Author: plum

Sending Chicken Soup

Just a scrape of the knee, it shouldn’t leave a scar, right?

Just as Su Shen wanted to say something, she saw Xie Yan stand up. Momentarily, she didn’t know what to say.

The others tacitly continued doing whatever they were doing, but they felt that they might have discovered something extraordinary. 

“Yep, yep, there will be a scar! Scars absolutely mustn’t be left on girls, else it’ll be ugly!” Zhao Tong hurriedly added.

Trying to remain indifferent, Su Shen looked at Xie Yan and pointed at the Director, “I’m going to go over the script with the Director.”  

After saying that, she quickly walked towards the Director before he could react.

Su Shen actually didn’t know what to do. Unlike the past, she didn’t want to enter into a relationship at such a young age, but Xie Yan didn’t explicitly say that he liked her, so she couldn’t refuse. However, they were filming here everyday and were certain to cross paths regularly, let alone hide from him every time. 

Looking at her receding figure, Zhao Tong sighed inwardly. He didn’t understand why Su Shen was so stupid. Wasn’t their Yan ge obvious enough?

Or, was this actually a refusal in disguise?

The next few scenes went pretty well, and they finally finished filming before dark.

After returning to the hotel, Su Shen asked Xiao Zhou to buy a takeout for her. Then, she turned on her laptop to look at the script that Liu jie sent her.

There was a small production school life film that was not bad, and the plot was not too melodramatic either. Although it was not a big production, Su Shen felt that it was okay to start small first, since a big production wouldn’t turn to her anyways. 

There was also a crime drama invested by Starlight Entertainment. It was mainly centered around the male lead, and it was reported that they had already invited Li Hao to play as the male lead. The remaining roles would be allocated to actors and actresses from the company. The dramas produced by their company were generally not too bad, and Su Shen was also rather interested in this kind of drama. 

At the same time, today was the official announcement of the modern drama. They also released the posters for each character. The topic had firmly occupied the top three spots of Hot Search, and the comments below were fiercely fighting with one another.

Netizen A: As soon as she debuted, she played as a female lead. She acted with a best actor and best actress for her first film. Later, she even replaced Mu Yao as the female lead for Green Blood Sword. Now, Xie Yan’s TV series debut is even given to her. Is Miss Su’s next production going to be a Hollywood blockbuster?

Netizen B: Even Yang Zhi was replaced, she’s deserving of being the“Empress Snatcher”!

Netizen C: It’s the first I’ve seen a drama where the supporting female lead is more famous than the female lead. Does Miss Su want to use her poor acting to make Li Xue a hit? 

Netizen D: Just be jealous, you antis. Our Su Su is still the female lead, and her beauty can KO a plastic surgery face in a second! 

Netizen E: OMG! My hubby’s actually filming an idol drama. I’m a little scared; there must absolutely be no kiss scenes! 

Netizen F: Am I the only one who’s looking a little forward to it? Although Su Shen’s acting cannot be commented on, her beauty needs no words and her long legs would be all over the screen. [joy]

Netizen G: Su Shen’s simply a winner in life! With a good family, good looks, good figure, and interactions with so many handsome men, she must’ve saved the galaxy in her previous life. [joy]

Netizen H: AHHHHH! My hubby’s so handsome, I want to lick the screen!

Su Shen had long been immune to these comments. She was indeed blocking the way of too many people, and those people would certainly not let her film in peace.

Celebrities were bright on the surface, but who knew how ugly their hearts were behind the scenes. For example, Qu Wen. She didn’t know whether these actors were handsome or not, it was fine as long as they were of good character. Those that entered this industry were either due to interest or for the money. The money she had earned, she had to share half of it with the company after tax was deducted. It couldn’t be helped, the contract stated so, unless she opened her own studio. But it was a little far away for the time being. 

She sent a message to Liu jie, telling her that the two scripts were acceptable, and then she went to take a shower and went to bed.

The second day of filming was to film the last part of the script. It just so happened that the set of that scene was set up, so they naturally had to film it beforehand. However, this scene made Su Shen a little embarrassed. 

“Su Shen, can you wear 10 cm high heels?” The stylist asked from the shoe rack.

Su Shen sat in front of the vanity, allowing the makeup artist to do her makeup and responded, “Yes.”

Because this scene needed her to be taller…

“Su jie, your phone is ringing.” Just at this moment, Xiao Zhou suddenly took her phone out from her bag. 

Su Shen took it and saw that it was her mom!

As soon as the call connected, Mama Su’s high pitched voice transmitted through, “Shen Shen, are you at Mashi street in the Nanyun district?”

Hearing this, Su Shen immediately raised her hand to indicate to the makeup artist to pause, and she couldn’t help but curiously put her phone to her ear, “Yeah, what’s wrong?”

“Oh, it’s gotten colder now. I made some black chicken soup for you to replenish your blood vitality. I’ll be there at noon. Can outsiders enter the set?”

Su Shen: “……”

Her own condo was a little far from here, but it was very close to where her parents live. It would take no more than 20 minutes to get here without traffic. However, Su Shen didn’t expect that her mom would suddenly bring her soup.

Just when she was about to refuse, Mama Su said solemnly, “I’m just coming to have a look!”

Su Shen: “……”

This was actually her mom’s real purpose, wasn’t it?

“Okay, call me when you arrive then. There are security guards on set, so you won’t be able to come in.” She sighed as if in compromise. Fortunately, it wasn’t chaotic on set, else she absolutely wouldn’t dare to let her mom come. 

Hearing that, Mama Su hung up the phone with satisfaction. Su Shen then asked the makeup artist to continue. 

Her mom must’ve seen the comments online recently. She was often away from home, and it was rare that filming this time was so close to home, so her mom must’ve wanted to come and see.

After getting her makeup done, she went to go over the script with the Director. This was a scene where the male and female leads were already dating. The male lead sent the female lead home, and the female lead would complain about how he has to go on a mission again. A little reluctant, she threw a tantrum for a bit.

“Su Shen, don’t forget that the longshot will pan from the left side of your face to the right side. Remember to find the camera.” The Director sat in front of the monitor and pointed to show her a direction. 

Su Shen nodded, but she was a little embarrassed to read the script. She didn’t feel it before, but now, she just felt it was too embarrassing. It would be fine if it was someone else, but of all people, the other party was Xie Yan.

“It’s almost time for you to get into position.” The Director said and then asked the cinematographer to sweep the camera over.  

Hearing this, Su Shen took a deep breath and tried her best to just treat it as acting. Then, she walked over to the small path of greenery in the gated community and got into position.

Not long after, Xie Yan also came over with the female lead’s small bag in hand, which looked particularly outlandish. 

“Quick, quick, hold hands!” The Director shouted into the loudspeaker.

Su Shen just felt very embarrassed, and when her hand by her side was suddenly grasped by a big hand, she only felt even more embarrassed.  

“Are you hot?” Xie Yan turned toward her and saw beads of sweat on her forehead.

“Ah?” Su Shen turned toward him and found that he was staring at her, so she softly smiled, “Just a little nervous.”

Seeing that her ear was red, Xie Yan couldn’t help smiling and whispered into her ear, “It’s just acting.”

Everyone else: “……”

To say there was nothing fishy going on between the two of them, they would not believe it even if they were beaten to death!

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At that, Su Shen took a pen and made a note on the script while Xie Yan, who was beside her, looked at her quietly. 

She wore an orange lip gloss today, and it looked super glossy.

The rest of the crew couldn’t help but look over there covertly, only to see the two of them being super close to each other. Their film emperor was staring at her unwaveringly.

Su Shen suddenly looked up as if she remembered something, only to find Xie Yan was looking at her. When their eyes met, she couldn’t help but smile, “I remember that Xie laoshi had me go over the script with my assistant the first time around. I had thought you didn’t like to go over the script with other people.”

Xie Yan: “……”

Why doesn’t he remember?

Seeing that his expression remained the same, Su Shen thought she must’ve gone too far with her joke and immediately apologized, “Apologies, I didn’t mean anything.”

As she said that, she pointed to another part of the script and said, “When the male lead rescues the female lead, does he push her aside?”

Xie Yan: “No.”

“En?” Su Shen looked up curiously.

“I will cover you.” Xie Yan looked at her meaningfully.

Hearing this, Su Shen just nodded, and after asking something else, the Director said that filming was about to begin.

For this scene, it was just blocking* and there were no lines. But they had to NG because a few extras made a mistake, but it was much better later.

blocking – in filmmaking, it refers to where actors stand on a set and how they move around over the course of filming, or as some would say choreography

When it was time to film the male lead making his first appearance, Xie Yan was already gone. Later, he and a group of policemen would break through the window. Naturally, the glass was a prop. It looked as if it was real, but it wouldn’t actually injure anymore.

