After Transmigrating into the Villain’s Cat, I Dominated the Entertainment Circle – Chapter 74

The Free Gift is Me

Want it, want it

After the point screening¹ ended, Lin Sifei left the stage with the others.

Before she stepped down, she glanced at Luo Ke and winked.

Luo Ke understood. She scanned her surroundings, planning to find Lin Sifei in a bit.

Lin Sifei was sitting in the nanny van.² Li Jing, standing outside, spotted Luo Ke and quickly waved her over.

Luo Ke jogged over, pulled open the door, and sat down next to Lin Sifei.

Lin Sifei reached out and pinched her nose. “You came to the point screening and didn’t even tell me!”

“I wanted to give you a surprise.”

“More like a scare,” Lin Sifei said, scooting closer to her. “Where did you get the ticket?”

“Director Chen gave it to me. He originally wanted to invite me as a guest, but I turned him down.” Luo Ke lifted her arm and draped it over Lin Sifei’s shoulder. “Now that the movie is about to be released, about our engagement…”

“We can start preparing for the engagement, but since the movie just came out, things might be busy. You can set the ceremony for a month from now.”

“Okay.” Luo Ke smiled.

After a moment, she took Lin Sifei’s hand. “We’re getting engaged soon, and with the Spring Festival³ coming up, do you want to come with me to see my parents?”

“Of course!” Lin Sifei touched her hair, a little embarrassed. “This counts as meeting the parents, huh?”

The next day, Lin Sifei woke up bright and early and dug Luo Ke out from under the covers. “Get up! Get up!”

Luo Ke wrapped her arms around her waist, burying her head. “Why are you up so early?”

“Aren’t we going to see your parents? We need to prepare. Getting there early shows sincerity.”

Luo Ke chuckled softly. “You’re taking this seriously.”

She nuzzled Lin Sifei’s stomach, got up, and walked into the bathroom to wash up, yawning.

As they were leaving, Lin Sifei made a special point to stop by a flower shop.

“What kind of flowers does your Auntie like?”

“Hyacinths.”

Lin Sifei bought a bouquet of hyacinths and bent down to smell them. “Auntie will like these.”

Back in the car, Lin Sifei placed the flowers on the passenger seat and turned back into a cat.

Luo Ke started the car. “Why did you turn into a cat?”

Lin Sifei typed to her, 【We have to make the most of the Spring Festival, strive to do something meaningful every minute and every second.】

Luo Ke’s mind involuntarily drifted to certain meaningful things they could do at night. She coughed, opening the window to let the breeze cool her warm face.

Lin Sifei’s eyes widened slightly. She quickly typed, telling her to close the window, worried she’d catch a cold.

Helpless, Luo Ke had to close the window again.

When they arrived at the cemetery, Lin Sifei changed back into a person and got out with the hyacinths. A cold gust of wind blew, and she tightened her scarf.

Luo Ke knew she was afraid of the cold, so she took her hand and led her quickly up the stairs.

It had snowed last night, covering the cemetery in a white blanket. A groundskeeper was sweeping the snow from the top down.

“You’re here so early,” the administrator, an old man holding a large broom, said. “Some spots haven’t been cleared of snow yet, so watch your step.”

“Okay, thank you.” Lin Sifei nodded slightly.

But Luo Ke’s parents’ grave was on higher ground, and that area was already clean.

Luo Ke pulled Lin Sifei to stand before the tombstone. “Dad, Mom, this is my girlfriend, Lin Sifei. We plan to get engaged soon. Today is the Spring Festival, so we came to see you.”

Lin Sifei bowed to the gravestone and placed the flowers in front of it. “Uncle, Auntie, I’m so sorry it took me this long to come see you. From now on, I will take good care of Luo Ke. Please don’t worry.”

Luo Ke looked at her, a faint smile on her face. “I think I’m the one who takes care of you.”

“I take care of you, too,” Lin Sifei pouted.

Luo Ke reluctantly nodded. “Alright, I guess we take care of each other.”

“What do you mean, ‘I guess’?” Lin Sifei reached out and pinched her thigh, but it had no effect through her autumn trousers.⁴

Luo Ke smiled and squatted down beside her, taking out a handkerchief to wipe the photos on the tombstone. “You don’t need to worry. Little one supervises me every day now, making sure I even wear my autumn trousers properly. So, don’t worry about me. You two live happily over there.”

She stroked the photos, took a deep breath, and lowered her head. “Let’s clear the snow off these things. I’ll light some candles and incense.”

Lin Sifei immediately helped her clean. Once they were done, she looked at the snow on top of the gravestone. “Should we wipe this off, too?”

