A Core Ship From The Start-Chapter 2390 - 1604: Mutation (Shoveling Snow Is Really Annoying)
Duanmu Huai has always believed that there’s no problem in this world that cannot be solved with money and violence. If the problem isn’t solved, it’s because there wasn’t enough of one of them.
Strictly speaking, Sakurajima Mai’s photo shoots are a separate job and have nothing to do with "Jintian" — but that depends on the interpretation.
Because "Jintian" still needs to film its second season, and naturally, Sakurajima Mai will perform in it since the contract is signed. At this critical juncture, her swimsuit photo shoot can easily be seen as her character going OOC.
It’s like the character from a pure-love anime appearing in a humiliation book; if it’s fan-made, it’s somewhat acceptable, but officially, it’s indefensible.
The character that Sakurajima Mai plays in "Jintian" is a pure and proud girl; of course, she wouldn’t take swimsuit photo shoots for money. So using this reason to ask for the halt of the photo’s release is quite plausible... well, actually, that’s not important.
What’s important is that as long as you have money to hire clever lawyers, you can make black seem white, and the dead come alive.
It’s just that simple.
As for Sakurajima Mai’s mother’s agency, Duanmu Huai did some investigation. They’re just a somewhat average agency, a middle-tier one, incomparable to prominent agencies like Mei PRO. The most famous star from there at the moment is Sakurajima Mai...
From the agency’s perspective, there’s nothing wrong. In capitalism, maximizing the exploitation of a client’s economic value during their rise to fame is the first priority. That’s why Duanmu Huai said that purely by circumstances, Sakurajima Mai’s mother’s approach isn’t problematic. Most agencies treat their artists this way.
The only problem is she’s too accustomed to selling her daughter as a mother.
Duanmu Huai’s reason for helping Sakurajima Mai is simple: they’re acquaintances, have shot films together, and are somewhat familiar with each other. She seemed pitiful, and he had a convenient excuse to intervene and lend a hand.
It’s just that simple.
That’s the benefit of power.
If Duanmu Huai were just an ordinary actor like Arima Kaname or Hei Chuan Chi Yin, then even if he exhausted his efforts, he’d find no way. But now, just by issuing a legal letter, he could easily help Sakurajima Mai solve this problem she absolutely couldn’t handle on her own.
He didn’t even need to issue it himself; just a phone call would do.
Duanmu Huai initially thought that should suffice. However, reality proved him wrong in his simplicity.
A week later, one evening, when Duanmu Huai returned home, he saw a familiar figure sitting by the roadside.
"...What are you doing here?"
Seeing Sakurajima Mai dressed in a bunny suit, curled up sitting by the street, Duanmu Huai was utterly bewildered. Hearing Duanmu Huai’s voice, Sakurajima Mai raised her head, and it was then Duanmu Huai noticed her exhausted and disheveled look. She then stood up and rushed over, tightly hugging Duanmu Huai.
"Thank goodness you can still see me... thank goodness...!"
"???"
"Anyway, let’s get inside first."
Though not knowing what happened to Sakurajima Mai, Duanmu Huai took her home, let her clean up, and prepared a cup of coffee for her.
Only after sitting down again did Sakurajima Mai seem to return to her original calm.
"Actually, the day after we parted, my mom told me that since the company sent a legal letter, the photo book couldn’t be released."
"Oh, I know, that’s what I mentioned. It could potentially affect the shooting of ’Jintian’s’ second season."
"Then I really have to thank you."
Sakurajima Mai gave a bitter smile.
"At that time, my mom suspected I had found someone, so we had a heated argument. She believed the photo book would sell big, while I was just a kid unaware... of course, I wouldn’t accept my mom’s opinion, so we argued. Then... we started a cold war."
Sakurajima Mai reached out to hold the coffee cup, murmuring to herself.
"In fact, this happens often; after arguing with my mom, we both become sulky, ignoring each other as if the other doesn’t exist. When we had work, it was still manageable, but now since I’m inactive, she naturally focuses on the agency, leaving early and coming back late. Even when we meet occasionally, we just stay silent. And then..."
At this point, Sakurajima Mai’s body began to shake.
"Thinking I should start working again, I went to explain to my mom, only to find out she couldn’t see me anymore."
"............"
"Not just my mom, when I called others, they couldn’t hear me either. Initially, I thought it was that kind of situation again, so I wandered around hoping to find a place where someone could see me. But even running to Saitama, no one could see me. Honestly, I suspected if I had already died, and left here are my soul or something... "
"............"
