Becoming a great entertainer started with being cyberbullied.

Fang Ruoxi met up with Zhang Xiaomeng and Zou Rong at the outdoor coffee shop on the 40th floor of the TV tower.

Upon meeting, Zhang Xiaomeng asked expectantly, "How was it?"

Fang Ruoxi sat down and let out a long sigh of relief. "Director Zhou's program may not be going to work out."

Zhang Xiaomeng was stunned. "Huh?! Why? Didn't the TV station executives listen to your explanation?"

"This shouldn't be happening," Zou Rong said, frowning.

Fang Ruoxi said, "The situation is a bit complicated."

She's somewhat famous now, and her face is so distinctive that people around her kept looking at them after she'd only been sitting there for a short while.

When Zhang Xiaomeng saw someone take out their phone and seemingly take a picture of Fang Ruoxi, her expression immediately changed.

"Ruoxi, let's go back to the car and talk."

Fang Ruoxi nodded.

Once in the car, Zhang Xiaomeng could no longer contain herself. "What exactly happened, Ruoxi?"

Recalling the previous meeting, Fang Ruoxi said, "One of the station leaders at the meeting should have some connection with the 'Three Bigs'."

"Ugh!? How come they're everywhere! They're really overreaching!" Zhang Xiaomeng was furious.

She felt it was so unfair.

Her Ruoxi's two songs were so popular online, and they boosted the show's ratings so much, and now she's just being kicked out like that!

Zou Rong, who had been listening the whole time, said, "Going it alone is still a disadvantage."

"Whether it's the fact that she was removed from the show or the current online opinion, I would say that Ruoxi should find a reliable company."

Zhang Xiaomeng glared at him.

"The Chinese entertainment industry is dominated by the 'Big Three' (referring to three major entertainment companies). Which company would dare to offend the Big Three for Ruoxi's sake? If Ruoxi goes to a place like that, she's just waiting to be blacklisted!"

Zou Rong stroked his chin and urged, "That's why we should set up our own company. At least when we sign contracts with people, it will be under the company's name."

Zhang Xiaomeng blinked. "Just the three of us, starting a company? Tell me, what's the difference between that and what we're doing now?"

Zou Rong waved his hand and said to the 'ignorant girl', "You don't understand, there's a big difference. Signing a contract on a TV show is one for an individual, and the other is for a company."

"As an individual, people will think you're easy to bully. As for a company, no matter how big it is, people will think twice before trying to take advantage of you."

Zhang Xiaomeng, unfamiliar with company matters, looked at Fang Ruoxi.

Zou Rong continued, "I heard from Brother Wang that Brother Li's contract is about to expire, and they don't plan to renew it with Tianyin this time."

"This is perfect! We've got a ready-made 'pillar of support,' hehe~ all set!"

When Zhang Xiaomeng heard that Li Ming could be brought in, her eyes lit up instantly, and she looked genuinely interested.

Fang Ruoxi thought for a moment and said, "If that's the case, then we'll continue to promote it next month. We can give 'Love You Till I Die' to Brother Li to sing."

It's okay that she's taken off Director Zhou's show.

Fang Ruoxi earned back this debt from the monthly hot song chart.

Starting from this month, it has been number one on the hot song charts for 12 consecutive months, so forget about the "Big Three".

“Okay, I can do that. If Brother Wang and the others haven’t changed their minds when they return from Country A, we’ll set up a company.”

"Then I'll definitely invest! Hehe, I want to be the major shareholder!" Zou Rong rubbed his hands together and grinned slyly.

"Alright, you guys haven't had a moment's peace since you got off the plane. Let me take you home to rest first," Zou Rong said, starting the car.

At this point, none of the three had paid attention to the online public opinion.

After returning home, Fang Ruoxi slept until dark.

I checked the time; it was already past 8 p.m.

She planned to cook a meal, then research the newly opened script column, start a new job, and earn some extra hours to make ends meet.

During the few days they were gone, some leafy vegetables in the refrigerator went bad.

Fang Ruoxi picked out two carrots and a small bag of frozen shrimp, deciding to make Yangzhou fried rice.

Then, I'll make a seaweed and egg drop soup; that'll do for tonight.

Once the decision was made, I put on an apron and started cooking.

Zhang Xiaomeng, the glutton, was "woke up" by the smell of fried rice wafting through the house.

She sniffed and followed the aroma to the kitchen, a tuft of hair sticking up. "Ah! It smells so good, Ruoxi. How can I live without you?"

Just then, the fried rice was ready. Fang Ruoxi stirred it a couple of times with a spatula, turned off the heat, and served the rice.

"The soup is ready, please bring it to me."

