I Rely on Gifting the Female Supporting Character to Get Cash Back (GL) - Chapter 4

Qin Ran knew there was absolutely no way she could let Yu Shuman end up with the novel’s fate. Furthermore, the current Yu Shuman was already different from the novel’s description. The novel mentioned some of Yu Shuman’s past: her mother got sick and died in high school, and she failed to save her mother’s life even after selling her family property. She dropped out of high school to work, was accidentally discovered by an entertainment company, became a minor internet celebrity, and then joined the survival show.

The current Yu Shuman was clearly different from the novel’s setup.

This difference allowed Qin Ran to breathe a long sigh of relief, but she quickly realized that if she did nothing, the subsequent plot might still unfold as before, and Yu Shuman would be the one to suffer.

How could she tolerate that happening? For the first time ever, Qin Ran’s heart was gripped by a huge sense of panic. Why should Yu Shuman, the senior she loved so much, be a stepping stone for someone else?

Qin Ran tightly grasped the internal document, the A4 paper becoming crumpled and distorted in her hands. She thought for a long time and called out to the System.

The System sensed that its moment to shine might have arrived, and immediately responded to Qin Ran with great morale. Qin Ran only asked how much money it could provide at most.

The System’s voice was proud: “Infinite. My money is infinite. Please rest assured, Host. I am a legitimate System, unlike those other systems that plot against the Host. My goal is simply to make the Host happy and carefree.”

Hearing this, Qin Ran offered a rare compliment to the System: “Truly worthy of being my good System.”

The System was flattered and seemed a bit bashful. But with the System’s assurance, Qin Ran let go and began to act.

Most people, upon getting a System, would struggle to figure out what to do with such a large sum of money. At most, they’d eat, drink, and play. Entering the game and becoming capital isn’t generally easy.

But Qin Ran was different. She grew up in a pile of capital and knew the ropes extremely well when it came to re-entering the world of business. Just as Yu Shuman entered the production team and began her isolation-like training, Qin Ran had already acquired an entertainment company through various means, spent a huge amount to hire a professional manager, and used a headhunter to find a reliable star agent.

Yu Shuman’s contract was with the small entertainment company. Qin Ran simply acquired that entire company, had it merge directly under her, and transferred the management contract to her own company. Less than a week after Yu Shuman joined the group, she received a call from her former agent. The agent’s voice was filled with excitement, saying their company had been acquired, they were now part of a large corporation, and a new agent would be taking over Yu Shuman.

After hanging up, Yu Shuman was still a bit nervous. However, after receiving the news in the morning, she met her new agent in the afternoon. The new agent was a stylish woman in her thirties, commanding and authoritative. She used some method to bypass security and meet Yu Shuman in the waiting room, where she told her about her new “script.”

In these types of survival shows, few people would believe there wasn’t a script. The original Yu Shuman was just a stepping stone, meant only to get as much screen time as possible on the show. But now, with a wealthy entertainment company backing her, directly providing funding that the production team couldn’t refuse, Yu Shuman became someone they needed to promote.

“The higher-ups are very optimistic about your potential and will focus on cultivating you next. Whether you can become the debut center position depends on your own effort, but making it into the final round is definitely not a problem,” the agent introduced herself simply, asking Yu Shuman to call her Sister Li, and then began discussing these matters with her.

Only after all the instructions were given did Yu Shuman ask, “Sister Li, may I ask which company is backing me?”

“A newly established one, called 99 Interactive Entertainment.”

“…” Yu Shuman couldn’t shake the feeling that the company name was a little arbitrary. She nodded, indicating she understood. Sister Li also gave Yu Shuman a cell phone, telling her to be discreet about using it around the other trainees; the staff wouldn’t mind and wouldn’t say anything if they saw it, but she needed to be extra careful about the cameras.

Yu Shuman became even more bewildered after taking it. She felt that this survival show was not quite what she had imagined.

But Yu Shuman wasn’t stupid. Of course, she knew that survival shows had their own unspoken rules. Artists with big-name backgrounds were different from her. Moreover, she was a complete newcomer with no advantages compared to other internet celebrities or minor idols. If such a good opportunity landed in her lap, Yu Shuman would be an idiot not to seize it.

Yu Shuman had never studied singing or dancing; she had no strong points other than her good looks. So, she spent more time in the dance studio and practice room than the other trainees. The staff knew about her company’s backing and turned a blind eye to her use of these public spaces. In fact, under the director’s instruction, they filmed her rigorous training and edited the footage into the main episodes.

