Is This How the Entertainment Industry Works? (GL) - Chapter 38

Yan Zhen looked from a distance and found that the person Kuang Ying was pointing at looked familiar. She must have seen her somewhere before.

Before she could search her memory thoroughly, the minor actress walked over and stood before Yan Zhen, speaking in a haughty tone, “To think you actually got into Imperial Capital University. Truly, one cannot judge a person by their appearance.”

The more Yan Zhen looked at her, the more familiar she seemed. She pondered for a long while but couldn’t recall, so she had to ask, “You are…?”

The minor actress froze for a moment, her face suddenly turning red with anger. “You shorty! You actually don’t remember me?!”

Yan Zhen looked at her again, tilting her head up. Perhaps because her gaze was too direct, the actress’s face contorted with rage.

“I was your high school classmate!” the actress reminded her.

Once this keyword was out, Yan Zhen suddenly remembered. On the day of the Gaokao, this person had been by Fang Hexu’s side mocking her. She and Fang Hexu had also participated in Global Supernova, but she hadn’t made it far, getting cut before the top ten. Somehow she had become a minor actress and managed to get into Imperial Capital University.

It seemed Fang Hexu hadn’t made it into the school; of those from Qinglong Mountain, besides herself, there was likely only this minor actress.

“Are you doing this on purpose?” The actress lifted her chin. “But it doesn’t matter. Whether you’re doing it on purpose or not, I’m doing much better than you right now, so I won’t bother holding a grudge.”

The actress had been annoyed with Yan Zhen for a long time. Later, when Yan Zhen won the championship and her performance in the movie was a massive hit, it made the actress’s teeth itch with hatred. However, for some reason, Yan Zhen hadn’t capitalized on the fame; after a few headlines, she had fallen silent. This suited her perfectly.

“You can let Lin Xiaomei call the shots for you once, but she can’t do it forever.” Seeing Yan Zhen silent, the actress grew more animated. “Same with Zhao Baoshang. You keep ‘shipping’ yourself with her; do you think she won’t get angry? Even if she doesn’t deal with you, her fans’ spit could drown you alive.”

“But—” Yan Zhen didn’t have time to defend herself.

The actress’s boyfriend walked over. He looked at Yan Zhen, then at the actress. “A classmate of yours?”

“Yeah, she’s the champion of Supernova. Not like me, who got eliminated halfway.”

The boyfriend flicked the actress’s nose. “Don’t be unhappy. It’s just a championship. If you want one, I’ll buy as many as you want for you.”

The actress acted shy. “Buy a championship? What a waste of money.”

“Then tell me directly what you want. It’s almost our one-week anniversary,” the boyfriend said. “I remember you liked a reality show pitch last time? Something about stars and fans.”

The actress’s eyes widened. “Yes! It’s The Big Stars and Their Star Fans!”

“Oh, that one,” the boyfriend said. “I’ll talk to my brother another day and get you on it.”

The actress excitedly threw herself onto her boyfriend and gave him a kiss. “Darling, you’re the best!”

The two walked away arm-in-arm. After a few steps, the actress looked back at Yan Zhen with a provocative and arrogant gaze, looking every bit the villainous supporting character.

“That person is really annoying,” Kuang Ying said. “But she’s untouchable. The guy next to her has a very powerful background.”

“How powerful?” Yan Zhen asked.

“Do you know the four great families of the Capital? That military and political giant’s family is one of them.”

“What about Zhao Baoshang’s family?”

“The Zhao family?” Kuang Ying said. “The Zhao family is on another level. They are the head of the four great national families. I don’t know who ranked them, but the Zhao family is indeed incredibly powerful.”

Yan Zhen nodded, feeling relieved. Generally speaking, it seemed no one could currently match the strength of the Eldest Princess’s family.

When the two returned to the dorm, they found the other two roommates had already arrived.

