“We’re here.”
Chi Yan said, “Once the competition is over, I’ll definitely treat you to a meal. I’ve just been too busy lately…”
“I know, there’s no rush. Good luck with the competition.”
When Chi Yan got home, she found her mother still painting in the study. She asked, “Mom, have you eaten?”
After the competition ended, she had sent her mother a message, saying she wouldn’t be home for dinner and that she should eat first. But her mother never replied.
Now that she was back, her mother still didn’t respond.
Chi Yan dialed her mother’s phone. Luckily, it was still reachable—but no one picked up.
Suddenly, she noticed something off—the ringtone seemed to be coming from the study.
She walked over and saw that her mother had fallen asleep at the desk. Next to her was a painting with ink that had not yet dried.
She probably hasn’t eaten yet, Chi Yan thought.
She gently patted her mother and said, “Mom, wake up. It’s time to eat.”
Her mother was sleeping soundly, showing no sign of waking up.
Chi Yan sighed, found a small blanket, and covered her with it. Then, she took out her phone and ordered food delivery from a nearby restaurant, making sure to change the recipient’s name and phone number to her mother’s.
The delivery arrived in less than half an hour. Chi Yan put on a mask and went out to collect it.
“You look a bit familiar. Are you a celebrity?” the delivery guy asked.
Almost getting recognized, Chi Yan remained calm and pretended to cough. “If I were a celebrity, why would I need to order takeout? Wouldn’t I just hire a private chef?”
The delivery guy smiled politely, confirmed the phone number and name, then left.
After closing the door, Chi Yan thought, Living here isn’t safe. Once the competition is over, I should apply to stay in the company dorms. When I start getting acting jobs and making money, I can buy a place and bring Mom to live with me.
The apartment complex she lived in during her past life hadn’t even been developed yet. If possible, she wanted to buy a unit there again.
That area wasn’t in the city center—it was in a planned new district.
In the future, Hai City would keep expanding outward due to space limitations. Right now, that new district wasn’t well-known, but before long, housing prices there would skyrocket. Even with money, it wouldn’t be easy to buy a place.
In her past life, Chi Yan had only managed to buy property there because of her manager’s connections. This time, she would rely on herself and strike early.
“Yan Yan, when did you get back?” Her mother rubbed her eyes as she walked out of the study. “I forgot to make dinner. Have you eaten?”
“I’ve been back for a while. I ordered food for you—come eat.”
As her mother started eating, Chi Yan couldn’t help but say, “Mom, your health isn’t great. If you get tired while painting, you should go to bed. You can’t just fall asleep at your desk like this.”
“This was an accident. My paintings are finally ready. The gallery reserved a few spots for me, so I wanted to create more pieces.”
Chi Yan said, “Mom, I have over a million followers on Weibo now. Once this competition is over, I can start acting and making money to support us.”
She didn’t say much more—she knew her mother would understand.
“I just worry that if you ever decide to leave the industry, at least I have some savings to support you while you figure out what you really want to do.”
Chi Yan felt incredibly touched. In this world, no one would ever support her like her mother did.
Suddenly, her phone rang. She looked at the caller ID—Chi Hongzheng.
Fearing that he was up to something, she answered the call.
“Chi Yan! Are you rebelling or something? I didn’t even say anything about you joining that ridiculous competition, but now you’re making some million-yuan bet?!”
Chi Yan knew exactly how to shut him up. She said, “I made a bet with Yang Yueyi. No matter who loses, you’re the one paying. It’s just moving money from one pocket to another. Why are you even questioning me?”
“But how could you gamble such a huge amount?! Where did you even learn this? Did you pick it up recently? I told you, the entertainment industry is no good, but you insisted on joining. And now you’re gambling?”
Chi Yan held her phone away from her ear until his shouting faded, then spoke slowly, “Is there anything else? If not, I’m hanging up.”
“What’s with your attitude? You—”
Chi Yan ended the call, rubbed her temples, and thought, He’s so annoying.
Her mother, having overheard, looked at her anxiously. “Everything okay?”
“It’s fine. I just don’t get why Yang Yueyi would suddenly leak this… It doesn’t make sense—she should be more afraid of this being exposed than I am. She wouldn’t dare tell Chi Hongzheng, only her mother.”
Then, she realized something was wrong—Could this be Yang Lan’s doing?
That woman would do anything to please Chi Hongzheng.
“Yan Yan, what’s wrong?”
Chi Yan looked at her mother and said, “Mom, just focus on your career these days. Whatever you do, don’t meet with Chi Hongzheng. He talks nonsense all the time and will definitely try to badmouth me.”
Her mother chuckled. “Who knows you better than I do? No matter what they say about you, I won’t believe it unless I hear it from you directly.”
“Alright, Mom. Let’s not talk about these annoying things. I have to leave again tomorrow, so let’s just chat and enjoy our time together.”
Chi Yan shared some funny stories about her private practice sessions with Xu Yi and Xue Yi. Her mother also told her about the progress in her work.
Everything was moving in a positive direction.
