Chi Yan felt that she needed to give her fans an explanation.
“Thank you all for your support. As for those baseless rumors, I hope everyone doesn’t believe them. And I also ask netizens not to spread or believe in rumors.”
After posting these two sentences, she let out a sigh of relief. Just then, the car arrived near her neighborhood, so she didn’t check the fan comments.
Her mother had already prepared dinner. Sitting at the dining table, she held her phone but didn’t move for a long time.
“Mom?” Chi Yan called out, “If I come home late in the future, just eat first.”
“It feels too lonely to eat alone. Mom wants to eat with you.”
“Then I’ll try not to have too many NGs, finish filming early, and come home for dinner whenever I can instead of eating outside.”
Chi Yan’s mother served her some rice and kept putting food on her plate.
Seeing her mother looking hesitant to speak, Chi Yan asked directly, “Mom, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” her mother took a bite of food and then asked, “Yan Yan, do you think my paintings could be sent to an art exhibition?”
“Of course they can!” Chi Yan was delighted. It was great that her mother wanted to do something she loved. “But when you paint, don’t get so busy that you forget to eat.”
Her mother said, “My teacher is planning to hold an art exhibition in Haishi and asked if I had any works to contribute. She didn’t say it outright, but I know she wants to help me. I’m just worried that I’m out of practice.”
Chi Yan knew her mother loved painting. Before marrying Chi Hongzheng, she had spent more than ten years painting traditional Chinese art. After getting married, however, her husband always insisted she socialize with the wives of executives and officials, and gradually, she had no time to paint.
Chi Yan would never forget how, in her past life, when her mother was hospitalized, she had finally gained the ability to fulfill her mother’s wishes. When she eagerly asked what her mother wanted, her mother simply said she wanted to paint ink wash paintings again.
At that time, such a wish was impossible because her mother was bedridden. But now, she was still healthy.
“Mom, don’t be afraid. Didn’t you tell me before that you won a national-level award? It might be a bit difficult to start again after so many years, but muscle memory doesn’t just disappear. If you practice more, you’ll definitely get back into it!”
Chi Yan thought that if her mother had something she loved doing, it would be perfect. Then she wouldn’t have to worry about her being swayed by Chi Hongzheng into moving back into the Chi family while she was on set.
“Alright, I’ll buy some tools tomorrow.”
Her mother’s eyes shone with excitement. Chi Yan knew that was the light of passion for traditional Chinese painting.
“Yan Yan, what worries me most is still things like what happened today. Those people online talk nonsense and maliciously slander you. Maybe we should just leave this industry. Before, I thought it was fine as long as you liked it, but if you become famous in the future, the black PR will only get worse…”
Seeing her mother frown, Chi Yan put down her chopsticks and said, “Mom, I don’t let these things bother me. People who spread false rumors will pay the price. I have a clear conscience. And besides, there are so many people in this industry who don’t care about rumors. Why should I be afraid?”
“Before, I looked into celebrity supertopics and fan culture. I thought that over time, you’d get used to everything. But now, you’ve only been filming for a couple of days, and someone is already slandering you. I have every reason to be against this.”
Chi Yan hadn’t expected her mother to think this way. She asked, “Mom, would you stop painting just because someone plagiarized your work?”
“Of course not—”
“Neither will I,” Chi Yan immediately cut in. “Why let those people get what they want?”
“Besides, Mom, your daughter already has a decent number of fans. As long as I don’t make a real moral mistake, they’ll stand by me.”
Her mother eventually sighed and said, “I just don’t want you to be too exhausted.”
“Mom, I’m not tired. Doing something I love may sometimes feel exhausting, but when I think about it, excitement always outweighs the fatigue.”
Her mother said, “Let’s not talk about this now. You haven’t eaten much.”
“Alright, let’s eat.”
Chi Yan’s acting was solid. She always got her scenes right in just one or two takes. Plus, the actors and crew in this production were friendly—she hadn’t encountered the ugly side of the industry that she had in past productions. Because of this, she was having a good time on set.
The only downside was that Liu He, the actor playing the general, constantly took every opportunity to lecture her, Qiu Sisi, and Ou Yang under the guise of being a “senior actor.” He did it so often that even the usually calm and collected Ou Yang was getting annoyed.
That evening, Chi Yan only had one scene left to film before wrapping up her role. She was eating fruit salad with Qiu Sisi and Ou Yang, chatting and relaxing.
“I have to go record a variety show next Friday night. I’ll be flying around so much I won’t even have time to sleep,” Qiu Sisi complained.
Chi Yan teased, “Others would kill for that kind of opportunity, so don’t make me and Ou Yang jealous.”
Just as in her previous life, Qiu Sisi’s management company quickly secured her a spot on a popular variety show. It wouldn’t be long before she became famous.
“I’m not jealous. I still have time to play games now, but by the second half of the year, who knows?” Ou Yang said.
He had recently auditioned for a male supporting role in a movie and had just received confirmation yesterday. Once they wrapped up filming this project, he would be heading straight to that set. Starring in two back-to-back films, both with important roles, would be exhausting.
“In our industry, being busy is a good thing. When you’re not busy, even if you manage to get on a variety show, you’ll just be sitting there as background decoration.”
“You’re overestimating yourselves!”
A disdainful voice interrupted them. Chi Yan, Qiu Sisi, and Ou Yang immediately knew who it was—Liu He.
