"I came to the film studio to do three things.
Su Chen! Su Chen! And goddamn Su Chen!"
Scott stood on a high platform, holding a makeshift megaphone made from a rolled-up book.
Below him, a crowd of extras watched from the ground.
These were background actors who spent their days loitering near the film studio, hoping to land minor roles.
If they were lucky, they might snag a small part as an extra.
"Hey, mister on stage, who's Su Chen? Your dad or something?"
"Wh—what? My dad? Can't you talk properly?!"
Scott composed himself and continued, "Everyone, a few days from now, on August 15th,
there will be a press conference.
I've been entrusted by Su Chen to hire all of you as temporary actors to help fill the venue."
At this point, Scott adjusted his sunglasses.
Su Chen, I'm going to make sure this blows up in your face.
With this many people, the press conference will descend into chaos.
And since I'm hiring these extras in Su Chen's name,
even if the plan fails, there's no way it can be traced back to me.
Everything can be pinned on Su Chen.
As the saying goes, spreading rumors takes just a mouth, but refuting them takes a lifetime.
Even if Su Chen clears things up afterward, no one will care about the truth anymore!
That's just how the internet works.
"No limit on numbers! If you're willing to come, raise your hands!"
The next moment, a man raised his hand high.
"Hahaha! Looks like our first actor is already here!"
"Actually, I just wanted to ask—do we get free lunch boxes?
Do the lunch boxes come with eggs?
And if we perform well, do we get a chicken drumstick?"
"Uh…" Scott stroked his chin and pondered for a few seconds.
Extras usually earned about 80 bucks a day.
There were at least a few hundred people here.
Add in the cost of lunch boxes…
Well, that's almost as much as a small project's kickback!
I'll front the money for now. There's still that big project later anyway.
I can always skim a little extra from there to make up for it.
The money isn't the point—the point is humiliating Su Chen!
"Listen up!" Scott raised his voice.
"You'll be paid the standard rate,
and your lunch boxes will come with two eggs!"
——
Meanwhile, at Himeko's café.
March 7th lay sprawled on the sofa, sticking out her tongue.
"I can't take it anymore, this is brutal! The boss is way too brutal!"
Dan Heng's forehead was also dotted with sweat as he downed his cold drink in one gulp.
"Whew—ah!
Didn't you say just the other day that you were fine with filming as long as needed?"
"That was completely different from how things are now!" March 7th immediately sat up straight.
"Ever since it was confirmed that the boss would be playing the Trailblazer himself,
we've been filming for over ten hours a day these past few days.
My body's about to give out! But…"
A hint of worry crept into March 7th's expression as she looked at Dan Heng.
"Dan Heng, do you think this press conference will work out?
The boss's 'miHoYo' isn't some big company.
Even if the online reception is great right now,
who knows how things will turn out in the end?
Take Morbius, for example.
Everyone shouted the same thing: 'We must support Morbius!'—and yet it flopped at the box office every single time!
Who knows how many media outlets will even show up for this press conference.
The boss has invested so much… Will it really succeed?"
Ding-ding…
Just then, the café door bumped against the wind chime, producing a light jingle.
"My dear March 7th, this isn't something you should be worrying about.
Just focus on being your adorable, carefree self!"
Su Chen walked in from outside and plopped down on the sofa.
Seeing this, Firefly quickly brought him a glass of ice water.
"Boss Su Chen, the press conference is tomorrow. Is everything ready?" Dan Heng hesitated for a moment before finally asking.
"Don't worry. The venue is near the café—it's a property owned by Asta's family.
This area was originally supposed to be developed into an entertainment district.
There's a sales center just southeast of here.
With a little cleaning and setup, it'll work perfectly as a press conference venue."
"Uh, I meant… What about the guests? Will there be enough people attending…?"
Su Chen flashed Dan Heng a sly grin and raised an eyebrow, signaling that everything was under control.
"Whew!" Dan Heng felt a weight lift from his chest.
He knew that when Su Chen smiled like this,
it meant he already had a plan.
There was no need to worry.
Then again, ever since Su Chen arrived,
he'd always given off an air of effortless confidence.
Every decision he made had led to huge successes.
All we have to do is trust him!
As Dan Heng guessed,
Su Chen had indeed resolved most of the issues.
In his original world, aside from playing Honkai: Star Rail, Su Chen had also been a Bilibili content creator for eight years.
He was intimately familiar with Bilibili's algorithms and monetization systems.
That was why he'd chosen to register his account there.
He'd split the pilot episode into two parts to trigger Bilibili's recommendation algorithm,
maximizing the video's reach.
This way, he could milk as many points as possible from the system
while also attracting Bilibili's attention.
Just as Su Chen predicted, he'd caught the eye of Bilibili's headquarters in Shanghai.
Su Chen swirled the glass in his hand.
Partnering with Bilibili didn't count as corporate interference.
It was a simple matter of mutual benefit.
From now on, all his PVs
and short videos would premiere on Bilibili first,
and in return, Bilibili would give him massive exposure.
That was all.
Right now, Bilibili needed a "rising wave"—
and he was that rising wave!
This time, Bilibili would also be livestreaming the entire press conference.
With their backing, the event was sure to go smoothly.
However…
He just hoped the venue wouldn't be empty. Will any fans actually show up?
Sigh!
It probably wasn't likely.
The account was still in its early stages, and the fanbase wasn't solidified yet.
Even if there were diehard fans, they were scattered all across the country.
How many could actually make it to Shanghai?
Don't ask for the impossible!
Whatever!
He'd already earned a decent amount of points. Now that he had some free time, he might as well head to the studio to upgrade the system.
Su Chen stretched his limbs.
"For now, everyone should rest. You've all worked hard!"
Just then, Firefly leaned in and whispered to him,
"Boss, do you remember Mr. Welt?"
"Of course. Uncle Welt, right?"
"He said to let him know when it's time for his scenes.
Also… he has a story he'd like to share with you."
"Oh? Is that uplifting, wholesome story called Honkai Impact 3rd?"