Chapter 36: The Entire Regiment Enters Retirement Life Ahead of Schedule

The two returned to the car.

Sui Lingfang was the first to reproach herself. "It's my fault. I didn't notice your condition in time and let you work for such a long time."

She asked with concern, "Are you feeling alright? I heard you telling the photographer just now that you could continue shooting tomorrow. Is that really okay?"

Jin Li shook her head with a smile. "Sister Fang, it's fine. I feel like my physical state is quite good. You don't need to worry so much."

Sui Lingfang breathed a sigh of relief. "That outfit of yours this afternoon was truly beautiful. I was mesmerized the moment I saw it. I thought to myself that if a real 'Lucky Koi' were to appear in this world, it would be someone like you.

That includes your subsequent shoot. I was originally playing on my phone, but as soon as I happened to look up, I couldn't tear my eyes away. I spent the whole time just staring at you."

Jin Li laughed. "Isn't that a bit exaggerated?"

Sui Lingfang affirmed, "It is. Time flew by while I was watching you, and I didn't even feel tired. I felt quite energized."

A thoughtful look flashed through Jin Li's eyes. *Not feeling tired, and feeling quite energized?*

She thought about how, as the shoot reached its later stages, her [Effort Doubled, Results Doubled] state had been activating more and more effectively. The photographer had also quickly entered the zone during the latter half, and the efficiency of the shots was increasing.

For a moment, Jin Li became a little uncertain.

Would this state of hers really not affect others?

...

Back at the apartment to rest, Jin Li took a break and opened her phone, only to find that the [Universe-Invincible Ultimate Cute Pink Girls] group chat was exceptionally active today, with unread messages hitting 99+.

Jin Li scrolled from the very first message and soon reached the part where Qinglian shared the link to her livestream and some photos.

Jin Li: Σ(⊙▽⊙!

Although the comments below were all a bunch of praises, she felt a bit shy having only her photos uploaded!

So, Jin Li searched for each of the other members one by one, downloaded their recent beautiful photos, and uploaded them to the group one by one.

Lucky Koi: [Image] x4

Lucky Koi: [Popping up to say hi!]

Lucky Koi: [Don't praise me, I'm getting embarrassed reading it. It's not as exaggerated as you all say. I just want to learn; I'm not expecting to get into any prestigious universities.]

In the previous group chats, her teammates had all praised her for being focused and serious, saying she looked like someone destined for greatness, which had left Jin Li completely stunned.

If she weren't just a tiny little Koi Spirit, she would have thought she was perhaps the reincarnation of the God of Literature, destined to follow a "counterattack" script while undergoing tribulations in the human world.

In a moment, the WeChat group became lively.

Lotus: [The Koi is shy, haha!]

NANA: [I think with your current momentum of working so hard, it would be a disservice to your efforts if you didn't get into a top-tier university [Grin]]

Pearl: [Exactly, exactly! Go for it, little Koi! The cutest girls in the universe are cheering for you!]

Lucky Koi: [Just... casual encouragement? Aren't you going to give me some substantive encouragement?]

Lotus: [Whatever you want, if it's under a hundred yuan, your big sister will buy it for you!]

The other members added a [+1].

Jin Li didn't actually want any gifts from them, so she revealed her true purpose: [You guys should have a lot of merchandise, right? Give me all your extra or unwanted merch. I'll use it to bribe the fans later. It would be even better if they could be autographed!]

Tongtong: [Little Koi has grown up; she actually knows how to bribe fans. Feeling very comforted.jpg]

Mengmeng: [Before, when Koi was in the team, she was just a straightforward girl who only knew how to bury her head in work and understood nothing of social graces. She's grown up, she's grown up. Feeling gratified.jpg]

Jin Li felt awkward. She...

Well, the original owner of this body indeed wasn't very good at maneuvering; otherwise, she wouldn't have let her health deteriorate so much.

Originally, her physical condition was poor, but if she had left herself some breathing room and only worked at seventy percent capacity, she wouldn't have collapsed from exhaustion.

But the original owner was different; she was someone who either did nothing at all or gave her absolute everything.

Unfortunately, very few people noticed her dedication, and due to her physical limitations, she could only ever be a "half-time vase."

After chatting with her teammates to heal her mind and body, Jin Li was about to put down her phone when Ji Qinglian suddenly said in the group

[The teaser trailer will be released tomorrow. Do you think we should do some promotion together on Weibo to cheer on little Koi? I'm really looking forward to her comeback stage; it's going to be stunning.]

The other teammates chimed in saying it was fine, but someone asked back with concern

[Lotus, will your company allow you to do that? I remember even your social media accounts are managed by the company, right?]

It wasn't that no one had ever suggested that members who had been separated for years interact on Weibo to trigger a wave of nostalgia.

But back then, Ji Qinglian always refused.

The reason was simple: the company would not allow her to post anything regarding "Pink Girls," including her own thoughts.

And since the other teammates felt they should either do it together or not do it at all—moving in unison—everyone tacitly refrained from posting.

They were past the age of fighting for traffic in everything they did. Having experienced glory long ago, everyone had achieved financial freedom.

In the entertainment industry, they were truly just "hanging out."

They would take suitable engagements and skip the unsuitable ones; the members had collectively entered a "retirement" state.

Otherwise, given the peak fame "Pink Girls" once held, if they truly wanted to exert effort after finding new companies, returning to the front lines would be a matter of minutes.

Ji Qinglian was considered the most career-driven among the members; she had signed with LP and had been fighting on the front lines.

As for Mengmeng, who was recently about to terminate her contract with her company, the reason was that the company kept trying to send her out for activities, which she was unwilling to do, believing the company had violated the contract by not respecting her wishes.

It had to be said that everyone was very "Zen," except for Ji Qinglian.

Lotus: [It's fine. I got all my social media accounts back and changed the passwords one by one. Now, if there's any advertising copy to be posted, I make them send it to me first and I upload it myself. The manager can't control me in that regard anymore.]

Lucky Koi: [So, your company agreed to you doing this?]

Lotus: [...]

Lotus: [They didn't agree, but I'm doing it anyway.]

From those few words, everyone could sense Ji Qinglian's determined attitude.

Since she had said so, the others naturally had no problem with it, telling her to let them know when the teaser trailer started airing.

After finishing the WeChat chat, Jin Li checked the time. She could still study for another two hours, so she started her livestream again.

On the other side, at the Jinse Charity Gala.

The atmosphere on the floor had reached a fever pitch.

More and more auction items from various celebrities were being brought out, ranging across all sorts of varieties.

Some celebrities auctioned their own handicrafts, important props from their acting careers, expensive clothes gifted by brands, or paintings they had done themselves...

But when the boy band "March Sky" brought out their prepared auction item, everyone was startled.

What they brought was a ruby from the Mogok region of Myanmar—a ruby necklace.

Gemstones from the Myanmar region are known for their intense color due to high chromium and low iron content; the most intense and brilliant among them are known as "Pigeon's Blood Red."

And currently, the production of rubies in Myanmar had been exhausted.

This ruby necklace was inherently high in value, worth at least 3 million.

Everyone was shocked by the grand scale of "March Sky."

At a value of three million, the auction price would only go higher.

The members of "March Sky," who were under the spotlight, were all quite low-key with calm expressions; even Chen Lin, who usually liked to make a fuss, was like this.

Gu Cheng was maintaining his expression when he suddenly felt his phone vibrate. He lowered his head to take a look.

*Goodnight~*

(End of Chapter)