Going from "Fanservice" to Reality with My Goddess - Chapter 1

Early this morning, such a Weibo post suddenly appeared on many netizens’ homepages.

The Weibo community exploded instantly. Whether it was the night owls who hadn’t slept or the early birds waking up for work, upon scrolling past this news, they grumbled about it being another “clickbait” filler news. But seeing the three names mentioned in the title, they clicked in without hesitation.

After reading the full message, even the drowsiest people were wide awake.

The article was written with great detail, mentioning that Director Duan recently held auditions for a new film and that Yu Nianzhi participated; it even included a blurry photo. It then leaked rumors that Movie Queen Shen Yan would star in the film to support her old friend’s new work. After several points of “deduction,” the three people were successfully tied together.

As shares and views continued to skyrocket, the topics #Shen Yan Yu Nianzhi# and #Duan Yi# quickly rushed to the front of the trending searches, ranking first and second respectively. People who didn’t know the situation might have thought a melodramatic love triangle had occurred.

More and more people clicked in, and the topics had long since turned into a chaotic mess.

[Top Tier Speeder]: That’s it? Does participating in auditions mean she definitely gets the lead role? One playing the lead and the other playing ‘Girl Number 70′ can make the trending search together?

[asdfg]: Trash marketing accounts. If you have time to make this up, go buy a box of Jinghua Platinum to nourish your brain.

[Here to Find Fault]: Sigh, has even Director Duan finally fallen? Can a certain actress surnamed Yu have some shame?

[World Fantasy Yuyu-zi]: To the person above, watch your mouth. Our little Yu has the looks and the acting skills—what’s so surprising about her being in Director Duan’s movie?

[One Order of Roasted Cold Noodles]: The fans above have skin as thick as a space fortress. Stop bragging, it’s embarrassing.

[Jungle Beast]: There are always some “sour lemons” jumping around (shrugs).

[Drowning Sheep]: Any random cat or dog tries to leach off the hype. Our Sister is very busy and has no time to deal with you.

The fans and haters of Yu Nianzhi and Shen Yan fought tooth and nail, while Duan Yi, the male lead of the rumors, remained relatively unaffected. The comments were a wild mix some claimed Yu Nianzhi used “unspoken rules” to get the part, others claimed she was the perfect choice. Between the fan wars and the casual onlookers joining in, the scene was chaotic.

Speaking of which, it truly was miraculous. Shen Yan and Yu Nianzhi were two people who had absolutely nothing to do with each other, yet were suddenly paired up for a same-sex themed movie. It was truly jaw-dropping.

Who was Shen Yan?

She was a classic example of someone “blessed by the Heavens.” She had the looks, the talent, and her uncle was the boss of Star Brilliance Entertainment, a famous company in the industry. She shot to fame with her debut role at age twenty, won the “Golden Lily” Movie Queen award at twenty-two, and later established her own studio. For nearly ten years, she had occupied a place in the industry that no one could shake. Her audience ranged from teenagers to middle-aged adults; there was no one who hadn’t heard her name.

When Shen Yan first debuted, she was straightforward. Every time she saw news fabricating stories about her, she would use her official account to fire back. Although her strong background suppressed the scandals, she still faced much gossip behind her back. Fortunately, in recent years, she began to follow a “Buddhist-style” wellness lifestyle, ignoring the messy rumors. This finally saved the thinning hair of her PR team. Since then, she focused on acting, rarely paid attention to online comments, and posted on Weibo about once every six months much to the sorrow of her “starving” fans.

And Yu Nianzhi?

Yu Nianzhi didn’t have such a legendary background. She graduated from a top domestic film school and played small roles during her school years, but she remained obscure, lingering between the “eighteenth and twentieth line” for a long time. It wasn’t until a drama she starred in this year became a massive hit that people truly remembered her. However, because she had been a “flop” for so long before suddenly blowing up, while she gained many fans, she also gained a large horde of haters. They cursed her daily for “climbing beds” and claimed she was useless except for her face. Even her fans’ slogan included the phrase “Sister, play me,” which spoke to her unique influence.

Then there was the male lead of this event, Director Duan Yi. A famous big-name director, people fought to the point of “broken heads” just to be in his films. Duan Yi himself was dedicated to art and remained unmarried in his thirties.

