After Flirting with the Wrong Stand-in, I Overturned (GL) - Chapter 14

“I… I won’t let Miss Ren down,” Lin Shuyan promised nervously. If she were standing in front of Ren Xuan, Lin Shuyan would definitely have her head lowered, not daring to look into her eyes. Fortunately, Miss Ren wasn’t there; Lin Shuyan let out a long sigh of relief.

“Mhm,” Ren Xuan responded softly. She knew, and she had always believed. “Have you told Auntie Lin the news?” Ren Xuan asked.

“…Not yet.” Lin Shuyan hesitated. “Should I tell her? I was planning to visit her after I signed the contract.”

“Telling her in person is good, too,” Ren Xuan agreed. “Auntie Lin will be happy.”

“Okay.” The first person Lin Shuyan had thought of was Ren Xuan. She had considered telling Auntie Lin An as well, but then she thought that since Lin An had been in the industry for so many years, signing with Sheng Huang probably wouldn’t stir a single ripple in her heart. If she brought it up herself, it might seem like she was bragging or being conceited.

Sheng Huang Entertainment was very efficient. From the time Lin Shuyan received the contract to the signing, only three days had passed. The contract had been sent to Zhang Shaoyuan beforehand, and there were no issues.

“Welcome to Sheng Huang Entertainment.” The company’s boss, Zhou Meng, was in her thirties—shrewd and capable. She extended her hand in a friendly gesture to Lin Shuyan and the other newcomers.

“Hello, Boss Zhou.” This time, she didn’t get the title wrong. Lin Shuyan shook her hand.

“Let me introduce your manager, Zheng Qing.” Zhou Meng turned slightly. Lin Shuyan had noticed this elegant woman the moment she stepped into the office. She wasn’t tall, wore exquisite and professional makeup, and had piercing, spirited eyes. She was a completely different type of manager compared to Zhao Meili.

The other signees stepped forward to greet her, and Lin Shuyan followed a step behind.

“Manager Zheng will be in full charge of your affairs from now on. If you have any problems, go to her. By the way, you can go and familiarize yourselves with the company environment first. Have a look around,” Zhou Meng suggested.

Lin Shuyan and the others exchanged a few more words and then went out to tour the company. This time, Sheng Huang had signed four people: two men and two women. Walking side-by-side, Lin Shuyan turned and realized the girl next to her looked familiar.

The girl noticed Lin Shuyan too. Even though they were face-to-face, she waved. “It’s you! What a coincidence.” It was the girl she had bumped into that day.

“Mhm.” Facing the girl’s enthusiasm, Lin Shuyan simply nodded.

“We’re colleagues now, let’s get to know each other. I’m Song Tang, Tang as in candy.”

“Lin Shuyan.”

“Shuyan? Which characters?”

“…The Shu from ‘unslackened dealings’ and the Yan from ‘pleasant talk and laughter’.” Lin Shuyan stiffly recited the origins of her name.

Song Tang didn’t quite catch it, scratched her head, and smiled sheepishly. “How about I just look at your signature later?”

“Oh, so it’s those characters! Your parents are so literary. I got this name because my mom always craved candy when she was pregnant. My dad bought it so many times he said he became a ‘candy delivery man’ (Song Tang), so I was named Song Tang.”

“I don’t have parents,” Lin Shuyan corrected her seriously, her dark eyes devoid of humor.

“I’m so sorry, I…” Song Tang hurriedly slapped her own mouth. Lin Shuyan had already started walking ahead. “You didn’t know.”

“Right,” Song Tang thought, but after two steps she stopped, feeling something wasn’t quite right. She was a straightforward person, and seeing Lin Shuyan walking away, she quickly caught up.

Sheng Huang Entertainment occupied an entire building. Lin Shuyan and Song Tang didn’t finish exploring the whole place before Zheng Qing called the two of them into the office to explain a few things.

“Where do you two live? How is the privacy?”

