The Entertainment Industry in Turmoil: Young Actresses All Want to Rise to the Top

Chapter 111 Zhang Ruonan: That kind of life is so good!

In a corner of the terrace away from the main hall at the celebration banquet for "My Love from the Star," the five actresses of Ink Scars, who rarely get a break, gathered together and showed their lively nature.

Tian Xiwei held a glass of juice, sipping it slowly, her face flushed with excitement, the blush on her cheeks even more vibrant than the liquid in the glass.

Her bright eyes swept across the phone screen, and she let out a soft cheer.

"Sisters! Look at Weibo! I've reached 300,000 followers! 300,000!"

She was wearing an exquisite little dress, but she couldn't help but gently touch Bai Mengyan, who was relaxing against the railing next to her, with her toes.

"Sister Mengyan, how much did your stock price increase?"

Bai Mengyan was enjoying the cool evening breeze when Tian Xiwei touched her, bringing her back to her senses. She smiled and took her phone out of her handbag.

After a few quick strokes, a delighted smile immediately spread across her face.

"Me too, my number is almost 200,000!"

She excitedly turned her phone screen towards everyone, pointing to the comments section.

"Look! Before, my selfies only got a few dozen comments, but now they're in the hundreds! Lots of people say they like the junior I played!"

Then she pouted slightly, a hint of regret in her eyes.

"Unfortunately, I only played for five minutes."

"Only two hundred thousand?"

A coquettish voice interrupted, and Meng Ziyi elegantly swirled the juice in her hand, while covering her mouth with her other hand in a feigned shyness.

But her big, bright eyes and the uncontrollable upward curve of her lips completely betrayed her inner smugness.

She chuckled, her eyes sweeping over the faces of the other four people.

That expectant little expression was practically screaming, "Ask me! Ask me how much it went up!"

The others, already familiar with her tactics, exchanged a knowing glance, then either lowered their heads to adjust their skirts or gazed at the night view, pretending not to see her.

Meng Ziyi immediately pouted her little mouth high.

But the next second, her eyes darted around mischievously, and she strolled over with elegant little steps to sit on the high stool in the corner.

Beside Liu Haocun, who was quietly drinking soda water.

She crouched down, looked up at Liu Haocun, her big eyes curving into crescents, full of "goodwill" and expectation.

Feeling uncomfortable under that intense gaze, Liu Haocun blushed slightly, timidly raised his phone, and spoke in a soft, sweet voice.

"Sister Meng, I saw your Weibo post. It seems you've reached 500,000 followers."

"Oh my! Our Haocun is so well-behaved! He has such sharp eyes!"

Meng Ziyi's eyes lit up instantly, and she nodded her head like a chicken pecking at rice. Then she hugged Liu Haocun tightly and, without saying a word, gave her a loud kiss on her soft cheek.

"Oh dear~"

Liu Haocun was completely caught off guard. Only after Meng Ziyi jumped away contentedly did she belatedly cover her face, which had been attacked, and raise her doe-like, moist eyes to look resentfully at Meng Ziyi's back.

She lowered her head and shared her joy in a whisper that only she could hear.

"Actually—I've also gained 100,000 followers."

"You just know how to bully Haocun because he's honest."

Wang Churan's cool voice rang out.

She leaned against the railing, adjusting the straps of her dress, her tone as direct as ever, with a hint of barely perceptible sourness.

"Your large following is simply due to your role as a rich heiress and your more fashionable attire."

She was secretly pleased to have gained 150,000 followers, but when she saw Meng Ziyi's smug and arrogant demeanor, a small flame of resentment rose up.

[Hmph, just a character boost!]

Just then, Tian Xiwei, like a little fox who had discovered a secret, leaned close to Bai Mengyan's ear, winked, and lowered her voice.

"Sister Mengyan, please don't be angry if I say something unpleasant—"

Bai Mengyan was indeed attracted by her mysterious appearance, and curiously turned her head to put her ear closer.

Seeing that her plan had succeeded, Tian Xiwei immediately shouted it out in a clear voice.

