What Should I Do If the Aloof Movie Queen Is Too in Love With Me? - Chapter 13

Inside the ward, Ji Youyi was enthusiastically warming up the atmosphere, while Li Zhulan was silent and on the verge of tears.

Meng Xingzhu scanned their expressions and understood clearly: “Teacher Li, a pleasure to meet you. I am Meng Xingzhu.”

After the greeting, she glanced at a certain person on the hospital bed whose movements were frozen, then considerately left: “I’ll step out for a moment.”

As the door closed, Li Zhulan broke her seal in a second. She covered her mouth, restraining her scream: “This is what you called… a non-celebrity? A friend?”

I was just worrying that you two wouldn’t like each other, and then you tell me she’s your… non-celebrity?? Friend???

“…I, I can explain.”

Ji Youyi hadn’t recovered from the shock herself.

She had spent so much time in the film and television industry in her original world and knew many superstars, every one of them sitting in high positions surrounded by entourages.

Meng Xingzhu was so low-key, usually only followed by one assistant—and today she hadn’t even brought the assistant—which led Ji Youyi to never even consider that possibility.

She opened her browser, entered the keywords, and looked at the photos that popped up. It was indeed that ‘second female lead’ face she had been coveting for so long.

Ji Youyi steadied herself and started making things up on the spot: “I know she has high national recognition, but my family situation was bad. We didn’t even have a TV at home, let alone a computer. I didn’t have the conditions to watch movies. After growing up, I was always busy making money. Even after entering the entertainment circle, I couldn’t reach someone of her status, so it’s normal not to recognize her, don’t you think?”

Li Zhulan looked at her gloomily: “But you two have become friends.”

“Who says becoming friends requires knowing everything about each other? Distance creates beauty, okay?”

In Ji Youyi’s concept, anyone she had met face-to-face was called a friend.

Ji Youyi recalled their meetings and found a breakthrough.

“She’s the one who didn’t tell me, and even intentionally misled me! I even showed her my ID card, but she only told me her surname.”

Ji Youyi became more certain as she spoke: “I saw she was too beautiful, so when we first met, I asked if she was a star, and she insisted she wasn’t.”

Li Zhulan was puzzled: “The question is, what benefit does she get from hiding it from you?”

Ji Youyi pondered for a moment and suddenly had an epiphany—

She had previously thought that Meng Xingzhu helped her repeatedly purely because she was beautiful and kind-hearted. Now it seemed Meng Xingzhu was compensating her.

As the scumbag’s current girlfriend, watching the trashy company blacken “Little Ji” like that, Meng Xingzhu must feel guilty. She probably hid her identity because she was afraid Ji Youyi would reject her.

As for why she made a phone appointment despite clearly being unable to join their drama, it must be because she couldn’t bear to reject her directly!

Sigh! She’s a good girl, but what a pity she’s blind.

On the other side, Li Zhulan looked at the trench coat draped over Ji Youyi’s shoulders, then at Ji Youyi’s face, repeatedly replaying Meng Xingzhu’s behavior in her mind, and she also had an epiphany.

Li Zhulan was a liberal arts student with a very strong ability to branch out her thoughts.

She loved consuming entertainment works—the serious stuff like movies and TV shows, and the not-so-serious stuff like fan edits of beautiful women paired with beautiful women.

She also loved writing things herself—the serious stuff like pure sweet stories, and the not-so-serious stuff like… cough.

Her Weibo account had nearly two hundred thousand followers, all of them “crying for food” every day.

For the past two months, Li Zhulan had been devastated by the script and hadn’t had inspiration for a long time.

Now, looking at Ji Youyi, she felt as if her meridians had been opened; her CP soul began to burn fiercely.

“Xiao Ji, tell me, could she be… could she be!” The more Li Zhulan thought about it, the more reasonable it felt.

Ji Youyi had calmly accepted the fact that “Meng Xingzhu was giving her charity.” She was currently editing a recruitment post for the second female lead: “What do you want to ask? Could she be not acting in our drama anymore? Of course she can’t act in it. Even if she wanted to, I wouldn’t agree.”

What a joke. What kind of salary does a Movie Queen command? Could they afford her?

Wen Yang’s salary was three thousand a day; the budget for the second female lead would only be lower than the lead’s. Meng Xingzhu wasn’t a philanthropist; there was no way she would come to act.

When she first wanted to recruit Meng Xingzhu, it was indeed partly because of her appearance.

Meng Xingzhu was too standard.

Standard didn’t just mean pretty; an actor needs to be pretty, but that prettiness must be more profound than the prettiness of an idol or an internet celebrity.

She had to have a sense of story, making the audience curious about the story behind her the moment they saw her—commonly known as a “movie face.”

But on the other hand, a bigger reason was that the crew was too poor; a high-quality non-celebrity was the most cost-effective choice.

Now that the non-celebrity had turned into a star she couldn’t reach, the plan had to be killed.

How tragic and lamentable. She had even fantasized about tricking Meng Xingzhu into acting for zero salary at her own expense, using that money to hire a better lighting crew.

