1: I want to be a salted fish
Outside the window, snowflakes rustled, and the cold wind howled, making people's noses turn bright red.
Pedestrians on the street were huddled, walking quickly, hoping to get home as soon as possible to enjoy the warmth of air conditioning.
In the top floor room of a five-star hotel, the heating was on full blast.
A dozen or so staff members scurried about as a powerful female voice echoed through the room.
"Makeup artist, hurry up! Shen Jiao's team next door has already finished their photoshoot on the red carpet! We must get Song Yu's photoshoot done before the red carpet!"
"Assistant, quickly bring over that C brand blue starry high-end dress! Song Yaqian's team knew we borrowed a red fishtail high-end dress from A brand, yet they went ahead and bought one, even posting pictures online. Are they intentionally trying to upset us?!"
"Xiao Chen! Why haven't you bought the plane tickets yet? Don't you know that Song Yu has to return to the set for filming early tomorrow morning? What if the reporters falsely accuse her of ditching her work?!"
The manager, Liu Jie, directed everyone with authority.
The staff members worked diligently, not daring to catch their breath.
But the only one sitting in front of the makeup table was a woman with delicate features, skin as fair as jade, and long hair with a slight hint of dark circles under her eyes.
She sat quietly, apart from the busy crowd.
She appeared weary, tilting her head to allow the makeup artist to work freely.
Her well-proportioned figure, even in a thick coral robe, couldn't hide her perfect curves. A long neck with soft contours, illuminated by the light from the makeup table, displayed a radiant sheen. Her lush, slightly wavy black hair cascaded lazily down her shoulders like seaweed. Her tired eyes, somewhat moist and pure, seemed to carry their own mist.
This drew the attention of several staff members, who couldn't help but sneak a few glances at the makeup table.
Song Yu leaned back in her chair, paying no mind to the gazes around her.
Her tired eyes drooped, and the words of her manager, Liu Jie, went in one ear and out the other.
It wasn't that she didn't want to pay attention; it was simply that she was extremely exhausted.
Every year, the red carpet in the entertainment industry was a battlefield for male and female stars.
Everyone vied for attention, striving to be the ultimate MVP of the event.
From the level of their high-end dresses to the speed of their photo retouching, and the vividness of their makeup...
Competition and in-fighting in the entertainment industry were almost everywhere, and it was getting on her nerves.
Yet, even so...
Song Yu still had to adhere to the industry's rules and maintain her image at all times.
Damage to her image could negatively affect various fashion endorsements, advertising deals, and film and TV projects.
After all, there were only so many top endorsements and S-level film projects available worldwide every year.
"Xiao Yu, don't rest... Your posture is making it difficult for the makeup artist to work on you. We're running out of time."
Liu Jie, the manager, furrowed her brows and fixed her gaze on Song Yu, saying seriously, "Director Zhao will be at the awards ceremony today. He's going to shoot a top-tier S-level science fiction blockbuster next year, and we need to leave a good impression on him!"
Song Yu rubbed her throbbing temples and frowned slightly, saying, "Liu Jie, I've been working continuously for two days and a night... I'm tired, hungry, and I have a headache."
To attend the awards ceremony today without delaying the progress of her film crew, Song Yu had rescheduled her scenes to be filmed earlier. She had already worked for over 40 hours without rest, including a day and night of continuous shooting and twelve hours for a snowscape magazine cover shoot today...
Feeling both tired and hungry, she, unfortunately, refrained from taking even a sip of water, all in the pursuit of looking good in her dress and not being outdone by others.
"Xiao Yu, maybe you should rest after the awards ceremony..." Liu Jie sighed upon seeing her condition. "Even though you're young and have great acting skills, you've won four international Best Actress awards in a row. But there are millions of actors in the global entertainment industry, and talent is never in short supply."
"Moreover, some people come from wealthy backgrounds and are also investors themselves."
"If you want to secure the scripts and endorsements you desire, you need to outdo them, work harder!"
"Otherwise... with so many people in the entertainment industry, the investors will find new talents within half a year."
Liu Jie waved for her assistant to bring her a phone, unlocked the screen, and pointed to the news on it. "Take a look! Just scrolling through social media, I can find dozens of people eager to rise to fame and get ahead."
