Darkstone Code-Chapter 812 - 810: I Don’t Want to Grow Up
Many people tend to believe that miracles exist in this world until reality slaps them across the face so brutally that they’re left bloodied.
Not until they are battered and dazed, without the ability to think, only shouting instinctively "Stop hitting me, stop hitting me," do they realize that dreams and pursuits are something everyone has.
But having them doesn’t necessarily mean you have to pursue them, nor does pursuing them guarantee results.
Previously, there were some surveys conducted, random questionnaires given to young pedestrians on the street. Among the interviewed crowd of young people under the age of twenty-four, over half wanted to become stars.
The reasons they want to become stars are somewhat simpler than adults might imagine.
Reasons like "Being a star would be cool," "After becoming a star, I would have many friends," "I hope I can make my family proud of me," are among many simple reasons.
On the contrary, very few people bluntly want to become stars just to earn more money, this is what people describe as young people’s beautiful values. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮
In reality, it’s just because they haven’t been beaten enough, and they’re full of fantasies about their future life.
The girl beside Lynch once thought the same way. She believed she was very beautiful; during high school, the quarterback fought other players for her.
Lower class, upper class, everywhere there were people who liked her, she even had a nickname "Sweetie."
Feminists might say this is an insult to one’s personality, but to this girl, she didn’t think it was a problem. She enjoyed people revolving around her; she was like a sun, with others circling like planets.
She took care to maintain her appearance, believing she was in no way different in looks from the big stars in movies and TV shows.
Some stars might not even be as attractive as her!
She believed that as long as she could enter the entertainment industry, she would certainly become famous.
After graduating high school, she chose to go to Laridemo to fight for her dreams, but she hadn’t anticipated that none of her fantasies would come true.
For example, walking down the streets of Laridemo and being spotted by scouts from big companies, immediately signing with them and debuting as the heroine, participating in major productions — nothing.
For example, being favored by the modeling industry and magazines because of her beautiful appearance, becoming the cover girl of a renowned magazine upon arriving in Laridemo, pursued to become the youngest supermodel — nothing!
For example, casually entering a beauty pageant, barely needing to do anything, easily winning the championship, thus beginning her acting career — nothing!!
... Nothing at all!
Was she not good enough?
No, it’s that there are too many excellent people.
Across the Federation and among immigrants, beautiful girls gathered in Laridemo seeking opportunities, some even more beautiful with better figures than her.
It’s unreasonable that none of them succeeded while she did, the world is fair, treating those expecting fairness in a way people can’t comprehend.
She struggled in Laridemo for over half a year, among her two co-rented sisters, one started participating in movie shootings, another tried singing at some cabarets, reportedly wanting to self-finance an album.
Only she hadn’t developed anything, she thought it was bad luck, until one day the actress sister returned drunk, crying in the bathroom, she understood how heavy a glamorous life can be.
That sister today slept with this person, tomorrow slept with that person, under the showerhead gazing upward, whether it was tears or shower water ruining her heavy makeup.
She said she felt like a prostitute, relying on sleeping with others to get opportunities, but she was reluctant to lose those opportunities and unwilling too.
The next day, this sister dressed up beautifully and left, only this time she never returned.
Later heard she moved to a studio apartment to live alone, possibly her drunken collapse made it impossible to face co-rented sisters.
The singing sister also moved away later.
Not that she achieved success, but with the money earned from singing in performances and accompanying guests, she financed herself a thousand copies of her singing album.
It contained eight songs, all written and composed by herself, spending all her savings, she thought this would be the starting point of her singer road, yet didn’t expect everything ended at that moment.
The girl heard the album, it wasn’t much different from mainstream platinum albums, she couldn’t tell its quality, just knew the co-rented singer’s songs were better than some chart songs.
The girl singer self-promoted to various radio stations and TV stations but none helped in promoting her.
That same day, she and her singing sister learned that it took money to have a radio station play your songs, and quite a lot of it.
She returned and threw all the albums in the trash, carrying her luggage, like a defeated chicken bowing to fate, from whence she came, back from whence she came.
