Is This How the Entertainment Industry Works? (GL) - Chapter 11

One month later, the College Entrance Exam began.

Yan Zhen hurried to the testing center. People greeted her on the road, then whispered to those beside them as soon as she passed:

“Some people, really! Too stingy to spend a little money to get a proper education, content to stay poor and live in a vicious cycle. It’s honestly hilarious.”

Yan Zhen knew they were mocking her, but she ignored them and walked straight into the exam hall.

The exam lasted three days. Yan Zhen felt she had performed quite well. Half a month later, the results were released. She checked her scores: she had only lost ten points across the three core subjects, and she scored 270 out of 300 in her electives.

With these marks, she could get into an excellent university. In fact, she had become the “Top Scholar” (Zhuangyuan) of her small town.

Journalists immediately rushed to interview her.

“Student Yan Zhen, we heard your school has no teachers. May we ask how you became a ‘self-taught talent’?”

Yan Zhen replied, “I worked very hard in the month leading up to the exam.”

“…” The reporter was speechless.

“So, which university do you plan to apply to?”

Yan Zhen said, “I haven’t decided on a specific school yet, but I will be going to the Imperial Capital.”

The reporter smelled a story. “Why the Imperial Capital? Do you like the city’s prosperity, or is there a dream that can only be realized there?”

Yan Zhen answered, “Because someone very important is waiting for me in the Capital. She told me to go there.”

The reporter’s eyes sparkled. “Would it be convenient to reveal who it is?!”

Yan Zhen: “Her name is Zhao Baoshang.”

The reporter froze. Zhao Baoshang… isn’t that the Movie Queen who won the Golden Statuette at the beginning of the year? Would such a high-profile figure say something like that?

The reporter looked at Yan Zhen with pity, assuming the poor girl had gone a bit delusional from being an obsessive fan.

After the news was published, the people who had mocked Yan Zhen to relieve their own stress before the exam were so angry they wanted to hit a wall. Meanwhile, Zhao Baoshang’s fans were excited; they felt Yan Zhen’s existence raised the prestige of the entire fandom.

Yan Zhen didn’t browse the internet, so she had no idea what people were thinking. She went home and told her mother her scores.

Her mother burst into tears of joy. “Finally, we’ve made it through the hard times.”

Yan Zhen also teared up, feeling as though she had completed some glorious, great restoration of the family name.

“Have you thought about which school to attend?” her mother asked.

“Not yet, but I plan to apply to a school in the Imperial Capital,” Yan Zhen said.

“The Capital?” Her mother sniffled for a while before saying, “The Capital is good. Your father is there.”

Yan Zhen was stunned. “I… I have a father?”

Her mother laughed. “Of course! Did you think you popped out of a rock?”

Yan Zhen stammered, “And… my father is in the Imperial Capital?”

“Yes, he works in construction there,” her mother said. “Did I never tell you?”

Yan Zhen massaged her forehead. “No, you definitely did not.”

Even if she had, Yan Zhen wouldn’t have known. When she transmigrated, she only inherited the original owner’s general common knowledge; she knew nothing of personal details. It was only now she realized she wasn’t from a single-parent home.

Her mother said, “If you have nothing else to do, you can go to the Capital and find your father.”

Yan Zhen performed a quick calculation and found that her father was indeed in the direction of the Capital, healthy and doing well. She packed her bags, went to the station to buy a ticket, and prepared to head out early to scout for schools.

It was the off-season for travel, so the train wasn’t crowded. While in the waiting room, she thought of Zhao Baoshang and decided to call her.

However, the person who answered wasn’t Zhao Baoshang. It was her manager, Li Ping.

Yan Zhen asked, “Is Zhao Baoshang there, please?”

Li Ping asked, “Who is this?”

“My name is Yan Zhen.”

Li Ping searched her memory for the name and remembered it was the minor supporting actress from the “Rural Teacher” movie. “What do you want with Baoshang?”

Yan Zhen said, “She told me to call her once I got to the Imperial Capital.”

“You’ve made your call.”

Yan Zhen paused. “I want to speak with her personally.”

Li Ping refused. “Baoshang is busy filming. Furthermore, you’re just a tiny star who only recently debuted—calling you a ‘star’ is already a stretch. Don’t you think calling a Movie Queen like this is a bit too much like desperate social climbing?”

Her words were blunt and rude. Only then did Yan Zhen realize that in this world, making friends also required “matching social status.” She had thought this modern era was fair and free, devoid of class distinctions.

But since it shared similarities with her familiar Great Feng, that was fine.

“I understand. So, as long as I also become a Movie Queen, I can be friends with Zhao Baoshang?”

Li Ping let out a cold sneer on the other end. Movie Queen? You make it sound so easy.

“Yes, as long as you become a top-tier star—” Li Ping started to say, but the background noise on her end became chaotic, sounding like a conflict had broken out. Li Ping hung up before she could hear what Yan Zhen said next.

In a corner of the filming base, props had been pushed over, scattering everywhere. Li Ping walked over and asked, “What’s going on?”

The director said hurriedly, “Little Zhao refuses to perform this scene.”

Li Ping looked at Zhao Baoshang. “What is it now? Didn’t we agree you’d film more lately? Why the temper?”

Zhao Baoshang snorted coldly. “Ask them what kind of scene they added for me.”

Li Ping looked at the director, who wiped sweat from his forehead. “It’s nothing particularly scandalous.” He pulled out the script; half a page had been added detailing a kiss scene involving physical contact. Zhao Baoshang refused.

Knowing Zhao Baoshang’s quirks and her powerful family background, Li Ping could only tell the director, “Use a body double for any intense interactions.”

“But we need a front-facing shot for the kiss!” the director argued.

“Then use CGI in post-production.”

“…Are you serious?”

Li Ping nodded. The director struggled for a bit longer, but thinking of the massive investment from the Zhao family, he finally succumbed.

Yan Zhen kept the words “top-tier star” in her heart. She walked into her soft-sleeper compartment on the train, where two people were already seated. One was a meticulously dressed girl, and the other was a man wearing a hat.

Yan Zhen sat down on a lower berth. The girl across from her greeted her, “Hello! Are you going to the Capital too?”

Yan Zhen nodded.

“For travel?”

“No,” Yan Zhen said. “To go to school.”

“Same here, sort of,” the girl said. “But I’m going to participate in a talent show first. If I get selected, I might not have to go to school.”

The girl’s name was Xu Weiwei, and she was very enthusiastic. She chatted with Yan Zhen for a while, introducing the show she was entering. The program was called Global Super Star, a combination of a reality show and an elimination competition. It was modeled after a top model show in America but had evolved into an all-around talent search. Its popularity was soaring, and many of today’s hottest stars had started there.

Author’s Note:

Li Ping: That’s right, as long as you become a Movie Queen… you’ll be pressed against the stage and kissed by Baby Zhao.

Yan Zhen: I think I’ll just wash up and go to sleep.