The thick wig she had on, with its even fringe over her forehead, had indeed concealed the flaws she held and made her face look smaller. However, at the same time, she felt that it might just be slightly too heavy and unenergetic for her.
If both photos were placed side by side, Yan Huan’s would still be the one to capture everyone’s attention at first glance.
“Are there any problems with these final makeup photos?” Yan Huan asked Ye Chuji, confusion laced thick in her voice. From her viewpoint, everything was in line with the public’s aesthetic standard, except for Sun Yuhan’s face.
“Indeed, there are some.” Ye Chuji clenched his hand into a fist and tucked it under his chin. Then, he coughed in an attempt to dissipate the awkwardness in the room.
“Actually, it’s nothing much. I was just hoping you could change your image.”
“My image?” Yan Huan took the photo from him and frowned slightly as she examined it. She did not find anything amiss. Her style had always been designed by Yue Ran, and he had never produced a single substandard work. Furthermore, she had marvelous fashion sense and would not wear just anything. There had to be no problem with her outfit. She had already reverted into the appearance of an 18-year-old young lady with her current style, and if he were still to condemn her clothing, she might as well look 12 instead.
“It looks pretty much fine to me.” She put down the photo. “Uncle, I don’t see any issues. Am I not pretty?”
“That’s not it.” Ye Chuji coughed again.
“Huanhuan, you are just a supporting role after all. Do you understand what I mean?”
Yan Huan stared straight into Ye Chuji’s eyes with suspicion. How did this happen? How did it take her so long to realize there was truly nothing wrong with her final makeup photo itself, but more on how she looked too successful and gorgeous, and that became her fault.
Anyhow, was this really her fault?
Your own ugliness does not give you the right to reprimand others just because beauty is bestowed upon them.
Ye Chuji rose to his feet and produced something from the drawer, placing it before Yan Huan. “Here are 5% of Linlang’s shares. Huanhuan, the Ye family is repentant to put you through such inconvenience. However, your grandfather insisted on fulfilling all of his granddaughter’s wishes. Grandfather is old now, and he had only become healthier after he had reconnected with his granddaughter as of late. His greatest wish is to make up for his lost time to his granddaughter. Yuhan’s latest request is to contribute to the entertainment industry, and this is just something she wants so badly. Yan Huan, could you just do uncle this small favor?”
Yan Huan looked down and picked up the agreement on the table. The Ye family was so generous that they were willing to give her 5% out of the 10% they originally had. However, had they forgotten about the one who assisted them when they were faced with obstacles, time and time again? Had they forgotten about the one who had spent tremendous lump sums of money to fill the bottomless pit of the Ye family and to execute the completion of their airport? And now, they were threatening her with Linlang.
Ye Chuji was indeed a businessman. How shameless of him to deal with the matter at hand with such lowly business tactics.
Ye Chuji felt embarrassed for his selfishness as he noticed Yan Huan’s clear gaze on him. However, there was no other way, and he had no choice but to wrong Yan Huan.
Yan Huan reached out and took the equity transfer agreement from the table. Then, she held it tightly and stood up.
“Rest assured, uncle. I understand where you’re coming from. As for this…” She paused and waved the document in her hand. “Thanks for your generosity, uncle, I’m taking this.” With that, Yan Huan spun around and left, leaving behind the suffocating, awkward atmosphere that could hardly be dispelled in the study room.
Once again, Ye Chuji wondered to himself if this was considered abandoning his benefactor upon achieving his goal.
Yan Huan tucked the agreement in her drawer when she returned home, without so much as a glance at its contents. She did not reveal this to anyone, including Lu Yi. It was a means of a business deal, a humiliating insult to herself and Lu Yi.
She could not afford to show attitude and cause conflict with the Ye family openly as of now. She curled a few strands of her hair onto her finger and plodded over to the mirror to inspect her face. It was a simple task to beautify an ugly person with a few strokes of a makeup brush, but what was she to do to transform her naturally acquired beauty?
“Mother, in your opinion, is it right or wrong for you to have given me such a charismatic face? It turns out that sometimes, a supporting actress has to make herself ugly to emphasize the main character’s beauty. If that’s the case, I should’ve just been born uglier.”
She might be mocking herself, but laced in her laugh was a bitter tang of irony.
The next day, she went to the crew to prepare for a second photography session for the final makeup photo.
“What changes should we make this time?” Yan Huan’s disapproval did not vex Yue Ran. Perhaps he still held hope that any changes could bring about some unexpected, yet more fitting style.
His nimble fingers danced back and forth in Yan Huan’s hair. Her raven hair was well-maintained, and on top of that, she had never dyed her hair. It was a very natural shade of black as bright and smooth as satin, exuding a comfortable feeling.
“Just make me look uglier.” Yan Huan leaned back, curiosity clouding her mind as she began picturing an ugly persona of herself.
“Look uglier?” Yue Ran frowned slightly in confusion. “Why do you wish to be uglier?”
“To cater to the female lead,” Yan Huan rested her head on a hand. The filming had not even begun, but things had already taken such a sharp turn. Would everyone be required to coordinate with that newcomer’s acting? Would this drama ever be filmed according to plan?
Yue Ran began to gently run his fingers through Yan Huan’s hair. He looked at Yan Huan through the mirror. “You’d still look better than her even after deliberately making yourself uglier,” he sneered. “She ought to undergo plastic surgery to get her face fixed. How could she mingle around in the entertainment industry without a pretty face? Su Muran may have awful acting, but at least she had an all-right face.”
Say, what did Sun Yuhan have? Oh, right, she had connections. Still, to date, there were hardly any actors who did not have their own list of connections. Did they think Yan Huan’s circle of connections was small? In fact, it was not. It was just that under normal circumstances, she was not keen to depend on them.
As for how far an actor could venture off into the entertainment industry relying solely on connections, this was something Sun Yuhan should really ponder about on her own.
Yue Ran styled Yan Huan’s hair into a shorter braid and designed a ‘smarter’ hairstyle for her, also made her almond-shaped eyes look more rounded. This hairstyle lacked the rich magnificence in the previous one and she instantly appeared more inconspicuous. However, for Yue Ran, it was upsetting for him to have single-handedly destroyed his own work.
It was the first time.
The makeup brush in Yue Ran’s hand still fluttered, as he dipped it into the last touch of color he would apply.
Yan Huan attempted to tame her frizzy hair that looked as though it had been struck by lightning, while Yue Ran dusted a layer of soil-colored makeup onto her face. She began resembling a pumpkin, even though her skin appeared dull and seemed to have lost its usual glimmer.
One is a pumpkin and the other one is a goddess. Yan Huan giggled to herself in front of the mirror. Yue Ran clapped a hand to his forehead and said dismissively, “You may leave now. You’re hurting my eyes, they feel sore already.”
Yan Huan retracted her smile and sashayed off. On the other hand, Sun Yuhan, who had just gotten a brand new style, let out a phony giggle at the sight of Yan Huan.
“You look ugly.”
“Likewise,” Yan Huan turned around and retaliated.
