Two days later, Wen Jiexi and Li Lingmeng packed up their suitcases and left their dorms during one of those carefully selected time slots where there would be few people around. A sleek black car waited for them outside and leaning against the car was a woman wearing sunglasses and wrapped in a black dress. Her hot figure in the short dress exposed her long legs which caused many people to stop and state.
Wen Jiexi could only sigh in her heart when she saw her agent. Her agent was prettier than even some celebrities out there and yet she didn't want to be a star but choose to be an agent instead. Does she like being an agent that much?
"Oh, great, you two are here. Quick, get in the car." Xue Molin beckoned at them and helped put their suitcases in the back before climbing into the driver's seat.
"Alright, let's go! Oh, right, Lingmeng, since you're old enough now, you should take the driver's license exam. As an assistant, you should at least be able to provide some transportation for your artist. Jiexi, when you have some free time, you should take the exam too. Then when you get your first paycheck, you can buy yourself a car. The company will only arrange for transportation to and from jobs, but will not drive you to school. I also have other things to do so I will not be able to send you to school either, therefore, you two have to figure out your own ride."
"I understand, I'll take the exam as soon as I can." Li Lingmeng nodded.
"As for your housing, it will be a two-person living arrangement. That way, it shouldn't feel too lonely. The furniture is already prepared and a housekeeper would come by every week to clean the place. Of course, they will only clean during times when you're not around so you don't have to worry about anyone walking in at inopportune times. Oh, we already did the first round of elimination for Jiexi's scripts but since you don't have any reputation yet, you won't be able to get into any of the famous dramas. I mean, with my connections and networking, we can definitely get you in but you don't have a good foundation yet. So even if I do force you in, you might encounter so problems. Instead, let's take this one step at a time." Xue Molin turned the steering wheel while glancing back at Wen Jiexi through the rearview mirror.
"I'll listen to Sister Xue. I'm not familiar with this so I will do whatever Sister Xue arranges for me." Wen Jiexi smiled, her thoughts were preoccupied with Dango to really worry about what Xue Molin was saying.
"Jiexi, see, I told you that this stunt performer job was good! Just look at this! All the blue missions' rewards have been doubled and there are more yellow missions too!" Dango laughed loudly.
Previously, the blue missions were simple things like doing 100 sit-ups or push-ups. Now the number has refreshed and rose to about 500 sit-ups or push-ups and the rewards have double, even tripled. The yellow missions were also a little more difficult and the rewards were richer. It seems that the stunt performer occupations really were great, in just two days she had gotten a big harvest.
If only all the missions later on will be this easy.
"The blue missions shouldn't change anymore, but the yellow missions will get more and more difficult. However, rest assured Jiexi, I will ask you first before I accept a mission." Dango had learned from last time when Dango accepted that basketball mission without her consent. Dango was still a bit traumatized from that event and decided to be more obedient in the future. After all, even though his contractor was usually very gentle did not mean she didn't have a temper.
In the future, just tell me the mission's content, reward, and penalty. After all, don't some of the missions disappear after a while? It'll be too slow if we have to wait until I'm alone for me to go through each one.
"I understand, leave it to me!" Dango placed its hands on its hips proudly. Hehe, I'm still useful!
The car turned a corner and a two-meter tall wall with foreboding iron gates at the entrance. There were guards on either side of the gates and another group of patrolling guards on the outside. The place really was as heavily guarded as Xue Molin said.
Xue Molin rolled down the window and the muscled guard immediately came over. He looked rather intimidating and with a tablet, in his hands, he pointed at Xue Molin,
"Card please."
Xue Molin took out a white plastic card and handed it to him. The guard swiped the card in his tablet and immediately housing information appeared on his screen. There were also photos to and after carefully comparing the photos to Xue Moling, he returned her card. Then he glanced into the back seat and saw Wen Jiexi and Li Lingmeng.
"These two are…"
"My new artist and her assistant. You should've received information on them ahead of time." Xue Molin explained.
"Yes, I see it." The guard swiped his screen and brought up new photos to compare Li Lingmeng and Wen Jiexi's faces. After about a minute, he turned around and grabbed two similarly looking cards and handed it to them.
"Please take care to not lose the cards. The replacement procedure is rather troublesome. Make sure to use these gates to enter and leave in the future."
"Thank you."
"I understand."
The guard nodded and then turned back to shout,
"Open the gates!"
The iron door slowly creaked open, both gates opening in a magnificent manner. Xue Molin stepped on the accelerator and drove in.
"The security here is really strict." Li Lingmeng marveled as she looked at the cards in her hands.
