CH 18.1

Along the way, Su Chengyang huddled in the back seat like an ostrich, not saying a word.

“Oh, don’t worry about it, Chengyang. You painted really well, and you’ll definitely get more expensive commissions in the future,” someone said.

Thinking of how she had sold herself out for only 3,800 yuan and was publicly exposed in front of them, Su Chengyang felt embarrassed and didn’t say anything, blushing.

Xiao Lu liked to tease her, and seeing her like a pitiful little wife who couldn’t speak up, he walked over and lifted her neck, intentionally holding up the illustration on his phone in front of her. “Look, this expression is so well-drawn. It’s just like the real thing. You should draw me one too. I’ll use it as my profile picture, and I’ll give you 4,000 yuan for it.”

Su Chengyang: “…”

She buried her head even lower and said, “Stop it. I won’t draw for you.”

Xiao Lu couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Lin Yu, who was in the front row, may have felt sorry for her and turned around to help her out, asking, “How’s the research going? Do you remember their faces and names?”

Su Chengyang breathed a sigh of relief and said, “I’ve got it mostly.”

Lin Yu nodded and said, “Pay attention to their information and details. You might get cues from the program.”

Su Chengyang nodded understandingly and said, “I understand.”

After speaking, Su Chengyang continued to look at the information with her head down, and the car became quiet.

The sky outside gradually darkened. Since Starlight Entertainment was the investor, the program team chose a restaurant near the capital city. Other guests had to rush over from out of town, but Su Chengyang was the first to arrive.

Soon, Xu Yang parked the car on the side of the road and called the program team.

After hanging up the phone, Xu Yang turned around and said, “Chengyang, the program crew is ready. They’ll be following you after you get off the car. Don’t be too nervous, we’ll be right beside you.”

To be honest, Su Chengyang was a bit nervous. Although she had played many supporting roles, she had almost never participated in variety shows before, nor had she ever lived under a camera lens all day. She didn’t know what the difference was between this and acting.

She had heard from colleagues before that most variety shows were similar to acting, with a script and sometimes even the expressions on the guest’s faces written in the script. If that was the case, it would be easier for artists like Su Chengyang to entertain the public without making it too difficult for themselves. Of course, not having a script can bring surprises to both oneself and the audience. So far, Su Chengyang had not received any scripts from the program crew and didn’t even know where the location for filming the reality show was.

Su Chengyang closed the materials and breathed a sigh of relief. She had never seen a pig run, but she had heard of it. She decided to accept the situation and go with the flow.

“Mr. Lin, are you going too?” Su Chengyang asked curiously.

Although Lin Yu was her agent, he was also responsible for making decisions on many company matters. If he went with her to film the six-episode program, it would likely delay a lot of time.

Lin Yu seemed to have guessed what she was thinking and explained, “I am your agent and should accompany the crew to film. During this time, I will only temporarily handle company matters.”

“Oh,” Su Chengyang nodded.

“If there are no problems, I’ll drive the car over,” Xu Yang said.

“Okay,” Su Chengyang nodded.

As the car drove, Su Chengyang felt both nervous and excited. She would soon be able to eat the meal she had been longing for for a month!

Perhaps many outsiders think that talent agencies usually arrange a persona for their artists, and while this may be true in some cases, in fact most talent agencies choose to start with the artist’s true personality and then amplify some of their characteristics, creating a persona that fully fits the artist’s real personality.

Having been with Starlight Entertainment for so long, Lin Yu had never talked to her about developing a persona, and Su Chengyang didn’t ask either. She didn’t really like acting beyond the script.

After a moment, Xu Yang pulled up to the entrance of a hotel.

There was a large fountain in front of the hotel, and Xiao Lu open the car window just a bit, letting in a cool breeze from outside.

Su Chengyang sat up straight and looked ahead. The hotel staff had already set up the filming equipment, and when the car arrived, a cameraman walked over to them.

Xu Yang reminded her, “We’re here.”

“Okay!” Su Chengyang responded loudly, trying to give herself courage.

Before coming, the show requested that guests dress up a bit for their first meeting. The company had prepared a black long dress from a lesser-known brand for her, with a style that was somewhat like a modified qipao. The top part was fitting tightly against her skin, with a collar fastened tightly with two gold buckles. Su Chengyang had fair skin and a well-proportioned figure, and with the impressive results of her weight loss, she had no extra fat on her body. As a result, the more covered up she was, the more she gave off an indescribable allure. The lower half was much looser than a typical qipao, decorated with small diamonds that looked like a starry sky. It reached her ankle, with a slit that went up to her thigh, revealing her long legs with every step she took, adding a hint of ambiguity and beauty.

