Is This How the Entertainment Industry Works? (GL) - Chapter 25

The staff was highly efficient and quickly arranged the custom-made program for Yan Zhen. The show was titled The Big Stars and Their Star Fans.

The production plan paired several rising stars in the entertainment industry with famous idols to engage in games and challenges. The show followed a one-on-one format. Filming would take place in locations with rich local flavor—such as fishing villages, the Loess Plateau, and Hakka settlements—capturing how the stars lived, bought groceries, and haggled, showing their more “down-to-earth” side.

The selling point was: “Your idols are actually fanboys/fangirls too, and they are either very good (or very bad) at managing a household.”

Currently, several top-tier A-list kings and queens had been selected for the lineup. The person who came to inform Yan Zhen about this was the manager assigned to her by Tianhua Company. This manager was fair, chubby, and went by the name Tang An.

Tang An was very easygoing. After sitting down, she chatted with Yan Zhen with a beaming smile. She asked Yan Zhen, “Why do you want to be a star?”

Yan Zhen replied, “For one person.”

“Zhao Baoshang?” Tang An said. “I can dig it. I’ve heard about that. You have good taste and ambitious goals; that’s good for your future.”

Then she asked, “What kind of ‘persona’ do you plan to sell?”

“What?”

“A persona,” Tang An explained. “It’s very popular right now. You have the ‘White Lotus,’ the ‘Tomboy,’ the ‘Once-in-a-Millennium Beauty,’ and so on.”

Yan Zhen felt that none of these labels had anything to do with her. Tang An offered some guidance: “If you really don’t know, then tell me about your special talents.”

“Talents?” Yan Zhen said. “I can tell fortunes.”

Tang An: “…Actually, I’ve seen your Weibo. I just didn’t expect you to say it so proudly.”

In Tang An’s eyes, Yan Zhen was just a little charlatan with a bit of surface-level knowledge who got lucky a few times. Such things could be used as a temporary gimmick, but they wouldn’t last. “But it’s better than nothing. Niche hobbies can sometimes attract fans unexpectedly.”

Tang An opened her laptop and typed out a schedule. It included several hype points regarding the “charlatan” persona. “Since you rose through a talent show and your specialty is fortune-telling, the fastest way to gain fans is probably through live streaming.”

Tang An wrote the words “Live Stream” on the plan. “For example, streaming yourself telling fortunes for people. Don’t worry, we’ll hire a few ‘shills’ for you beforehand. No matter what nonsense you make up, they won’t expose you.”

Yan Zhen: “There’s no need for that much trouble.”

Tang An said, “I know you’re confident in your abilities, but you’re just starting out; your image is more important. If you get a prediction wrong, it’s all over.”

Yan Zhen didn’t express an opinion. Revealing heavenly secrets often invited the “Five Afflictions and Three Deficiencies,” so if it could be avoided, it was better not to tell fortunes. However, her “Heavenly Eye” was innate; sometimes seeing through someone’s fate wasn’t within her control. While some things were beyond her power to foresee, getting a prediction wrong? Impossible.

Tang An typed the final line of text and showed the screen to Yan Zhen. It detailed her persona. Yan Zhen looked it over and added, “My dream isn’t to become a universal-level master who slays demons; it’s to stand at the same height as Zhao Baoshang.”

Tang An said, “Isn’t that more or less the same?”

Yan Zhen: “Isn’t it completely different?”

Tang An: “Her persona is the universal-level Queen who saves the suffering and heals the wounded!”

Yan Zhen was speechless. …As expected of the Eldest Princess, even her persona felt incredibly powerful.

Yan Zhen took a sip of water. Tang An continued with the plan: “Is the rest okay?”

Yan Zhen, feeling weary, nodded. “It’s very okay.”

Tang An packed her laptop and pulled a bag of scripts from her feet. “Here are some scripts. See if any interest you; they are part of your prize for being the champion.” She placed several white, blue, and red books on the table.

Yan Zhen opened them. The first was a historical war drama. It looked like it might be a hit, but the title was too aggressive, carrying a vibe of “dead wood finding no spring”—it would likely face many setbacks. She put it aside.

The second was a comedy. It was full of jokes, but they were mostly Western-style dry humor; if broadcast on the mainland, its impact might not be great. She put that one aside as well.

Tang An sighed, thinking this new champion might not be that bright. These were all top-tier scripts, yet she tossed them aside after a glance.

Yan Zhen looked through several more until she reached the last one. She hesitated for a moment and said to Tang An, “This one.”

The script was titled Qing Shan Yuan.

“This one won’t work,” Tang An said. “This was bought out by Zhao Baoshang. It doesn’t belong to our company.”

“Zhao Baoshang?”

“Yeah, your goddess,” Tang An said half-jokingly. “The Ice Queen. I wouldn’t dare ask her for a script. Do you want to pick something else?”