“No, let’s leave it. My mom always liked the snow.”

Lin Sifei pulled her hand back and watched as she skillfully lit the candles, then used them to light sixteen sticks of incense. She bowed with them four times before placing them in the burner.

After offering the incense, Luo Ke pulled Lin Sifei up to bow one more time.

“We’re done. Let’s go.” Luo Ke clapped her hands and turned to leave.

Lin Sifei watched the hand hanging by her side. Luo Ke had taken off her gloves to light the incense but had forgotten to put them back on. She was just clenching them in her left hand as she walked.

She hurried forward, grabbed Luo Ke’s hand, and tucked it into her own pocket.

The overcoat she was wearing today had soft, fluffy fleece-lined pockets that were very warm.

Luo Ke paused. “I have gloves.”

Lin Sifei smiled and stopped, taking off her own left glove for her. “Your gloves are cold. They won’t be warm.”

She smiled as she helped Luo Ke put the glove on her left hand, then slipped her own bare left hand into her pocket, interlocking her fingers with Luo Ke’s.

“Let’s go home,” Lin Sifei said with a smile, tilting her head.

Luo Ke hummed in agreement and led her down the stairs.

The old groundskeeper was still sweeping. Seeing them leave, he waved. “Walk slowly.”

Once they were in the car, Luo Ke turned on the heat, and they both warmed up quickly. Lin Sifei decisively changed back into a cat.

Luo Ke stroked her head. “Changing back and forth like this, won’t you catch a cold from your clothes?”

【No, it’s just for a little while.】

Lin Sifei was so sure, but she started sneezing the moment they got home. Luo Ke watched her nervously. “I’ll make you some ginger soup.”⁵

“Do you know how?” Lin Sifei was skeptical.

Luo Ke coughed awkwardly into her fist. “I can learn.”

She pulled open the refrigerator. Amused, Lin Sifei leaned against the counter, waiting to see her put her newfound knowledge to the test.

Because of the Spring Festival, Auntie Wu was also on vacation. She had stocked the fridge full of groceries for them before she left.

Luo Ke took out her phone, searched for how to make ginger soup, and then got the ingredients.

“When is Auntie Wu back from her vacation?”

Luo Ke started slicing the ginger. “The sixth day of the new year, at the earliest. She has to visit her relatives, too.”

Lin Sifei pondered for a moment. She couldn’t cook, and Luo Ke clearly had never learned either. It looked like they would have to eat out for the time being.

Just as she was thinking this, her phone rang. She picked it up and saw it was her manager, Li Tao.

Remembering how jealous Luo Ke had been last time, Lin Sifei decisively put the call on speaker.

Li Tao’s voice echoed in the empty kitchen. “Lin Sifei, remember to come to the company later.”

“Huh?” Lin Sifei was baffled. “Why do I need to go to the company?”

“The movie is officially released. You need to be at the company, ready to cooperate with promotions at any time.” Afraid she would be unwilling, Li Tao added, “It’s just for the afternoon. You can go home in the evening. It won’t interfere with your New Year’s Eve Meal.”⁶

Lin Sifei scratched her hair. In truth, she and Luo Ke were planning to eat out for their New Year’s Eve Meal anyway, so that wasn’t a big deal. She just didn’t want to go to the office. It was the Spring Festival; she just wanted to cuddle up at home with Luo Ke. How cozy would that be?

“Do I have to go? I can just stay home. Whatever promotion you need, I can cooperate from here.” Lin Sifei pouted. It was the holiday, and the movie had just been released; most of the promotion would surely be online.

Li Tao was a little displeased with her lack of cooperation. “You haven’t come to the company even once so far. That’s going a bit too far.”

But there’s no work to do, Lin Sifei pouted. She thought about it. In her past life, it seemed that everyone at the company, except for someone of her stature, had diligently reported to the office as if it were a regular job.

“Alright, I’ll be over in a bit.” Lin Sifei looked at Luo Ke, reluctantly tugging at the corner of her shirt.

Luo Ke was wearing a solid-colored sweater, and the fabric stretched out of shape where she pulled it.

Luo Ke stirred the pot, turning her head to give her a smile and mouthed, “I’ll go with you.”

Lin Sifei’s eyes immediately lit up. “Hey, Tao-gege,⁷ can I bring someone with me?”

“Just don’t bring any random riff-raff. There are a lot of artists at the company.”

“Not riff-raff, a company shareholder.” Lin Sifei wasn’t shy about it. Li Tao must have known she had backing; otherwise, a newcomer wouldn’t have gotten an A-list contract right off the bat, much less been assigned to him.

Sure enough, upon hearing it was a shareholder, Li Tao said no more and hung up.

