Is This How the Entertainment Industry Works? (GL) - Chapter 20

Yu Lian explained the general rules.

The contestants would return to the first floor of the skyscraper to compete on stage. The challenge was a “Partner Poetry Guessing Game.” One person would stand with their back to the screen while the other faced it, providing hints to help their partner guess the ancient poem.

Hints could be given character by character, by naming the author and the poem title, or by reciting related lines, but participants were strictly forbidden from using any words already present in the target sentence.

Some of the foreign contestants complained, “This isn’t fair! When it comes to ancient poetry, the Chinese contestants definitely have an advantage. What we were taught in school was just skin-deep.”

Yu Lian explained seriously, “Haven’t you watched a single year of this competition? Talent and cultural literacy have always been key segments. If you can’t answer, you should look for the reason within yourselves first.”

The group immediately fell silent. The twenty contestants drew lots and were divided into pairs. The winning pair would secure an internal audition for a movie. Everyone was eager to try.

The person paired with Yan Zhen was Alin—the same girl she had clashed with that morning. Alin had reddish-brown hair, high cheekbones, freckles, and thick eyebrows; the judges described her appearance as “highly individualistic.” Everyone expected her to make the top three, and Alin herself felt she was born to be a superstar.

At this moment, she looked at Yan Zhen with disdain: “Don’t you dare drag me down. I must get this spot.”

Yan Zhen replied, “I wanted to say the same thing.”

“If you weren’t partnered with me, you’d probably be eliminated,” Alin said. “Be grateful for your good luck.”

A camera happened to be filming them. Alin said to the lens, “When I was in school, I always got perfect marks in Chinese. I think if this were just an individual competition, the championship would be mine, but I’m not so sure about a duo event.”

Behind the monitors, the judges asked, “Who has the highest academic credentials here?”

“It should be Della,” a young assistant said. “She’s an Ivy League graduate.”

“What about Alin?” Yu Lian asked.

The assistant checked. “Just an ordinary school. Yan Zhen is actually quite good; she was the local Zhuangyuan (top scorer) in the Gaokao this year.”

Then why is Alin so confident? Yu Lian rubbed her temples, a hint of suspicion arising. She leaned back and lit a cigarette.

The competition began. Promotional billboards had been placed at the entrance of the skyscraper, and a crowd had gathered in the hall to watch.

The first pair was Yan Zhen and Alin. Alin walked confidently to the spot with her back to the screen and said to Yan Zhen, “I’ll guess. Giving hints isn’t hard, so make sure you give me good ones.”

“Likewise,” Yan Zhen said. Alin sneered.

As a “Second-Generation Star” with a good family background, Alin had actually found out about the contest content yesterday. Her family had used their connections to pull strings, and she had obtained the correct answers. She had memorized every poem that would appear on the background screen. Now, as long as Yan Zhen provided a few keywords, she would easily recite the poem. By tomorrow, everyone would know her as the person with a “mastery of ancient literature.”

Alin was impatient to start. The first poem flashed on the screen: “Sing with ease, drink with ease.” (歌且从容，杯且从容)

There was a time limit. Yan Zhen thought for a moment; translating the poem would be too difficult and might accidentally lead to repeated words. Naming the poem title would be faster and safer.

Yan Zhen said: “The last eight characters of Yi Jian Mei: Mid-Autumn Full Moon.”

Alin was stunned. “What?”

Yan Zhen added: “Written by Xin Qiji.”

There weren’t many eight-character answers. It took Alin a moment to react: “Sing with ease, drink with ease.” Then she added, “Don’t say the titles; many tune names are repetitive. I can’t remember them.”

“Alright,” Yan Zhen said.

The second question was: “I have heard that a brave man values his character.” (吾闻壮夫重心骨)

Yan Zhen: “The line following ‘In olden times, those who walked without destruction.’” (古人三走无摧驉)

Alin: “???” She suddenly doubted her hearing. She knew she must have memorized this, but she had used a keyword association method aided by modern translation. She didn’t expect such a simple and crude academic approach…

Alin felt she was doomed. Seeing that Alin hadn’t spoken, Yan Zhen added: “Who is the one who pities you in your toil?” (劳劳谁是怜君者)

Alin broke down. “Pass! Pass!”

