After Transmigrating into the Role of the Villain Forced to Pamper the Heroine of an Angsty Novel - Chapter 32

The first few rounds of performances did not include elimination segments, but mentors were expected to choose the relatively better performer between the two after their critique. The previous mentors had given gentle, tactful evaluations, hesitating to draw hard conclusions.

Gu Ruolan, however, had come fully prepared. She had watched almost every project these contestants had ever appeared in. Recalling their history, she felt that Xie Zixuan’s performance today was consistent with her usual work—essentially, this was her actual level. Yu Yimeng had worked with her before, and there truly were several moments just now that were decent.

“I believe Yu Yimeng performed slightly better,” she said, before turning seriously to Xie Zixuan. “Zixuan, you need to strengthen your fundamentals, including your posture and your delivery.”

Her critique ended there. The two contestants bowed their thanks and left the stage.

Because Gu Ruolan’s serious critique had made the atmosphere somewhat heavy, the next pair of contestants—two boys—began taking deep breaths before they even stepped out.

Huo Xu stared at the broadcast screen backstage and said to Ren Nanyi, “Teacher Gu’s standards are so high.”

Ren Nanyi was stretching his facial muscles to ensure his expressions wouldn’t “fly all over the place” later. “Yeah. Honestly, I didn’t think the girls’ acting was that bad. There were some okay spots.”

Both were nervous. If Gu Ruolan was this picky, would they be torn to shreds as well?

They walked onto the stage with caution and finished their performance with trepidation. The two fair-skinned, delicate young men gripped their microphones tensely, awaiting the mentors’ verdict.

Gu Ruolan’s evaluation remained unimpressed, but she didn’t say anything biting or sarcastic; she simply pointed out several obvious flaws.

“Huo Xu, you have a great physical advantage, but you need to watch your posture. You have a habit of slouching.” Gu Ruolan brought up some of his previous dramas. “I’ve seen your xianxia series, and the same problem exists there. Period dramas are particularly demanding of poise. You need to overcome and improve this.”

Huo Xu had debuted through an idol survival show, winning over a massive female fan base with his face and height; he was known as the “Little Milk King.” To be told publicly by a Movie Queen that his posture was poor was a major blow to an idol’s ego. He gave an awkward smile but still thanked her.

Ren Nanyi was a martial arts actor transitioning to drama. His action scenes were fine, but his dialogue was weak, and he struggled with emotional control. Gu Ruolan carefully helped him walk through the issues, reminding him which areas needed focused improvement.

As the subsequent groups took the stage, Gu Ruolan remained impartial, giving serious feedback to every single person’s performance.

Meng Qiuran grew more interested the more she listened. The contestants’ acting was a mess, but she looked forward to Gu Ruolan’s critiques.

Unlike other variety shows, Gu Ruolan’s words weren’t empty, nor was she being perfunctory; she cherished every second of communication with the contestants. Her demands for detail were high, but for someone wanting to improve their craft, this was a blessing.

Meng Qiuran didn’t know how much those newcomers were taking to heart, but she found it very satisfying to listen to. Every acting issue that made her feel cringey or awkward was pointed out by Gu Ruolan with surgical precision and blunt honesty.

She felt that Gu Ruolan today was her “mouthpiece.”

Recalling Yuan Yi’s earlier words, she smiled and said, “Who says no one focuses on the competition? Your idol certainly does.”

Gu Ruolan truly had zero “variety sense”—she didn’t make jokes or know how to play along with them, appearing stiff and somber. But when she critiqued acting, she could talk endlessly, hitting every point perfectly as if she had an inexhaustible supply of topics.

Meng Qiuran felt that Gu Ruolan radiated a glow while critiquing—a brilliance that surpassed the beauty of the stage lights. it was a charm rooted in the soul. She felt this was what made Gu Ruolan unique among other artists.

However, through today’s recording, she understood why Gu Ruolan might offend people: she was too serious. She could have been like Su Yunzi or Qiuhetao—giving half-true evaluations and pointing out a few harmless minor issues.

Those newcomers all had companies backing them; who knew when a future collaboration might happen? Gu Ruolan acted as if she hadn’t considered that at all, focusing solely on the craft itself. She wasn’t targeting anyone or showing favoritism; the issues she pointed out were visible to everyone present. It was just that others found it inconvenient to speak, while Gu Ruolan chose to be honest.