“Building 6, Room 502, Yangguang Community, Fuxi Road,” Song Tang answered quickly. “Sister Zheng, I’m not famous yet. I don’t need to worry about privacy, do I?”

“Preparation is key.” Zheng Qing made a note and then gestured to Lin Shuyan. When she heard the long address Lin Shuyan provided, she frowned. “You live that far away?”

“The commute time is so long…”

“I can arrive on time,” Lin Shuyan said immediately. The rent there was cheap, so naturally, it was far.

“I’m not worried about that.” Zheng Qing shook her head. “Being on time is a prerequisite for a professional. I’m just wondering, with a nearly two-hour commute every day, do you get enough sleep?”

“I can manage,” Lin Shuyan promised. She had stayed at Xingyu for four years, leaving early and returning late. Only recently, while studying at Auntie Lin An’s house, had Miss Ren arranged for a driver. She was used to the trek between the city and the outskirts.

“Let’s leave it for now,” Zheng Qing nodded. “We’ll see based on your situation later.” Most of the time would be spent filming on location anyway, so residence wasn’t that important; the main concern was privacy.

“This is the work for you two. Filming for this drama starts in a month. During this time, prepare well at home; you don’t need to come to the company.”

“Sister… Sister Zheng, we get to film right away?” Song Tang’s hands trembled as she opened the script. She had only played tiny roles in film cities before—Extra A or Extra B—at most a ten-minute role.

“What else were you planning to do?” Zheng Qing asked amusingly.

“The script used for recruitment is for the roles you’ll be playing. The male and female leads were decided long ago and have already undergone some training. You don’t have much time; go back and polish the script well. Take a good look.”

“I’m playing the Junior Sister. Shuyan, you are… the Eldest Senior Sister!”

“Mhm.” Lin Shuyan nodded. “Sister Zheng, I’ll prepare well.”

“I will too.” Song Tang wiped the joy from her face and stood up straight.

“I’ve seen your previous resumes. Strictly speaking, you aren’t newcomers. You surely have your own way of acting. I don’t have any better suggestions, but there are many books on acting in the company you can refer to.”

Lin Shuyan nodded repeatedly. She’s quite steady, Zheng Qing thought. Since the director had personally scouted her, her acting was likely something she didn’t need to worry much about.

The day after signing the contract, Lin Shuyan carefully chose her outfit and tidied herself up before knocking on Lin An’s door. The helper was already an acquaintance. “Miss Lin, you’re here! That company of yours… did you sign?”

“I signed.”

“That’s good! Does that mean you found a job?” The helper was genuinely happy for her and led Lin Shuyan to the backyard. Lin An was sitting in the courtyard, soaking up the sun.

As Lin Shuyan walked toward her, she suddenly caught sight of someone and stopped in her tracks. Seeing her stop, the helper looked at the courtyard again. “Oh, right, Miss Lin, I forgot to tell you—Miss Ren has been here for an hour.”

“Miss Ren hasn’t been over for a while,” the helper chatted to herself. “She’s having a great talk with the Madam right now.”

Ren Xuan hadn’t been to the Lin house for ten days.

After introducing Lin Shuyan to the house, Ren Xuan had accompanied her for the first three days. While Lin Shuyan listened to Auntie Lin An’s lessons in the room, Ren Xuan would sit outside the window reading a book. Sunlight would filter through the leaves, occasionally casting stray beams on her; Lin Shuyan had seen this while bringing her water.

After those three days, Ren Xuan only came by occasionally—sometimes every other day, sometimes every two days. During Shuyan’s audition period, Ren Xuan was very busy. All in all, she hadn’t seen Ren Xuan for ten days, and Ren Xuan hadn’t visited the Lin house for ten days either.

The Ren family driver was very punctual. Although Lin Shuyan had said many times that she didn’t need a ride, he always said the same thing: “It’s arranged by Miss Ren. I get paid to do a job. Miss Lin, don’t say ‘thank you’.”

So, Miss Ren was here today too.

Lin Shuyan walked quickly toward the two people in the courtyard; the driver hadn’t told her earlier.