After Transmigrating Back, I Became My Own Stand-in - Chapter 16

Shi Xu didn’t speak much with Shen Tianqing during her first night joining the variety show.

Her hand wasn’t fully healed yet, so when she helped Yuan Qi carry her bag, the other girl kept asking if she was okay.

Yuan Qi had a classic “sweet girl” look, but she wasn’t very tall—not even 1.6 meters—and had been mocked for it for a long time when she first debuted.

“Meng Heng, do you remember when we used to live together during the trainee days?”

Shi Xu hummed in response. “The food back then was so delicious.”

Yuan Qi lived on the fourth floor and let out a sigh. “I wonder if the food here is any good; I’m missing my favorite griddle noodles.”

She finished speaking and glanced around before leaning closer to Shi Xu. “Did you see that just now? Sun Sitiao and Director Shen.”

Shi Xu hummed again. “What about them?”

Yuan Qi: “My assistant just told me some gossip.”

Shi Xu: “I know.”

When Yuan Qi smiled, she showed her canine teeth; being small and younger than Meng Heng, she was quite endearing.

In Shi Xu’s eyes, they were all just children.

Yuan Qi hadn’t spoken much to Meng Heng during the previous talent show; she had felt that Meng Heng seemed a bit cold and didn’t fit in with the group. Now, she felt the other woman was actually quite nice. Before coming here, her manager had repeatedly warned her to speak less, but she was a natural chatterbox. In this “military training” atmosphere, she instinctively sought out someone she was slightly familiar with.

Shi Xu helped her all the way to her room and put her bag down.

Yuan Qi was B-rank; as a “show person” who had debuted, she still had some popularity, making her better off than the unknown actors.

“Do you think it’s true?”

Shi Xu: “Maybe.”

If it wasn’t certain before, that scene just now made it clear; Sun Sitiao was very bold. A resource-backed star with a wealthy family background was indeed fearless.

The industry now wasn’t like Shi Xu’s era, where it was easy for “grassroots” talent to stand out; most were now second-generation stars or wealthy kids, or at the very least, from well-off families.

The chance for a grassroots talent to become famous overnight was gone.

Now, “overnight fame” was a pre-calculated move; the effort people saw was actually a carefully laid out plot.

What was real was actually fake, and the fakes looked exceptionally realistic.

Yuan Qi seemed to have no hidden motives, but Shi Xu didn’t completely let her guard down. Having been a System for so many years, her ability to judge people had improved a bit.

Perhaps she had an innate preference for younger people; after her career as a “mediator” had exhausted her, her gaze—as a woman who liked women—was quite motherly and very approachable.

“You should pack up early; they’ll probably announce our casting later.”

The camera shots here were selected; some couldn’t be seen by the naked eye, but Sun Sitiao’s “roadblock” was seen by those who paid to unlock her personal camera feed.

However, the paid personal camera feeds were silent; people just watched for the excitement.

【Holy crap!! That post is real, right?? Sun Sitiao really… I believe it now, ‘Rich Miss falls for Rich Miss.’】

【Sun Sitiao and her ex-boyfriend were so sweet; if that was fake, then… she wasn’t even this enthusiastic toward her ex-boyfriend.】

【Speaking of straight women, who is actually straight?】

【Anyway, anyone can be straight but Shen Tianqing definitely isn’t!! She was radiant on the mentor panel just now, and now without the lighting, she has this decadent noise about her, it’s amazing!!】

【Since when were Meng Heng and Yuan Qi so close??? This is Sun Sitiao’s camera angle, where are the others?】

【Yuan Qi’s expression is exactly like mine right now hahahaha.】

【Meng Heng is really so arrogant, was she always like this? Why do I feel like she’s not acting as much of a diva anymore, it shouldn’t be like that.】

【LMAO, ‘Sorry for the interruption’ Hahaha dying, why do I feel like Shen Tianqing’s gaze is so… whatever.】

【Young Madam, let me lick! Who would have thought that baby fat could grow into such a disaster? It’s clearly the flavor of a righteous character falling into madness! Who turned her into this! Are there any Shi Xu x Shen Tianqing fanfics? I want to get on board!】

Shi Xu checked the room thoroughly from top to bottom. At ten o’clock, the assistants were all asked to leave the dormitory.

With no cameras around, Shi Xu took out her phone to look at the livestream thread. it was spectacular, but why did these people act like starving ghosts? They could ship anything.

At ten-thirty, they gathered again in the instruction room.

The living room on each floor was the place for group discussions. Sun Sitiao looked like Shen Tianqing had done something to her; her whole face screamed “don’t mess with me.”

Meanwhile, Chen Xiaoyin cut a fruit platter and handed a fork to Shi Xu.

She had a good impression of Shi Xu, finding her not as annoying as the rumors suggested.