One was sitting on the sofa, directing several servants to move boxes. This new girl was wearing a pink dress and high heels, with extravagant nails. She had transformed her area into a full-blown “princess room.”

The other person slept next to Yan Zhen; her things were piled on the floor in four or five large bags, but she was nowhere to be seen.

Kuang Ying went over to say hello, but the new girl just glanced at her and ignored her. Kuang Ying, snubbed, went back to her seat and messaged Yan Zhen on WeChat: 【Everyone I met today is annoying.】

Yan Zhen: 【The bad luck over your head hasn’t dissipated today, so encountering such people and things is normal. Even if you play ranked games, you’re very likely to suffer a losing streak. I suggest you go to sleep early and don’t stay up late.】

Kuang Ying: 【Thanks. Do you recognize the new one?】

Yan Zhen: 【I don’t.】

Kuang Ying sent a face-palm emoji: 【How exactly do you survive in the industry? That’s Xu Xiaoya, a former child star. She acted in a tear-jerker drama earlier this year and is incredibly popular right now.】

Yan Zhen marveled: 【That’s amazing!】

She looked up to observe Xu Xiaoya’s features and found her face very familiar, as if she had seen her somewhere. Xu Xiaoya felt the gaze and shot Yan Zhen a glare. Yan Zhen had to lower her head and continue chatting with Kuang Ying.

Kuang Ying also lamented: 【…You, a champion, have no right to talk about others. Speaking of which, our dorm is terrifying. One champion, one popular starlet; I really don’t know who the last person will be.】

Yan Zhen performed a quick calculation with her fingers, but she couldn’t deduce it. This was unexpected; there weren’t many people or things she couldn’t calculate. Was the last roommate some extraordinary figure?

Xu Xiaoya shook her nails, looked at the incandescent light on the ceiling, covered her eyes with her hand, and cursed, “What a dump. There isn’t even a lampshade.” After speaking, she took her small bag and walked out.

Kuang Ying heard Xu Xiaoya complaining to the dorm manager outside, saying she wouldn’t stay the night. She seemed to have given some sort of benefit, as the manager agreed and gave a few instructions.

“It’s good to be rich.” Kuang Ying ran to Yan Zhen’s side. “Keep playing?”

“Okay.”

The two started another game. Yan Zhen was playing more and more smoothly. They played until late at night when someone pushed the dorm door open.

With a creak, the door opened.

Kuang Ying, focused on her phone, said, “Holy crap, the enemy Liu Bei looks like he’s coming to gank you!”

Yan Zhen said calmly, “Don’t be afraid, he went back to base.”

“Sh*t, how do you know—Damn, I’m being harassed by Angela! Xiao Zhen-zhen, save me!”

“Coming—”

Just as Yan Zhen finished speaking, she suddenly felt a chill down her back. She rubbed her shoulders and commanded, “Go, let’s take the dragon.”

“What are you playing?” a cold voice asked from behind.

Yan Zhen froze. The voice sounded very familiar, and for some reason, she felt a murderous aura in those words.

“Honor of Kings, of course. What’s wrong?” Kuang Ying looked up behind Yan Zhen. Her eyes widened in shock, and after stammering for a long while, she let out a startled scream: “Zha—Zhao Baoshang?!”

What? The Eldest Princess?!

Yan Zhen whipped her head around. Behind her, Zhao Baoshang was looking at her and the game in her hand with a dark, heavy face. It really was Zhao Baoshang.

“Why are you here?” Yan Zhen scrambled to stand up, wiped a stool for Zhao Baoshang, and invited her to sit.

Zhao Baoshang stood there, staring at Yan Zhen’s phone. She was very unhappy. She had worried her “little fan” would be lonely starting school alone, so she had come specifically to study with her.

And yet. This person was already playing games and had made a new friend; the two of them were playing so happily. How could her little fan have other friends? Zhao Baoshang only had her little fan as a friend; her little fan should belong entirely to her as well.

