After the second round of public performances, six actors were eliminated and had to leave the villa that evening.
Lulu and one of the actresses were best friends. When the actress left, Lulu's eyes were red from crying, and the others were leaning on Lulu to comfort her.
This also made her fans in front of the screen feel very sorry for her.
At that time, Bai Yan had just come out from the head of the film crew. They ultimately chose to suppress the matter, which was within her expectations, so Bai Yan's expression remained calm.
Lulu glanced in Bai Yan's direction and said ambiguously, "She went to see the person in charge again..."
The camera captured her words. Lulu stopped looking at Bai Yan, wiped her red eyes, and leaned against her best friend's chest, feeling wronged: "You acted so seriously, but you were eliminated so early... I really don't understand why some people who lie and don't follow the rules can stay in the industry. I hate people like that the most."
The audience knows who Lulu is talking about, who is full of lies—Bai Yan previously claimed that she lost fifty or sixty pounds in a month in order to establish her persona.
But who is the one who doesn't follow the rules?
"Don't say anything, there are cameras around," Lulu's best friend whispered.
Lulu huffed in grievance, "So what if I told her? It's not like she didn't do it. Before this competition, she..." But she covered her mouth as soon as she finished speaking, as if she had revealed a big secret.
Cute bowed to the cameraman and said, "Please, cut this part out. I'm getting too emotional."
Lulu quickly managed a forced smile: "Actually, she didn't do anything wrong. After all, everyone wants to get a high score."
At this point, Lulu sighed, seemingly helpless.
However, her lowered eyes concealed a hint of smugness; she knew perfectly well how her words would affect Bai Yan.
After all, netizens love to guess.
[Holy crap! Did you guys notice what Lulu said just now? Bai Yan came out of the person in charge's room again. I think there's more to this than meets the eye!]
[Remove the "I think" part; there must be something going on! Why did Lulu stop halfway through her sentence? I'm so anxious!]
Even if there's something fishy going on, it only makes me more disgusted with her. Anyone who ruins someone else's relationship and seduces their boyfriend should just die! Lulu hates evil and can't even stand Bai Yan bragging about losing 50-60 pounds at once. It's such a waste for her to be with someone so morally bankrupt.
[I'm not convinced either. Why should those who act seriously be eliminated, while someone like Bai Yan, who resorts to underhanded methods, gets ranked higher? Shouldn't celebrities and actors be subject to moral constraints?]
[Didn't you guys notice? Bai Yan's acting was good, but she's too scheming. Of the three characters, she's the most outstanding and has the highest popularity. Aren't Lu Zhiyu and Chen Chen just there to promote her?]
Yes, Chen Chen really does follow Bai Yan around like a shadow, I don't know how he brainwashed her?
[This little girl is so young and naive. I'm begging you, can you please keep this morally bankrupt, manipulative woman like Bai Yan away from her?!]
[Stupid is stupid, don't use being young as an excuse! The Crown Prince himself confirmed that Bai Yan was a mistress, so she shouldn't blame herself for being slandered for associating with someone else!]
Bai Yan's acting skills and public opinion are polarized online; some people like her acting, but many more criticize her.
In fact, a large portion of ordinary viewers don't really care about the messy things on the internet; they might just occasionally click on this variety show when they're off work or resting on the weekend.
I became a fan of hers because of her vivid acting skills, but once I became a fan, all sorts of negative information about her would flood in when I tried to find out more about her. Before Bai Yan's fan base could be solidified, it was shattered by these premeditated online trolls.
...
Song Hanzhen came to Liu Yan's room.
"Teacher, I listened to you and changed the script, but our group's performance is terrible right now. I don't even have the right to choose a script for the next round!" Song Hanzhen said, "You said you were going to mess with Bai Yan, but what am I supposed to do now?"
"Based on this score, I'll probably be eliminated in the next round!"
Liu Yan pressed her temples. She had given Bai Yan's group low scores twice. There were many haters of Bai Yan online, but now, under the manipulation of public opinion, fewer people were criticizing her. However, she still faced a lot of pressure from the production team.
She glanced at Song Hanzhen and said, "What are you panicking about? You and Lulu are both artists in the company. Lulu is younger and more popular than you, so of course we should push her this time."
Otherwise, Song Hanzhen's rehearsal time wouldn't have been sacrificed.
“But don’t worry, I will definitely make sure you make it to the final competition,” Liu Yan said.
Song Hanzhen breathed a slight sigh of relief when she heard that she didn't intend to abandon her: "Then what should I do now? I didn't act well, and my popularity is low."
Liu Yan glanced at Song Hanzhen and said, "Playing the victim? Do you even know how?"
Song Hanzhen was slightly taken aback. Liu Yan asked her to sit down and slowly explained his and the company's plans.
Song Hanzhen's eyes brightened as she listened, but she was also a little worried: "But what if Bai Yan..."
“She doesn’t have a company. If Shen Haiqiao, her agent, really cared about her, she wouldn’t have remained silent for three years. Even if she, a nobody, has benefited a little from the drama, that’s still ours.”
"Don't worry, just press it down completely."
Only after hearing this did Song Hanzhen finally feel completely relieved.
Unbeknownst to the two, Bai Yan, the nobody they were talking about, was switching between the surveillance cameras on the screen, listening with great interest as the two described their plan.
Just then, there was a knock on the door, and Bai Yan said softly, "Come in."
Chen Chen, holding a doll, stood at the door and looked inside: "Sister Bai, can I come in with you?" In just a few days, the two had become very familiar with each other.
Bai Yan nodded, and Chen Chen immediately ran in with a smile, and the two lay down on the same bed.
"Sister Bai, you told me about the script for 'West City Stories'." Chen Chen blinked and looked at Bai Yan curiously, "Sister Bai, did you know all along that our script would be changed?"
The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became.
Bai Yan didn't answer Chen Chen's question. Instead, she taught her, "Chen Chen, if someone is hiding in the shadows and wants to hurt you, what would you do?"
"Hide...hide?" Chen Chen shrank into the blankets in fear.
Bai Yan shook her head. "It's in the shadows, how can you hide?"
Bai Yan's lips curled slightly: "If they don't come out, just give them a little bit of bait, and then catch them all in one fell swoop."
...
The recording began early the next morning.
A row of luxury cars drove into the villa, and the director, who usually only appeared behind the monitor, was also waiting at the door. As the luxury cars stopped, the people inside got out of the cars.
With his aloof and handsome features, and his long, straight legs encased in suit trousers, not to mention his physique and appearance that would make any woman blush, his very identity was enough to make Lulu and the others scream.
"It's safe, it's safe!!!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