When it was almost time, the Director shouted “Action!” 

“AH! Don’t kill me!”

In the spacious clothing store, the extras crouched in the corner and screamed desperately. Su Shen was amongst them. However, she was the female lead and could not panic like the others, but calmly looked for a way to save herself.

“WHAT ARE Y’ALL SCREAMING FOR? IF Y’ALL CONTINUE, I’LL SHOOT YOU!” One of the gangsters raised his gun fiercely and shot at the floor with a “BANG.”

Those extras were even more afraid, but they didn’t dare to scream again. They just crouched there trembling.

Su Shen was also amongst the crowd. She seemed to have noticed something outside the window, but before she could take a closer look, that gangster shouted “f**k.” Before he could raise his gun, he was shot in the arm all of a sudden.

Just at this moment, a man with a rope smashed through the window, and the prop glass shattered to the floor. The hand-cranked camera was aimed straight at him, and the people behind immediately followed in. Several other gangsters were panicking and were escaping, while shooting toward the window.  

The whole store was instantly full of gunshots. The extras fled in disarray, and it was simply a frenzy. Knowing that they were outnumbered, several gangsters took a few hostages while they were escaping.

“AHH! SAVE ME!”

In the midst of the loud screaming from the extras being taken hostage, Su Shen leaned against the wall in a panic and was about to escape when an extra bumped into her, causing her to stumble and come face-to-face with a dark muzzle pointing at her. 

Just at this moment, the camera swept over. For only a second, Su Shen stopped breathing, and her mouth slightly parted, while her pupils dilated. With the sound of a gunshot, she was instantly thrown to the floor!

It was not as painful as she had expected. The Director said that she could use a stunt double as there were no protective measures, and thus, she could easily hit her head. However, Su Shen refused as she wanted to act out as much of her role as possible. 

When she met that pair of pitch-dark eyes, she saw her own reflection in Xie Yan’s eyes and the back of her head seemed to be held by him, and that’s why she didn’t feel as much pain as expected.

Director: “Cut!”

“Yan ge, are you okay?!” Zhao Tong immediately circled them.

The others also gathered around, afraid that something had happened to him. After all, the action scene just now was quite hefty. After Su Shen got up, she was pushed aside unintentionally. She felt the back of her head and did not say anything. She walked to the side and allowed the makeup artist to retouch her makeup.  

Su Shen felt rather thirsty and thus asked Xiao Zhou to bring her a bottle of water. 

After touching up on her makeup, the makeup artist then helped straighten the creases on Su Shen’s clothes. Just at this moment, Xie Yan came over. Seeing him, the makeup artist immediately walked away. They all have eyes, so what was there to not understand. 

“Are you alright?” Xie Yan glanced at her from top to bottom.

Su Shen rubbed her wrist and shook her head while leaning against the wall, “I’m fine, your hand…”

Just now, her head hit his head; from so high, it must’ve hurt.

“I’m fine.” Xie Yan seemed to have seen something and suddenly stared at her knee, “You’re injured.”

There was indeed a scrape on her fair and smooth knee, which appeared out of sorts with the rest of the surrounding fair skin. Su Shen looked down and smiled nonchalantly, “I’m fine.” 

“How is that fine? I got a band-aid right here!” Just at this moment, Zhao Tong came over with a small medical box in his arms smiling.  

Just as Su Shen was about to say something, she saw Xie Yan take a band-aid and suddenly crouched down in front of her. Facing the furtive gazes of everyone on set, she didn’t dare to move.

The medical box in Zhao Tong’s arms almost fell.

After tearing off the sticker, Xie Yan put the band-aid on her wound and said earnestly, “Small wounds would leave a scar if they are not treated properly.” 

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Injured

Su Shen was taken aback and then withdrew her arm from his grasp and smiled, “I’m going to go change my clothes.”

Seeing that Xie Yan didn’t say anything, Su Shen then turned around and walked to her dressing room. Liu jie fought for her, and thus, her clothes and cosmetics were of better quality. There were also some planted by advertisers. Generally, the clothes were sent by the advertisers, and they were well-known domestic brands. There were two rows of clothes, at least 40 or 50 sets. She could practically wear one each day. It couldn’t be helped, the production team was rich.

The stylist selected a blue chiffon top and a pair of white high-waisted relaxed wide-legged cropped trousers for her. Her makeup was rather light, and her hair was tied into a loose bun. The makeup for modern times was much simpler. Since she had nice skin, she didn’t need too much foundation and was done in about half an hour. 

“Su jie, your legs are so long.” Xiao Zhou looked at her straight and slender legs with admiration.

“Yeah, thanks to Xie Yan for being tall enough, otherwise, you wouldn’t even be able to wear high heels.” The stylist laughed while choosing a 5 cm thick pinkish heel for her.

When filming, there were some actors who weren’t tall enough or there were some actresses who were too tall, so actresses would wear flats when they were in the same frame or have a step stool for the actors. Su Shen was 167 cm and would be around 170 cm when she wore high heels. There was also the addition of hairstyle depending on if it’s a historical production. That’s why she had to wear flats when she filmed with Luo Han before. However, since Xie Yan was tall enough, she would appear too short without high heels. 

“Just focus on filming, I’m going to go first. Li Xiao’s participating in a singing show recently, so I won’t come over for a bit. Call me if you need anything.” Liu jie looked at her watch.

After changing her shoes, Su Shen adjusted her hair in front of the mirror and said, “En.”

Seeing this, Liu jie took her bag and walked out of the dressing room. When several women sat together, it was liable to chat about beauty upkeep. As they chatted and chatted, they came to the topic of losing weight. Su Shen liked to listen to those makeup artists discuss whether a certain female artist had plastic surgery or not. There were many procedures able to be done. As she listened, time quickly passed. 

It wasn’t until a staff member said that it was almost her turn that Su Shen came to her senses. She remembered that she seemed to have forgotten to go over the script with Xie Yan. 

When she came to set with her script, the Director had just finished filming the individual parts of each character. It was almost time for her, the cameraman, and the owner of the beauty salon that they had just interviewed to leave the shopping mall when several gangsters rushed in. The production team had really unloaded their capital. It was said that they had even hired a policeman to coach some professional moves.

“Su Shen, you will start walking with your colleague from the door of that store later. Try your best to grasp the intonation of your lines. When you guys are about to turn the corner, someone will rush in. It will basically be one take. Understand?” The Director pointed at the shopping mall in the distance. 

Hearing this, Su Shen naturally nodded.

When everything was almost ready, Su Shen stood at the position that the Director said. When he said “action,” she started to walk from that position, but the camera panned over from another direction. 

“Xiao Jiang, are you hungry? How about we go there and eat something first?” Her colleague in the back asked her with a camera in hand. 

Su Shen walked in front, and just at this moment, the camera panned over. She smiled somewhat helplessly, “Let’s send the materials back to the news station first. If it’s too late, Director Wang will scold us again.”

Hearing this, the male colleague in the back could only sigh, “We work to death everyday, and we don’t even get a pay increase. I want to resign already.”

There were extras coming and going in the surroundings. After all, it was a shopping mall, so it had to appear as if there were a lot of people. When Su Shen heard that, she scratched her head in distress, “If I resign, my mom will beat me to death!”

“Haha, you still…”

“AH!”

Following the screams of the extras, several gangsters with guns suddenly rushed into the scene. Su Shen’s eyes widened and froze in place. Just at this moment, the Director also shouted “cut.”   

The next scene would be when she was driven into a clothing store by the gangsters to be a hostage. The makeup artist came over and retouched her lip gloss. The Director was over there discussing the script with several stuntmen who played as the gangsters.

Over there, Su Shen saw Xie Yan who was chatting with the policeman. He had already changed into his police clothes, but Su Shen recognized him at first glance. Remembering that she had just bailed on him, she walked toward him with her script in hand. 

“Yan ge!” Zhao Tong nudged Xie Yan’s arm and gave him a meaningful look over there.

Xie Yan turned around, only to see Su Shen walking straight towards him with her script in hand. Perhaps because she was wearing high waisted cropped pants, it made her legs appear to be slender and straight, which immediately attracted the attention of many extras.

He took off his cap, handed his prop gun to Zhao Tong, and then walked towards her with his script in hand.

“Apologies, it slipped my mind. You still have time, do you want to go over the scene?” Su Shen raised the script in her hand.

Later, the male lead would break through the window and have some eye contact with the female lead. Of course, there would also be some action. It was Su Shen’s first time filming such a scene, so she was a little afraid of not understanding it properly. 

Seeing this, Xie Yan took the script in her hand and brought her to sit down on the two stools by the wall. 

