want to be a superstar who has complete control over her own life, or a golden canary that’s kept captive?"

Hearing Mei Li’s heartfelt words, Lu Man’s expression finally became serious.

During the last two years, Mei Li had indeed sheltered her from the storm, and with her rapid rise in popularity and substantial earnings, no one dared to mess with her.

She could be as capricious as she wanted. Do whatever she liked. Aside from maintaining her public image, she hardly encountered any troubles.

But now, she... was at a low point.

Everything... had changed.

...

Following the navigation’s directions, Chen Yan walked through two streets, made several turns, and leisurely made his way to the seaside, finding a uniquely designed building.

It was a small, private club that looked like an eggshell upturned on the seashore. It seemed a bit odd from the outside, but upon entering, it revealed an opulently decorated interior, quite luxurious.

The staff, tall and good-looking, dressed neatly and beautifully, bustled about.

Chen Yan glanced at his outfit, grateful that he had changed into proper clothes and sneakers that morning for his visit to see Lu Man.

If he were wearing flip-flops and shorts like usual, he probably would’ve been kicked out; after all, some high-end venues do have a dress code.

As Chen Yan entered, the staff at the door opened it with charming smiles, bent slightly, and said in unison with sweet voices, "Welcome~"

"Tsk," Chen Yan gasped. What was this sudden feeling of elation?

Is this why private clubs are so alluring?

He stepped inside, and a server in black quickly approached him and asked softly, "Hello, sir. Do you have a reservation?" fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

Chen Yan nodded, "Ms. Wang. ’Heavenly Sea Color.’"

The black-clad server checked her device, then smiled and said, "Very well, sir. I’ll take you there."

Then, with a bow, she led Chen Yan forward.

Arriving at the ’Heavenly Sea Color’ private room, Chen Yan was once again amazed.

The room was unexpectedly spacious, about seventy or eighty square meters. Upon entering, opposite was a massive floor-to-ceiling window.

Outside the window was a small beach, with a wooden walkway extending into the sea.

Lanterns stood along the wooden walkway, their light illuminating the nearby ocean, whose mystery and elegance was amplified by the grandeur of its waves, soothing the viewers’ spirits.

From entering the door to stepping into the private room, and now viewing the stunning seascape, a single thought occupied Chen Yan’s mind: tonight’s meal won’t come cheap...

So...

He must be the one to pick up the tab!

With this bill, he might just feel like he’s earned a few hundred thousand!

While mentally strategizing about paying the bill, he smiled at the server, "Thank you. I think my friend hasn’t arrived yet; I’ll wait here."

With a knowing smile, the server said, "Of course, sir. Call me if you need anything."

After she bowed slightly, she left the private room.

Once the server was gone, Chen Yan chose a sofa facing the sea to sit down, quietly admiring the ocean view while thinking about how to handle the bill, and also pondering how Mei Li intended to solve the ban...

Twenty minutes later, as Chen Yan was lost in thought, the sound of high heels clicking, "thud, thud, thud," could be heard from outside the door.

Chen Yan turned towards the entrance and saw the server slowly opening the private room door. Lu Man walked in, dressed in a form-fitting cocktail dress with her left shoulder partly exposed, and wearing sunglasses.

She was especially enchanting this evening; the dress perfectly outlined her exquisite pear-shaped figure, glistening with appliqués as she moved.

Mei Li, trailing beside her, seemed slightly less impressive in comparison. While also attractive, even with a mature charm, standing next to Lu Man made her easily overlooked.

This convinced Chen Yan that sometimes the role of a celebrity is truly a gift from heaven.

Unfortunately for Lu Man, heaven had only bestowed her with remarkable beauty, not the necessary EQ, IQ, and potential...

Otherwise, given her striking looks, becoming a superstar might indeed have been a possibility.

While Chen Yan mused, Lu Man and Mei Li entered the room, their gaze sweeping across and landing on him.

With the room door closing behind them, Lu Man took off her sunglasses, walked over with a slight smile, and extended her delicate hand politely, "Hello, President Chen. Sorry to keep you waiting."

