When capital came into the world, every pore from head to toe was dripping with blood and filth.

——Marx Xia

The lights in the corner of the lounge were dim. Xia Chi curled up on the sofa, the cold light of the mobile phone screen reflected on his face. His fingers slid quickly. The game sound effect was turned down very low, but he could still hear the continuous notification tone - he had lost five games in a row.

Feng Man pushed the door open, her high heels tapping against the floor. She clutched the documents in her hand, her eyes searching Xia Chi's face. "Xia Chi, I have something to tell you."

The in-game character collapsed once again, his equipment scattered across the floor, each item snatched up by others. Xia Chi pursed his lips and started the game over again, his bangs falling over his eyes, revealing only a hint of his taut jawline.

"The second male lead in 'Left Side,'" Feng Man paused, "has been confirmed to be Hao Shuai."

Xia Chi's fingers froze imperceptibly for half a second, and then he poked the screen even harder, as if he was struggling with something invisible.

Feng Man took two steps closer, the scent of perfume wafting over. "But don't worry, Man Four is ours."

"Yeah." Xia Chi suddenly spoke in a muffled voice, his eyes still fixed on the screen.

[I knew it, if it wasn't what others had picked out, they wouldn't give it to me.]

Feng Man reached out and patted his shoulder. Xia Chi shrank back and forth on the sofa, his entire body almost being swallowed by the large sweatshirt. A tuft of hair stuck up on the top of his head, like a puppy licking its fur with its back to the crowd after being drenched in rain.

"Why? Unhappy?"

Xia Chi lowered his eyelashes, his Adam's apple moving slightly: "No."

[It's rare that you still care about me, how can I be so sad? ]

Since they've decided on me and then changed someone else, it must be because I'm not as good as them. If I'm not as good as them, why did they bother to find me in the first place? It's just making people sad for nothing.

Feng Man looked at him, his 1.80-meter-tall figure curled up on the sofa, looking like a wronged Lin Daiyu, and couldn't help but make a joke.

"Do you have any problem with Yuan Yuzhen?"

Xia Chi curled his fingertips: "Nothing."

He said no, but he was complaining silently in his heart.

[She was always very kind to others, but I was a suspicious person and thought she was hiding something.]

[Yesterday they said I was the second male lead, so I came. Today they said it was a different actor. I don't understand.]

[She gave the opportunity she gave me to someone else. She won't let me come over next time.]

Feng Man suppressed her laughter and moved closer to him: "Producer Yuan also has her difficulties."

[This makes me seem petty.]

I'm not so blessed as to be compared to some koi fish. I'm just a plant.

[Offending me today is a small matter, but if you offend all those popular young actors tomorrow, wouldn't that be a big deal?]

Feng Man finally couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Alright." She reached out and poked Xia Chi's forehead. "I know Producer Yuan. I've wronged you this time, and I'll definitely double your compensation next time."

[Look, you're just making empty promises again. If I believed them, I'd probably cry my heart out.]

[There's no need to be so nice to me and then so mean. If you're mad at me, just let me go. Why bother saying all this?]

Xia Chi curled his lips and buried his face in the phone screen, leaving only a pair of resentful eyes exposed.

Feng Man slowly withdrew her fingers, unable to resist teasing him. "Oh, it's strange—" she deliberately dragged out the last word, "When we were signing the contract today, I discovered that the fourth male lead's salary is actually almost the same as the second male lead. Producer Yuan's calculations are... really interesting."

The tips of Xia Chi's ears twitched, but he still held on and didn't look up.

"Oh, right," Feng Man pretended to suddenly remember something, took out her phone from her bag and shook it, "Yuan Yuzhen specifically asked the finance department to advance your salary. Now..."

She glanced at the time and said, "It should be on your card by now, right?"

"Really?" Xia Chi suddenly raised his head, and his eyes, which had been drooping just now, lit up instantly. He was like a little mouse that had stolen oil. He frantically flipped through his phone and didn't even bother to straighten the hood of his sweatshirt that had fallen over his head.

