The Empress In The Modern Era [Entertainment Industry GL] - Chapter 1

As soon as Yu Shilan stepped through the door, she kicked off her high heels, set the takeout on the glass tabletop, and headed toward the bathroom while taking off her clothes.

Remove makeup, wash her face, then step under the shower.

Cool water soaked her body. She let out a long, comfortable sigh, feeling as if even her brain, which had been scorched by the blazing summer sun all morning, had cleared up quite a bit.

Twenty minutes later, her quick battle shower was over. She wrapped herself in a white bath towel, came out, picked up the takeout, and brought it into the bedroom.

Turn on the air conditioner, turn on the computer, open the lunch box.

Summer alone was not lonely or boring. With part-time jobs coming up now and then, she was often so busy she barely had time to eat. And once she got home and turned on the computer, there were hundreds, even thousands, of little fans leaving all kinds of comments under her Weibo posts. Forget replying to them one by one—even reading through them one by one was exhausting.

In her last Weibo post, she had talked about how to adjust the shape of the legs and make both legs straight. Because she had explained it too academically, many people could not understand it, and rows upon rows of netizens were asking below what exactly she meant.

Yu Shilan picked up a piece of eggplant and ate it, then bit her chopsticks as she began reposting her previous Weibo with an explanation: After standing up straight, first put your body’s awareness on both thighs. Feel the muscles in your thighs and let them consciously rotate inward. Then move that awareness down to both calves and feel the muscles in your calves rotate outward. If you truly cannot control it well at the beginning, you can try using a yoga mat or an ordinary rope to secure both calves in place. That way, the feeling will be a little more obvious.

After replying, she returned to the homepage and began browsing the new Weibo posts from the people she followed today. She ate as she read. She did not follow many people, but she ate quickly. Just as she finished reading Weibo, she also finished her meal.

After tidying up the takeout boxes and throwing them into the trash can outside, she went to the bathroom, washed her hands, and put on a face mask. Then she went back into the bedroom, which had already become cool, leaned against the wall, and began practicing the leg-straightening method she had just taught her fans.

A woman’s beauty depended on her parents when she was young. Once she grew up, she had to depend on herself. Yu Shilan was the campus belle of the arts department. Aside from what her parents had given her, her beauty relied even more on her own effort.

She was only 166 centimeters tall, yet she had two long, straight legs. Her skin was smooth, fair, and clean, so silky it looked even smoother than legs in stockings. As for her face, although Yu Shilan’s face was not especially versatile in terms of styling, on ordinary days, with her plain and clean appearance, she was known throughout the department as a bare-faced goddess. But when she wore makeup for outside part-time jobs, she could also become dignified and noble in minutes. It was just that she looked too much like a proper, respectable young woman. Compared with the image of a gorgeous decorative vase, she was still somewhat lacking. Even so, relying on her three years of part-time work during university, she had still managed to own a small one-bedroom apartment in this city.

Of course, her family had paid the down payment. But compared with many people who were already in university and still had to ask their families for living expenses, she could support herself and even earn money to pay the mortgage. That already counted as success.

Yu Shilan could be considered somewhat famous online, but she was still some distance away from being an internet celebrity. Because although she had continuously shared little secrets for women’s lives online for three years, she had never posted a photo of herself or shared her face.

This, however, had stirred up plenty of speculation among netizens.

For example, just now, when she was reposting the Weibo with her explanation, she saw someone leave a comment saying: All day long, you only know how to share these useless things. You think this can make legs straight? If it really works, why don’t you show your legs for everyone to see?

For example, when she shared whitening knowledge, someone would say who knew whether she was actually fair or not. If it really worked, why did she not show her face and let everyone take a look?

For example, when she shared haircare tips, someone wanted to see her hair.

She had even shared how girls could take care of their intimate areas, and as a result, some malicious netizens said that she ought to take pictures of her own private parts for everyone to see.

Yu Shilan did not care about these people. What she cared about were those netizens who thanked her. Because they believed her and tried it, then discovered that it really worked, they either left comments thanking her, sent her private messages, or even begged her to turn on tipping, saying they wanted to send her a reward.

Those people were the real reason she shared these things.

Ten minutes later, Yu Shilan peeled off the face mask. Just as she was massaging her face, her phone rang. She opened the door, went out to get the phone, and answered. “Xiao Xing.”

“Sis, I saw the text you sent me.” The voice of Yu Yuanxing, Yu Shilan’s twin younger brother, came through the phone. “The entertainment industry is full of trouble and conflict. If you’re asking for my opinion, I definitely don’t want you to enter it. Because in the future, not only might you encounter unfair treatment, unspoken industry rules, secret slander, and abuse from fans, you’ll also be extremely tired. Those celebrities look glamorous and make a lot of money, but how hard they work behind the scenes might be beyond anything you can imagine. Our family may not be rich and powerful, but our conditions aren’t bad either. You really don’t need to push yourself that hard.”

Yu Shilan did not answer right away. She was thinking that Xiao Xing actually did not know—she could imagine it. She took part-time jobs. Sometimes she took Taobao product photos, sometimes she shot for magazines, sometimes she worked as a welcoming hostess, sometimes she worked as an emcee. All kinds of miscellaneous jobs, and in truth, they were all tiring.

