Is This How the Entertainment Industry Works? (GL) - Chapter 3

Yan Zhen said, “Of course, I will give you a detailed analysis. Don’t be so impatient.”

Zhao Baoshang lifted her chin. “Then begin.”

Yan Zhen pointed to the six coins. “This is a Six-Yao reading. Though it looks simple, the hexagrams work together and influence one another, much like the Five Elements. From the bottom up, they are grouped in threes, divided into Yang and Yin lines. Usually, you use three coins for a reading, but I use my own six-coin method, a simpler form of the Plum Blossom I Ching.”

Zhao Baoshang scoffed. “You’re full of nonsense.”

“I’m just afraid you won’t understand. I’ll get straight to the point,” Yan Zhen said with a smile. “The first hexagram is a Yang line. Although you don’t want to be a celebrity, your career is destined to take off and is beyond your control.”

“The second hexagram is a Yin line. The person you are seeking is not your true love, nor is she your noble benefactor.”

“The third, fourth, and fifth hexagrams are all Yang lines. They represent your distant relatives, your parents, and yourself, all of whom will be healthy and live long lives.”

“The sixth hexagram is a Yin line. If this line were Yang, it would be fine. But because it is Yin, it changes the meaning of the previous hexagrams.”

Yan Zhen stopped there.

Zhao Baoshang’s expression grew serious. “What does it change them to?”

Yan Zhen glanced at the tea, which was now getting cold.

Zhao Baoshang grew wary. “What are you trying to do?”

Yan Zhen smiled mischievously. “You drink the tea, and I’ll continue.”

Zhao Baoshang was so angry she couldn’t speak.

She had heard some of what Yan Zhen said before. When she was little, her family had invited a renowned Taoist master. The master had looked at her face and said a few things: one, she wouldn’t be in control of her own destiny; two, she wouldn’t meet her noble benefactor; and three, the person she was looking for was not the right person.

The master’s words were a little strange, but her nanny had remembered them for over a decade and would often repeat them to her. Later, as Zhao Baoshang wasn’t home as much, she had almost forgotten those words. She was surprised to hear something so similar from Yan Zhen.

She didn’t think Yan Zhen was just making it up. Zhao Baoshang looked at Yan Zhen again, picked up the cup, and drank the bitter tea in one gulp. When she looked down and saw the yellow stains, she couldn’t help but shudder, nearly dropping the cup.

Yan Zhen still smiled kindly.

“Can you talk now?” Zhao Baoshang said.

“Of course,” Yan Zhen said, putting the coins away. “The sixth hexagram only affects the fifth. The rest remain largely unchanged.”

Zhao Baoshang frowned. “What does that mean?”

Yan Zhen said, “It means your deadly tribulation is not yet over. Whether you live a healthy life still depends on whether your noble benefactor is willing to help you.”

Zhao Baoshang was silent for a moment. “What about the second hexagram?” she asked.

“What about it?” Yan Zhen thought for a moment. “The one about the person you’re looking for not being the right one?”

Zhao Baoshang nodded.

“That one hasn’t changed,” Yan Zhen said.

Hearing this, Zhao Baoshang was furious. She stood up. “You’re a charlatan!”

Yan Zhen was a little angry herself. “Isn’t your family being healthy and well better than anything else? And you’re still yelling at me.”

Zhao Baoshang didn’t say anything. A moment later, she strode over to the door, opened it, and left.

“How rude,” Yan Zhen thought.

This person, although she looked like the Eldest Princess, was not her. Their fates were completely different. In her disappointment, Yan Zhen also felt a strange sense of relief. The Eldest Princess must have been reborn by now.

Or perhaps this woman was the Eldest Princess’s reincarnation.

At this thought, Yan Zhen’s eyes once again filled with respect and determination. She was afraid her mother would wake up and not find her, so she quickly grabbed some free toiletries, put them in her bag, and ran home.

At dawn, people outside were washing clothes by the river, talking about what they had seen and heard the day before. The roosters crowed, and Yan Zhen got dressed to go out.

Her mother came over from the foot of the mountain with a basket of things. “Where are you going?” she asked.

Yan Zhen said, “To the library to read.”

“Reading again? That Tui Bei Tu thing again?”

Yan Zhen quickly explained, “This time, it’s definitely a math book.”

