With global currency devaluation, I'll wear these back and take my whole family flying!

Upon hearing Qi Tong's words, Ren Jia couldn't help but reveal a smug expression.

The team members next to her seemed to be used to Ren Jia's behavior, and no one showed any extra thoughts.

The entertainment industry is fiercely competitive, especially for actresses. The fields of beauty, acting skills, and connections are almost saturated, yet newcomers are still springing up like mushrooms after rain.

Although Ren Jia is currently very popular, she is very career-oriented and always needs to be vigilant. Suppressing outstanding new actors is just a common competitive tactic, and she doesn't see anything wrong with it.

This kind of thing is considered very basic in the industry; there are many more shady things out there.

Shen Li is only halfway to the edge of the entertainment industry, so she wouldn't understand these things. When she was told to stay backstage and wait for arrangements, she obediently nodded to show that she understood. Little did she know that she had already been secretly disqualified from appearing at the press conference.

Given her looks, if she could get some screen time at the press conference, even just a little, it would definitely attract the audience's attention. This would be her only chance to be exposed to the public before her debut as a newcomer.

Ren Jia knows exactly when and how to suppress newcomers. If Shen Li loses this opportunity, she will have to wait until the promotion after the drama finishes filming to appear in front of the audience again.

It will take at least half a year.

As the main cast members went on stage one after another, Shen Li didn't dare leave the backstage area, because she was afraid that the staff wouldn't be able to find her later.

"Hey? Pretty girl, why didn't you go on stage?"

When Ren Jia passed by Shen Li backstage on her way to the scene, she even pretended to be surprised and greeted her.

Shen Li quickly stood up and said softly, "The staff told me to wait here. It might be a while before it's my turn."

Ren Jia nodded knowingly and smiled, "Then you wait here. Don't wander off, or it'll be troublesome if they can't find you later."

"I know, Sister Renjia, you go first."

As Ren Jia left the backstage area accompanied by her team, the once bustling and busy backstage area suddenly became exceptionally quiet. All the actors who were going to attend the press conference had gone to the venue, leaving her alone.

Time passed second by second. There was a broadcaster connected to a screen backstage, showing the situation of the press conference. Shen Li, who should have been on the screen, was now an audience member outside the screen.

"Shen Li?"

Just then, Yu Hong returned backstage to get something and immediately saw Shen Li sitting in a chair in a daze. She couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "What are you doing here? Why didn't you go on stage?"

Upon seeing Yu Hong, Shen Li quickly stood up: "Teacher, I... I'm waiting for arrangements."

"Waiting for arrangements?" Yu Hong looked around. Apart from a few cleaning staff, there was no one else there. She frowned and asked, "Who told you to wait here for arrangements?"

“One staff member,” Shen Li replied truthfully.

Having been an agent for nearly twenty years, Yu Hong was well aware of the ins and outs of the entertainment industry and immediately understood that Shen Li was being targeted by someone with ulterior motives.

"You silly girl, the press conference is already halfway over, and no one has come to call you, so why don't you go and ask?" Yu Hong sighed, but instead of taking Shen Li to find the staff, she took the opportunity to say, "If you had a company behind you, or were working for me, do you think they would dare to treat you like this?"

Shen Li belatedly realized that she had been sidelined.

"Teacher, why?" Shen Li asked innocently, puzzled. "I...I didn't do anything wrong, did I?"

“Remember, don’t ask why in the entertainment industry, because many things don’t really have a why.” Yu Hong patted her on the shoulder and said, “The press conference was broadcast live. If you didn’t go on stage with them, you can’t go up halfway through. Learn from this experience and be more careful in the future.”

Shen Li felt a little sore, and her watery eyes reddened slightly.

She couldn't understand it. She hadn't done anything wrong, and she even arrived at the venue two hours early to wait for the press conference, only to be inexplicably relegated to the sidelines.

They wouldn't even let her ask why. What kind of logic is that?

Seeing her pitiful appearance, Yu Hong also looked helpless. Although not every newcomer will be treated unfairly when they first enter the industry, the more outstanding their conditions are, the more likely they are to encounter such situations.

This also shows that Shen Li is outstanding, and she has already made some people feel insecure even before her debut.

Such a promising talent shouldn't be let slip through her fingers.

"Don't feel wronged. If you had given me an answer earlier, could I have brought you to today's press conference?" Yu Hong asked gently at the right moment, "Have you not thought about the contract yet?"

Shen Li composed herself and said softly, "No, teacher, I wanted to answer you in person today, to be more formal. I didn't expect this to happen."

"I've thought it through, and I'm willing to sign." Shen Li said this with unprecedented determination.

Today's incident made her realize that with her blank slate of experience, if no one guides her and points the way, she will definitely suffer endless losses later on.

She needs a company to rely on, and even more so, an experienced agent.

Hearing that she agreed to sign the contract, Yu Hong smiled with relief: "That's right. Come to the company to see me when you have time, and we can sit down and talk about the details."

Shen Li pursed her lips and nodded, then cautiously said, "Then today..."

"Don't think about today. If you don't want an awkward situation later, you can leave now," Yu Hong said.

Shen Li felt wronged and unwilling, but she didn't make a fuss and silently accepted the result.

In the dormitory, Wang Chuhan and the others sat together watching the live broadcast of the press conference. At first, they were all excitedly waiting for the main cast to appear together and for Shen Li to make a beautiful appearance.

But even as the press conference was nearing its end, Shen Li was nowhere to be seen.

"What happened? Where's Shen Li?"

"Yeah, she left two or three hours early. Could she have gone to the wrong place?"

"Impossible. She messaged me a long time ago saying she was already waiting backstage and that she saw several celebrities."

The group looked puzzled. In the end, Zhao Meina took out her phone and sent a message to Shen Li to inquire, but she waited for a long time without receiving a reply.

In another dormitory, Xu Zishan was also watching the live stream. Her mindset was exactly the opposite of Wang Chuhan's. At first, she was apprehensive, fearing that Shen Li would actually appear in the main creative team at the press conference.

After watching for a long time without seeing Shen Li appear, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"I knew it was impossible. No matter how good Shen Li's qualifications are, she could never get an important role in such a big IP project."

"Shanshan, stop overthinking."