The Empress In The Modern Era [Entertainment Industry GL] - Chapter 15

Yu Shilan wrapped filming.

As a newcomer, her wrapping was naturally a small matter. No one held any wrap dinner for her, and there was not even anyone to send her off. She had finished filming, but Qiao Feiyu and Mo Ruchen’s scenes together were currently being shot at a crucial point, so before she left the filming base, only Wang Min went out to have a meal with her.

When she had arrived, it had still been midsummer. Now, when she was leaving, it was already early autumn.

Yu Shilan changed into a long-sleeved red-striped shirt, wore denim shorts, and put on a baseball cap to block the sun. She arrived early at the restaurant they had already chosen. Speaking of it, Wang Min could be considered someone who had done her a great favor. Although today’s meal had been Wang Min’s suggestion to celebrate her wrap, as the junior, Yu Shilan had to be the one to pay for this meal.

Wang Min did not arrive particularly early. She came straight from the set, still wearing a black short-sleeved T-shirt and casual pants. The moment she reached the seat, she collapsed onto the sofa. “I’m exhausted. This scene between Qiao Feiyu and Mo Ruchen is way too hard to shoot!”

It was not hard because the two of them were unprofessional, but because they were prone to falling out of character during filming. Yu Shilan knew this too. She poured Wang Min a cup of barley tea at just the right temperature and pushed it over.

“Drink some water and rest a bit. I’ve already ordered the dishes.” Before coming, Wang Min had already told Yu Shilan through messages what dishes she wanted to eat.

Wang Min picked up the cup and looked at it. “What is this, barley tea?”

Yu Shilan nodded. “Mm. You don’t drink this?”

Wang Min shook her head, her complexion a little weak. “It’s not that I don’t drink it. It’s just inconvenient today. It’s that time of the month for women.”

One should not drink barley tea during a period.

“Then I’ll go pour you a cup of hot water. Oh, right, you can’t eat food that’s too spicy during your period either. I’ll go say something.” Yu Shilan picked up the cup and stood up to leave.

The feeling of being taken care of was truly good.

Wang Min smiled and waved at Yu Shilan. “Pour me a cup of hot water, but leave the dishes as they are. I like spicy food. If there’s no spice, I can’t eat. Don’t worry, my stomach doesn’t hurt.”

Some people did not have very strong reactions during their periods. Yu Shilan herself was that kind of person, so since Wang Min said this, she did not insist. She nodded and left.

This restaurant’s Hunan cuisine was especially authentic. Perhaps because they had grown familiar with each other, Wang Min was quite relaxed at the table. Although she was on her period, she still ignored Yu Shilan’s advice and asked the server to open a bottle of red wine.

She did not try to persuade Yu Shilan to drink, only drinking by herself. “Now that you’ve wrapped here, what are your plans next?”

Yu Shilan’s answer was the same as the one she had given Qiao Feiyu last time. She said she temporarily wanted to go back and study.

Wang Min felt that Yu Shilan was a little naive. The entertainment industry was a place where if you did not advance, you retreated. Since she had entered this circle, she could not stop no matter how bitter or tiring it was. If she had no resources, she had to look for them. While there were still people willing to use her, she had to fight with all her strength. Otherwise, who knew when she might stop being popular? At that point, even if she begged others for acting work, she might not be able to get any.

After pondering for a moment, Wang Min asked Yu Shilan, “I remember that once school starts again, you’ll be in your senior year, right?”

Yu Shilan nodded.

Wang Min said, “Senior year, logically speaking, should have far fewer classes. And in the second semester, most people are basically doing internships, so there’ll be even fewer formal classes. At a time like this, you can’t be greedy for comfort. Once you’ve entered this circle, you can’t stop. I think you’d better sign with a management company as soon as possible. Before Heroes Through Wind and Rain is released, first see if you can take on a television drama or something. When the time comes, both sides can promote you. With a little popularity, at the very least, your resources will be better later.”

She pulled a business card out of the bag beside her and handed it to Yu Shilan. “This is the contact information for Amy, an agent at Qinglin Entertainment. Since you’ll be going back anyway, go meet her. I’ve already greeted her. She should be willing to take you.”

Yu Shilan had naturally heard of Qinglin Entertainment’s reputation.

“Isn’t this Sister Qiao’s management company?” she asked in surprise.

Wang Min nodded. “Yes. But Qiao Feiyu’s agent, Chen Shi, is Qinglin’s director of agents. He definitely wouldn’t be interested in a newcomer like you. Although this Amy can’t compare to him, she can still be considered a middle-level force at Qinglin. If you follow her, at the very least, you won’t have to worry about not having dramas to film.” At this point, Wang Min stopped and looked at Yu Shilan solemnly. “If being a celebrity goes well, it can make a lot of money. But most people don’t do it well, and that small portion who do also have to take things one step at a time. The audience’s eyes are sharp. Only people with real ability can walk well and walk far. Shilan, don’t rush. Take everything slowly. Sister Wang believes in you.”

