Is This How the Entertainment Industry Works? (GL) - Chapter 13

Xu Weiwei called Yan Zhen to tell her that the registration period had ended. Now, voting was taking place on Weibo and other social media platforms. Contestants could use various methods to gain attention and solicit votes.

There were many ways to canvas: reaching out to friends and family, or spending money to win people over. However, each IP address only counted as one vote; duplicates would be invalidated.

How could she get votes quickly?

After thinking it over, Yan Zhen decided to tackle it from two angles: the internet and reality.

On Weibo, she posted a piece of metaphysical science communication.

@TheEldestPrincess’sCloseFittingCottonVest

Lately, there have been golden clouds obscuring the sun over the Imperial Capital, which can easily cause symptoms like lethargy. For mild cases, one only needs to drink some shaojiu to clear the head, or click their teeth and silently recite the Mind-Refreshing Incantation before sleep. For severe cases, use a willow branch dipped in liquor to lightly tap the forehead, the philtrum, and behind the ears.

This account had gained significant notoriety within certain circles for fiercely attacking Zhao Baoshang’s haters, so it immediately attracted considerable attention.

People flocked to criticize Yan Zhen, calling her crazy and a proponent of feudal superstition. However, very quickly, the people who had previously been attacked by her sought her out.

@WealthyDeadbeatZhaoBaoshang: 【Master, help! My cat really won’t eat or drink, and it keeps vomiting. Is there anything I can do? QAQ】

@ZhaoBaoshangGetOutOfTheIndustry: 【I’ve scalded my mouth two days in a row while eating… Poster… is it you…?】

@ProfessionalZhaoHater: 【…??? Is it really this scary?】

Yan Zhen gave a unified reply: As long as your intentions are clean, your days will be peaceful.

Several people tearfully swore to change, renamed their Weibo handles, clarified the previous rumors about Zhao Baoshang, and never dared to hate on her again.

A passerby joined the commotion: 【I’m from the Capital, and I have indeed felt especially sleepy these past few days. I’ll go try the poster’s method in a bit. By the way, what is the Mind-Refreshing Incantation?】

Yan Zhen posted a segment of a four-character scripture. After posting it, she began canvassing for votes: 【If everyone finds this useful, please cast a vote for me on the voting website.】

The crowd of onlookers: “…”

After finishing with Weibo, Yan Zhen worried the results would be too slow. She looked out the window and saw a group of people gathered to gamble on chess. She headed down.

Just as players were switching out, Yan Zhen quickly asked, “Can I join?”

The elderly men looked at her. “Youngster, you’re likely to gamble away all your belongings.”

Yan Zhen patted her backpack. “It’s fine, I still have five thousand yuan.”

This was what remained after paying her rent. If she lost it all, she might not be able to afford food, but Yan Zhen didn’t believe she would lose.

Seeing her aggressive stance, one old man said, “Young people have plenty of pocket money; it’s good to come out and see the world. This round will be a warm-up; we won’t take your money.”

The man who had just stood up also wanted to watch the fun. The people there were quite curious about how the youngster would be brutally schooled, so the group made way for Yan Zhen and let her sit on the stool.

The elders were playing Go (Weiqi). It was a 19×19 board made of wood, but the pieces were made of jade, feeling cold to the touch.

Yan Zhen held the black pieces and placed her first stone in the upper right corner. The old man seized the other corners. Yan Zhen dropped another stone, and the old man began to challenge her life-and-death status in the upper right.

After about a dozen moves from both sides, the board seemed to favor the white pieces. Onlookers shook their heads secretly: Young people really can’t do it. Go is about building territory; how can she just place stones here and there at random? Isn’t this just a mess?

Clearly, the old man playing against her thought the same. He felt Yan Zhen was just a novice who had grown overconfident after winning a couple of games against a computer. In his mind, the outcome of this game was already decided. Since he had already won, he might as well win beautifully; he wanted to create a magnificent “Great Dragon.”

Dozens more moves passed. The silhouette of the Great Dragon was visible on the board. The old man picked up a stone, ready to close the game (shouguan).

Suddenly, he froze. The stone in his hand hesitated for a long time, never falling.

After waiting for about five minutes, someone nearby urged, “Old Zhao, move.”

Old Zhao didn’t budge. Another half-minute passed before he tremblingly lowered his hand.

The other chess experts took a look, and their eyes slowly widened in disbelief. Then they sighed: “He lost.”

The person who had urged him said, “Isn’t it normal to lose? My turn, my turn.”

“It’s Old Zhao who lost,” an expert replied.