After the recording ended, Qiuhetao let out a long breath, and Su Yunzi sighed about the pressure. As the mentors headed backstage in small groups, Gu Ruolan gathered her notes and handed them to Xiao Yan, intending to take them home.

Yuan Yi begged Meng Qiuran to go with her to say hello. She couldn’t miss any chance to “call” (cheer) for her idol in person.

“Teacher Gu, you were so beautiful today!” Yuan Yi started with a thumbs-up and a stream of “rainbow farts” (excessive flattery). “You were so professional; I was moved just listening to your acting critiques.”

Meng Qiuran didn’t speak, but her lips curled slightly at Yuan Yi’s words. She had indeed been captivated by the critiques as well.

Gu Ruolan merely gave a humble smile. “It’s just my job. Thank you for your support.”

For the first time, Meng Qiuran felt an urge to proactively express her views, but when she spoke, it was flat: “You are very professional. You fit the image of a special mentor perfectly.”

Gu Ruolan assumed she was just playing along with Yuan Yi’s words; she doubted Miss Meng had the patience to actually watch the whole show seriously. Still, she smiled politely. “Thank you for your affirmation.”

Gu Ruolan also felt she had been a competent mentor today, hoping she had provided the contestants with useful help.

Xiao Yan took a call and whispered, “Sister Lan, President Xin wants you to drop by the office when you’re free.”

Originally, she could have gone straight home. President Xin’s sudden call suggested serious business.

Meng Qiuran proactively took her leave. “I won’t delay you further. Talk later.”

Gu Ruolan watched Meng Qiuran walk off the stage. She looked very leisurely, her back suggesting she was in a good mood, as if she had just watched a very interesting show.

But soon, she saw Xing Qu waiting eagerly at the bottom of the stairs. Seeing Meng Qiuran, he approached with a smile and pointed toward the exit. Then Meng Qiuran turned to say a few words to Yuan Yi, after which Yuan Yi left on her own, and Meng Qiuran left with Xing Qu.

“Sister Lan,” Xiao Yan said, having packed everything. “Let’s go.”

Gu Ruolan was a bit dazed, thinking to herself that she must be tired from the recording to find herself spacing out at everything.

Penguin TV had built up a lot of hype, and the show premiered on Friday night during prime time. Meng Qiuran turned on the TV at home. Meng Xiayan hadn’t returned from his business trip yet, so she could relax and follow the show.

It was similar to the recording set, except…

Meng Qiuran had a good memory and hadn’t forgotten much. The content on TV was the same, but the “feeling” was different. She usually preferred turning off the “danmu” (scrolling comments), but feeling something was off, she turned them on.

Sure enough, it was fine at first, but as Gu Ruolan’s critique scenes increased, the rhythm of the comments changed.

[Special guest is different, huh? Recording one episode and has to hog all the screentime. Saying she doesn’t like the spotlight is a fake persona (dog head emoji).]

[Yu Yimeng is her junior from school. To lift up her junior, she doesn’t mind stepping on Zixuan. Enough already.]

[What did our Zixuan do wrong? Someone who debuted as an idol singer-dancer going up against film academy students is already great. What more do you want?]

[My brother Huo was told his posture is bad, lol. She’s flat as a board herself, front and back, not exactly a beauty.]

Meng Qiuran looked closely. Most of these were fans of the idols complaining for their favorites, mocking Gu Ruolan implicitly and explicitly. Other mentors had pointed out issues too, but because the editing gave Gu Ruolan a lot of screen time and her critiques were particularly blunt, she was the easiest target for fans to attack.

The longer the broadcast went, the more comments appeared. Meng Qiuran scanned them rapidly. Later, she found that aside from the idol fans, there was another “rhythm” being pushed.

[So what if she’s a Movie Queen? She’s still impolite and disrespectful to seniors.]

[Only in her twenties and already so arrogant. Waiting for her to flop.]

These comments targeted the fact that Gu Ruolan didn’t seem to consider the other mentors’ feelings; others were tactful while she was blunt, and the contrast made it look like she wasn’t giving anyone face.

