I became famous in the entertainment industry by burning incense

Although Chien Li-ting hasn't acted for a while, she has been honing her acting skills through stage plays in recent years, and her handling of micro-expressions has reached a new level compared to a few years ago.

After only a short audition, Zheng Chengxin immediately made his decision, saying decisively, "You're the one. We'll film tonight, okay?"

Jian Liting readily agreed as well: "Okay!"

Her quick agreement made Director Zheng somewhat suspicious.

After the audition, he finally asked the question he had wanted to ask for a long time.

"Have you been very free lately? I asked you to come and film today, and you came right away."

And when they asked you to start filming tonight, you agreed without a second thought, without even asking about the contract.

Director Zheng asked doubtfully, "Aren't you afraid I'll give you a contract that's significantly below market value and rip you off?"

To everyone's surprise, Jian Liting's answer was very frank.

"Director Zheng, if you really want to mess with me, there's no need to go to such lengths, making me audition and then immediately joining the crew for filming."

"You just need to send me an offer to act in a movie, and I'll sign it immediately without even reading the script, even if the price is low, or even if I act for free."

She stared intently at Director Zheng Chengxin, a self-deprecating smile playing on her lips.

"You probably don't know, but I haven't received any acting offers for two years. I have no roles to play and can only make a living by performing in stage plays."

Zheng Chengxin was stunned for a moment, and said in disbelief, "You haven't filmed anything for two years? That doesn't make sense!"
Your acting skills are quite good, so why haven't you received any roles in the past two years? Is there a problem?

He looked Jian Liting up and down several times, then asked suspiciously, "Could it be that you have a bad reputation in the industry due to your improper conduct?"

Chien Li-ting immediately denied it: "No, there is nothing wrong with my personal character and qualities. It's just that my company doesn't want me to act."

Director Zheng was puzzled: "Why doesn't your company want you to act? With your acting skills, you can take on any role, whether it's an idol drama or a realistic drama. You can handle it all. As long as you're willing to lower your price, there's no way you won't have roles to play."

Having said all that, Jian Liting hesitated for a moment before deciding to reveal her true thoughts.

Her prepared explanation was that the company couldn't see much profit in her, so they decided to allocate her resources to younger stars who could bring greater benefits to the company, and that she was being eliminated.

But when she met Director Zheng's sincere gaze at the last moment, she suddenly didn't want to continue with the pretense.

Since she'll be making this public anyway, what's wrong with revealing it to someone in the industry?

In her eyes, having had a mental illness was not something shameful.

She's just sick, like a common cold or cough.

I got sick, and then I got cured.

She is now cured and can speak of the past with a clear conscience and openness.

Chien Li-ting: "It might be because of the illness I had in the past that made the company feel ashamed."

Director Zheng blurted out: "A disease that makes people feel ashamed, do you have a very messy private life?"

Upon hearing this, Jian Liting was speechless at Director Zheng's thought process.

She clarified expressionlessly, "I don't have a boyfriend or a partner. I've been single since birth. Thank you."

Fearing she might hear some earth-shattering news from Director Zheng again, she quickly continued:
“I experienced bullying in school, which left a long-lasting shadow on me and caused me to suffer from depression.”

After entering the entertainment industry, I hid my sad past experiences, thinking that I could face them strongly and that as long as I followed the company's lead, everything would go smoothly.

Until a few years ago, I took on a role in a drama that was also about school bullying. My accumulated psychological problems suddenly erupted all at once. I became extremely withdrawn, which led to the need to replace me halfway through filming.

Now that I'm cured, I want to publish a book about my past experiences to share with more people, hoping they can draw strength from my story.

Zheng Chengxin nodded repeatedly, feeling relieved, and his expression relaxed.

"This is a good thing, it's quite good. The probability of celebrities suffering from this kind of mental illness is quite high."

I have several friends in the industry who have had this disease, though not as severe as yours, but they have been receiving treatment.

Seeing that he wasn't opposed, Jian Liting felt a little relieved, and it became easier for her to say what she was going to say next.

"But my company doesn't agree with me doing this. They think it's inconsistent with the image I've cultivated in the past, and they're afraid I'll mess things up."

I argued with the company several times to no avail, so they cut off all my resources and focused all their efforts on promoting newcomers, wanting to quickly find someone to replace me.

