SFL Chapter 71

[The Sixth Male Lead – Movie Queen]

[Ding! Target Strategy: Tong Yan.

The target’s current favorability towards the host: 0%.]

[Please, host, do your best!]

In a somewhat cold underground room, Fu Yi, dressed in somewhat simple clothes, opened his eyes. He did not immediately get out of the narrow single bed but instead received the plot of this world in his mind.

This is a world where entertainment reigns supreme, and whether it’s the male and female leads or the various supporting characters, all of them are in the entertainment industry.

The male lead, Fu Yi, is a young and accomplished man who won the Best Actor award at the age of 30. He entered the entertainment industry in his teens, crawling and struggling through numerous supporting roles in films and television. Some of these projects were aired, while others were not, but without exception, he never became famous.

This led to Fu Yi, the future Best Actor, living a rather tough life before he became well-known.

As for the female supporting character, Fu Yi’s wife and the future Best Actress, she is the one who meets Fu Yi at this time.

Unlike Fu Yi, who has been crawling and struggling in the entertainment industry since he was young, the female supporting character, Tong Yan, entered the industry later. She joined the entertainment world out of curiosity for the world behind the big screen. At first, she nearly suffered a huge loss because she couldn’t grasp the rules of the industry.

At that time, Fu Yi happened to pass by and helped her, earning Tong Yan’s deep gratitude. Afterward, the two became acquainted, slowly fell in love, and eventually married when neither had yet become famous.

Tong Yan accompanied Fu Yi through the most difficult moments of his life. They tasted countless ups and downs over ten years, and finally, the two of them gradually transformed from rough gravel into two smooth and shiny pearls.

Unfortunately, all the beauty and heartache between them doesn’t even count as an appetizer in the original story.

Even though Tong Yan is Fu Yi’s wife of ten years, she is not the heroine of his life.

The real heroine was born just as Fu Yi began to sink into the entertainment industry.

By the time the heroine grew up and graduated from film school, Fu Yi had already become the Fu Yi, the Best Actor on the big screen, an elder in the entertainment industry.

One is a Best Actor, the other is a fresh graduate from film school. The two met on the set of a television drama, where the heroine was just a small extra, and Fu Yi was the male lead of the drama.

Since entering the entertainment industry, who doesn’t want to become famous?

The heroine, Qiao Menghan, as a graduate of film school, despite having made some connections in school, couldn’t gain the big fame she longed for.

So, after finally getting into the production with her connections, Qiao Menghan didn’t focus on playing her extra role well. Instead, she carefully observed the influential figures in the production and set her sights on Fu Yi first. After all, compared to the directors and producers in their forties or fifties, Fu Yi, who was just in his early thirties, was young and accomplished.

Before entering the entertainment industry, Qiao Menghan had already made all the preparations. If she wanted to take a shortcut with her body, choosing Fu Yi, who was a decade older than her, was undoubtedly better than those older men in their forties or fifties.

As for whether Fu Yi was married, Qiao Menghan didn’t care. After all, in the entertainment industry, who knows if the marriage between a Best Actor and a Best Actress had already been reduced to a mere formality.

Fu Yi and Tong Yan’s marriage was not a mere formality, but the passionate moments had long passed. Now, the couple was like an old married couple; both their feelings and their marriage had become very bland.

The heroine, Qiao Menghan, appeared in their lives as an unexpected twist. She was young, lively, and full of energy. When Fu Yi looked at her, he felt as though he had become young again. On top of that, Qiao Menghan intentionally approached him, yet acted naive, not daring to break through the thin barrier between them. This kind of push-and-pull attitude immediately stirred Fu Yi’s already restless heart.

At over thirty years old, he unexpectedly experienced the fiery passion he had once felt in his early twenties through Qiao Menghan.

When desire leads a person, it’s not surprising that they would do anything.

Fu Yi started to subtly and, later, blatantly favor the newcomer, Qiao Menghan, on set.

With Fu Yi, the Best Actor, protecting her, Qiao Menghan’s career took off smoothly. Compared to the hard years of struggle that Fu Yi and Tong Yan had to endure, it felt like she was wrapped in honey.

In Fu Yi’s mind, Qiao Menghan, this lovely junior, was so pure and flawless, untouched by the stain of the entertainment industry’s dark side.

With Qiao Menghan serving as a contrast, Tong Yan, who had been in the industry for many years and had become worldly-wise, now seemed somewhat “tainted” to Fu Yi.

Though Tong Yan had long since become a Best Actress, and her eyes still sparkled brightly, she could never regain the innocence she had in her youth. When Tong Yan repeatedly failed to perform in another production due to her gaze, Fu Yi, who had come to visit the set, didn’t comfort his wife. Instead, his mind wandered to Qiao Menghan’s youthful eyes, and he suggested on the spot that he could find a stand-in for Tong Yan.

This left Tong Yan in disbelief.

After all, Fu Yi had never been so opportunistic before. If he could handle something himself, he would never rely on someone else, and because of this, he still carried many scars on his body.

Tong Yan had been the same. How else could they, so young, both have won the Best Actor and Best Actress titles in an industry full of beautiful women?

But now, the unwavering principles the couple had always held were shattered by Fu Yi’s own hands.

Tong Yan didn’t want a stand-in, but Fu Yi seemed almost obsessed, insisting on finding one for her.

