Amusing Ourselves to Death Arc
Agent 23
Xin Lan gripped her throat, her hand starting to tighten.
Shen Yun widened her eyes, her face filled with terror.
In that gradually fading sensation, she felt Xin Lan take out a cellphone.
Xin Lan released her hand, looking at Shen Yun who had collapsed on the ground.
Shen Yun gasped for air, greedily breathing in the fresh air. The near-death sensation from just moments ago still lingered, and she looked at Xin Lan with fear.
When she saw what was playing in Xin Lan’s hand, her face became even more ashen.
“Look at this strangulation mark on your neck, it’s so obvious, if you go out and get photographed, the reports outside will be all over the place, you can cry and accuse your agent of mistreating you,” Xin Lan looked at Shen Yun with a smile, but there was no pity in her eyes, “But you said, if I put this out, how will the outside report it?”
“The most popular flower has a secret sexual fetish for this kind of asphyxiating pleasure. What do you think of this title?”
“Your image will be in tatters, and guess what, will I buy you a water army? Of course I will, I’ll ask them to talk about your history of cheating, trying to hook up with a boss only to be slapped by his wife, and then some false stories about drinking and sleeping around, do you think you’ll be able to recover?”
Xin Lan smiled, her smile extremely beautiful.
With each word Xin Lan uttered, Shen Yun’s complexion grew paler.
She knew these threats would become a reality.
She would be utterly ruined.
Her eyes developed a hint of bloodshot as she stared at Xin Lan as if she were looking at a demon.
She reached out to try and snatch Xin Lan’s phone but was kicked to the ground by Xin Lan.
Xin Lan withdrew her foot and placed the phone back in her pocket.
“You should have some sense.”
Shen Yun screamed, clutching her head, her face contorted with rage.
“You’ve ruined me, and you won’t have it easy either!”
“Before, it was you who was with me! It was you!”
(Originally translated on littlepandatranslations.com, let's go!)
“And what of it? I’m just a pitiable pawn you used to climb the ladder. I haven’t done anything wrong. Since you debuted, I’ve given my all, and everyone can see it. Can you really ruin me? No, you’ll only enhance the sympathy surrounding me. Perhaps my career will even prosper.”
Xin Lan said calmly, gazing at Shen Yun with a touch of pity in her eyes.
“What exactly do you want?”
Shen Yun tried to compose herself, but there was still a hint of panic she couldn’t hide.
She felt a strong mix of fear and resentment. The person before her was too powerful and unfamiliar, and she held her fate in her hands.
“I don’t intend to harm you either. Don’t look so flustered. As long as you behave honestly and refrain from any mischief, I won’t make things too difficult for you.”
Yeah, right.
Shen Yun tugged at the corner of her mouth, not buying it at all.
“I’ve secured a new drama for you, a big production, a period piece.”
Shen Yun looked at Xin Lan with suspicion. Just moments ago, she had threatened her by choking her, and now she was supposedly offering her a good script?
“We’ve already established that we’re on the same side when it comes to our interests. Why don’t you believe me? Are you the type of person who needs to be tormented to feel content?”
Xin Lan said, sounding somewhat puzzled, which made Shen Yun feel embarrassed.
“You said you couldn’t stand to see me doing well. So, what? Are you hitting me with a stick after offering a sweet date?”
Shen Yun had her pride too, and Xin Lan’s condescending act left her resentful deep inside. But she had no choice.
Right now, her only source of support was Xin Lan. Xin Lan had initially seemed determined to ruin her, but now she was acting like this. Shen Yun couldn’t quite figure out Xin Lan’s true intentions.
If Xin Lan wanted to retaliate against her, she could have released that video and spread rumors with a troll army long ago. But she didn’t. Instead, she only brought these things up now to threaten her.
Moreover, after the threat, she still found resources for her. Could it really be that she doesn’t want to ruin her?
Could it be that this time, Lan Rui had intercepted Xin Lan without Xin Lan’s knowledge, and Xin Lan wasn’t behind this?
Shen Yun had a gut feeling that something was amiss, but this logic didn’t add up.
As Xin Lan looked at Shen Yun, who stood there in a daze, she knew that Shen Yun probably believed her words.
Shen Yun was a difficult person to gauge, shamelessly selfish and always suspicious of others, putting her interests above all else. She could tolerate a lot for the sake of her interests, even if Xin Lan had just insulted her moments ago. As soon as she heard about a new drama, her attitude improved.
Furthermore, people tend to interpret others based on their own thought processes. Shen Yun, driven by self-interest and willing to endure almost anything, believed Xin Lan’s words.
However, she didn’t know that many people would rather sacrifice eight hundred of their own to kill a thousand enemies.
Of course, for Xin Lan, those losses didn’t even count.
She hadn’t even begun to torment Shen Yun yet; she had merely allowed her to have a fleeting dream before shattering it. Who could have guessed that Shen Yun’s mentality would be so fragile, that this would be enough to destabilize her?
Fortunately, Shen Yun hadn’t completely lost it yet. She could still pull herself together and break down again.
That was exactly Xin Lan’s plan. One round wasn’t enough; she had to let Shen Yun experience the ups and downs of life a few more times.
“Get yourself together and come with me.”
“Where are you taking me?”
“Do you want the person we need to deal with to come in and see you, the big star, has turned your place into such a mess?”
Shen Yun hesitated for a moment and then nodded slightly.
She went to the bedroom, not grabbing anything, just touching her neck in front of the mirror.
There was a bruise there, silently narrating what had just transpired.
