Is This How the Entertainment Industry Works? (GL) - Chapter 31

In the dressing room, the makeup artist applied a pale blue look to Yan Zhen, paired with a matching blue sequined dress. In the mirror, Yan Zhen looked entirely blue—practically oily with it.

She asked in confusion, “Am I not filming the commercial for the rose perfume?”

“Yes,” the makeup artist replied. “Is there a problem?”

Yan Zhen said, “The theme of this commercial is supposed to be soft and aesthetic. The feeling blue gives off doesn’t seem to be that at all.”

“The plan was set this way,” the makeup artist explained.

Yan Zhen inquired, “What colors are Alin and Della’s makeup?”

The makeup artist hesitated for a moment before telling her, “…Pink.”

Pink was the appropriate color for rose perfume.

The makeup artist added, “Blue might be a new idea from the big shots. Maybe it’ll be very striking.”

Yan Zhen looked at her face in the mirror—which looked as if she had been poisoned—and shook her head. “Unlikely.”

Although she was prepared, she hadn’t expected Alin to be so bold.

“I’m just applying it according to the design draft.” The makeup artist glanced outside and whispered to Yan Zhen, “Alin’s mother is a big shot in the photography circle. A casual comment from her can determine someone’s professional life or death. These photographers don’t dare offend her. We don’t have a choice for this shoot either.”

“I see.” Yan Zhen felt like she was back in the competition.

The makeup artist continued, “You’re just unlucky this time to run into her. You won’t be this unlucky in the future.”

Yan Zhen nodded. “Thank you for telling me.” She picked up a brush and added two strokes to her face.

“Wait!” the artist tried to stop her. “What are you doing—”

She cut herself off as she saw Yan Zhen apply glitter to the corners of her eyes. The lines of her brows and eyes were redrawn to be sharp and clear; the light blue eyeshadow was layered with deep navy, turning the makeup rich and saturated, giving off an intense, mysterious exoticism.

The makeup artist lowered her hand, staring blankly at Yan Zhen’s face in the mirror.

This makeup didn’t look out of place on Yan Zhen’s face at all. Rather, Yan Zhen’s unique temperament carried the look perfectly. The makeup artist felt as though… she were looking at the ocean. She could almost hear the sound of waves crashing against rocks, surging and powerful.

“Is this your own makeup creation?” she asked in shock.

Yan Zhen shook her head. “I saw it somewhere else.”

“Where?” the artist asked curiously.

Yan Zhen smiled. “From a foreigner.”

However, it wasn’t a foreigner from modern society. The “foreigner” Yan Zhen spoke of was Hu Ji, one of the most favored concubines of the late Emperor of Great Feng. She came from the Western Regions, was a master of song and dance, and loved making incense and rouge. She often danced at banquets.

The most vivid memory Yan Zhen had was of Hu Ji’s makeup. There was passion-like fire red, and glacier-like pale blue. On Hu Ji’s face, every color felt natural. Though the application was heavy, it never felt burdensome or dirty.

So, Yan Zhen had borrowed it for today. The makeup artist marveled, her heart filled with admiration.

But then a thought occurred to her: even if she could paint a beautiful face, if the photographer refused to cooperate, she might still be crushed by the two “background” models. Even if one wins a competition, once they step into society, they are ultimately no match for background and power. This was the definition of ill-fated timing.

The makeup artist sighed.

Yan Zhen walked out toward the studio. An assistant saw her makeup and jumped up from her stool. “My God, who is that?”

“Looking at the clothes, it should be the champion.”

“…Impossible! Doesn’t she look quite ordinary? This person is too beautiful!”

Someone nearby said, “Haven’t you seen her competition? She looks like this after makeup.” The person turned to look, saw Yan Zhen, and froze for a long time. “Holy crap, who is this? Why is she so good-looking?”

The other staff members were equally stunned. They all knew about the photographer’s arrangements, but they hadn’t expected Yan Zhen to resolve such a blatant challenge so easily.

The photographer in the fedora changed her expression upon seeing her. She looked at Yan Zhen’s face, then at Alin’s plain appearance, and felt that today’s task might be difficult to complete.

She steadied herself and called the three over to explain the shoot. “There are two commercials. One is the champion’s solo, and the other is a fairy tale commercial in a rose manor.”

“I won’t say much about the solo; just strike a few poses. The rose manor shoot requires you to act.”

“The background is a rose manor. Alin and Della play the maids, and the champion plays the Queen. The two maids encounter the Wicked Queen while trimming the garden. In the end, they use perfume to ‘purify’ the Queen, and the Queen and maids live happily together in the manor.”

The photographer finished and asked, “Any questions?”

Alin and Della said, “No problem at all.”

Yan Zhen didn’t care much about the content. “No questions.”

“Then let’s start.”

White chalk marks were drawn on the ground, and the three performed a take. During the perfume-spraying segment, Alin intentionally sprayed toward Yan Zhen’s eyes. Yan Zhen dodged. Alin secretly loosened a cap, intending to splash perfume on Yan Zhen.

Yan Zhen pulled out a talisman and swiped her finger across it. The talisman ignited, vaporizing the splashing perfume into steam. The flames hissed, and a small spark shot toward Alin.

Alin screamed in terror, “Ah—what the hell!”

The photographer was also startled. “What the…?! Stop! This is outrageous!”

Everyone looked at Yan Zhen with shocked expressions. Someone asked uncertainly, “Did someone just flick a lighter?”