“After I come in, you’re running away with the rest of the extras, but you must show your face, otherwise the camera won’t be able to focus on you.” Xie Yan held her script and pointed to a certain place, “Here, when the gangsters come in and a gun is aimed at you, you only have one second of the scene. How do you think you should appear?” 

When their eyes met, Su Shen blinked and read the script carefully while sitting on the small stool, “I thought it was fright, just like this.”

As she said that, she showed an expression that she thought was of shock and fear.

Xie Yan stared at her quietly for a few seconds before he said, “No, it’s panic.”

“Panic?”

Su Shen looked down and mulled over the script, but still did not agree with him, “It’s already panicking enough to be taken hostage. If I were to panic again at that time, it wouldn’t add more to the tension.”  

“Your first reaction to be pointed at by a gun is shock?” Xie Yan asked.

Hearing this, Su Shen didn’t refute any further. She was so absorbed in reading the script that she ignored reality. It was a matter of life or death. A person’s first reaction would certainly be panic and fear, and the expression of shock seemed too dull and did not reflect a more emotional feeling.  

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Direct Confrontation

“Reality show? Who are the other guests? Do I have time in my schedule?” She asked.

At that, Liu jie naturally replied earnestly, “What I’ve heard is that the production team is already in contact with one of the four major celebrities. As for who, I still don’t know yet. There’s Zhang Jing, and it’s not clear who the rest would be. There’s going to be six fixed guests, and filming will be done season by season. You only need to spare two days to shoot each episode. The show will most likely start in December, so you can squeeze some time to shoot it.” 

Hearing this, Su Shen didn’t say anything. Variety shows paid more and were much more relaxing than filming. No one would say no to money. 

“By the way, are there any other types of scripts lately? I don’t want to take on idol dramas anymore.” Just blindly filming these, the public would also be tired of it. It was better to switch early while young.

“Yes, I’ve already helped you get in touch with a small production film, which is also a school life theme. You can test the water first. There’s also a crime drama invested by our company. The investment in the drama is quite big. Although there’s some people in our company fighting for it, your prospects are not bad now. As long as I fight for it, the company will give you this opportunity.” Liu jie said.

Starlight Entertainment, the company she was at, usually invested in tragic dramas. Although they couldn’t give her much resources for idol dramas, they had a lot of resources for tragic dramas. Liu jie was a veteran employee of the company and was said to hold shares as well. It should not be a big issue for her to get this drama for her.

“If there’s a script, I’ll look through it first.” Taking a deep breath, Su Shen roughly calculated that her schedule was full until June of next year.

Liu jie said okay and didn’t say anything else. It was an hour later when they arrived at the filming site. The people there were busy filming. Su Shen also saw Yang Zhi. She looked a bit shorter than on TV and was somewhat bow-legged. But when covered by the skirt, it couldn’t be seen. Her face looked pretty natural, and she probably hadn’t gone under the knife. 

When Liu jie took her to meet the Director, Wang Cheng just happened to be talking to the Director. When he saw her, he immediately smiled and said, “My little beauty is finally here.”

He had never been upright, so Su Shen walked over and gave him a punch, glancing at him angrily, “If I’m the little beauty, then who’s the big beauty?”  

Hearing this, the other staff members all laughed. It was obvious that Wang Cheng and Su Shen had a great relationship. 

“It’s Liu jie, isn’t she a beauty?” Wang Cheng kept winking at Liu jie.

The latter was also amused by him. The Director, however, suddenly looked at Su Shen and said, “Have you read the script?”

Speaking of business, Su Shen naturally nodded, “Yes.”

“Okay, I’ll have someone take you to change your clothes first. We’ll film your scene in the afternoon.” The Director said and then looked at the Assistant Director beside him, “Take Su Shen to Dressing Room No. 2.” 

At that, the Assistant Director led the way with a smile. Wang Cheng seemed to want to chat with her a bit more, but seeing that Su Shen was going to change her clothes, he stayed behind and continued to listen to the Director explaining the script.  

In Dressing Room No. 2, there were two actresses getting their makeup done, one was a newcomer and the other was a veteran actress, who had debuted years ago but never gained fame. When they saw Su Shen entering, perhaps because they were not familiar with her, they stayed silent. 

Su Shen’s role had very few scenes. If she was famous, then it would be called a cameo. If she was really famous, then it would be called a special appearance. If she was not famous, then it would be called being an extra. The difference in between was tremendous. If it was a special appearance, she would be ranked directly behind the male and female leads. If it was a cameo, it would then depend on how famous she was. If it was being an extra, her name would not even be able to be written in the credits. 

She only had two scenes. The first one was meeting the heroine. The heroine needed to go up the mountains, but she wouldn’t let her unless the heroine gave her the jade pendant around her waist. The heroine later defeated her and went up the mountain. The second scene was just a sweeping shot of her lying on the ground dying. She was actually killed by the villian, but she blamed it on the heroine. 

It was said that Yang Zhi’s acting was great. Su Shen had an itch to give it a go. After all, one could only make progress by comparison. 

After getting her makeup done, she changed into a white, long and gliding hanfu. She played a fairy whose father was a very powerful immortal. After she died, her father almost killed the heroine due to a misunderstanding. Fortunately, the hero came to save her.   

When it was almost noon, the Director explained the script to her again. After all, her acting before was not ideal. If it wasn’t because of Wang Cheng, he wouldn’t have given her the role. 

Su Shen could understand the Director’s attitude. As long as that film hasn’t been released, the public’s impression of her would only be her poor acting.

When it was almost time, she fastened the wire stunt harness. Just as she was about to fly up to the tree, Liu jie came over and whispered in her ear, “This is a hard to come by opportunity. You must not be suppressed by Yang Zhi. If your acting can’t win over, then overwhelm her with your aura.” 

It was obvious that Liu jie also thought that her acting was not as good as that of Yang Zhi.

Su Shen didn’t say anything. When the Director said that they were ready, she was suspended up to the tree. Then, she leaned against the flower vine, surrounded by the scenery built by the set-up consisting of fake mountains and trees. When special effects would be added during post-production, this would be full of clouds and mist. 

Over there, there were many people surrounding Yang Zhi, those who touched up her makeup and those who handed her water. When they were almost done, the Director shouted, “Action!”   

This was a distant shot. With a sweep of the camera, a person could be seen leaning against the flower vine. Their dress was fluttering, but their face could not be seen clearly. Just at this moment, Yang Zhi walked forward warily with a longsword in hand, and the camera panned back to shoot her face.

When Yang Zhi got near, the camera slowly drew close to Su Shen, revealing her exquisite face. Just at this moment, her eyes suddenly opened. As if she had noticed Yang Zhi, a trace of curiosity flashed in her eyes. At the same time, Yang Zhi suddenly jumped to the side. 

“Who?!” She looked around sharply. 

It was only then that Su Shen flew down to the ground. With the air blower blowing, her clothes and hair fluttered in the wind again. The Director in front of the monitor stared at Su Shen who just landed on the ground. He had to admit that her appearance was not bad.  

As soon as she landed on the ground, facing the vigilant gaze from Yang Zhi, Su Shen raised her chin slightly, “Who are you? Why did you come to our Junshan*?” 

Junshan  – a place in Hunan

Her voice was light and charming, and her expression was also just right. The Director suddenly became interested and stared closely at the two people in the same frame on the monitor. 

“This humble one is going up the mountain to ask for medicine. I ask this fairy to let me by.” Yang Zhen’s expression remained the same, but the longsword in her hand was still tightly gripped by her. It could be seen that she did not let down her guard.

Hearing this, Su Shen flew to her side and curiously circled her twice. As if she had found something interesting, she couldn’t help but reach out to grab the jade pendant on her waist, but was noticed by Yang Zhi. She attacked with her longsword and the fake stone on the side exploded immediately. 

Su Shen also took a few steps back and glared at her angrily, “Hmph, I just wanted to see your jade pendant. If you don’t give it to me today, don’t even think about going up the mountain!” 

This role would easily appear to be unruly and unreasonable if not portrayed carefully, but Su Shen portrayed it very well. Her eyes were wide open and was slightly pouting. It was clear that she was a child that did not know anything about the world. Not only the Director, but the other staff members were also surprised. How come Su Shen’s acting was different from the rumors online? It was obviously superb, and compared to Yang Zhi, she was unexpectedly not suppressed at all. 

Moreover, with the two of them in frame, it was clear that Su Shen was more beautiful than Yang Zhi.

But when they thought of the catfight between their fans, everyone’s expressions, who saw the scene in front of them, slightly changed.

Yang Zhi was also somewhat astonished. With regard to Su Shen, she had heard a lot about her. When her manager said that her role was snatched by an unknown newcomer, she had only thought that the other party had a strong background, so she searched her up. However, she only saw how horrible her acting was. Only now did she realize that everything seemed to not be like that at all. 

