For most actresses, especially those without established backgrounds or significant industry stakes, they weren't much in the eyes of truly powerful individuals. However, those in high demand weren't so easy to manipulate; they were the moneymakers for entertainment companies. The entertainment industry was a deep, complex pool, where large agencies and studios wielded considerable influence. Some were even founded by members of elite families, who would fiercely protect their assets to keep them out of trouble.
So, while most actresses might not hold substantial power themselves, they were typically backed by powerful networks or sponsors.
Besides the agency's support, there was another route: sponsorship through wealthy backers.
Mandy Tao was a case in point.
She had graduated from the Beijing Film Academy, but even before that, she'd had a wealthy sponsor. Dreaming of stardom, her sponsor had supported her acting ambitions and let her study performance.
Throughout her college years, her sponsor steadily funneled resources into getting her movie roles.
Despite starring in several films, Mandy lingered on the fringe of stardom for years, hovering between the second and first tiers.
Then last year, she skyrocketed to fame thanks to one breakthrough film!
Of course, this rise wasn't solely due to her talent. Her sponsor had poured considerable resources into securing her accolades, including more than twenty "Best Actress" titles. Some were genuinely earned, but others were carefully orchestrated by her benefactor.
Dragon Unrepentant was this benefactor!
Ethan Wu privately messaged Dragon Unrepentant: "Hey, man, something urgent came up. I gotta log off for now."
"What the hell, don't go, man! Don't go!"
"What's so urgent? Can't it wait until we're done?"
"Are you some paid plant for this private server? You suckered me into spending over a million, and now you're ditching? You playing me or what?"
Dragon Unrepentant shot off several aggressive messages.
"If I were a plant, I'd keep playing to string you along. I actually have to go," Ethan replied.
"Right… fair point," Dragon Unrepentant replied, finally coming to his senses.
He was so irritated he'd momentarily assumed Ethan was a plant.
But thinking about it logically, it didn't make sense.
No paid player would push so aggressively; trying to dominate the server in a few hours would only drive away the rich players.
Dragon Unrepentant had encountered plants before. He knew they'd string him along over several days, subtly coaxing him into spending more while also keeping the game enjoyable.
Server Overlord: Chen, on the other hand, hadn't made it fun at all.
Right now, the two rival guilds had differing member counts—Dragon's Descent had close to 400 members, while Server Overlord had a little over 200. But still, Dragon's Descent couldn't gain the upper hand.
Their core members were too few.
Dragon's Descent had only about twenty core players, with the rest being casuals with irregular play schedules.
This server had only been open for two days, and Dragon's Descent had gained many casual players. But often, people would play a day and then never log back in, so the two guilds ended up with about the same number of active players for the showdown.
Each guild had around 200 people online.
Server Overlord, however, had far more core members, and even the casuals who had joined earlier that morning were as organized as the core members.
Most had just started playing and had immediately thrown themselves into the battle with full enthusiasm.
The more Dragon Unrepentant thought about it, the more he realized he might have run into a fellow wealthy enthusiast. This was no ordinary millionaire; a regular wealthy person couldn't casually throw millions into a private server.
Dragon Unrepentant messaged him again: "Come on, don't leave! Just finish this with me! I'll reimburse all your spending today as a show of good faith."
He was genuinely desperate!
From the moment players with the Server Overlord prefix appeared, his day had been ruined.
It wasn't like Dragon Unrepentant poured this kind of money into every private server he played; it depended on the competition level. Usually, he'd spend tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands if it was worth it, but only rarely millions. The last time he'd spent this much was six months ago.
For this server, opened just two days ago, he'd only spent around 300,000 so far.
Ethan, on the other hand, had started with a million, crushing Dragon's Descent from the start.
When Dragon Unrepentant noticed, he'd been thrilled to finally meet a worthy opponent and promptly matched Ethan's million!
Then Ethan had topped up again!
Dragon had followed suit.
Dragon's Descent had been getting pummeled all day until Ethan finally triggered the siege event. By then, it wasn't just about money.
In a spending war, Ethan was bound to lose to Dragon Unrepentant.
But there were only so many players on a private server. By the end, nearly every active player belonged to one of the two guilds, leaving them both maxed out on gear from dungeons and paid items.
Money wasn't the deciding factor anymore.
The real question was: who had more core members, and whose players could follow orders better?
Dragon Unrepentant knew he'd likely lose today's siege.
But there was still a slim chance of a comeback.
He wanted to win! Winning was what felt good!
But Ethan had blindsided him by abruptly ending the game, ordering his core players to drop all their gear. The feeling of winning this way was… if it weren't for the private messaging option, Dragon Unrepentant would've been smashing his keyboard in frustration.
"What's so urgent that you can't spare an hour or two?"
"If you leave, what am I supposed to do? Who do I compete against? Between us, we've spent around two million! Isn't it pointless if we don't settle this? Just more money for the server owners!"
"We live for this thrill, man! Come on, let's finish this! I don't care if I lose to you—I just need you to stay!"
The desperation in his rapid messages was palpable.
Meanwhile, as Dragon Unrepentant typed furiously to Ethan, his guild members in the game had stopped fighting Server Overlord's players, standing there in a daze, avoiding the piles of top-tier gear scattered on the ground.
Dragon Unrepentant had clearly given a command in the guild chat to hold off.
"Seriously, I have urgent business," Ethan typed with a grin, "I need to head to the CBD Business District in Sea City."
"Oh, wait—you're in Sea City too? Are you local?" Dragon Unrepentant replied, surprised.
"??? You are too?" Ethan replied, feigning even greater surprise.
"I'm not from Sea City, but I'm currently here."
"Well, what a coincidence," Ethan typed back. "Alright, no more chit-chat. I really have to go."
"Wait, wait!" Dragon Unrepentant quickly replied, typing, "What's your emergency? Tell me, I'll handle it! And I'm not exaggerating—there's nothing in Sea City I can't resolve!"
"Alright, I believe you—you're amazing," Ethan replied, but the tone of his words came off as skeptical and dismissive.
"Hey! Don't doubt me! I'm telling you, if you stay and finish this with me, I'll handle anything that comes up for you! I'm serious!"
"You sound so capable." Ethan replied, chuckling as he continued typing. "But it's not even my issue—it's my girlfriend's company. Their spokesperson got hit by a car, canceling the contract. She needs to find a new celebrity spokesperson, so I'm heading back to help…"
"A spokesperson? A celebrity? Male or female?"
"A female celebrity."
"Female? That's no problem. I've got a few under my wing. Just tell me what tier you're after."
"Wow, sounds impressive," Ethan typed, as if in disbelief.
"Don't believe me?! I'm not just bragging here! I could even get Mandy Tao for you with one call!"
Ethan's hands froze mid-typing as he saw the message, and a satisfied smile spread across his face.
This was the response he'd been waiting for.
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