Chapter 40: A Foregone Conclusion

Weibo was in an uproar. Countless people were questioning how Li Chuxi had managed to land the role of Yang Yingying.

Although the character of Yang Yingying was a villain, even playing a villain required acting skills. Given that Li Chuxi’s acting was so poor she couldn't even handle idol dramas, what right did she have to appear in Director Chen’s new production?

In the face of such widespread skepticism, the official social media account for *Imperial Power* remained deathly silent, showing no intention of responding to the backlash. As for Li Chuxi, the person at the center of the storm, she seemed to have vanished into thin air, offering no word at all.

"Host, aren't you going to do anything?"

Zero-Zero-Yao watched the popularity rating plummet and couldn't help but sigh. "Your popularity was already in the negatives; now it’s just adding insult to injury. Sigh..."

Even so, it didn't bring up the casting process again. Everything was set in stone now; saying anything more would be useless and only add to the distress.

"It’s fine." Compared to Zero-Zero-Yao’s anxiety, Li Chuxi was far more composed. "I already have plenty of haters; a few more won't make a difference."

She wasn't being reckless or throwing caution to the wind; she simply didn't believe things were as dire as they seemed.

"I suppose that’s true."

"Zero-Zero-Yao, help me check if my parents have transferred the money yet."

Li Chuxi suddenly remembered this and tasked the system with checking.

"Understood, Host."

After a quick search, Zero-Zero-Yao gasped in surprise. "Host, your account has increased by thirty-seven million!"

"That’s correct then," Li Chuxi nodded. "That’s the living expenses for six years and two months."

It couldn't have been easy for her parents to come up with that much money at once. They must have sold off some real estate to scrape it together.

"Host, the stocks you invested in earlier have also risen quite a bit during this period," Zero-Zero-Yao said, its voice filled with excitement. "I checked, and you now have nearly two hundred million in assets to your name."

"Heh, that’s quite good." A meaningful smile tugged at the corners of Li Chuxi’s lips. "If you really think about it, I should be thanking my parents. If they hadn't given my living expenses to Li Xuehui, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to claim this extra sum."

First came the money her grandfather had transferred to cover all those years of living expenses, and then the massive amount her parents had been forced to send under pressure from her maternal grandparents.

Just then, Li Chuxi’s phone rang.

As she answered, she was met with a rapid-fire barrage of words from the other end. She couldn't catch everything, but the final sentence was clear enough: she was to return to the company immediately.

Having nothing else to do, Li Chuxi headed back to the company without delay.

She went straight to the conference room and found that, besides Yao Ling and Liu Shangshang, the company’s general manager, Chen Haorong, was also present.

Seeing such a lineup, she raised an eyebrow and took a seat.

Li Chuxi said nothing; she simply sat there quietly, observing the other three.

The atmosphere turned somewhat bizarre.

Unable to endure the strange tension, Chen Haorong cleared his throat and spoke, "Chuxi, you should know why we’ve called you here today, shouldn't you?"