Chapter 67: Forced Compromise
She didn’t know what exactly happened to Nangong Ying because, at this moment, she was busy preparing for the English competition. Nothing in the world was more important than making money. For her, being able to live a life with enough food and new clothes was what truly mattered.
She had sent a message to Nangong Ying but received no reply. Who knew what had actually happened to her? At this moment, Yu Linna, busy with other things, temporarily put this matter aside.
The third year of high school was very demanding, with piles of test papers every day, almost non-stop. Yu Linna took advantage of being a day student to skip evening self-study, which was a good thing for her. Back then, the school waived her tuition fees, but she didn’t become a boarding student precisely because the waived fees didn’t include accommodation.
School usually ended after five o’clock. Students who had been doing problems all day felt their shoulders ache, but this wasn’t the end of their day; they still had to continue striving at night. Although Yu Linna had to work part-time, it didn’t mean she didn’t need to study. Even a genius had to work hard. Without effort, one would quickly be surpassed.
Yu Linna packed her textbooks into her schoolbag and left the classroom alone. She didn’t wait for Fang Jianing to walk together because she had to rush to work. Life had stabilized now; attending classes and working every day, the money earned became increasingly stable. She regularly paid back a little money to Ye Zhiyun, and life was manageable. Although the rent issue was still a headache, as long as she didn’t default, the landlady wouldn’t trouble her.
Walking out of the school gate, Yu Linna hummed a little tune, heading towards her workplace. The crowd surged, growing noisier. When Yu Linna looked up, she felt completely surrounded.
Walking along, thinking about her future life, she reached the bottom of a utility pole. A voice from behind stopped her steps.
“Linlin, where are you?! Please come back, don’t scare Mommy!”
Behind her rang a mother’s voice, probably anxious because her child was lost. In the bustling crowd, her voice would quickly be drowned out, and few people would pay attention.
Yu Linna stood there, looking at the utility pole. A missing person notice was posted on it. Originally, this was a very common sight, but somehow, Yu Linna stared fixedly at the few lines of text on it.
The notice had a child’s photo, the specific date of disappearance, and where they went missing. It also left contact information.
These missing person notices were often seen in big cities, especially for children and the elderly.
The girl stared at the notice, her mind going blank. She just stood there, isolated in the crowd. At first, she was calm, but slowly, her breathing became rapid, and then heavier and heavier. She suddenly clutched her heart, a suffocating feeling washing over her, leaving her disoriented.
This feeling was extremely strange, and the sense of oppression was intense, making it hard to breathe. By the time Yu Linna came back to her senses, her face was deathly pale.
Deep in her mind, something seemed to have shattered. A strong consciousness surged, and her heartbeat accelerated. It was clearly something unfamiliar, yet it made her feel a suffocation she hadn’t experienced in over ten years.
She had lived in this world for over ten years, gotten used to everything she should have. Besides her gender being different from her previous life, everything else seemed largely unchanged. But strangely, her consciousness became muddled.
Suddenly, a hand patted her shoulder, interrupting her wild thoughts.
“Linna, what’s wrong? Not feeling well?”
The girl slowly looked up and saw a slightly worried face. Sweat dripped down her forehead, evaporating along with that suffocating feeling.
“It’s nothing…”
That feeling just now was really strange. Why did she suddenly become like that? It didn’t feel like herself.
“You don’t look like you’re fine. Are you really okay? How about taking leave from work?”
“No, no, no, I’m fine, I’m fine. I have to go to work.”
Yu Linna gathered her emotions, forced herself to forget what just happened, and left without looking back.
Fang Jianing watched the frail figure depart, momentarily unsure how to stop her. Yu Linna’s personality was like this; she always hid things in her heart, never telling others, never easily letting people guess what she was thinking.
Although their relationship had become closer recently, she still couldn’t enter her heart.
Fang Jianing looked at the missing person notice Yu Linna had been staring at just now. She didn’t understand why that girl would react so strongly to a missing person notice. Under normal circumstances, this kind of thing shouldn’t happen.
Or perhaps, did Yu Linna have some unknown past?
All these things, Fang Jianing didn’t know.
And Yu Linna soon threw this matter to the back of her mind, returning to her busy work state, gradually forgetting about it.
Meanwhile, Nangong Ying was troubled by the blacklisting incident. She had put in so much effort. If her works were banned, and all her works were prohibited from release, then her star path would truly have no future.
She was still a newcomer, completely without connections. Her father didn’t support her career either. If she couldn’t debut as an actress, her dream would stop here. And the soundtrack everyone worked so hard on, if the movie couldn’t be released as scheduled, their music wouldn’t be heard either. Their band had just started; they couldn’t stop moving forward because of this incident.