As soon as the rice was served, Zhang Xiaomeng couldn't wait to take a big bite. The freshly cooked Yangzhou fried rice looked and smelled delicious, but it was so hot that she stuck out her tongue, exclaiming, "Ouch, it's hot!"

Fang Ruoxi hadn't even taken a few bites when the 'greedy cat' across from her had already finished a whole bowl.

“There’s still some in the pot,” she said.

With a 'whoosh,' Zhang Xiaomeng across the table darted out to get—no, to snatch—a second bowl of rice.

A moment later, she returned with a overflowing bowl of rice, her cooking speed undiminished. As she ate, she exclaimed, "Mmm! Ruoxi, your cooking is so delicious! I'm going to gain weight if this keeps up!"

Fang Ruoxi said quietly, "If you don't exercise, you'll gain weight this month."

"Don't worry~ I'm naturally slim!" Zhang Xiaomeng said.

Zhang Xiaomeng started to worry after filling her stomach.

Ordinary people send out resumes everywhere when they want to find a job, but celebrities rely entirely on their agents to find work. Just thinking about this makes my food taste bland.

"Ruoxi, what do we do next? Celebrities need exposure..."

Fang Ruoxi was also thinking about this question.

First and foremost, putting everything else aside, what's most important to her right now is her lifespan.

The hot song chart releases only one new song per month, and the lifespan reward is limited, at most 15 days.

She can't release three songs a month just to extend her lifespan, can she?

Looking back, the newly opened "Script Column" seems to be the system tempting, no, forcing her to start a new project.

But in order to survive, she actually became an author.

After the two finished eating, Zhang Xiaomeng went to do the 'dishwashing exercise', while Fang Ruoxi sat on the sofa studying the 'script column'.

Only two scripts were made available to her in the top-tier script library: "Unexpected" and "Temptation of a Wife".

"Ruoxi, your phone is ringing." Zhang Xiaomeng, who was washing dishes, called out loudly after hearing her phone ring for a long time without being answered.

Fang Ruoxi snapped out of her daze and, following the music, found her phone lying on the dining table.

The caller ID showed it was Director Zhou.

……

Zhou Wen went home with a long face.

As soon as I opened the door, a wave of warmth from the house hit me, mingled with the aroma of dinner.

Director Zhou's wife was watching a program replay in the living room when she heard the door open. She said leisurely, "The great director is back?"

Director Zhou did not respond.

Her husband continued, "Our son is coming back to cook for you. This big director gets better treatment than me, an old cadre."

"I even helped my son wash and prepare the vegetables, and the famous director just walked in and ate what was ready."

He made a joke, but there was still no sound from outside.

Zang Jianhua peeked out.

Zhou Wen was seen making a phone call with a sullen face.

Seeing this expression, Zang Jianhua didn't dare to utter a single word and turned to go into the kitchen.

In the kitchen, my son, who is over 1.8 meters tall, is tossing the wok.

"Dad, couldn't wait to come in and sneak a bite?"

Old Zang rolled up his sleeves. "I'll watch the fire for you. Go check on your mother."

Zang Tianze laughed upon hearing this, "Oh, who is it that dares to make our Old Zhou angry?"

Just then, Zhou Wen's 'dragon roar' came from outside the door: "Whatever that woman surnamed Lu says goes! I don't believe you can't see that she took money from the 'Big Three'!"

The father and son looked at each other in the kitchen.

Old Zang immediately grabbed the wok with one hand and kicked his own son out to "bravely fight the evil dragon."

When Zang Tianze came out, Zhou Wen had already hung up the phone and tossed it aside, his face dark with anger.

"Director Zhou, who is this? Did he upset you? Come and see your precious son, maybe he can calm you down."

Director Zhou remained silent.

Zang Tianze offered to massage Director Zhou's shoulders, "What's wrong? I rarely come back, and my dear mother is giving me a hard time?"

Director Zhou then spoke, "It has nothing to do with you. I was just disgusted by someone today."

Once the conversation started, Zhou Wen began to talk about the meeting he had attended at the TV tower that day.

"Oh! I understand, Mom, you feel sorry for Fang Ruoxi, right?"

Zang Tianze stroked his chin and said, "Now that you mention it, I just remembered something. We need to choose a song for National Day, something patriotic. If she can write songs, why don't you let her give it a try?"

"The leader will personally make the final decision on the song selection. Hey, no matter how powerful those three companies are, they'll have to behave themselves this time, okay?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Wen's expression immediately brightened.

Zang Tianze is still waiting for his mother to praise him.

As a result, Zhou Wen picked up his phone and happily called people to share the good news.

"Hey! Xiao Fang, listen to me, I have a really good project."

Zang Tianze: "..."