"This S-level project this time isn't just about the previous lead actress losing weight and getting injections in hopes of securing the female lead role. There are also the up-and-coming actors waiting for their chance..."
Liu Jie sneered, "If it weren't for that, Song Yaqian, Shen Jiao, and their teams wouldn't be so active this year!"
"...Sigh."
Song Yu sighed, feeling the occasional throbbing in her head. She looked fatigued and said, "I make money, but I have no time to spend it. Even when passing by an amusement park, I can only watch others play. If this continues, I really won't be able to endure it much longer."
The girl looked pitiful, her head drooping like a wilting mushroom.
She genuinely loved acting.
But as much as she loved it, she wasn't a workhorse, capable of working tirelessly year-round...
Thinking about the years of constantly flying around the world and never being able to stop and rest, she couldn't help but feel bitter.
Even eating a bit more food would make her worry about being gossiped about as 'pregnant before marriage'...
Song Yu grumbled, the black resentment in her head almost materializing into a solid form.
If she ever had the chance to go back to being three years old, she would just want to shout to the heavens:
"Why can't I be one of the many useless people in the world?"
"Alright, enough of your antics!" Liu Jie pouted and tapped Song Yu's head. "Next year, I'll talk to the company and try to get you two months of rest... But you know, the entertainment industry is a place where you either keep moving forward or fall behind. You wouldn't want to disappoint your fans, right? And there are so many people in the studio depending on their meals too."
Sometimes, a person's position in a certain environment...
Even if you don't want to get involved, others will push you to move forward.
"...Sigh, alright."
Knowing her manager had her best interests at heart, Song Yu waved her hand and quickly surrendered.
She yawned and swiftly changed the subject, saying, "I'll check my phone to wake up a bit..."
To prevent herself from falling asleep, Song Yu cooperated with the makeup artist while lazily sliding her phone screen from time to time.
However...
An advertisement that automatically popped up on her phone screen made Song Yu's eyelids twitch and her long eyelashes flutter. The ad occupied almost half the screen and featured one man and multiple women with bold red letters above them that read, "Free Audiobooks, and You Can Earn Money!"
In the image, the man had handsome, slightly cold features, while several women wore different colored clothes, each with different expressions and accompanying text.
- "She, Song Yu, was engaged to Bai Yuhuan since childhood but broke off the engagement due to her love for wealth and desire for a higher status. She knelt before him like a madwoman when she learned he could transform into a dragon in water, begging for his love."
- "She, Shen Jiao, was exceptionally gifted and lovely. She fell in love with Bai Yuhuan at first sight in school but silently watched over him for a lifetime due to her inferiority."
- "She, Su Yuechan, was as beautiful as a celestial maiden. She unexpectedly encountered Bai Yuhuan and secretly loved him for many years."
- "She, Song Yaqian..."
Song Yu blinked. "???"
Is this for real?
Is the author this bold now?
Although the advertising image was hand-drawn and somewhat distorted, it was clearly based on her and other female celebrities!
Even the names were identical! Aren't they afraid of copyright infringement?
Song Yu carefully examined the five women in the picture. Except for the one called Su Yuechan in the middle, she knew all the others; they were familiar faces in the entertainment industry.
"Uhh..."
Song Yu had a wooden expression on her face.
The clothing worn by her character in the picture was from the custom-made collection she wore on the red carpet the previous quarter!
She went from being an onlooker to being directly involved.
Song Yu unconsciously abandoned the idea of visiting social media, opting to open the novel directly.
She didn't have any ulterior motives; she just wanted to see who the author's fans were and how they planned to beg the male lead for affection...
However, it turned out that the novel was worth reading.
She discovered that the advertisement depicted a modern setting, but the novel was essentially a male-oriented modern fantasy story.
The story revolved around the male lead, Bai Yuhuan, whose parents were murdered when he was a child. He rose to power, sought revenge against his enemies, and ultimately became a god-level beast tamer.
Apart from the characters in the advertisement, the entertainment industry featured several female celebrities inserted into the story by the author.
She herself was placed into the story quite explicitly.
- She was someone who loved wealth and sought a higher status, and when she saw the male lead become successful, she knelt down and cried for his affection. However, the male lead rejected her, and in her frustration and anger, she tried to seize his opportunity, only to be severely injured and ultimately killed by her enemies.
She initially thought the author was a fan of some other celebrity.