Feng Man pressed her lips together and walked to the water dispenser. Just as she filled half a cup of water, she heard a muffled "bang" sound behind her - most likely that silly boy rolled off the sofa in excitement.

Then there was a burst of chaos and commotion.

[One, two, three, four, five, six zeros...]

By the end of the count, the last syllable was floating away.

[No, no, no, I must have counted wrongly. Let me count again...]

Xia Chi was trembling, his fingers almost poking into the screen.

[One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand, one hundred thousand, one million...Ahhhhh!]

[Has anyone burned paper money at my grave yet...]

Xia Chi rushed to Feng Man in two steps, his eyes shining frighteningly: "Sister Man! I'll treat you to hot pot! No! Japanese food! Oh, no! French food! French food!!!"

Feng Man calmly took a sip of water and said, "Okay, I'll keep it for now. You have to accompany me to a dinner party first."

Xia Chi froze instantly, his pupils trembling: "Huh?"

【It’s over! It’s over!】

[I just paid and I'm going to the dinner party. Sister Man, are you selling me by the pound?!]

[I’m in the late stage of social anxiety, the type who sells art but not body…]

Feng Man glanced at him with disdain: "What are you thinking? This is a party arranged by Senya's agent."

Xia Chi was puzzled: "Fairy Sister's agent?"

[Feng Man is so awesome, she even knows Sen Ya's agent. She's the princess of the Beijing circle.]

It's all because of you, Feng Man is just taking advantage of the situation.

"Senya specifically asked to cooperate with you."

Xia Chi: “Ah?”

【When did Fairy Sister notice me? 】

[Could it be that she realized that I had saved her baby by blocking the kick?]

I know that good deeds will be rewarded. It's not that there is no reward, it's just that the time has not come yet.

Even better things are yet to come, Feng Man turned around and looked at the divine beast.

"Meet at Club X tomorrow, wait for my news!"

***

Xia Chi had no idea about Club X until he pushed open the gilded door.

The expansive central hall opens up to a breathtaking view, revealing a miniature tropical rainforest. Over twenty rare broadleaf tree species unfurl their leaves within a constant temperature and humidity system. A Brazilian rosewood viewing platform floats above an artificial stream, and beneath the surface swims a six-figure golden arowana.

Xia Chi stood next to the 360-degree surround acrylic aquarium. Schools of clownfish swam among the corals, and a whale shark with bared teeth swam slowly.

"Oh my god!" he exclaimed softly, his fingers unconsciously grabbing Feng Man's collar.

Feng Man forced herself to remain calm and raised her chin: "It's okay." In fact, a thin layer of sweat had already seeped out of her palms - the X Club was well-known in the circle for its extravagance. It was said that even the floor tiles were airlifted from Italy. This was her first time there.

A waiter walked through the relief columns carrying champagne. Xia Chi stared at the caviar on the tray for three seconds, then suddenly leaned over to Feng Man's ear and asked, "Is this spoonful enough for half a year's rent?"

"Promising." Feng Man lowered her voice. "Any bottle of wine here is enough to buy the toilet in your shabby apartment. Do you know why this place is called the X Club?" She lowered her voice. "To get in here, either you have X billion or X bureau-level connections."

Xia Chi felt bitter in his mouth.

Some people are born in Rome, and some are born to be cattle and horses.

[Perhaps the most they've ever endured is just iced Americano...]

[I drink Mixue and ask for half price for the second one, but other people use Lafite to rinse their mouths...]

"If I were given this money..." He secretly pinched his thigh, "Forget it, I can only buy two bowls of tofu pudding at most, and eat one and then throw away the other..."

Xia Chi: "I'm really blessed by the Fairy Sister. I didn't expect fairies really live in the fairyland."

"This is the property of her fiancé, the He family..."

Feng Man's heart was also beating fast. Logically speaking, this kind of high-end club shouldn't be open to people like them...

unless……

His eyes suddenly fell on Xia Chi's slapped face.