Just then, Lu Ming happened to walk by. She saw Yan Zhen and called out, “Hey! Little delivery girl!”

Yan Zhen’s heart sank when she heard that.

Her mother’s face immediately changed. “Little delivery girl??! I told you to deliver food!” She raised the basket as if to hit Yan Zhen but saw Lu Ming. She paused and asked Lu Ming, “Are you one of the people filming from the city?”

Lu Ming responded a little foolishly, “Yes.”

“Oh, the one with the big stars, at the foot of Qinglong Mountain, right?” her mother asked.

Lu Ming nodded. “Yes, yes, but we’re the less famous film crew.”

Did film crews have famous and not-so-famous ones? Her mother didn’t quite understand. But she understood what Lu Ming looked like. Clean, well-educated. She quickly pushed Yan Zhen toward Lu Ming. “My little Zhen is taking her college entrance exams this year. I see you’re not much older. Why don’t you study together?”

Lu Ming gave an awkward laugh. “Uh? I graduated years ago.”

“Then you can give my little Zhen some pointers. Auntie will treat you to chicken tonight,” her mother said, pointing to the big roosters in the coop.

Lu Ming instinctively wanted to refuse. But then she remembered the warning Yan Zhen gave her yesterday and quickly came to her senses. She had to take this real master with her first!

“Okay, okay, no problem!” Lu Ming said. “I’ll take her with me now!”

Her mother was naturally happy. “Go ahead!”

Lu Ming smiled and started pulling Yan Zhen toward the mountain. As she pulled her, she asked, “What were you going to do this morning? Deliver food again?”

Yan Zhen replied, “Yep.”

“What’s so great about delivering food? Acting is where the real money is.”

Yan Zhen asked, “How much money?”

“That’s why you villagers are so naive,” Lu Ming said, leaning in conspiratorially. “Guess how much I make for one movie?”

Yan Zhen shook her head.

Lu Ming held up one finger.

Yan Zhen asked, “One thousand?”

Lu Ming shook her head.

Yan Zhen asked, “Ten thousand?”

Lu Ming flicked Yan Zhen’s forehead with her finger. “I’m just a supporting actress. My salary alone is one hundred and ten thousand, and if the box office is good, I’ll get a bonus.”

Yan Zhen was a little surprised. “One hundred and ten thousand? That’s a lot?”

“Duh! Why do you think everyone wants to be a celebrity?”

Yan Zhen thought that if she could make one hundred and ten thousand, it would be enough to fulfill the original owner’s wish. She looked at Lu Ming. “Did you come looking for me to tell me about acting?”

“Wow! How did you know that?” Lu Ming was shocked, then chuckled. “That’s right! I’m telling you, there’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Although you probably won’t get one hundred and ten thousand. You’re a rookie, so Director Wang will cut the price.”

Lu Ming began to explain.

The cliff-jumping incident yesterday had scared Director Wang badly. Afterward, he naturally investigated the matter thoroughly. They found that the supporting actress for the female lead had tampered with the wire. She had intended to harm the female lead, but Lu Ming had used the wire first. Once the truth was revealed, the female lead was unhappy, and Director Wang was so scared he nearly peed his pants. The supporting actress was promptly kicked off the set. Since they were in the middle of nowhere, Director Wang was too lazy to hold new auditions and simply promoted Lu Ming, who had been wronged, to the supporting role.

This left Lu Ming’s old role empty. Director Wang told her to find any friend or relative to fill it. Lu Ming immediately thought of Yan Zhen. She knew how rare a true Taoist master was in modern society. So even if there was only a one percent chance, she would use this opportunity to curry favor with the psychic delivery girl.

Yan Zhen was shocked. “I’ve never acted before.”

Lu Ming was silent. Oh right, this is a country girl who’s never seen the world.

But it wasn’t a big-budget movie anyway, so a little rough acting wouldn’t matter. Lu Ming thought it over and said to Yan Zhen, “It’s fine. No one has high hopes for the role you’ll be playing.”

Yan Zhen said, “That’s good. What kind of character will I be?”

Lu Ming said, “A supporting female role! But a very tragic one. Her life is basically a mess—failed business, cheating husband, and a lost daughter. She’ll definitely make the audience cry.”