After Transmigrating As The Film Empress Sister’s Kept Alpha - Chapter 4

While having her makeup done, Shen Yishu searched online for information about the novel The Golden Hairpin.

As a revenge power-fantasy novel, the original work had an excellent reputation. It ranked first among Green River’s annual feel-good revenge stories, became a massive mainstream hit, and received countless high ratings from readers who wept throughout the comment section.

While browsing discussions on the Big-Eyed App, Shen Yishu discovered that many of Ji Xiangyu’s fans did not support her decision to accept The Golden Hairpin.

Their reason was simple: they believed Ji Xiangyu should take on deeper, more meaningful scripts rather than consume her fame by filming a commercial IP adaptation for money.

The original novel’s readers held the opposite opinion.

A considerable number of them believed Ji Xiangyu’s temperament suited Zhou Yi, especially the calculating and composed Zhou Yi from the latter half of the story. Moreover, as long as Ji Xiangyu’s name was attached to the production, the drama was unlikely to fail, so most of them were overjoyed.

Still somewhat curious, Shen Yishu searched an online encyclopedia for a summary of the original story.

The Golden Hairpin told the story of Zhou Yi, the only daughter of the prestigious Zhou family in the capital of the Great Xia Dynasty, who entrusted her heart to the wrong person.

She fell in love with her childhood sweetheart, Li Jin, the deposed Crown Princess.

The Zhou family devoted all their strength to helping Li Jin ascend the throne, solely so Zhou Yi could become empress and live the rest of her life without worry.

When they were young, Li Jin promised that Zhou Yi would be the only person in her life.

However, several years after successfully ascending the throne, Li Jin brought back a distant cousin named Li Yu and made her a consort.

Later, Li Jin accused the Zhou family of harboring rebellious intentions, confiscated their property, exiled them, and placed Zhou Yi under house arrest.

Li Jin was by no means a benevolent ruler.

She was cruel by nature, excessively indulgent, and fond of abusing brutal punishments. Everyone in the imperial court suffered under her rule, yet no one dared to voice their anger.

When severe flooding struck Jiangnan, Li Jin not only refused to open the national treasury to provide disaster relief, but also spent an enormous amount of money holding extravagant banquets inside the palace.

Not long after one such banquet, Zhou Yi invited Li Jin to meet beneath the moon under the pretense of reminiscing about their former relationship.

She then drugged Li Jin unconscious and imprisoned her.

Ji Mu, the newly transferred commander of the Imperial Guard, had secretly loved Zhou Yi for many years. Faced with a choice between imperial authority and justice, she defected to the female lead’s side.

Li Yu, Li Jin’s distant cousin, also chose to support Zhou Yi because of Ji Mu.

Zhou Yi began ruling from behind a curtain.

Despite widespread opposition, she handled the affairs of state in an orderly manner and later ascended the throne with Ji Mu’s support.

Throughout her reign, Zhou Yi never gave Ji Mu an official status.

Nevertheless, Ji Mu continued to support every decision Zhou Yi made without condition. She devised strategies for her, went to war on her behalf, and killed their enemies.

They were lovers, but even more than that, they were soulmates.

As for Li Jin, she gradually lost her sanity while under house arrest.

In the end, after watching Zhou Yi ascend the throne with her own eyes, she killed herself by smashing her head against a pillar.

After finishing the summary, Shen Yishu fell silent.

Who would have thought?

She had transmigrated into a novel as a scumbag Alpha, only to accept a role as a scumbag empress.

The word “scumbag” truly ran through every aspect of her life.

No wonder the director had agreed to let her join the cast despite Ji Xiangyu being part of the production.

A scumbag playing a scumbag—clearly, the director believed Shen Yishu was perfectly suited to the role.

“Scene one, begin!”

By the time Shen Yishu came out, Ji Xiangyu had already entered character.

This scene depicted Zhou Yi confessing her feelings for Li Jin to her family.

She wore a plain-colored robe, her black hair cascading like a waterfall, with half of it secured by a simple wooden hairpin.

Women in the Great Xia Dynasty could become officials or even emperors.

Zhou Yi had originally been raised by her family to enter government service. However, Crown Princess Li Jin was deposed because of her mother consort. When she was forced to leave the palace, she clung to Zhou Yi and tearfully begged her for help.

Zhou Yi’s heart softened, and she decided to seek assistance from her father.