The decoration of the instruction room was particularly luxurious, very much in Shen Tianqing’s style; it felt intricate and magnificent. Even the desserts on the table were fancy, but at this hour, no one dared to eat them.

The screen kept scrolling through the candidate films. There were five in total: Legacy of Xichuan, Evening Breeze, No. 3 Erga Road, Grand Entry Hotel, and Gate of Life.

There were period pieces, modern pieces, award-winning films, and notoriously bad films.

Shen Tianqing: “There are two candidates. You rank them yourselves, and I’ll see. Which script are you interested in?”

The rules were “Director’s Casting,” but because she said it that way, the group was a bit dazed.

One girl who had just debuted raised her hand: “No martial arts!”

Shen Tianqing: “Why?”

The girl: “Too many outdoor scenes, and too few lines.”

Shi Xu didn’t speak. She propped up her face and watched the scrolling screen of film clips. She thought of the past; she had played the protagonist’s master—the one with no expression who eventually died a tragic death. It was indeed hard to act.

Her impression of this movie was quite deep; after all, they filmed for over half a year, went to many places, and changed through several film studios.

The director was a perfectionist “freak” who basically never passed a scene in one take.

Her role was third-lead and she died early, but it was hard to portray, so her filming lasted until the protagonist wrapped up.

This martial arts film was indeed a masterpiece, but it belonged to the style of the last century; looking at it now, it felt somewhat obscure and difficult to understand.

Many “non-mainstream” young people probably regarded it as a classic, even putting it on their social media profiles.

The quotes were even more popular than the movie itself.

The clip playing was a scene that was half-dialogue, half-action.

The scene was set in a garden in Jiangnan. Shi Wan had brought the heavily injured Gongsun Wu there to recover. They met fellow disciples from their sect. Shi Wan was a traitor and had been hunted for years; the owner of the garden was her friend.

It was a conflict scene. Though lines were few, it was the scene with Shi Wan’s most dialogue, and she also had to carry Gongsun Wu on her back.

Shi Xu thought about the suffering she endured for this movie; there were many scenes where she had to carry someone. No matter how fit she was, she was still a woman. Carrying a large girl was exhausting, and she almost tripped several times.

Yet the director still felt the emotion wasn’t right.

On the other hand, Shen Tianqing enjoyed it; she didn’t have to use any strength.

Sun Sitiao stared at the film on the screen. The simple font—the two characters “Shi Xu”—had been her inescapable nightmare for all these years.

Her feelings for Shen Tianqing didn’t start from being noticed by her; even being noticed was something Sun Sitiao had planned for a long time.

Unfortunately, no matter how well she acted, Shen Tianqing felt she didn’t even qualify as a substitute. Her love even became the reason Shen Tianqing kicked her away.

In what way am I inferior to Shi Xu?

She had even wanted to get plastic surgery. If her parents hadn’t scolded her severely, she would have already been on the operating table.

Her parents had even contacted Shen Tianqing, asking her to talk Sun Sitiao out of it.

Because the fathers knew each other, it was hard for Shen Tianqing to decline, but her lack of interest was obvious, and her words were like knives.

“Even if you look exactly the same, I still won’t like you.”

She hadn’t reacted violently to that deception; she even let go very easily. From beginning to end, she never felt a shred of obsession toward Sun Sitiao.

Now, with this clip playing on the screen, the face of the long-dead Shi Xu truly possessed a period-specific heroism. That handsomeness transcended gender, making people feel she was as clear as the moon and wind; looking at her a few times more made the branches in one’s heart sway.

This movie wasn’t dubbed. When Shi Xu watched it herself, she felt as if it were a lifetime ago.

This segment was considered a “famous scene,” the highlight moment of Shi Xu’s character in the whole drama—a combination of dialogue and action, with dialogue being more prominent. No matter how one looked at it, it made people shed “tears of the era.”

In the end, Shen Tianqing directly chose two films, let her group members discuss them, and went out to rest for a bit.

Yan Muyu happened to be outside talking to the staff. Seeing Shen Tianqing, she walked over: “How is it? Have you felt the ‘Love’ from me, your friend?”

Shen Tianqing: “I didn’t add this film to the library.”

Yan Muyu: “I just wanted to show you what a ‘total beatdown’ looks like.”

Shen Tianqing: “What kind of mess can Meng Heng and Sun Sitiao act out? This is a desecration.”

Yan Muyu let out an “Eh”: “This is my ‘wealth code.’ You have no idea how much money I’ve made from you sacrificing yourself to contribute to the topics tonight.”

Shen Tianqing glanced at her.

Yan Muyu: “This little sister Sun Sitiao is very persistent about you; are you really not going to consider her?”

Thinking of Sun Sitiao’s gaze just now, Shen Tianqing let out a laugh. ” I really don’t understand how I provoked her to make her work so hard to get me on the hook.”

