My capital is quite large.

In Xiamen, Fujian, the sea breeze carries a suffocating heat and humidity.

On the set of "Meteor Shower Again," even with several high-powered industrial fans whirring, the actors' heavy costumes were still soaked with sweat.

With only a month or two left since the first film wrapped up, the sequel was started almost seamlessly under Li Feng's directive to "return the original cast and strike while the iron is hot."

"Cut! That's a pass! All departments, prepare to move to the next location!"

The director shouted through a megaphone.

Yang Yang and Li Xin breathed a sigh of relief after filming a scene of intense argument, and their respective assistants quickly came to greet them with small fans and ice water.

Just as the two were about to go to the shade to touch up their makeup, the executive producer of the film crew suddenly ran over, covered in sweat, but his face was filled with barely suppressed elation.

"Attention, crew! Director, hold off on changing locations!"

The producer raised a megaphone: "By the notification from Haofeng Network's Shenzhen headquarters! The entire crew is to be given a three-day mandatory leave starting today! All filming is to be suspended immediately!"

Upon hearing this, the entire set fell silent for a few seconds, then erupted in uproar.

"Three days off? What happened?"

"The production crew is burning through so much money every day, why did they suddenly stop filming?"

Yang Yang and Li Xin were also stunned, looking at each other in bewilderment.

In this film crew where every second counts, a three-day work stoppage is simply unthinkable.

Before they could even react, their exclusive executive agent from Haofeng Films had already rushed up to them like a gust of wind.

"Yang Yang! Xin Xin! Quick! Hurry back to the hotel and pack your luggage!"

The agent, beaming with excitement, grabbed their arms. "Tonight's tickets! We're flying to Changsha!"

"Why fly to Changsha?" Li Xin was a little confused.

"Go on 'Happy Camp'!"

The agent slapped his thigh excitedly, "Our first drama, 'Meteor Shower,' is scheduled to premiere next week on Hunan TV's prime time slot! President Li personally spoke up and secured special recording slots for you two on this episode of 'Happy Camp'!!"

Happy Camp!

Upon hearing this name, Yang Yang and Li Xin's brains went blank for a moment, instantly overwhelmed by immense surprise!

Back in 2009, Hunan TV's "Happy Camp" was undoubtedly the absolute king of variety shows in China! It was a super national stage that all celebrities were desperate to get on!

There's an unwritten consensus in the industry: if you can stand on the stage of "Happy Camp," it means you're really going to become famous!

"Thank you, Mr. Li! Thank you, company!"

Yang Yang excitedly clenched his fist, while Li Xin covered her mouth, her innocent face filled with unbelievable joy.

……

That evening, at a high-end hotel in Xiamen.

Because she needed to catch an evening flight, Yang Yang packed her luggage early and went to Li Xin's room next door to urge her to hurry up, so as not to miss the crew's bus to pick her up.

Inside the room, Li Xin was stuffing clothes into her suitcase. Although she tried her best to hide it, the upturned corners of her mouth still betrayed her excitement.

"Xin Xin, you said..."

Yang Yang leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, his eyes sparkling with boundless anticipation for the future. "Now that we're on 'Happy Camp,' will the show really become a huge hit after it airs?"

Li Xin stopped what she was doing, turned to look at him, her eyes shining: "We definitely will! The company has invested so much money in us, with full support in terms of publicity and promotion. As long as we perform well, we're sure to become a hit."

"yes……"

Yang Yang sighed, his tone carrying a hint of feigned profundity, "However, as popular as I am, whether I can reach the very top is really hard to say. I think I still have a chance to compete for one of the 'Four Top Streamers' if I work hard. But you..."

He looked Li Xin up and down and shook his head: "You probably won't be able to squeeze into the core circle of the 'Four Little Actresses' in your entire life."

Hearing this, Li Xin puffed out her cheeks indignantly: "Why? Are you looking down on my acting skills, or do you think I don't have a fan base? My followers on Weibo are growing very fast, okay!"

"It has nothing to do with fans, and even less to do with acting skills."

Like a detective who had seen through the truth of the entertainment industry, Yang Yang walked to the sofa, sat down, took out his phone, and opened Haofeng's Weibo page.

"You've been so busy filming lately, you haven't really been paying attention to our own Weibo trending topics, have you?"

He shoved the phone screen in front of Li Xin and said in a low voice, "Look at Weibo now. Those so-called top four celebrities and their fans are fighting tooth and nail every day to get the top spot on the trending topics! All sorts of messy scandals and rumors are flying around. The companies and platforms don't care at all. They even hope they fight for a while longer to boost their daily active users."

