Are you trying to force me to become a star?

Chapter 45 An Encounter

"What has Jin Yan been up to lately? Has she written any songs?"

Xu Jinyan nodded: "Just before you recorded your song, I recorded a song for a newcomer."

"A newcomer? Did you take on another OST project? I've heard that you're the music producer that directors most want to work with now."

Xu Jinyan shook her head: "No, I just wrote a song."

Yang Mi was genuinely curious. It wasn't a project, so why wasn't she singing the new song herself but instead gave it to a newcomer? It seemed like she had a special relationship with this newcomer.

However, she didn't pry too much, as one should always maintain boundaries. Instead, she said, "When we're on 'Mushroom House' together, I'll help you promote it. It should be online by then, right?"

Xu Jinyan smiled and said, "Then thank you very much, Sister Mi."

The release date for "Big Fish" is scheduled for August 1st to avoid competing with "Shanghai Bund" and also to promote the series in advance.

When Yang Mi invited Xu Jinyan to appear on a variety show together for promotion, he agreed without much hesitation.

Of course, he didn't participate in this variety show entirely to promote the TV series. Promoting "Big Fish" was just a side effect. His main purpose was to casually promote Lin Yuan's "The Legend of the Condor Heroes".

The novel was first published on July 5th with 100,000 words, and as of today, July 28th, it has been updating with more than 10,000 words every day at 3 pm, and it is now close to 400,000 words.

The story has reached around chapter seventeen of the original novel, and a climax is about to occur:

On Peach Blossom Island, the Eastern Heretic, the Western Poison, and the Northern Beggar all gathered. Guo Jing's protagonist aura once again flared up, and he learned the Nine Yin Manual, the Ambidextrous Technique, and the Empty Fist.

This extraordinary encounter can be considered Guo Jing's "graduation ceremony for martial arts doctorate," from which point on, the only difference between him and the Five Greats was skill and experience.

Currently, thanks to recommendations from readers on the tap and the Chuangjie platform, Lin Yuan has around 50,000 readers following his work daily, solidifying his identity as the "Mountain Pioneer."

The comment section was very active, with many discussing the plot, clearly showing that martial arts has already unleashed its charm on Earth.

However, even with such frequent updates, some readers still complain that it is "short and weak".

Xu Jinyan wasn't angry at all; in fact, she was quite happy, just like a hardworking farmer watching his leeks, which he watered day and night, grow strong and healthy.

Xu Jinyan went to the restroom, but as soon as she came out, she encountered a dog.

"Hey, isn't this Mr. Eternal Diamond? What brings you to the restroom?"

Lin Gengxin looked at the guy in front of him and blushed immediately upon hearing the first sentence.

Ever since we agreed to contribute to each other's viewership ratings, but he forgot and instead asked me to play games with him, I haven't asked him to play games with me again.

He was certain: anyone in the entertainment industry who played games was better than him.

"How can I do it if I don't do it myself? That thing is on my body, it doesn't grow anywhere else."

"Hahaha... What are you doing here?"

Lin Gengxin said, "Work? Do you think everyone gets to spend weekends like you? I had an appointment to discuss a collaboration."

"Have you rested enough? Didn't you just finish filming?"

"You're not in the entertainment industry, you wouldn't understand. The process of creating a drama, from preparation to casting, filming, and finally airing, is incredibly long. What are you doing here?"

Xu Jinyan thought for a moment and replied, "A beautiful woman invited me to dinner; I couldn't refuse her kind offer!"

[Negative emotions from Lin Gengxin: +99];

He curled his lip dismissively and said, "You think you're the only one who eats with beautiful women? I eat with beautiful women too!"

"You've changed girlfriends again?" Xu Jinyan looked him up and down suspiciously, then left without giving him a chance to explain.

Actually, Xu Jinyan was joking with him. Just now, after a scan by the system, he found that Zhao Liying was also eating at this restaurant, so it seems that she was eating with Lin Gou.

Lin Gengxin: "..." His reputation has spread to the music industry?

He wanted to go up and argue with her, but he found that Xu Jinyan opened and closed the door in one smooth motion, giving him no chance to speak.

When Lin Gengxin finished dealing with his personal matters and returned to the private room, he overheard Zhao Liying and the director and screenwriter of the production crew discussing the theme song.

He casually remarked, "Find Xu Jinyan for the theme song, that guy's amazing."

Director Wu's eyes lit up upon hearing this, but then turned into a wry smile: "Geng Xin, you don't know, Xu Jinyan is so sought after right now, I'm afraid we won't get a chance."

Lin Gengxin said, "Really? I just ran into him; he was eating here too!"

Zhao Liying's eyes lit up. What a coincidence!

Although we had agreed on WeChat to ask him for a song, things are different now; Xu Jinyan's status has risen again.