The moment she hung up, Lin Sifei threw herself onto Luo Ke’s back with a little Ying Ying Ying.⁸ “Luo Ke! I have to go to work during the Spring Festival. I’m so miserable!”

“And whose fault is it for always trying to touch fish?”⁹

Luo Ke smiled, turned down the heat, and pushed her into a chair. “Want a snack?”

“Yes.”

Luo Ke got her a large bag of potato chips for them to share.

Lin Sifei especially loved sharing snacks with Luo Ke. That way, she could always console herself that sharing one bag between two people wasn’t that much.

“The ginger soup will be ready in a bit. We can put it in a thermos to take to the company.”

Lin Sifei nodded, crunching on her chips. Kacha, kacha.

She scooted her chair closer to Luo Ke and placed her phone on the table. “Let me see what everyone thought of the movie. If there really is a promotional event, I’ll at least have done my homework beforehand.”

She did a quick search on the movie 《Light》. There were plenty of discussions, but most people said they disliked the female lead, Xiao Yue, and preferred Xiao Xing, feeling that the main character had wronged her.

Lin Sifei scrolled casually; it was all comments like that.

She raised an eyebrow slightly. While Xiao Xing’s character was well-written, the protagonist Xiao Yue was no white lotus flower.¹⁰ She had sensed a hint of Xiao Xing’s hatred for her early on. She worked hard to be independent precisely because she didn’t want her sister to suffer anymore. Through her silent actions, she was trying to tell her sister that she could be free.

Besides, the script included scenes where Xiao Yue took on her sisterly responsibilities, like appearing as a protector and talking with their parents all night about her sister’s situation.

Luo Ke sat beside her, frowning at the comments. “It feels like I watched a completely different movie than they did.”

Lin Sifei burst out laughing. “Don’t worry about it. It’s still early, not to mention a lot of the tickets were bought by Feng Xiao’s fans.”

Luo Ke understood her meaning. “This is Feng Xiao’s doing?”

“Ninety percent chance.” Lin Sifei sneezed again. “She was in contact with Yan Yafei before. I hope Yan Yafei didn’t get involved, or this is going to be another headache.”

“If Yan Yafei is involved, it means she’s still targeting you. In that case, you don’t need to go easy on her.”

“So annoying.” Lin Sifei leaned against Luo Ke’s shoulder. She just wanted to be a thoughtless salted fish.¹¹

The ginger soup was ready. Lin Sifei had a small bowl first. “Hey, this tastes pretty good. Luo Ke, you have a talent for cooking.”

“I can try to learn in the future.”

Lin Sifei held up a spoonful for her. “You were out in the wind today, too. You should have some.”

Luo Ke drank from her spoon, and they finished the bowl together. Then she got two thermoses and filled them with the rest of the ginger soup.

When they arrived at Ju Luo Culture,¹² Lin Sifei walked up to the front desk. “Where is Li Tao’s office? I’m one of his artists, here to report.”

“Lin Sifei, right? The female lead of 《Light》.”

Lin Sifei nodded. The receptionist smiled and gave her the location. “And this young lady is…?”

“She’s with me. I already told Tao-gege.” Lin Sifei smiled and linked her arm with Luo Ke’s.

Hearing that, the receptionist let them pass.

As she walked, Lin Sifei looked at Ju Luo Culture’s interior design. “It looks pretty nice. I wonder what the facilities are like.”

“Didn’t you like that performance room that was set up like a stage play? Should I have someone build one here?” Luo Ke calculated, planning to have a room remodeled.

“No, don’t!” Lin Sifei quickly refused, lowering her voice and leaning closer. “I rarely come to the company anyway, there’s no need. If I really want to act, I’ll just do a stage play.”

Seeing she really didn’t want it, Luo Ke dropped the subject.

They reached Li Tao’s office, and Lin Sifei raised her hand to knock.

“Come in.”

Lin Sifei pushed the door open. Inside sat a middle-aged man with black-framed glasses, a suit, and a serious expression. He was well-maintained, though; at least he didn’t look greasy.

“Hello, Tao-gege,” Lin Sifei greeted him enthusiastically.

Li Tao looked up and saw the sweet-faced Lin Sifei, then lowered his head again. “Sit.”

Lin Sifei pulled Luo Ke to sit on the sofa. Li Tao glanced at her again, and his gaze naturally shifted to Luo Ke.

Li Tao’s brow furrowed slightly as he tried to remember when he had seen this shareholder before. Suddenly, it hit him. Wasn’t this the person who came over when Ju Luo Culture was acquired?

