In the room, Sophie Wexler gazed at Cillian Forrest's grim face. The hospital couldn't solve the problem with his Spiritual Sea, so once the medication wore off, she had brought him home.
His condition seemed a bit better than before, perhaps because she had helped soothe him.
But she could still tell he was fighting to endure the immense pain. 'Is my soothing ability really that useless?'
Her gaze drifted down to his neck, and her expression faltered. To her, that thing was a ticking time bomb. This couldn't go on.
'Should I try to get on his good side?'
"Let me help soothe you again," Sophie Wexler suggested, looking up at Cillian Forrest.
Cillian Forrest looked up at her and refused coldly, "No need."
'Every time she "helped," it came with a price. The one time she soothed my pain, she ended up drugging me. What is she planning this time?'
'Besides, her previous attempt didn't even work. She just ended up fainting because she couldn't handle my spiritual power, and then she cursed me out after waking up.'
A cold sneer flashed in Cillian Forrest's eyes.
Sophie was thoroughly rejected, but she didn't get angry. 'Can't blame him. The original "her" was always so temperamental, and she demanded payment every single time.'
'Oh well. If this approach doesn't work, I'll just try another. There are a million ways to do things; if one fails, I'll just switch tactics.'
Sophie Wexler found the first-aid kit. "Then how about I change the dressing on your wound?"
"No need."
"Want some water?" Sophie Wexler asked, holding out a glass.
"No need."
"Want something to eat?"
Cillian Forrest just gave her a cold stare.
Sophie Wexler: "..."
'Great. A million paths, and every single one is a dead end.'
Sophie Wexler collapsed onto the sofa, glaring resentfully at the man on the bed while she seethed with helpless rage.
'He's completely impervious. Not only did all my efforts get me nowhere, but I also wore myself out in the process.'
Just then, a loud GURGLE echoed in the quiet room.
Sophie Wexler's eyes shot open, and Cillian Forrest turned to look at her.
Sophie Wexler snapped, her tone fierce, "...What? Just because you're not hungry doesn't mean I can't be."
"If you're not going to eat, I will."
With that, she grabbed the nutrient liquid and left the room. Cillian Forrest watched her go, a thoughtful expression on his face.
Sophie Wexler sat at the dining room table, eyeing the object before her with suspicion. 'Can this tiny thing even stave off hunger?'
'Besides, I can tell just by looking at it that it's going to taste awful.'
'Do people in the Galaxy really eat this poorly?'
But she was genuinely hungry, and there was nothing else in the house. She hesitantly took a taste. Just as she expected, it was as bland as water. It was the kind of food that completely killed one's appetite; eating it felt like eating nothing at all.
Sophie Wexler put it down after just a few sips.
'This won't do. I have to go online and look for other food,' she thought. Even if the liquid contained all the necessary nutrients, it completely stripped away the joy of eating.
Sophie Wexler opened her Light Brain and began to search. A long while later, her eyes filled with utter despair.
It wasn't that nutrient liquid was the only food available in the Galaxy. But could someone please explain why all the other dishes were so expensive! They were practically luxury items!
After a bit of research, she learned that Ancient Aethel had been invaded by an alien civilization. During the subsequent migration, countless documents were destroyed and vast quantities of seeds were lost.
The vegetables available today had all been re-cultivated through relentless research and exploration, making them exorbitantly expensive. Consequently, most people preferred nutrient liquid.
Sophie Wexler slumped onto the sofa. 'Well, that's just great. I'm literally too poor to afford a real meal now.'
'Looks like I'll just have to make do for now and figure out how to earn money later. At least I still have my job. If I work hard enough, I should be able to scrape by, right?'
Sophie Wexler listlessly sipped the nutrient liquid while continuing to browse her Light Brain.
'I know far too little about this world,' she mused. 'While I can glean some things from the original owner's memories, it's always better to learn more on my own.'
So, she decided to use the Light Brain to catch up on current events. As she was scrolling, her gaze suddenly froze. A trending topic caught her eye.
The headline read: #SophieWexlerGetOutOfShowbiz
Her finger, which had been about to scroll past, paused. Instead, she tapped on it.
'I guess what the original me did to Rosalind Rhodes must have been exposed,' she thought.
Sure enough, the moment she clicked, she was met with a wall of comments.
[When the hell is Sophie Wexler finally getting out of showbiz!]
[Look, I have nothing against the Healer-class, but Sophie Wexler is the lowest of the low at F-level. How dare she plot against a fellow Healer, an A-level one like Rosalind Rhodes at that? Who the hell gave her the audacity!]
