Going from "Fanservice" to Reality with My Goddess - Chapter 2

On the other side of things, Yu Nianzhe was having a far less leisurely time than Shen Yan.

At this very moment, she was being scolded in the company conference room. Her manager, Wu Lian, sat directly across from her with her legs crossed. Wu Lian had been lecturing her for over ten minutes now, and there was no sign of her stopping.

“Take a look at yourself! You’ve only just gained a bit of fame, and now you think you can touch the sky?” Wu Lian barked. “The company went through so much trouble to find you good resources for you to pick from, yet you sneaked off on your own to film a lesbian movie! Don’t you find that disgusting? Who cares if Director Duan is the one filming it? It can’t even be released domestically! I think you’ve gone mad wanting to be in a Duan Yi production. You’re doing nothing but causing me trouble!”

Wu Lian paused to catch her breath. When she spoke again, her voice went up an octave, as if her ultimate goal was to turn Yu Nianzhe deaf.

“If you want to act in it, fine but you actually lowered your own salary without permission! You just handed over seventy percent of the earnings! Do you think you’re the eldest miss of the Huaijiang Group? Or the secret mastermind behind Starry Brilliance Entertainment? How could you just throw away that much money? If you don’t want to be in this business anymore, get out now. The company isn’t lacking people like you!”

Wu Lian spat out the last of her tirade, nearly choking on her final word.

Having been under this manager for so long, Yu Nianzhe had mastered the divine art of “in through the left ear, out through the right.” Not a single word of Wu Lian’s had actually registered in her mind. Although she sat there looking like she was in deep reflection, her thoughts had long since drifted away.

Seeing that her manager had finally stopped, Yu Nianzhe immediately took the opportunity to fetch a cup of water and bring it over.

With a face full of remorse, she said to Wu Lian, “Sister Wu, I know I was wrong. It was a momentary impulse. I originally thought I’d just try my luck since Director Duan was holding open auditions. I didn’t expect him to actually be interested. That’s Director Duan, after all! If I could play the lead in one of his films, my future career would be smooth sailing.”

At this point, she lowered her head. “That’s why I got carried away and suggested lowering my salary just to get the part.” She sniffled with seemingly genuine emotion. “I’m sorry for causing you so much trouble.”

Wu Lian sighed, her face full of exasperation. Since her debut, this Yu Nianzhe had been nothing but trouble.

The girl had no background and no resources; all she had was a face that attracted people. Wu Lian had originally planned to take her out to “socialize” a few times to secure high-end resources, but the girl refused, essentially wasting that beautiful face of hers. Day after day, she played roles that were either extras or “cannon fodder.” She was truly a headache. If it weren’t for the fact that her recent drama had suddenly become a hit, the company would have long since shoved her into some dark corner to be forgotten.

Still angry, Wu Lian was about to speak again when Yu Nianzhe cut her off. “Sister Wu, I really know I was wrong. I did it to build a reputation and make future development easier. In the future, I’ll definitely consider everything carefully before making a decision.”

She handed the cup to Wu Lian. “Sister Wu, I will definitely listen to you from now on. You’ve been a veteran manager in the industry for so many years with so much experience; the decisions you make are definitely for the good of us minor actors. Sister Wu, please be the bigger person have some water and let the anger go.”

Wu Lian’s temper cooled slightly, feeling quite flattered by Yu Nianzhe’s words. She didn’t say anything more and reached out to take the cup. She took a sip, then immediately recoiled from the heat.

“You brat! Why is it so hot? Are you trying to scald me to death?” Wu Lian screamed.

Yu Nianzhe acted surprised. “Is it that hot? I’m so sorry! Let me change it for you.”

She reached out to take the cup back, but her hand “slipped,” knocking the cup over onto the table. Scolding hot water flooded across the desk, splashing all over Wu Lian and completely soaking the documents nearby.

Wu Lian let out a shriek of pain.

Yu Nianzhe fell into a flurry of motion, apologizing profusely. “Sister Wu, I’m so sorry! Let me wipe it for you.”

Just then, Yu Nianzhe’s phone rang. She hurriedly answered: “Hello, Xiao Lin? Right, right. I’m coming out now.”

She didn’t look back at Wu Lian again. She simply called out loudly, “Sister Wu, Xiao Lin has something urgent for me. I have to go now, you carry on!”

Leaving Wu Lian behind, she bolted out the door.

The moment the office door closed, she immediately dropped her act of being a submissive, obedient little rabbit. She stretched, humming a little tune as she strolled off to find Lin Xin.

Turning the corner of the corridor, she saw a petite girl standing there looking at her phone, seemingly waiting for someone. Yu Nianzhe stepped forward and tapped her on the shoulder. “Let’s go.”

Lin Xin looked up, and upon seeing her, immediately broke into a wide grin. “Did you deal with the ‘Old Witch’?”

Yu Nianzhe nodded with a smile. “All good. Thanks to your coordination.”

Lin Xin struck a serious pose. “It is my honor to serve the boss.”

The two of them laughed and joked as they walked out of the company doors. Lin Xin got into the driver’s seat to take Yu Nianzhe home. She couldn’t help but complain about Wu Lian as she drove.

“That ‘Old Witch’ is in her late forties or fifties. Besides being old and having ‘seniority,’ what else does she have to show for herself? Every day she’s either thinking of ways to ruin young girls or nitpicking everyone else. I think she’s going through menopause; she’s got mental issues. It’s honestly speechless.” Lin Xin got more worked up as she spoke, not even needing Yu Nianzhe to respond as she grumbled the whole way.

