"Olivia Wynne, the company is shelving you. They're taking back your apartment and the company car. You're on your own now," Wayne Quinn said, irritably kicking the table next to him.
The woman sitting across from Wayne Quinn looked up, unfazed, her eyes slowly widening. Her limpid eyes seemed to hold a captivating allure, enough to mesmerize anyone at a glance. When she spoke, her voice was as melodious as a songbird's. "If I'm being shelved, does that mean I won't get paid anymore?"
Blinking slowly, Olivia Wynne continued in a relaxed tone, "And if there's no money, I won't be able to eat, right?"
'She'd only been here for three days. After living for over twenty years in an apocalyptic world, enduring constant hunger, she had finally transmigrated to an era with plenty of food and drink. No one was going to ruin this for her.'
Wayne Quinn turned his head, refusing to look at the woman opposite him. She was too beautiful, the kind of beauty that made it hard to say harsh words to her.
Taking a deep breath to suppress his anger, Wayne Quinn said, "You're worried about food right now? You should be worrying about your termination fees! Because your image was damaged during your contract period, the advertisers are demanding to pull out. The producers of *Love Song* are demanding to pull out too. You're facing nearly a hundred million in penalties!"
Resting her chin in her hands, her luminous eyes blinked once as Olivia Wynne answered softly, "I don't have any money. If we don't terminate the contracts, I won't have to pay, right?"
'The original owner of this body had some money in her account, but that was money she intended to use for delicious food. If it all went to paying termination fees, she wouldn't have any money left to eat.'
Wayne Quinn looked at the woman across from him, his frustration growing. After all, this was someone he had personally discovered and developed. He privately didn't want Olivia Wynne to be shelved either, but the order had come from the higher-ups.
Wayne Quinn's voice softened. "Right now, all the advertisers are calling to terminate their contracts. It'll be nearly impossible to stop them."
Sitting up straight, Olivia Wynne looked at him. "Quinn, the advertisers are pulling out because of this online scandal, right? If I can resolve it, does that mean I won't have to pay the fees?"
"How are you going to resolve it? The entire internet is dragging your name through the mud. Do you think you can just 'wash yourself clean'?" Wayne Quinn said, pulling out his phone. "Just look at what they're writing about you."
Olivia Wynne didn't look, still sitting perfectly straight across from Wayne Quinn. She already knew what was online. The moment she'd walked into the office that morning, other artists had come to "congratulate" her on trending—for going viral on the hot topics list.
#OliviaWynneIsAHomewrecker
#OliviaWynnePregnantOutOfWedlock
#OliviaWynnesLuckyCharmPersonaCrumples
#OliviaWynneIsADiva
#GetOliviaWynneOutOfShowbiz
'Heaven knew where all this dirt on social media was coming from. She had only transmigrated three days ago. With no jobs scheduled, she'd spent the entire time holed up at home, eating, eating, and more eating, while simultaneously sorting through the memories in her head to get a grasp on her new reality.'
The body she now inhabited belonged to a woman also named Olivia Wynne. She was twenty-two, a recent college graduate, and incredibly beautiful. With fair skin and stunning features, she was considered a top-tier beauty even in the entertainment world, which was filled with them. That was why Wayne Quinn had scouted her in college and signed her to his agency. In her four years since debuting, her career hadn't been exceptional, but it wasn't bad, either. Because of her stunning, almost bewitching looks, she was often cast as the "vicious second female lead," which hadn't left a great impression on the audience.
This year, the original Olivia had landed the second female lead role in a major historical drama. Her performance won her the Golden Autumn Award for Best Supporting Actress. The award caused her status to skyrocket; scripts and endorsement deals began flooding in. To change the public's perception of her, the company crafted a "good luck charm" persona for Olivia Wynne, claiming that not only was she lucky herself, but she also brought good fortune to others.
To convince netizens that the original Olivia truly possessed this "lucky charm" the company hired paid commenters to flood her social media page. They left comments saying how magical she was and that after "praying" to her, their wishes had actually come true.
And just like that, on the back of her "good luck charm" persona, the original Olivia's social media following grew by nearly ten million fans, elevating her from a C-list artist to the B-list.
Perhaps because of this rapid rise, she offended someone in the industry. A month ago, the original Olivia was drugged and ended up sleeping with an unknown man. When she woke up, she was terrified and panicked, afraid of being discovered. Without even glancing at the man lying next to her, she scrambled out of bed and fled.
A month went by, and she thought the incident was behind her. But who could have known that after feeling unwell, a trip to the hospital would reveal she was pregnant.
Upon learning she was pregnant, the original Olivia was consumed by fear and worry. She hid at home for days before finally resolving to get an abortion. As she was going down the stairs, however, she missed a step, fell, and lost consciousness. That was when she—the new Olivia—arrived.
As Olivia Wynne recalled these events from the original owner's memory, she mentally listed a few people who might be behind the online smear campaign.
Seeing Olivia Wynne just staring blankly into space, Wayne Quinn grew even angrier. "Resolve it? How are you going to resolve it? The whole internet is trashing you, demanding you get out of showbiz. You think this is something you can just 'resolve'?"
"And another thing! Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?"
Wayne Quinn was clearly agitated, periodically kicking the table as he spoke, as if to vent his fury.
Olivia Wynne listened in silence. Only when he finally stopped talking did she straighten the wrinkles in her clothes and speak in a serious tone. "Quinn, I'm sorry about the pregnancy. I'm not going to make excuses. I'll own up to it. But everything else online is fake, and you know it."
'The diva behavior, the homewrecker accusations, the rumors about a stunt double—all of it was fake.'
'The original Olivia's reputation hadn't been great, but it wasn't terrible, either. To have so much dirt suddenly surface overnight... it was obvious someone was intentionally trying to ruin her. Wayne Quinn had to realize that, too.'
Leaning forward, Olivia Wynne said slowly, "Quinn, you've been in this industry a long time. You know how it is—a mix of truth and lies. People can become famous overnight, and they can fall from grace just as fast. Some might think that after this massive online backlash, I'll be too broken to recover, that my career will hit rock bottom."
Olivia Wynne paused, then stated, enunciating every word, "But I don't see it that way. I am Olivia Wynne. This whole affair is only going to make me more famous."
The office fell silent. Having said her piece, Olivia Wynne simply watched Wayne Quinn, her exquisitely beautiful face completely devoid of anxiety.
After a long silence, Wayne Quinn finally looked up at Olivia Wynne.
"With the entire internet demanding you get out of show business, how exactly do you plan to become 'more famous'?"
Hearing his question, Olivia Wynne knew he was wavering. A confident smile touched her lips, and she spoke in a clear voice, "I'm an actress. Obviously, the only way to get more famous is through my work."
Olivia Wynne spoke with such confidence that it compelled belief; it made one feel she could actually accomplish what she claimed. But... recalling the grim reality of the situation, Wayne Quinn ruthlessly shot her down. "An actress needs her work to do the talking, and you only get more famous if you have projects. But is anyone offering you a role right now?"
"You don't even have the opportunity to get a role. How can you talk about becoming more famous? Is that even possible?"