Is This How the Entertainment Industry Works? (GL) - Chapter 5

Zhao Baoshang was sitting in the shade, leaning against a large tree with a frown on her face. She looked slightly despondent, seeking relief from the heat.

The moment Yan Zhen thought about this person being the reincarnation of the Eldest Princess, her heart started racing uncontrollably. She walked over with fear and trepidation and squatted down.

When she saw Zhao Baoshang’s reddened eyes, she immediately felt as if she were facing a formidable enemy: “!!?!?!????!!!!!?????????”

Zhao Baoshang frowned. “What are you so surprised about?”

With a thud, Yan Zhen knelt directly on the ground. She scrutinized Zhao Baoshang’s facial features and asked cautiously, “Did someone bully you?”

The tips of Zhao Baoshang’s ears suddenly turned a vivid red. “What are you talking about!”

Yan Zhen thought for a moment, carefully choosing her words of comfort. “Don’t pay too much mind to what others say. Just live your own life.”

Zhao Baoshang turned her face away, once again falling into a stubborn silence.

She wasn’t actually upset about “what others said.” It had started with some hateful comments from trolls on Weibo that made her unhappy. When she saw them, Xu Fengmei happened to be nearby, so she shared her feelings with her.

To her surprise, while Xu Fengmei said things like “you need to grow up,” she simultaneously started pestering Zhao Baoshang for a spot on a reality TV show.

For some reason, Zhao Baoshang felt a sudden surge of intense annoyance. Xu Fengmei had once saved her life; having grown up on stories of cranes repaying kindness, Zhao Baoshang naturally felt she should repay the favor.

But Xu Fengmei was constantly pushing for more—first pushing her into the entertainment industry, then forcing “CP” shipping and PR stunts. Zhao Baoshang didn’t want to be petty, but every time she thought about it, she felt a sense of disillusionment. Was the person who saved me and the current Xu Fengmei really the same person?

She couldn’t help but cry secretly, only to be caught by Yan Zhen.

Seeing no reaction from Zhao Baoshang, Yan Zhen became frantic. She urged again, “What’s there to be sad about? Tell—tell me!!” (She almost said tell your servant).

Zhao Baoshang’s face remained cold. “Tell you what? So you can laugh at me?”

“How could you think that?” Yan Zhen felt as if a knife were twisting in her heart. “I am wholeheartedly on your side.”

Zhao Baoshang let out a cold snort, clearly disbelieving.

Yan Zhen simply sat beside her, hugging her knees, keeping Zhao Baoshang company with a worried expression. She had practically raised the Eldest Princess herself in her past life; she had a good idea of what kind of personality this reincarnation would have.

Right now, Zhao Baoshang was surely feeling incredibly fragile but was forcing herself to act tough. Yan Zhen wanted to be the Princess’s strongest support; she hoped Zhao Baoshang could sense that.

After a long time, Zhao Baoshang spoke slowly. “I have a benefactor. I want to be genuinely good to her, but she only wants to use me.”

Yan Zhen asked, “Is it that Movie Queen who came by a few days ago?”

Zhao Baoshang’s face darkened. “How do you know that?” This was her little secret.

Yan Zhen replied, “I calculated it.”

“Can you really divine things?” Zhao Baoshang asked.

Yan Zhen nodded.

Zhao Baoshang hesitated for a moment. “Then help me calculate… does Xu Fengmei actually like me?”

Yan Zhen was a bit surprised to hear Xu Fengmei’s name. Who could be so closely involved with her? Then she asked, “Are you Zhao Baoshang?”

Zhao Baoshang nodded.

Yan Zhen had originally thought she had just saved some minor character. She never imagined this person was the very same Zhao Baoshang everyone talked about.

After delivering food for a few days, she actually felt quite a bit of sympathy for this girl. Zhao Baoshang sat on the glorious throne of a Movie Queen, yet in the eyes of others, she was just a troublesome little girl. She was forever stuck with the label of “Xu Fengmei’s fangirl.” Zhao Baoshang was too lazy to tear the label off, while others mocked her behind her back.

