A leisurely life starting in a bar after being reborn

"My grandfather passed away first during my freshman year of college."

Her voice suddenly lowered, as if something was suppressing it.

"Heart attack. I went out to buy groceries this morning, and collapsed halfway there. By the time I got to the hospital, it was too late."

"..."

"Grandma became seriously ill from excessive grief and passed away after eight months. Do you know how strange lung cancer is? In the early stages, it's completely invisible; the patient seems perfectly healthy. But once signs appear, and a check-up reveals it's already late-stage lung cancer. She kept it from me, afraid it would affect my schooling. By the time I found out..."

Qin Manni didn't continue. She lowered her head, her bangs covering her eyes, so Fu Yan couldn't see her expression.

But he noticed that her hands were clenched tightly on her knees.

"In the same year, the two people who loved me most were gone," she said. "I suddenly lost everything."

The bar was quiet, save for Fu Xiao's carefree laughter coming from behind the bar counter—"Why does this cup look like a vase?"

Qin Manni took a deep breath and raised her head.

Her eyes weren't red, but there was a thin layer of moisture at the corners of her eyes, which she stubbornly held back from falling.

"It took me more than a year to recover. But my grandparents were gone, and the house was gone too—my uncle and aunt sold it, saying it was part of my grandparents' inheritance and they had a share. They left me 20,000 yuan, saying it was my share."

"Twenty thousand?" Fu Yan frowned.

"Well, a house in the old city of Fengtian was worth only around 100,000 yuan in 2006. After they divided it up, they gave me 20,000 yuan, which is not bad."

Fu Yan didn't speak, but his expression wasn't good.

"I haven't had a home since then." Qin Manni's tone had returned to calm, as if she were telling someone else's story. "Fortunately, I had already started taking on acting roles by then. At the end of my first year of university and in my second year, some classmates asked me to film student projects with them, and later some people also asked me to film male roles..."

She looked down at herself: "I'm tall, have a decent figure, and I'm... not bad looking either. Taking pictures of guys is pretty popular."

"It's not just okay, it's excellent. With these qualities, it's a waste that they're not in the entertainment industry!" Fu Yan spoke the truth.

Qin Manni blushed slightly but did not reply.

"Before the accident, I was able to get quite a few acting roles and gigs, although they were all minor parts, but at least I could support myself. I could earn enough for tuition, rent, and living expenses. I thought things would get better and better."

She paused, then gave a wry smile.

Until six months ago.

"That director."

"Hmm." Qin Manni's fingers unconsciously traced the texture of the table. "His surname is Zheng. He's not a big-name director, but he has some connections in the industry. He approached me and said there was a film that was perfect for me, and he wanted me to play the female lead—a real female lead, not the kind where you just show your face and then die. Of course I was happy, incredibly happy, feeling like I'd finally gotten my chance."

"and then?"

"He said he had one condition—to have a drink with the investors."

Fu Yan held his wine glass without moving.

"I've acted before, so I know the rules of this industry. Drinking is unavoidable. I can accept having a meal, drinking a few glasses, making toasts, and saying a few polite words. That's why I went."

Her voice was slightly tense.

"Everything was alright at the drinking party. The investor was in his forties, wearing a gold chain, and talking a lot of nonsense, but he didn't give me any trouble. I thought it would be over after the drinks, but then..."

Qin Manni paused for a moment and took a deep breath.

"After the meeting, the investor had his driver take me home, but the car didn't go to my place. I asked him where we were going, and he said to come to his place first and have a cup of tea."

"You're saying you're not going?"

"Yes, I know the consequences of going, so I said I wouldn't go!" Qin Manni raised her head and looked at Fu Yan, her gaze more determined than he had imagined. "I said thank you, but it's too late, I can just go back. Then I got off the bus and took a taxi."

"He didn't stop you?"

"No. He just smiled and said, 'Young lady, you should think this through.'"

"and then?"

"And then that was it." Qin Manni's voice became flat, like a still lake. "The next day, Director Zheng called me and said that the investors didn't think I was suitable, and the role was being recast. I said okay. And then—no one ever asked me to act again."

Not even a single film?

Not a single one. Not even a single GG. It's been over half a year.

She opened her hands, which were long and fair, with a thin layer of calluses on her fingertips—from playing the guitar.

"That investor made it clear in the industry that anyone who hires me is going against him. A young girl with no connections or backing, you can imagine what happens when you offend someone like that."

She smiled, a smile devoid of bitterness, only a serene acceptance of what she had learned.

"So what if I get banned? I don't have anything to lose anyway."

……

Fu Yan looked at her.

She is 1.75 meters tall, beautiful, has a clear voice, sings well, plays the guitar well, and has been practicing Peking Opera since elementary school—her basic skills are so solid that it seems like she has formal training. In fact, she does have formal training, just not in music.

More importantly, she has backbone.

In that circle, how many people say "I'd rather break than bend," but then they bend like noodles when they meet a gold chain investor?

But she didn't.

A 22-year-old girl, with no family and no one to support her, and possibly not even enough money to pay next month's rent—she stood at that intersection and said "no".

Fu Yan picked up his wine glass and slowly took a sip.

"Is the story over?" he asked.

"That's all."

"good."

"good?"

"Well, the ending wasn't great, but the main character was pretty decent. Maybe I'll invest in a TV series or movie someday and let you play the lead role."

Qin Manni paused for a moment, then smiled—this time it was a genuine smile, not a bitter smile, nor a faint smile, but the kind of smile that inevitably appears when someone praises and acknowledges you.

"Thank you, Brother Fu." She didn't know how much money Fu Yan had, but she had heard from other colleagues at the bar that he was very rich, so she decided to believe it for the time being.

"What are you thanking me for? I didn't do anything."

"You've made me say this," she said, lowering her head, her voice so soft it was almost a whisper to herself, "It feels so much easier to say it out loud."

Fu Yan didn't reply, but simply leaned back in his chair, holding his wine glass, looking at the empty bar stool on the stage and the spotlight that hadn't been turned on yet.

At the bar, Fu Xiao was excitedly holding up a martini glass and asking Zhou Lei, "Is this called a champagne glass?"

Zhou Lei looked utterly devastated.

Chen Shiwen stood quietly to the side, holding a small notebook, and was carefully drawing the shape of a wine glass.

Fu Yan suddenly felt—

The bar is getting more and more crowded.

It's not all bad.