Whenever Ji Xiangyu was not acting, her presence was extremely sharp.

She radiated an unapproachable air—proud, cold, and breathtakingly beautiful, like the distant moon in the heavens that could only be admired up close through its reflection in water.

The moment she entered character, however, that aloof arrogance was completely restrained.

All that remained was the pride and integrity of a scholar.

Like the wooden hairpin in her hair, she gathered every trace of her presence inward. She appeared warm and refined like polished jade, yet would rather break than bend.

“Father.”

Zhou Yi stepped over the threshold and softly addressed the middle-aged man seated inside drinking tea.

“Your daughter wishes to discuss something with you.”

Father Zhou placed his teacup on the wooden table.

The bottom of the cup struck the saucer with a crisp sound.

“If this concerns the former Crown Princess, there is no need to mention it again.”

Zhou Yi pressed her lips together and remained silent for two seconds before slowly speaking.

“Your daughter asks only to marry Li Jin. From that point onward, I will bear all consequences myself.”

Shen Yishu moved a small stool beside the director and sat down with one leg crossed over the other.

She held the script in one hand and rested her chin on the other, staring motionlessly at Ji Xiangyu.

“I spent so many years painstakingly teaching you, and this is how you repay me—by using your future to threaten your own father?”

Father Zhou violently threw the teacup to the floor.

It shattered into pieces, and tea leaves scattered outward with the spilled liquid.

Just like the Zhou family ten years later—torn apart and scattered in every direction.

Zhou Yi lowered her head.

Knowing she was in the wrong, she nevertheless refused to yield.

“Your daughter did no such thing.”

Father Zhou stood with his hands behind his back, delivered a harsh command, and walked away.

“Go outside and kneel. Come find me only when you’ve come to your senses!”

Shen Yishu felt deeply shaken.

She was beginning to understand why Ji Xiangyu’s fans wanted her to take more substantial roles.

The Golden Hairpin was not bad, but it was unlikely to win awards. With Ji Xiangyu’s talent, she deserved characters of greater depth.

Still, everyone worked to earn money.

Shen Yishu saw nothing wrong with Ji Xiangyu’s decision. Whether someone used their talent to make money or pursue a dream, neither choice was wrong.

Besides…

Shen Yishu looked at Ji Xiangyu as she rose to move to another location and kneel.

Their eyes happened to meet.

Because of the scene she had just performed, Ji Xiangyu’s eyes were faintly red, making her appear heartbreakingly vulnerable.

Her thin lips were pressed together, revealing a trace of stubbornness. Her jawline tapered delicately, naturally giving her an aloof and elegant appearance.

Shen Yishu could not help marveling inwardly.

With a face like that, merely appearing on-screen was already a gift to viewers, especially when her acting skills were this exceptional.

Ji Xiangyu seemed not to have expected to meet Shen Yishu’s gaze so directly.

A trace of surprise too faint to capture flashed across her face. The rigid line of her lips softened into a slight curve, and she changed from Zhou Yi back into Ji Xiangyu.

The instant the camera turned toward her, she had already adjusted.

When her face appeared on-screen again, she had become Zhou Yi once more.

According to the script, the next scene would take place in the rain.

The crew carried over several high-pressure water hoses in preparation for creating artificial rainfall.

Shen Yishu suddenly thought of something.

She called Zhu Li over and whispered a few instructions. Zhu Li nodded and hurried out of the set.

Coincidentally, the sky was overcast that day.

Jiang Wu, the second female lead who played Ji Mu, was already waiting nearby in a red costume.

In the original novel, Ji Mu was a deeply devoted general who silently endured her feelings.

From the corner of her eye, Shen Yishu noticed Jiang Wu’s expression and felt that something was not quite right.

Filming paused for two minutes while the makeup artist retouched Ji Xiangyu’s makeup so it would not be washed away by the water.

“Scene two, begin!”

At the crew member’s command, several high-pressure hoses were switched on.

Amid the downpour of artificial rain, the scene officially began.

Ji Xiangyu first had to become thoroughly drenched before they could continue filming.

The high-pressure hoses produced more than enough water. In less than a minute, her hair was completely soaked.

Droplets gathered along the strands and flowed down her jawline into the slightly open collar of her robe.

Her wet clothes clung coldly and unpleasantly to her body.

Even with protective padding beneath her knees, kneeling was still uncomfortable.

Ji Xiangyu felt impatient, but none of it showed on her face.