“You kids have no idea how the industry works. You think you can just get famous? I’ve been acting for five or six years, and I’ve only been on one variety show. And you lot? What a joke!”
Chi Yan was about to wrap up her filming, and her interactions with this so-called senior would come to an end. She couldn’t tolerate him anymore and didn’t want to. Without hesitation, she shot back, “It is funny that you’ve been acting for five or six years and still don’t perform as well as we do. If someone like you were to appear on variety shows all the time, that would truly be a joke!”
“You—!” His face turned dark. “Just wait! I’ll show you what real acting looks like later!”
Noticing that Qiu Sisi wanted to step forward, Chi Yan reached out to stop her and continued, “Oh? You mean the acting you’ve been bragging about, saying you once worked with a Best Actor? Sure, I’ll be watching.”
Chi Yan’s temper was actually quite “explosive.” In her past life, when she had just started acting, this temper had offended quite a few people. Later, she gradually learned to be more tactful, becoming somewhat indifferent. But if someone insisted on being a nuisance in front of her, she wouldn’t just take it lying down.
Ou Yang stepped in as the peacemaker. “Director Yu is looking this way. Stop arguing—it’s embarrassing.”
“You just wait, Chi Yan!” Liu He spat out his threat before turning and storming off.
Chi Yan knew when to stop. She shrugged, completely unbothered. She had seen plenty of underhanded tricks in her previous life—just some disgusting little moves, nothing more.
Seeing Qiu Sisi still clutching her sleeve and Ou Yang looking equally worried, Chi Yan cleared her throat.
“The world is quiet again. Sisi, you’re about to wrinkle my costume. If Director Yu asks about it, I won’t cover for you.”
Qiu Sisi let go and asked, “Why did you have to go head-to-head with him? Can’t you just ignore him like he’s an annoying fly?”
“I’m almost done filming—can’t I stand up for myself just once? You’re being way too strict, Qiu Sisi!” Chi Yan said dramatically.
“Chi Yan, don’t act like this in other productions,” Ou Yang said seriously, as if afraid she would make enemies. “Some people might seem unremarkable, but they’re good at scheming behind the scenes.”
“I got it,” Chi Yan accepted the advice. “I’ll be careful.”
But changing? That was impossible. In her previous life, she once thought she had tamed this temper of hers. But during the busiest years of her career, when she couldn’t stand the shady dealings in the industry, she outright exposed them on Weibo. In the end, her company even confiscated her account.
Though those she exposed were punished, she also made quite a few enemies. After that, whenever she joined a production, big or small troubles followed her constantly.
—
“Crew members, come here! Distribute the milk tea the investors bought!”
Director Yu Jingming’s voice interrupted their conversation, and Chi Yan and the others, already familiar with him, immediately gathered around.
“Director Yu,” Qiu Sisi grinned, “We never had these kinds of perks before. Why so generous today?”
Yu Jingming pointed at Chi Yan and said, “You should be thanking her.”
“Me?”
Chi Yan was confused. She didn’t have any well-off friends who could be investors. Even if Chi Hongzheng had the money, he wouldn’t spend it on this.
“Shen Chen said he wanted to have dinner with us, but I didn’t have time. So he suggested waiting until your last day of filming. This milk tea is a little treat.”
Yu Jingming’s expression was particularly meaningful when he looked at her, but Chi Yan had no clue why.
“Oh wow, he actually came in person.” Yu Jingming pointed to the entrance. “Go have a chat with him.”
Qiu Sisi and Ou Yang exchanged glances but said nothing. There were some things friends could ask about, and some things they couldn’t—that was a matter of respect.
Chi Yan looked at Shen Chen, then at them, feeling a bit lost. “Then… I’ll go?”
“Wait.” Yu Jingming handed her a cup of milk tea.
—
“Senior, are you here to inspect the set?” Chi Yan shook the milk tea in her hand. “Thanks for the employee benefit.”
“You always call me ‘senior.’ It makes me feel old. Why not just call me by my name?” Shen Chen said with a smile.
“Oh,” Chi Yan was momentarily stunned but quickly reacted, “Shen Chen.”
Shen Chen glanced at the milk tea in her hand and said, “Try it and tell me if it’s good. The shop owner claimed it’s the best milk tea in Henghai Film City. Let’s see if he was lying.”
Chi Yan smiled as she inserted the straw. “From the way you’re speaking, if he was lying, would you go cause trouble for him?”
“I’m not that bad, am I?” Shen Chen made a conflicted expression. “At most, I just won’t buy from him again.”
Chi Yan took a sip and said, “I think it’s pretty good, just a little too sweet.”
She usually drank half-sugar milk tea, and she could tell this one was full sugar.
“Sweet? Do you usually drink 70% sugar?”
Chi Yan was surprised at how observant he was. She shook her head. “No, I prefer 50% sugar.”
“Actually, I came here today to see how the night scenes are filmed. I’ve never watched before.”
“Oh, I see.” Chi Yan understood—people unfamiliar with the industry would indeed find it interesting.
Tonight’s scene was an assassination attempt on the emperor. The general who was supposed to protect him failed in his duty. Unexpectedly, the one who saved the emperor was none other than Princess Jiayin, whom the court officials had long deemed “not one of our own, and therefore untrustworthy.”
——————————————
Author’s Note:
I can’t help but brag—I have a cover now! And it’s an official character design!
My mentor drew it personally! She even did the layout! I absolutely love her!
our male lead has a long way to go~