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She was feeling a bit scared now. Xin Lan’s earlier demeanor seemed like she genuinely wanted to strangle her.
How could she have had so much strength, and why couldn’t Shen Yun break free?
She had never felt death so close to herself.
If she had known it would turn out like this, she shouldn’t have provoked Xin Lan in the first place.
Initially, she had been afraid of becoming attached to a wealthy man, fearing she would be quickly discarded, having no autonomy and easily becoming a plaything. To avoid that fate, she had targeted her manager.
She had always been bisexual, and being with women eliminated the worries of pregnancy and the risk of affecting her own condition through excessive indulgence. In fact, she had been quite successful until the previous…
Shen Yun grew restless and cursed the young actress who had tried to seduce her. As for her name and appearance, she had long forgotten.
She took a silk scarf and wrapped it around her neck, then proceeded to touch up her hair and apply makeup.
By the time she emerged, she still looked like that sparkling star, showing no sign of distress.
Zero Nine: She’s like a cockroach, huh?
Xin Lan: I don’t recall teaching you to insult roaches like that.
Zero Nine chuckled and happily went to her social media account to leave some comments trolling Shen Yun.
The new drama that Xin Lan arranged for Shen Yun was a historical palace drama.
It told the story of a palace maid’s rise to power, somewhat similar to the story of Empress Wu Zetian, but with differences since the female lead in this drama didn’t hold as high a rank.
The female lead started as a naive character in the early stages, constantly navigating a path of favor and betrayal. In the later stages, her character underwent a transformation, turning into a ruthless character on a path of vengeance.
On the surface, it appeared to be a promising script, especially since Xin Lan had secured the leading role for Shen Yun.
Sitting in the car and reading the script, Shen Yun couldn’t believe her eyes. Her throat still ached. Could Xin Lan really be this generous?
“Could it be that this role is already promised to someone else again?”
Shen Yun asked, gripping the edges of the script with uncertainty.
“I’m not sure. I can only try to secure the opportunity for you. Whether you get the role depends on your skills, and if someone else wants to snatch it, there’s not much we can do.”
Shen Yun furrowed her brow, and her initially high spirits dampened.
“If every actor were as worried as you are about someone else stealing their roles before auditions, then there would be no need for anyone to act.”
Xin Lan smirked coldly, and the moment Shen Yun heard her laugh like that, her heart skipped a beat.
Remembering that Xin Lan still held leverage over her, Shen Yun immediately fell silent and continued to read the script, keeping her head down.
Xin Lan steered the wheel, feeling somewhat regretful. If Shen Yun were a man, she would have already been beaten a million times over.
This was a script Xin Lan had carefully chosen for Shen Yun, and naturally, she would play the leading female role.
Once she entered the production, Xin Lan was certain there would be discomfort for Shen Yun.
Moreover, there was no guarantee that this drama would even make it to production.
Thinking about her own arrangements, Xin Lan felt quite pleased.
After dropping Shen Yun off at another property under Shen Yun’s name, Xin Lan didn’t linger.
Every minute spent with Shen Yun felt like a waste of life.
It was only after Shen Yun saw Xin Lan’s car drive away that she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She placed the script aside, took off the silk scarf from around her neck, and cursed Xin Lan with the most malicious words she could think of.
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If only she could meet with a fatal accident on her way, she wouldn’t have to feel this panic and fear.
She vented her emotions for a while, feeling restless, and then composed herself. Shen Yun picked up the phone in the house and began dialing contacts.
Her actions immediately alerted Zero Nine, but Xin Lan didn’t pay it much heed.
If Shen Yun could actually succeed, then there would be something truly supernatural at play.
As expected, a few minutes later, Xu Fang called her.
“What’s going on with that little celebrity of yours? Why did she suddenly ask me out for dinner?”
Xu Fang was the CEO of the company, a diamond bachelor. Many men and women had tried to get close to him, but he wasn’t indiscriminate in his choices. This person was also his trusted right-hand man and someone who had a secret crush on Xin Lan, his sister’s former love interest, so Xu Fang was quite puzzled.
“She snatched a role that came with investment into the production. She’s been having it too easy, without facing any setbacks.”
Xin Lan replied casually, and Xu Fang found it amusing as well.
“Just for that?”
“Yeah, how did you respond to her?”
“My assistant took the call. There was no appointment, so it’s a definite no.”
Xin Lan chuckled, knowing it would turn out this way. Xu Fang would give her face and definitely wouldn’t meet Shen Yun.
After ending the call with Xu Fang, Xin Lan dialed Zhou Qinqin and the others.
Shen Yun sat on the couch, feeling despondent, like an ant on a hot plate, running around in circles but unable to find a way out.
Her mind was filled with various thoughts, yet it felt empty as if nothing was there.
She had previously believed that she could rely on Xin Lan, so she hadn’t made many connections in the industry. She had accumulated quite a few enemies instead. Now, with this situation at hand, besides feeling fear, she felt powerless.
When the CEO’s assistant politely ended their call earlier, her despair deepened.
Was she really going to let Xin Lan continue to manipulate her like this?
There was suddenly a noise at the door, and Shen Yun’s heart raced. She only breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it was her assistant.
However, her relief turned into alarm when Zhou Qinqin, her assistant, approached and suddenly took her phone from her hand. Shen Yun tried to reach out and snatch it back, but Ah Kun, another person with her, grabbed her hand and immobilized her.
“Yun Jie, Lan Jie said to take good care of yourself, focus on reading the script, and not think about anything else.”
Zhou Qinqin said with a sigh. On the surface, she appeared to be a fairly normal person, so how did she end up in the line of work she did?