Zhao Baoshang felt betrayed. Her head felt hot with an indescribable sense of grievance. After staring at Yan Zhen for a while, she walked out without a word.

Kuang Ying: “Eh? Why did the Movie Queen come and then just leave? Did she go to the wrong dorm? Wait—why would Zhao Baoshang come to our dorm at all?”

Yan Zhen realized things were bad and chased after her. Kuang Ying shouted from behind, “Where are you going?”

Yan Zhen didn’t have time to reply. Once outside, she saw Zhao Baoshang already walking down the stairs. She hurried to catch up and grabbed her on the landing.

Zhao Baoshang’s face was sour and cold. “Let go.”

“I…” Yan Zhen let go.

Zhao Baoshang walked ahead, and Yan Zhen followed. Someone nearby saw them, pulled out their phone to take a photo, and posted on Weibo: 【Someone tried to cling to her and got snubbed. How low!】

“Why are you following me?” Zhao Baoshang stopped.

Yan Zhen felt instinctively that she had to follow her, or something would definitely go wrong. She pondered for a moment and asked, “Then where should I go?”

“Go stay with your new roommate.”

“I… I’d rather stay with you.”

Zhao Baoshang snorted. A blush colored her face, and she wasn’t quite as angry anymore. Her little fan looked like a blockhead, but her ability to sweet-talk hadn’t regressed.

The couples nearby drifted away, and the crowd thinned. Yan Zhen asked casually, “How did you end up in our dorm?”

“I’m here to study.”

“Huh?” Yan Zhen was surprised. “Didn’t you graduate a long time ago?”

“Can’t I study again after graduating?” Zhao Baoshang really wanted to see what was in her fan’s head. How could she ask such a naive question? Did she just not want her to come? If she didn’t come, could the fan stay with her new friend and play games all day?

Don’t even think about it!

Zhao Baoshang turned her face away but gave an explanation: “I’m doing a different major.”

“What major?”

“Mathematics.”

Yan Zhen: “…I thought you’d study acting.”

“I have private teachers for acting, and the acting classes at Imperial Capital University are average.”

Yan Zhen nodded in understanding. “But with your fame, won’t you be mobbed for signatures walking through school?”

“No,” Zhao Baoshang said. “People here have rules. If someone does something excessive, they’ll be expelled.”

“The atmosphere of the school is truly fascinating.”

The two walked for a while. Seeing Zhao Baoshang’s mood had improved, Yan Zhen asked, “What were you angry about just now?”

At the mention of it, Zhao Baoshang frowned again. “What’s it to you?”

“I was just asking,” Yan Zhen said. “If you don’t want to talk about it, then forget it.”

“Hmph.” Zhao Baoshang was indeed mad at the fan. She had kindly come to accompany her to school, but the fan hadn’t told her when she came to register, nor mentioned anything that happened afterward. It was too much. The fan’s promises sounded nice, but they were unreliable; she was just using words to coax her while acting completely differently.

It seemed she really had to take the initiative.

“Let’s go back to the dorm.” Having calmed down, Zhao Baoshang had a plan. She walked back toward the dorm.

Yan Zhen followed. She was also deep in thought, but unlike Zhao Baoshang, her mind was full of the “Death Calamity.” A few days ago, she had checked the Feng Shui at Zhao Baoshang’s house but found no trace of the black toad. If a ritual used a toad as a core but couldn’t be found nearby, where could it be?

Yan Zhen couldn’t figure it out. The deadline for the calamity was getting closer, yet she still couldn’t find the root cause. To let such a mysterious thing get close to the Princess was a failure. Now, she could only make more talismans and train her spiritual energy, hoping to block the disaster when it came.

The two returned to the dorm with their own thoughts. Kuang Ying had finished her game. Hearing the door, she looked up and saw the two of them come in together, almost screaming again. Zhao Baoshang shot her a cold look.