Su Chengyang’s makeup tended towards maturity, with two large silver earrings dangling from her ears, and she exuded the charm of a mature woman in every movement.

However, this body had only recently turned eighteen, and was not suited for such a mature appearance. Nevertheless, Su Chengyang had a certain aura that always made people overlook the youthful feeling she gave off.

As the car came to a stop, Xiao Lu was the first to open the door and then reached out to help Su Chengyang out.

The cameraman focused the lens on the car door, and a pair of white and tender arms draped over the assistant’s shoulder. Then, a dazzling white leg stepped down from the car, and the crystal high heels struck the ground like ice falling from the sky. The stunning beauty was instantly breathtaking, and everyone watching couldn’t take their eyes off the woman who had just stepped out of the car.

Su Chengyang’s appearance was undoubtedly superior, and even in this glamorous entertainment circle, she could not be ignored.

After getting out of the car, she looked up towards the direction of the camera and gave a faint smile, waving her hand at the lens before walking towards the hotel entrance.

Lin Yu and Xu Yang did not get out of the car directly, only Xiao Lu followed Su Chengyang inside.

When they reached the door, Su Chengyang nodded slightly to the surrounding staff and said, “Thank you for your hard work.”

The several young staff members in the front row almost instantly blushed and shook their heads, but Su Chengyang just smiled and walked along the red carpet into the hotel.

Su Chengyang had seen many admiring gazes like theirs before, so she was not surprised. However, she knew that in the entertainment industry, beauty alone was not enough to sustain a long-lasting career.

After entering the hotel, Su Chengyang let out a sigh of relief. Only Xiao Lu, the cameraman, and a few accompanying staff members remained by her side.

Su Chengyang saw that there were fewer people around and turned her back to the camera, looking at Xiao Lu behind her and asking in a low voice, “How did I do?”

Xiao Lu walked two steps to her side and leaned in close to her ear, saying, “You did great, especially with your aura. I feel like your outfit will be a hit after the show airs.”

Su Chengyang smiled, “Really?”

The room assigned by the production crew was on the first floor, at the end of the red carpet.

A staff member said, “Miss Su, we’ve arrived. Please wait in the room for a moment.”

“Okay.”

Su Chengyang walked into the room, which was decorated in a dreamy style that didn’t match the hotel’s decor. It was obviously arranged by the production crew and they had clearly put a lot of effort into it. Maybe this reality show would be very relaxed and enjoyable, with nothing but eating, drinking, playing games, and chatting every day. Su Chengyang felt a faint sense of anticipation in her heart.

There were several machines in the room, with a long white table in the center, neatly arranged with utensils. Su Chengyang sat down in a not-so-prominent position and looked at the tableware. Just imagining the sumptuous feast that would be served later made her a little hungry.

Because the room was being filmed from all angles, Xiao Lu did not enter the room and was taken by the staff to the next room to rest. Su Chengyang was the only one left in the spacious room.

There were cameras in the room, and even though she knew that the footage of her waiting period would be cut, Su Chengyang could only sit there. Her habit of facing the camera with her head held high and chest out was tiring after sitting for so long. There was no one to talk to, and the cameraman had probably gone to film other people.

Su Chengyang was bored and sitting in her seat, daydreaming.

After waiting for about ten minutes, there was finally some movement at the door. Su Chengyang became alert and looked up at the door.

After half a minute, a young man in a suit and leather shoes walked in.

The man appeared to be around twenty-four or twenty-five years old, with very delicate features, and had a slow and steady pace, like that of an ancient scholar.

Su Chengyang stood up from her seat and said, “Mr. Song.”

The man’s name was Song Mingan, and as his appearance suggested, he often played roles as an ancient scholar. As a result, his acting opportunities were limited and he slowly disappeared from the public eye.

He had probably seen Su Chengyang’s profile and those of the other participants before coming. Upon seeing her, he immediately walked up to her, semi-grasped her outstretched hand, and said, “Miss Su, no, Miss Su.”1The real text is “苏姑娘……不，苏小姐。”

“苏姑娘” is a more casual and informal way of addressing a young unmarried woman, while “苏小姐” is a more formal and respectful way of addressing a young lady.

So, in this case, when Song Mingan first addressed Su Chengyang, he used “苏姑娘” (the more casual form) and then corrected himself to “苏小姐” (the more formal and respectful form).

Su Chengyang: “…”