Just like today. For a magazine shoot about some sort of Mori girl lifestyle, not only had she been roasted under the blazing sun for several hours, she also had to smile sweetly while posing intimately with those plants. The sun had made her dizzy, she had not eaten, and even now, her body still felt a little itchy.

Seeing that she was not speaking, Yu Yuanxing continued, “Think it over. If you really like living under the spotlight, if this is your dream, then go chase your dream. If… if one day you’re tired, you still have me and Mom and Dad.”

Yu Shilan’s heart warmed, and she gave a soft hum. “All right. Thank you, Xiao Xing.”

Yu Yuanxing froze for a moment, then said gently, “Sis, we’re biological siblings, and twins on top of that. Why are you being so polite with me?”

Yu Shilan was silent for a moment, then said softly, “Okay.”

Yu Shilan’s parents divorced when she was in elementary school. She went with her mother, while her younger brother Yu Yuanxing went with their father. Although their parents had divorced, her life had not been bad. Her parents were both university teachers in the city, both had very decent incomes, and their divorce had been a peaceful separation with no third party involved. After the divorce, her parents were like old friends. From elementary school all the way until she and Yu Yuanxing went to high school, their family of four maintained the habit of meeting once a week.

However, her relationship with both her parents was very distant. Aside from the fact that they were both busy with work and loved to lecture, there was also a sense of unfamiliarity that came from the bottom of her heart. She did not know why. In truth, her parents treated her quite well.

But her relationship with her younger brother Yu Yuanxing was actually pretty good. After entering university, she found excuses not to go back for the weekly family meeting, and it was always Yu Yuanxing who crossed half the city, traveling from the north side to the south side, to have a meal with her.

And although she was the older sister, in reality, Yu Yuanxing had always been mature and steady, taking care of her like an older brother.

Because of that, whenever something happened, she also liked telling Yu Yuanxing and listening to his opinion. But she had not explained to her younger brother that it was not that she liked living under the spotlight. That was not her dream either.

She was doing this for two reasons.

First, she did not want to reach out and ask her parents for money. From the moment her parents divorced, she had longed for independence. That was why later, when she had the chance, she kept doing part-time jobs. Although when she bought this apartment, her parents had each taken out half the down payment for her, she had always planned to pay that money back.

Second, it was because she wanted to become famous. She wanted more people to know of her, know her, like her, or hate her. That way, perhaps she could find that girl among the people who liked her or hated her.

Yu Shilan moved her legs, which had already grown a little stiff from standing, stretched lazily, then went out to wash her hands. After entering the room again, she threw herself onto the bed.

She had worked hard all morning, and now she was full. In this cool room, Yu Shilan quickly fell asleep.

“What relationship do the two of us have? What relationship could there be between us?”

“You’re the filthy one. Don’t assume everyone under heaven is the same as you!”

“You, you… my child. The child I conceived after returning from the temporary palace—was that your doing too? Was it?!”

A woman dressed in gorgeous robes glared at her with a pair of beautiful eyes, but those eyes were filled with towering hatred. The woman was not as tall as her, yet she stood on tiptoe, rushed forward, and grabbed her by the throat.

“I’ll kill you, Yu Shilan! I’ll kill you!” the woman screamed.

Her breathing grew more and more difficult. Her face gradually turned red, then purple. The agony of suffocation was too intense, making Yu Shilan, lying on the bed, let out an uncomfortable whimper. Her brows were tightly furrowed, and both her hands unconsciously tugged at her neck by instinct.

“Don’t, don’t kill me. You… you have to listen to my explanation…”

In the dream, just after she said those words, the scene changed in the next instant. The woman with that pair of beautiful eyes, who was delicate and lovely in appearance, had turned pale. Her hair was disheveled, her clothes were in disorder, and she was holding Yu Shilan as tears fell one by one onto her face, each drop hitting so painfully.

She saw that beneath the woman’s dress was a pool of blood.

It was the woman’s blood.

What happened to her?

How could she have lost so much blood?

For some reason, Yu Shilan suddenly felt heartache and unbearable pity. She wanted to reach out and hold her. She also wanted to open her mouth and ask what was wrong. But her hands could not move, her mouth could not open, and she could only watch helplessly.

“Yu Shilan, Yu Shilan, why did you have to die? How could you die?!”

“The one you love clearly isn’t me. Why would you die for me?”

The woman wept, repeating those words with a numb expression.

Yet Yu Shilan could not shed a single tear.

But she wanted to shout back loudly: No, I didn’t love someone else. I love you. The one I love is you. That’s why I was willing to die for you.

She wanted to tell that woman.

But unfortunately, she could not open her mouth. She could not speak. She hurt so much, so much that she could not cry, so much that it felt even more unbearable than suffocating to death with her throat being strangled.

She saw that woman go mad, hugging a pillow and saying with a smiling face, “Yu Shilan, look, look. This is our child. Shall we let him become emperor?”

“All right…” Yu Shilan answered softly, and opened her eyes.