"That's a given. The paparazzi's methods of getting in are endless but this is the safest place. So far, no paparazzi have managed to break in. However, although the security is good, the entry and exit procedures are rather troublesome. Even friends or family of the artists have to be investigated if they wish to enter. That's why although many villas are registered, most stars use them only occasionally. There are many who don't have any families and find it lonely to live in the big villas. Therefore, except for some high-level executives, most don't view this as a place to live but as a safe haven when they need to hide from the public. Ah, we're here."
The car parked in front of a small two-story cottage that looked smaller compared to rest but was very elegant.
"It's so big." Li Lingmeng couldn't help but marvel as she dragged her suitcase. She estimated that the place was at least 600 square meters big.
"There are rooms upstairs and downstairs. There is a kitchen and bathroom on the first floor and a study room and fitness room made specifically for entertainers upstairs. Staying in shape is very important for artists, so it is necessary to regulate your diet and exercise often." Xue Molin explained the structure of the cottage and then naturally changed the topic to Wen Jiexi's figure. She walked around Wen Jiexi,
"Alas, you're tall enough, you're legs are long, the face is beautiful, the temperament is good, it's just the chest…ah….Lingmeng, in the future, make sure Jiexi drinks at least one cup of papaya with milk in the morning and one bowl of green papaya stew at night!"
"Yes, ma'am!" Li Lingmeng quickly took out her notepad and wrote it down. Halfway through writing down the notes, she looked up at Wen Jiexi's chest…Pftttt…and chuckled….
Wen Jiexi: QAQ! Why is everyone focused on my chest?!
"En….we'll try our best to pad it up naturally….and as for this pile of snacks…" Xue Molin looked at the two big bags sitting beside the sofa. The bags were definitely not filled with natural ingredients but dry food and even instant noodles.
"Oh! These are my late-night snacks!" Li Lingmeng said with a smile.
"No, no, this can not do. The artist must keep in shape and even if the artist's assistant doesn't need to regulate their weight as much, they cannot become a fatty! Otherwise, who would dare to be seen with such an assistant?" Xue Molin shook her head.
"But, we don't get fat easily!" Li Lingmeng whined. If she doesn't have her daily late-night meal, she will cry.
"Oh~~~~" Xue Molin narrowed her eyes slightly, drawing out her tone as she clapped her hands.
"Ok, you can eat those snacks, but on one condition. Jiexi must drink two cups of papaya with milk and a pot of green papaya stew. Her fruits must also only be papaya! We will continue this diet until she goes up at least one cup size!"
"Ok!"
In the end, Xue Molin and Li Lingemgn reached a compromise by working together. Li Lingemgn carried her suitcases to her room and Xue Molin….was calling the local fruit supplier. She ordered for one crate of milk and one box of green papayas to be sent over per week.
Wen Jiexi: Wait, wait, wait! What about my opinion?! QAQ
Half an hour later, the three met up in the living room and sat on the sofa. Xue Molin took out several scripts she had prepared beforehand and placed them on the table.
"I have selected five dramas for Jiexi. Two of them are Wuxia or martial arts movies, one is a historical drama, one is TV web series, and one is a Xianxia (cultivation) drama. Although the directors are not bigshots, they are all directors under the Xingle Company so they should have a lot of potential, plus the plots are good too. Jiexi, you can check these out."
Wen Jiexi grabbed one and saw it was the tv web-series one. The theme of the web series was based on a campus novel, but although the subject was not new, there were many different elements mixed in to form an entirely fresh show. And that's because the heroine is an assassin. She had received brutal training from birth, and this time her goal is to kill the only heir of a certain family and this heir is the male lead.
The heroine had spent a long time isolated in her training and so she didn't understand how to interact with her classmates which caused her to be ignored and cast off from the rest of the class. The male lead, on the other hand, is a gentle and kind person who often helped out the heroine. Eventually, the heroine gradually lost herself in this gentleness and fell for him until finally she decided to betray her organization for the male lead. She survived from one crisis after the next before she finally got together with the male lead in the end.
The plot was not bad, but Wen Jiexi thought it would be better to look through the other ones first before making a choice. After taking a quick look through each one, Wen Jiexi felt that the one that spoke to her the most was the Xianxia script.
The script described a story between a male and a female protagonist, a demon, and an immortal. The male lead is a great and powerful demon while the heroine is the first disciple of the first sect. And through many encounters and experiences, their fates collide again and again. He saves her, she saves him, blah, blah, the usual enemies to lovers cliches until they finally end up together.
