Guess What? The Entire Entertainment Industry Thinks I’m Dead - Chapter 1

In a private room at Qindao Third Hospital, Lin Chenghuan finally stirred from her comfortable yet slightly headache-inducing hangover at ten in the morning. Her bleary eyes fluttered open, and upon spotting her agent Fang Yuan, she closed them again in relief. But soon, a sense of unease crept in.

“Why are you here? Where’s Xiao Nian?” Lin Chenghuan’s eyes snapped open as she stared at Fang Yuan.

“Your sister is out busy with work again. I happened to be in the area, so I thought I’d drop by and check on you. How are you feeling? Rested enough?” Fang Yuan’s face was full of concern.

“Not nearly enough. I won’t be going back to filming anytime soon.” Lin Chenghuan knew exactly what Fang Yuan was hinting at and shut down any false hopes immediately.

Once she set foot in Hengdian and joined the film crew, it was like being sentenced to prison. Days began before dawn with early makeup calls, and nights often dragged on with late shoots, leaving her stumbling back to the hotel well past midnight. That was the norm.

Surviving on just four or five hours of sleep a day for two months straight, it was enough to drive anyone insane!

To this day, Lin Chenghuan regretted her decision to enroll in the College of Arts and Media, all because of a childhood friend’s remark: “The art school is incredibly tolerant. Everyone there is a little crazy, so no one will bat an eye no matter what mistakes you make.”

Her friend wasn’t wrong. On her very first day of college, she witnessed a senior student climbing to the top of a statue three times her height. Passing upperclassmen either ignored her entirely or praised the act as a profound piece of performance art.

Indeed, nine out of ten people at the art school were eccentric, and their antics brought her plenty of joy during her university years. But then, before she even graduated, she stumbled into a film set by chance, quickly rose to fame, and her life took an unexpected turn.

As someone who loathed social interactions, her original plan was to find a low-key job after graduation and gradually learn the ropes of managing her family’s business. Instead, she found herself thrust into the entertainment industry, and on the notorious “blackened popularity” path, no less.

Now, Lin Chenghuan had been molded into a polished entertainer: unflappable in front of the camera, adept at handling reporters’ questions, and skilled at navigating the endless social obligations of the industry.

But heavens knew how much energy it drained from her! Over the years since her debut, she had been pushed to the brink of exhaustion.

So, after yet another public feud with her male co-star over billing in her latest drama, and being mercilessly mocked online as a “climber,” “talentless,” and “opportunistic”, Lin Chenghuan finally decided she’d had enough.

She had entered art school to embrace her quirks, not to break into showbiz. Even if she bowed out now, just as her anti-fans wished, she wouldn’t feel the slightest regret!

Still, Fang Yuan had recognized her potential from the start and had supported her every step of the way. For now, Lin Chenghuan couldn’t bring herself to abandon her.

“Alright, alright. Just focus on resting for now. There’s no need to rush back into things,” Fang Yuan reassured her with the same warm expression.

“Mm, thank you, Sister Fang.” Lin Chenghuan was genuinely touched. It seemed Fang Yuan had really come just to see how she was doing.

“No need for formalities with me.”

“By the way, Sister Fang, I’ve been following Zhuoyi’s progress. It’s been doing really well lately, congratulations,” Lin Chenghuan added.

“Haha, indeed. When you’re ready to come back, I’ll make sure you get the best resources available.”

“Thank you, Sister Fang. You’ve always been my guiding star.”

Three years ago, after leaving her former company Xia Yao, Fang Yuan started her own talent agency. Leveraging her connections, she poached two established artists and signed even more newcomers.

Soon enough, Fang Yuan’s capabilities and network propelled the company to rapid success. Among the newcomers was a man named Zhang Chaosheng, who starred in a niche drama that no one had high hopes for. Unexpectedly, it became a massive hit, and his popularity alone was enough to sustain the entire company.

Aside from the newly crowned and highly popular TV drama king, the other newcomers also flourished, each gaining a modest reputation within the industry.

Two years ago, Lin Chenghuan also left Xia Yao. At that time, Fang Yuan immediately extended an olive branch to her. However, Lin made it clear that she intended to take a complete break for a few years and would not be acting in any productions.

Even so, Fang Yuan kept an eye on her, assuring her that she could join Zhuo Yi at any time. Faced with such unwavering support from the mentor who had discovered her, Lin Chenghuan was profoundly moved.

“By the way, what time is it? Don’t tell me I slept until-”

“10:25,” Fang Yuan interrupted, stopping her from reaching for her phone, her expression full of concern and worry.

“Also, you drank too much yesterday and accidentally hit your head. After I arrived, I had the hospital give you a full check-up. The doctor said your optic nerves are strained, so you should avoid electronic screens for the next few days, no phones or computers,” Fang Yuan continued.

“Oh, really? How boring it’ll be without scrolling through my phone or playing games!” Lin Chenghuan lamented dramatically.

“Don’t worry, I brought along Li Xiaoyi, the assistant you get along with best. If you want to browse online, she can read it out to you. If you want to play games… she can play them for you.”

“Well… alright then, thank you, Sister Fang.” Though the idea of having an assistant play games for her sounded absurd, Lin Chenghuan still looked genuinely grateful.

Fang Yuan was truly too good to her, she had even specially arranged for an assistant! Lin recalled that Li Xiaoyi had been a student when she first worked as her assistant, joining the crew during summer break just for fun. Now, Fang Yuan had actually brought her back.

“Is there anything else wrong with me? If not, I’d like to go home. I’ve had enough of Beidaihe, I was just too lazy to book a flight back,” Lin Chenghuan added.