Kuang Ying immediately shut up and moved closer to Yan Zhen. “What’s the relationship here? You’re coming and going together?”

Before Yan Zhen could answer, she met Zhao Baoshang’s eyes. Her heart skipped a beat as she explained, “No… we just ran into each other.”

“Really?” Kuang Ying didn’t believe it. “Why did you go out just now? I was playing and didn’t see clearly.”

“We—”

Before Yan Zhen could finish, Zhao Baoshang asked, “Are you curious?”

Kuang Ying waved her hands. “No, no, no.”

Zhao Baoshang commanded directly, “Then go to sleep.”

Her aura was too strong. With one order, no one dared to disobey. Kuang Ying didn’t dare speak and quickly climbed into bed, covering her head with her quilt.

After brushing her teeth, Yan Zhen was about to climb into her bed when Zhao Baoshang grabbed her. Zhao Baoshang stared at her, hesitated for a long time, and then lowered her voice: “I’m sleeping with you.”

Yan Zhen asked in alarm, “Why?!”

“My bed isn’t made.” Zhao Baoshang pointed to the other bed, which was indeed a mess and impossible to sleep in.

“I’ll help you make it.” Yan Zhen went over and rummaged through a bag. “Where are the sheets?”

Zhao Baoshang: “I don’t know.”

“The quilt?”

“I don’t know.”

Yan Zhen pointed to the suitcase: “What’s in here?”

“Local specialties, I guess,” Zhao Baoshang said dismissively. “Grandpa insisted I bring them; they’re for you.”

Yan Zhen said gratefully, “From Old Zhao? He actually remembered me.” She opened the suitcase and checked the items. They were mostly for tonifying blood and beauty; the quality was excellent, clearly expensive. Whether used as medicinal ingredients or for refining artifacts or Gu, they were top-tier.

“Do you like them?” Zhao Baoshang asked.

“I do!” Yan Zhen touched a piece of ginseng and put it back. “These are too precious.”

“So you don’t want them?”

“Mhm.”

“Then I’ll have someone throw them away in a bit.”

“…I want them.” Yan Zhen happily touched the luggage bag, a smile on her face.

Seeing this, Zhao Baoshang felt her own mood brighten. What kind of magic did this little fan have? Even though she was so “stupid,” she kept her constantly concerned.

Having taken the gifts, Yan Zhen had no choice but to lift her quilt and invite Zhao Baoshang to sleep together. Lying on the bed, she leaned down and asked, “Zhao Baoshang, do you snore?”

Zhao Baoshang paused. “I don’t.”

“Grind your teeth?”

“No.”

“Drool?”

Veins popped on Zhao Baoshang’s forehead. “Will you shut up?” She threw a pillow at Yan Zhen’s face. “Go to sleep.”

Three of them were in the dorm; the fourth hadn’t arrived. Kuang Ying peeked out, saw everyone seemed asleep, and messaged her group chat: 【Zhao Baoshang actually came to our school to study. Has she lost her mind?】

Her friends were skeptical: 【No way.】

【She’d settle for that dorm?】

【Will she just fund the demolition of your dorm building to build a villa?】

Kuang Ying: 【Hahaha, she’s not that fierce.】 Then, thinking of the look Zhao Baoshang gave her, she added: 【Please disregard my last sentence.】

Another friend asked: 【By the way! I saw on Weibo that someone tried to cling to Zhao Baoshang and almost got beaten up. Looks like your school. [Image]】

Kuang Ying stared at the screen in the dark. 【Isn’t that Yan Zhen?! My other roommate. Their relationship is that bad? I knew it. Yan Zhen said a few words earlier and Zhao Baoshang just cut her off or mocked her. So pitiful.】

【…That champion? You’re in one dorm? That’s intense.】

Kuang Ying: 【Yeah, Zhao Baoshang even stole Yan Zhen’s bed and wouldn’t let her sleep. I just heard something—Zhao Baoshang brought a pile of trash and told Yan Zhen to throw it away for her, or she’d have someone beat her up.】

【…So exciting.】

【That’s life.】

Kuang Ying chatted a bit more about what she heard under the covers, then turned off her phone and went to sleep.