The photographer walked over. “What happened?”

Yan Zhen smiled. “Sorry.”

The photographer glanced at her and returned to her position. Alin suddenly snapped back to her senses and shrieked, “She can spit fire from her hand! She’s trying to murder me!”

Yan Zhen said to Alin, “As long as you behave, I won’t do this. But if you provoke me again, I won’t be so polite next time.”

Alin broke into a cold sweat; she no longer dared to underestimate Yan Zhen. In her eyes, Yan Zhen had become a terrifying old monster who used witchcraft.

Under Yan Zhen’s absolute deterrence, the first round finished peacefully. The photographer looked at the footage, unable to speak for a long time. She had intended to use colors and roles to uglify Yan Zhen, but Yan Zhen had used those exact things to amplify her aura.

A Queen is naturally a character of strong presence. Now, the originally “Wicked Queen” had been interpreted by Yan Zhen’s disdainful gaze into a rightful, commanding aura. If Yan Zhen was the ocean, then Alin and Della were merely petals drifting upon it.

The commercial was perfect. But perfection was not what Alin’s mother had requested.

The photographer’s mouth curled down, and she looked at Yan Zhen with displeasure. “Do it again.”

After two more rounds, the photographer picked the worst take from the footage and tossed it to the post-production team. Yan Zhen stood behind her and saw everything.

She asked directly, “Why not use the footage from the first round?”

The photographer replied, “Are you questioning my eye? Do you know who I am? I am MMV’s dedicated photographer.” Her tone was arrogant to the extreme.

Yan Zhen asked, “Regardless of who you are, shouldn’t you be responsible for your own work?”

The photographer dismissed her with a sneer. “Fine, I’ll tell you the truth: some people simply have more status than you. Remember your place; you’re just a champion who’s been in the headlines a few times.” After speaking, she turned and left.

The staff behind her shrugged at Yan Zhen and comforted her, “This is just how the circle works. Don’t worry, you just need to become more famous than her.”

The final edit for MMV was finished quickly. Yan Zhen’s solo commercial was fine, but in the trio commercial, she looked weak and small, like a sprout squeezed between two giants.

Tianhua Company didn’t hand the film over to MMV. Instead, they called Yan Zhen in and asked why she had produced such a terrible piece. The higher-ups now doubted if Yan Zhen truly had the strength to match her champion title.

Faced with the questioning, Yan Zhen said calmly, “The photographer had an issue.”

The executives replied, “That’s not our concern. we only care about the results. If you can only maintain this level of performance, you might not be in the same company as your goddess for long.”

They had pinched Yan Zhen’s weak spot, scolded her, and sent her out.

Yan Zhen thought about it and realized they had a point; being dropped by the company wouldn’t be a good choice. I’ll just have to go threaten that photographer. She paused. She didn’t used to do things like “threatening.” Who gave her that inspiration…?

Walking toward the exit, she ran into Yu Lian on the second floor. Yu Lian looked healthy and greeted her warmly, “Master Yan.”

“Sister Lian,” Yan Zhen replied. “Don’t call me Master; I truly can’t bear it.”

Yu Lian smiled. “Alright. What are you doing here today?”

“Filming the reward commercial.” Yan Zhen explained what happened. Yu Lian was furious. “Alin’s family has always been like this. Don’t be afraid; I’ll help you get justice.”

Yan Zhen waved her off. “Getting justice might be difficult. I’ll think of something myself; no need to trouble you, Sister Lian.”

“How do you plan to handle it?”

“I haven’t decided yet,” Yan Zhen said. Yu Lian knew that if Yan Zhen got serious, her methods would exceed ordinary imagination. She agreed on the surface but still intended to help. After all, Yan Zhen had saved her life.

After parting with Yu Lian, Yan Zhen bought a little cake and went to find Zhao Baoshang. When she entered the villa, Zhao’s mother was out visiting elders. Only Zhao Baoshang was sitting on the sofa reading scripts.

Two white-covered books were spread out on the table with the title Qing Shan Yuan: Volume 1 in black characters. It was exactly the movie Yan Zhen wanted to act in.

“Is this movie starting soon?” Yan Zhen walked over and asked.

“More or less,” Zhao Baoshang replied.

“So soon,” Yan Zhen said. “Are you still looking for actors?”

Zhao Baoshang looked up at her. “You want to act?”

“Mhm.” Yan Zhen nodded and added, “If there’s a vacancy, I’d like to try.”

Zhao Baoshang looked at her. There was indeed a role missing, and she had prepared it for Yan Zhen, but she hadn’t said anything because she didn’t want the “little fan” to get too cocky. Fortunately, Yan Zhen had come to her.

Zhao Baoshang remained calm on the surface, but her heart was racing. She recited the lines she had rehearsed in her head for a long time. “Actually, the cast is full,” she said, her tone becoming somewhat meaningful, changing her usual way of speaking. “But if you want to act, I can kick someone out for you… it just depends on what kind of ‘effort’ you’re willing to put in.”

She often saw investors speak to minor stars this way. It used to sicken her, but now that she was saying it herself, a sense of pleasure rose in her heart. She wondered how the little fan would react.

Yan Zhen smiled, lifted the cake, and brought it to Zhao Baoshang’s lips. “That’s wonderful. Let me treat you to some cake.”

…Who wants to eat cake!

Zhao Baoshang’s face went cold instantly, and she said fiercely, “I-I don’t want it!”