The next morning, Chi Yan contacted her uncle and asked him to recommend a reliable private driver.
She had already lost the simple joy of hailing a taxi, but in exchange, financial freedom was just around the corner.
At 7 AM, the show’s staff contacted Chi Yan to inform her of the day’s schedule.
In the morning, she would move to a new dormitory. In the afternoon, she would meet with the director to select scripts and confirm her role. In the evening, she would shoot a commercial with Ye Jiawen.
Competitions like this had many sponsors, and the more popular contestants would often take on embedded advertisements. Although The Road to an Actor was a livestream-based show, once the top 20 were chosen, the production team planned to air one advertisement per hour.
Duan Jing was the fastest contestant to land a commercial, but that was because she was already a well-known child star.
The ones who had gained the most attention, however, were Chi Yan and Ye Jiawen.
Chi Yan didn’t need an introduction—her previous performance had left a lasting impression on many viewers.
Ye Jiawen’s track record was also outstanding. In her past life, without Chi Yan as a “dark horse” in the competition, he had been unrivaled. Just yesterday, Chi Yan saw fans on Weibo jokingly saying they wanted to “have his babies.”
The sponsors specifically requested Chi Yan and Ye Jiawen to shoot the commercial first, wanting to test their selling power.
For the next round, where the top 20 would be reduced to the top 10, contestants had two weeks to prepare. This meant longer broadcast times, more individual screen time, and increasing popularity.
If their ability to sell matched their performance skills, Chi Yan and Ye Jiawen would be on their way to becoming commercially valuable actors.
Moving to the New Dormitory
When Chi Yan returned to her room, her roommates were already packing.
By coincidence, all four of them had advanced—no one was eliminated.
“You’re back! Hurry up and pack,” Xu Yi said. “The production team said there are only 20 of us left, so we’re moving to the nearby ‘U-shaped Apartments.’ The guys will live on the left side, the girls on the right, and the middle area will be a shared space with a rehearsal hall, dining hall, and more.”
After hearing the explanation, Chi Yan thought it was a good setup. “The production team is really generous.”
Xu Yi glanced at You Shan and Qi Kerong, then leaned in close to Chi Yan and whispered, “My brother told me that this apartment complex will be turned into a themed hotel after the show. Fans who want to visit can even stay in the same rooms we lived in. The production team is definitely making bank.”
Chi Yan didn’t care. We’re leaving anyway—it’s none of my business.
“True,” Xu Yi said. “I should be more worried about the script and role I’ll get this afternoon.”
You Shan walked over and asked, “Chi Yan, did you get a commercial deal?”
“Yeah.” Chi Yan didn’t bother hiding it. This kind of news would spread quickly anyway, so there was no point in lying.
“I underestimated you,” You Shan said before grabbing her luggage and being the first to leave the room.
“Chi Yanyan!” Xu Yi gave her a thumbs-up. “Nice!”
Chi Yan replied, “No need to make a big deal out of it. Everyone will get a chance sooner or later—it’s just a matter of time.”
She noticed that Qi Kerong was watching her while she spoke, but when Chi Yan met her gaze, Qi Kerong quickly looked away.
Weird.
“Hey, I just realized something—You Shan and Lin Shan both have ‘Shan’ in their names,” Xu Yi said, showing Chi Yan a post from the show’s official Weibo account. It featured a large poster of the top 20 contestants.
Chi Yan glanced at it and saw that the images had been taken during the preliminary round. The photo used for her was one where she was smiling through tears. The number “66” was added in post-production, making it her official contestant image.
“Your prelim photo is legendary,” Xu Yi said. “Being good-looking really is an advantage—even crying makes you look prettier than everyone else.”
Chi Yan watched as Xu Yi swiped through the images until she reached her own.
Then, Xu Yi frowned and said, “Why do I look so goofy? Did someone possess me?”
It wasn’t as bad as she made it out to be. In the prelims, Xu Yi had performed a scene that showcased her bright smile, playing to her strengths. That was why the judges had picked her.
“It looks good. It highlights your unique charm.”
Xu Yi didn’t respond because Qi Kerong had just walked out. When she shut the door, she slammed it hard.
“What’s her problem? Did she eat explosives for breakfast?”
Chi Yan said, “Her official image is also one where she’s crying.”
Xu Yi was speechless. “Seriously? I wasn’t even talking about her!”
“Alright, let me finish packing. We should go, or we’ll be late.”
Settling In
After moving into the new apartments, all the contestants felt much more comfortable.
They no longer had to share a room with unfamiliar people or deal with those they didn’t get along with.
The food in the communal dining hall was much better, and since only 20 contestants remained, the production team even allowed them to order meals—but within reasonable limits.
Compared to the previous week, this felt like paradise.
Lunch Encounter
During lunch, Chi Yan ran into Ye Jiawen.
“You got the notice too, right?” Ye Jiawen sat down at her table, next to Xu Yi, without hesitation. “I’m really looking forward to working with you.”
Chi Yan replied, “Me too. I think you’ll be a great partner.”
