Thinking about it, Sister Li couldn't help but twitch her mouth. Say what you will, Qin Ran, you're truly a madwoman.
These past few days, whenever Sister Li was out and about, industry insiders who knew her would give her strange looks, as if questioning her sanity for joining such a crazy company.
She really wanted to tell them that before this incident, even she hadn't known her boss could be this unhinged. It was unheard of for a company to openly go after ordinary netizens. But then again, most companies care about their public image—her company? They didn't care at all.
But she had to admit, it felt pretty good. The artists could walk with their heads held high, and other celebrities didn't dare mess with them. After all, they had a company backing them that was known for going berserk. Qin Ran didn't show favoritism either, ensuring the company would go crazy for all its artists, not just Yu Shuman.
Otherwise, it would be too obvious, and people would notice something was up. To let Yu Shuman remain hidden and safe, all the company's artists had to receive the same treatment—if the company needed to go crazy, it would.
Forced to drink with clients? Not allowed; the company would provide resources directly. Inappropriate propositions? Well, they work for 99 Entertainment… Once that name was dropped, the artists walked with an air of confidence.
The company's reputation as a crazy one might not sound great, but it was actually quite satisfying.
Qin Ran didn't visit the filming base for the next few days; she had other matters to attend to. Sister Li knew that Wu Tezhu had recently accompanied Qin Ran abroad, and while she didn't know exactly what Qin Ran was up to, she suspected it had something to do with Yu Shuman.
And she was right.
Qin Ran went abroad to seek out luxury brands, visiting one after another, spending lavishly to become a VIP among VIPs. The reason was simple: if Yu Shuman decided to continue her career in the entertainment industry, she would eventually need to wear high-end luxury brands, right? After all, stars have to walk the red carpet.
If she stumbled on the red carpet, wearing borrowed clothes that didn't fit well, that would be embarrassing. The outfits might require minor alterations that couldn't be undone, and if they got stained or damaged, Yu Shuman would be terrified of the costs.
To prevent such things, Qin Ran chose to address the issue from the start.
So she and Wu Tezhu flew overseas, under the pretext of expanding 99 Entertainment and securing future gowns for their artists. But the real reason, which she honestly gave to the system, was: for Yu Shuman.
The system immediately approved, covering all her expenses and even refunding her account.
Becoming a VIP of a luxury brand isn't as simple as just spending money; that approach would make her look like a nouveau riche. The best way was to be introduced by someone else and then join their membership club.
In fact, the number of members in these luxury brand clubs is quite limited. The more expensive the brand, the fewer VIPs there are. For top-tier luxury brands, there are only about 2,000 members nationwide. These brands are pricey, but their service is top-notch.
In her past life, Qin Ran had been a VIP of such brands, so she knew how to join their clubs. First, she purchased a decades-old haute couture dress and its original receipt from some declining British aristocrats. Then, she took the dress and receipt to a luxury brand's flagship store, requesting alterations.
Luxury brands never refuse such requests; they don't insist that their designs remain untouched. On the contrary, they prioritize customer satisfaction and will accommodate almost any request. For example, a runway wedding dress was once altered into a long-sleeved, full-length gown for a client from the UAE, and the brand even sent their famously introverted designer to attend the wedding.
In short, with the right entry pass and enough money, luxury brands are willing to set aside their pride and do anything within their power for their customers.
Getting that entry pass wasn't hard, as many former British aristocrats who had fallen on hard times had once been VIPs of these brands. When luxury brands were first rising to prominence, they catered to these aristocrats, making them all VIPs.
As Qin Ran and Wu Tezhu waited for the designer at the flagship store, the staff took a few extra glances at Qin Ran's attire, unable to identify the brand or designer, but still served them with a smile.
Wu Tezhu, a highly skilled assistant fluent in multiple languages, also acted as Qin Ran's translator. With her fluent speech and experience studying abroad, Wu Tezhu handled the communication with ease, putting Qin Ran at ease as well.
Technically, Qin Ran didn't need Wu Tezhu to translate for her. Although she hadn't had much opportunity to use them in this life, Qin Ran had been fluent in several languages in her past life, with even better pronunciation than Wu Tezhu.
But it wasn't necessary—after all, she was socially anxious and preferred not to communicate if she didn't have to.
