Is This How the Entertainment Industry Works? (GL) - Chapter 27

Yan Zhen said with a smile, “Don’t look at it as ugly; it’s actually very effective. It wards off petty people, mercury retrograde, and physical injuries.”

Unfortunately, it couldn’t ward off a “Death Calamity.” Thinking of this, Yan Zhen felt a pang of sadness.

Zhao Baoshang turned the protective charm over in her hands for a while. The more she looked at it, the more she liked it, and finally, she tucked it into her pocket.

“Since you’re being so obedient, I’ll take you to a movie,” Zhao Baoshang said.

Yan Zhen asked quickly, “What movie?”

Zhao Baoshang pulled out two tickets, the corners of her mouth curling into a smile. “The one you acted in.”

The tickets read: The Most Beautiful Rural Teacher.

Yan Zhen’s eyes widened as if she were looking at a rare treasure. However, she wasn’t shocked by the tickets, but by Zhao Baoshang’s smile. That smile was so staggering that the only phrase that could surface in Yan Zhen’s mind was “peerless elegance.”

No wonder the Princess had a difficult fate in her past life. It truly is a case of ‘a beautiful face, a tragic life’.

Yan Zhen lamented inwardly; most people who are exceptionally good-looking have tumultuous destinies. First, she was a Princess, and now she’s Zhao Baoshang with a Death Calamity—it was enough to make one’s head spin.

Zhao Baoshang didn’t notice Yan Zhen’s odd behavior. She walked ahead while Yan Zhen followed. They arrived at the cinema, had their tickets checked, and entered a private box on the second floor.

It was Yan Zhen’s first time in such a high-end place. She wandered around looking at everything until the movie started, at which point Zhao Baoshang grabbed her and made her sit down.

The lights dimmed.

The advertisements on the giant screen faded, replaced by a faint blue light. The sound of rustling footsteps echoed as if someone were stepping on dry leaves. At first, it was a slow walk, then the steps grew faster and longer. Suddenly, there was a thud and a cry of “Ah!”—someone had fallen.

Nearby, the sounds of a park filled the air: an erhu playing, people chatting. Aunties returning from the market were gossiping about the news they’d heard yesterday. No one went to help the person on the ground; the human indifference was as cold as the north wind blowing through the scene.

The light on the screen grew stronger. Finally, a figure appeared—a woman in a trench coat looking disheveled and miserable. She sat on the ground for a moment, then slowly braced herself and stood up. She dusted off her clothes, looked up, and revealed eyes that lacked any focus.

—This was the mother of the female lead, played by Yan Zhen. She was lost in a daze in a park filled with autumn leaves.

After a while, she suddenly snapped out of it. Her eyes filled with agony, and she rushed toward the crowd, grabbing people and asking loudly, “Have you seen my daughter!”

Cry after cry, her voice was hoarse and desperate. The only answers she received were the confused shakes of the bystanders’ heads.

The screen slowly faded to black, transitioning into the faint chirping of cicadas.

Zhao Baoshang looked at the screen. “You acted very well.”

Yan Zhen hurriedly demurred, “No, I just followed the script.”

“The script wouldn’t be written with such detail.”

“True enough,” Yan Zhen said cheekily. Because she had seen scenes of poor families’ children being trampled by horses while their parents cried out helplessly, she had deep feelings for that particular scene.

Zhao Baoshang glanced at Yan Zhen, about to say something, when suddenly, the sound of heavy breathing came from the screen.

The scene shifted. A rural dirt road, flickering orange lanterns. Inside a dilapidated tiled house, a man and a woman were engaged in intense “exercise.” Several gasps were heard in the darkness. Then, a man got off the kang bed and began to dress. On the bed, a woman was wrapped in a quilt; in the moonlight, one could only faintly see her eyes, which were filled with worry.

“Brother Zhu, it’s been so long and we still don’t have a kid. What should we do?”

The man put on his socks, turned around with a chuckle, and said, “Don’t worry. I’ve found a connection. In a few days, a fat, white boy will be delivered here.”

“A fat baby?” the woman asked curiously. “How are you getting him?”

The man looked left and right, then leaned in and whispered in her ear, “Bought him. With money.”

Yan Zhen took a sip of the water beside her. She hadn’t been present for the entire shoot and had no idea Director Wang liked filming such “heavy” scenes. …Fortunately, my role was quite normal.

