The Martial Artist Turned Movie Mogul-Chapter 1019 - 1018. For the sake of money

When the boss speaks, employees break their backs running.

Sitting in the office of Starshine Media, Luo Lin felt utterly drained after hanging up the Nth call.

"Why on earth did I agree? How could I have agreed? Is this kind of loss-making project something a legitimate profit-driven company should even consider?"

Thinking back to half an hour ago, when Tang Shu casually mentioned the idea of "giving away vacations," Luo Lin actually praised the idea for being super innovative.

But after throwing out that idea, Tang Shu simply dusted off her hands and walked away, leaving all the follow-up work to Luo Lin. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

As the second-in-command, Luo Lin was left with no choice but to put on a thick skin and negotiate with various travel agencies. The problem was that, after confirming the collaboration plan, the company still had to foot the bill!

Damn it, she must’ve been out of her mind at the time to agree to that little tyrant’s idea!

For the 101st time, Luo Lin regretted humoring Tang Shu earlier but had no choice but to pick up the phone again to call her network of friendly company managers. Meanwhile, Tang Shu, having shamelessly dumped all the trouble on others, was happily sitting at her boyfriend’s house, waiting for dinner.

"Are you sure you don’t need my help?"

"Nope. You staying out of trouble is help enough for me."

Jing Yu deftly tied his apron, his long fingers retrieving vegetables from the fridge. He began picking off leaves, washing, and chopping them. Even while doing the simplest tasks, he somehow appeared even more attractive in Tang Shu’s eyes.

Imagine the reaction of Cloudscape Group employees if they saw their über-cool president reduced to a kitchen helper—it would be priceless.

Grinning, Tang Shu reached into her luggage and pulled out specialty gifts for the Jing Family. These included smoked meat, dried mushrooms, and black rice from Tang Village.

"Dad said Uncle Jing loves his homemade smoked meat. Should we mail it to him?"

"No need. Mom mentioned she’d visit him in a few days and can bring it along."

The "left-behind child" Jing Yu had long grown used to his rarely seen parents and even knew their schedules like the back of his hand.

"This should also have gifts for the Han Family and the Shan Family, right?"

"Yep, these are Dad’s three closest friends. Naturally, he wouldn’t leave any of them out. Trust me, I’ve trekked with him into the mountains several times to collect this stuff."

"How about after lunch, I take you to visit them? It’ll also clarify things so the elders don’t start matchmaking us with others."

Recalling the matchmaking rumors he’d heard during Lunar New Year, Jing Yu’s eyes clouded over with thought.

Completely oblivious to the inner workings of her boyfriend’s mind, Tang Shu only cared that she now had a driver. Naturally, she agreed without hesitation.

"Sure!"

***

On the eighteenth day of the lunar new year, Tang Shu and Starshine Media’s official account post lit up the internet again to the cheers of loyal fans.

"OMG, OMG, the fan appreciation campaign is finally here! I’ve been waiting forever!"

"Lmao, calling it a ’fan appreciation campaign’ is hilarious... But honestly, this feels like something only Big Uncle would do."

"Counting across the entire entertainment industry, only Big Uncle dares to pull stunts like this. I just want to know—what’s the prize this time?"

"Nine million followers already? Does that mean this time it’ll increase to 2,000 lucky winners?"

Hyped fans eagerly checked Tang Shu’s personal Weibo account, only to freeze upon seeing the announcement of 1,000 lucky winners.

"Wait, not only didn’t it increase, but it dropped by 500?! I’m shook!"

"Yeah, judging by past campaigns, Big Uncle isn’t known for being stingy, so why fewer winners this time?"

"It’s not fewer! Guys, calm down and actually read the post content!"

The fans’ attention shifted to the post details. After fully reading it, they weren’t just stunned—they were genuinely blown away.

"No freaking way—this time it’s buy-one-get-one?!"

"A thousand lucky winners who can each bring someone along—whether it’s family, friends, or even a boyfriend or girlfriend?"

"A spontaneous trip for two, with hotel, airfare, and attraction tickets fully covered?! This is insane!"

"Oh my god, five luxury travel routes around the country to choose from, and you can go wherever and whenever you want, as long as you book a month in advance?"

"No quizzes this time, just a comment lottery? That’s absurdly simple and direct—almost too good to be true!"

"It’s beyond awesome. I’d book six months in advance if I needed to!"

Pandemonium broke out. Fans’ expressions ranged from ecstatic to nearly unhinged, as though a pie had literally fallen from the sky and knocked them senseless. The comment lottery event had fans preemptively hyping each other before it even began.

Not even thirty minutes after this Weibo post went live, another post followed, officially launching the lottery and revealing the five domestic luxury travel routes. Once again, fans were floored.

"Holy crap! A double flight, five-day trip to Sanya, Hainan?! These routes are incredible!"

"Not just that! Northern cities for five days, a six-day grasslands and borderlands route, and the Six Dynasties Ancient Capital cultural tour... Damn, even signing up for that alone would cost three or four grand!"

"As stated in the post, Starshine Media negotiated a 50% internal discount from travel agencies, with the rest covered by the company. I did the math—just this 2,000 people at half-price would still cost over a million!"

"Is Big Uncle planning to go broke? I’m on my knees over this generosity..."

"Going broke is an exaggeration—at worst, she’s just forfeiting the profit from a dozen drama episodes. But her title as the most generous idol is definitely solidified now!"

...

Tang Shu clarified that she wasn’t footing this bill with her drama earnings. The funds came straight from her private account, specifically from Cloudscape Group’s monthly cash flow.

"Wait—so you’re using Cloudscape’s money to spoil Tang Shu’s fans? Damn, you’ve got nerve."

Sister Luo, after receiving the payout, teased her with a wide grin.

"If you’re feeling bad for Cloudscape, you’re welcome to return the money. It’s not like Starshine Media can’t afford this."

"No, thanks!"

Quickly stopping her, Luo Lin chuckled. Like hell she’d give it back. Every cent she squeezed out had been hard-earned. How could she possibly match wits with a genius schemer like Tang Shu?

For the money, she’d shamelessly do anything this time!

"Leave the rest to me. Go do your thing, and feel free to drop by again next time!"

And just like that, for the first time ever, Tang Shu was booted out of Starshine Media by her own agent. Sitting in Yang Tiantian’s car afterwards, it took her a while to process what had just happened.

"Money really is the magic key to everything—"

"Boss, did you say something?"

"Nah. Let’s head home and continue our vacation."

Because Tang Shu was indeed on vacation. Imperial Medical College wasn’t starting classes for another few days. She wasn’t filming any shows or working on variety programs, and her stage play schedule was also on hold due to timing conflicts. She had nothing to do but laze around. She spent her days browsing the internet, freeloading from the neighbors, or going on dates with her boyfriend.

Her life was incredibly cozy.