She didn’t stay silent for long and brandished her longsword, her expression still cold, “If you continue to mess around, this humble one would have to offend you.”

At that, Su Shen took the first shot and took off her jade pendant on her waist. Yang Zhi quickly retreated, and the two of them began their fight.  

They were both immortals, and fighting was all about flying hither and thither and gestures. Only Yang Zhi used a longsword while Su Shen did not, so she only learned a few gestures and positioning from the Movement Director. Not long after, she fell on a tree with a scream. 

Seeing this, Yang Zhi put away her longsword and continued up the mountain. 

“Cut!”

As soon as the Director’s words fell, the makeup artist immediately came to touch up her makeup. There would be a close-up of her lying dead on the ground later, but it wouldn’t show how the villain killed  her. 

She just needed to lie on the ground for the close-up shot, so filming was soon over. After she went back to the dressing room and changed her clothes, Liu jie came over and praised her, “Great job, your acting has improved a lot lately.”

Su Shen tied her hair into a ponytail in front of the mirror while smiling helplessly, “Everyone strives to improve, no one will stay the same forever.” 

Having said that, Liu jie just smiled and said, “The Director thought you did well and said that he’d like to work with you again if there are opportunities in the future. Although it was a polite remark, it can be seen that he’s pretty satisfied with your performance.” 

“Currently, the acting paths for starlets are all the same. Don’t look at how great Yang Zhi’s acting is among the starlets, once she switches to tragedy, her acting skills are simply not enough. Else, she would have changed paths already. If she goes on like this, her acting career would be limited as the Gen Zs’ catch up. That’s why, you must expand to other types of productions while you are young, and strive to break into the mainstream film industry as soon as possible. But it’s too early to say those things right now, let’s focus on building up your popularity.” Liu jie seemed to be in a good mood, with a smile on her face.

Su Shen didn’t say anything. It was too early to talk about those things currently. What she needed now was to have a representative work and to increase her popularity. She had to remove the label of poor acting from her, otherwise those big directors would never notice her. 

When they were leaving, Wang Cheng said that he wanted to treat her to dinner, but Su Shen ignored it. She got in the car and rushed to the airport. When she got home, it was almost midnight. After a long day, she quickly took a shower and went to bed.

In the following half a month, Su Shen was busy with running from one engagement to another. She had also accepted some endorsements for consumer goods. After all, the money could be earned quickly. As a seasonal spokesperson, she could earn two million. Although it was not as much as Wang Cheng and the others’ ten million, it was still money. 

For half a month, she had been running to and fro for each engagement, but she had earned a lot of money. It was not until the modern drama started filming that she finally ended her days of running back and forth.

On the day of the opening ceremony, a lot of reporters gathered outside. This was a modern drama, so there was no need to go to Shanghai Film Park. It was basically apartments rented by the production crew and sets built by them.

The first scene was a big action scene. Perhaps because the production team attracted a lot of investment, they went so far as to reserve a whole floor of a shopping mall to film. The heroine was a news reporter and was going to interview the owner of a beauty salon to follow closely the entrepreneur lifestyle that was trending presently. Who knew that after the interview, several gangsters suddenly raided the bank at the shopping mall. The heroine and several other people were forced into a clothing store and taken hostage. The hero appeared, and after a fierce shootout, the hero finally rescued the hostages. However, the gangsters almost shot the heroine during the frenzy but was luckily blocked by the hero. Subsequently, the hero’s arm was shot. 

The aim of idol dramas was that all coincidences were for the encounter of the hero and the heroine, to ignite the sparks of love.

She didn’t think so when she read the script before, but now, Su Shen felt very weird when she recalled that the other party was Xie Yan. There were many lovey dovey scenes and lines of ambiguity. It was hard to imagine how Xie Yan would act it out.

Xie Yan arrived just in time. Seeing that he was brought by his agent, Su Shen didn’t go and greet him. It was not until the Director asked everyone to burn incense that they walked together side by side. 

After worship, everyone dispersed again. They still had to film in the afternoon. There were still reporters remaining and gathered outside. Remembering that she was drunk in front of him last time, Su Shen only felt very embarrassed. 

“Last time… thank you for sending me back.” She stepped forward and thanked him. 

He Hua, on the side, walked away expressionlessly. He didn’t dare to disturb this big bro’s romance.

When Xie Yan walked to the door of his dressing room, he suddenly stopped and turned around to look at her, “Don’t drink so much in the future.” 

If another man had sent her back…

“En.” Su Shen lightly said with an embarrassed laugh.

After saying that, Su Shen remembered that she still had to go change her clothes, so she turned around and was about to leave, “I’ll go first then.” 

But before she turned around fully, her arm was suddenly grabbed by a big hand. She turned around stiffly and happened to meet a pair of dark eyes. 

Xie Yan raised the script in his hand, “Let’s go over that scene.” 

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When she got back to set, it seemed that Jiang Yin’s script had finished revising. Although Zhu Qinqin still had so many scenes, at least the male lead did not like the supporting female lead and was just very guilty towards her.

In the dressing room, who knew what Xiao Zhou saw but she walked towards her with her phone in hand, “Su jie, look.”

Su Shen was in the midst of getting her hair done, but her eyes could still move. She took the phone handed over by Xiao Zhou and scrolled through it, only to find that she was being maliciously attacked again.

Just at this moment, a breaking news just broke saying that the drama originally casted Yang Zhi, and that’s why Xie Yan chose to star in it. But because she had cut in, Xie Yan wanted to resign from the drama due to her poor acting. However, Xie Yan remained because the producers offered a sky-high remuneration. 

The news had just been broken for an hour, yet there were already over 20,000 comments. If this Weibo post was not deleted, then it would definitely land on the hot search. The netizens were fighting with each other ferociously. 

Netizen A: We refuse the publicity stunt of this marketing account. My hubby looks at the script, not how much the remuneration is. Moreover, if it really is because of Su Shen’s poor acting, then no matter how much the producers give, he will definitely not agree. [smiley face]

Netizen B: We all know whether Su Shen’s acting is good or not. But which company did this marketing dog belong to? [smiley face]

Netizen C: Hehe, no matter how much the antis slander, it’s useless. Just be jealous, my Su Su’s still the female lead! 

Netizen D: This b***h’s diehard fans’ face is really thick-skinned, to say she’s the female lead even before it’s officially announced. Aren’t y’all afraid of being slapped in the face later? [vomit]

Netizen E: Lemme take away our Xie Yan. Although I don’t want to admit it, I still want to say that if Xie Yan disdains Su Shen, would he still offer his first onscreen kiss to her?

Netizen F: This b***h really is amazing. She threw herself onto Wang Cheng, stepped on Jiang Yin, and now wants to hype clout with Xie Yan?

Netizen G: A certain someone really lives up to the title of “Empress Snatcher”, to even dare to snatch from Yang Zhi. Sure enough, it’s powerful to have a strong background. Who else would she snatch from next time?

Being maliciously attacked for a good amount, Su Shen’s mind had long been as still as water. She knew that her current shortcoming was that she lacked representative work, but it was not too far off. The drama that she was currently filming had already been bought by a TV station, and it was set to be aired in April of next year at a prime time. Furthermore, that movie was set to be aired during the Spring Festival. 

But just blindly taking on idol dramas and hyping, these were not what she wanted. She felt that she could change to another style. Blindly filming idol dramas would only limit the type of dramas she would receive, and no TV Empress* would depend on idol dramas to wear their crown.

TV Empress – Best Actress for a TV show/drama

“Su jie, should we tell Liu jie about this?” Xiao Zhou asked seriously. 

Returning the phone to her, Su Shen indifferently said, “Tell her about it and pay attention to the trend of the public opinion.” 

The news had already painted Xie Yan as someone who only thought about money. His fans would definitely not agree, so those antis would not be able to continue further. 

Speaking of Xie Yan, Su Shen asked Xiao Zhou to take her phone out from her bag. When she checked it again, Xie Yan replied to her with a message. 

Xie Yan: “No.”

Hearing that she didn’t have a drunken fit, Su Shen breathed a sigh of relief; otherwise, she would be too embarrassed in the future. 

The filming of the night scenes went very smoothly. Compared to Zhu Qinqin, she basically passed with one take and rarely had an NG. 

In the following half a month, she finally finalized her scenes after being scattered throughout. But Jiang Yin had not finalized his scenes, so he still had a few more days of filming to go. 

Thus, she was able to rest at home for a few more days. When the variety show that she recorded before aired, her fan count increased by 500,000 overnight. It’s not the top variety show for nothing. She was trending on hot search all night and was still in the Top 3 the next day. 

