NOVEL NEXT
Chapter 26
Just as Ji Nian had just added a note for the female lead and was about to open her friend's circle to take a look, WeChat popped up with a few messages.
He Yi: Sister, they said the show is done recording.
Ji Nian: Yes, I'm on the high-speed train now.
He Yi: How do you feel? Is it alright? Did anything go wrong?
Ji Nian: ...
He Yi: The producer and the team from Penguin told me they've already transferred the money to you. Did you receive it? This is the first huge sum you've earned since your debut!
Ji Nian was stunned when she saw the message. She quickly opened the banking app on WeChat, entered her password, and checked the balance in her account.
"Oh my god," she couldn't help but exclaim. Then she realized that everyone around her was staring, making Ji Nian feel a bit embarrassed. Luckily, she was wearing a mask.
There were many zeros. She widened her eyes and started counting. One million from Douyin, two million from Penguin, adding up to a total of three million. Ji Nian couldn't help but feel a surge of accomplishment and excitement. She finally had money.
At that moment, her phone made a "ding" sound, and a message popped up, instantly extinguishing her inner excitement.
He Yi: I think you should hold off on repaying the money and rent a house in the city. Honestly, I'm worried about your tiny old shack.
Ji Nian: I almost forgot, I still have to repay the loan!!
He Yi: ?
Ji Nian: Goodbye!
He Yi: Goodbye!
Even though she had made money, the thought of immediately transferring it to someone else didn't sit well with Ji Nian. While feeling dissatisfied, she reluctantly opened Alipay and found Cheng Liran's account.
After some consideration, with three million in hand, she returned 2.99 million to him, leaving herself with ten thousand. Five thousand of it was for her own use, and she sent the remaining five thousand to He Yi.
After all, He Yi had helped her a lot, and she felt she should give him some compensation.
Meanwhile, Cheng Liran, who received the transfer, was taken aback. He opened the message and saw an account with a cartoon avatar sending a transfer.
"I still owe you 2.77 million."
Cheng Liran froze. Although he hadn't seen this woman dominating the hot search recently, her songs were incredibly popular. "Arrogant" and "Guest" had consistently been in the top five on Douyin and Penguin Music.
Ba Ge noticed the man spacing out and approached, looking surprised. "Ji Xiaonian?"
Cheng Liran responded with an "Hmm" and couldn't help but feel puzzled. This woman didn't seem like her old self after the breakup.
"Ji Xiaonian acted pretty quickly. It hasn't been long, and she has already returned so much money to you. We only wanted to scare her before, and we didn't expect her to actually repay the loan. Now it seems she's quite different, actually being honest and returning the money," Ba Ge chuckled and said to the pensive Cheng Liran.
"It doesn't feel like her," Cheng Liran furrowed his brow, feeling somewhat perplexed.
On the other hand, He Yi received the transfer from Ji Nian and looked surprised. He quickly replied to her message.
He Yi: Sister, why did you transfer money to me?
Ji Nian: You were running around with me for the contract before. This is my way of thanking you.
He Yi: Why be so formal? I don't want it.
In Memory: No, I'm making money now. What's wrong with giving you a little? Are we still not sisters?
He Yi: Are you stupid? You still have debts. Otherwise, I would gladly accept it.
Ji Nian: Even if I were to repay the money, this five thousand yuan wouldn't make much of a difference. Why hesitate? Just take it.
He Yi held her phone, feeling somewhat touched. Since it had come to this point, there was no need to hesitate. She directly clicked the reply button.
He Yi: Thank you, big sis, for the reward.
Ji Nian: Alright then, I'm getting off the car now. Goodbye.
He Yi: Goodbye.
---
Two hours on the bus, two hours on the high-speed train, and then from the train station to her home, almost three hours on the subway and bus.
When Ji Nian returned to her rented room carrying her luggage, it was already 9 p.m.
Her stomach had been growling for quite some time. She couldn't help but complain in her mind that the city of Beijing was really too big. It took so long just to get home.
She turned on the lights and saw the shabby rental room. It felt a bit unfamiliar for a moment. She took out the things from her suitcase, arranged them neatly, and walked into the small kitchen to boil water for instant noodles.
Although she had made some money and had a few thousand yuan in her hands, as a person burdened with enormous debts, she didn't deserve to eat out. She had to save every penny.
After taking a sip of water, Ji Nian boredly opened Douyin and watched a few short videos.
She suddenly noticed that many of the short videos' music was from her songs. There were guest performances and some popular bloggers even did covers that went viral.
"Wow." Ji Nian finished listening to the male blogger singing the guest's song and felt like she could sense a story behind it. So she left a comment saying it was good, along with two thumbs-up emojis.
After scrolling through Douyin, she went to surf Weibo, looking at the hot topics and jokes.
By this time, the instant noodles had finished soaking. She took the bowl and placed it on the table, sat down, and ate while scrolling through her phone. She looked quite relaxed.
She opened her private messages and saw a group of Cheng Liran's fans cursing at her. She simply marked all the messages as read. She thought about changing her Weibo username. While pondering, she ate her instant noodles.
Suddenly, a few words flashed through her mind. She nodded and thought it would be a perfect fit. So she changed her Weibo username to "Ji Nian, who wants to get rich."
After the change, she nodded in satisfaction. Then she continued scrolling through Weibo and came across a peculiar question from the same blogger.
"If your life were made into a TV series, what would the title be?"
The blogger had just posted it, and Ji Nian happened to see it. She found it amusing, so she left a comment.
"Summing up my life in three dramas: 'Don't Bully the Poor Youth,' 'Don't Bully the Poor Middle-aged,' and 'Don't Bully the Poor Elderly.'"
After commenting, Ji Nian burst into laughter. It really fit the current situation. Not only was she broke, but she was also heavily in debt.
When the blogger received the message, they were completely stunned. Why was it Ji Xiaonian again? But to be honest, her comment was... silly.
At this moment, netizens also saw this comment. Because she had changed her name, they weren't sure if it was Ji Xiaonian. They clicked into her Weibo and checked, confirming that it was indeed Ji Xiaonian herself. Then they started commenting one after another.
"Want to get rich quick, Ji Nian?"
"You're trying to make me laugh, so you can inherit my Huabei debt?"
"Hahahaha, that's really me, 'Don't Underestimate a Poor Youth.'"
"It feels like Ji Xiaonian's comment has already deciphered my whole life."
"My Life: 'How Iron Is Practiced into Waste.'"
"'Three Lives, Three Worlds, Still in Debt.'"
"'The Days I Pretend to Exist in the Human World.'"
"'Rebirth: From a Salty Fish to a Two-faced Salty Fish.'"
"Hahahaha, I can't stop laughing."
Within just two hours, the blogger's question skyrocketed to the top of the hot search, and Ji Nian's comment, along with the newly changed Weibo name, also made it to the Weibo hot list.
At this moment, He Yi noticed a familiar name on the hot search and clicked on it with a hint of resignation, then immediately opened WeChat.
He Yi: Sister, why are you using your main account to comment on others again?
Ji Nian: You're four years older than me, thank you.
He Yi: At least you're a public figure.
Ji Nian: Do I count as a public figure?
He Yi: Every time you post on Weibo, it becomes a hot search.
Ji Nian was taken aback. She made it to the hot search again? But she didn't do anything this time.
She had logged out of Weibo for two hours and was lying in bed, searching for the female lead's dramas, trying to catch up. She was afraid that when the female lead asked, she wouldn't be able to answer.