Serena Lockwood leaned over for a look and laughed in exasperation, smacking Stella on the forehead.
"Are you still half-asleep and dreaming? Do you even know who he is? That's Sean Quinn! In the entire Southern Provinces, he's the most mysterious, the most difficult to handle, a man so picky it's completely unreasonable… He's the vice president of The Quinn Group. Even Don Joyce couldn't get him to show up. Have you lost your mind? You're actually volunteering to recruit Sean Quinn, the most impossible person to get in the whole country? Dream on!"
Stella Lockwood rubbed her aching forehead. 'Sean Quinn really is a mysterious and terrifying man. He's only twenty-eight, but the financial world has dubbed him the "God of Wealth." Every project he invests in reaps exorbitant profits, each one making an absolute fortune.'
'Since joining The Quinn Group, he has only ever shown his face at the annual gala and routine shareholder meetings. The rest of the time, he's completely elusive. Yet, he has repeatedly set new revenue records for the group—achievements that will go down in the financial history of the Southern Provinces.'
'This was the man who, in her past life, had constantly caused trouble for her. It was like he was possessed or something, obsessed with making life difficult for a nobody like her.'
'For instance, when she wanted a role in the major drama series *Chronicles of Divine Investiture*, he tried to sabotage her. After she got the part anyway, he had the director give her a hard time and harass her. Don Joyce was the one who smoothed everything over.'
'Another time, she and Don Joyce were dating secretly and preparing for her to meet his parents. Sean interfered again, trying to stop the meeting. When she went anyway, he had arranged for Don's parents to be gone, leaving her utterly humiliated.'
'In short, the man simply had it in for her.'
'But among all these big bosses, he's the only one I'm even slightly familiar with, so…'
"You have to dream big sometimes… What's that saying? You've got to have a dream, just in case it comes true… Look, the production team for this variety show is the same one that did that last big hit. Think about it! How many celebrities got their big break on that show? It spurred a ton of merchandise sales. If I can get on this one, aren't my chances of making it big much higher than with *Three Lives of Pear Blossoms*…?"
She asked her sister matter-of-factly.
"This variety show is a guaranteed hit, that's true. But don't forget, you have zero connections. Even if I sign you up, there's no way you'll be able to win over this Sean Quinn and land a spot… Can we stop wasting our time on these pointless endeavors? This is your last chance, don't you forget it. If you don't produce some results now, your acting career is finished… Stella Lockwood, you're gambling with your entire career!"
Serena Lockwood argued her case forcefully and with sound reasoning.
In the past, a scolding like this would have made Stella shrink back. She never used to talk back when she was in the wrong. But this time, Stella's gaze was resolute as she stood her ground. "I have to try… Serena, if I fail, I'll do what you say. I'll quit acting, and we can go open a breakfast shop…"
Serena Lockwood's mouth twitched. An actress for life, planning to open a breakfast shop? If word of that got out, it would be another huge headline. "Look, just delete that post about not doing *Three Lives of Pear Blossoms*… Why make things so hard on yourself? I really, truly have a good feeling about that project… It will definitely make you famous, as long as you apply yourself."
"No. I absolutely will not do that show…" Stella's mind was made up. She gently tapped the image of Sean Quinn's cold, handsome face on her tablet. "I am going to get on this variety show… And that's not up for debate."
*
Meanwhile, the internet was in an uproar.
The moment Mr. Bell's post went live, the haters resumed their attacks.
PrettyEggplant: [A guy and a girl, alone all night, and nothing happened? You think we're three-year-olds?… Her acting usually sucks, but now she's a real drama queen…]
Sheila's_Darling: [Mr. Bell, who can prove that's really you lying there?]
Monkey on the Vardenne: [The bimbo left for an hour in the middle. What was she doing during that time? Getting laid, I bet!]
Her fans, however, fought back.
Happy_Miss_Stella: [Are you all blind? Mr. Bell was lying right there. Our Stella got puked on, so she couldn't go to the bathroom to clean herself up? The butler already explained it. Are you all deaf?]
Stella_Superfan: [You're all lunatics! No, wait, you're mad dogs! Whose mad dogs are these, barking all over the place? If you have a responsible owner, they should come take you home…"]
BrightStarlight: [Our Esther was already confirmed for the second female lead in *Three Lives of Pear Blossoms*; it just hadn't been officially announced yet. We don't want that pretentious, phony female lead role anyway…"]
Lord_of_Stars_in_the_Wind: [It's over, it's over! The Lord of Stars just announced she's not playing the second female lead in *Three Lives of Pear Blossoms*! You trolls, I hope eighteen generations of your ancestors rise from their graves to beat you to death! So uncivilized…]
Honorary_President_of_The_Star_Alliance: [Stella, no matter what you decide, I'll support you. If you're not doing the show, then you're not doing it. It's okay. Just do what's right for you and don't worry about what others say…"]
The haters reappeared.
PrettyEggplant: [She only "announced" she was quitting because she knew she had no chance of getting the role after this scandal. Wake up, you braindead fans! A bimbo will always be a bimbo. She's never going to amount to anything…]
TheMockingbird: [What a joke of an "official announcement." Nothing was even confirmed yet, and she's using it as some kind of weapon. Your Lord of Stars, huh? Besides a few decent children's shows when she was a kid, what respectable role has she ever played? And she's twenty-one now. Oh, right, her performance as the second female lead in *The Female General* was barely passable. Too bad that's the only work of hers that gets a passing grade. Stop hyping her up… She's never going to fly…]
...
Stella Lockwood read through all of the online bickering. 'In the past, this would have devastated me. But now? I've already died once. What do all these taunts and attacks even matter? The more famous you get in the entertainment industry, the more drama follows you. That's just how it is. I've been famous before. I understand this world completely now; I'm not the same naive rookie I once was.'
'This world is pragmatic. To succeed, you have to deliver good work. *Me and the Big Boss* could be my chance to break through. After all, the bosses the celebrities have to recruit are all business elites. If I can successfully get on the show, I might be able to build some powerful connections.'
With that thought, she took a shower and changed into a simple, clean outfit. Coming out, she took another look around her rented apartment. It wasn't large, but it was the absolute most she could afford right now.
'It's okay,' she thought. 'There will be milk, there will be bread, and there will be a house. As long as I work hard, I can change my fate.'
In the afternoon, after a meal of instant noodles, Stella Lockwood got a call from Serena Lockwood. "The boss agreed to let you try for *Me and the Big Boss*. She even suggested a more suitable person for you to recruit: Moira Morton. I think you'd have a much better chance of success with her than with Sean Quinn…"
"But I only want to recruit Sean Quinn. Come on, find his schedule for me. I'm going to go track him down…"
'Moira Morton was certainly a big shot, but she was nowhere near Sean Quinn's league.'
'As for her, Stella Lockwood, she either did something with everything she had, or she didn't do it at all. For this project, it had to be Sean Quinn. No one else would do.'