As soon as Su Shen woke up, she noticed that her Weibo had been flooded. It was no longer a place for antis to vent their anger, but all from passersby turned fans. Moreover, the topic #Su Shen Playing the Guzheng# occupied the Top 3 spot on hot search.

Netizen A: AHHHH! Crazily rooting for you!!!

Netizen B: OMFG, as a guzheng student, I think that Su Shen plays even better than our teacher!

Netizen C: Xiao jiejie’s* so elegant, especially when she’s playing the guzheng. It feels like she’s a noble lady from ancient times. Too beautiful! Passerby turned fan!

xiao jiejie – an amiable term to refer to a young woman of about one’s age or a little older 

Netizen D: Lemme add, Su Shen can also play the bamboo flute. Y’all can search for the video of her live stream. 

Netizen E: Is it just me who’s focused on her and Xie Yan’s convo? Their relationship seems so close, and I didn’t expect Yan ge’s voice to be so nice to hear. 

Netizen F: After watching the whole show, I really feel like Su Shen has a great upbringing and is well-mannered, quiet and indifferent. Although there were two wrong notes, I prefer to believe that she did it on purpose [smiley face with tear] because at this level, she wouldn’t make such a beginner’s mistake. [smiley face with tear]

Netizen G: I’ve turned into a fan cause of Su Shen’s beauty. Looking forward to the kiss between xiao jiejie and my hubby in the movie. [smirk]

Although it wasn’t overnight fame, it was still a temporary short explosion of fame. That’s why there were so many people going on variety shows now, as the remuneration was high and it was easy to gain fans. Su Shen finally experienced the feeling of not being maliciously attacked everyday. No one was willing to be maliciously attacked, to the point of involving their family. Nonetheless, she still had to have a representative work to consolidate her popularity. 

The day after tomorrow, she had to make a cameo appearance in the xianxia drama that Wang Cheng was filming. In the following two days, her popularity was quite high, and her fan count had increased by three million. Fortunately, Liu jie had foresight and brought a few bodyguards along on the day of their departure. As expected, someone had leaked her flight and a large number of fans awaited them at the airport as soon as they landed. 

“AHHHHHH! Su Shen!” 

“Su Shen, I love you!”

The airport was full of screams all around. Those female fans were frantically crowding around her. Although there were bodyguards leading the way, it took Su Shen a lot of effort to get out of the airport and into the car. 

The xianxia drama was currently filming at a scenic spot, so they had to drive a long time to get there. As soon as the door of the SUV was closed, Su Shen took off her cap and sunglasses and exhaled a breath of lingering fear. Thinking about the scene just now, she felt perplexed.  

Liu jie, who was sitting at the front, couldn’t help but chuckle, “This is nothing. When you become as popular as Wang Cheng, you will understand what it means to be afraid of even buying a bottle of water outside.” 

The car sped along the road. Hearing this, Su Shen just smiled and turned around to look at the scenery outside the window, “I’m afraid I won’t be able to reach his level.” 

Everyone knew that no matter how popular a starlet was in this industry, they were absolutely no match for those xiao xian rou, because the majority were female fans, and who didn’t like handsome men?   

“This is just your current career path. You definitely have to change routes later. I’ve already selected a few suitable scripts for you. Recently, there’s been a lot of scripts handed to you, so I’ve increased your booking fee. You have to make money when it’s time to make money.”

Speaking of this, Liu jie turned around to look at her again, “Recently, Hunan TV plans to launch a new outdoor reality TV show and plans to invite you as a fixed guest. If you think it’s okay, then I’ll go discuss the specifics with them.” 

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Variety Show Aired

Su Shen opened her eyes slightly. Although her vision was still swirling, she pretended to be sober and looked at him, “Why?”

Seeing that she couldn’t even tell who she was, a trace of helplessness flashed through Xie Yan’s eyes, “Because of you.”

Hearing this, Su Shen’s expression remained the same. She suddenly bowed and vomited. 

Moreover, on Xie Yan too…

The latter immediately took out a tissue to wipe her mouth and gently patted her back, “Hold on, we’ll be there soon.” 

As he said this, he took off his coat that got dirtied and stepped on the gas at almost full speed. 

Su Shen leaned against the seat and rubbed her temples with her eyes closed.

In the darkness, the car sped along the highway, leaving only a black shadow streaking across the hazy night. 

It was not until the car stopped at the gate of the private community that Xie Yan looked at the person beside him, only to see her eyes closed and her perfect side profile indistinct in the dark. He leaned over and gently said, “Su Shen?”

As if she heard someone calling her, the latter opened her eyes slightly, only to see a fuzzy face in front of her, “Who are you?” 

Seeing her drunken appearance, Xie Yan could only get out of the car first, then came to the other side to open the door, and helped her up.

“I can walk on my own… go away…” Su Shen reached out to push him drunkenly, but his hold on her waist just got tighter.  

The cool breeze and the utterly slender waist of the person in his arms, coupled with her faintly discernible fragrance, all hit his nerves, but a certain someone was still being restless in his arms. Xie Yan took a deep breath and took her to the elevator while helping her up. 

He had been here before, so he found her house easily this time. He didn’t expect for her to be able to take out her key, so he took out a bundle of keys from her shoulder bag. 

“Who are you…” Su Shen rubbed her temples in a hoarse voice, and her entire body was like mush being held in his arms.

After finally opening the door, Xie Yan felt the wall with one hand to turn on the light, and then helped the mush-like person to the sofa.

“My head hurts…”

The person on the sofa was struggling to sit up. Her knee length dress moved up, almost exposing her fair thighs. Seeing that she was still struggling to sit up, Xie Yan quickly took a throw blanket on the sofa and covered her with it. 

Immediately after, he went to find a box of tea and made her a cup of strong tea. When he returned to the living room again, the person on the sofa was still groaning in pain. 

He walked over and supported her up. The latter obediently drank half a cup of the strong tea fed by him, with a few drops along the corner of her lips flowing down to the hollow of her fair collarbone… 

Xie Yan turned his head away from her. He just felt that if it went on like this, his self-control would collapse soon.

“No more… yucky…” Su Shen pushed the cup away, but her face was still flushed and was staring at him blankly. 

Xie Yan placed the cup aside and saw her staring at him motionlessly, with his own reflection in her glimmering eyes. He couldn’t help but gulp and said in a hoarse voice, “Don’t look at me anymore.”

He was not Liu Xiahui*.

Liu Xiahui – He was a state politician in the Spring and Autumn Period of China. The story goes that there was a girl that threw herself into his arms, but he remained unmoved. 

Hearing this, Su Shen blinked her eyes absentmindedly again and said softly, “Why?”

He didn’t expect her to be like this when she was drunk. Xie Yan suddenly leaned in and held the back of her head with one hand, his eyes burning, “No means no.”

Her neck was very fair without any blemishes at all. Her face that still carried a touch of innocence was flushed, with her pink and tender lips slightly parted as if wanting to tempt him. Xie Yan still remembered the sweet taste of that day.

“I won’t look at you anymore.” All of a sudden, Su Shen closed her eyes, tightly at that.

The two were so close to each other. Her exquisite features were outrageously perfect, yet contained a hint of innocence. Xie Yan stared at her for a while, then ultimately closed his eyes. He suddenly got up, took her phone and pulled her fair index finger to press the Touch ID. After unlocking the phone, he then sent a message to Liu jie.

Looking at the person on the sofa who still had her eyes closed and refused to open them, he could only crouched down and whispered into her ear, “I’m going to go; you can sleep quietly here.”

The person on the sofa still refused to open her eyes. He smiled helplessly, and his gaze swept across her pink lips. He then got up and walked out of the condo. 

……

When the dazzling sunlight shone through the thick curtains into the tidy room, the person on the king-sized bed turned over. Suddenly, they reached out with their fair and tender arm for their phone on the side, but to no avail. Finally, they opened their eyes in a daze.

When she saw the familiar ceiling, Su Shen rubbed her temples and looked all around. Then, she got out of bed and came to the living room. 

She saw Liu jie leaning on the sofa and reading a magazine. Hearing her footsteps, she turned around and after finding that she was awake, she just turned her head back and continued to read the magazine, “I bought breakfast, have some first. I have to catch a flight later.” 

Hearing this, Su Shen rubbed her temples while walking over to sit down. She remembered that after she drank yesterday, Xie Yan came, and then… How did she get back?

“Did you bring me back yesterday?” She leaned on the sofa and continued to rub her temple, her headache was still as strong.

Hearing this, Liu jie glanced at her, “No.”

“En?” Su Shen’s expression changed slightly. 

“Don’t you remember? You messaged me and asked me to come over. When I came over, you fell asleep. Thus, I stayed with you the entire night.” Liu jie closed the magazine in confusion. 