His eyes widened in shock. Luo Ke, however, acted as if she hadn’t noticed him, smoothly taking out the thermos and pouring a cup of ginger soup for Lin Sifei.

“Drink some more. You just sneezed again.”

Cradling the warm cup, Lin Sifei looked at Li Tao with a smile.

Realizing who was in front of him, Li Tao relaxed his stern posture a little. “Lin Sifei, I’ve seen your file. You don’t have much experience, but your performance in 《Light》 was excellent. However, your looks are a bit too gentle. It might limit your range of roles.”

“Gentle?” Lin Sifei looked at Luo Ke in shock, as if seeking confirmation.

Luo Ke smiled. “You look beautiful no matter what.”

Lin Sifei automatically filtered out her rainbow fart¹³ and turned back to Li Tao. “I’m not wearing any makeup right now, and I’ve been eating very well lately, so my face might be a bit rounder. If I lose some weight and put on makeup, I think I can handle any type of role.”

Li Tao raised his eyes, sizing her up. It had been a long time since he’d met someone so confident. Plenty were confident they could get famous—after all, with the right backing, anyone can make a name for themselves—but few were confident they could handle any type of role.

“Since you’re so confident, are you willing to make a bet?”

“Bet on what?” Lin Sifei wasn’t the least bit intimidated. Effort and reward were two sides of the same coin; she was never afraid of a gamble.

Li Tao twirled the pen in his hand. “For the post-release promotions, I want you to appear with a look that is completely different from the movie. Heavy, glamorous makeup.”

Lin Sifei frowned slightly. “Glamorous is fine, but I don’t want the makeup to be too heavy. That’s not glamorous, that’s just a heavily made-up seductress look.”

“If you can pull it off, you naturally won’t need such heavy makeup.”

Hearing that, Lin Sifei nodded. “Then I have no problem with it.”

When it came to work, her entire demeanor changed. She was no longer the “gentle” girl from before, but someone with more aggression and vitality.

Li Tao began to have some expectations for her. “Have you seen the comments today? Feng Xiao’s side is going strong. It looks like they want to gobble up all the benefits from this movie for themselves.”

“The audience doesn’t just listen to her,” Lin Sifei said dismissively. “Does she think this is like those TV dramas she used to act in? A film that truly captures the public’s attention can’t be so easily controlled. PR is just a nudge.”

“That may be so, but for her to make these moves right at the beginning… many people will lose interest in the movie. Once that first impression is formed, it’s hard to get them into the theaters.”

“Then just hire more of the water army¹⁴ and push more promotions,” Luo Ke said coldly. “I don’t believe she’d dare make any major moves.”

Li Tao was silent for a moment. He hadn’t forgotten that this woman was not only the boss of Ju Luo Culture, but Feng Xiao’s company as well. Deciding who to promote was as simple as saying the word. Feng Xiao wouldn’t be able to leverage much of her company’s power.

Li Tao chuckled. “We’re all companies under President Luo. It would be too ugly if we fought. I can communicate with the film’s production side to create more positive publicity. As for Feng Xiao’s biased promotions…”

“I’ll have the company handle it.” Luo Ke tapped the cup in Lin Sifei’s hand and frowned. “It’s getting cold. Drink it.”

Lin Sifei drank from her cup, her eyes darting back and forth.

She leaned close to Luo Ke and whispered, “If Yan Yafei is really involved, it probably won’t be that simple.”

“I know. But the two of them alone can’t stir up much trouble.”

Lin Sifei nodded and continued drinking her ginger soup.

Sitting in the office, Lin Sifei wondered why Li Tao wasn’t letting her leave yet. After a short while, there was a knock on the door.

“Tao-gege, Lu Heng’s side already filmed their New Year’s greeting video and sent it to the production team. We’re the only ones left.”

Only then did Li Tao stand up. “Sifei, I’ll have to trouble you to film a New Year’s video. The crew will edit it and release it.”

Lin Sifei was confused. “Why didn’t you have me film it earlier? Why wait until now?”

As he led the way, Li Tao explained, “Last time, Lu Heng’s team wanted to stir-fry a CP¹⁵ with us, and we refused. But it seems they haven’t given up. Just in case they tried to say something deliberately ambiguous in their promotions, we waited for them to send theirs in first.”

When Luo Ke heard the other party still wanted to create a CP, her expression soured. This guy is so annoying. He probably only got close to Lin Sifei because he wanted to stir-fry a CP.

Lin Sifei, however, remembered what Director Chen had said. Lu Heng had offended his company, so his team was probably no good and wouldn’t listen to his suggestions. They were surely just trying to make a quick buck, and this movie was the perfect opportunity.

I should find a chance to get Lu Heng out of there, Lin Sifei thought. Poaching him for Ju Luo Culture would be great.