Now she could only re-calculate the budget carefully and see how to scrape some money together.

Ji Youyi was immersed in her work, unable to pull herself out, leaving Li Zhulan like a jumping “melon-eating” badger, harboring a burning head-canon all by her lonely self.

Li Zhulan had no choice but to open Weibo and edit a message.

Bamboo Pig Achoo: “Family, I must be starving to death. I actually want to ‘cook a meal’ for a female celebrity. Who understands T T? The superstar Movie Queen hides her identity and pretends to be a non-celebrity to pursue a slow-witted, career-focused 18th-tier flop star. A trope I wouldn’t even glance at before suddenly smells so delicious. WHO UNDERSTANDS!!!!”

The pit Li Zhulan dug could only remain a pit in the end.

As soon as she finished the Weibo post, she was dragged by Ji Youyi—who had finished the budget—to write the script. The two fought from dark until dawn.

At 7:00 AM, after eating breakfast at the hospital, Meng Xingzhu drove them to the set.

Upholding the will to never be a third wheel, Li Zhulan originally wanted to slip away, but Ji Youyi stuffed her into the back seat without a second word.

Li Zhulan had been a fan of Meng Xingzhu for so many years; she never thought she’d one day sit in a car driven by Teacher Meng. She was extremely stiff.

She felt the luxurious leather sofa seats while watching Ji Youyi talk incessantly in the front.

“…Our project is currently in this state. The conditions are indeed poor, but the people doing the work are hand-picked by me; I can guarantee the quality. And then there’s our screenwriter.”

Suddenly named, Li Zhulan jolted.

“S University bachelor’s and master’s, a top student from a prestigious school with a very impressive resume. She’ll definitely achieve great things in the future. If this weren’t her debut work, I really wouldn’t have been able to snatch her up. I sent you a few segments of the script last night; you can take a look when you have time. It’s quite high-level.”

“I read it; it is indeed good.” Meng Xingzhu looked at Ji Youyi’s glowing face as she bragged, and her tone unconsciously rose at the end of her sentence. “The screenwriter you mentioned last night, who couldn’t even speak properly—is it her?”

“Of course not.” Ji Youyi denied it categorically. “Our Teacher Li is very eloquent, right, Teacher Li?”

Li Zhulan, who was shrinking in the back seat trying to lower her presence to better ship the CP, was thus hauled to the front.

She was like a little mouse being picked up by the scruff of its neck, the half-eaten fragrant nut in its hands falling to the ground. The little mouse’s brain was left completely blank:

“S-say what? Squeak squeak squeak?”

“…”

For a moment, two gazes fell on her simultaneously. Li Zhulan wanted to dig a hole and bury herself.

Ji Youyi reacted quickly, saving the day: “See? Our screenwriter is very humorous.”

After circling around with her bragging for a long time, she finally turned to what she really wanted to say. “Now, my only worry is the distribution issue. Our crew is all newcomers, and the investor is doing film and television for the first time. I’m afraid the platforms will drive the price down if we approach them ourselves. I wonder if Teacher Meng has any good suggestions?”

Hearing the change in address, Meng Xingzhu’s fingers lightly rubbed the steering wheel. The emotion in her eyes faded: “I’ll ask around later.”

“Fantastic! Thank you in advance, Teacher Meng!”

“You’re welcome.”

The atmosphere of the conversation somehow became less warm than before. Ji Youyi couldn’t figure it out, so she simply stopped thinking about it.

She had pulled two consecutive all-nighters and had task after task waiting to be solved; she had no time to think about anything else.

When they got out of the car, it wasn’t even 7:30 AM yet. The actors were still in makeup. Ji Youyi shooed Li Zhulan off to sleep and headed straight for the makeup room.

As she expected, as soon as she opened the door, she saw the makeup artist’s helpless expression.

Wen Yang sat in the chair with her head down, while her manager was slapping the table and cursing: “If you don’t have the skills, don’t work in this industry! Wen Yang has always used the whitest foundation and pink blush. Look at this dark, muddy mess you made. Are you intentionally making my artist look ugly?”

The makeup artist had a temper too. She said steadily: “I told you, I only listen to the director’s arrangements. If you’re dissatisfied, go find the director. If the director doesn’t tell me to change it, you can curse at me a hundred times and I still won’t change it.”

“What’s going on?” Ji Youyi stood by the table, carrying a natural air of pressure. “I told you last night—the script has been heavily revised. Cao Qiu’s character setting has changed, and the makeup and hair must change with it.”

The man in the suit hated Ji Youyi, but since she was the director now, he could only suppress his anger: “Director Ji, our Wen Yang is only 20 years old and has always followed an ‘exquisite idol’ style. Why are you giving her such an old look?”

Ji Youyi looked at Wen Yang’s face. The low-saturation matte Chinese-style makeup perfectly neutralized the girl’s childishness.

“The technique is fine; it’s done very well.” Ji Youyi smiled at the makeup artist. After praising her, her gaze swept coldly toward the man in the suit. “She is an exquisite idol, but is the character she’s playing one?”

