When Lin Muci returned, the internet was indeed flooded with news of Ke Haiyang's arrest.
Even Yang Weiyang couldn't help but message her.
"Xiao Ci, Ke Haiyang's been caught!"
"But he deserves it. Ke Haiyang, that guy, just looking at him, you could tell he wasn't a good person!"
"I remember when he came to 'Idol of Tomorrow,' I thought his eyes were weird back then."
Lin Muci pursed her lips and smiled.
"You won your bet, you know."
Lu Keke's drama wouldn't be broadcast on satellite, so no one was competing with Yang Weiyang for broadcast slots.
Yang Weiyang was also quite excited. She asked her,
"Xiao Ci, what about you? Do you have any new work arrangements?"
"Brother Long mentioned he wants to make a new film. I can ask him for you."
"I'm self-aware. His films all require significant fight choreography. I doubt I'd be selected."
"But you, Xiao Ci, could give it a try."
Lin Muci said she would consider it, and Yang Weiyang happily hung up the phone.
...
Lin Muci opened the script in her hands.
"My Rise to Power in the World of Scum-Abuse."
She hadn't seen any news about this film before. She didn't know about its prospects.
Wu Minlong's series films were destined for massive success.
But his personal films relied solely on his box office appeal. Even if she managed to get through auditions and become the lead, she would likely just be a decorative piece.
She had to weigh her options carefully.
Regardless, for a newcomer, both opportunities were top-tier.
The system was of the same opinion.
"If we rate a film's potential on a scale of one to nine stars, with one being the lowest and nine the highest, then the film you previously starred in with Ling Qianhe, 'Fragrant Beauty,' has a potential of around seven stars. This is already at a level that can achieve massive success domestically, comparable to the top five highest-grossing films in the country."
"Wu Minlong's next film is an eight-star project, but because it's a series, there's still room for growth."
Lin Muci was quite curious.
"What about 'My Rise to Power in the World of Scum-Abuse'?"
The system paused.
"Unknown risk, impossible to measure."
"This script hasn't appeared in the past... we don't know what consequences it might bring."
"It could be the worst, a one-star rating, or it could be the highest, a nine-star rating, comparable to global blockbusters like 'Avatar' or 'Titanic.' So ultimately, it's up to you, host, to weigh the pros and cons."
"Our system offers no reference opinions!"
This was tantamount to saying nothing at all.
Lin Muci couldn't help but roll her eyes.
However, as she opened the script and began to read, she unexpectedly became completely engrossed in the plot described within.
In "My Rise to Power in the World of Scum-Abuse," the female protagonist is Ye Ling.
She is a game design engineer who, while testing a new brain-computer interface, accidentally gets trapped in a game that hasn't officially launched yet. She needs to complete game objectives to escape the game and return to the real world.
Lin Muci's expression turned strange.
Isn't this her own situation?
The system always provided her with tailor-made scripts.
The system acted aggrieved.
"This really has nothing to do with me... this is caused by the world's main will. Our system isn't capable of interfering with the normal operation of this world."
"However, this script is indeed very suitable for you."
The female lead, Ye Ling, has to abuse scumbag men in the game!
A ruthless and bloodthirsty tyrant who sent his beloved to be abused and killed in a peace treaty.
A star-fleet marshal who sacrificed the female lead, letting her be devoured by insectoids, in order to protect the planet.
A top global male idol who, for the sake of his career, climbed to the top by stepping on his secret girlfriend, refusing to admit their relationship, forcing her to abort their child, ultimately ruining her career and leading her to jump to her death.
Lin Muci's role is to thoroughly torment these scumbag men!
Make these scumbag men repent for their actions!
Let them know the truth, let them regret deeply, and end their lives in agony!
But the further she read, the more she found the "chasing the wife to the crematorium" plotlines to be rather peculiar. Simultaneously, the handsome yet yandere face of a young man involuntarily surfaced in her mind.
This made Lin Muci gasp for air and murmur,
"Ling... Ling Qianhe?"
Indeed, for every small plot point, only Ling Qianhe's image came to her mind.
The system chuckled gleefully.
"Isn't it very suitable?"
"It gives you the chance to abuse him."
Lin Muci felt even stranger.
"This script really isn't made by you guys?"
"Why does it feel so weird to me?"
The system cleared its throat and stated righteously,
"Absolutely not."
Lin Muci continued reading the script.
Honestly, from a career perspective, she didn't particularly want to continue collaborating with Ling Qianhe.
Collaborating too many times with the same actor.
She worried the audience might lose interest.
Moreover, this would easily create a "CP" (couple) atmosphere.
It would breed a large number of CP fans!
Historically, the fights between CP fans and solo fans were the hardest to mediate fairly.
If she kept partnering with Ling Qianhe, fans would have objections when she collaborated with other male actors in the future.
But a great actress must collaborate with different male actors frequently to create sparks.
Therefore, Lin Muci had mentally excluded Ling Qianhe from her list of collaborators.
The system merely posed a soul-piercing question.
"Could it be that the host can find someone more suitable than Ling Qianhe?"
"Don't even mention flow male stars below him. Ke Haiyang is far inferior to him, and Ke Haiyang has also fallen from grace. At his age, to be as outstanding as Ling Qianhe is truly a rarity. At least I can't think of anyone else."
He is simply the most outstanding male actor in his age group globally!
But Lin Muci refused to admit this.
"Can't you really find anyone? Billions of people, I don't believe in this evil."
The system hummed.
Since the host was so persistent, he wouldn't force her.
However, the film was still in its preparatory stages, and it was only an invitation extended to Lin Muci. It was unlikely to start filming anytime soon.
While Lin Muci was still reading the film details, Zhao Lan called her again, inviting her to the premiere.
"'Peerless Beauty' is scheduled for release during the May Day holiday. Xiao Ci, can you set aside some time for me then?"
Lin Muci readily agreed.
Zhao Lan's tone on the phone was hesitant.
"Thank you, Xiao Ci, for the 'Sea Tide' dress you gave me at the charity gala. The renowned designer Zi Mu has been missing for a full five years. I don't know how you got her dress, Xiao Ci, but many people in the industry are paying attention to Zi Mu's movements."
"My friend He Yunru also really wants to know Zi Mu's whereabouts because she wants a dress from Zi Mu, but even with her connections and wealth, it remains an elusive desire."
Lin Muci immediately asked without hesitation,
"Miss He wants Zi Mu's dress?"
Zhao Lan replied, "She wants 'Lycoris Radiata,' the Hellflower dress. She said she wants to wear that dress to meet an old acquaintance she hasn't seen in a long time."
"A lifetime of fleeting glory, a lifetime of solitude. She wants to wear that dress to meet the only man she truly loved in her life, to lay a bouquet of flowers at his grave, and to bring a chapter of their lives to a close."
"Xiao Ci, can you get her this dress?"
"If you can, then the lead role in her new drama will undoubtedly be yours."
Lin Muci smiled. "Even if the lead role wasn't mine, I would still get her the 'Lycoris Radiata,' the Hellflower dress."
"Zi Mu did have this design. How about this: give me three days, and I'll bring the dress to Sister Lan."
She was very confident, not finding the request difficult at all.
Others couldn't get Zi Mu's dresses.
But she definitely could.