Is This How the Entertainment Industry Works? (GL) - Chapter 17

Yu Lian burst into laughter along with her.

“Alright, I’ll make sure to go home early.”

After speaking, Yan Zhen bowed to the judges and returned to her spot in front of the stage. Once all the photos were evaluated, the judges announced the results.

First place was Yan Zhen.

“Although there were other good ones, we felt there was something extra in Yan Zhen’s photo that the rest of you lacked.”

As for what exactly that “something” was, each judge had their own perspective. The Black judge felt he saw the collision of despair and hope; the blonde judge said it was a daughter’s faith and obsession with her mother; the serious male judge felt it was the peace that follows a disaster.

Yu Lian added, “Exactly. That is the charm of this editorial shot.”

The faces of the other contestants soured instantly. Before today, almost no one had noticed Yan Zhen. Even those who mocked her on the first day merely viewed her as a low-level girl who would surely be eliminated quickly. And now, this person took first place?

The judges had to be kidding.

Xu Weiwei took second place. She ran over to Yan Zhen and said, “Congratulations.” Yan Zhen congratulated her in return. The bottom two contestants were eliminated, and the remaining twenty contestants gave them a farewell hug.

As soon as Yan Zhen returned to the house, a staff member invited her to the Confession Room.

“How are you feeling today?” the staff member asked while adjusting the camera.

“Pretty good,” Yan Zhen replied.

“Because you got first place?”

“More or less. Mainly because the prize is Zhao Baoshang’s autograph.” She smiled happily, holding up a postcard in her hand. This was the reward for today’s winner. There were many prizes available, but Yan Zhen had chosen this one.

Staff Member: Indifference.jpg

“Anything else making you happy?”

“Yes,” Yan Zhen said.

“What is it?”

“Because I defeated the others. I feel powerful.” Yan Zhen tucked the postcard back into her bag. “I know what Fang Hexu said behind my back, but none of it is true. This is a competition of strength, not a competition of who is more miserable or who can tell better stories. So I don’t plan on defending myself; I will become the champion to prove myself.”

Her tone was flat, but the content was more explosive than ever. It was like she was casually discussing a plan to destroy the world, making the listener’s hair stand on end with excitement. This determined Yan Zhen possessed a strange charm; her focused gaze radiated a unique brilliance that made it impossible to look away.

That evening, the remaining contestants sat together for dinner. The eliminations were happening too fast.

Someone asked worriedly, “I wonder what tomorrow’s challenge will be?”

Fang Hexu said, “If you’ve watched the previous two seasons, you’d know. It’ll definitely be a culture-based competition.”

“Oh? Tell us, what’s it like specifically?!”

Fang Hexu glanced at the person. “I’m not telling you.”

The atmosphere turned awkward instantly. So, a group of people shifted their target and asked Yan Zhen, “Hey, First Place, can you really do divination?”

Everyone’s interest was piqued. Yan Zhen said, “To be precise, it’s calculating hexagrams.”

“Fine, fine, whatever, it’s just predicting things, right?” The group laughed.

Fang Hexu laughed loudly as well. “Have you turned into a charlatan now? Come on, calculate mine.”

Yan Zhen happened to be bored, so she looked at Fang Hexu and said: “Your family is ordinary, and there were no major turns in your first ten years. When you were eleven, your father married into another family. Your stepmother’s family was wealthy and had no children, so you began living a good life. Later, you failed the high school entrance exam and came to the Capital to attend a private school. You befriended wealthy young ladies and acted as their lackey. Last month, you stole one of those ladies’ boyfriends and were beaten in retaliation. You were injured and left with a scar on your hand that hasn’t faded yet.”

Fang Hexu’s face looked worse and worse as she listened. “What nonsense are you talking about!”

Yan Zhen asked, “Did I get anything wrong?”

Fang Hexu opened her mouth but couldn’t find a way to refute her. “You… you’re wrong about everything!”

Fang Hexu’s face was pale. She had done these things discreetly and never imagined Yan Zhen would know. So many people were watching the show now; if her schoolmates or her parents found out, she would be finished. The more she thought about it, the more terrified she became, and she immediately looked for the cameras.

The cameraman, however, was also very interested. He ran over with his lens and asked Yan Zhen, “How did you know all this?”

“I calculated it,” Yan Zhen said.