Su Shen frowned, “Then, who sent me back?”

Why didn’t she remember that she had sent a message to Liu jie?

The latter stood up and lifted her purse on the side, “Xie Yan.”

After that, she walked out of the condo, with Su Shen sitting there muddleheaded.

Why couldn’t she remember anything?

Her headache was still so persistent, so she went to take a shower first. Then, she made some porridge for herself, and after eating breakfast, she then picked up her phone and sent a message to Xie Yan.

Su Shen: Thank you for sending me back yesterday. Did I go into a drunken fit?

This was actually what Su Shen was most worried about. The original Su Shen got drunk once, and Liu jie said that she would hit people when she was drunk. She wondered if she had hit him yesterday. 

Perhaps Xie Yan was busy, as there was no reply from him after a long time. Su Shen then packed up as she had to go back to set. She had two night scenes tonight and filming for this drama would be finalized in half a month. Next month, she would go on set for that modern drama, and there seemed to be some magazine covers to shoot and a Fall-Winter fashion show invited by a brand that Liu jie sought for her in between. 

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By the time the contract was signed, it was already 5 pm. The producer said he would take them to have dinner with several investors, the director, and the scriptwriter. 

Liu jie followed in her own car. Su Shen sat in the passenger seat and asked while tilting her head, “There was also a clause to unconditionally comply with the script, why didn’t you mention that?” 

Hearing this, Liu jie laughed while turning the steering wheel, “What are you afraid of? Filming kiss scenes? Isn’t Xie Yan notoriously not fond of kiss scenes? What’s there for you to worry about?” 

Su Shen: “……”

That being said, since this director was not as famous as Director Huang, if Xie Yan said that he would not film kiss scenes, then this director would certainly not force it. Nevertheless, Su Shen still felt a little weird. 

When the car stopped at the entrance of a five-star hotel, Su Shen followed Liu jie and the producer inside. Today, she was wearing a mint green A-line dress with her hair down. She had light makeup on, and her high heels were only 4 cm; she did not dress up meticulously. 

When the producer led them through the corridor and opened the door of a private room, they saw a large table of men and women sitting inside. There were some with beer bellies, some were bald, and some in suits who appeared proper, but their hands were on the thighs of female artists. 

Su Shen saw Li Xue, Luo Han, and a few familiar artists. All those here must have already finished with their casting. Just at this moment, they were toasting those people, including Li Xue. The man in his 40s or 50s next to her had been touching her hand incessantly, and she could only dodge it by toasting him. 

“Come and look at our female lead. Isn’t she young and beautiful?” Producer Luo sat down with a smile, and the others casted their fervent sight on Su Shen.

After she and Liu jie sat down, Producer Luo beckoned, “Su Shen, quickly toast President Ma and President Li!” 

For this kind of social gathering, everyone had to raise a toast before speaking. This was unavoidable. The original Su Shen’s alcohol tolerance was poor, and she would feel dizzy after two glasses. But Su Shen managed to hold on and raised a toast to everyone. Soon, a bottle of wine was emptied.  

When she sat back in her seat with much difficulty, President Zhao, who was on the other side, walked towards her with a glass of wine in hand, “I instantly knew that Su Shen would suit the role of our drama at first sight. Come, let’s have a drink.”

Seeing that he was about to put his hand on Su Shen’s shoulder, Liu jie immediately picked up her glass of wine and separated the two of them with a smile, “If this girl drinks again, I’m afraid she wouldn’t even be able to utter words. Let me raise a toast to you.” 

Liu jie had been in this industry for so many years, and President Zhao had also seen her before. After thinking about it, he followed along and clinked glasses with her, “Okay!” 

Su Shen just sat there with her eyes closed. She felt so dizzy that she drank juice desperately, hoping it would make her sober as soon as possible. 

Just at this moment, the door was pushed open. When they saw who came, they immediately beckoned enthusiastically, “Xie Yan and President He’s here. Come, come, have a drink first.” 

He Hua and Xie Yan were partners for their company and would also support some newcomers. They would also invest in some films and dramas. Over the years, their business had grown tremendously large, but Xie Yan never cared about these things. The company had been in the care of He Hua. Naturally, whenever Xie Yan took on a production, He Hua would send an artist under their company into the production as well, which could be considered as using Xie Yan to support those newcomers. 

“No drinking, no drinking; don’t drink when you drive, don’t drive when you drink. We are good citizens who abide by the law.” He Hua refused the others’ toast without hesitation.

Everyone else laughed upon hearing that, “Call a driver over, you can’t come here today without drinking once!” 

“No drinking; if I drink too much, my wife will scold me.” He Hua found a seat and sat down with a smile.

Hearing this, everyone else laughed at him for being henpecked, but they didn’t force him to drink anymore.

As for Xie Yan, he swept a look around. Although there were still a few vacant seats, he chose to sit down next to Su Shen. Seeing her slightly rosy face, he couldn’t help but frown at the wine bottle on the floor. 

“I’ll go and raise a toast to Xie Yan.” A slightly younger man immediately raised his glass and looked towards Xie Yan. 

He Hua laughed, “He doesn’t drink.”

As his words fell, the young man laughed and didn’t say anything more. Following this, no one else raised a toast to Xie Yan. A celebrity like him would never go looking for an investor, it was always an investor asking him. Everyone present were all smart, and no one would offend another just because of a glass of wine.

“Are you okay?” He tilted his head and looked at Su Shen. 

The latter opened her eyes slightly. When she saw the person who had been staring at her, she just shook her head and said, “I’m fine.” 

She was just a little dizzy and was definitely not drunk.

Seeing her speak in such a feeble state, Xie Yan frowned. Just as he was about to say something, another middle-aged man came over and reached out to put his hand on Su Shen’s shoulder, “Why is this beauty just sitting here? Come, let’s have a drink!” 

Seeing his tanned hand, Xie Yan immediately blocked his hand with a glass of wine, “She’s drunk, I’ll drink it for her.”

They were all men, and what Xie Yan’s action meant could be understood with a discerning eye at a glance. But they all kept it in their hearts. The man gave them a meaningful look and chuckled, “If she’s drunk, then forget about it. It’s not good for girls to drink too much.”   

Seeing that he returned to his seat, the others looked at He Hua cryptically, but the latter kept smiling and said nothing.

It was only Li Xue, who was on the other side, who couldn’t help but take another glance at them. She pursed her lips and a peculiar look flashed through her eyes. When another hand appeared on her thigh, she pushed it away with a smile, and then raised another toast to fob them off.

Su Shen felt that she was getting more and more dizzy, but she still forced herself to hold on and sit there. Looking at the others cheering and laughing, she only felt her vision becoming hazy.  

“Do you want to go home?” Xie Yan said while handing her a glass of water.

Su Shen held the glass of water and looked at Xie Yan blankly, “Is it okay?” 

Looking at her flushed and tipsy face, Xie Yan felt his throat tightened, but he still nodded and said to the producer, “We’ll go first.”

“Okay, okay.” The producer naturally agreed with a smile.

Liu jie, on the other hand, had to stay and continue to network. She originally wanted to send Su Shen out, but the latter clearly didn’t need anyone to support her as she walked out steadily. 

When she walked out of the hotel, a gust of cold wind hit her, which cleared Su Shen’s head a little bit. She waited by the road for a while until Xie Yan drove his car over; she then opened the passenger door and got in.   

As soon as she got in, she closed her eyes and rested while leaning against the seat. She only felt a little dizzy and was certain that she was not drunk.  

Noticing that she was reeking of alcohol, Xie Yan couldn’t help but frown, “Why did you drink so much?” 

Su Shen didn’t say anything. She just felt dizzy.

Seeing this, Xie Yan leaned over to help her fasten her seatbelt. The smell of alcohol was mixed with her unique scent. Her fair and tender hands were obediently placed on her legs. Xie Yan looked down and fastened her seatbelt with no more distractions. As soon as he looked up, he saw her slightly tipsy face. Just at this moment, she was slightly squinting as if she was looking at him. Her eyelashes trembled, and her pink lips were so close to him. He remembered that her lipstick was sweet. 

Xie Yan’s expression changed, and with a light cough, he sat back in his seat.

The atmosphere in the car suddenly became weird. With her eyes closed, Su Shen suddenly said softly, “Didn’t you say you wouldn’t film dramas?” 

Just when he was about to step on the gas pedal, he suddenly paused and turned around to see a flush on her fair face. She was quietly leaning against the seat, not one bit worried that he might do something to her. Xie Yan’s eyes darkened and suddenly leaned over and said in a low voice, “Why do you think I took on this drama?” 

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Drunk

Xie Yan: For Egg Noodle Soup, do you put eggs first or noodles?

Su Shen: “……”

She really wanted to laugh all of a sudden. He didn’t know anything, and still wanted to cook noodles all by himself? 