Zheng Chengxin suddenly realized, and now he understood completely.

"No wonder I've heard so little about you these past two years, and I haven't seen you join any film crews. It turns out you've been sidelined by the company."

Jian Liting nodded, "That's why I cherish every opportunity. When I talked to you on the phone before, I was worried that the company would snatch the opportunity away, and that's why."

I'm worried the company won't release me and won't let me take this role, since my agency contract is still with them and doesn't expire until next year. I'm also worried that if they find out I have resources related to you, they'll contact you and directly replace you.

She said self-deprecatingly, "This isn't the first or second time this has happened. Every time I finally get a role in a drama, and I've already signed the contract, I think everything is settled."

However, just before filming was scheduled to begin, they were told not to come anymore, and the production team had replaced them with other artists from the company.

Jian Liting's expression turned serious. "Director Zheng, it was my fault for not explaining things clearly before the audition. Now that you understand everything, do you still want to use me?"

Zheng Chengxin saw the determination in her eyes and suddenly smiled.

He first affirmed, "You are a good actor. I see the conviction of an actor in you, so I believe in you. As long as you take on a role, you will work hard to master it. I don't need to urge you."

Then, he changed the subject: "The Desperate Counterattack is my life's work. I even mortgaged my house to make this show, so I won't let anyone ruin my life's work, not even an entertainment company."

Zheng Chengxin waved his hand and said magnanimously, "You can stay in the crew and film with peace of mind. No one can take you away from the crew without my permission."

As for your company, I'll talk to them, don't worry.

Jian Liting unconsciously clenched her hands, which were hanging by her sides. Only this one action revealed the turmoil in her heart.

But she was still a little worried, so she didn't sign a contract with the production team.

That way, if her company comes knocking on her door later, she'll have a reason to explain that she's helping them for free.

The company can't sue the production team even if it wants to, because she's doing it for free.

That evening, after leaving the film set and returning to her hotel, Jian Liting made a special call to Jin Li to thank her for her willingness to help her and for providing her with such a great opportunity.

This is a movie!

It's another big-budget production directed by Zheng!

A few years ago, when she had some fame in the industry, she could only act in TV dramas and it was difficult for her to get roles in movies. At that time, she wanted to enter the film industry, but the company wouldn't let her take any roles other than the second female lead.

In the company's eyes, her commercial value cannot be compromised.

She's already made the biggest concession by reluctantly taking on the role of the second female lead in the movie.

If possible, the company would like her to take on the lead role in a movie.

But Jane knew it was impossible.

In the past few years, she clearly had the opportunity to enter the film industry, but due to the company's strong insistence, she kept delaying and couldn't find a good opportunity.

Unexpectedly, at her lowest point, she has found an opportunity in the film industry.

All of this was brought about by Jinli.

If there are benefactors in her life, then without a doubt, Jinli is her greatest benefactor.

Upon hearing her gratitude, Jinli raised an eyebrow and asked with interest:
"So you filmed tonight without signing a contract with the production team, and Director Zheng assured you that he would handle things with your company so you could focus on filming?"

Chien Li-ting: "Yes, that's what he said. I don't know how my company will react. I'm waiting for my agent to call me."

Jinli smiled and said, "It's already 10 p.m. If it were me, I wouldn't wait; I would just turn off my phone and recharge."

You'll probably have to film early scenes tomorrow, right? Following Director Zheng's usual practice, once he gets a good actor, he'll make the most of them and let you film as many scenes as possible. Be prepared for that.

Jian Liting hesitated for a moment: "Then I'll turn off my phone too."

Jinli: "Go ahead. With Director Zheng in charge, things might not be as bad as you think."

Jian Liting closed her eyes and lay down on the warm and comfortable bed.

I thought I would be so excited that I couldn't sleep because I hadn't been on a film set for many years.

But as soon as she lay down in bed, exhaustion washed over her like a tidal wave, and she quickly drifted off to sleep.

The next day, she turned on her phone but did not receive any calls from the company.

Jian Liting was a little confused.

Has the company agreed, or are they still unaware?

Never mind, I need to get to the film set and start shooting right away.

This shoot lasted for two days straight.