“No major issues, just some endocrine imbalance. You’ll need to cut back on staying up late. Heading back to Nanjing? Alright, I’ll have Li Xiaoyi make the arrangements.”

“Mhm, Sister Fang, you’re too good to me.” Overwhelmed with gratitude, Lin Chenghuan nuzzled against Fang Yuan, who soothed her with a few comforting words before her phone rang.

“Hello, President Zhang! We’re reviewing the script for ‘Hometown Rivers and Mountains’ these days…” Fang Yuan smiled at Lin Chenghuan, who nodded in understanding, and then Fang stepped out of the room.

Shortly after, Li Xiaoyi entered carrying a meal container, looking somewhat furtive.

“Sister Huan! I’ll be your assistant from now on, looking forward to working with you. Let’s eat first.”

“No need to be so formal. Here, open Bilibili and find a show to watch while we eat… let’s go with ‘Detective Di Renjie.’” Even though she could only listen and not watch, having a drama playing in the background made mealtime feel more complete.

“Right away, Sister Huan!” Li Xiaoyi promptly found the show and started playing it.

“By the way, have you graduated yet?” Lin Chenghuan asked.

“I graduated almost a year ago. Now I’m working at President Fang’s company, Zhuo Yi.”

“Is that so? That’s great.”

After finishing the meal, Lin Chenghuan lay on the bed and asked Li Xiaoyi to read out the trending topics on Weibo.

“The second largest full moon of May is about to appear…” Li Xiaoyi read cautiously, glancing at Lin Chenghuan.

“Only the second largest? I remember there were all sorts of rare events before, like a blood moon that only appears once in two hundred years or the biggest moon of the year. How boring.” Lin Chenghuan closed her eyes and complained.

“Yes… The second trending topic: High stress accelerates aging six times faster than normal.”

“What? I don’t want to hear it, skip.”

“Okay… The third trending topic: Xia Yao’s CEO, Lu Zhiwei, was surrounded by fans and hid inside a Pikachu costume at the venue.”

“What? Hahaha, open it, read it, read it!” Lin Chenghuan opened her eyes excitedly, while Li Xiaoyi, startled by her reaction, flinched and tightened her grip on the phone.

“Why did Xia Yao choose such a name? ‘Xia Yao’ sounds like ‘drugging’, totally inappropriate for kids,” Lin Chenghuan continued to complain.

“Pfft, I think so too.”

“Why not call it Xing Yao or Guang Yao? Those sound much nicer.”

“Exactly… The top post under this trending topic says: ‘I’m dying of laughter because of Lu Zhiwei. I originally went to the ‘When the Flowers Fell’ premiere to see Brother Jiang, but ended up getting charmed by Xia Yao’s CEO.'”

Li Xiaoyi cautiously observed Lin Chenghuan’s expression as she continued reading: “A group of fans chased after her, asking why someone as good-looking as her doesn’t act herself, and some even asked if she really had an affair with Lin… Chenghuan…”

“Stop.” Lin Chenghuan immediately cut her off. Li Xiaoyi stopped reading and looked up at her.

“I’ve been out of the public eye for two years and left Xia Yao long ago. Why are people still making up stories about me and her?” Lin Chenghuan said, deeply distressed.

“Maybe… because it’s entertaining?” Li Xiaoyi murmured softly, but quickly averted her gaze under Lin Chenghuan’s pained expression and moved on to the next trending topic.

“Next one,’When the Flowers Fell’ opening ceremony, and why only the ‘P’ in iPhone is capitalized…”

“Open it, let’s see why,” Lin Chenghuan said.

So, Li Xiaoyi began reading the popular science knowledge to her. Halfway through, the sound of the door opening announced Fang Yuan’s return.

“Huanhuan, I’m heading back to Beijing now. Make sure to rest well. Xiaoyi, take good care of Huanhuan.”

“Yes, Sister Fang.”

“Take care, Sister Fang~”

After seeing Fang Yuan off, Li Xiaoyi read a few more trending topics for Lin Chenghuan before helping her book a flight to Nanjing.

At 3 p.m. that afternoon, Lin Chenghuan appeared in the waiting hall of Beidaihe Airport, wearing sunglasses, a face mask, and a baseball cap. Li Xiaoyi, also sporting a baseball cap, calmly yet furtively escorted her.

As the still somewhat drowsy Lin Chenghuan followed Li Xiaoyi’s directions to the boarding gate, passed through the jet bridge, and boarded the plane smoothly, she suddenly sensed something was off.

Why were there no other passengers besides the two of them? And the cabin looked like a high-end restaurant, complete with a bar!

This was clearly a private jet. Did Li Xiaoyi, no, Fang Yuan, arrange for her to use their private jet?

“Welcome aboard. What kind of cocktail would you like?” the bartender behind the counter asked politely with a smile.

“Something mild, thank you,” Lin Chenghuan replied, stunned, before turning to look at Li Xiaoyi.

“Don’t worry, the takeoff and landing times and flight route of this plane have already been approved and filed,” Li Xiaoyi quickly reassured her with a smile.

The use of private aircraft at civilian airports requires strict approval, though for some regular clients, the process can indeed be expedited. Even so, Lin Chenghuan was utterly astonished, was a private jet really being used just to send him back to Nanjing?

“The nearest flight had no first-class seats left, and Sister Fang happened to have her private jet undergoing maintenance here, so we made use of it,” Li Xiaoyi continued to explain.

“…Alright.” Lin Chenghuan finally regained his composure, thinking to himself that he would properly thank her later.