Chapter 51: Luck Never Lasts More Than Two Chapters

Noble sentiments are merely embellishments for the wealthy, something to fill their idle hours. Mo Fei, less concerned with such loftiness, simply wanted to reward himself with a good meal the moment he came into money.

So, after returning home, he ordered an extravagantly luxurious hotpot, choosing every item the restaurant offered, and added two portions of noodles for good measure.

Mindful of the lingering injuries on his body, Mo Fei made a special note in the order: no spicy, no numbing flavors.

After placing the order, he paced excitedly around the house, dialing Lü Chunqiu's number.

They were about to make a small fortune!

As soon as the call connected, Lü Chunqiu’s voice bubbled with excitement, “Mo Fei! How did you know I was about to call you? I have good news!”

“I have good news too!” Mo Fei sat cross-legged on the floor.

A slit leaped off the coffee table and crouched before him, green pupils narrowed to thin lines.

“I’ll go first!” Lü Chunqiu cleared her throat. “You’ve been confirmed for the audition in Director Wang’s next film!”

Mo Fei’s smile froze. “What?”

“What do you mean, what? It’s a fantastic opportunity.” Lü Chunqiu couldn’t contain her joy. “This time, you’ll be either the second or third male lead, with a substantial role. Getting this audition slot was no easy feat. You have to give it your all.”

Though the lead role in this web series was good, the director made all the difference.

Director Wang, regardless of how polarized his reputation may be, is a veteran. Even crumbs of resources leaking from his fingers are enough to feed them for a long time.

“Once you finish filming as the male lead for Director Qian, Director Wang should be wrapping up his current project and preparing for the next. It’s almost unbelievable—we’ve finally managed to avoid a gap between jobs.” Lü Chunqiu marveled at their luck.

Hard work pays off.

As long as Mo Fei kept his mouth shut and acted like a normal person in public, how could he not rise to stardom?

Mo Fei chuckled awkwardly. “It really is great, wonderful.”

“So, what’s your good news?” Lü Chunqiu’s mood was soaring, her voice bright with laughter.

“I discussed my salary with Director Qian today,” Mo Fei recalled the money, his excitement rising. “He said he’d give me eight hundred thousand!”

“How much?!”

Lü Chunqiu’s surprised voice burst through the speaker. “Did you say how much?!”

“Eight hundred thousand!” Mo Fei repeated. “And he’s offering another two hundred thousand for the script!”

“That’s... That’s a million!” Lü Chunqiu gasped. “Oh my god, did we really secure that fee?”

Don’t be fooled by the news—those headline-grabbing actors who command tens of millions are popular, with huge followings and powerful backers.

For ordinary third- and fourth-tier stars, a million is impressive. For Mo Fei, who had just clawed his way up from being an extra, it was akin to leaping to the heavens in a single bound.

For actors in their development phase, salaries typically rise with each project.

This eight hundred thousand was a significant leap forward for them.

After her excitement faded, Lü Chunqiu quickly regained her composure. “Mo Fei, according to our contract, I’m supposed to take a cut of your salary. But both Director Wang’s and Director Qian’s projects were opportunities you secured yourself—they have little to do with me.”

“Don’t say such things.” Mo Fei cut her off. “If you hadn’t introduced me to this industry, I wouldn’t have even gotten close to a production crew.”

“Besides, without you worrying about everything, I’d probably end up angering every boss I met.”

Mo Fei knew he was lazy, and without someone keeping him accountable, he’d quickly turn into a puddle of uselessness.

Lü Chunqiu laughed contentedly on the other end.

She’d seen artists and managers fall out over profit splits more times than she could count, and she didn’t want things to turn ugly between her and Mo Fei in the future.

It seemed this rascal had some sense after all.

“We’ll stick to the contract split for your salary, but the script fee is yours to keep—I won’t take a share.”

With that, Lü Chunqiu hung up, not giving Mo Fei a chance for any banter.

Her mood was soaring; finally, one of her charges was about to break through. Tonight, she could use the most expensive face mask and sleep well.

Mo Fei stared at his phone’s black screen, grinning foolishly.

‘Look at you, so easily pleased.’

A slit gazed at him with disdain: ‘A little money and you’re already over the moon, huh?’

Mo Fei wasn’t bothered; he scooped up the slit and held it above his head. “My little god of wealth, with money I’ll get you a bigger cat bed, how about a huge cat climbing tower?”

The cat’s green eyes widened, becoming a bit more dignified: ‘Add a treadmill.’

“Deal!” Mo Fei agreed instantly.

‘Fresh beef.’

“Of course!”

‘Fish oil.’

“Buy it!”

Watching Mo Fei’s silly, delighted face as he promised everything, the slit narrowed its eyes.

Money truly was a wonderful thing…

Even paupers could turn into nouveau riche overnight.

Mo Fei’s elation lasted all the way through dinner and his nightly routine, right up to when he climbed into bed.

Looking at the stitched wound on his arm, he suddenly remembered—tomorrow was the day to get his stitches removed.

A week had already passed.

Tomorrow would bring a new card.

Mo Fei glanced at the slit sleeping by his pillow, deep in thought.

The [Great Detective] card had served him well; of the three cards so far, it was the most useful.

But with tomorrow’s refresh, he’d lose three skills.

Compared to the previous two aggravating cards, all four skills on this one were worth keeping.

Only [Best Partner] allowed him to understand the slit’s speech.

After a week of verbal sparring with this unruly cat, he felt oddly reluctant at the thought of not hearing its insults anymore.

[Observant] was great, but catching criminals wasn’t his main job, and the other two weren’t worth mentioning. What case could rival an excavator? And the last skill was outright slandering him.

If only he could keep [Best Partner], that would be nice.

Thinking this, Mo Fei reached over to stroke the slit.

‘Are you trying to kill me? I just licked my fur. Did you wash your hands?’

The slit glared at him, then moved to the other side to groom itself again.

Mo Fei sheepishly withdrew his hand.

Forget it, whatever stays can stay. It’s not like he absolutely had to hear this cat’s endless complaints.

He slept soundly that night.

The next morning, Mo Fei grabbed a U-lock and rode a shared bike to the hospital to have his stitches removed.

His wound was healing well; the doctor said in another half month it would be as good as new, with no lingering effects.

After running around for a bit, Mo Fei found a nearby eatery to grab a meal and wait for his card refresh.

As the [Great Detective] card gradually faded, a silvery light gathered—

[Identity: Phantom Thief
Active: Voice Change (Not transformation, but voice change; bow ties are for kids, adults rely on themselves.)
Master of Magic (When did magic tricks become the entry-level requirement for thieves?)
Passive: Scaling Walls (Don’t want to walk the main road? Can’t, actually. Good skills are for escaping.)
Nemesis (A thief is a lifelong nemesis of the police; their mission is to arrest you. Be careful not to get caught.)
Retained Skills: Moth to Flame, Mastery of Human Anatomy, Best Partner]