However, it turned out that this author was a critic of all the female stars in the entertainment industry.
Except for the original female lead, who was described as pure and ethereal like a fairy, not partaking in worldly matters.
Even though the male lead retreated to the mountains and didn't want to get married, she continued to silently stay by his side, cooking and taking care of him.
All the other women were cannon fodder antagonists!
Song Yu: "..."
Her head was spinning.
She exited the reading interface of this book and scrolled down...
My goodness!
Below, there were a bunch of articles about the female leads, who were various female celebrities in the entertainment industry. A few of the introductions still mentioned her name.
After reading the introductions, she didn't want to read the main content.
Song Yu remained silent for two seconds, shook her heavy, throbbing head, and slowly got up.
She changed into a delicate lace gown and put on some high heels.
Song Yu draped a thin down coat over herself and, with her team of bodyguards, got into the nanny car headed for the red carpet.
However...
As warm as it was in the nanny car, after stepping out of it and taking off her down coat, she felt how bitterly cold it was walking on the red carpet amid falling snow.
Even though Song Yu was accustomed to walking the red carpet regularly, the cold still got to her.
Her legs couldn't help but shiver, but she had to maintain her composure, suppressing her body's natural instincts. She smiled and waved gracefully at the camera, facing the reporters' lenses with poise.
But the throbbing in her head became more severe, and her vision started to blur...
Song Yu blinked, trying to shake off the fog.
Suddenly—
Song Yu blacked out.
Her body seemed like a machine with a pause button, going limp and falling backward!
"Ah, ah! Someone, come quickly! Song Yu has fainted! Call for help!"
"Song Yu, Song Yu has collapsed! We need help!"
In an instant, the fans on the scene screamed, the journalists and hosts were in a panic, and the cacophony of camera shutters blended into chaos.
*****
Song Yu lay on the ground, her head spinning. For a moment, all she could think was—
It's so cold!
If she had known she would faint, she would have never borrowed such expensive dresses and jewelry as everyone else.
When she woke up, she'd not only have to pay for them but also continue working tirelessly.
People shouldn't, or at least, couldn't live this miserably~~
The cutthroat competition in the entertainment industry is killing me!
*****
Resentment and grievance filled Song Yu's soul.
In Song Yu's unfortunate imagination, not only did this red carpet event fail to leave her with beautiful photos, but she also ended up making headlines for a scandal. She would not only have to compensate C House for the three million worth of high-end dress expenses, but she also estimated that she'd need to pay five million for the wear and tear on the jewelry. It was already a miserable situation.
But reality proved to her that things could get even worse:
- Making money is a matter of fate, but spending it is another.
- People die, but their money remains.
- Working diligently all over the world every day, only to die from overwork in front of a camera lens.
- Spending over two decades in the entertainment industry but never having a decent meal.
And here's another example:
- Waking up in a novel set in the world of "Beast Tamers," becoming a female cannon fodder about to beg the male lead for his favor.
- This cannon fodder, Song Yu, had poor talent and even cuckolded the male lead.
- Just last month, this cannon fodder had humiliated the male lead alongside her rich N-generation boyfriend and divorced the male lead.
Song Yu: "..."
#Is there any hope left for the divorced supporting character who cuckolded the male lead in a male-oriented fun novel?#
Netizens: You'd better bury her.
Song Yu in agony: The entertainment industry is harsh, but the world of "Beast Tamers" is ruthless!
Song Yu, with an expressionless face but a broken heart, could only wish to hide her face and cry.
Unfortunately, when she woke up from her faint, she found herself in an antique-style restaurant. The delicate and luxurious crystal chandeliers cast a warm yellow glow, and the heavy wooden table was filled with exquisite and enticing food.
However, no one was eating in the restaurant. Instead, there were more than a dozen pairs of eyes on the table, pretending to casually gaze in Song Yu's direction.
Many people had the look of wanting to enjoy some gossip but still had to maintain their etiquette.
Song Yu: "..."
Her father, Mr. Song, sat at the head of the table, taking a sip of the strong tea in his cup.
Mr. Song spoke in a deep voice, "Regarding the fourth-grade spiritual fruit, you can express your thoughts, Xiao Yu..."
Song Yu remained silent: "..."
What thoughts could she possibly have? She had just been reborn and barely had three minutes. What thoughts could she possibly have?
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