CHAPTER 30: CHAPTER 30: THE KICKOFF CEREMONY

The Mountain and Sea Realm

"Cough, Yun Jing, why is there still a dust storm here? Cough, cough." The Little Qilin, unable to open its eyes due to the sandstorm, asked in confusion.

Yun Jing seemed much more composed at this moment, clearly accustomed to such an environment, and spoke calmly.

"You could consider it the ’aftermath of war.’ That battle was so vast that it destroyed all the green plants inside the Mountain and Sea Realm, leaving hardly any life."

For some reason, mentioning that battle elicited a slight resonance in the Little Qilin’s heart, a pulsating pain.

Afraid to think further, it was somewhat curious about where they were headed next, and seeing the rapidly passing yellow earth beneath, it couldn’t help but ask,

"Who are you taking me to find?"

"Your predecessor, another Qilin, though it has existed far longer than you. Perhaps it can teach you how to control your abilities."

Yun Jing said no more, instead increasing the speed of their flight, heading towards the depths of the Mountain and Sea Realm.

========================

Ruan Xingwen knew his cooking skills quite well, so Wang Xiaoyuan became the main chef for tonight’s dinner. The two didn’t make complicated dishes, just simple home-cooked meals.

After dinner, Little Yuan cleaned up the table and was about to wash the dishes when Ruan Xingwen stopped her,

"Little Yuan, let me do it. You’ve already resigned; I can’t afford to hire you as my assistant anymore. I’ll handle it; you go sit on the sofa." He pushed her out of the kitchen with an outstretched hand.

He finished washing the dishes, dried his hands, and left the kitchen, heading towards the sofa. As he passed the balcony, he casually glanced at the sky outside and noticed that the horizon had darkened, indicating it would probably rain soon.

"Little Yuan, are you leaving now? It looks like it’s going to rain outside."

Wang Xiaoyuan also got up and walked over, sticking her head out to look outside the window, where it had indeed clouded over, with the clouds drifting this way.

"I’ll leave now, or else I’ll definitely get drenched before reaching home." She said as she turned around and headed to the door.

They both went downstairs together and walked to the entrance of the community. Ruan Xingwen hailed a taxi and, after opening the car door for Wang Xiaoyuan, gently advised her,

"Take care of yourself, and let me know when you get home."

The taxi drove off into the distance, and Ruan Xingwen glanced again in the direction where the taxi disappeared, then turned and went back home.

He didn’t notice that, in a nearby park, an old man had sneakily taken a photo of him with Little Yuan. In the picture, he was looking tenderly at the girl he was chatting and laughing with, which was sent to someone far away.

After sending the photo, the old man also headed towards one of the buildings in the community.

As soon as he got home, the sound of rain came from outside. Wearing slippers, he walked to the window, staring silently at the swiftly thickened curtain of rain.

His thoughts were running wild; one moment thinking about endorsements, the next about Little Qilin and Yun Jing, and then about his task in the Mountain and Sea Realm. Building an inn—how difficult that would be.

He wouldn’t ask his uncle for help. That money his uncle earned himself, his uncle who gave up his dreams solely to fulfill their grandpa’s last wish.

He felt he had no right to ask his uncle for something simply based on their familial ties.

For now, all he could do was make money, and how he could earn money... staying in the entertainment industry and continuing to take bookings seemed the way, after all, even a little amount is better than nothing. And if he wanted to take bookings, he needed to find another company...

He traced the raindrops on the glass with his fingers repeatedly, lacking any new ideas. Without connections, it was a troubling dilemma for him.

Currently, the only established figure he could think of within the circle was Yu Xiaozhe. Yet, he’s a very independent person, preferring to handle things himself rather than bother others, especially since they’re not close.

After long contemplation, he ended up merely adding to his own worries.

He took out his phone and captured a picture of a sapling bent by the rain through the window, adding some melancholy text from a popular cloud-based music app, and posted it on his social network.

[People often praise Mr. Tao Yuanming for not bowing for food while forgetting that a little tree could bow under heavy rain.]

Ruan Xingwen looked at the image on his phone, shook his head, and went back to his bedroom to sleep.

Rainy days, paired with sleep, suited him well since he had nothing else to do.

========================

Su City Film and Television Base

"Such a good commencement ceremony, ruined by this heavy rain—how unlucky," Wang Zicheng’s deputy director said inappropriately.

In the entertainment industry, there’s an unwritten rule about the incense-burning ritual during commencement ceremonies.

Many actors and directors with some achievements in the circle have some belief in metaphysical matters, as apart from the backing of capital, luck, which is rather mysterious, governs success.

The incense-burning ritual is not only to bless but also to pay respects to the earth and heavens.

Wang Zicheng looked at him flatly and retorted.

"Water can also bring wealth. Don’t you know that? Haven’t you gone through this over the years?"

Everyone present could hear the displeasure in Director Wang’s tone and began echoing him.

"Indeed, indeed, there’s such a saying. It means our show is bound to be a hit!"

"Exactly, with Director Wang’s team and the ensemble of stars, it’s bound to be a hit!"

The deputy director had to apologize with a forced smile to Director Wang and fell back into the rear of the group. Watching Wang Zicheng surrounded by the crowd, jealousy surged within,

Why is it that Wang Zicheng gets praised by everyone while he gets ostracized for merely stating a fact? He just got lucky making a few blockbuster films. If he had those big productions, surely, he could succeed as well and even surpass Wang Zicheng!

Often, those who lack talent and envy others’ success attribute it to luck instead of finding faults within themselves.

Praising the high and stepping on the low is not uncommon in the circle.

Yu Xiaozhe and his two companions walked behind the crowd without engaging in the earlier conversation.

Though not surrounded by the crowd, Yu Xiaozhe exuded an unmistakable aura, not merely because of his impressive height of one meter ninety.

Wearing a high-end black tailored suit, expression stern, occasionally nodding in response to Zhang He, while the handsome young man behind him, Li Mu, wore a similar "ice-block face."

The three seemed more like attending a high-level meeting of a multinational company than a film crew’s commencement ceremony.

Despite their intimidating presence, Zhang He was actually gossiping with Yu Xiaozhe,

"I tell you, from my recent investigations, the relationships within this crew are particularly complex, with various capital interests intertwined. That slow-witted deputy director was pushed in by Mingsheng, no major skills, supposedly a relative of a department manager."

Huasheng Entertainment, Mingsheng Entertainment, and Xingyu Media are known as the "Big Three" in the Hua Country’s entertainment circle. Xingyu Media, true to its name, focuses on "star-making," primarily nurturing singers and idol groups. While Mingsheng Entertainment and Huasheng primarily share the same business focus, they are recognized as rivals, even sharing a similar name. Unlike Huasheng, Mingsheng Entertainment is plagued by internal chaos and many gray transactions. As long as you have connections and money, you can access resources.

Yu Xiaozhe had no interest in understanding any of this and despised the gray transactions even more. Mentioning gray transactions, he couldn’t help but remember Ruan Xingwen and thought again about finding the expression pack of that little bear.

He unnaturally took out his phone and found a message from his grandfather. It was a picture, likely another cheesy motivational image.

Ignoring it, he opened the chat with Ruan Xingwen directly, pointing at the little bear, and asked Li Mu, who was standing nearby, looking colder but more dependable than Zhang He,

"Do you know where to download this expression pack?"

The "Mr. Know-It-All" usually expressionless all-round assistant’s eyes became momentarily blank and naively asked,

"Huh?"

========

Sen is preparing to rename this novel, with the new title being

"After Picking Up the Divine Beast, I Got Conquered by the Big Shot"

Hehehe ~ Love you guys ~