"At least half of your 200,000 followers came from that hilarious behind-the-scenes clip of you running on set, unable to stop, and crashing headfirst into the camera's slide!"

"Hey! Tian Xiwei! You're asking for it!"

Bai Mengyan instantly bristled, her face turning as red as the sunset, and she pretended to pinch Tian Xiwei in embarrassment and anger.

Tian Xiwei was prepared, and let out a series of clear, bell-like laughs as she nimbly lifted her skirt and hid behind the sofa.

"Come on, come on, catch me first!"

"If you're so capable, then don't run away!"

Watching the two laughing and joking, Meng Ziyi admired her appearance in the reflection of the glass window, touched her earring, and drew out her words.

"Wow, it's not just her appearance, it's her whole aura!"

"You've overlooked my most important quality: I'm obviously a stunning beauty, okay?"

Wang Churan turned her head and gave Meng Ziyi an elegant eye roll.

"Yes, yes, Meng Da Piao Liang has an exceptional temperament."

She paused, her tone slightly mocking.

"However, I remember that someone did about seven or eight takes when filming that emotionally charged crying scene, right?"

"In the end, it was only after President Shen personally demonstrated that I barely passed the test."

She accurately hit Meng Ziyi's "sore spot".

Meng Ziyi was speechless for a moment, her face turned red, and she retorted with a stiff neck.

"How can that be considered a NG? If the actor's performance doesn't match the director's vision, how can that be considered a NG? It's because I have high standards for the role! I strive for perfection! What do you know!"

"Hmm, I don't understand."

Wang Churan turned around, a faint hint of sarcasm on his lips.

"All I know is that my character, the palace maid from my past life who didn't have a single line, was praised by Zhang Songwen and President Shen in front of the entire crew for his expressive eyes."

Now it was Meng Ziyi's turn to be speechless. She pouted, wanting to refute but unable to find the words, so she could only stomp her foot angrily.

"Hmph! I can live off my looks for the rest of my life!"

"And who isn't?"

Wang Churan's casual remark made Meng Ziyi's cheeks puff up like steamed buns.

"The older sisters are all very beautiful."

Liu Haocun, who had been quietly watching the show, spoke up in a low voice, trying to smooth things over.

She timidly held up her phone, "Actually—everyone has gained a lot of followers, which is a good thing."

"I saw in the comments section that a lot of people are asking when we'll officially debut as lead actors?"

As soon as she said this, Tian Xiwei and Bai Mengyan, who had been laughing and joking, stopped, looked at each other, and couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Tian Xiwei walked over and hooked her arm around Bai Mengyan's neck.

"Alright, alright! But seriously, Mengyan, your behind-the-scenes footage was really funny. Who cares why people are paying attention? Getting attention is a good thing!"

Although Bai Mengyan was still a little embarrassed and annoyed, she was amused and gave her a light punch.

"Get lost! If you dare mention it again, I'll post a video exposing your embarrassing past!"

"Hey! You dare!"

Seeing that the atmosphere had warmed up again, Meng Ziyi also came over. Although she was still a little awkward, her curiosity got the better of her.

"Hey, seriously, do you guys think we'll gain even more fans if we act in the company's next commissioned drama?"

Wang Churan also relaxed, leaning gently against the railing, gazing at the dazzling lights inside the banquet hall with longing in her eyes.

"You'd have to have the ability to catch it first."

"Just last week, President Yang said that our acting skills were not good enough, and they were going to consider holding open auditions."

"That's why we need to work even harder!"

Tian Xi raised her little fist, full of energy.

"Let's land great roles and become real superstars together!"

But in a rented room in Hangzhou, hundreds of kilometers away, the scene is quite different.

Zhang Ruonan dragged her almost trembling legs and slumped into the small fabric sofa.

Having just finished a full day of intense photoshoots as a clothing model for a Taobao store, she was sore all over when she got home, and even removing her makeup felt like a struggle.

Scattered around the room were several sample garments from other cities that she had ordered online, and the air was still filled with the lingering smell of takeout boxes.