In short, neither Shen Yan nor Duan Yi were people Yu Nianzhi should have been able to connect with.

As for one of the female leads of the topic, Shen Yan, she was still completely unaware.

While the internet was arguing, Shen Yan was leisurely drinking wellness tea at home. She leaned back on the sofa, her slender fingers holding a script. A delicate teacup sat on the coffee table before her as she bathed in the rare winter sun, comfortably reading. Her posture was lazy and casual, eyes half-closed, long lashes fluttering slightly. Her black hair was tied back in a simple tie, with curled tips resting on her neck, making her jade-like skin stand out even more.

The scene was as beautiful as a painting.

However, if you zoomed in, you would see the red bean and barley wellness tea in her cup looking very much like a “veteran cadre” (an old-fashioned person), breaking the harmonious beauty.

But even as a “veteran cadre,” she was a very beautiful and eye-pleasing one.

When her hardworking assistant, Song Xin, walked over with freshly brewed tea, this was the scene she saw. Song Xin paused; even though she saw her boss no, “Sister Shen” every day, she was still caught off guard by her beauty.

Shen Yan turned a page, looked up, and saw her assistant dazing out. She smiled: “You can daydream even while walking?”

Song Xin snapped out of it and quickly poured the tea. Shen Yan took a sip and smiled: “Your skills have improved again.”

Song Xin’s eyes brightened with pride, but she modestly replied: “It’s all thanks to your guidance; I still have much room for improvement.”

Shen Yan smiled but said nothing, returning to her script. Song Xin quietly sat aside and browsed Weibo. Three minutes later, a shout broke the silence of the room: “Trash marketing account, ruining my idol!”

Realizing her outburst, Song Xin immediately covered her mouth and peeked at Shen Yan, whispering: “Sorry, please continue.”

Shen Yan looked at the shrinking assistant and kindly asked: “What’s wrong?”

Seeing Shen Yan wasn’t angry, Song Xin vented: “A marketing account is slandering my Goddess, saying she’s leaching off someone’s hype!”

Shen Yan raised an eyebrow: “Isn’t your Goddess me?”

Song Xin choked, then immediately put on a smile: “Sister Shen, you are naturally my number one Goddess. I’m talking about my second Goddess, Yu Nianzhi.”

Song Xin silently apologized to Yu Nianzhi in her heart: The world is big, but the one who pays me is the biggest. Please forgive me this once, Yuyu. My heart only loves you.

“Yu Nianzhi?” Although Shen Yan didn’t follow online news, she had some impression of the partner she was about to work with. “What happened to her?”

Song Xin pouted: “Isn’t she about to work with you? A bunch of people online are saying she’s leaching off your popularity.”

Shen Yan didn’t care much: “There’s no need to pay attention to that. Aren’t these things common in the industry?”

“But Yuyu didn’t do that!” Song Xin got angry whenever someone spoke ill of her idol. “It was originally a dual-female lead role, and Director Duan hand-picked her!”

Shen Yan didn’t pay much attention and comforted Song Xin. However, she did become a bit interested in this Yu Nianzhi. She had joined this film because Duan Yi contacted her personally, half-coaxing and half-deceiving her into accepting the role. At the time, she thought the story was good and wanted to challenge a new type of role, so she agreed.

Thinking back, Duan Yi’s smile at the time seemed a bit suspicious. But the contract was signed, and she couldn’t refuse an old friend’s face. She felt a bit annoyed at being “scammed,” and because she was quite lazy, she hadn’t followed the subsequent auditions. She only knew she was working with a newcomer named Yu Nianzhi.

Shen Yan casually said: “Find me a couple of her dramas to watch.”

Song Xin’s eyes lit up. She took her tablet and enthusiastically marketed Yu Nianzhi to Shen Yan while searching: “Our Yuyu played the second female lead in a drama last year. She acted very well; many people liked her because of that show.”

She first showed Yu Nianzhi’s wiki page and then several of her own treasured photos of her “Goddess” to show her beauty from every angle.

