Chapter 2

10:30 AM.

Room 1808, Jinlong Building.

Yanjing Mengren Film and Television.

The office, which had not been cleaned for two or three days, was covered with a thin layer of dust on the desks.

Mai Xiaoyu sat in his simple yet impressive office, looking at Liu Tao, who was unconscious on the sofa, and scribbling something on a piece of paper with a pencil, making a rustling sound.

"Boss!"

"Fish!"

At this moment, footsteps sounded outside the door, and two voices called out urgently. Yang Zhenxing and Zhang Xiaquan pushed the door open and entered.

Seeing Liu Tao lying on the sofa unharmed, the two of them breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhang Xiaquan, a tall and thin man in his thirties, gave a thumbs up: "Awesome!"

Beside him, Yang Zhenxing, who was in his early twenties, urged, "I've packed everything. Let's go, our train is at noon."

Mai Xiaoyu put down the pencil and flipped over the drawing, pointing at Liu Tao: "What about her?"

"Her? Didn't we save her?"

"What if she tries to kill herself again when she wakes up?"

Yang Zhenxing hesitated for a moment and said, "We can't afford to worry about that. Boss, we've been in Yanjing for two months, and the risks are increasing rapidly. If we don't leave, we'll be exposed! This is your rule, the fifth one."

The fifth rule of the Mai family's fraud: Do not stay in one place for more than two months.

"What's the first rule?"

Yang Zhenxing was speechless.

The first rule of the Mai family's fraud: Be a professional con artist with principles.

The principles of a con artist, as defined by Mai Xiaoyu, are: Know the difference between right and wrong. For example, now, human life is far more important than money and punishment.

"What's the second rule?" Mai Xiaoyu continued to ask.

The second rule of the Mai family's fraud: Do not con people with poor family backgrounds.

"Her... family background is poor?"

Mai Xiaoyu slapped him: "What do you think? She has a good demeanor, but she wears cheap clothes, uses a low-end phone, and only uses the most basic SOD honey as skincare. She hasn't even done her nails. Do you think she comes from a wealthy family? Would someone from a wealthy family jump off a building for ten thousand yuan?"

Today was extremely dangerous.

He went to the rooftop to save her, risking great danger. If he failed, he could be exposed, arrested, and imprisoned, and the police could catch him like a fish in a barrel.

But if he didn't go, and Liu Tao jumped, whether the police would issue a warrant for them would be a minor issue. He would never be able to live with himself!

"I don't want to either," Yang Zhenxing said with a sad face. "I thought we should leave, and every extra person we con is a bonus. A few days ago, we met her in Yangsong Town. She was wearing a costume and said she had been a cultural soldier for two years... I thought if she could be a cultural soldier, her family must have some money."

Zhang Xiaquan poked Yang Zhenxing's head: "Idiot!"

"Shut up, like you weren't there!" Yang Zhenxing looked at Mai Xiaoyu, "How about we recruit her, like I did before?"

"I don't want to be a con artist!"

Liu Tao had been awake for a while. Faced with three strangers, she didn't dare to speak and pretended to be asleep. At this moment, she couldn't hold it in any longer and jumped up from the sofa in fright.

The three of them ignored her, and Zhang Xiaquan commented, "Fish is the boss, you're the director, I'm the cameraman, what can she do? We have to split the money with her every time, I disagree!"

"Boss?"

Mai Xiaoyu shook his head: "Bringing a woman is troublesome."

"Then what do you suggest?"

"Make her a star!"

"I don't want to be a star, just give me back the money!"

Liu Tao's protest was ignored again. Yang Zhenxing said with a bitter face, "Boss, we're not professionals at this. We're con... talent scouts."

"Before you joined me, you weren't a professional con artist either. Brother, go print an artist contract. The company will sign her, and the pay will be split 40-60."

Zhang Xiaquan left to get the contract, and Yang Zhenxing continued to persuade, "Boss, this is the job of an agency, we're not professionals!"

"When the company was registered, the business scope included artist management. No more excuses, do as I say."

Soon, Zhang Xiaquan returned with the freshly printed contract. Mai Xiaoyu carefully read through it, found no issues, and called Liu Tao to sign it.

Liu Tao was on the verge of tears: "Mr. Mai, I don't want to be a star, really, I don't. Just give me back the money."

"Refunding the money is out of the question. You have two choices now: one, you continue to try to kill yourself, and this time I won't stop you; two, sign the contract, and the company will make you a star. You have five minutes to decide."

Liu Tao was on the brink of collapse.

Zhang Xiaquan blocked the door, Yang Zhenxing stood by the window, and Mai Xiaoyu played with her phone. It seemed she had no other choice but to sign.

"Five minutes are up, have you made your decision?"

"Mr. Mai, even seven or eight thousand yuan would be fine..."

"Don't mention money to me again, no negotiation!"

Liu Tao hesitated for a moment, walked over with a face full of despair, her red eyes brimming with tears, sat opposite Mai Xiaoyu, quickly read through the contract, and with tears streaming down her face, signed her name.

Liu Tao.

Five years, full contract, indenture.

"Congratulations, you are the first signed artist of Mengren Film and Television." Yang Zhenxing sighed and came over, picking up the contract from the table, feeling a mix of emotions.

The greatest advantage of a con artist is flexibility and mobility, moving on after each con. Now, with a signed artist, they were tied to Yanjing...

Why did it feel like buying a house and becoming a landlord, or buying stocks and becoming a shareholder, was so sad?

"What's this?" Yang Zhenxing picked up the white paper on the table, flipped it over, "Wow, a beautiful woman!"

"Idiot, this is called a sketch. The drawing is excellent, with a good sense of light and shadow, space, and the handling of black, white, and gray. The lines are smooth, not stiff, and the details are well-balanced, perfectly highlighting the relationship between the parts and the whole... Even art students don't have this level of skill!"

"Hey, why does she look familiar?"

"Where have you seen her?"

Yang Zhenxing muttered to himself for a moment, then suddenly turned to Liu Tao, holding the sketch next to her.

Zhang Xiaquan's eyes lit up, looking back and forth between Liu Tao and the sketch, unable to speak.

Liu Tao was first terrified, then puzzled, and when she sneaked a glance at the sketch, she couldn't look away!

It was so similar!

So incredibly similar!

The woman in the sketch looked very much like Liu Tao, but more mature and graceful. Wearing a mermaid dress, she exuded a pure elegance and captivating charm, without any coquettishness.

"Is this... me?" Liu Tao asked in disbelief, never having imagined she could look so beautiful.

Yang Zhenxing said, "Boss, did you have a crush on her?"

Zhang Xiaquan also said, "Didn't you say women are troublesome?"

"Did you forget the eighth rule?" Mai Xiaoyu glared at them, took the sketch, and put it away. "She has star potential. If we work hard to make her a star, other lambs won't rebel, and more will come to us. Besides, the entertainment industry is more profitable."

"That's because you drew it well. Look at her now, how can she have star potential? Among the lambs we've targeted this time, there's a girl named Wang something, a dance student, with fair skin, a beautiful face, a good figure, and a nice temperament. Her chest is also big. I think she's much better. Boss, why did you choose her?"

"I dreamed about her last night."

"That... is called a wet dream, right?" Yang Zhenxing cautiously reminded.

"I also dreamed about you."

The page turns, and the AD starts.

The page turns, and the AD ends.