Reborn With a Money-Making System: Ruined Actress to Nation's Treasure-Chapter 121: Negotiating the Spotlight

[Mission of the Week (2/2)]

[Mission: Planting Seeds Before Launch!]

[Goal: Invest 50% of your balance to buy stocks in Zentra Game, which will launch in three days!]

[Reward: $75,000]

[Time Limit: 3 days]

I stopped washing my hair when Penny suddenly gave me the mission of the week.

With my hair still covered in bubbles, I frowned at the glowing notification. "Fifty percent? That’s way too much and risky! Besides, the reward isn’t even close to what I’d be spending!" I protested.

[Host, don’t you trust your husband?] Penny replied sweetly, or maybe she was just trying to guilt-trip me.

[He’s never failed at creating anything before, and since Zentra’s new dating game hasn’t launched yet, this is your perfect chance to buy Zentra stocks while they’re still affordable!]

"But... two hundred thousand dollars, Penny?" I groaned, rubbing the foam off my face. "That’s a lot of money."

[Penny even wants you to wait until you receive your random quest reward first, Host!]

I let out a long sigh and leaned against the cool tile wall, thinking it through. "Alright," I said finally. "You gave me three days anyway."

In three days, there was a good chance I’d get more random quests. My last one had rewarded me almost a hundred thousand dollars, so if I was lucky, the next might be even higher.

Unfortunately, the quest about getting a role in the drama series had only given me $35,000.

Funny thing was, a few weeks ago, I’d thought that amount was huge. But now that I’d gotten used to rewards of over $50,000, anything below that just felt... small.

Still, maybe Penny was right. If I played this smart, investing in Zentra’s game might earn me way more in the long run. After all, as Penny said, Lando has never failed at running a business.

===

After taking a shower and having lunch, I went to the Red Zone Production House to discuss my contract with them.

This time, Marissa would be the one handling the meeting and negotiating my payment with the production team. Honestly, that was such a relief because if there was one thing I absolutely hated, it was dealing with contracts and talking about money.

Back then, my old manager was absolutely terrible at negotiating. He never fought for me when clients tried to lower my fee, and sometimes they even paid less than what was written on my official rate card.

But honestly, after I died, I started to wonder if he’d been stealing part of my income all along. He was always flashing expensive things—luxury watches, designer suits—even though I knew his salary wasn’t nearly enough to afford that kind of lifestyle.

Luckily, Marissa was nothing like him. She was sharp, fearless, and actually cared about my worth. She’d even managed to get me a higher payment during my Rosélle Beauty deal, so I trusted her completely.

And just as I expected, she was already working her magic, practically robbing the production team blind, in the best way possible.

"Twenty thousand per episode?" Marissa repeated, narrowing her eyes as she adjusted her glasses. Her tone was calm but carried that dangerous edge that made people listen. "With all due respect, Mr. Langford, that amount is far below what my actress deserves."

The producer, Marcus Langford, frowned slightly at her words. "Too low? Ms. Hale, that’s actually a generous rate for a newcomer."

Of course he’d say that. My portfolio wasn’t exactly stacked, just a single high-end commercial for Rosélle Beauty.

But it seemed like Marissa had already figured out how to turn that small experience into her best weapon.

"Helcia may not have much experience in this industry yet, but after seeing her performance during the audition, I’m sure you already know she has remarkable talent," Marissa continued confidently. "She even managed to boost the sales margin of the product she endorsed."

"And I’m also certain you’ve seen her name trending since last night after she attended the charity gala," Marissa added, emphasizing each word. "No newcomer should be able to create that kind of impact."

I sat quietly beside Marissa, absentmindedly folding the papers in my hands while she handled the executives. I never thought there would come a day when I wouldn’t have to say a single word during a negotiation.

For some reason, it felt like having an older sister who took care of all the stressful, complicated things so I could finally breathe.

Almost half an hour later, they finally reached an agreement.

"Alright, fifty-five grand per episode," Mr. Langford said firmly, his tone leaving no room for further debate. "That’s the final offer I can give her."

Marissa smiled, clearly satisfied, and extended her hand toward him. "Deal."

I watched as they shook hands across the table, a wave of disbelief and pride washing over me. Fifty-five thousand per episode. That was more than double what he’d first offered.

Since I’d be appearing in eight out of fifteen episodes, my total payment came to around $280,000—an unbelievable amount, especially when I remembered that my very first paycheck as Helena wasn’t even half of that.

The moment I signed the contract, Penny’s cheerful voice echoed in my head.

[Congratulations, Host! You have successfully completed your quest: Join a drama series audition and successfully get a role!]

[Reward: $35,000 has been credited to your account.]

[Remaining Balance: $500,976]

Half a million?! That was such an incredible achievement. Back then, it had taken me years to earn that kind of money.

Not long after, Penny announced something again.

[Random Quest!]

[Quest: Make all the executives of Green Leaf Production accept you directly during the third audition round!]

[Reward: $125,000]

[Time Limit: 2 days.]

All the executives of Green Leaf Production? They seemed satisfied with my performance in the last audition, but the moment Penny turned it into a quest, I suddenly felt a bit uneasy. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

It wasn’t like I doubted my skills, but knowing that something looked too easy usually meant it wasn’t. If Penny was assigning a quest for it, there had to be more behind the scenes.

[Host, overthinking can make you more stressed.]

Who wouldn’t?!