Is This How the Entertainment Industry Works? (GL) - Chapter 19

On the third day, many viewers saw the content from the previous day’s episode.

Support for Yan Zhen skyrocketed.

【Are there stars and seas hidden in those eyes? I’m nearly conquered.】

【I can’t believe it; her real person and her photos are so different. Is this really the same person? She’s breathtakingly beautiful.】

【Heh, forget beauty or not. She’s just a superstitious girl from the countryside. I don’t believe someone like her can win the championship.】

【What’s wrong with being from the countryside?! Look at her photos; this is a contest of strength, not birth!】

【…】

The bickering on Weibo grew increasingly intense, jumping from Yan Zhen’s identity to regional discrimination. The show’s popularity multiplied several times over.

Eventually, the chaos was quelled by a mysterious force. That mysterious force was the topic named “Zhao Baoshang.”

When Yan Zhen woke up in the morning, she saw her own photo hanging on the living room wall. She stared at it for a while, narcisistically thinking her current face looked quite good.

Just then, two girls walked past her. They deliberately bumped hard into Yan Zhen. Caught off guard, she spilled some of the milk she was holding.

She felt a bit pained over the waste. The two girls shot her arrogant looks.

“Good morning, Number One. The photo is very beautiful.”

Yan Zhen also greeted them: “Good morning.” She took a sip of milk and walked toward the kitchen.

The two girls felt she was being arrogant. They deliberately spoke loudly behind her back.

“What a disgusting photo. Why is it so grey and dull? Is it a funeral portrait?”

“And those golden things—it looks like urine sprayed all over it.”

“Hahaha, she’s just lucky. Just wait for today’s competition. I’ll take first place, then I’ll rip her photo down and tear it into pieces!”

The two girls burst into laughter. Hearing this, Yan Zhen walked out of the kitchen. “First, make sure you won’t be eliminated yourselves.”

One of the girls, Alin, was so angry she smashed her bowl. She marched up to Yan Zhen and demanded, “Are you cursing me? Say that again!”

Yan Zhen said, “I never curse people.”

“Isn’t this a curse?!” The girl glared fiercely at Yan Zhen.

The atmosphere was instantly thick with tension. Xu Weiwei came downstairs, saw the scene, and hurried over to mediate.

“Please don’t fight,” Xu Weiwei said.

The two girls ignored her and continued their cold mockery of Yan Zhen. Xu Weiwei was pained, but she felt powerless. All three people involved were her friends.

Della and Alin—the girl who pushed Yan Zhen—were friends Xu Weiwei had made after arriving here. Della and Alin were tall, had glowing skin, and came from good families. Xu Weiwei didn’t want to lose these two friends.

On the other hand, she had met Yan Zhen on the train. Although their friendship was short, they had chatted happily. Xu Weiwei desperately hoped the three could get along.

“I beg you, don’t fight,” she whispered, looking down.

“Fight? Which eye did you see fighting with?” Alin asked with her arms crossed.

Della also smiled and said, “That’s right, we were just saying hello.”

At that moment, the cameras swung toward them. Della blew a kiss to the lens with a smile.

Xu Weiwei said, “I… I don’t know, but your voices were very loud.”

“Is being loud the same as fighting?” Della looked at Xu Weiwei with disappointment. “I thought we were friends. It seems you don’t understand us very well.”

Xu Weiwei lowered her head. She was just a Chinese girl with some family savings, while Della and Alin were foreign-national contestants. It was inevitable that there would be a gap in their values.

Xu Weiwei remained silent. Then Alin suddenly asked her, “Between us and her, choose one to be friends with. Who do you choose?” She pointed to herself and then to Yan Zhen.

This move was incredibly clever. In front of countless viewers, she intended to use someone else’s choice to belittle Yan Zhen and leave her with no face at all. Clearly, Alin thought so too, as she smiled triumphantly.

Xu Weiwei’s eyes widened. “I can’t choose!”

“Then our friendship ends here,” Alin said, shrugging.

Xu Weiwei froze. She looked at Alin in despair, then at Yan Zhen. The cameramen loved this kind of unscripted drama; the lenses swiveled between the four of them. Alin and Della looked utterly arrogant, while Yan Zhen remained calm and collected, seemingly indifferent.

Xu Weiwei looked at Yan Zhen, appearing to have something to say.