[Everyone knows Sophie Wexler has always been jealous of Rosalind Rhodes. She antagonizes her at every turn and will stop at nothing for a bit of fame. There's nothing she wouldn't do.]
[Her voice is grating, her singing is off-key, her dancing is a mess, and her acting is just a bunch of over-the-top facial expressions. Where does she get the audacity to even compare herself to Rosalind Rhodes?]
[How can an F-level Healer-class even compare to an A-level like Rosalind Rhodes? No wonder Wade Jaye chose Rosalind over her.]
[Thank goodness Rosalind Rhodes is alright. Otherwise, Sophie wouldn't have enough lives to make up for it.]
[I'll say it again: SOPHIE WEXLER, GET OUT OF SHOWBIZ!]
Sophie Wexler sighed as she read the comments. "The original me really left me in a huge mess, but quitting showbiz is out of the question. I have to make a living, after all. Sorry, folks, you'll just have to deal with it."
The words had barely left her lips when her scrolling finger froze mid-swipe.
[Due to personal conduct on the part of Sophie Wexler that has severely damaged our company's image, Stellarium Entertainment is hereby unilaterally terminating its contract with @SophieWexler. The official statement is as follows...]
Sophie Wexler: "?"
Sophie Wexler: "Huh?!"
Before she could even process what was happening, her communicator began to ring.
Sophie Wexler glanced at the screen. The caller ID showed it was her manager. She answered, and an irate voice immediately blasted from the communicator.
"Sophie Wexler, how dare you harm Rosalind Rhodes! Who do you think you are?!"
"She's an A-level Healer-class, an incredibly valuable asset! Are you trying to drag our entire company down with you?!"
Sophie Wexler instinctively held the communicator away from her ear. Only when the shouting subsided did she speak. "I'm sorry, it won't happen again. About the termination, could we maybe..."
"'Again'?" A cold sneer came from the other end, cutting her off. "You think you have a future here? I'm officially informing you, Sophie Wexler, that you have been dropped!"
"As of today, you are no longer an artist under Stellarium Entertainment. You're on your own."
He hung up immediately after. Sophie Wexler listened to the dial tone, stunned into silence for several long seconds.
"I'm screwed," she muttered, her voice devoid of all hope.
'I was just thinking that even if I was broke, at least I had a job. Now? Now I've got nothing.'
The contract termination was salt in the wound of her already precarious financial situation.
Now she truly had no money for food. 'I have to survive, support another person, and deal with his medical issues, but my pockets are completely empty.'
Just thinking about it made her head ache. It had been a very long time since she'd had to worry about money like this.
She leaned back against the sofa and closed her eyes, her mind racing. 'How am I going to make money?' The thought alone was a headache.
'Not only am I clueless about the job market in the Galaxy, but my only real skill is singing, since I worked in the entertainment industry before I transmigrated. I honestly don't know what else I can do.'
'I figured since the original owner of this body was also in showbiz, I could just pick up my old profession again. Who knew I'd get fired before I could even get started?'
"Sigh..." Sophie Wexler heaved a long sigh, then her eyes snapped open. "No. I have to find a way to make money. I absolutely cannot live on that nutrient liquid."
Her gaze returned to the Light Brain, her finger gliding across the screen as she searched for a way to make money.
Suddenly, her finger froze. On the screen was the Arts & Entertainment section of StarNet.
Sophie Wexler's eyes lit up. She knew what to do!
Earlier, while reading up on the current era, she had stumbled upon a crucial fact: during the great migration from Ancient Aethel, a vast amount of heritage was lost—not just food seeds, but also cultural artifacts like documents, videos, and audio recordings. This had led to the decline of many related industries.
Over a long period of redevelopment, many sectors had been rebuilt, and various forms of recreation had emerged, including arts and entertainment.
However, because the Galaxy was frequently plagued by insectoid tides, the general populace valued martial prowess far more than cultural pursuits. This lack of interest caused the entertainment industry to languish.
It was only in the last few years, as the insectoid tides subsided, that people began to devote more time to entertainment. But on the whole, the Galaxy's cultural scene was still quite primitive.
She scrolled through the entertainment livestreams—people performing, dancing, singing. As Sophie Wexler watched each one, her eyes grew brighter and brighter.
That's right. She was going to start a livestream!
She had been a singer in her past life, so livestreaming her singing was undoubtedly her best option.
'As for the fact that her current face was infamous across the entire network? She just wouldn't show it. As long as she kept her identity a secret, who would ever know the person behind the screen was Sophie Wexler?'
The more she considered it, the more viable the plan seemed. There was no time to waste. Time to act!