However, if she chose this drama, she would not be playing the female lead but a villain. The villain she would play is a distinct role, the Right Protector [1] of the final boss (the head of the demonic sect). The special characteristic of this Right Protector was that she is a mute and that meant her character cannot be expressed in words. Therefore, the acting and skills needed are very high-level.
The villain has a very complicated backstory in this drama. As a matter of fact, she had saved the male lead's life when she was a child. However, the male lead was still a demon who could not transform at the time so his memory of the past was very vague. And yet, it was this act of kindness that led her predecessor, the previous Right Protector, to take her back to the demonic sect and train to become a practitioner.
She was someone who both saved lives and killed people. To her, the boss' orders were absolute and dressed from head to toe in dark red clothes, she could kill hundreds with a single wave of her hand. However, she also possessed a miraculous medical technique and in her free time, she would walk around the mundane world to help the common citizens by curing them of diseases and injuries. Her deeds even earned her the title of the Mute Miracle Doctor.
Originally, the male and female leads also took notice of this and decided to spare her in the end. They wished to leave this Right Protector her life but the mute villain ignored their efforts to block her as she followed the final boss and jumped off the cliff and into the bottomless pit.
"Jiexi, do you like this one?" Xue Molin raised an eyebrow. Wen Jiexi had not chosen either of the dramas for the heroine role or the drama with the infatuated female supporting lead. Instead, she chose the mute villain. Actually, she was thinking along the same lines as Wen Jiexi and thought this role would be good for her artist. Although it was not a lead role, it was distinctive and vivid which would leave a deep impression on the audience and the public.
"En. Whether it be the plot or the character's bearing, this role is much better than the otters." Wen Jiexi nodded and then hesitantly continued,
"It's just that the acting requirements for this character is very strict, I don't know if I can handle this kind of role."
That's just how it is. After all, not everybody's acting skills can be as talented as Su Chengyu. Most actors had to go through years of hard work before they could even reach the standards for acting. Of course, there are plenty who have a good face and can get by with just their looks, but people like Su Chenyu were rare and not often seen. Wen Jiexi had no delusions that she could act like the great Film Princess Su.
"That's a given, you're definitely going to need a lot of practice. I already arranged acting lessons for you and they should give you exercises and roles for you to play every day. Don't worry, this drama was just announced and is still under the early production stages. What you see is one of the only available copies of the scripts. I believe they won't start selecting actors for another one or two months so during that time you practice covering your weakness and make up for any deficiencies you have. Also, this character usually would have one very skilled actor and one very skilled stunt performer working together. However, since there are many fighting scenes, it will be hard to find a dup that matches each other perfectly without slipping up. Instead. There will be many senior stunt performers aiming for this position." Xue Molin said with a grin.
"Huh? But this is just a supporting role, why are there so many people competing for it?" Li Lingmeng still hadn't read the script yet and asked in a puzzled tone. She reached out to take the script from Wen Jiexi's hands and flipped through it.
"Although the protagonist has the most lines, it doesn't mean that it will become a famous and hot role. As long as your character has enough attraction and distinctiveness, the popularity of the character might not necessarily be worse than that of the male and female leads. You have seen the dramas played by Little Su before, right? In her younger days, she did not play the female lead or main character, but plates supporting characters or villains. And yet the characters left an impression on the audience. This is because, in addition to her acting and appearance, the character has a good development and backstory." Xue Molin explained seriously and pointed at the other scripts,
"The other dramas are also good and some of them will allow Jiexi to play the heroine or even supporting female lead roles. However, compared to the Right Protector who could only be considered the third or maybe fourth supporting female lead, the other characters are the usual dense yet sweet protagonist, the cold tsundere, the infatuated female rival, and so on. The public has seen enough of these cliche characters, but a Right Protector who embodies the duality of good and evil is so much more attractive to the audience."
"Then we will pick this one! If we have to pick one, we must pick the best one!" Seeing that both Wen Jiexi and Xue Molin had chosen this drama, Li Lingmeng quickly nodded in agreement.
"Picking the best is obviously the best choice, but whether the director will select Jiexi or not will depend on her efforts." Xue Molin shrugged and started putting away the scripts,
"You should have ample time to prepare so besides going to school and the company's training class, you should study this script as well."
"Sister Xue, you're leaving?" Wen Jeixi asked Xue Molin who was packing up.
"Of course, I told you before that living in a villa by yourself is too lonely and so I naturally don't live here. Rest assured, I will come back and check up on you from time to time. Oh, I'll conduct some surprise inspections from time to time so you better memorize the script! If you don't have any lines, you can at least memorize all the movements~~~ Hehehe~~~" Xue Molin pinched Wen Jiexi's cheek with a smile and put on her high heels before opening the door.