Once she had vented enough, she felt a bit worried. She asked softly, “Sister Yu, Wu Lian won’t look for trouble with you later, will she?”

Yu Nianzhe shrugged indifferently. “Who cares? Even if I don’t look for trouble, does she look for it with me any less? Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.”

She was currently popular, and the company was counting on her to make money. This time, the company had just told Wu Lian to “knock her down a peg” to make sure she didn’t forget who her backers were now that she was famous.

As Yu Nianzhe’s mind wandered, Lin Xin suddenly asked, “Sister Yu, why did you decide to take this movie?”

Yu Nianzhe snapped back to reality and replied casually, “I just wanted to.”

“Oh, I see,” Lin Xin nodded.

Lin Xin could never understand why Yu Nianzhe made such a choice. While appearing in a Duan Yi film was a good thing, the subject matter was sensitive, and Yu Nianzhe was only taking thirty percent of the usual salary. No matter how she looked at it, it was a loss. Lin Xin was naturally concerned, but as an assistant, she felt she didn’t have the standing to question her boss’s decisions.

Yu Nianzhe saw the reaction. Her little assistant really couldn’t hide anything; everything she thought was written on her face. She patted Lin Xin’s shoulder and smiled. “Don’t worry about me. I have my own plans.”

Lin Xin nodded and didn’t ask further. She didn’t understand the reason, but she chose to trust her boss’s vision.

When Yu Nianzhe got home, she locked the door and threw herself onto the bed.

She had been running around for days to secure this role and had exhausted herself dealing with the company. Now, she could finally breathe. She knew she would face a lot of pressure and that it would be hard to explain to the company. She also knew that while her strength was decent among newcomers, being the lead in a Duan Yi film was still a major challenge.

But even so, she wasn’t afraid.

What did the salary matter? What did the hype, the exposure, or the reputation matter? She didn’t care about any of that. Those were merely stepping stones to reach her goal.

She had worked hard for so long just for one person. If she could act alongside that person, no price was too high.

Yu Nianzhe tossed her clothes aside. Lacking the energy to even shower, she pulled up the covers and fell asleep.

When she opened her eyes again, it was broad daylight. She sat up, feeling like she had finally come back to life. She checked her phone: 10:25 AM. It was almost noon.

She got dressed, went to the bathroom to take the shower she missed last night, and then went to the kitchen to make herself a simple meal. After finishing her last bite of fried egg, she washed the dishes.

Once finished, she took out the movie script. Because she had flipped through it so many times, the edges were curled and worn, making it look much thicker than it originally was. It was covered in dense notes about her character’s thoughts and her own interpretations.

Since receiving the script, Yu Nianzhe had lost count of how many times she had read it. She knew that acting opposite Shen Yan would be no easy feat, so she had to be fully prepared.

The movie was titled Lovesick. According to Director Duan, it was an inspired work by a long-time friend. Though the friend had eventually “flown the coop,” they had finished the ending, wishing for Duan Yi to turn it into a film to fulfill a final wish. Yu Nianzhe had secretly suspected that the “friend” Director Duan mentioned was actually himself.

Lovesick was a historical film, but unlike others of the genre, it said very little about the martial arts world or court politics. Instead, it focused primarily on the emotional journey of the two female leads.

The story followed Wen Yan, the daughter of a discarded concubine, who is forced into a political marriage with a neighboring prince, Feng Ji. To her surprise, she discovers that Feng Ji is actually a woman disguised as a man. Through their daily lives together, they fall in love, becoming more than just a married couple in name. In the silent deep palace and the imposing court, they remain side-by-side. From meeting and knowing each other to falling in love, they become each other’s only support.

In short, it was a “marriage-first, love-later” sentimental art film.

Yu Nianzhe looked over the script and the character biography she had written, pondering the role of Wen Yan. This wasn’t her first historical piece, but it was her first time playing the female lead.

Looking back, she still felt it was a bit surreal that she had been chosen. When news first broke that Duan Yi was holding auditions for a female lead, countless people had fought for a chance to interview. However, when news followed that it was a same-sex themed film, it dampened the enthusiasm of many.

Yu Nianzhe hadn’t cared about that. In fact, she hadn’t planned on auditioning at all. She felt her skills weren’t quite ready for a Duan Yi film.

But just as she had decided not to go, new information arrived the other lead was Shen Yan.

The usually calm Yu Nianzhe was instantly shaken. She seriously considered the gap in status between herself and Shen Yan and realized this was likely her best chance to ever get close to her “Goddess.” If she missed this, who knew how many years she would have to wait? Shen Yan might never even remember her name.

So, she had to try. And she had to succeed.

Once she made up her mind, she signed up immediately. Because of the subject matter, the number of people at the audition wasn’t as high as she had expected, which gave her a bit more confidence.

Yu Nianzhe had sat outside, waiting for the staff to call her name. She had prepared everything her clothes and makeup were meticulously chosen, she had memorized her opening remarks over and over, and she had even prepared several scenarios for the improv portion.

She had also thought that Shen Yan would surely be there to watch on an occasion like this. That way, she could see her even sooner. She had rehearsed her greeting and what she would say to Shen Yan countless times. Even if she didn’t get the part, she wanted to show her most beautiful side to the other woman.

Finally, it was her turn. She checked her outfit one last time, took a deep breath, put on her most appropriate smile, and pushed the door open.

But reality was a huge disappointment.

Shen Yan wasn’t there.