"Take a look at the four little actresses. Huang Shengyi and Sun Li are also being targeted by various marketing accounts every day, with one smear article after another."

"But! Only Yang Mi and Liu Yifei from our company!"

"Have you noticed? On Weibo, although there are occasionally a few trolls posting smear articles about the two of them, the number and scale are completely different from others. They are basically suppressed as soon as they appear."

"The scariest thing is, there isn't even a single trending topic about a rumored couple! A few days ago, I heard that a male celebrity's team wanted to spend a lot of money to buy trending topics to create a CP (couple pairing) with Liu Yifei, but our operations department directly scolded them!"

Li Xin was stunned for a moment, then blinked and retorted, "What does that prove? You're currently the only male artist in our company. Isn't it normal that no other male artists are creating CP (couple pairings) with them? It's only natural for the PR department to protect their top artist and not accept CP-related trending topics from outsiders, right?"

"Naive! You're so naive!"

"In the entertainment industry, why would anyone turn down free money? Popularity equals money! In normal business operations, let alone creating on-screen couples, creating scandals is standard practice!"

"The reason our platform gives them such special treatment is because the boss is possessive of his profits!"

Yang Yang deliberately emphasized the words "food protection".

Seeing Li Xin's face gradually change color, Yang Yang lowered his voice and revealed the inside information he had gathered in the industry over the past few days.

"Xin Xin, although we haven't been in the industry for long, I've already figured out a bit of the ropes. In this circle, if a female celebrity wants to get the top resources, she can't possibly be completely clean."

"Why did Sister Honey get a movie role from Director Feng? Why did Liu Yifei get a big boss to pay 45 million to buy her out of her contract? Do you really think it's because they're good-looking and can make money?"

"The only explanation is that the boss has already set his sights on those two! So he absolutely forbids any male celebrities from being associated with them, and he absolutely forbids anyone from smearing them on Weibo!"

Upon hearing this analysis, Li Xin felt a chill run down her spine.

It turns out that behind those glamorous lists and resources, such transactions are hidden.

"However, I'm quite fortunate."

Yang Yang patted his chest, looking relieved to have survived a close call.

"Luckily, our boss is a normal straight man who likes women!"

"Xin Xin, you have no idea how murky the waters are in this industry! I was drinking with a senior figure the other day, and he told me that many big bosses and investors in the Beijing and Shanghai circles have very unusual tastes; they like to keep male lovers!"

"Even one of the current top four celebrities, I heard, got his resources by sleeping with the male concubine of a big company boss! The dirty deals behind that are even more disgusting than those involving women!"

"So, this is what you call turning misfortune into a blessing in disguise."

Yang Yang raised an eyebrow with a hint of smugness. "Because the boss isn't interested in men, as long as I honestly act, listen to instructions, and work hard to earn money, the boss will give me the resources I deserve. I can fight for a top spot on my own."

Hearing Yang Yang's sentiment of "better to die than to die myself," Li Xin bit his lower lip.

She lowered her head, looking at her fair hands, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

"But...a man of the boss's status, who is used to seeing stunningly beautiful women, he...he probably wouldn't be interested in me."

Li Xin's voice was very soft, carrying a hint of relief or self-mockery.

"That's right! That's why I said you couldn't be one of the Four Little Actresses!"

Yang Yang nodded in a very straightforward manner, completely unaware of the subtle change in the girl's thoughts.

"Although you are quite good-looking, in the boss's eyes, you are probably just an ordinary employee who makes money. The boss doesn't think much of you, so naturally he won't give you his all, and the resources will definitely be prioritized for those few."

"So, don't even think about the top positions like the Four Little Actresses. Just stick to making TV dramas and earning your salary."

Yang Yang's frank words gave her much to think about.

On the one hand, there was a sense of relief at having escaped unscathed.

She can still be herself with a clean conscience.

However, on the other hand...

When Yang Yang bluntly told her that her boss didn't think much of her, a woman's vanity and resentment grew wildly in her heart like weeds.

Isn't she pretty? What makes her less attractive than others?

Why are Yang Mi and Liu Yifei able to receive preferential treatment and protection from the boss, while I can only be treated like an outsider?

"So...security is also a kind of marginalized disgrace?"

Li Xin murmured to herself, and for the first time, a desire for power and resources appeared on her usually pure and innocent face.

"Alright, stop spacing out, the bus is downstairs urging us on!"

Yang Yang picked up his suitcase and called out.

"They're here."

Li Xin concealed the budding complex emotions and disappointment in her eyes, picked up her suitcase, and walked towards the spotlight stage that belonged to them.