It wasn’t until Fu Yi called Qiao Menghan over that Tong Yan, with a woman’s intuition, quickly sensed something was off between the two. To protect her marriage, Tong Yan began to keep a tight guard over Fu Yi at home while publicly clashing with Qiao Menghan.

What Tong Yan didn’t know was that her actions played right into Qiao Menghan’s hands. After all, Qiao Menghan was a newcomer in the entertainment industry, while Tong Yan was a highly popular Best Actress with many fans. By having Tong Yan clash with her, Qiao Menghan garnered attention, quickly becoming a rising star in the industry.

Even bad publicity is still publicity. What’s more, as Tong Yan’s actions gradually pushed Fu Yi away, Qiao Menghan took the opportunity to draw Fu Yi closer to her.

With the Best Actor’s endorsement, any negative comments about Qiao Menghan no longer seemed to stick.

Soon after, Fu Yi and Qiao Menghan, this pair of scum, began to manipulate public opinion from behind the scenes, continuously throwing dirt on Tong Yan’s reputation. During the time when Tong Yan was battling depression, Fu Yi forcibly divorced her. Of course, he publicly declared that their marriage had ended long ago, and it was perfectly normal for him to be in a relationship with Qiao Menghan afterward.

Little did they know, their actions sparked something in Tong Yan. Though she had once been heartbroken and disillusioned, she now found a strong desire to survive, eventually freeing herself from the painful marriage.

After many years of marriage, Fu Yi had control over the secrets in Tong Yan’s life, and Tong Yan knew all too well the kind of person he was.

Afterward, Tong Yan released evidence of Fu Yi’s infidelity during their marriage, completely destroying Fu Yi and Qiao Menghan’s reputations as the scandalous pair. Then, the three of them began to publicly fight on the internet, each contributing to the heat and attention surrounding the drama, resulting in decades of entanglement.

Though this was a matter between the three of them, it had a massive impact on the public due to their status as public figures, each with their own massive fanbase.

The type of idol each person attracted also varied widely.

For example, after her divorce from Fu Yi, Tong Yan took the route of a strong, independent woman, rejecting marriage and embracing singlehood, a philosophy that resonated with her fans, who generally shared her values. Overall, her fanbase was more positive and empowering.

In contrast, Fu Yi and Qiao Menghan’s fanbases were less wholesome.

Given the undeniable evidence of their affair, the fans who followed them didn’t have a particularly positive outlook on relationships. Fu Yi’s fans admired him for ditching his “old” wife for a younger, new one. The more capable fans emulated him, justifying their actions with the same excuses, while those who lacked the means to act out their fantasies lived vicariously through Fu Yi.

Qiao Menghan’s followers, on the other hand, openly inserted themselves into other people’s relationships under the guise of “true love,” contributing to the toxic atmosphere in the entertainment industry. This chaos quickly spread into the wider public, stirring up societal disorder.

Lying in bed, Fu Yi quickly grasped the key point: as long as he could steer the atmosphere of society in a better direction, he would accumulate a great deal of merit.

Likewise, Fu Yi and Qiao Menghan, who had caused great harm to this world, wouldn’t fare well either.

The original host had been uprooted by the Heavenly Dao, with both their soul and essence stripped away, and now Fu Yi had taken over their role. Without Fu Yi’s support, Qiao Menghan would never achieve the same level of success and influence she had in the original story.

As a pair of scumbag man and woman, it was hard to say who was more miserable.

From the outside, Fu Yi appeared unharmed, but in truth, his soul had already vanished completely. He wouldn’t even be reborn in another life; instead, he would suffer endless punishment in hell until his soul shattered.

Without the male lead, the female lead would no longer have the original fortune. Worse still, due to the damage she caused to this world, her fate would be continually diminished. It was highly likely that this life would be her soul’s final peak before her ultimate cycle.

Just then, Fu Yi’s phone rang. A rough, impatient voice came from the other end of the line. “Fu Yi, I need you to fill in for someone here. Get over here quickly.”

“I’ll be there soon,” Fu Yi replied. The person on the other end was a crew leader. They had both been in the film industry for some time, so they were familiar with each other. Fu Yi was still in the stage of doing minor roles with no fame, and as someone with a little influence in the industry, the crew leader didn’t need to beg Fu Yi. However, if Fu Yi wanted to make a name for himself in this circle, he had to be at their beck and call.

Not to mention, even a day of doing extra work could earn him around eighty.

For convenience, the original host rented a basement apartment, but it was closer to the film studio. The crew leader, knowing Fu Yi’s situation, called him to come help.

In less than ten minutes, Fu Yi arrived at the film studio.

Unlike other worlds, this world placed a premium on entertainment, and the film industry was extraordinarily advanced. Many of the film production equipment here far surpassed those in other worlds.

“What are you standing there for? Get over here,” the chubby crew leader snapped at Fu Yi, pulling him into the crowd. After counting, he let out a sigh of relief and waved to the others. “Alright, let’s go inside.”[mfn]Author’s Note: The entertainment industry in this story has no relation to or resemblance to the real-world entertainment industry, so please don’t try to draw any parallels ^O^. By the way, here’s some unfortunate news for my dear readers: many websites have increased their article review restrictions. In the past, we couldn’t write anything below the neck, but now, we can’t even write anything below the nose, so things like kissing and ear nibbling will have to say “goodbye” from now on.[/mfn][mfn]TL: Noooooooooo T^T No sweet moments anymore?TT^TT[/mfn]