"Ruan, your dad still cares about you. Hes been keeping an eye on your companys finances, just waiting for you to come back and inherit his group. Wouldnt it be more comfortable than struggling alone?" Jiang Ruan woke up to this message from "Mom" on WeChat and couldnt help but rub her eyes, deep in thought.
Although her moms avatar and tone were familiar, the mention of a "group" was so out of place that Jiang Ruan suspected a prank or a hacked account.
She knew her familys financial situation well鈥攖hey were a modest, comfortable family at best. She had been struggling for years and was still saving for a down payment on a place outside the capitals fifth ring. She couldnt afford to take taxis without worrying about her budget. When did her mom start making such bold claims?
However...
Jiang Ruan silently looked down at the brand-new HuaGuo X70 in her hand.
If she wasnt mistaken, wasnt this the latest high-end model just released by HuaGuo Group?
It was so rare that it was being scalped at exorbitant prices, making it nearly impossible to get.
So who would go to such lengths to prank her, especially when her birthday was still half a year away?
After pondering for a while, Jiang Ruan decided to get up. As long as she caught the person, everything would become clear.
"Xiao Man? Old Tan?"
She called out for her roommates but received no response.
They had clearly cooked hot pot together yesterday, eating until they were stuffed. Today was a day off, and yet neither of her roommates was home?
Jiang Ruan put on her slippers, opened the door,
And then, as if seeing a ghost, she quickly closed it again, pressing her back against it, her eyes wide in astonishment.
What... whats going on!
She was supposed to be in a three-bedroom apartment with others, but when she opened the door, she saw a spacious living room and bright floor-to-ceiling windows that she had only dreamed of.
Where was her cramped little living room? Where were her two roommates?!
"This isnt science!" Jiang Ruan silently screamed in disbelief.
Her heart pounded in her ears as she forced herself to take a deep breath, looking around and noticing the differences.
Although the room was similar to her old one, even down to her favorite bedding set, a closer look revealed the disparities: the quality of the furniture was clearly not the same as the second-hand pieces she had bought for twenty bucks, the vanity table was filled with high-end cosmetics she had only heard of, and even the slippers on her feet seemed to be genuine rather than the cute knock-offs she had bought online...
She immediately sprang into action, opening her phones camera to look at her face.
Thankfully, it was still her familiar face.
Jiang Ruan let out a long breath, calmed down for a moment, bit her lip, and opened the door again.
Outside was still the cozy and spacious living room. She went to the floor-to-ceiling window and saw the traffic ahead, with the most iconic building in HuaGuo, the Love Music Plaza, right across.
Indeed, she was now in the most central, most expensive neighborhood of the capital.
Suddenly, her head throbbed painfully, as if stuffed with a multitude of information, making her feel dizzy and disoriented.
Jiang Ruan, unable to bear it, leaned against the window, her vision blurring as a set of memories played out like a movie, showing her the life of "Jiang Ruan" in this world.
The "Jiang Ruan" here was almost identical to her, with the same parents and friends, but their backgrounds were worlds apart.
Jiang Ruans parents, who had ordinary jobs in her world, ran the colossal Jiang/Group in this one. The original body was born almost at the finish line of lifes race, whether to take over her fathers business or live a carefree life on dividends.
However, "Jiang Ruan" thought differently.
She had always yearned for the entertainment industry, wanting to start an entertainment company to make numerous kings and queens of pop, so after becoming an adult, she wanted to fulfill her dream.
But her parents thought she was just mesmerized by the handsome men and women in the industry, believing she was impulsively trying to escape their control and avoid studying abroad.
Both father and daughter were quick-tempered, and their conversations often ended in arguments. The original body, in a fit of anger, moved out that day, vowing to make a name for herself and earn her fathers respect!
Unfortunately, reality was always cruel. With a total of over thirty million, which wasnt considered a large capital in the deep waters of the entertainment industry, and her inexperience, in just two years, she had lost almost all her money, and her company was on the brink of bankruptcy.
Forget about making a profit; without her mothers occasional financial support, the original body might have had to sell her house to pay off her employees.
Recently, the original body had returned the companys venue, sold many things, and gathered over two million for a final desperate attempt to package and promote the only actor in the company, Yang Cheng, into a good production team. Unexpectedly, before the production team negotiations were finalized, her secretary informed her that Yang Cheng had found another home, paid the penalty, and had already left!
The original body, always proud and unaccustomed to setbacks, faced a series of company misfortunes, and the recent events were her last hope. Upon hearing this news, thinking about having to go back and bow her head, she couldnt help but drown her sorrows in alcohol. She hadnt been back long after drinking when she passed away.
"Ah..."
Jiang Ruan sighed, never expecting that different growth environments could make such different personalities. She and the original body had the same preferences, but she, after years of societal struggles, didnt find going home to inherit billions in property a depressing matter at all.
She had no psychological barriers at all, okay?!
Jiang Ruan touched her chin, so as long as she quickly squandered the companys money, applied for bankruptcy, and then she could naturally go home, bow her head, and live the life of a super-rich second-generation heir?!
She felt invigorated, filled with motivation to work. Dont stop me! Im going to start managing the company now!
She quickly opened her phone and dialed [Xiao Man]s number.
Xiao Man was her secretary and one of the few remaining employees of Hua Huo Entertainment.
The call was quickly connected, and Xiao Mans calm and gentle voice came from the other end.
"President Jiang, do you have any arrangements?"
Jiang Ruan thought for a while. The company now only had half a floor still rented, and things were almost packed up.
If she suddenly expanded the venue and invested money in it now, wouldnt it seem contradictory and break the original bodys persona?
She thought for a moment and asked, "How many actors are there in the company now?"
Why not follow the original bodys idea and invest money in the production team.
Anyway, none of the production teams that the original body had high hopes for in the past two years had succeeded. She still trusted the original "Jiang Ruans" judgment.
The voice on the other end paused, a bit embarrassedly replied: "President Jiang, this... After Yang Cheng left, there are no more people in our actors department."
"None at all?" Jiang Ruan was surprised.
"Yes..." Xiao Man replied, but she quickly added: "But there are more than a dozen people in the companys trainee department."
What she didnt say was that the trainees left now were mostly those who were not favored by the company and couldnt afford the penalty.
"Oh?"
Jiang Ruan really didnt have much impression on these trainees. The original body "selected" several, either some "internet celebrities" with a little fame online, or just starting actors. As a result, these people had already run away at the critical moment of the companys continuous losses, who let the original master believe in the principle of "using people without doubt"? The penalty was only a few hundred thousand, isnt it a bargain for other companies?
Now, whats left in the company is the more than a dozen trainees signed by the original agent.
"Okay." Jiang Ruan didnt pick either, losing to whom