"Make sure to rest well and take good care of your body! I don't want to see my actress with any dark circles under their eyes or random ache appearing on their faces. If they appear, I will punish you~~~ There are fresh ingredients in the fridge, feel free to use them! Alright, I'm leaving now~~~ Bye~~~"
Bang!
Wen Jiexi and Li Lingmeng watched the door close before looking at each other,
"Anyways, I'll make some simple dishes first and then we can go out for dinner later." Li Lingmeng checked the time and saw it was already two in the afternoon, a little late for lunch.
"Jiexi, your room is the one upstairs and the one closest to the gym. I believe that's the most convenient arrangement."
"Ok." Wen Jiexi nodded and watched Li Lingmeng disappear into the kitchen. She lifted her suitcases and began her ascent to the second floor.
"This place is so big! It's similar to Jiexi's house but it only has two floors." Dango sighed.
This cottage was allocated by the company and it's considered quite good. If it was rented to the public, it would cause tens of thousands per month. There is plenty of space, the facilities are excellent, and the security is good too. Stop stressing out about the little things.
"Alright, alright! I guess the fitness equipment here is rather nice. If you work out here every day, you'll be able to earn a lot of points!" Dango laughed, eyes full of longing as if there were dozens of points fluttering in front of Dango.
How can I have so much free time to waste on exercising? Wen Jiexi smiled bitterly and entered her room. The room was quite large, with a bed, two bookcases, a desk, a small TV, and a sofa. The room was about the same size as the entire dorm room back at school. In fact, it was like living in the dorms, but with only one person instead of two.
"The room's not bad." Wen Jiexi nodded in satisfaction and began to neatly put away her clothes.
"Jiexi! Let me tell you something. You guys were talking about acting earlier, right? Well, the system's shop also has a skill book for that! It's just like your boxing skills! Except more expensive." Dango brought up the screen and placed it in front of her like a subject offering a tribute.
"There really is a book." Wen Jeixi said in surprise but slightly frowned. There indeed were skills books that can teach her technical skills. Although the cost for the skills was double the price of her martial arts skills, anyone would feel envious towards how easy it was for her to learn it. Acting skill, culinary skills, finance skills, musical instruments, painting, there was a wide variety of technical skills just laying before her very eyes. Each skill set was divided into three levels and in order to access the elementary levels, she had to be a level-three contractor. The elementary level of skills was only superficial knowledge and it wasn't until the next level, the intermediate level, could those skills be comparable to the actual profession. For example, if she bought the intermediate level books for cooking, she can be comparable to a respected chef. However, if she was learning computer programming and bought advanced level books for it, she can instantly become the top hacker in the nation.
All of the skills were attractive and had Wen Jiexi drooling. However, even the cheapest elementary level skill book was at least 5,000 points and she had to wait until she became a level-six contractor, before she could buy the intermediate level skill books which were 30,000 points per book. As for the advanced level, it was, even more, exaggerated as she had to reach level 15 and each book was 500,000 points! It was so high of a value that made her want to vomit blood just by looking at it. There were also rules to the books as well. You have to learn the elementary level before you can learn the intermediate level skill books. So that means if you want to learn the advanced level of skills, you had to buy the first two tiers. Thinking of this, Wen Jiexi felt like her heart couldn't bear anymore shock. She felt so envious of Goddess Su' natural acting talent….
"Dango, do I have to complete the golden mission before I can buy it?" Wen Jiexi asked as she saw that the elementary level acting book was at least 6,000 points.
"Yes, that is correct. In order to prevent the contractor from buying items but not fulfilling the missions, only points earned after you complete the golden missions can be used. Currently, your points from regular blue missions and whatnot are being used to complete the golden mission." Dango explained.
"Ok…" Wen Jiexi felt a deep sense of helplessness….but she had to buy them, that way her acting skills will be a guarantee…however, she also needed to buy the next level for her martial art techniques. At least there were no rigid rules for the martial art books, otherwise, she would be unable to afford it. Being poor really sucks….
"Jiexi, you can do it! Since the rewards from the missions are now doubled, the golden mission will probably be completed soon. Then you can buy whatever you want." Dango tried to comfort her by patting her on the shoulder. There was just no other way. Previously, some contractors did not have dire consequences if they broke the contract so they bought things like crazy before canceling the contract. The purchased things were kept even after the contract was canceled and it caused a lot of ruckuses. In order to prevent that from happening again, the system turned it into a banned item that can only be used after completing missions. It could be said that the predecessors ended up hurting their successors.