Nangong Ying had too many things to consider. In the past, she thought that as long as she worked hard and had the ability, there would definitely be rewards. But the reality? Just having strength wasn’t enough. Without connections, you were just someone else’s toy. She deeply understood what power meant.
From the beginning, she should have known that the other party wasn’t a good fruit; they wouldn’t let her go easily. She was too naive; she thought this kind of thing wouldn’t happen.
“What should I do…”
Turning into this state in just a few days, Nangong Ying’s head was about to explode, yet she still couldn’t figure out a solution. Her network in this circle was too small, only Li Yuexin and a few directors, completely unable to contend with the vast commercial empire of Orange River.
If her father was willing to help her, there might still be a chance. But her father wished she would leave the entertainment industry; how could he possibly help her?
Why was realizing her dream so difficult?
“Nangong, someone from Orange River called, saying they can talk in detail with you.”
But one day, things took another turn.
Orange River probably figured Nangong Ying had learned her lesson enough; it was time to reel in the net. After all, their original intention was to teach her a lesson, not really blacklist her. Although Nangong Ying didn’t hold much value, it didn’t mean she had no value at all.
What could be used, should best be used.
“Hello, Miss Nangong. I believe you haven’t been sleeping or eating well these past few days. We’ve also thought about it. Considering you’re still a child, we don’t want to make things too difficult for you. Therefore, shall we try to reconcile?”
Having learned her lesson, Nangong Ying didn’t dare to be sharp-edged this time. She knew Orange River was definitely not kind-hearted; she had to be wary of their fangs.
“Alright, how do you want to reconcile?”
“Very simple. The senior management of Orange River wants to meet you privately. You come from a great background, and you’re a national champion. Such an outstanding person like you, anyone would like.”
Nangong Ying’s face turned ashen, almost exploding, but she held back.
What did the other party mean by these words? She actually understood very well. In the entertainment industry, there was a very subtle rule, specifically targeting female stars.
This rule was the unspoken rule, the casting couch.
People from Orange River had already targeted Nangong Ying, wanting to make a move on her.
This was truly bad news. Unexpectedly being played, wanting to reclaim her rights, yet having to suffer such unfair treatment. Just because she had no background, just because she was a female star, was that why she had to be so unlucky?
“This is an opportunity. Think about it. Having all your works banned is really not worth it. Your future is still long; living in the present is important.”
Nangong Ying really wanted to find the other party and teach them a harsh lesson, but she couldn’t act impulsively like this.
Everything about her, she had to consider. The banned works were the painstaking efforts of the entire crew, and also the efforts of Sister Yuexin and the entire band. She couldn’t let everyone’s hard work be trampled upon.
She couldn’t.
“With all due respect, I’m not such a person with face. I’m really not qualified. Someone else would be more suitable than me.”
She gritted her teeth saying this, her heart filled with humiliation.
“Since that’s the case, we won’t force it. But we need to explain. Find a representative to show up at Orange River instead. Regarding your movie matters, we want to talk properly.”
Seemingly seeing Nangong Ying’s unwillingness, the other party beat around the bush and stated another condition.
And this condition was actually very simple: find someone else to replace Nangong Ying and fulfill the unspoken rule.
How could Nangong Ying not know the meaning behind this? Orange River was so big; fighting them was absolutely impossible. She had to compromise. If she didn’t compromise, her future would be ruined.
But no matter who replaced her, she wouldn’t feel good.
“Miss Nangong, do you remember that friend you often mentioned?”
“…What are you going to do! Don’t act recklessly! You can’t do that kind of thing to her!”
Nangong Ying immediately panicked, her face deathly pale. She could accept anything else, but Yu Linna absolutely could not be taken away by them!
“Relax. We just want to sign her as an artist under our banner and cultivate her slowly. Her appearance is very good; we want to train her to become an actress. Moreover, we also want to thank you for your recommendation, letting us discover this good seedling.”
“You…!”
“Think about it carefully. You can become a star. As long as you have the platform, you can fly to the sky. Compared to your future, which is lighter, which is heavier, I believe you have an answer in your heart.”
Nangong Ying gritted her teeth, her face contorted. At this moment, her tears rolled down uncontrollably. In the face of absolute power, she couldn’t help but yield.
She couldn’t fight them; she didn’t have that ability.
She clenched her fists, bit her lip, her eyes bloodshot. One day, she would definitely make Orange River pay the price for this!
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