Two days later, Jian Liting's company received the message from Director Zheng.

Both the company president and Jian Liting's direct agent were very surprised.

Director Zheng simply told them about something that was already decided, rather than discussing with them about inviting Jian Liting to film the movie.

He seemed very domineering, and it was unclear where his confidence came from.

The company president said in a deep voice: "Jian Liting is an artist of our company. She has not terminated her contract yet. Her management contract is still with the company. Director Zheng, are you so sure that we will let Jian Liting go to film a movie?"
That's the production team of "Desperate Counterattack," such a great opportunity, why give it to Jian Liting who's practically unknown? It would be so much better to give it to a rising star in the company, who could further solidify her popularity and influence.

The president looked at the agent and said coldly, "Didn't I tell you to keep an eye on Jian Liting lately? Sabotage all her stage play performances and make sure she never appears in front of the audience again."

It would be best if she took this opportunity to leave the entertainment industry. If she could terminate her contract with the company, that would be even better, as the company could then profit from the breach of contract penalty.

The agent looked puzzled and said, "I've been watching her closely. I've already made sure she can't get any stage play performances."

I don't know how she got in touch with Director Zheng. After all, I have some promising young actresses under my management. If I had the resources for "Desperate Counterattack," why wouldn't I give them to her instead of my other artists?

The president stared coldly at the agent, "If you had been keeping a close eye on her, how could you have let her appear in Director Zheng's film crew? You should have stopped her when she bought her plane ticket."

I don't care how Jian Liting got this opportunity; she's your artist. Bring her back and make her transfer her resources to other artists. That way, she can smoothly terminate her contract with the company. Otherwise, don't blame me for being impolite!

The agent's face was filled with bitterness.

She didn't know what to say. She hadn't received any news at all, and Jian Liting had quietly climbed onto Director Zheng's ship.

Moreover, judging from Director Zheng's demeanor, he probably won't fire Jian Liting.

The CEO made it sound so easy, but it was she who had to run herself ragged!
The agent had no choice but to buy a ticket for the next available flight to the film studio.

She wanted to go to the film set in person to explain to Director Zheng whether the collaboration could be extended to other artists in the company. If not, then Jian Liting could not continue filming in the film set.

If the company doesn't allow her to take the call, then she can't take it.

Unbeknownst to her agent, while she was on the plane, the company president couldn't contain himself and had already called Zheng Chengxin.

At that time, Director Zheng was filming a very important scene. Because his personal cell phone kept ringing, he had to interrupt the filming and answered the call in a bad mood.

He immediately opened his mouth with a fiery temper and asked, "Who is it!"

"It's me, Director Zheng. I'm the president of XX Entertainment. I'd like to talk to you about Jian Liting. She's an artist under my company—"

"I don't have time to talk to you right now," Director Zheng said decisively. "I'll show you some things later. After you've seen them, call me again at 8 p.m., and we'll talk properly then."

After hanging up the phone, Director Zheng dialed other people's numbers.

He had already discussed the plan with those people beforehand, so this time when he called, he only said one thing: "You can take action now."

A short while later, a paparazzi in the entertainment industry suddenly broke the news.

[Breaking News! A well-known director has slammed an entertainment company, saying they only care about making money from artists' contract termination fees and have no regard for their well-being. Even top-tier artists have been sidelined and are facing exorbitant termination claims!]

[Breaking news! Director Zheng recently criticized an entertainment company over casting for his film, stating that despite treating the actors well, the company used this as leverage to demand replacements and higher fees!]

[Breaking News! Another controversy erupts involving the cast of "Desperate Counterattack," with one of the actors' management companies allegedly demanding a last-minute replacement and an exorbitant appearance fee!]

These revelations appeared abruptly and immediately topped the trending searches on major social media platforms. At the same time, many seemingly true but actually false comments from staff members also broke the news.

[The "decoding in seconds" refers to Jian Liting and the company behind her, right?]

[Hiss—it's actually Jian Liting? Even a top-tier artist like her can't escape the company's exorbitant termination fee?]

Is Jian Liting planning to switch jobs, or has she offended someone? We haven't heard from her for the past two years.

[Jian Liting's company looks like a small workshop; it's not surprising they would rip off their artists like this.] (End of Chapter)