A Max-Level Film Queen Takes on the Scumbag Alpha Script [Transmigration] - Chapter 4

He Yingying was a loyal fan of Shining 404.

She adored an idol in the show named Lin Yiqiu and had never missed a single episode of the live broadcasts. However, in the previous “32-to-20” team battle, her idol had slipped on a mysterious puddle of water and fallen right on stage.

Fortunately, Lin Yiqiu’s injury wasn’t severe, and she successfully advanced, but Yingying had still spent several days cursing out the production crew.

At the time, rumors circulated that Jiang Baihe—who already had a terrible reputation—had intentionally sabotaged her teammate. In a fit of rage, Yingying had joined the netizens in bashing Jiang Baihe, but she quickly cooled down. She was usually a rational person who didn’t participate in topics without evidence, but this time she had been truly blinded by anger.

Once she took a closer look, she realized the so-called “evidence” of Jiang Baihe hiring a hitman was completely flimsy. She immediately posted an apology under Jiang Baihe’s Weibo.

Sure enough, before today’s competition even started, the production crew and Sihai Entertainment jointly released the investigation results. It proved everything had been done by another member and had nothing to do with Jiang Baihe.

Thank goodness I woke up early, Yingying thought, otherwise, I would have become a weapon in someone else’s hand!

After sitting in front of her computer for two hours, Yingying saw that it was finally time for the last contestant to take the stage. She hurried to the bathroom for a quick break. When she came out, she found her two roommates crowded around her computer. One of them waved at her excitedly:

“Whoa! Yingying, is this the show you’ve been following? This girl is so Alpha! Is she that Lin… Lin-whatever? Ugh, never mind, I’m obsessed! This sword dance is incredible!”

“What? What happened?”

Yingying sprinted back to her seat. Her idol had finished performing ages ago. Wasn’t the last contestant Jiang Baihe—the one who couldn’t sing or dance to save her life?

As soon as she sat down, she saw the girl in red on the screen. Following the sudden acceleration of the music, the girl’s movements became sharp and lightning-fast.

“Holy cow! She just leaped!”

“A side flip! Beautiful! Wait, she landed and went straight into a triple spin? Isn’t she dizzy?”

“A backbend! Look at that waist, hehehe…”

“Move! Get your thirsty eyes out of the way, you’re blocking my view of the Goddess!”

Listening to her roommates bicker behind her while watching Jiang Baihe’s flawless performance, Yingying had only one thought:

Is this a deepfake?!

Anyone who followed this show knew Jiang Baihe was tone-deaf and had two left feet! How did she become this powerful in just a few days?

Yingying wasn’t the only one thinking this. The live chat went into a total meltdown. Question marks flooded the screen as people suspected a body double. However, as the camera provided several high-definition close-ups of her face during the difficult moves, the skepticism slowly died down.

As the performance reached its climax, the roommates and Yingying fell silent. They had been completely pulled into the story by Jiang Baihe’s stage presence. Farewell My Concubine was, after all, a tragedy.

In the silence, Yingying suddenly clutched her chest and murmured, “These are just common dance moves, so why do I feel so heartbroken watching this…”

Meanwhile, on the 42nd floor of the Sihai Building, the lights were still burning bright.

Several secretaries were working overtime. Jin Wen had just finished discussing the legal follow-up for the trending scandal with the legal department. Now that she was free, she stretched at her desk.

The company hadn’t originally planned to take legal action against those bloggers. In the entertainment industry, blacklisting and being blacklisted are common; pursuing a lawsuit is a tedious and expensive process. Usually, a lawyer’s letter is enough to make the other party back down.

But Jin Wen didn’t know what kind of “pillow talk” Jiang Baihe had whispered to President Yan to get her to personally order a real crackdown.

Driven by a strange curiosity, Jin Wen opened her phone to the Shining 404 live stream. As luck would have it, she saw Jiang Baihe preparing to perform. Sensing something unexpected was about to happen based on Jiang Baihe’s aura, she jumped up and ran to Yan Shu’s office. After a quick knock, she marched in.

“President Yan, Miss Jiang is about to perform!”

The moment the words left her mouth, Jin Wen regretted it. What am I doing? she thought. It’s just a performance. Since when does President Yan… care…

She watched as Yan Shu reached out and took the phone from her hand. Jin Wen stood there blankly, her hand still extended.

Yan Shu looked at her secretary’s odd expression, then hesitated for a second. “Um… want to watch together?”

Jin Wen: “???”

President Yan! My dear President Yan! So you really DO want to watch her?! What kind of love potion did she give you?!