"Eventually, I thought of you, since others hadn’t seen me before, only you did, that’s why I came looking for you... no, maybe I purposely decided to come to you last, just in case even you couldn’t see me..." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞
"That’s why you’ve turned into this mess."
Seeing the bunny-suited, utterly disheveled Sakurajima Mai before him, Duanmu Huai couldn’t help but shake his head.
"By the way, have you eaten?"
"Of course not, looking like this, I can’t buy anything to eat."
"Just take things from the supermarket."
"Wouldn’t that be a crime?"
"If they can’t see it, it doesn’t count."
Duanmu Huai said, while he stood up.
"Never mind, I’ll check the fridge and give you something."
In the refrigerator, there were bread and sandwiches; Duanmu Huai took them and grabbed a can of cola.
"...This stuff isn’t healthy calorie-wise for girls."
"Will you eat it?"
"Eat."
For Sakurajima Mai, now was not the time to worry about calories. After all, choosing between losing weight and staying alive was something she understood well enough.
After eating, Duanmu Huai told Sakurajima Mai to take a bath and change her clothes. After all, she couldn’t just wander around in a bunny girl outfit, not to mention that it was so dirty it needed to be thrown away.
While Sakurajima Mai was showering, Duanmu Huai made a phone call.
"It’s me."
"President, what can I help you with?"
"The second season of ’Jintian’ is about to start filming, how are things going with the actors?"
"Ah, there are no problems, we’ve already confirmed... Please hold on."
Soon, there were sounds of pages flipping on the other end.
"Yes, everyone has cleared enough time for filming the second season, no issues."
"What about the actress playing Liangzi?"
The Liangzi Duanmu Huai mentioned was the classmate Sakurajima Mai played back in the day.
"The actress for Liangzi... Ah, Sakurajima Mai? Sorry, president, I checked, and it seems her schedule hasn’t been confirmed. Oddly enough, I’m not familiar with this actress..."
"Not familiar?"
"Yes, uh... she must be a newcomer or something... I’ll immediately inquire with the agency about the situation."
"Alright, I’ll leave it to you."
Duanmu Huai hung up the phone and thought for a moment — and finally, Duanmu Huai gave up on thinking.
The invincible do not need to think.
Such a troublesome situation he hadn’t seen before, truly a strange case.
A while later, Sakurajima Mai emerged from the bathroom, having replaced her bunny girl outfit with a tracksuit.
"Are you watching Jintian?"
She walked into the living room and, upon seeing the scene on the TV, appeared somewhat surprised.
"There’s good news and bad news."
Duanmu Huai stared at the screen, opening his mouth without turning his head.
"I choose to hear... first..."
"The good news is, you haven’t been completely forgotten. At least your scenes in the show are intact, and your name, Sakurajima Mai, is still recorded. Your contract for the second season hasn’t changed."
"...And the bad news?"
"The bad news is, no one knows who you are."
Duanmu Huai turned his head to look at Sakurajima Mai.
"They know the name Sakurajima Mai, but they don’t know she’s a famous actress, let alone a very famous child star. I also asked Arima Kaname and Hei Chuan Chi Yin, and neither of them remembers you. They only have the impression of ’maybe we acted together once,’ but they can’t recall the specifics."
".........."
"That is to say, your impression in others’ memories has faded to the point of almost being ignored."
"........."
"Any thoughts? You can’t just go on like this indefinitely."
"Indeed."
Sakurajima Mai nodded.
"If it were just a matter of losing fame, that would be one thing, but if no one can see me, it’s no different from being dead."
The issue now was that Sakurajima Mai’s presence was gradually disappearing. In theory, if she herself wanted to show her presence, it shouldn’t be a problem.
But she was completely unable to be perceived by others, which essentially formed a negative loop. The less people perceive her, the less they pay attention to her, eventually leading to forgetting altogether.
Ultimately, a social death.
"Buzz... Buzz..."
At that moment, Sakurajima Mai’s phone rang. She picked it up and glanced at it.
"A message from the agency notifying me that filming for ’Jintian’ season two is starting, with information on the time and place for gathering... I never thought I’d be brushed off like this..."
Looking at her phone, Sakurajima Mai’s expression was somewhat complicated. Typically, this was the treatment received by less famous artists. Newcomers who have just entered the industry receive the same treatment with agents assigned to a group, managing a team. Only those with outstanding performance who leave a deep impression receive special attention.
Only those who have become famous receive one-on-one agent treatment.
And now Sakurajima Mai... it was as if she had reset her life and started anew.
"But in this situation, there’s no way I can film properly."
No one could see her, so naturally, no one could act with her.
This really is a troublesome issue...
