June 21st, Thursday.
It was the day when all the top 100 contestants of The Road to Acting moved into the apartment.
It was also the day Yu Jingming told Chi Yan about the incident on set where someone tried to harm her.
Chi Yan had planned to head to the apartment in the afternoon, but by noon, Yu Jingming called her, saying they had identified the person responsible.
“It was Liu Hegan. He bribed a newcomer in the props team and had that kid hand out arrows to the extras. That’s how it happened.”
Chi Yan replied, “It was him? No wonder. Did you report him?”
Yu Jingming was silent for a moment before saying, “He was introduced by someone else, so it’s not convenient to completely fall out with them. But I’ve already informed some producers and directors I have good relations with about what he did. He probably won’t be able to work as an actor anymore.”
Chi Yan was satisfied with this outcome. She said, “Alright, I got it. By the way, I’ll be moving into the apartment this afternoon. Have you been in contact with any other contestants? If you have, I’ll try to get along with them in advance.”
“No, but I have a task for you.”
“What?” Chi Yan was a little confused.
“Help me find some promising talents. The other three directors already have actors they’re rooting for—some of whom they’ve even worked with before. I don’t know anything about these contestants, so I’m relying on you to judge them.”
Chi Yan sighed but accepted the task. She and Yu Jingming were in this together now, and having good teammates would be a huge advantage.
“Alright, if I find any good ones, I’ll reach out to them.”
“Good. One more thing,” Yu Jingming lowered his voice, “The moment you arrive at the apartment, you’ll be on camera. Make sure to leave a good impression.”
“Got it.”
“Yanyan, have you packed everything? Do you want to bring some snacks? Are they going to allow you to eat outside food?”
Chi Yan turned around to see her mother stuffing snacks into her suitcase. She couldn’t help but say, “Mom, I can’t bring those in. Even if I sneak them in, they’ll make me hand them over.”
Her mother frowned in concern. “They won’t even allow snacks? That’s way too strict.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t starve myself. I heard the production team hired professional chefs to cook for us. I might not even be able to resist eating a few extra bowls.”
Hearing that, her mother finally relaxed. “Eat as much as you want. Don’t be afraid of gaining weight. It’s not like you have to be a celebrity.”
Chi Yan didn’t want to continue this topic, so she changed the subject. “How’s your painting going? Have you gotten your touch back?”
“It’s going alright,” her mother replied. “The teacher says I can still improve. I was actually thinking of having you accompany me to my art exhibition, but now that you’re in the competition, who knows when you’ll have time.”
Chi Yan felt a little guilty. “If I have time in the future, I’ll definitely go to your exhibition.”
“Let’s not talk about that now.” Her mother glanced at her phone and sighed. “Your father just messaged me. He said Yang Yueyi will also be participating in the show and told you not to target her.”
“He actually dares to say that?” Chi Yan was furious. “Mom, ignore him! What kind of person does he think he is?”
“I feel the same way. Just stay away from Yang Yueyi. Otherwise, in your father’s eyes, even if something isn’t your fault, he’ll make it your fault.”
“Got it, I understand.”
After finishing packing, Chi Yan checked her phone and then said goodbye to her mother. “Mom, my ride is here. I’m leaving now. Eat well this week. After I make it past the next round, we’ll have half a day off next Friday. I’ll come home for a meal then.”
“Alright, just call me in advance.”
“I will. Bye, Mom!”
“Good luck with the competition!”
Chi Yan’s mother watched her daughter step out the door. Seeing Chi Yan flash her an “OK” gesture, she couldn’t help but smile.
Chi Yan got out of the car in front of the apartment complex. She immediately noticed that there were many small cameras set up nearby—so discreet that they would be hard to spot without looking carefully.
She pressed her lips together, pulling her suitcase with one hand while holding her advancement card in the other, and walked towards the iron gate.
Inside, there were several cameramen and staff members. A staff member quickly approached her upon seeing her enter.
Chi Yan showed her advancement card, and the staff member smiled, saying, “Welcome, Contestant No. 66, Chi Yan!”
They led her to a camera setup. “Please introduce yourself to the audience!”
“Hello, everyone. I’m Chi Yan.”
She didn’t need to say too much—she already had enough advantages.
First, Chi Yan already had a solid following on her social media account. On the day the competition announced its contestants, she had posted about it on Weibo, and many of her fans had commented that they would support her.
Second, Qiu Sisi, who had recently gained massive popularity from a hit variety show, was now being called the “Nation’s First Love.” She hadn’t forgotten her promise to Chi Yan—right after Chi Yan’s competition post went up, Qiu Sisi immediately shared it with the caption: “Come pick my girl!”
As a result, Qiu Sisi’s fans naturally came to check out Chi Yan, with many of them commenting:
“As expected, beauties always befriend beauties!”
The Road to Acting started its live broadcast at noon on the Xiyou streaming platform, with the host first introducing the show.
About half an hour later, contestants started arriving. At that time, the live chat wasn’t too active—just a few scattered comments like, “When is my favorite actor/actress arriving?”