“Tao-gege, what do you think of Lu Heng as a person? Does he have potential? How would he do if he came to Ju Luo?”

Li Tao’s expression turned a bit strange. “He has potential, but that incident back then was too ugly. A lot of people know about it. If it were exposed, it probably wouldn’t be good.”

Lin Sifei was completely lost. “What incident?”

“The unspoken rule,”¹⁶ Li Tao said, glancing back at her helplessly. “A male executive wanted to use it on him.”

Lin Sifei’s mouth fell slightly open. She didn’t know what to say.

That’s just how the entertainment industry was. Even though the celebrity was the victim in an unspoken rule situation, it would be used as a point of attack, leading to all sorts of malicious speculation.

“Lu Heng must have refused, and that’s why the company is targeting him, right? If public opinion is guided properly, it shouldn’t be a major problem.”

Li Tao nodded. “It’s just that his company won’t let him go. They’ve set his contract termination fee incredibly high. They just want to keep him locked down.”

He could see that Lin Sifei wanted to help him and poach him for Ju Luo Culture, but given Lu Heng’s current market value, it really wasn’t worth it.

Lin Sifei did a quick calculation of her little gold treasury,¹⁷ thinking she could pay Lu Heng’s termination fee herself.

“Be careful, or I’ll freeze your account,” Luo Ke said ominously beside her.

Lin Sifei whipped her head around and saw Luo Ke’s dark expression. The scent of vinegar around her was so strong it nearly filled the entire hallway.

Startled, Lin Sifei quickly explained, “This is purely as a friend, really! Besides, Director Chen also hoped I would help. If I can help, I should. I think he has a lot of promise.”

Luo Ke narrowed her eyes and turned her head away, ignoring her.

Lin Sifei awkwardly reached out a hand, but she had no idea how to placate her.

Li Tao also felt the pressure in the air. He quickened his pace and pushed open a door. “We’ll film in here.”

Lin Sifei feigned excitement, pushing Luo Ke inside. “Wow, it’s decorated so beautifully!”

The room had a festive atmosphere, with “Fu” characters on the wall, small lanterns hanging, and decorative lion heads from a lion dance.

A staff member handed her a string of ornaments with a “Fu” character and a small firecracker.

“Should I just say ‘Happy New Year’?” Lin Sifei asked for input.

“It would be best to add something related to the movie, and then some auspicious phrases.”

Lin Sifei stood before the camera, thought for a moment, and began, “Hello everyone, I’m the actress Lin Sifei. In the new year, I hope everyone is auspicious and gets what they wish for, that your wealth rolls in, that your life’s path is smooth and easy, and that When the family is in harmony, all affairs will prosper.”¹⁸

She clasped her hands in a traditional greeting, and that was that.

Lin Sifei shook the ornament with a smile, trying to act cute for the staff. “Can I have this? And that little lion head, too.”

Li Tao waved his hand. “Take it, take it.”

Lin Sifei happily took down the little lion head and skipped in front of Luo Ke.

“President Luo, President Luo!”

Luo Ke looked up, her expression gloomy.

Lin Sifei smiled, balanced the little lion head on her own head, and made a little “deng deng deng” sound effect. “Little friend Luo Ke, are you willing to accept this ‘Fu’ character?”

Luo Ke glanced at the string of ornaments, then at the thing on her head, and lifted her chin. “I want that one.”

“President Luo truly has good taste.” Lin Sifei immediately placed the lion head in her hands.

She hugged Luo Ke’s arm. “You’ve accepted the lion head, so you should accept the free gift, too.”

Luo Ke took the small string of “Fu” and firecracker ornaments from her. “This is the free gift?”

“Nope.” Lin Sifei’s voice suddenly dropped, and she leaned in to whisper by her ear with a soft laugh. “I am.”

She kissed Luo Ke’s cheek and tightened her hold on her arm. “Does President Luo want her free gift?”

Luo Ke’s voice was hoarse. “Yes.”

Lin Sifei smiled, biting her lower lip slightly. “Then when we get home…”

Luo Ke took her hand and walked over to Li Tao. “Is there anything else?”

Li Tao had originally wanted to ask Lin Sifei to stay and discuss her future plans, but when he met Luo Ke’s dark, stormy eyes, the ‘protect your job’ alarm bells started ringing wildly in his head.

He forced a smile. “Of course not. Please, President Luo.”

Luo Ke glanced back at Lin Sifei, who shivered before being led swiftly away.

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The author has something to say:

President Luo: You asked for it.

The so-called self-made evil cannot be lived.¹⁹ A moment of silence for Feifei.

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