The black pieces, which had looked like scattered sand, were originally thought to be placed at random. No one expected that in the end, every single move would become the most critical point in the life-and-death struggle. Old Zhao had nowhere left to move. No matter where he played, his dragon would be slaughtered.

He lost.

Old Zhao thought it over from every angle and felt he had underestimated his opponent. He was so angry he nearly flipped the board. After all, he had been sure of his victory, happily building his dragon for the endgame, only to suddenly find he had lost like a complete amateur. It didn’t feel good.

“Again!” Old Zhao said.

Someone nearby cursed, “Holy crap, you’ve been playing here all afternoon!”

Old Zhao reached into his pocket and pulled out a gold credit card. ” I have plenty of money, let’s go again!”

Yan Zhen’s eyes lit up when she saw the gold card. But she quickly remembered her actual business. She smiled at the elderly men and said, “I don’t want to gamble for money. I just want to canvas for some votes.”

“Canvas for votes?” The men didn’t quite understand.

“If I win, I’d like to ask you all to have your sons and daughters cast a vote for me on social media. I want to become a Movie Queen. I’m just starting out, and it’s quite difficult.”

The elderly men understood instantly. They weren’t old-fashioned, and the popularity of that program was so high it could be seen on every street and alley.

“Sure!” they agreed immediately.

One added, “And I remember Old Zhao’s granddaughter is a Movie Queen too, right? She has tons of fans. If she promotes you, you’re guaranteed to take first place!”

Another Movie Queen, Yan Zhen thought. There sure are a lot of Movie Queens these days.

Old Zhao played several more rounds with Yan Zhen, losing every time. Once his frustration reached its peak, he got up and went home. It happened to be Saturday, and the Zhao family was gathered for dinner.

The family sat around the dining table. Just before starting the meal, Old Zhao coughed twice. The eight family members immediately put down their chopsticks and listened intently to what he had to say.

“Today, I gambled on chess… and I lost,” Old Zhao said slowly.

The head of the Zhao family breathed a sigh of relief. “Dad, it’s just a few dollars. If you’re short on cash, you can just say so.”

Old Zhao said, “I wasn’t gambling for money this time.”

Everyone gasped. What else could he gamble? Shares? The house? He didn’t gamble away the children, did he?

Old Zhao continued, “It’s for a young girl participating in a competition. I lost the bet, so I have to canvas votes for her.”

Everyone relaxed.

The eldest son said, “Second Sister has a lot of fans; let her help with the voting.”

The fourth son agreed, “Yes, yes, Second Sister is amazing.”

Zhao Baoshang glanced at the two of them and said coldly, “You both know plenty of minor celebrities, don’t you?”

The two stiffened. Old Zhao’s laser-like gaze swept over them. “Oh?”

Zhao Baoshang said, “Anyway, I won’t help a stranger canvas for votes.” No relation, no reason; she was too lazy to do such a thing.

After she spoke, the rest of the siblings started bickering about who knew the most minor celebrities.

Old Zhao slapped his bowl. “Fine, stop arguing. Start with the eldest helping, then rotate.”

The eldest son was dumbfounded. Zhao Baoshang let out a sneer, wanting to throw a few sarcastic remarks, but then Old Zhao spoke again.

“That little girl’s name is Yan Zhen, number 83. She’s a bit tanned and has very spirited eyes. Don’t vote for the wrong person.”

Zhao Baoshang’s entire aura tightened instantly.

It was actually Yan Zhen? Was it just someone with the same name, or was it truly the Yan Zhen she had practiced scenes with?

After dinner, Zhao Baoshang hurriedly checked social media. The person in the photo was smiling slightly with a kind expression. It really was the Yan Zhen she knew.

Her little fan had come to find her?!

Zhao Baoshang was so happy she wanted to spin in circles. But she quickly thought: Why hasn’t Yan Zhen called her since arriving in the Capital?

…Zhao Baoshang was furious. For something like canvassing votes, shouldn’t Yan Zhen have come directly to her?! Was she not more popular than her big brother?

It was infuriating. Zhao Baoshang paced back and forth in her room, too annoyed to even look at her script.

After being angry by herself for a long time, she clicked on Yan Zhen’s public Weibo account and took a look. That one look felt like opening the gates to a new world.

Yan Zhen’s Weibo was densely packed with posts defending her.

Zhao Baoshang’s heart blossomed with joy again: So this little fan loves me with such fanatical passion. She must have been afraid of disturbing her, which is why she didn’t reach out directly. She’s so well-behaved it makes my heart ache.