After five bigwigs in Beijing's elite circle fell into their trap, I fled.

Chapter 169 Joining a Club
"Death energy?"

The men were all taken aback at the same time.

Jiang Shu nodded: "Someone like me who is particularly sensitive to the life force is also very sensitive to the death force."

She patted Yan Yu's hand: "Let the production team terminate his contract in advance, otherwise it'll be a waste of time filming."

Yan Yu looked at her: "Can you calculate the manner of death?"

"Yes, but you need to touch his hand first..."

"No need!" Yan Yu immediately got up and called Director Chen.

Over there, Director Chen's tone was not good: "Change the actor? Why would you want me to change the actor for no reason?"

Yan Yu calmly said, "Either kick him, or I'll quit."

Director Chen: "...Little darling, can't we talk properly? The other party was placed there by their financial backers, they can't just replace them like that..."

"Come to the film set tomorrow, and I'll bring you a few passes personally signed by Feng Li."

"Change him! Change him immediately!" Director Chen said without hesitation. "He's always flirting with women on set, and his acting is terrible. I've been fed up with him for a long time!"

Yan Yu hung up the phone.

Jiang Shu sighed, "In this industry, capital really is king."

"No." Yan Yu smiled slightly. "Feng Li is the real father. Other resources are nothing but ants in our eyes."

Feng Li glanced at him lazily: "Hmm, call me 'Dad' and let me hear it?"

Yan Yu: "..."

Li Yubai looked at the two of them for a long time before finally speaking up: "Keep eating, let's finish eating soon and watch a movie together."

"Just watch the movie, why bother with analysis? Some directors don't even know what they're making, it's like reading a reading comprehension exercise," Feng Li said dismissively.

"A required course for directors," Jiang Shu sighed softly. "I also have to submit a review tomorrow."

Inside a home theater.

Jiang Shu sat at the front, watching the movie and taking notes.

Behind her, several men in comfortable pajamas drank red wine and chatted about economics and politics, occasionally joining Jiang Shu in a chat about movie plots.

“Watching a movie is different when you just enjoy it and when you watch it with an analytical eye,” Ning Yunzhan said with a wry smile. “This will have to become the norm for us from now on.”

Li Yubai looked at him quietly: "What, you don't want to?"

“I don’t mean to.” Ning Yunzhan met his gaze. “But you, you seem to be paying too much attention to us men lately. Is something the matter?”

"No." Li Yubai calmly looked away.

After military training, Jiang Shu got back on track with her university life.

At the end of September, various student organizations began recruiting.

Xu Yan held Jiang Shu's hand and looked around, then said softly, "The clubs at the film academy are a bit different from those at other schools. They mainly focus on the major, because the ultimate goal after graduation is to enter the entertainment industry and compete for a higher status."

"Besides, they are very xenophobic. Because everyone is in competition, just one time when the director comes to the school to select roles, you can see a whole campus version of palace intrigue."

Jiang Shu looked around.

Scriptwriting Club, Micro-drama Club, Film Appreciation Club, Debate Club, Musical Theatre Club, Dance Club, Entrepreneurship Association, Etiquette and Image Club, Film and Television Makeup Club...

Nearly a hundred clubs and societies stand together, some packed with members, while others are quite deserted.

Jiang Shu glanced at the most crowded club and exclaimed in surprise:
"The most popular clubs are actually yacht clubs, private jet clubs, and luxury car clubs?"

"That place is full of rich kids. It's popular, but the requirements are also very high. Most of the people you see now aren't really qualified to join; they're just there to stir things up! There are cases of people successfully getting noticed and hooking up with rich kids, but whether they'll have the last laugh is another matter. The circle of the wealthy isn't so easy to get into."

Jiang Shu casually asked, "What's the deal with that quietest entrepreneurship association?"

Xu Yan thought for a moment: "This community is similar to a group of extras... and its composition is very complicated. It also involves services such as credit card cash-out and food delivery. In general, the people are mixed, and it cannot be ruled out that there are scammers in it."

Jiang Shu asked, "Is the Micro-Drama Club part of the Directing Department?" "Yes. They produce at least two micro-dramas every month. If they don't meet that requirement, the club will be forced to shut down. That's because this club is the only one out of more than a hundred clubs that receives its salary from the school's finance department."

"There's a salary?" Jiang Shu paused. "How much?"

"I don't know. If you want to go, shall we go and ask?"

Micro Drama Club.

Three club members and the club president sat expressionless in front of the club's advertising board, surrounded by a deserted crowd.

"President, if we can't recruit anyone in the next few days, we'll have to disband," member number one said dejectedly. "We had a falling out with the script club last month, and this month the lighting technician and cinematographer quit. Now it's just the four of us left, and we're drowning in debt..."

Member number two sighed, "I actually quite like our club, but the micro-drama market is too competitive now. With just the four of us, it's hard to make a living..."

Member Number Three looked at the bill: "The school's funding for this month has been reduced by half. They said our short drama hasn't made a splash in the entertainment industry because it's too poor in quality. Don't they realize that with our club's ordinary male and female leads, how can we possibly stand out?"

"Don't panic." The club president watched Jiang Shu and Xu Yan slowly approach. "Get ready to receive our guests."

The group sat up straight.

Jiang Shu and Xu Yan walked up to the recruitment booth and first carefully examined the signboard:
"Xiao Shu, there are hundreds of works listed here, including several that were very popular back then."

Jiang Shu hummed in agreement and looked at the group: "Hello, seniors! We're interested in joining the micro-drama club. What are the requirements?"

The president looked at the two beautiful women and said, "Both of you are very attractive. The only thing is that you need to sign a one-year contract. If you withdraw midway, you will have to pay a penalty of 30,000 yuan."

Jiang Shu took three steps back.

Member Number One quickly tried to salvage the situation: "The cost of filming a TV series is at least tens of thousands of yuan. If we quit halfway through, that money is basically wasted. Thirty thousand really isn't much!"

Member number two then added, "And our benefits are excellent!"

Xu Yan asked, "What about the benefits?"

"It depends on the position. Editors get 5%, cinematographers and lighting technicians get 6%, screenwriters get 3%, and everyone else gets 4%."

"Percentage...how much is that?" Jiang Shu pondered.

"It depends on the school's funding. The worst is a few hundred thousand, and sometimes it's been as high as three million," the club president said.

Jiang Shu did the math: "Even at the worst, it's still around ten thousand a month?"

The president replied calmly, "No! At least two films per month, which means we'll allocate funds at least twice a month. If you can manage, you can make ten films."

Jiang Shu looked at the club president: "Does this senior also get five percent every month?"

President Mo Ce shook his head: "Of course not! I'm the president, everything left over after the distribution is mine."

Jiang Shu was intrigued: "All of them? How much is that?"

"Our company has now been streamlined, leaving only four people. They are all at 5%, while I..."

Jiang Shu blurted out, "Eighty-five percent?!"

President: "...Hmm."

Jiang Shu picked up the application form without hesitation: "I want to apply!"

Member Number One eagerly handed over a pen: "With your excellent qualifications, besides your behind-the-scenes roles, you could also take on lead roles and earn double pay. It wouldn't be better!"

“No.” Jiang Shu’s eyes were firm. “I want to be the president of the club.”

The president, burdened with debt: "..."

How could I possibly encounter such a wonderful thing today?

Jiang Shu was a little embarrassed: "Is it okay?"

The president remained silent for a long time before saying, "That would be fantastic!"

A sucker delivered to your doorstep—a stroke of luck you'd never even dreamed of.

(End of this chapter)