Chen Yan came back to his senses, surprised by the actress’s gesture, unsure which act she was performing now.

Just then, with her back to Mei Li, Lu Man sneakily stuck out her tongue and made a face, glancing behind her with her eyes.

Chen Yan instantly understood...

Probably another one of Mei Li’s requirements.

With that thought, he too smiled and extended his hand, then gently shook Lu Man’s, saying, "Hello, Miss Lu Man. I didn’t wait long."

Their hands were warm as they touched.

After a moment, they let go and indicated to each other to take their seats at the table.

Mei Li first pulled out a chair for Lu Man; after she sat down, Mei Li then seated herself beside her.

Turning to Chen Yan, she said, "President Chen, sorry for the display."

"Man Man had no choice."

"She’s currently banned, and this is when she has the least resources. A rash transformation or a change in public image could likely alienate her existing fans, adding injury to insult."

"So, for the time being, she needs to maintain her previous public image."

"In the past, when I wasn’t with her, she got a bit carried away. She stopped even doing her etiquette training."

"Now that I’m based in Qin Island, I’m requiring her to maintain her original image until we break through the ban."

Chen Yan glanced at Lu Man and nodded slightly, "It’s necessary. Hard work pays off."

Although he wasn’t particularly invested nor optimistic about Lu Man’s future, just wanting to focus on making money, he wouldn’t oppose Mei Li’s sound advice.

Then, the trio made small talk as they ordered their meal.

While waiting, Mei Li sent the server away and began discussing business.

She addressed Chen Yan, "President Chen. This time, we mainly wanted to talk to you about Man Man’s ban."

Chen Yan looked at her.

Mei Li continued, "You’re probably aware of the current situation."

"Man Man can’t get any parts, or rather, almost any role she is interested in gets blocked by Director Zhang. It’s even difficult for us to join a production with our own funding."

"His ban on Man Man has gone from semi-public to fully public. This makes everyone in the industry wary of her."

Chen Yan curiously asked, "How did he manage that?"

Mei Li coughed slightly, "It’s a small circle. Most directors graduated from a few schools and are alumni."

"The capital is just from those few stakeholders, and they’re all connected."

"With Director Zhang’s network and relationships built over the years, people will give him face."

"And the rest, the smaller directors and capital, though unrelated to him, fear making him angry and facing repercussions. So..."

Chen Yan nodded in understanding.

Indeed, the entertainment industry is a circle.

He inquired, "So what’s your plan for dealing with this?"

Mei Li glanced at Lu Man beside her, then said, "I thought, since Man Man is being sidelined, we should take matters into our own hands. Invest personally, form our own production team, gather a crew to make movies and TV dramas."

Chen Yan frown slightly, "Do it ourselves? Can we find the right people?"

Mei Li looked somewhat embarrassed, "We can. But... it will cost a lot of money."

"So, I have prepared it in two parts. For some important departments and positions, such as the director, assistant director, lighting – we should spend money on experts for these positions critical to the quality of the film."

"For less crucial positions, we can just hire normally. There are many such people in the industry; they belong to the lower echelons and won’t care about any ban."

"As for casting actors... there’s not much choice. We can only try to pick ones without much fame to support the roles."

"This means the risk could be a lot higher."

"But Man Man and I will definitely..."

"So..."

"Are you really..."

At first, Chen Yan was listening attentively to Mei Li’s words, but gradually, he couldn’t focus any longer.

The key phrases "spend a lot of money!" and "much higher risk!" echoed in his mind.

Tsk.

Could there be such a good thing?

If forming their own production crew had so many benefits, he certainly wouldn’t object!

Thinking this, Chen Yan coughed and interrupted Mei Li, "Hmm... Mei Li, just tell me. How much money do you need?"

Mei Li seemed taken aback by Chen Yan’s directness.

She hesitated before replying, "Well, actually... not too much. For the first project, we’re planning to shoot a low-budget movie, possibly requiring about 30 million."

Chen Yan’s eyes shone, "An initial investment, right?"

Lu Man, who had been maintaining a cool facade since the conversation began, couldn’t help but snort with laughter.

Mei Li: ??