In the middle of the night, the blinds rattled in the wind, and crows cawed outside. Zhao Baoshang, a light sleeper, woke up quickly. She heard the commotion outside and then the sound of tooth-grinding and sleep-talking next to her ear. She sat up in a rage.

“No talking in your sleep,” she threatened the sleeping Yan Zhen.

Yan Zhen mumbled, “And… *#&…”

Zhao Baoshang frowned. “What are you saying?”

“%$#@#…”

Zhao Baoshang got angry and covered Yan Zhen’s mouth. Yan Zhen’s face looked pained in the moonlight, and after a moment, she bit down on Zhao Baoshang’s hand. Zhao Baoshang hissed in pain and looked at her palm. There was a tooth mark and something shiny and sticky. She touched it with her index finger.

…It was Yan Zhen’s drool.

Zhao Baoshang’s expression shifted several times before she wiped her hand on Yan Zhen’s clothes. A moment later, the sleeping Yan Zhen started to giggle as if she were dreaming of something fun.

What is she dreaming about? Is it me?

Zhao Baoshang was curious. She poked Yan Zhen and asked, “Are you dreaming of the person you like most?”

Yan Zhen: “%…%&…*”

“What is that person’s name?”

Yan Zhen: “Eld… Z… Zzz…”

“Zhao?” Zhao Baoshang touched Yan Zhen’s cheek. Her little fan really was thinking of her; she even murmured her name in her sleep.

But that was no excuse for the fan to sleep so happily. Zhao Baoshang changed tactics, pinched Yan Zhen’s face, and threatened in her ear, “Get up. If you don’t, I’ll hit you.”

“#%…$&” Yan Zhen mumbled vaguely and turned over to continue sleeping.

Zhao Baoshang pinched Yan Zhen’s nose. Yan Zhen could hardly breathe and gasped through her mouth. In Yan Zhen’s dream, a giant monster was oppressing her. She thrashed unhappily and let out a whimper. Finally dodging the monster, a pair of cold hands suddenly touched her warm skin, sliding down her shoulder—it felt like ice in the dead of winter. Yan Zhen woke up instantly.

“Wha… what’s happening?” Yan Zhen grabbed the meddling hand and tried to open her eyes. The Eldest Princess’s seductive face flickered before her.

“Eld…” Yan Zhen shook her head and clarified the person sitting on the edge of her bed. “Zhao Baoshang? Why aren’t you sleeping?”

“You’re too loud,” Zhao Baoshang said.

Too loud? Yan Zhen thought with her sleep-deprived brain for a bit, gave an “oh,” and turned over to go back to sleep.

Zhao Baoshang pushed her. “Get up.”

Yan Zhen buried herself in the quilt. “No.”

“I feel uncomfortable,” Zhao Baoshang continued to tug at her.

Hearing this word, Yan Zhen immediately sat up in alarm. “Where does it hurt?”

Her hair was messy, and her cheek was red from being pressed against the pillow. She looked ridiculous. Yet it was this ridiculous person who, upon hearing she was uncomfortable, would worry and ask after her.

Zhao Baoshang became even more certain of her decision: she had to keep this person by her side. She grabbed Yan Zhen’s hand and lay down next to her. The 1.2-meter-wide bed wasn’t too crowded, but Zhao Baoshang pressed against Yan Zhen tightly. Her forehead had cold sweat, and her eyes were dark. Yan Zhen felt like she was being squeezed to the point of exploding.

“How can you be uncomfortable?” Yan Zhen wiped the sweat from Zhao Baoshang’s forehead, then wiped her own, and took her pulse. “Is the Gu acting up? Let me check for you.”