Yan Zhen sighed. “I can’t say the title, and I can’t say the preceding or following lines. How do you usually memorize poetry?”

Alin’s face turned red. “Keywords! Right, keywords. Give me some keywords.”

Third question: “Suspecting remnant powder smeared on golden masonry, as if light frost brushed on jade railings.” (只疑残粉涂金砌，恍若轻霜抹玉栏)

Yan Zhen gave the keywords: “Dream of the Red Chamber. Xiangling. Watching the moon.”

Alin nearly fainted. The “keywords” she wanted weren’t these, but synonyms for the poem’s words…

In the end, the two only answered three correctly.

Some passersby watching the show laughed. “She talked such a big game earlier, and then she couldn’t answer a single line.” Alin’s face burned with shame.

Someone else noted, “But the one giving hints is amazing. You can tell she has a solid foundation.”

Alin’s gaze instantly became fierce and predatory. She shot several glares at Yan Zhen. Finally, unable to hold back, she jumped onto the stage, pointed at Yan Zhen, and shouted, “She cheated!”

The crowd froze, completely confused by the situation. Infighting?

“She definitely cheated!” Alin continued, lunging forward to push Yan Zhen.

The moment she reached out, a woman wearing a hat and mask lunged out from the crowd of onlookers. The woman raised her arm, blocking Alin’s attack.

Alin snapped, “Scram! Stay out of it!”

The masked woman replied, “If anyone is scrambling, it’s you.”

The voice was somewhat familiar. Yan Zhen recognized it instantly: “Eld— Zhao Baoshang?!”

Zhao Baoshang lifted the brim of her cap slightly, frowning. “Why has your Mandarin gotten so bad?”

Yan Zhen grinned sheepishly. Zhao Baoshang turned her face away. “What are you smiling at?”

Yan Zhen sidled up to her. “It’s been a long time since I saw you.”

“Hmph.” Zhao Baoshang thought to herself: You know it’s been a long time, so why didn’t you come find me? I’ve been seeing you every day, and I have to do it secretly too…

Yan Zhen asked, “Are you filming nearby?”

Zhao Baoshang adjusted her hat and nodded.

“Won’t the director scold you for coming out in the middle of it?” Yan Zhen asked.

Zhao Baoshang said, “He won’t.” She coughed. “Besides, no one is helping me practice my scenes. I can’t act without it.”

Her face turned a bit red, and she pulled her hat even lower. Yan Zhen said, “If you don’t mind, I can—”

Before she could finish, Alin marched over, grabbing Yan Zhen. “It’s bad enough you cheated, but you dragged my score down too! I think this competition is unfair!”

Zhao Baoshang’s face instantly went cold. “It’s not certain who was the one cheating.”

Alin snapped, “Who do you think you are?” Then she saw the face under the hat and gasped in horror: “Zhao Baoshang?!!”

Zhao Baoshang tilted her chin up, her eyes full of contempt. “It’s me. I saw everything clearly from below. She definitely didn’t cheat; you were clearly the one dragging her down.”

While it was the honest truth, the words were incredibly offensive. She was bluntly telling Alin she was incompetent.

Yu Lian sighed inwardly: No wonder Little Zhao doesn’t have many loyal fans; that temper was clearly pampered into her by her family.

Alin was fuming. “What do you mean by that?”

“I mean exactly what I said,” Zhao Baoshang replied. “You’re too ‘noob’.”

Alin cursed, “Don’t think you can do whatever you want just because you have some damn money.”

“Do whatever I want?” Zhao Baoshang said. “Fine then. I won’t be polite. I’ll have you eliminated in a bit. With your IQ, you won’t get far anyway.”

Author’s Note:

Zhao Baoshang: Let’s play an idiom chain game. I’ll start: Wei Suo Yu Wei (Do as one pleases).

Alin: Wei Suo Yu Wei (Do as one pleases).

Yan Zhen: I choose to exit the theater.