She took a bite of popcorn. Suddenly, she heard Zhao Baoshang ask, “What were those two doing just now?”

Yan Zhen spat out a mouthful of popcorn. She stammered, “Weren’t they just… putting on clothes?”

“That’s not what I mean.” Zhao Baoshang’s face was grim. “Do you think I don’t know that? I’m talking about what happened before that!”

“Before?” Yan Zhen glanced at the screen. Now the screen showed a large truck driving along a bumpy mountain road. Two truck drivers were smoking and talking about something.

Yan Zhen said cautiously, “Before was just… delivering goods and buying a child.”

Zhao Baoshang grabbed Yan Zhen’s hand. “No! I mean the part where they were under the quilt.”

Yan Zhen nearly choked on her own saliva. That scene was quite obvious; how was she supposed to explain it? Besides, the “Eldest Princess” was now in her twenties; she should know about these things.

She looked at Zhao Baoshang, lowered her head, and chose her words carefully: “They were… performing the ‘clouds and rain’ act. That is, a passion scene.”

“A passion scene?” Zhao Baoshang asked. “Why do they have to be under a quilt for a passion scene?”

Yan Zhen didn’t know either. She made up an answer: “Maybe it was too cold outside?”

Zhao Baoshang said, “I think the air conditioning in here is quite cold too.”

Yan Zhen froze. She looked up at Zhao Baoshang. In the darkness, Zhao Baoshang’s eyes were bright, filled with little stars.

Yan Zhen asked, “Should I ask someone to turn up the temperature?”

Zhao Baoshang shook her head. “No need.”

Yan Zhen asked, “Don’t you feel cold?”

Zhao Baoshang felt Yan Zhen helping her warm her hands again, and her heart suddenly began to beat faster. She touched Yan Zhen’s hand; it was always warm, unlike her own hands, which were cold and stiff.

She squeezed Yan Zhen’s hand and said, “I want to kiss you.”

“WHAT?!”

Yan Zhen jumped up in fright. “Why on earth do you suddenly want to kiss me?!”

Zhao Baoshang thought for a moment; she didn’t quite understand why herself. She just felt an itch in her heart and wanted to kiss Yan Zhen.

It must be the Love Gu acting up.

Yes, it’s definitely the Love Gu. Everything is the little fan’s fault.

With this thought, Zhao Baoshang grabbed Yan Zhen with full justification and leaned in.

“Waaaah!” Yan Zhen scrambled backward.

Zhao Baoshang’s “phoenix eyes” glared, looking slightly misty, which made her look even more breathtakingly beautiful. “Why are you running?!” Zhao Baoshang demanded.

Yan Zhen asked tremulously, “Zha—Zhao Baoshang, why do you suddenly want to kiss me?”

“I don’t know,” Zhao Baoshang said. “It’s not like we haven’t done it before. Come here.”

Yan Zhen said, “That was for a scene before. Now we’re just watching a movie.”

“There’s another screening this afternoon. If you want to watch the movie, we can watch the afternoon one.” Zhao Baoshang didn’t give up, pointing to the seat and commanding, “Sit back down.”

Yan Zhen sat back on the stool with extreme caution. “I’ll sit here, but you can’t kiss me.”

“Why?” Zhao Baoshang asked.

“Because that’s something that should only happen between people with mutual feelings,” Yan Zhen explained. “Before was just practicing a scene. If we kiss without a scene, it’s… acting like a hooligan.”

Zhao Baoshang stared at Yan Zhen. “Do you like me?”

Yan Zhen nodded quickly. “I do.”

“Then I also—” Zhao Baoshang got halfway through the sentence when her face suddenly turned red. Fortunately, the lights in the box were dim, so no one could see. She turned away. “I also like myself. Anyway, since you like me, me kissing you is me giving you ‘face’.”

Yan Zhen said nothing.

Zhao Baoshang was very satisfied with such an obedient little fan. She touched Yan Zhen’s hand and found a thin layer of cold sweat on the palm. She really is excited.

…But in reality, Yan Zhen wasn’t excited. She was actually a bit terrified. The Eldest Princess had always been someone she respected. She was used to the Princess sitting coldly and elegantly in the high halls; she never imagined her being this clingy.

The vibe was simply “toxic.”

Yan Zhen thought about it and stood back up. Under Zhao Baoshang’s gaze, she gathered her courage and simply bolted.