Reportedly returning to continue being a farmer, it’s all she could do.
Originally a good share rental ended up with only one girl left, then she almost couldn’t hold on anymore.
She went to many production companies, couldn’t get into major production companies, large production companies only believed in their scouts or newcomers with some value, uninterested in pretty girls without newcomer status that littered the streets.
The smaller production companies were horribly bad, their interviewers often started with the question "Will you accept roles involving nudity?"
Initially, she said she couldn’t accept, thus was politely "shown out," later she tried loosening up a bit, stating she was willing, the interviewer threw her another difficult question—"Can you take off your clothes and let us see your qualifications?"
Damn it, she doubted if she really took off her clothes, the interviewers would ask her next if she’d accept sex scenes, even asking her to lay down to test the scenes first.
Dreams are beautiful, but the process of pursuing them is never beautiful.
Those who think the scenery of the journey is better than the destination’s are the ones who reached the destination, hence qualified for such sentiments!
Like the rich, they reminisce their struggle process based on their success, without success there’s no reminiscing of pain?
Maybe just find their life too easy otherwise, no one would listen to their bullshit!!
The girl finally gave up on directly entering production companies’ thoughts, finding a broker company, signed a three plus six contract.
Simply put, the broker company would groom her for three years, find her some opportunities, eighty percent of the income belonging to the company, only twenty percent would be hers.
After the contract term ends, if the conditions differ by less than threefold, the company has absolute priority to sign her future six years contract.
This is typical of being killed to eat.
Before signing the contract, the girl expressed to her broker these conditions were too harsh, and then the company manager pointed at the door, "You can choose to leave, or pick up the pen and sign this contract..."
The girl ultimately signed the contract, it was her last hope, but she cleverly included a supplementary agreement that the company couldn’t force her into solicitation.
After mixing in Laridemo for a while, she gained too much knowledge of the seemingly glamorous city, in reality, it was rotting and festering.
Various broker companies schemed to set traps for their contracted artists, making them owe large debts, like attending some bullshit celebrity performance courses with extraordinarily high fees.
Of course, the teachers were celebrities, possibly second-third tier fallen small stars, these fallen stars didn’t care, earning money isn’t shameful.
They colluded with the broker companies, leeching off young people who came with dreams to Laridemo, if wealthy, they’d soon be drained, if not, companies’d lend them money for self-improvement.
Acting classes, body classes, etiquette hosting classes...
When out of money and owing a massive debt to the company, they’d provide some other routes, like accompany an investor, producer, director whatnot for a night.
Not only can certain debts be offset, but might also get a filming opportunity, even if just a minor role’s minor role...
Many people thus transformed from dream-chasing, fighting young people to those appearing on sleazy small cards in Laridemo or Bupen phone booths.
In the latter half of last year, Fox Film Corporation shot a startup film, their previous success with motivational films led to immediate adjustment of movie plans.
A large number of motivational, startup films began production needing pure-looking girls to fill various roles.
For example, like female students in campus movies, can’t let alluring prostitutes play, would definitely not come out as campus films.
While recruiting, the girl was lucky enough to be selected, becoming one of the many supporting roles.
It was exactly this chance that allowed her to transfer the contract from the broker company to Fox Film Corporation.
Small Fox saw another Penny on this girl, even felt at some point she surpassed Penny in certain temperament.
Perhaps, this girl might be useful, that was Small Fox’s thought, and he did exactly that.
This method was popular in Laridemo, or arguably became an unwritten rule, big companies would deliberately groom some girls or even boys for dignitaries’ enjoyment, in turn gaining their career support.
Reportedly several Presidents of the Federation participated in similar secret parties, enjoying themselves immensely, leading to the continuation and prevalence of this practice.
Using a girl as a bond for the relationship between two people, not costing much, they wouldn’t lose!
When the girl learned her "target" was Lynch, what she had been insisting on suddenly didn’t seem worth persevering.
People need to try growing up, learn to yield to reality.