The man in the suit was provoked: “What does that have to do with the character? Wen Yang is suited for that kind of look! Don’t tell me I don’t understand; TV dramas are about the face looking good. Once the face is good, fans will naturally come. You intentionally made her ugly—what are your intentions?”

Ji Youyi raised an eyebrow: “Yes, a good-looking face is enough. You might as well stop her from acting. Find some time to film more MVs and photo books, edit them eight hundred times, and fans will naturally come.”

“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re thinking—using the director position for your own selfish gains.” The man in the suit pointed at Ji Youyi’s nose. “If you don’t change it back, I’m taking Wen Yang away right now. Let’s see you film a piece of crap then!”

Ji Youyi didn’t get angry but laughed instead. She leisurely picked up her phone and shook it: “Then leave. Once you walk out this door, I’ll count it as a strike. With one phone call, I can have a new lead in place within an hour, and at a cheaper price. As for you, I can guarantee you won’t get a single cent.”

Hearing she might be fired, Wen Yang got anxious and finally spoke: “Director Ji, it’s not that I don’t want to act. I can be obedient.”

Ji Youyi stared at her: “What do you think of this makeup?”

Wen Yang bit her lip. She originally wanted to say something, but looking at her manager, she shrank back again, saying haltingly: “It… it’s not very suitable for me…”

Ji Youyi nodded, pulled up a chair, and sat down next to Wen Yang. She said to the other two: “You two step out for a moment. I want to talk to Wen Yang alone.”

The makeup artist ran out as if she’d been liberated. The man in the suit trailed behind a few steps. Before closing the door, he gave Wen Yang a look.

A new message came into her phone. Wen Yang secretly opened it and saw the words sent by her manager:

“This woman also has a role in the drama. She’s adding scenes for herself and intentionally making you ugly just because she wants to ‘outshine’ you, understand? Don’t be fooled by her. Remember to record this.”

In front of her, Ji Youyi’s gentle voice came: “Can you look at me?”

Wen Yang hurriedly turned off the screen, looked up, and met those smiling eyes.

“Yang-yang, let me ask you a question first.” Ji Youyi spoke, “Do you want to be a ‘traffic’ or an actor?”

“I… can’t I be both?”

Ji Youyi laughed: “Of course you can, but you have to know one thing: they do overlap, but they are essentially two different operational models.”

“If a person’s career is like planting a fruit tree, an actor needs to cultivate professional skills deeply, constantly expanding their canopy and root system.”

“This process is time-consuming and labor-intensive, but correspondingly, you will have a long harvest period. Even when winter comes, you’ll have enough nutrient reserves to wait for spring.”

“And for a ‘traffic’ star, there is only one thing to do: force-ripen.”

“Becoming famous quickly in a short time, being active in high exposure and topic marketing, measuring value by fans and data. Fruit that was supposed to take decades to grow slowly will be picked clean within a few years.”

“Because you can’t wait that long. Your appearance, body, and persona mean everything. The moment your status declines is the day you are eliminated.”

“For a company, of course, it’s more profitable to train ‘traffic.’ Because time is money, and talent is the cheapest commodity. Force-ripen a tree, harvest it to the extreme, then cut it down and plant another one. Wen Yang, do you really want to be such a commodity?”

Wen Yang locked her hands together tightly. After a long while, she replied: “No, I want to be an actor.”

“Good.” Ji Youyi’s expression turned serious. “In that case, you must learn to shape a character. I read the character biography you wrote last night. I’ll be blunt: it’s completely unqualified.”

“Don’t apply those stereotypes of a ‘boudoir lady’ to Cao Qiu. After witnessing the death of her entire clan, she died in despair. How could the keyword be ‘beautiful’? it should be ‘fear,’ ‘pain,’ ‘hatred,’ and the strength of forcing herself to become powerful as quickly as possible, vowing to fight every enemy to the bitter end.”

“An actor’s job is never to display beauty. The current makeup indeed isn’t ‘suitable’ for you, but it’s very suitable for Cao Qiu. Clean, natural, and resolute.”

Ji Youyi stood up, selected a brow gel, leaned down, and gently brushed it over Wen Yang’s brows.

“Drawing eyebrows this way gives a more natural growth feeling. Cao Qiu is resilient and brave. She is a giant tree that has been rooted for many years and ultimately remains green and upright. I believe you are too.”

Her voice was infinitely gentle, “I know you’ve just started acting and will encounter many difficulties and confusion, but don’t worry, I will solve them with you. Just boldly give the character flesh and blood, and then wait for the character to feed back to you and win the audience’s love for you.”

Ji Youyi patiently finished applying the brow gel. Looking down slightly, she saw Wen Yang staring at her blankly, her eyes filled with hot tears.

“Alright, alright, don’t cry. We agreed to walk slowly, right?”

She tilted her head to examine Wen Yang’s face, revealing a certain smile, “Our Yang-yang will definitely become a great actress in the future!”