After recuperating for another half a month.
The scars on Ye Yuwei's wounds started to shed, revealing fresh, tender skin.
Today, she was returning to the prep school to continue studying, and after finishing the high school curriculum, she would take the college entrance exam.
This class was English.
However, the person who walked in wasn't her familiar Mr. Zhou, but a youthful and beautiful woman.
"Hello everyone, I'm your new teacher. My name is Wu Jingwen."
Everyone's eyes lit up. This teacher was truly stunning, resembling a movie star.
Moreover, there was an air of calm and serene elegance around her, reminiscent of moonlight. She seemed like the well-bred daughter of a prominent family.
Her teaching was of a high standard, her soft Wu Song dialect captivating the students' full attention.
However, despite taking copious notes, Ye Yuwei still found herself struggling to understand many things.
She had no choice. These days, she was balancing work and study, and would sometimes miss classes when her performance schedule got busy.
The bell signaling the end of class rang, and all the students began packing their things to leave.
Just as Ye Yuwei was about to head out, Teacher Wu stopped her.
"Ye Yuwei, I noticed you were very focused during class."
"Thank you, Teacher," Ye Yuwei said with a happy smile.
"But your grades are at the bottom of the class," Wu Jingwen added, instantly throwing her into a cold abyss.
"Teacher Wu, I'll work harder, I promise I'll study better," she blurted out earnestly.
Her past experiences taught her the harsh realities of society. She understood the difference between a teacher believing in you versus not—it could mean two entirely different paths in life.
Looking at Ye Yuwei's anxious, pitiable expression, Wu Jingwen chuckled. "Yuwei, what I mean is, if you have questions in the future, feel free to ask me anytime. I know you're working part-time outside to pay for your tuition and don't have much time to study."
"Ah!"
Ye Yuwei froze momentarily, then was deeply moved. Teachers like this were hard to come by.
"Thank you, Teacher Wu. Thank you so much…"
"Yuwei, add me on WeChat. If you have any problems, you can reach out to me anytime," Teacher Wu said, taking out her phone and pulling up a QR code.
Ye Yuwei noticed that her phone's wallpaper featured a little orange cat.
Back in her dorm room, she was still overwhelmed with excitement, feeling as though she was enveloped in happiness today.
Ding dong!
"Babe, I'm off to do that gig I told you about. Be good at home!"
"Alright! I'm opening up my books to study now. Then I'll take a nice bath and wait for you to come back."
"Don't. Just rest well… I have to get to work now!"
Ye Yuwei stared at her phone, her heart sinking slightly.
For small unknowns like them, landing outside gigs was already a rarity.
Even if Jiaqi was only going to be a background extra in a senior idol's MV this time.
Because this project was internally produced by the company, they would at least be given a proper shot of their faces, even if it was just for a fraction of a second—it was still good.
At the shooting location, Jiaqi was also visibly excited, listening closely, along with a group of fellow trainees, to the director's instructions.
However, as time went by, their initial excitement faded into forced smiles.
They had already been filming for seven full hours, pushing into the latter half of the night.
It was always something—maybe their positioning was off, or their expressions, or singing, or dancing. Whatever it was, it just wasn't right.
Meanwhile, the main star of the MV, the senior idol, had gone off to rest after two or three hours of filming.
"What's going on? I don't think I missed my mark!"
"Exactly! My singing was in sync, and my expression management was fine."
"We must have messed up somewhere; otherwise, why wouldn't the director approve?"
During a break, the group of first-timers on an external gig, nearly at their breaking point, burst into a cacophony of dissatisfaction.
If it weren't for being on set and worrying about ruining their makeup, they would've broken down crying.
From inside her van, sipping premium bottled water, the senior idol frowned slightly as she looked at the miserable state of her so-called teammates outside.
"Sister Chen, go tell them to make their intentions clear to Director Liu. Otherwise, we'll be stuck here forever."
As the assistant, Sister Chen naturally understood her boss's meaning. She didn't want to be stuck there either.
"Understood!"
With a quick response, she stepped out of the car and approached the group of small-time idols.
The chatter among them instantly fell silent as they looked at the senior idol's assistant with trepidation.
Some of them were so scared they nearly fainted, assuming she was coming to kick them out for wasting the senior idol's time.
"Ladies, you know this MV is just an internal promotional piece for the fans."
To everyone's surprise, Sister Chen, who had been ignoring them earlier, now wore a friendly expression.
Not giving them a chance to respond, she continued, "You were all personally chosen by Director Liu for this gig—it's a rare opportunity. So, maybe it's time to show some gratitude."
Sister Chen's words were straightforward and left no room for interpretation.
Some of the idols were so furious they nearly lost their minds. If they had to pay a cut, why didn't they say so earlier? Instead, they were made to run around and stress out—was this all a joke to them?
But none dared to voice their frustrations.
"Sister Chen, how much are we talking about?" The group subtly nominated the most senior member, Jiaqi, to ask.
In reality, Jiaqi had only joined the group six months earlier than the others.
"Not much. There are sixteen of you, so three thousand yuan each. Meng Meng can chip in another two thousand to round it off," Sister Chen replied matter-of-factly.
Jiaqi instantly felt like crying upon hearing this.
Three thousand yuan was two months' worth of living expenses for her.
Coming from an average family, she worked part-time hourly jobs just to pay for tuition and cover her costs in the group. This gig was equivalent to draining a significant chunk of her finances.
But there was no other choice. If she didn't pay, she could kiss future gigs goodbye.
To Jiaqi, it was a hefty sum.
But to Director Liu, it was peanuts.
Why did they even need to pay? Because that's just how the system worked.
Any external gig or booking within the group required a "gratitude fee," unless you were a breakout star and a company favorite—only then would they leave you alone.
This industry was like a dark forest: stepping into it meant the risk of being devoured completely, leaving not even a trace behind.
So why did these small-time idols endure such exploitation?
Because in front of them stood examples like their senior idol.
They dreamed that one day they too could sit inside a luxury van, bask in fame, and earn a fortune, living a life of glamor.
In this circle, your eyes were filled with the dazzling allure of fame and fortune, endless dreams and fantasies. Everyone wanted to gamble their youth for a chance at success.
Succeed, and you'd shine brilliantly.
Fail, and at worst, you'd settle for marrying someone stable to fall back on.
With this in mind, when opportunities arose, would you give them up?
No matter how much humiliation or injustice they endured, as long as their hearts held on to their "Star Dream," they would grit their teeth and push through.