Yan Zhen spoke first: “We only chatted on a train; our bond isn’t deep. There’s no need to feel sorry or guilty.”

“I’m sorry,” Xu Weiwei whispered, lowering her head.

In the end, she chose Alin and Della. Alin felt immense psychological satisfaction. She asked even louder, “Why choose me? Is it because that ‘Number One’ is too pathetic?”

“…” Xu Weiwei nodded, suppressing her tears.

And it was indeed the truth of the game. In this competition, Alin and Della were the strong party. They had many friends and could isolate others at any time. Meanwhile, being friends with the strong was important. Every winner of a challenge got an extra “Winner’s Opportunity”—sometimes it was picking a gift, a supporting role in a movie, or a magazine modeling gig. Being friends with the winner meant a chance to share those spots.

Not just Xu Weiwei—almost everyone felt the same. They believed Yan Zhen’s first place was just luck and she would show her true colors next time.

Yan Zhen was not surprised by this outcome. A cameraman and two staff members ran to her side and asked, “Aren’t you sad about losing a friend?”

“A little,” Yan Zhen said.

“Really? It doesn’t show at all,” the staff member said. “And you actively told Xu Weiwei to choose Alin. You did it on purpose, didn’t you?”

Yan Zhen replied, “I believe in following fate. How could I do such a thing on purpose?”

The staff member thought for a bit. “Is it because you feel having Zhao Baoshang as a friend is enough, so you look down on everyone else?”

Yan Zhen’s expression finally shifted. “What are you saying? How could the Eld— Zhao Baoshang possibly be my friend?”

The staff member was shocked. “What? Is Zhao Baoshang not your friend?” In the monitor room, Zhao Baoshang’s eyes had been glued to Yan Zhen. And since Yan Zhen clearly knew Zhao Baoshang, to say there was no personal relationship… was that even possible?

Yan Zhen stood up and shook her head. “No.”

The staff members were all stunned. Yan Zhen continued, “She is someone I respect and someone I follow. I am not worthy of being her friend.”

The staff member’s internal subtext: I am only worthy of being a dog at her feet. What a magnificent die-hard fan… The staff member was speechless for a moment.

Yan Zhen explained, “Zhao Baoshang has her own friends and the people she likes. I will respect and honor all of her decisions.”

In the monitor room, the people there began to congratulate Zhao Baoshang.

“Congratulations. Your die-hard fan is publicly choosing to worship you again,” Yu Lian said.

Zhao Baoshang coughed twice. “At least she has self-awareness.”

“Does your heart not ache when you say that?” Yu Lian asked.

Zhao Baoshang’s expression flickered. “Why would my heart ache?”

But as soon as she said it, she really did feel a bit of discomfort in her chest. She carefully identified it—it was that irritability she felt when under too much pressure, mixed with an indescribable suppression. She felt like kicking something to vent.

Yu Lian said something else behind her, but Zhao Baoshang wasn’t listening. She stood up, hesitated for a moment, grabbed her coat, hat, and mask, and headed out.

Inside the Supernova House, the atmosphere among the contestants was not harmonious. After finishing breakfast, the group sat in the hall with heavy expressions, waiting for the competition to begin.

Just as they were about to guess today’s content, they heard Yu Lian’s call: “Hey, darlings!”

Everyone immediately ran out screaming: “Yu Lian!”

Yu Lian was standing on the T-stage in the living room wearing a white T-shirt. Seeing everyone, she put her hands on her hips and asked, “Do you know why I came here so early?”

The crowd shook their heads.

“As you know, next month, a big-budget movie will be released. Its name is—The General’s Command.” Yu Lian’s tone held a hint of mystery. “Do you know who the lead is?”

Of course they knew. This was the movie being promoted everywhere lately!

Several girls were about to shout “Xu Fengmei,” but they were suppressed by a suddenly excited Yan Zhen: “It’s Zhao Baoshang!!!!”

Yu Lian nearly burst out laughing: “Exactly!”

A Xu Fengmei fan glared fiercely at Yan Zhen. Yan Zhen didn’t care.

Yu Lian continued the announcement: “And today, we are going to promote this movie through a game.”

Author’s Note: Zhao Baoshang: Time to play games with my little fan.

Yan Zhen: Don’t be afraid, Princess. I’ll crush them all for you; you don’t even need to lift a finger.

Zhao Baoshang: …………….