Jiang Wu held an umbrella in her right hand and waited for the director’s cue to enter.

“Ji Mu, get ready. Enter.”

As soon as the director finished speaking, Ji Mu slowly walked toward Ji Xiangyu.

This scene laid the foundation for the budding romantic relationship between the two female leads.

Both narratively and visually, it was an excellent scene.

According to the script, Ji Mu would stop beside Zhou Yi and remain there for several minutes. There was no dialogue; the crew only needed to film several close-up shots.

Ji Mu continued forward.

Just as she was about to reach her marked position, she suddenly stumbled.

“Cut!”

The director frowned.

“What happened?”

Jiang Wu turned around and apologetically addressed the director.

“I’m sorry. My foot suddenly cramped. Could we do it again?”

After apologizing to the director, she turned and also offered an apology to Ji Xiangyu, who was still kneeling on the ground.

Ji Xiangyu stood, glanced at her, and said nothing.

Shen Yishu frowned almost imperceptibly.

Just as she was about to take out her phone and search for information about Jiang Wu, Zhu Li hurried in from outside carrying a cup and thrust the glass container into Shen Yishu’s hands.

The cup was filled with hot water.

It felt pleasantly warm and was even slightly hot against her palms.

The director called for the second take.

Ji Xiangyu adjusted her costume and knelt again.

Jiang Wu stepped outside the camera frame and waited for the director to call action.

During the second take, Jiang Wu reached the space behind Ji Xiangyu and stepped directly on the front of Ji Xiangyu’s costume.

The director impatiently called cut for the second time.

The first incident might have been accidental, but the second was already far too obvious.

Holding the cup of hot water, Shen Yishu noticed that Ji Xiangyu’s complexion did not look good.

After an Omega’s heat, they would usually experience several days of weakness.

As long as they were normally healthy, there was usually no need for special attention.

Although autumn had not fully arrived, the morning temperature had already begun to fall.

Wind swept across the rain-soaked set. Even Shen Yishu, who wore short sleeves, felt slightly cold.

Ji Xiangyu was completely drenched.

She said nothing and agreed to a third take.

Even children knew that something should not happen more than three times.

Unfortunately, Jiang Wu apparently did not.

When the director called cut for the third time, the pallor of Ji Xiangyu’s lips could no longer be concealed.

She steadied herself and looked at the smiling Jiang Wu, her tone icy.

“I remember that we debuted in the same year.”

Jiang Wu froze for a moment before smiling cheerfully again.

“That’s right. Technically, since I debuted before you, you should even call me Senior Sister.”

Zhu Li whispered beside Shen Yishu’s ear, “They debuted under the same company.”

Ji Xiangyu’s expression turned completely cold.

The aloof pride that had been restrained beneath Zhou Yi’s wooden hairpin returned to her body.

“You’ve been acting for ten years, yet your skills haven’t improved in the slightest. Had you spent more of the effort you devote to other matters on your acting, perhaps you wouldn’t have failed to receive even a single nomination.”

Those words struck directly at Jiang Wu’s sorest point.

She had debuted ten years ago and had never received a single nomination.

Netizens mocked her by saying that ten years of desperate effort had still failed to match Ji Xiangyu’s very first production.

Of course she resented Ji Xiangyu.

No actor did not want a good script, and no actor did not want to receive an award nomination.

Jiang Wu’s expression became extremely ugly, but she forced herself to remain calm.

She merely stepped forward, intending to take Ji Xiangyu’s hand and put on a display of sisterly affection.

Ji Xiangyu warily retreated two steps.

She had been kneeling for too long and was already physically exhausted. Her legs suddenly weakened, and she nearly fell.

She would rather fall than take the hand of the woman in front of her.

Shen Yishu wrapped an arm around Ji Xiangyu’s waist.

After steadying her backward-falling body, she immediately lowered her hand and allowed Ji Xiangyu to lean against her shoulder instead.

Shen Yishu pressed the still-warm cup into Ji Xiangyu’s hands.

The warmth dispelled some of the chill.

Ji Xiangyu recovered a little strength, unscrewed the lid, and took two sips.

The water had even been infused with red dates.

Shen Yishu smiled brightly at Jiang Wu.

“Don’t be upset. As for award nominations—perhaps you don’t have any now, but you won’t have any in the future either.”

Jiang Wu: “…”

Those words were nothing less than murder followed by the destruction of the victim’s heart.