Meng Qiuran checked Weibo and found similar mockery and complaints starting to appear. A hashtag about Gu Ruolan “showing off” had even appeared on the trending list.

She called Yuan Yi. As soon as it connected, she heard Yuan Yi’s heavy breathing.

“Sister Qiu, I’m a bit busy right now, I—”

“I know what you’re busy with. I see the content targeting Gu Ruolan online.”

Yuan Yi was stunned. “Sister Qiu, you’re following this too?” She thought that since Meng had seen the live recording, someone as busy as her wouldn’t have the leisure to watch it again.

Meng Qiuran pressed her temples and said calmly, “That PR team I had you prepare—can it be activated?” Meng Qiuran rarely monitored this closely, only checking the progress periodically.

“It should be ready, but it hasn’t been tested in practice yet.”

“Use this to practice then.”

“Huh?” Yuan Yi paused, in disbelief. “Sister Qiu, you mean…”

Meng Qiuran curled her lips. “You guide them, let them do the legwork. More people are always helpful.”

Yuan Yi had always thought Meng Qiuran built this team to make money, yet Gu Ruolan hadn’t reacted yet, let alone asked for help. This was essentially “pro bono” assistance.

“Sister Qiu, won’t you lose money doing this?”

Meng Qiuran, afraid Yuan Yi would link her and Gu Ruolan again, simply said, “I put in so much in ad fees. If the rhythm gets messed up by these uneducated brats, I’ll lose even more!”

Yuan Yi complied immediately. “I’ll arrange it now and report the progress to you at any time.”

Gu Ruolan, of course, saw it too. This was her first variety show; it was a lie to say she didn’t care. She was satisfied with the show’s mechanics, which was why her critiques had been so honest.

But as the show aired, her face grew darker. Xiao Yan brought her cut fruit, looking worried. “Sister Lan, do you want to rest a bit before watching more?”

Gu Ruolan didn’t speak, her eyes fixed on the TV.

“Fans are like that nowadays. They’ll say anything illogical for their idols.” Xiao Yan looked at the screen with helplessness.

During the ad break, Gu Ruolan finally relaxed slightly. She drank some water, looking disappointed. “I wasn’t looking for a bunch of praise. I just didn’t expect that nowadays, even the truth cannot be spoken.”

She believed her critiques that day were fair and objective, at least to her; there was no favoritism or targeting. But in the eyes of the audience, it had become her fault.

“The silent majority and many of your supporters don’t post ‘danmu’.”

Gu Ruolan seemed to see through the rules. “I thought this time would be different. My expectations were too high.”

Besides the fans’ backlash, there was indeed a slight issue with the show’s editing. It wasn’t as obvious as other shows that intentionally manufactured misunderstandings and conflicts, but it did give Gu Ruolan a lot of screen time, which to some extent made it look like Penguin TV was favoring her. But that wasn’t something she could decide.

As the show neared its end, Gu Ruolan called Yu Youqing. “Sister Qing, I need to communicate with the program team.”

Yu Youqing guessed her meaning. “Because of the editing?”

Gu Ruolan gave a soft “Mm,” her attitude resolute.

“Don’t worry. Xiang Jing called President Xin. Tomorrow they’ll release behind-the-scenes footage; many misunderstandings will be cleared up.”

Gu Ruolan blinked, her mood easing slightly, but still uncomfortable.

Yu Youqing hesitated, then asked, “Ruolan, did you hire ‘water soldiers’ (paid commenters)?”

“What water soldiers?”

“A moment ago, the negative trending searches started dropping suddenly. And I heard many ‘danmu’ were reported; the moderators can’t even keep up.” Yu Youqing wasn’t sure. “Is someone helping you?”

Gu Ruolan usually didn’t care about these things; the company handled them. She only contacted Yu Youqing because she didn’t want more misunderstandings since this show involved other seniors.

But since the company hadn’t moved yet, she couldn’t think of who would help her.

Meng Qiuran’s words suddenly popped up. Gu Ruolan remembered her saying that Yuan Yi and the others would be the first to stand up and defend her.

“Maybe it’s some of my movie fans acting spontaneously.”

Yu Youqing didn’t think so. “But this speed and scale doesn’t look like a group of fans. Your fans are usually quite ‘chill’; this feels like a regular army.”