"So, in short, I have to finish the golden mission as soon as possible. I have about a month left, that's plenty of time." Wen Jiexi changed into her workout clothes and prepared to exercise in the gym after lunch.
"Jiexi, fighting!" Dango shouted, waving its small arms in the air.
The next day, in the open space of the gym,
"Hu…hu…hu…" Wen Jiexi was panting and sweating as she jumped roped nonstop.
"Ok, Jiexi, you're good!" Dango shouted as soon as the mission dinged in completion.
"So sore…" Wen Jiexi swung her sore arms. She had jumped for over half an hour, it was really quite exhausting. She took the towel beside her and wiped her face, opening the water bottle with her other hand to take a sip.
Ka-Da…..
Li Lingmeng came in a helpless expression on her face.
"Jiexi, it's time to go. We're supposed to be at the company at 10. You couldn't have forgotten about that, right?"
Yes, yes, I'm coming. Let me freshen up first." Wen Jiexi laughed drily, she didn't expect four hours to have passed in a blink of an eye. She quickly ran towards her room and grabbed a change of clothes as she rushed to the bathroom.
At around 9:30, the sound of a car honking could be heard outside, signaling Xue Molin's arrival. Although Li Lingmeng was going to take the driver's license exam, that still hasn't happened yet so Xue Molin would be in charge of transportation for now.
'Today's class is that acting class I told you about yesterday. There will be eleven newcomers who will take the class with you and it'll be everyone's first time, so don't be nervous. You'll all be at the same starting point." Xue Molin explained while driving. She then turned towards Li Lingmeng,
"Lingmeng, after I send Jiexi to her training, you will come with me. I have invited a friend of mine to join us today. She has been an assistant for more than ten years now so she will be able to teach you everything about being an assistant.
"I thought I had to accompany Little Xi at all times?" Li Lingmeng scratched her head sheepishly, she didn't expect to have to attend a class herself.
"Please. Do you think being an assistant is that easy? An assistant for an artist at Xingle is usually required to take an extensive class and at least one to two years on the job training. You're already taking a shortcut." Xue Molin rolled her eyes as she explained.
"Hehe, this is all thanks to Sister Xue." Li Lingmeng laughed embarrassedly.
It was only a five-minute drive from the neighborhood to the company. And so, Wen Jiexi was abandoned in front of the classroom without a second glance. She looked around and saw….uh, no one is there?
She knocked on the door and then pushed it open. Immediately, several pairs of eyes turned towards her and she froze a little. However, it wasn't stage fright, as she had already shot a commercial, just a little surprised. Her gaze wandered around the room and although Xue Molin said there were going to be eleven people, there were only seven or eight right now. Furthermore, everyone was quiet and the buzz of conversation could not be found. Following everyone's example. Wen Jiexi also did not speak and walked in quietly.
The classroom was quite large with a few tidy rows of desks in the front and a large open space in the back. It seemed that space was used during acting exercises. Wen Jiexi sat in a random chair and then looked up to observe the other students. While she observed them, the other students were also silently sizing her up.
They're definitely worthy enough to be selected by Xingle, they're all so beautiful and different types of beautiful too! Wen Jiexi silently lamented in her heart.
As the class slowly gathered and more students came in, the teacher walked in on high heels. It was a woman roughly in her forties, but her well-maintained skin and body showed that she too was an outstanding beauty when she was younger.
"Hello, class. My name is Bai Wei and I will be the teacher for this class. Please take care of me!" The teacher who claimed to be Bai Wei smiled at everyone and looked at each student present,
"I don't care how you got into this class or what your goals are, for you are all here to hone your acting skills! So….there's no time to lose…." Bai Wei clapped her hands and smiled,
"Let's start acting!"
Hah?
T/N notes:
Wuxia = martial arts
Xianxia = cultivation, magic arts, whatnot
[1] Right Protector: Technically translates to Right Guardian or Right Guard. In Xianxia novels, the bosses usually get a left and right guardian who acts as the final defense for the head before they are defeated by the protagonist. The mid-boss, I guess? Fun fact: the idea stems from Buddhism where in every temple you have statues of Buddha that are often flanked with a left and right guardian. You know, the angry and muscular statues that stand threatening behind Buddha? Yeah, Xianxia sometimes uses that concept.
Sidenote: Studies have shown that Papayas actually do help increase your breast size and is one of the most natural ways to do so… (^///^)