Yu Shilan was stunned by Wang Min’s words. She understood all the reasoning, but… wasn’t Wang Min treating her too well?

She had pulled Yu Shilan into the industry, given her the second female lead role, and now she was directly introducing her to a management company. It was even a big-name company like Qinglin Entertainment. And judging from her tone, this agent called Amy seemed to be rather capable too.

Only belatedly did Yu Shilan realize that Wang Min’s attitude toward her seemed a little off.

“Sister Wang, may I ask you a somewhat presumptuous question?” Yu Shilan was reluctant to refuse, but accepting it like this without understanding anything also did not sit right with her.

“What question?” Wang Min took a sip of red wine and answered casually.

Yu Shilan said bluntly, “You… why are you so good to me?”

Wang Min froze slightly. Then, as if she found it a little unbelievable, she looked Yu Shilan up and down several times. Only when Yu Shilan felt her hair stand on end from the stare did Wang Min say, “Have you never privately asked around about me?”

She thought she had already made things obvious enough!

Could it be that Yu Shilan still had not noticed? No, that was not right. If she had not noticed, why would she have broken up with her ex-girlfriend? No, wait. Had Wang Min misunderstood? Yu Shilan had not broken up with her ex-girlfriend because of her?

Then if it was not because of guilt, why had Qiao Feiyu said Yu Shilan was protecting her ex-girlfriend?

Wang Min’s heart was a mess of confusion, and Yu Shilan was even more confused. She said in bewilderment, “Privately ask around about you? Why would I privately ask around about you?”

Wang Min finally understood. Did Yu Shilan not know that she liked women? She still found it a little hard to believe, so she simply asked directly, “Then can you tell me why you broke up with your ex-girlfriend?”

Yu Shilan: “…” What the hell was this ex-girlfriend thing?

Wang Min’s expression changed slightly. “Is it inconvenient to say?”

“…No.” Yu Shilan explained awkwardly, “It’s just, um, I don’t have an ex-girlfriend. You saw those random things online before, right? That wasn’t true. I’m single. I’ve never dated anyone. Also, I’m not homosexual.”

At this point, Yu Shilan finally understood. Wang Min was a lesbian!

“But when you and Qiao Feiyu ate together before and someone deliberately wrote a post about it and posted it on a forum, Qiao Feiyu said you were still protecting the person who made the post,” Wang Min said. “Don’t try to brush me off with your younger brother. Even if your younger brother really wanted to help you, he wouldn’t help you like that when you were with Qiao Feiyu. Anyone with eyes could see his worship and fondness for Qiao Feiyu.”

So Qiao Feiyu had misunderstood her too?

Yu Shilan truly wanted to cry but had no tears. But when she thought of Wang Yun, she really did not dare expose her. Even a small figure like Dai Qian could steal Wang Yun’s role. If Qiao Feiyu lifted a finger, Wang Yun could forget about ever climbing back up in this lifetime.

Yu Shilan could only admit it in frustration. “Sorry for letting you see something embarrassing, but that’s all in the past now. I’ve already… become straight!”

Only then did Wang Min’s heart finally settle. She smiled faintly. “That’s right. In the entertainment industry, it’s still better for one’s sexual orientation to be normal.”

Yu Shilan: “…I really have become straight!”

Wang Min smiled without speaking and took another sip of wine.

No matter. For the sake of your career, you can be “straight.” For the sake of pursuing you, I can make you “bend.”

After saying goodbye to Wang Min, Yu Shilan immediately went to change her ticket. She did not even wait until the next day and flew back to B City that very night. Before taking off, she sent Wang Yun a message asking her to have a late-night meal together. When she arrived at B City Airport at eleven at night, she turned on her phone and immediately called.

Wang Yun stood in the cold wind at the airport exit as she answered the call. “Hehe, is this Miss Yu? You’ve arrived? All right, all right, I’m waiting for you at Exit B. Just come straight over.”

After hanging up, the guilt-induced trembling in Wang Yun’s heart finally eased a little. There was no helping it. She had done such a big bad thing. Although the impact on Yu Shilan was not exactly bad, she still felt guilty. Although it did not count as smearing her, in the end, she had still exposed someone else’s private matter.

Especially since the very day she exposed Yu Shilan, Yu Shilan had asked to meet.

So this late at night, even though she was extremely unwilling, she did not dare refuse. In the end, she dragged her exhausted body over to pick her up.

Tao Xiaomei knew the truth and was extremely disdainful of Wang Yun’s behavior. At this moment, she stood off to the side and sneered. “Hmph. Now I really want to know whether Yu Shilan would still be willing to eat late-night snacks with you if she knew the truth.”