Su Shen: There’s no one else at home?

If there’s no one else, what does he usually eat then? Where’s Zhao Tong?

After a bit, he sent another message.

Xie Yan: The auntie’s on leave today. 

Su Shen was actually quite puzzled. Normally, people would have some food at home. Why did Xie Yan suddenly want to cook noodles by himself in the middle of the night? 

Su Shen: For a simple recipe, put oil in first but don’t heat it too much. Then, put in the water and once it boils, put the noodles in. If you want to eat a poached egg, crack it into the pot directly. If not, then crack it into a bowl and beat it evenly. When the noodles are almost done, pour the egg in and then add an appropriate amount of salt, sesame oil, and chicken bouillon if you want. You can then top it off with chopped green onions. That’s about it. 

After sending the message over, there was no new message from him. Su Shen went to take a shower to get ready for bed. When she came out, she noticed that he had sent a picture over. After looking at it for the longest time, she realized that he must’ve boiled the water dry, leaving a lump of sticky noodles behind.

Su Shen wanted to laugh so much; she typed a few words over. 

Su Shen: If you don’t know how to cook, eat something else for now. 

After sending it, the other party quickly responded. 

Xie Yan: So salty.

Su Shen: It’s like this for first timers. Don’t eat it anymore, eat something else. I’m going to bed, goodnight. 

She had to have dinner with the producer of the modern drama tomorrow. Without her sister this time, it was conceivable that she would be forced to drink again. 

After a while, he replied with an “en”. Su Shen then pulled up her comforter and went to sleep. 

The dinner was in the evening, but Su Shen had to go to the film studio with Liu jie at noon to sign the contract. When they arrived, the producer was still busy with other matters, so Su Shen waited there for a long time. 

“Hearing that Xie Yan’s going to be in it, this drama ended up attracting more investors. This producer’s probably even laughing in his dream now. Guess who’s the supporting female lead in this drama?” LIu jie whispered to her while sitting in the lounge. 

There was no third person in the lounge, and the door was closed. Su Shen blinked with curiosity, “Who?” 

Liu jie smiled meaningfully, “Li Xue.” 

Li Xue? 

Su Shen was shocked for a bit. Although Li Xue’s fame was not as high as that of Yang Zhi and the others, she was also a popular starlet with a strong prospect. In the past, even if she was the female lead of this drama, it was more than adequate. But now, she was willing to play as the supporting female lead? And to be a supporting role for her whose fame was not that high?

“I’ve told you that not only did this drama attract a lot of investors, but the other supporting actors are no small-fry either. Not to mention, the producer also forked out a lot of money to invite a lot of well-known veteran actors to be in it as well. Guess who the third supporting male lead is?” Liu jie smiled meaningfully. 

Su Shen didn’t say anything and merely looked at her with a frown. 

“It’s Luo Han.” Liu jie whispered, “Although I don’t know who the second supporting male lead is, he’s definitely not a newcomer.”

Luo Han was the male lead of her first web drama. His character was not bad, but he was just nodding acquaintances with the original Su Shen. Their relationship was not that good. He had strong prospects before and played supporting roles in several big productions. Su Shen didn’t expect that he would also be in this drama and didn’t know what to say momentarily. 

“Wasn’t Yang Zhi adamant about it before? Why did she suddenly yield?” Su Shen asked somewhat curiously. 

Hearing this, Liu jie sneered, “It’s not the first time you know about the power dynamics in this industry. Look at how this producer is making us wait for so long, if it was Xie Yan, do you think he would let him wait for this long? I heard that Xie Yan’s agent said that Xie Yan didn’t like to act with strangers, so that’s why he recommended you. Else, who doesn’t want to choose Yang Zhi?” 

Su Shen could imagine that. The reason why Li Xue was willing to be in this drama was definitely because she thought her acting was poor and that she could overwhelm her. After all, this was Xie Yan’s first drama and with this lineup, as long as the script was not horrible, the ratings wouldn’t be too bad either. 

Just at this moment, a staff member suddenly came in and said that the producer was free. Liu jie then led her to the neighboring office.

It could be seen that this producer didn’t like her, but he didn’t say anything on the surface. It was just that the terms of the contract were very harsh. Currently, the scripts handed to her were about ¥100,000 per episode, with the highest being ¥ 200,000 per episode. But it was just ¥ 50,000 per episode in this contract and that the script would frequently be revised, so actors must unconditionally film according to the script. The treatment of other things was also very poor. It was conceivable that Li Xue was probably treated better than her—the female lead. 

“Look Producer Luo, we have no qualms about the remuneration. But for the poster, both Su Shen and Li Xue are standing at one side. Isn’t this a bit wrong? This shouldn’t be a drama with two heroines, shouldn’t Li Xue’s position be moved to the back a little? And for the opening of the OST to also show Li Xue, doesn’t this seem wrong?” Liu jie sat there smiling while looking at the bald producer. 

Crossing his arms at the table, the latter sighed helplessly, “I understand what you’re saying, but you also know that Su Shen’s not as famous as Li Xue. If it’s not like this, we’ll be attacked by her fans. We have no choice either.” 

“Then we really need to think it over carefully about this drama. If we cannot compare, what’s the point of acting in it?” Liu jie laughed and looked as if she was about to stand up.   

Seeing this, the producer frowned and waved his hand, “Don’t worry, the matter is still negotiable. When our production crew promotes, Su Shen’s name will definitely be at the front. For the poster, everyone knows that being placed on the left signifies the most importance, and Su Shen’s name will certainly be on the left. Furthermore, Su Shen will definitely be posing with Xie Yan. This will clearly show who the heroine is, even if Li Xue’s standing on the side, everyone will know that she is the supporting female lead.” 

After saying that, he continued, “Moreover, we never alter the scenes of the heroine. You guys also know that the mood of the drama is relatively light, so the audience will definitely know who the female lead is at a glance.” 

This kind of person was usually adaptable and two-faced. Who knew what he would do after, especially when the contract stated to unconditionally follow the revising of the script; who knew what kind of changes he would conjure up?

“Okay, but you guys have to ensure that for future promotions, even if they are side by side, Su Shen’s name will be placed on the left. Additionally, the quality of Su Shen’s costumes and makeup cannot be inferior to Li Xue’s, otherwise the results would not be great. It would also lower the level of this drama, no?” Liu jie said with a smile.

After pondering for a bit, the producer nodded and then asked the legal department to add a few more clauses to the contract. 

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She stayed at home for another day. When she went back to set the next day, Su Shen heard another news. It turned out that Jiang Yin didn’t want to film the bed scene with Zhu Qinqin and was dissatisfied with the following script. Clearly, he didn’t want to be a scumbag either. 

It was said that both sides were still negotiating, but this did not concern Su Shen. Her role was still little, with four or five scenes a day. When the reporters finally came to visit, she just finished filming her last scene of the day.

“Su jie, a reporter said they want to give you an exclusive interview.” Just at this moment, Xiao Zhou ran over with a bottle of water.

Su Shen took a sip of water, then walked over to the dressing room and asked Xiao Zhou to bring the reporter over. 

This was an entertainment reporter from a video streaming website. Unlike her sister’s website, this website was a leading domestic figurehead. Over the years, it has produced many popular web dramas and earned a great deal of money. Many TV dramas and movies would be broadcasted on their site as well. It was just an exclusive interview. It was not bad to build a good relationship with them. 

When the female reporter and cameraman came in and saw that she was having lunch, they greeted her with a smile and said that they only need 10 minutes of her time. Su Shen naturally agreed with a smile.

After adjusting the angle of the camera and filming began, Su Shen smiled and said toward the camera, “Hi Panda TV, I’m Su Shen.” 

After she finished speaking, the female reporter glanced at her lunch, “Su Shen, are you usually afraid of eating too much and gaining weight?” 

Just at this moment, the camera was also aimed at her lunch box—three dishes and a soup were normal. 

“Yes, so I will usually eat something good then eat something light. But I’m still okay, even if I gain weight, I won’t gain a lot. But you know, there’s no girl who doesn’t want to be more fit.” Su Shen couldn’t help laughing.

The female reporter also laughed in rapport, “That’s true. This is your first time working with Jiang Yin, how’s the rapport between you two?”

Seeing that she finally asked the real question, Su Shen replied with a smile, “It’s good, he works well with the others too.” 

“There was a picture of you guys having dinner together online, do you guys have a good relationship in private?” The female reporter continued asking. 

Su Shen blinked and paused for a second before saying, “We’re great friends. That day, I heard that the food from that restaurant was good, so we went and had dinner together.” 

Female Reporter: “Then, is there any possibility for you guys to develop into something more?” 

“We are just good friends.” She said unwittingly. 