Yan Muyu knew about the “canary relationship” disaster. “Your charm as the Great Director Shen is extraordinary; it’s only natural that people like you.”

Shen Tianqing sneered. “I still remember you telling Lin Chi that I’m a natural psycho, a high-maintenance drama queen with a poisonous tongue.”

“Sigh, isn’t that just a stereotype?” Yan Muyu took a sip of the sponsor’s branded drink and gestured for a staff member to give a bottle to Shen Tianqing. “So, are you satisfied with the current situation? New flame and old flame gathered together. If you choose this one, one acts as you, and the other acts as your beloved.”

Shen Tianqing: “The fact that I didn’t leave on the spot is giving you a lot of face.”

“Thank you, Big Boss, for your ‘poverty relief’ help,” Yan Muyu was quite a sycophant. She felt Shen Tianqing had been exceptionally easy to talk to lately. She had specifically asked Tao Yi, but even the assistant didn’t know why. “Do you want me to take down that post for you?”

Shen Tianqing: “Taking it down is useless; it’s already spread everywhere.”

Shen Tianqing didn’t quite understand the intentions of Sun Sitiao’s team, but on some level, she could understand her persistence.

In some ways, Sun Sitiao was just as persistent as she was.

But people don’t need this kind of persistence; “two negatives make a positive” is just an illusion. Usually, they just repel each other.

Sun Sitiao disgusted her; for Shen Tianqing, it had to be Shi Xu.

Sun Sitiao’s family had connections with the Shens. During New Year, Sun Sitiao’s photo was in Chen Geni’s matchmaking photo library.

Everything else was just a cover; she was there for the other person.

Unfortunately, Shen Tianqing didn’t play by the rules; she directly pulled in Meng Heng.

Meng Heng was the perfect shield, and she was the same in this program.

Shen Tianqing watched Meng Heng in the instruction room through the monitors outside, feeling her decision was perfect.

Sun Sitiao knew Meng Heng was her new favorite and would definitely target her.

By then, it might even hone Meng Heng’s acting skills; Meng Heng’s acting was even worse than Sun Sitiao’s.

Calling it “rotten” was a compliment.

Yan Muyu bit her straw and propped up her face, watching her old friend. Vaguely, it seemed Shen Tianqing was hoping her “backyard would catch fire” so she could initiate a “clearance plan.”

The problem was, “Sister, have you considered what will happen if Sun Sitiao directly crushes Meng Heng?”

Of course, the louder the tearing, the more highlights for this program. A guaranteed profit.

Producer Yan happily inserted a milk straw for Shen Tianqing and said flatteringly: “Great Director Shen, please. It’s the best choice for your ‘milk-drunk’ state. Remember to do some ad-reads tomorrow.”

Shen Tianqing glanced at her, stood up, and left.

A World from a New Line‘s first episode included a pre-recorded pilot episode in addition to the live content, featuring interviews with each mentor.

Other variety shows use these as teasers before the broadcast, but this one put it directly into the first episode and even made a one-minute video compilation of “Happy Dormitory People.”

The heat hit number one just from the first episode. This variety format, which merged life and work into one and was an exclusive broadcast, almost exhausted the fans because there was too much content to keep up with.

On the night of the first day, the film content was announced and the dormitory rules were read.

The show was broadcast live every Saturday. The next time would be the live performance scoring for the second round. Between Sunday and Friday, dormitory life would be posted on the platform at irregular intervals, along with a live window.

It was typically a “weekly show” that was actually updated daily. Being during the New Year made it even more topical.

That night, Shen Tianqing also stayed in the dormitory.

She was always a light sleeper. Outside was the beach. Every day’s script had already been delivered to her. As the director with the most status, she had a lot of autonomy—she had the right to follow the script or not.

But guiding the students was her responsibility. She had thought she could “fish for three days and dry nets for two” (slack off), but after arriving, she found she’d been tricked; since the directors were competing on the same stage, she couldn’t escape either.

Acting is a profession that requires preparation; many people started doing their homework the night the films were decided.

Shi Xu’s character script was Evening Breeze, playing the sister-in-law of the female lead. She and the sister-in-law depended on each other. It was a collaborative script, and the one acting opposite her was Yuan Qi.

【So hardworking, Sun Sitiao looks so cute in her pajamas.】

【I’m here to see Uncle Qinghuai. Sigh, even at his age he has to study hard; he looks just like me when I can’t finish my revision.】

【Where’s Meng Heng?】

【It seems Meng Heng went to sleep… she really has no career ambition at all.】

Shi Xu lay on the bed playing with her phone. The lines were no challenge for her; the hard part was performing at Meng Heng’s level.

Playing an actor who can’t act was quite a challenge.

She was still watching clips of Meng Heng’s own performances when a text message popped in the next moment—

[Come to my room.]

The sender: Shen Tianqing.

Shi Xu: Is she crazy? There are cameras everywhere.