They didn't have to wait long before the designer arrived. Perhaps noticing that they were Asian, the flagship store had sent an Asian mixed-race designer, who greeted them in broken Mandarin. Despite the poor pronunciation, he was able to communicate just fine. When the designer realized that Qin Ran wasn't responding to him directly, he switched back to an international language while conversing with Wu Tezhu.
It seemed they were accustomed to people bringing in vintage pieces bought from declining aristocrats to regain VIP status with luxury brands.
As Wu Tezhu and the designer discussed the details, the staff quickly processed Qin Ran's VIP membership. However, VIP status needed to be maintained through regular spending; if she didn't make purchases for an extended period, her privileges would be frozen until she spent a certain amount again.
Qin Ran was on a tight schedule, so after finishing at this luxury brand, she quickly moved on to the next. By the end of the weekend, she had become a member of over a dozen luxury brands, though she hadn't yet reached core membership status. But that didn't matter—nothing is impossible with enough money, especially since her company had plenty of clients needing outfits. The company was initially founded for Yu Shuman, and now every penny Qin Ran spent was justified by the system as being for Yu Shuman.
After her trip abroad, not only had she not spent a single cent, but she also earned a bit of extra cash from the system's refunds.
Back in China, several artists at 99 Entertainment were stunned by the sudden windfall. Their agents told them that the company would provide them with high-end luxury gowns. While the gowns were only on loan, they could be altered slightly, and if they were accidentally stained, they wouldn't be charged.
99 Entertainment was still a new company with few artists, so this announcement practically guaranteed that everyone would get one. The top-tier artists were thrilled to wear million-yuan gowns, while the newcomers were grateful to have such strong backing. The company president no longer had to worry about finding brands willing to lend them dresses, Qin Ran successfully became a VIP member, and now she could buy dresses for Yu Shuman. The system was the only one feeling unlucky—everyone else was happy.
Of course, not everyone was pleased. The bot leaders who had just taken money from Qin Ran were now in hot water. The incident had escalated to the point where it caught the attention of the authorities, who had already been looking into the rampant bot activity in the entertainment industry. With Qin Ran stirring the pot, the cleanup operation began even earlier than it did in the novel.
Qin Ran didn't hesitate, ordering the company president to immediately report the bot leaders they had information on. She didn't hide the chat logs she had purchased from them either, handing everything over to the authorities. The government quickly imposed fines and penalties on 99 Entertainment, which the president paid promptly and without complaint.
Their cooperation and good behavior, combined with their "service rendered," earned them some leniency, though the company was still given a stern warning.
With 99 Entertainment's good behavior, the official blog post announcing their cleanup was relatively lenient, but other companies that had also bought bots weren't so lucky and received harsh criticism. Before launching the cleanup operation, the authorities had issued a warning, encouraging companies to confess and receive lighter punishment. But some stubbornly believed their activities wouldn't be discovered, only to cry for mercy when they were caught.
Now that they were caught, they could only blame themselves for not confessing sooner.
Qin Ran scoffed. Another reason 99 Entertainment was let off lightly was that, aside from purchasing chat logs to incriminate Pei Qi's company, they hadn't engaged in any activities like attacking other artists or planting negative stories. At most, they had boosted Yu Shuman's votes, making them practically innocent compared to others in the industry.
Their only flaw was their tarnished reputation.
The bot leaders, who had just received money from Qin Ran and were planning to enjoy themselves, were suddenly raided. When one of them ended up in custody with a few others, they realized they'd been tricked by 99 Entertainment. The bot leader didn't dare curse the authorities but silently cursed Qin Ran.
On the plane, Qin Ran sneezed. Wu Tezhu, sitting next to her, asked the flight attendant to adjust the temperature. Once it was a bit warmer, Qin Ran wiped her nose and wondered who was badmouthing her.
She had no idea it was the bot leaders. If she had, she would have been overjoyed. After all, those bot leaders had been stirring up trouble in the entertainment industry for too long—they deserved to be caught.
When Qin Ran got off the plane, it was late at night, already December. The weather in Beijing had turned cold, so Qin Ran pulled her coat tighter around her as she followed Wu Tezhu through the VIP passage. Outside, 99 Entertainment's purchased business vehicle was waiting by the curb. As per Qin Ran's request, the luxury van was fully equipped.
She settled into the backseat, tested the comfort, then leaned back and drifted off to sleep. She had accomplished so much in two days and still had class early the next morning. Qin Ran felt like a special forces university student.