She rubbed her swollen calves, habitually picked up her tablet, and opened "My Love from the Star," the show that had recently dominated all the talk of the town.

She had been saving it up for several days, and finally managed to watch it all in one go tonight.

The screen light reflected on her slightly tired but still beautiful face, her eyes completely immersed in that world full of romance and fantasy.

As the end credits rolled, she was still somewhat reluctant to leave.

"So beautiful—this outfit doesn't look cheap at all."

"A kiss on the red carpet, isn't that just too romantic?"

"Which girl could resist such temptation? Let alone Jiang Jinyue, I would even want to marry Gu Beichen."

She sighed softly, praising not only the plot but also the cinematic visual quality and the exceptionally high looks of the male and female leads, as well as the supporting cast.

Still feeling the afterglow and excitement from the series, she curled up on the sofa and eagerly opened Weibo, switching to her own account with only a few hundred followers, mostly mutual followers from colleagues and a few other active users.

As if she had found an outlet, she kept expressing her feelings about watching the show, from the character development to the cleverness of the lines, from the exquisite costumes and props to the stunning special effects.

After expressing her feelings, she couldn't contain her excitement and turned to scroll through various behind-the-scenes clips and actor interviews, her fingers flying across the screen as she downloaded and saved one exquisite still and poster after another.

Especially when she saw the clips of the interaction between the professor played by Shen Mo and the female star played by Li Yitong, the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up.

Shen Mo's deep affection beneath his calm composure, and Li Yitong's vulnerability beneath her bright and lively appearance, unconsciously made her empathize with Jiang Jinyue. "If only I were that person," she thought.

Then, a series of dazzling photos of the victory celebration banquet suddenly appeared.

In the photo, Shen Mo calmly raises his glass, Li Yitong smiles radiantly, and the young girls who made a brief appearance in "My Love from the Star" are now dressed in beautiful gowns, chatting and laughing under the spotlight.

Zhang Ruonan's fingers gradually slowed down as she swiped the screen.

She recalled that more than half a year ago, a woman suddenly appeared and invited her to join Mohen.

At the time, she was afraid he was a fraudster, and she knew nothing about Mohen or Shen Mo.

So she declined the invitation by saying she still had to take the college entrance exam, but she knew that with her grades at the time, she wouldn't be able to get into university; it was just an excuse.

He looked up and glanced around at his small room, which had a low monthly rent, was cluttered with miscellaneous items, and required careful budgeting to maintain a decent appearance.

Her hometown wasn't badly equipped, but she didn't want to go back because the traditional values ​​there were hard for her to accept.

Therefore, after graduating from high school, she chose to come to Hangzhou.

Wearing beautiful clothes that don't belong to me during the day, forcing a sweet smile in front of the camera, and the exhaustion of repeatedly struggling to achieve a single pose until my muscles ache—these feelings of fatigue wash over me once again.

An indescribable sense of loss and distance, like the night outside the window, silently enveloped her.

At the same age, they are already standing in the center of a dazzling stage on screen, receiving the attention and praise of the masses.

Meanwhile, I'm still struggling to get one more job and earn a few hundred more yuan in shooting fees.

If I hadn't refused the ink stain back then, would the outcome have been different?

However, there are no "what ifs." As an unknown nobody who rejected Mohen, he was too ashamed to take the initiative to approach her again, and might even be met with disdain if he did.

So, what should I do now?

With her pure and beautiful appearance and hardworking attitude, she has become somewhat famous in the small circle of Taobao models, but her income is only so-so.

Perhaps I need to try again. I didn't succeed in the college entrance examination, but there is still hope of going to university through adult self-study.

Or, why not try the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China in Hangzhou? Just study graphic design, and then you can openly play computer games in the office while you're at work.

The world depicted in "My Love from the Star" is far removed from her small rented apartment.

The tiny flame in my heart seemed to be stirred by the shock brought by "My Love from the Star" and the contrast with the reality before my eyes, flickering and shimmering, but it has not yet been extinguished.

"That kind of life—it's wonderful."

She murmured to herself, a hint of envy and bewilderment barely perceptible in her voice.

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