I really didn't intend to make a living based on my looks.

In Dalian, the sea breeze at the end of October already carried a chill.

The crew of "Beautiful Lies" was stationed in this seaside city. The filming location was an old-fashioned office building with beige paint on the exterior walls and terrazzo floors in the corridors, giving it a strong 1990s feel.

Xu Yiruo has just finished filming a scene.

Her character is Cheng Dan, a white-collar reporter who is capable, perceptive, and speaks with a sharp tongue but is not a bad person at heart.

Director Jin Tao called "Cut!" and she breathed a sigh of relief, walking to the rest area to sit down.

Her assistant handed her a glass of warm water, which she took and sipped. She then looked down at her script, muttering to herself as she memorized her lines for the next scene.

"Teacher Xu, someone's visiting the set."

Xu Yiruo looked up, her brows furrowing slightly: "Who is it?"

Before the words were even finished, a voice came from behind.

"Aunt Yun, your nephew has come to visit you on set."

The way he addressed me, the tone of his voice, the way he acted that was so irritating.

Xu Yiruo was startled, turned around, and saw that familiar face. Her eyes lit up immediately.

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"Oh, what a rare guest!"

She stood up, sizing up the newcomer, unable to suppress the smile on her lips. "What brings our handsome Jiang here? Why aren't you visiting your Sister Mimi or Sister Yaya? What brings you here?"

Jiang Chen was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, carrying two large bags of fruit and snacks, and smiling innocently.

"Look at you, you're being too polite." He put the bag on the table. "We've all formed a revolutionary friendship while filming together, Sister Ruo, you can't slander us."

"defamation?"

Xu Yiruo crossed her arms, raised an eyebrow at him, and said, "What did you call me? Aunt Yun? Who is Yang Mi? My white moonlight? And who is Tong Liya? My confidante?"

"That's a character, a character!"

Jiang Chen raised his hands in surrender, "Sister Ruo, can we not bring up the past? I'm here to visit the set today, for serious business."

Xu Yiruo burst out laughing when she saw him like this.

Her connection with Jiang Chen dates back to last year when they filmed "Palace".

She had a good relationship with Yu Zheng and even played a role in the palace as Yun Gege, who was Kangxi's sister!

We're all in the same film crew, so we see each other all the time.

Besides, the guy was handsome and likable, so the two exchanged contact information.

"Serious business? What serious business?"

"Sister Ruo, are you free later? Let's find a place to chat?"

"available."

Evening, at an old restaurant in DL city.

The shop is small, hidden in an alley, with red lanterns hanging at the entrance.

There were seven or eight tables inside, filled with locals, all speaking with a strong local accent.

The two found a seat by the window and sat down.

The waiter handed over the menu, and Xu Yiruo pushed it towards him: "You order. Dalian specialties: braised pork belly, seaweed buns, mackerel dumplings, and spicy stir-fried clams. See what you want to eat."

Jiang Chen glanced at it and said, "One of everything, please. And a seafood noodle soup too, to warm you up."

"You have quite the appetite! Have you been to Dalian before?"

"No," Jiang Chen said, "but coastal cities are all pretty much the same; seafood noodle soup is a necessity."

The food was served very quickly.

The braised meat is pan-fried until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, then drizzled with sesame sauce and minced garlic, and its aroma is irresistible.

The mackerel dumplings are large, with thin skins and generous fillings; one bite and the juicy filling bursts out.

Spicy stir-fried clams are made with fermented soybean paste, resulting in a savory, slightly spicy flavor that's absolutely delicious with rice.

Xu Yiruo ate two dumplings, put down her chopsticks, and looked at Jiang Chen: "Speak, what's the matter? You came all the way to Dalian, you can't just be here to freeload a meal from me."

Jiang Chen picked up a piece of braised meat, dipped it in the sauce, chewed it, swallowed it, and then spoke.

"Sister Ruo, I've opened a studio."

"I know, it's affiliated with Zhengwu Sunshine, right? The Shandong Film and Television Group."

"Yes. I've already reached an agreement with Director Kong and President Hou. The studio will operate independently, and we won't take a cut from the five-figure sum."

Xu Yinuo nodded without replying, waiting for him to continue.

"Sister Ruo, have you ever thought about becoming a talent agent?"

Xu Yinuo was stunned for a moment.

"broker?"

She had actually thought about it.

She was a student in the Performance Department of the Shanghai Theatre Academy, class of 02.

Many people emerged from that year's class, including Li Nian, Lei Jiayin, Sun Yizhou, and Du Ruoxi, who were her classmates...

They've all made a name for themselves in the industry now.

She herself comes from a military family. After graduating, she put on a military uniform and joined the General Political Department Drama Troupe, where she acted in works such as "My Youth in Yan'an," "My Natasha," and "War Thunder," and was known as a specialist in playing revolutionary roles.

I've filmed a few movies in the past few years, but they haven't made much of a splash.

As she gets older, there are fewer and fewer roles that suit her, and she has indeed considered moving behind the scenes.

"Why did you think of me?" she asked, puzzled.

Jiang Chen put down his chopsticks: "Sister Ruo, as you know, I filmed 'Swords of Legends' and am affiliated with Shandong Film & Television. I feel my career is developing quite well, and I've been looking for a suitable agent."

"I think you're a great fit. You're a graduate of the Shanghai Theatre Academy, from the General Political Department, have extensive connections in the industry, and are reliable. And..."

"And you understand actors; you are an actor yourself. You know what we want and what we don't want."

Xu Yiruo looked at him and politely declined, saying, "Jiang Chen, you know I'm from the General Political Department, right? Even if I wanted to help you, the military wouldn't allow me to take on private jobs."

"So I'm not in a hurry for you to join," Jiang Chen said. "You can join as an advisor; you don't need to officially join the studio. Let's work things out first, and see if I can make it work."

"Sister Ruo, don't be in such a hurry to refuse. I know it's a bit early to say that now."

"Wait until next year when 'Swords of Legends' airs. If it does well and I can make a comeback, then you can decide. If I can't, just pretend I never said this."

Xu Yiruo did not refute.

She's in the industry, so of course she can tell the significance of this plate.

Popular game IP, top celebrity Yang Mi, Kong Sheng's team, Shandong Film and Television Production, Tencent Channel.

If you have all five, it's hard not to explode.

But whether or not to move behind the scenes is definitely not something that can be decided overnight.

"Then let's wait until your drama airs next year. If it does well, we can talk about it then, okay?"

"no problem!"

The cups clinked together with a crisp sound.

Jiang Chen picked up his cup and drank it all in one gulp.

He has been looking for a suitable agent recently, and this role is actually very important!

But even if his drama becomes a hit, those famous big agents definitely wouldn't want to join his studio unless he signed with them.

He definitely wouldn't be happy about that.

I'm not reborn to be someone's slave.

Take Lu Han for example. He returned from South Korea and became the most famous person by a huge margin, but so what?

Wasn't he almost drained dry by Yang Tianzhen?

So many bad movies, and he didn't actually want to act in many of them, but the company didn't care.

Just keep squeezing!

This is the reality of the entertainment industry. Countless celebrities may seem to have endless glamour, but in fact they are just tools for capital to make money.

Traffic, in the end, is just a cash cow for capital.