Chi Yan was the sixth to appear. Her contestant number was 66, which coincidentally formed “666”—a popular internet slang for “awesome.” A viewer pointed this out in the chat, and it received a lot of likes.
Chi Yan’s fans, known as Yanhuo (fireworks), were quick to respond, immediately following up with a comment: “This is Chi Yan—gorgeous, a skilled host, and a great singer. You won’t regret supporting her!”
This piqued the interest of many viewers.
“She really is beautiful!”
“Wait, she can host and sing too? That’s amazing!”
“Duàn Jìng’s fans always claim she’s the prettiest female contestant, but that claim just got shattered real quick.”
Chi Yan wasn’t aware of any of this, but she had expected that her presence wouldn’t go unnoticed.
She followed the staff inside, and one of them explained, “We’ve prepared twenty-five rooms, with four people per room. The male contestants are in the building next door, while the female contestants are in this one. The apartment complex includes public spaces for practicing lines and acting scenes, as well as large meeting rooms. We hope you’ll make the most of your time here and work hard to advance.”
“Thank you.”
“You were selected from Haishi, so your assigned dorm is Room Three,” the staff member said, leading her to the door. “Here it is. The other contestants haven’t arrived yet, so you can pick any bed you like.”
Chi Yan nodded at the staff member. “Thank you.”
The staff member waved a hand and quickly walked away.
Chi Yan assumed she was in a hurry—completely unaware that the girl had been flustered.
Back in the live chat, viewers watched the staff member cover her mouth and dash off. One user commented, “Chi Yan, please control your overwhelming charm! You just made her shy!”
The chat erupted with laughter, and the broadcast’s atmosphere became much livelier.
The production team was very pleased. It was rare for a contestant to generate this much engagement right at the start. They had already been keeping an eye on Chi Yan, thinking she might attract a few more comments than average—but they hadn’t expected her to be such a standout.
There were cameras in the hallways, but none inside the dorms. So, when Chi Yan entered her room, the live feed switched away.
Some viewers were disappointed and immediately started requesting that the show give Chi Yan more screen time.
Inside the dorm, four single beds were lined up in a row, each with a nightstand on both sides. The room was spacious and well-organized.
Chi Yan glanced around and chose the bed closest to the door.
The wardrobes and shoe cabinets were set against the wall, divided into four sections. She picked one near the entrance and started unpacking.
She hadn’t brought much—just some clothes and daily necessities—so she finished quickly.
Just as she was about done, the second contestant arrived.
“Hello! I’m You Shan.”
The newcomer was petite and had a cute, bubbly aura. She greeted Chi Yan warmly.
“Hello, I’m Chi Yan.”
Chi Yan’s expression remained calm, but internally, she was shocked.
In her past life, the winner of this competition had been Duan Jing. The runner-up was a male actor, and the third place went to Yang Yueyi. You Shan, however, had been locked in a close battle with Yang Yueyi for fourth place.
You Shan had terrible luck back then. Yang Yueyi had only managed to surpass her because of Chi Hongzheng’s backing.
To the public, fourth place was simply not as impressive as the top three, so after signing with an agency, You Shan struggled to get good opportunities.
However, she persevered. Three years later, she starred in a Republican-era detective drama and won Best Actress, shocking the entire industry.
That year, Chi Yan had also been nominated for the award. She had felt that her performance was just as good as You Shan’s. But in the end, she lost—mainly because early in her career, she had been typecast in villainous roles, which gave her a bad image among audiences.
The jury had taken this into consideration when deciding to give the award to You Shan instead.
Chi Yan actually admired You Shan. She knew what it was like to endure hardships and hold back until the right moment. They were the same type of person.
Now, she hesitated—should she tell Yu Jingming to keep an eye on You Shan?
Perhaps sensing that Chi Yan’s attitude was a bit reserved, You Shan said, “I’ll take the bed near the balcony.”
“Alright,” Chi Yan replied.
Thankfully, before the atmosphere could get too awkward, their next roommate arrived.
“Chi Yan! I can’t believe we’re in the same room! What a coincidence!”
Chi Yan nodded toward Xu Yi and said, “It’s not really a coincidence. When they told me the rooms were assigned based on region, I figured we’d be together.”
“Still, it’s lucky! There were so many people who made it through!”
After saying that, Xu Yi turned to You Shan and introduced herself. “Hi, I’m Xu Yi. I go to the same school as Chi Yan.”
“Nice to meet you, I’m You Shan.”
Xu Yi was naturally outgoing. Within minutes, she and You Shan were already chatting comfortably.
“I thought I was early, but you two were even earlier. At least I’m not the last one to arrive.”
Chi Yan glanced at Xu Yi’s luggage. “You brought a lot of snacks?”
Xu Yi grinned. “Yep.”
Chi Yan couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for her. She broke the harsh truth: “The production team is going to confiscate them. You bought them for nothing.”
“What?!” Xu Yi looked utterly betrayed. “But my brother told me I could bring them!”
Chi Yan exchanged a look with You Shan. “He was probably messing with you.”
Xu Yi let out a dramatic wail and flopped onto the bed beside Chi Yan’s.