The young man's thick eyelashes cast a small shadow under the light, and his Adam's apple, which kept rolling due to nervousness, had a kind of inexperienced youthfulness.

Unless Sen Ya’s invitation this time has other motives.

The two were led by a waiter to an elegant private room, where the scent of agarwood wafted from behind a sandalwood screen. Xia Chi stared intently at the stitching of the Suzhou embroidery on the wall when the door to the private room was suddenly gently pushed open.

"Oh, I've been waiting for you!"

A bright figure arrived, accompanied by a fragrant breeze. She was wearing a Dior suit from the latest season, the clean lines of her outfit embodying the aura of a powerful woman. Her features were strikingly similar to Senya's, though her high nose bridge and plump cheeks made her look a bit stiffer.

The jade bracelet on her wrist shone with water as she moved, and it was obvious that it was a rare old mine glass-type jade.

Feng Man immediately stood up. "Boss Sen!" She quietly tugged at Xia Chi's shirt. "This is Boss Sen from Xingyao Media. She's Sen Ya's sister and her manager."

Sen Yao smiled and waved her hands: "What's the matter with always or not? Yaya had something urgent to do and asked me to come over and take care of things first."

"Mr. Sen, you are too polite. Everyone in the circle knows your name." Feng Man shook Sen Yao's hand enthusiastically, her face almost bursting with smiles - this was simply holding the golden key to the top resources in the Beijing circle!

The two were chatting when Sen Yao's eyes suddenly brightened as she looked past Feng Man. "This must be Xia Chi, right? He's even more handsome in person than in his photos."

Xia Chi bowed quickly: "Hello, Mr. Sen."

"Oh!" Sen Yao said to him with a smile, "Aya always tells me about you, saying that you take special care of her on the set. Last time there was a problem with the wirework, it was thanks to your quick reaction. You don't know how scared I, as your older sister, was when I found out."

Xia Chi's mind froze for a moment, and he stammered, "Ah... that... it's all as I should..."

[There was a problem with the wire harness? Is this what Senya told her agent?]

[Sister Fairy is so kind-hearted...]

Sen Yao's smile froze on her face, her pupils slightly dilated, as if she had seen something incredible.

Feng Man keenly noticed something unusual, and their eyes met briefly in mid-air.

"Ha..." They all understood and laughed.

Xia Chi blinked blankly, feeling that there was something indescribable hidden in the smiles of the two ladies.

It's like there's some unspeakable deal going on in secret.

Alarm bells rang in my head.

"It's true that hearing about someone is worse than meeting them in person."

Sen Yao's eyes suddenly lit up, as if she had discovered some rare treasure. She suddenly took his hand and patted it: "It's strange to say, the moment I saw this child, I felt that I had a special affinity with him."

【Yeah?】

Xia Chi was flattered.

My head is indeed quite round, haha...

[But... could you please let go of my hand first? This is long enough for me to check my pulse.]

Xia Chi had a smile on his face. He calmly pulled his hand back and quietly wiped his sweaty palm on the crotch of his pants.

【Did Sister Man really sell me out? 】

[No! Wealth and honor cannot corrupt, and might and power cannot bend!]

【I refuse unspoken rules! 】

[Rich sister, I still want to work hard on my own! ]

The air was silent.

Senyao was stunned.

Feng Man once again felt the urge to kill.

In the silence, Xia Chi couldn't help but glance at the rich woman and curled his lips.

[Neck liposuction, nose tip extension, waist and abdomen liposuction, temple filling, buttock augmentation...]

[How many times has this been done?]

[No wonder at this age, her face looks like a porcelain doll.]

【They have all become goblins.】

“…”

Sen Yao's face turned red and white.

Feng Man covered her face with her hands.

It’s over, it’s a failure again.

【If you keep doing this, you’ll be immortal! 】

Xia Chi suddenly let out a long sigh in his heart.

[Do you know what the most painful thing in life is——]

[The person died, but the money was not spent yet...]

Shenyao: "???"