Although she felt that Xu Jinyan was the kind of friend who valued relationships, she still didn't want to morally blackmail him.

But since we happened to be here today, we might as well go say hello. So I turned to Lin Gengxin and asked, "Do you know which private room he's in? Let's ask him if it's convenient for us to go over?"

Lin Gengxin didn't care about any of that and stood up, saying, "What's inconvenient about that? We've all sung karaoke together before, let's go! I want to see which beautiful lady is treating him to dinner."

So Lin Gengxin led Zhao Liying into Xu Jinyan and Yang Mi's private room!

……

……

"I just ran into Lin Gengxin. It seems like he's changed girlfriends again." Xu Jinyan gave him a heads-up as soon as she got back.

Yang Mi smiled and said, "That's normal. He introduced you to him, didn't he?"

"No, I told him that a beautiful woman invited me to dinner, and he said he was having dinner with a beautiful woman too."

Yang Mi looked at him with a smile: "A beautiful woman is inviting you to dinner? You're not talking about me, are you?"

"What else?"

"So, do you think I'm pretty or...?"

As she was speaking, Lin Gengxin led Zhao Liying in.

When their eyes met, of the four people, only Xu Jinyan's smile was genuine.

He had been monitoring the area with the system, and sure enough, he saw the two people approaching his location step by step.

He stood up and said in feigned surprise, "Sister Liying, are you having dinner with Lin Gou? Didn't he say he was going to discuss a collaboration? Please, have a seat."

At this moment, Lin Gou was trembling with fear.

How could it be Yang Mi? He racked his brains but couldn't figure out what connection Xu Jinyan and Yang Mi could possibly have.

Rumors suggest that Yang Mi and Zhao Liying have never spoken in public, and crucially, they are two of the most popular actresses born in the 85s. Under these circumstances, even if the two have no personal conflicts, their relationship is definitely not "good" given the constant arguments between their fans.

Zhao Liying was surprised for a moment, but quickly calmed down and assessed the distance and expressions between the two. Hmm, Xu Jinyan shouldn't be capable of doing anything outrageous to a married woman, otherwise he wouldn't be so calm.

So she smiled and said, "We're going to work together on a movie. I just heard he ran into you, so I came over to say hello! Are you... busy? I hope I'm not bothering you?"

Lin Gengxin was carefully examining his fingernails at the moment, while also listening intently, as he was also curious.

Before Xu Jinyan could speak, Yang Mi spoke first: "How could we be disturbing you? I didn't expect Jinyan to know Liying. If I had known it was such a coincidence, I would have invited you to dinner together." She spoke as if she were the hostess.

Xu Jinyan noticed that Yang Mi's emotions were fluctuating inexplicably. At this moment, he felt that even with the system's assistance, he still couldn't understand a woman's thoughts.

Zhao Liying nodded to her, smiled slightly, and then looked at Xu Jinyan.

So Xu Jinyan spoke up, "I have a collaboration with Sister Mi, so why don't we have dinner together after the collaboration is finished?"

Zhao Liying raised an eyebrow. What could be so great about collaborating with a singer like Xu Jinyan? Could it be...?

Yang Mi immediately spoke up, "Thanks to Jin Yan for writing a great song and giving it to me to sing, and for agreeing to go on a variety show with us to promote it. I have to treat him to a meal to thank him!"

Zhao Liying narrowed her eyes slightly. She wrote a song and gave it to an actress to sing, and even agreed to appear on a variety show. Did Jin Yan fail the test?

Xu Jinyan: Who can withstand such a test?

However, he still spoke up, "Sister Liying, when is your drama going to be filmed? You can come find me then. You told me on WeChat that you'd be getting the highest level of treatment in the industry, right?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Liying's smile softened: "No rush, filming is still a while away, but thank you in advance."

Yang Mi's eyes widened, and she said with "regret," "I'm so envious. It's a pity I didn't get to know Jin Yan beforehand. I even had to take leave from the film crew to come to Canglan."

Zhao Liying's gentle smile faltered slightly. This woman was indeed clever; she had definitely realized that she and Xu Jinyan were just ordinary friends.

Does this mean she wasn't sincere in asking for songs on WeChat?

Through this moment of covert observation, Xu Jinyan has determined that he has probably encountered the legendary "female rivalry".

In this situation, the point of competition lies in how close or distant one's "relationship with Hsu Chin-yen" is.

Seeing the atmosphere fall into an awkward silence, Xu Jinyan looked to the side for someone to break the ice:

"Lin Gengxin, do you have wisdom hidden in your fingernails? Why aren't you saying anything?"

[Negative emotions from Lin Gengxin: +199];

Lin Gengxin: Your wisdom lies in your fingernails!