This person is the reincarnation of the Eldest Princess! How can she be treated this way?

Yan Zhen felt an ache in her heart. Suppressing her grief, she told Zhao Baoshang firmly, “Xu Fengmei does not like you.”

“Have you really calculated it?” Zhao Baoshang frowned.

“I won’t lie to you,” Yan Zhen said. “If she truly liked you, she would have chased after you to find you.”

Zhao Baoshang lowered her head and thought about it. It made sense. But she still didn’t want to give up. Persistence was her final shred of stubbornness.

Having made a decision, Zhao Baoshang regained her icy demeanor and stood up. Her eyes were no longer red. Standing under the tree, she looked like a beauty carved from white jade.

Yan Zhen was reminded of a grand banquet in the Great Feng palace. Her eyes flickered with a hint of nostalgia and adoration.

Zhao Baoshang noticed the look and felt a bit uncomfortable. She said, “Don’t look at me like that.”

Yan Zhen always obeyed the Princess’s every whim. She nodded. “Alright.”

After sitting together for a while longer, Zhao Baoshang felt sleepy and said she wanted to go back. She walked off, circling a mud house, but five minutes later, she ended up right back where she started.

—This “Moonlight Beauty” clearly had no sense of direction.

Yan Zhen looked up. “Are you lost?”

Zhao Baoshang looked at her blankly. Yan Zhen stepped forward. “Where are you staying?”

“What do you want!” Zhao Baoshang’s eyes widened, but then she muttered, “A sky-blue inn.”

Yan Zhen was very familiar with the area. She led the way, making sure Zhao Baoshang was inside the inn before leaving.

Zhao Baoshang’s little assistant was nearly in tears from anxiety, pacing by the door. Seeing Zhao Baoshang return was like seeing her own mother.

“Teacher Zhao! You’re finally back!!!” The assistant’s eyes were watery. “Who was that person who brought you back? What a good person!”

Zhao Baoshang gave a noncommittal “Mhm.” Thinking of the way Yan Zhen had looked at her, she said casually, “Just a little girl from the village.”

Yan Zhen spent two days studying the script Lu Ming gave her, memorizing most of her lines. A few days later, Lu Ming came to take her to the set to start filming.

“The part you’re playing is the opening,” Director Wang told Yan Zhen. “You lose your daughter and cry your heart out, okay?”

Yan Zhen immediately turned to stare at Lu Ming, her eyes asking: What happened to playing a ‘paralyzed face’?!

Lu Ming’s gaze shifted around, not daring to look Yan Zhen in the eye.

Director Wang tapped Lu Ming on the head. “What kind of riddles are you two playing?”

Yan Zhen explained, “Crying my heart out is too difficult.”

“Well, just cry as much as you can,” Director Wang said, not holding much hope. After all, she was just a minor actor; perhaps that “look” from before was her limit. He sighed inwardly; she wasn’t a professional, after all.

He turned on the camera and watched Yan Zhen through the lens.

Yan Zhen sat on a bench, brewing her emotions. Once finished, her face was a mask of exaggerated misery. She stumbled up from the bench, asking everyone she saw, “Where is my child? Where is my child?!”

Someone came over to comfort her, but she pushed them away with her thin, bony hands. As she asked around, she grew increasingly desperate.

The expression on her face shifted from loud wailing to a freezing coldness. All that remained was her gaze—those eyes were filled with pain, with struggle, and with the guilt of her own helplessness.

A withered leaf fell, grazing her face and leaving a white mark. It looked painful, but she didn’t react at all.

Director Wang froze. The half-finished cigarette in his hand dropped onto his lap.

Is this the same person who just said “crying my heart out is too difficult”?

Young lady, that’s not how you’re supposed to flex.

Author’s Note:

Yan Zhen: Crying my heart out is hard, but the Eldest Princess’s woman never gives up!

Director Wang: Newcomer, please stop adding extra layers to your acting.

Zhao Baoshang: I’m the one spoiling her, got a problem?

Director Wang: …We have professionals ready to help you add even more layers!