Chinese Entertainment: Becoming a Superstar After a Breakup

"Shen Ze, you're back! Have some time." Shen Ze returned to school and passed by the basketball court. Wang Yanyang greeted him; she was his classmate and also his roommate from the next dormitory.

"Next time, I'll go back and pack up." Shen Ze waved his hand. A week later, he was back at school. There were rehearsals for the graduation play, and he had to participate no matter how busy he was.

Look at Zhou Dongyu and Gulinaza, they're so busy, filming movies and TV series non-stop. Even so, they still have to come back occasionally to complete the filming of their graduation play.

If you have the time and energy, and you're still in school, try to be the lead in the show. If you don't have the time, you can be a support staff member or someone who hands you water. Officially, this is your graduation performance, so you have to be there.

Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar dormitory, he had filled it up in the first year, but after Dilraba came to Beijing, he started living outside and only came to the dormitory occasionally.

"Shen Ze, I reckon you'll be back soon. Hand me some shampoo," Qu Yi said.

"Going on a date, why are you all so clean?" Shen Ze laughed.

"What dating? I don't have your skills. You can date Dilireba on one hand and Gulnazar on the other. I'm single." Qu Yi laughed.

"Tell them to Nazha later," Shen Ze said.

He was used to these kinds of jokes. Sometimes, he couldn't understand whether Gulinaza had something wrong with her brain. She talked about love triangles in front of so many people, just indulging in her own ego. Wasn't she afraid of being spread rumors?

"I wouldn't dare," Qu Yi said.

"How's it going? Didn't you guys shoot a short film? Is it finished yet? You were updating the group chat about the progress at first, but I haven't heard from you in the last couple of days," Shen Ze asked.

"It'll probably be later, just a few episodes, just messing around. Unlike you, old man, 'The Coffin in the Mountain' is conquering Venice, I'm so jealous I haven't slept for two days and two nights," Qu Yi laughed.

"There's nothing I can do. Being handsome gives you more opportunities. What about your master's degree?" Shen Ze laughed. It's actually hard to be serious when talking to classmates, especially roommates.

"You said it yourself, handsome guys have more opportunities, it's almost certain." Qu Yi was also happy; he was the kind of person who worked hard to get a degree.

"You're treating." After chatting about their recent situations, they arrived at the classroom. It was quite rare to see everyone back. Shen Ze had returned to school because of this.

……

"What's wrong? Is your partner so strict? He's not even here, and he won't let you talk to me." Shen Ze was looking at his phone when someone sat down next to him. It was Gulinaza. Looking to his right, Qu Yi was far away, winking at him.

"I was worried you'd get into trouble. What's there for a grown man like me to be afraid of?" Shen Ze said. He had naturally seen Gulinaza, but he didn't approach her to avoid any misunderstandings.

"I'm not afraid of you deleting me from your friends list. It's only because I'm magnanimous that I'm doing this. Otherwise, I would have already cursed you with voodoo dolls. Come on, take a picture, and I'll post it on Weibo to promote you," Gulinaza said.

"Don't cause trouble." I knew it was a joke, but I still couldn't stand it. Women really hold grudges.

"You scared me to death! You didn't refuse to go to Tangren Media because of this, did you? Working in the same company as your boyfriend, aren't you afraid something might happen?" Gulinaza said.

"What could possibly happen? By the way, congratulations, big star! I've been seeing you all the time in theaters and on TV this month," Shen Ze said.

"Running Man," "Black & White: The Dawn of Justice," and "The Secret Room of Stars" all aired from National Day to the 20th. Although they weren't huge hits, in terms of work, they far surpassed many others, with only Zhou Dongyu being comparable.

Of course, the quality is not good. Zhou Dongyu is the female lead in "My Old Classmate" and has an important role in "Breakup Buddies". These are hugely popular works or movie leading roles. Nazar still can't be the main star.

"That's an exaggeration. By the way, what about that thing I told you about before? You didn't go. Our company's football film project is hiring a lot of people," Gulnazar asked.

"I can't play football, so I didn't try, but thank you anyway for helping me," Shen Ze said.

"If you're afraid your partner will get angry, just say so. Why beat around the bush like that? You don't appreciate my good intentions," Naza said.

"By the way, there is something I wanted to ask you. I saw on the news that your company is preparing a fantasy drama. Are you going to act in it?" Shen Ze asked.

"What did you say? 'Wu Xin: The Monster Killer'? I'm not acting in it. The lead role is a newcomer from the company, right? They're planning to make it into a web series. Why are you so interested? Let me introduce you," Gulinaza said.

"Sure, I'll audition next week," Shen Ze agreed immediately.

That's "Wu Xin: The Monster Killer." He remembers a famous scene where Zhang Xianzong says he has a toothache. If that were filmed, it would be a great benefit to his career.

He even wanted to bring Dilraba along, but he didn't know if the company would agree. He was looking at it from a God's-eye view, but in other people's eyes, this was just a production by Tangren Media to promote newcomers, and it was a web series, the kind of TV drama that skipped television broadcasts. It was good for ordinary actors, but for someone like Dilraba who was already playing the second female lead in a satellite TV drama, would they allow her to participate?

However, he didn't have high expectations for himself. As he said before, he lacked competitiveness, and even the second male lead in a web series would be a tough challenge.

"You're really going? Aren't you afraid your partner will misunderstand?" Naza asked, somewhat surprised.

"You're not acting anyway," Shen Ze said.

"Looks like I'll have to try and get the lead role. You scared me to death, haha." Gulnazar joked. She had a lot of work to do and wouldn't film a low-budget web series like this. The company was promoting newcomers, and she wasn't exactly a newcomer anymore.

We were chatting when the teacher came in. She talked a lot about friendship and the last group performance, saying we should be careful. Then everything was fine, and we all went home and had a meal together.

Shen Ze also sensed the growing estrangement among his classmates, which was different from the previous two years. Moreover, there was now a clear hierarchy among them, with Zhou Dongyu surrounded by a group of people.

……

"Are you really going?" Dilraba asked, looking at the novel "Wu Xin: The Monster Killer" that Shen Ze had brought back.

"Yeah, I think this show will be a hit," Shen Ze said.

"Baby, I'm in a bit of trouble. I've talked to Sister Ruoyao, and I'm afraid it won't work. The female lead for this TV series has already been cast, and the company is unlikely to let me play a supporting role to a newcomer. It might work for 'Qin's Moon,' but this series is unlikely," Dilraba said.

"I knew it. So, should I go or not?" Shen Ze asked.

"Go for it, it's an opportunity." Dilraba was very supportive, but she didn't really believe that Shen Ze could land this role. He was aiming for the second male lead right from the start, it was too difficult.

Although she didn't like Gulnazar, she didn't feel that she couldn't have boyfriends in Tangren Media's dramas. She was unhappy about having too much contact with Gulnazar while working at Tangren Media, but she was still very open to filming a drama where Gulnazar wasn't there, mainly because she felt that boyfriends would be rejected.

"I actually still hope that you can try to get it," Shen Ze said. This play is really good. If Dilraba can get the role of Yao Mei, it will really be another representative work.

One week later.

"What are you doing here?" Shen Ze asked when he saw Gulinaza.