“No, just this one,” Yan Zhen said. “I can try to ask for an audition.”

“Don’t think just because you’re her fan you can be so reckless,” Tang An educated her. “I don’t know about other things, but Zhao Baoshang is very serious about movies; she won’t tolerate any flaws.”

“I know,” Yan Zhen nodded.

“I understand you want to get close to your goddess.” Tang An patted her laptop. “Doesn’t that reality show fulfill your wish?”

Yan Zhen smiled. “Indeed, I am very satisfied with that plan.”

Tang An breathed a sigh of relief.

Yan Zhen continued, “But I don’t want to let go of any opportunity to spend time with her.”

Tang An had a look on her face like she’d seen a ghost. She studied Yan Zhen and saw that her gaze was serious, not joking. Finally, she relented. “Fine. You’re young; once you trip and fall a few times, you’ll know what society is really like.”

After that, they settled some details for the shows. Once they exchanged contact info, Tang An left to handle other artists.

Yan Zhen returned to her rented room. Not long after, there was a knock. When she opened the door, standing there was Zhao Baoshang—the very person she had just been talking about.

“What a dump,” Zhao Baoshang cursed directly as she saw the state of the room. She took a few steps in, then retreated, unable to believe the room she was seeing. There were stickers all over the door, the floorboards were warped, the paint was peeling off the walls, and some spots were patched with old newspapers.

…Was there really such a destitute place in the Capital? What kind of life was her little fan living for her sake? Zhao Baoshang felt a sudden surge of mixed emotions.

Yan Zhen stood at the door and marveled, “How did you find this place? You’re amazing.”

Zhao Baoshang instinctively wanted to be sarcastic. But thinking of the fan’s pitiful dwelling, she held it in. She lowered her head slightly and pursed her lips. “I was just passing by.”

“…???”

Yan Zhen invited her in, explaining, “I haven’t had time to clean during the competition. Once I’m done, it should be clean.”

Zhao Baoshang didn’t think this place was salvageable. Yan Zhen wiped down the grimy sofa and poured her a cup of tea. Zhao Baoshang hesitated for a moment before sitting down and drinking it. Yan Zhen then pulled out a handful of candies and put them in a fruit basket. Zhao Baoshang unwrapped one, put it in her mouth, bit down, and spat it out because it was too sweet.

Yan Zhen couldn’t quite calculate what Zhao Baoshang was here for. So she asked directly, “What are you here for?”

Zhao Baoshang said, “My grandfather told me to come find you.”

“Old Zhao? To play chess?”

Zhao Baoshang nodded. She added in her mind: Not just chess; seeing how pitiful you are, I can take you to a movie first.

“I might not be free today,” Yan Zhen said.

Zhao Baoshang frowned. “The competition is over, how are you still not free?”

“Yu Lian said she has some things she wants to ask me.”

Yan Zhen had received a call from Yu Lian last night. Yu Lian had been troubled by something since the competition but hadn’t mentioned it. Now that she had some free time, she immediately reached out. They had an appointment for this afternoon.

“By the way, there’s a movie—” Yan Zhen suddenly remembered the Qing Shan Yuan script and wanted to ask Zhao Baoshang about it.

She was interrupted by Zhao Baoshang. “Is Yu Lian more important or am I?” Zhao Baoshang asked with a dark face.

Yan Zhen blinked. “What?”

Zhao Baoshang felt Yan Zhen was playing dumb. She had infected her with a Love Gu, yet she hadn’t mentioned it once, and now she was planning to see another woman. The more Zhao Baoshang thought, the angrier she got. She stood up, fingering the movie tickets in her pocket, very unhappy.

“You’re not allowed to go,” Zhao Baoshang said. “Come home with me.”

Yan Zhen smiled. “Yu Lian’s business will be over by this afternoon. If you’re free, you can come with me to see her, and then I’ll go home with you to play chess.”

Zhao Baoshang snorted coldly.

Yan Zhen coaxed again, “It’ll be very fast. My fortune-telling is really quick.”

Is it just fortune-telling? Zhao Baoshang thought it over. Yu Lian was her senior, and everyone knew they had a good relationship. Perhaps the little fan was only trying to flatter Yu Lian for her sake.

With that thought, Zhao Baoshang hesitated for a moment and then agreed.

Author’s Note:

Zhao Baoshang: Are you flattering Yu Lian for me?

Yan Zhen: Of course—not.

Zhao Baoshang: [Angry][Angry]

Yu Lian: Little Zhao, you better worry about the upcoming lifestyle show.

Tang An: +1, can you wash vegetables?

Lu Ming: +2, can you do laundry?

Li Ping: +3, Boss… do you know how to put on clothes?

Zhao Baoshang: SHUT UP! (ｏ`皿′ｏ)/