At the first glance, Shen Yan was indeed impressed. Though she had seen countless beauties in the industry, Yu Nianzhi’s looks were top-tier. In the photos, she had long hair, delicate features, and “peach blossom” eyes full of affection. She looked glamorous and seductive, yet her aura was elegant and light—the two qualities combined into a unique charm.

Shen Yan was used to being stoic, but Song Xin caught the flash of amazement in her eyes. Song Xin was smug; she knew no one could resist Yuyu’s beauty!

Next, Song Xin played a clip of Yu Nianzhi. It was a scene where the second female lead, played by Yu Nianzhi, was crying uncontrollably because the male lead didn’t love her back.

Although the plot was a bit cliché and the male lead’s acting was overly exaggerated, it made Yu Nianzhi’s performance stand out. Truthfully, in such an emotional scene, Yu Nianzhi handled the intensity well. It was decent.

Song Xin looked at Shen Yan expectantly. Shen Yan nodded: “Passable.”

Song Xin muttered: “Clearly it’s very good.”

However, for Movie Queen Shen Yan to say “passable” meant Yu Nianzhi’s acting did have merit.

As Song Xin prepared to put away the tablet, Shen Yan asked: “Is there anything else?”

Song Xin froze, struggling. “There is, but…” She became hesitant. She had confidence in her idol’s talent, but her previous works… Still, under Shen Yan’s gaze, she found another clip.

This time it was a period piece, a movie that did well at the box office last year. On screen, the leads were fighting enemies on horseback amidst a sea of blood.

Shen Yan was confused: “I don’t see her.”

Song Xin covered her face: “Yuyu played a supporting role in this movie; her screen time is very short.”

“Where?”

“In that pile of people lying down,” Song Xin said painfully.

Shen Yan: “…” That supporting role was a bit too “supporting.”

Shen Yan felt she hadn’t seen enough yet: “Are her works so few that she only has extras?”

Song Xin found another video. This time Yu Nianzhi had a few seconds of screen time, but her performance was flat and left no impression. As the video ended, it automatically jumped to the next one.

The next video was another edit of Yu Nianzhi. On screen, Yu Nianzhi was playing a red-haired witch. She was dressed in red, her eyes were blood-shot, and she was roaring her lines. Her expression was distorted and her acting was incredibly exaggerated—the video even had a layer of pixelation over it.

Song Xin: “…” Shen Yan: “…”

Shen Yan began to suspect the first performance was just a “blind cat hitting a dead mouse.”

Song Xin thought: This is such old, dark history, why is someone still editing it?!

She peeked at Shen Yan’s expression. The Movie Queen’s brow furrowed, and she unhesitatingly turned off the screen. Song Xin felt it was all over.

“Sister Shen, let me explain, Yuyu is…” Song Xin desperately tried to explain that Yu Nianzhi’s acting was actually good, it was just that her previous projects were of poor quality. Didn’t she think that manic performance fit a “crazy witch”?

But Shen Yan had already picked up her script and teacup: “Brew another cup.”

Song Xin had to swallow her words and head to the kitchen.

Shen Yan’s eyes rested on the script, but she was thinking of the video. Yu Nianzhi… Her acting really was… not great. And yet Duan Yi had hand-picked her. Did he really just look at her face?

Duan Yi was always superficial, but he shouldn’t be careless about this. Shen Yan had originally trusted his judgment, but after seeing the acting, she began to doubt him. After all, he was quite good at “scamming” people.

Shen Yan pondered for a moment, then called her manager, Yin Qin: “Yin Qin, how did Yu Nianzhi get into the cast?”

A crisp female voice came from the phone: “Director Duan values the fact that she fits the image of the female lead in his mind. Her acting is a bit lacking, but it passed his standards. Also…”

“Also what?”

Yin Qin’s voice lowered: “Also, she slashed her salary. She’s only taking 30% of her usual rate.”

“Only 30%?” Shen Yan raised an eyebrow. Director Duan’s movies were popular, but usually not to that extreme.

“Yes. In the final selection, Director Duan hesitated between her and another veteran actor for a long time. It was only after the investors spoke with him that he made the final decision.”

“Alright, I see.” Shen Yan hung up.

To be in Director Duan’s movie, this “kid” really put in a lot of effort. She wondered what she was after.