Unaware of Jin Wen’s internal crisis, Yan Shu watched the red dress fluttering on the screen. She suddenly remembered those bright red cherries on the strawberry cake from a few days ago—sweet and fragrant. Her fingers curled slightly. She didn’t speak, but a thought crossed her mind:

I suddenly really want some strawberry cake.

Jiang Baihe was oblivious to the audience or Yan Shu; she was completely immersed in the music.

This sword dance was something she had learned before transmigrating for a historical film where she played a tragic but free-spirited opera performer. The director had replaced the traditional soft opera movements with a tragic sword dance to fit the character’s personality. Back then, Jiang Baihe had practiced for over half a month under a professional instructor to master it.

Reclaiming those skills in this new body hadn’t been easy. She had practiced frantically for three days to simplify and reintegrate the moves.

Her red skirt rose and fell with her movements; the sword in her hand was both sharp and elegant. Her eyes, shimmering like water, held a thousand emotions, stunning everyone in attendance. She might be lacking in pure “idol” singing and dancing, but she was a master of empathy. She used her acting skills to pull the audience into the “play.”

What was Yu Ji thinking before her suicide? Did the Hegemon of Chu regret his choices? She didn’t know for certain, but she interpreted the emotions through her own lens.

Suddenly, Yan Shu’s face flashed through her mind. She couldn’t help but think: If I were the Hegemon and Yan Shu were my Yu Ji, watching her die before me… my heart would surely break.

…Wait! What am I thinking?! This is a competition!

The sudden distraction caused her to nearly twist her ankle. Fortunately, she recovered instantly, turning the stumble into a complex and beautiful “sword flower” flourish. She peeked at the judges. Good, it looks like nobody noticed the mistake.

Finally, as the song ended, Jiang Baihe followed the tragic theme and “ended her life” with the prop sword. She slowly collapsed in the center of the stage. The director gave her a top-down long shot, capturing the “death” of the lady in red scattered across the stage—a scene both miserable and breathtaking.

The judges’ table was silent for a long time. Suddenly, a female mentor stood up and began to clap vigorously. The audience, who had been dazed since the start, snapped out of it and joined in. The applause was thunderous.

Jiang Baihe rose, bowed politely, and was led backstage. In fifteen minutes, the final vote count would reveal the Top 12.

As she entered the backstage area, she was bombarded with praise from other contestants—some sincere, some faked. She thanked them all and headed to her dressing room to remove her accessories.

The moment she opened the door, two figures lunged at her. Startled, Jiang Baihe thought they were sasaeng (stalker) fans and almost threw a punch. Luckily, she spotted a familiar head of blonde hair and stopped just in time.

“Waaaaah! My baby! That was the most beautiful comeback battle ever!”

“Sister Baihe! You were incredible! I was actually moved to tears!”

Squeezed in a hug between Song Jia and Xiao Xu, Jiang Baihe endured their “rainbow farts” (extravagant praise) and laughed. “Hey, hey, calm down! Let go, or I’m going to fall over! I think I pulled a tendon during one of those jumps…”

The two panicked and helped her into a chair. After a careful inspection, there was no swelling. Jiang Baihe didn’t take it to heart; she had suffered much worse injuries in her previous life. But Song Jia and Xiao Xu insisted on getting a sprain spray. Only after Jiang Baihe was thoroughly treated did they let her go.

The concern left Jiang Baihe feeling a mix of amusement and genuine warmth.

Returning to the stage, the twenty girls stood together for the results. The vote counters flickered on the giant screen. Knowing her own technical flaws, Jiang Baihe didn’t expect to make the Top 12. But she was curious to see where she landed on her own merit.

When the numbers stopped, she counted. She was shocked to find she was ranked 13th!

She had missed the Top 12 by just one spot!

Not only did the mentors encourage her, but even many viewers who used to bash her had voted for her. Meanwhile, Li Ran—previously a fan favorite—had plummeted to the very bottom due to her scandal and mistakes on stage. She was eliminated.

Confetti cannons fired, sending colorful ribbons into the air for the new Top 12. Jiang Baihe sincerely congratulated those around her while secretly breathing a sigh of relief.

For her, this survival show was finally over.

Later, after removing her makeup and saying her goodbyes, she headed for the VIP exit with Song Jia. Xiao Xu had gone to the garage to get the car.

“What a pity! We were so close to advancing!” Song Jia lamented.

“But the goal was to not advance,” Jiang Baihe rubbed her nose. “If you asked me to do another dance like that, I’d probably just drop dead on the spot.”

She had chosen the sword dance because she had experience with it and knew it would be a surprising, high-quality way to exit with dignity. If she had tried hip-hop, she’d be fighting Li Ran for last place.

As the two joked around and prepared to get into the car, a voice called out from the shadows of the exit:

“Please, w-wait a moment!”