Fang Hexu rushed to the camera. “Don’t listen to her, she’s talking nonsense!”

The cameraman asked again, “So that scar on her hand wasn’t caused by you?”

“What scar?” Yan Zhen shook her head.

Fang Hexu stepped forward and pushed the cameraman away. “It’s night, why are you still here? Don’t we have privacy?”

The cameraman shrugged. “The contract says we film until 11:00 PM. It’s only 9:00.”

Fang Hexu was suffocating with rage. “It’s all fake anyway,” she muttered.

The audience online was buzzing with curiosity: 【Who is telling the truth, Fang Hexu or Yan Zhen?】

【Actually, I thought it was strange from the start. Fang Hexu’s wound looks like it was made recently.】

【High school classmate of Fang Hexu here, leaking info: Fang Hexu is definitely a lackey. She stole a certain corporate daughter’s boyfriend last month and got beat up. Not many people know about this. I think that certain contestant must have some great connections to know this.】

Consequently, people started digging into Fang Hexu’s past—and Yan Zhen’s. The facts were the exact opposite of what Fang Hexu had said; from childhood, Fang Hexu was the bully, while Yan Zhen had always been timid and weak, never daring to do anything or fight back. Even the insults Fang Hexu hurled at Yan Zhen before the Gaokao were dug up.

The crowd nearly exploded.

【Fang Hexu’s move is good—the thief crying ‘thief’.】

【As expected of someone wanting to be a star; you can’t do it without some guts. She started by selling a sob story to get sympathy from the ignorant public. Now her votes are more than double Yan Zhen’s.】

【Fang Hexu is shameless. I was tricked too…】

The photographer who took photos for Yan Zhen today saw these messages and covered her face in agony. “My God, what have I done? She really is an angel, just falsely accused. I should have known when I saw the editorial shot; her eyes are so pure—”

Fang Hexu’s popularity plummeted. Truly, life is unpredictable; one moment you’re the most popular contestant, and the next, no one knows where you’ll rank.

Yu Lian was sighing in front of the monitors while sipping hot tea. The steam drifted before her eyes until it dissipated. Suddenly, the door was pushed open, causing a ripple on the surface of her tea.

Yu Lian didn’t look back; she continued watching the monitor. The person who walked in was Zhao Baoshang. Zhao Baoshang sat down next to Yu Lian and coughed.

Yu Lian ignored her. Zhao Baoshang glanced at her several times, and seeing that Yu Lian really had no desire to speak, she couldn’t hold back: “What rank did she get?”

Young people really do say whatever is on their minds. Yu Lian chuckled inwardly, deliberately keeping a straight face to keep Zhao Baoshang in suspense. “Why don’t you take a guess?”

Zhao Baoshang’s face darkened. She extended one finger, then quickly pulled it back. She had missed the full competition this afternoon because of work, and her phone died on the way, so she didn’t know the little fan’s results.

Zhao Baoshang felt her little fan must have taken first, but she didn’t want to say it out loud—otherwise, everyone would know how much she trusted her… As an idol, caring this much about a fan was beneath her dignity.

“Refuse to guess?” Yu Lian made a gesture. “It’s first.”

“Mhm, okay.” Zhao Baoshang pretended to be cool.

“Do you know what gift she picked?”

Zhao Baoshang didn’t know, so she tried to act indifferent while asking. Yu Lian shamelessly continued to keep her in suspense. Zhao Baoshang grew anxious, threatening: “Tell me now, or I’ll withdraw my investment.”

Only then did Yu Lian speak slowly. “Out of a pile of autographs from legendary A-list kings and queens, she chose yours.”

Actually, there was nothing to be particularly proud of. But Zhao Baoshang was still incredibly happy. The little fan doesn’t have eyes for any other Movie Queen; I am the only one in her eyes.

Zhao Baoshang filled in the subtext herself, and a trace of a smile slowly appeared on her face. Yu Lian quit while she was ahead and chatted: “Were you filming today?”

“Yes, but I don’t have to film starting tomorrow.”

“Why?”

“I fired the director,” Zhao Baoshang said nonchalantly. Then, she snatched the recording and started watching it herself.

Author’s Note:

Yan Zhen: Taking the most beautiful photos, calculating the most accurate hexagrams, all to find the right “her.”

Zhao Baoshang: You shameless little fan! If you want to find me, just say so… =w=