"That Wang Ruodong—what a disaster he made of the last script! Why are we giving him another chance?"
"Ah, what choice do we have now? If I'd known he'd mess it up so badly, I wouldn't have entrusted him with the last script," Boss Wang sighed.
"Stop with the 'if I'd known sooner'! Why didn't you 'know sooner' when you were born?! It's all hindsight!"
"What the...?" Boss Wang stared, bewildered.
"Ahem, what I mean is..." Jiang Li cleared her throat. "Boss Wang, if you already knew Wang Ruodong was useless, why are you giving him this script?"
"It's about giving him experience! Young people need opportunities to learn and grow. He failed last time—maybe he'll learn from his mistakes and succeed this time?" Boss Wang said earnestly, adopting the tone of a seasoned mentor.
"No way! A useless person will always be useless. Pouring resources into him won't change that. We'd be better off entrusting this to someone with actual ability!"
"...?"
"Um, what I mean is... please trust me! I promise I can make this script a success!" Jiang Li coughed again, her voice softening considerably.
Sparkle, who had witnessed the entire exchange, couldn't help but marvel inwardly at Jiang Li's aggressive nature.
This was even in front of her superior, likely a restrained version of her usual self. Had this been a normal situation, she probably would have launched into a full-blown tirade.
Regardless of Jiang Li's actual abilities, in the film industry, talent alone doesn't guarantee success.
The entertainment industry is just as chaotic as the music scene, where power and influence often trump sheer ability.
It's worth noting that Robin had never navigated the entertainment industry before. Her current status was entirely due to her identity as an "Outsider," backed by the Bureau of Anomalous Investigations, and her seemingly superhuman singing voice.
For ordinary female celebrities climbing the ladder, the price of success is often staggering.
While news of directors exploiting actresses through underhanded means frequently surfaces, newcomers like Jiang Li, lacking both connections and backing, face similar pressures in the industry.
Boss Wang stroked his chin, scrutinizing Jiang Li. "Well, if you're truly determined to take on this script, it's not entirely out of the question..."
"Really?!" Jiang Li exclaimed, slamming her hands on the table. Sparkle clearly saw the water glasses jump and momentarily float in the air.
Boss Wang flinched, startled by the sudden noise. After regaining his composure, he continued, "Tonight after work, come see me, and we can discuss the details..."
"After work? Why wait until then? Why can't we talk about it now? I hate meetings after hours!" Jiang Li frowned.
"Huh?" Boss Wang blinked, taken aback. "It's not a meeting. Just... come see me."
"If it's not a meeting, why would I bother?"
"You..." Boss Wang's anger began to surface. "What's your problem? Do you even want this script or not?!"
"Of course I do! But what's with all the beating around the bush? Looks like you never intended to give it to me in the first place!" Jiang Li snapped back, her own temper flaring.
"Watch your tone! I'm the boss here!"
"So what if you're the boss? Does that give you the right to throw your weight around and bully people?"
"Get out! Don't bother coming back tomorrow!"
"Fine! Just wait! When I make a blockbuster movie, you'll be eating your words! Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west—don't underestimate a poor girl!"
The two erupted into a full-blown argument, inevitably ending in a bitter parting as Jiang Li stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
"Seriously? This is straight out of a cliche," Sparkle muttered, having witnessed the entire scene. A slight twitch at the corner of her mouth solidified her decision: Jiang Li was definitely the one.
Sparkle swiftly followed Jiang Li. She watched as Jiang Li puffed out her cheeks, her anger visibly simmering. Perhaps due to her forceful stride, she twisted her ankle slightly and hissed in pain. Leaning against the wall, she removed her right high heel and massaged her ankle through her black stockings.
"This is ridiculous," she muttered to herself. "The forums swore dressing like this would guarantee getting the script from my boss. What a joke!"
"Actually, I think you might have misinterpreted the advice," Sparkle said, crossing her arms. She deactivated her psychological invisibility Ability and materialized beside Jiang Li, her expression puzzled. "The theory is sound: dressing like that should get you the script. Seriously, were you genuinely clueless about what Boss Wang meant, or were you just playing dumb?"
Even an outsider like Sparkle understood the implications. How could someone in the industry be so clueless?
"Huh? Who are you?" To Jiang Li, Sparkle had appeared out of nowhere, without warning. But her words quickly diverted Jiang Li's attention. "What do you mean, 'you can get the script'?"
"Um..." Seeing her genuine confusion, Sparkle raised an eyebrow. "You really don't know? How old are you?"
"Twenty-three. I just graduated a year ago. No, you still haven't answered my question. What do you mean by 'you can get the script'?"
"Well..." Sparkle hesitated, struggling to explain. Then, she formed a circle with her right thumb and forefinger and mimed inserting her left index finger in and out of the circle. "It means... that."
"Huh?" Jiang Li blinked, stunned. Thirty or forty seconds passed before realization dawned on her. "Holy shit! So that old pervert wanted me to meet him after work... he was trying to hit on me?!"
Jiang Li kicked off her other high heel, planted both feet firmly on the floor, and stormed back toward the office.
"Wait! Where are you going?" Sparkle called after her.
"I can't stand it anymore! I'm gonna punch that bastard twice!"
One had to admit, Jiang Li was a whirlwind of action. Less than a minute later, Sparkle heard a scream, and when they met again, they were already outside the company building.
"Phew—that felt good," Jiang Li sighed in relief, then suddenly realized, "Wait a minute, how did you know what happened in the office? And who are you? I've never seen you around here before!"
"Ahem, who I am isn't important," Sparkle replied. "What matters is, didn't you want to show them that what goes around comes around? I can help you with that. How about..."
But before Sparkle could finish, Jiang Li's eyes lit up. "Wait a second! Don't tell me I've got a System now? Are you a System Spirit?"
Sparkle blinked in confusion.
Jiang Li continued, "You knew what happened in the office, but there was no one else there at the time! And you just appeared out of nowhere, looking so adorable, and you're offering to help me! So... does this mean I've finally been blessed by a System? Am I the protagonist?!"
Sparkle stared blankly.
Now that you mention it, that actually makes a bit of sense...?