Hearing this, the female reporter looked a little disappointed, as if she didn’t achieve a satisfactory answer. She didn’t expect that Su Shen would rush to clarify either. Then, she asked a few more questions and Su Shen answered them very strategically. As soon as time was up, the female reporter and cameraman left.   

Su Shen leaned on the sofa and rested for a while. Since she had no more scenes in the afternoon, she changed her clothes and returned back to her condo.  

As expected, Liu jie called again at night. 

“Didn’t I tell you to answer euphemistically? Why did you clarify immediately?” Liu jie’s voice was full of questioning.   

Leaning against the sofa and biting into an apple, Su Shen didn’t know why she clarified it so suddenly either. Perhaps it was done subconsciously. 

“It’s the first time I’ve dealt with this kind of thing, so it’s normal for me to say something wrong. You think I’m one of those diplomats who won’t leak anything every time I speak?” Su Shen said, imitating the tone of the original Su Shen. 

Liu jie on the other end was so angry that no words could come out. She thought that this heiress’ temper had changed, but she was still the same!  

“Okay, okay, it’s fine. Anyways, as long as you still don’t have a boyfriend, you guys’ cp fans won’t disperse. As for Jiang Yin’s side, I’ll go and explain. I don’t care if you did it on purpose or not, but you can’t talk nonsense henceforth!” Liu jie said with compromise. 

If it had been before, Liu jie definitely would not have dropped the matter so easily. It was just that she and Xie Yan would start filming soon, and the cp with Jiang Yin would not last long. It was fine if it was broken now, since the clout from the hype before had already been achieved.  

Su Shen, however, would not admit that she had said it on purpose. After saying a few equivocal words, she hung up the phone. 

When she was scrolling through her phone, she found that her interview today was trending. 

Netizen A: Hehe, Miss Su really knows how to get rid of someone as soon as they have done their job. She’s even worse than Mu Yao!

Netizen B: These antis are hilarious. If Su Shen just wants to hype, she can wait for the drama to finish airing before clarifying. Moreover, Jiang Yin hadn’t said a word before. Why didn’t he come out and clarify? To let Su Shen be attacked by his diehard fans for so long, why not say he’s the one who wants to hype! 

Netizen C: This scheming b***h’s fans are hilarious. My hubby needs to hype with a D-lister to get noticed? 

Netizen D: D-lister? Does this anti have some misunderstanding of the meaning behind “D-lister”? Which D-lister’s first leading role in a web drama has more than five billion views? Which D-lister’s first movie was directed by a famous director? As far as I know, Jiang Yin’s first movie flopped like a motherf***er. [smiley face]

Netizen E: If the woman did not clarify, did the man plan to continue like this? And let the woman be attacked by his diehard fans? Even an ordinary friend wouldn’t be so irresponsible, would he? 

Netizen F: This b***h’s water army is here to wash the floor away again. Couldn’t help it, after all, she’s rich. We simply cannot compare! Lemme take our Jiang Yin away! 

With the increase in exposure, Su Shen found that her fans increased more and more. If it was before, she would definitely be suppressed and attacked maliciously. But now, she could actually fight back. No wonder so many people hyped to attract attention. 

After scrolling through the comments, just when Su Shen was about to ask Liu jie whether she had apologized to Jiang Yin’s side yet, since she did violate the agreement first, her phone suddenly sounded; Xie Yan had suddenly sent her a message. 

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Clarification

Hearing this, Su Shen fell silent. Although Liu jie didn’t say anything, she could imagine that something must have happened for her to be able to tear this piece of meat from Yang Zhi.  

“I’ll be frank with you, and you can probably guess it too, this was the work of Xie Yan’s agent. But don’t tell me that because of this, you won’t shoot the drama anymore?” Liu jie said. 

Looking at the flowers in the garden, Su Shen couldn’t help but leaned forward and leaned against the railing with her elbow, “Why won’t I?” 

This drama originally casted her, it was just that Xie Yan got added at the last minute. 

Upon hearing that, Liu jie on the other end breathed a sigh of relief, “That’s good. I don’t want to say anything more, you can handle it yourself. Additionally, when you return to set tomorrow, there will be reporters visiting. If a reporter asks about your relationship with Jiang Yin, you can just say you are good friends, but don’t say that it is completely impossible, just let others guess. Once the drama finishes airing, you can then clarify.”  

“What about the bad news?” Su Shen suddenly asked.

Liu jie: “The bad news is that the movie you filmed is about to be sent for censorship review, and it seems that your scenes have been cut a lot.” 

Hearing this, Su Shen didn’t even have to think to know what happened. It must be Fan Meng. After all, the main producer was her relative, so how could she watch her steal her thunder? 

“I have contacted the production crew, but it’s useless. The other party just said that some of your scenes must be edited out because of the plot, but you and I know the reason and it’s whatever with the others. It’s just that the main producer is still the biggest investor, it’s useless even telling your sister.” Liu jie said helplessly. 

In the entertainment industry, this kind of thing was all too common, so it was difficult to go on without connections. Even if she did have connections, she was still helpless in many cases. 

“You can only eat this loss right now, and when you can stand tall and strong in the future, you can step down on her!” Liu jie said earnestly. 

“I understand.” Su Shen was not very angry.

As a powerless daughter of a concubine in her previous life, the bullying and humiliation that she suffered were unimaginable. When she was little, even a servant girl would dare to steal her food and hit her; Su Shen endured it. As she grew up, her looks became more prominent, and she slowly entered her Grandmother’s eyes. She then seized every opportunity to please her Grandmother and lowered herself to be the lowest in front of the Madame. 

Finally, at her best efforts, she was able to follow the Madame to the palace to attend the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet because her di sister could not attend. The Madame could not bear for the other di daughter of the manor to be in the limelight, so she had no choice but to send her out to present a birthday congratulatory dance to the Empress Dowager. At that time, because the Empress Dowager praised her, her status in the manor also rose. For the consort selection of the Crown Prince, the Emperor chose her di sister as the Crown Princess and perhaps, the Empress thought that she was more obedient than her di sister, she chose her to be the cefei* for the Crown Prince. At that time, it made the Madame so angry that she wanted to give her sterilization powder. Fortunately, she had been prepared. As for the servants that bullied her, they were naturally punished by her.

cefei – concubine for an imperial prince

From her experiences in her previous life, what Su Shen learned the most was endurance. She could not do anything to Fan Meng right now, but it didn’t mean that she couldn’t do anything in the future.  

“Ok, it’s good that you understand. Remember to go back to set tomorrow, I’ll hang up then since I still have something else to do.”

After Liu jie finished speaking, Su Shen hung up the phone with an “en” and stood outside for a while before she walked back into the living room. 

Just at this time, dinner was ready. After everyone got seated, they started chatting about daily life. 

“Hao Zhi, you’ve been abroad for so many years, do you have a girlfriend yet?” Mama Su smilingly looked at Tan Haozhi who was eating. 

Su Shen almost choked on a mouthful of soup, while Papa Tan over there took a sip of his wine and said with a smile, “This kid is either studying or working, so busy to the point that his figure can’t even be seen all day. How can he have the time to have a girlfriend?” 

It was common for elders to chat about this kind of topic. Su Shen was so awkward that she didn’t even dare to look up. Tan Haozhi just smiled politely and did not say anything.

Fortunately, Mama Su only asked one question and then turned to other topics. When dinner was over, she had her send them off. Su Shen had no other choice but to send them off and then come back. Mama Su was already leaning against the sofa reading a magazine leisurely. 

“Mom, can you stop asking such embarrassing questions in the future? What will others think?” With a frown, Su Shen sat down on the sofa and placed a throw pillow into her arms.

“What do you mean? Aren’t I doing it for your own good?” Mama Su glanced at her while leaning on the sofa, reading a magazine, “Didn’t you like your Hao Zhi gege a lot before? What, you got enchanted by those xiao xian rou as soon as you entered the entertainment industry?”  

Seeing that she was getting more and more ridiculous, Su Shen rolled on the sofa with a throw pillow in her arms, “Stop, that’s all in the past. Who didn’t have a crush when they were young? Now that I’m grown up, I just want to focus on my career. You don’t have to worry about this matter anymore.” 

“I’m warning you, you can’t bring back a boyfriend from the entertainment industry plagued with scandals. That… Jiang Yin, he would kiss those actresses as soon as filming started. Whoever is his girlfriend, how big of a heart do they must have? If you dare to find someone like this to bring back home, let’s see if your Dad will break your legs!” Mama Su closed the magazine and suddenly got up and went upstairs.  

Su Shen: “……”

Hence why she also didn’t want to find someone from the entertainment industry. As for Tan Haozhi, forget it, she was not the original Su Shen. 

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