Soon, Yu Shuman’s first shoot arrived—the pre-competition self-introduction.

Yu Shuman even had her own separate makeup team, not using the production crew’s. There weren’t many people who had their own makeup team like her, but she wasn’t the only one. Realizing she hadn’t become the center of attention, Yu Shuman was relieved. The company obviously valued the first shoot highly; even Sister Li showed up. She sat not far behind Yu Shuman, crossing her legs, and had strict demands regarding her makeup and styling.

“We must give her a stronger memorability point. The individual introduction in the first episode’s main content won’t be very long. Without a strong point, she won’t be able to stand out at all,” she not only directed herself but also walked around to gather intelligence from others. After circling around, she discussed it with the makeup artist for a long time. Ultimately, her makeup was styled towards the “mature and commanding older sister” look.

She already looked somewhat mature due to the mole beneath her mouth. With the makeup applied, she looked very authoritative. Looking at the others, Yu Shuman felt she stood out from the crowd.

When it was time to film the self-introduction, Sister Li patted her shoulder: “I won’t give you any lines. Think of something yourself; say whatever you want. In short, don’t be afraid. Our company is backing you. Just have fun.” Yu Shuman couldn’t tell if it was her imagination, but she felt that Sister Li was slightly gritting her teeth when she said, “Just have fun.”

It wasn’t her imagination. After all, what agent would have this attitude towards an artist? Every single one of them would love to use a whip to make the artist follow their instructions word for word. How could she possibly be allowed to just have fun? This was an instruction from the hidden major boss, who specifically wanted Yu Shuman to have fun.

This made Sister Li wonder what exactly the relationship was between Yu Shuman and the major boss behind the scenes.

Yu Shuman sat on the high stool, completely bewildered, facing the spotlights, reflector board, and camera. She was a bit stunned when the director told her to begin, because she genuinely had no script. She gave a simple self-introduction. When the director asked how she thought of joining Debut, Girls!, Yu Shuman hesitated. Between lying and making up a story or telling the truth, she chose the latter.

“The company told me to come, saying I could become famous.”

“…Then how did you think of pursuing a career as an artist?”

“I was spotted by the company people while working part-time. They said I would definitely become popular. Plus, the artist industry is very profitable, right? I really want to make money.”

“…” The director team felt the conversation couldn’t continue like this, but he sharply caught onto the topic of making money, so he followed up: “Why are you so eager to make money?” This was a trap, a question that could easily backfire if answered poorly. Although the director accepted investment from 99 Interactive Entertainment, he wasn’t without resentment.

Behind the camera, he watched the girl who had seemed somewhat confused suddenly break into a brilliant smile: “Because I want to repay, I want to show gratitude. During the most difficult time when my mother was sick in Grade 12, it was the anonymous social benevolent person and many people around who helped me. I want to thank them, or at least pay the money back.”

The short self-introduction video, which was less than five minutes long, was sent to Qin Ran’s computer shortly after filming wrapped. She sat on her dorm bed, put on her headphones, and clicked open the video. Every word Yu Shuman said made her smile. Her somewhat clumsy senior was genuinely charming.

Qin Ran replied to the company: “Keep the answers to those three questions. Cut the rest as you like.” After sending the message, she climbed down from the upper bunk, put on her backpack, and prepared to go to class. Although she was the hidden major boss of 99 Interactive Entertainment and had gained a lot of money from this wave of cash back, this only meant she didn’t have to work part-time anymore; she still had to attend her classes.

Not long after Qin Ran walked out with her backpack, her phone vibrated. Qin Ran opened the messaging app and saw a message from Yu Shuman. She told her she had a phone now, but she couldn’t use it for too long and had to be very careful. She also said the new company’s makeup team was amazing, the makeup looked so good.

Below was a selfie. The background looked like a restroom, suggesting she was indeed secretly using her phone.

Qin Ran had just seen the well-lit Yu Shuman on her computer, but at this moment, she felt Yu Shuman’s selfie was even better. In the personal short film, apart from the sincere smile she gave when answering that specific question, she looked slightly confused at other times, like a little dummy. But in this selfie, she smiled openly and radiantly—Qin Ran’s favorite smile.

She saved the picture and stared at the chat box. After a long time, she finally thought of what she should reply. As a homebody who didn’t like socializing, Qin Ran hesitated for a moment before typing a few words: “If you get rich, don’t forget me.”

The other side quickly replied with one word: “Woof.”