Yan Huan had not participated in any variety show so far, and therefore had not received as much exposure as most other celebrities. Aside from regularly appearing on variety shows, deliberately creating scandalous gossip to get on the tabloid headlines was another common tactic used by celebrities to get free exposure. As the saying went, “any publicity is good publicity.”
But Yan Huan had never done that, either. She did not like cheap, underhanded tactics; she preferred to climb to the top on her own merits.
But Li Changqing knew that sometimes such tactics were necessary to maintain one’s fame and popularity in showbiz. He had therefore chosen this variety show for Yan Huan, and the show’s production team had responded by officially extending an offer letter to Yan Huan.
Yan Huan idly tapped the program for Man vs. Wild with a finger as she considered it. She had heard about the show before this, and knew that the show’s production team was famous for inviting only A-listers onto the show. And not just any A-lister—aside from being popular, the celebrity had to have a clean and wholesome image. The show was highly-rated, and had a proven track record of further boosting its guest celebrities’ popularity and turning them into superstars. Most celebrities would kill to get onto the show.
In her previous life, even though she had been an award-winning actress, the show’s production team had snubbed her because she had originally debuted as an AV actress. She had not expected the showrunners to invite her onto the show now, during her second chance at life.
Yan Huan was not interested in the other variety shows because they were more or less a waste of time for her. And she did not think it was necessary to pretend to date her co-stars to create juicy gossip for the tabloids, either. She was above using such cheap tricks for the sake of further “exposure.”
She wanted to survive showbiz without dirtying her hands. She knew it would not be easy to do so, but she would rather fail to be a star than live with a guilty conscience.
She would not compromise. If the chaos of showbiz finally wore her down, she would dust her hands, walk away, and never look back.
Showbiz was not what she loved best in life. That distinction went to the people around her; they were important to her, above all else, and she wanted to protect them this time around.
She reeled in her straying thoughts and returned her attention to the program for Man vs. Wild. She liked the show and the challenges it presented. In fact, she was curious to see how far she could go on the show.
“I’ll take it.” Yan Huan tapped her finger on the program. The smile on her lips was both warm and elegant.
Li Changqing finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had been afraid that Yan Huan would refuse the offer. Now that she had accepted it, his next move would be to contact the showrunners and ask them about their filming schedule so that Yan Huan would be able to clear out her schedule ahead of time. He knew he had to do it quickly or risk Yan Huan taking up yet another project “just to fill the time.” She was the agency’s most hardworking celebrity; her professionalism and dedication to her work put most men to shame. Plenty of the agency’s other celebrities had achieved their fame solely because of the agency’s generous resources, talent cultivation programs, and continued efforts to artificially boost their popularity with time and money. Yan Huan, however, was truly one-of-a-kind; she was the only one who worked almost every day of the year. She had single-handedly created her own career, without having to rely on the company’s resources.
Just then, someone knocked on the door.
Li Changqing sat up straight as he called out, “Come in.”
The door opened and a man entered the room. He was reasonably good-looking, but the sly look in his shifty eyes was off-putting. He could not keep from ogling Yan Huan, and it was clear to everyone in the room that the man was a schemer.
Li Changqing frowned. He asked brusquely, “Ding Ming, what do you want?”
“Oh, it’s nothing, really.” Ding Ming nonchalantly walked over to Li Changqing and Yan Huan. “I heard that Ms. Yan’s back in the city now, so I thought I’d pop in and say hello, ask her how she’s been. We may not be working under the same manager anymore, but Ms. Yan is still my Senior Sister in this company.”
Yan Huan stood up. Ding Ming’s eyes crinkled in eager anticipation as he waited for Yan Huan to walk over to him and greet him.
He lifted his hand and arranged his face into a smile.
But Yan Huan merely turned around and walked out of the room. She had not acknowledged his presence at all. In fact, she had not even looked at him.
Ding Ming lowered his hand awkwardly, feeling thoroughly humiliated. He inwardly cursed Yan Huan: Who do you think you are? Think you’re some kind of hot-shot superstar, eh? Just you wait, you’ll fade into obscurity soon enough!
No one, not even Yan Huan herself, knew if her popularity would last, but everyone knew that she was a huge star right now. Every project she participated in, be it movies or TV shows, were massive, record-breaking hits. This alone was an achievement well beyond Ding Ming’s mediocre talents.
Ding Ming sat heavily in the chair Yan Huan had just vacated. He grabbed the program on the table and looked it over, his eyes lighting up as soon as he saw the words “Man vs. Wild.”
“Uncle Li, I want to get on this show.” He set the program on the table and pointed at the words “Man vs. Wild.”
Ding Ming had his heart set on getting on the show. Anyone who could get on it was a certified superstar; as long as he appeared on the show, he would receive a massive boost to his popularity. He would be flooded with acting offers after that. He would no longer have to take on supporting roles, like his previous humiliating role as a eunuch. Even if he could not turn into leading man material overnight, he would at least be able to take the secondary or tertiary male lead roles, and slowly climb his way to leading man status from there.
He wanted Yan Huan to kneel before him and admit that she had been wrong. After that, he would have his way with the actress and see whether she was really all that pure and innocent. And not just her—he would have his way with Yi Ling as well, the manager who had kicked him off Yan Huan’s team in the first place.
His fantasies barreled on. His powers of imagination were so strong he actually believed that he was now an award-winning actor, with countless adoring fans. He was now on stage, receiving his award in the dazzling glare of the spotlights amidst wild, unrestrained cheering. The world trembled at his feet.
Cough…
The sudden cough yanked Ding Ming from his imaginary paradise back to Earth. No, not Earth; he had been yanked straight to Hell—his personal Hell.
Li Changqing took the program and placed it in his drawer. He lifted his eyes and looked calmly at Ding Ming.
He had given Ding Ming his shot at fame. The agency had provided Ding Ming with every job offer available, but Ding Ming had failed to achieve any kind of popularity all the same. There was nothing more Li Changqing could do for Ding Ming. If the actor had obediently listened to Yan Huan and followed her instructions, he would have been in many hit films and shows by now. Li Changqing could not guarantee that Ding Ming would have achieved stardom if he had listened to Yan Huan, but at the very least he would have been a familiar face on TV and the big screen. Right now, not a single soul on the street recognized Ding Ming as an actor. And yet, Ding Ming still put on a mask and oversized sunglasses every time he went out, as though afraid he would be mobbed by his non-existent fans.
Li Changqing was pretty sure that even those who had actually seen Ding Ming’s shows so far would be hard pressed to identify him or say his name.
“Uncle Li, did you hear what I said?” Ding Ming was getting impatient. He wondered why he had not gotten the reply he wished to hear, or the offer he wanted.
