Chapter 3 Three Fires

In the end, Yan Duo dismissed the idea of reporting to Ji Ran and first checked online for news about him. Finding only promotional articles for his movie and nothing else, she decided not to make a big deal out of it and opted to wait and see how things developed before deciding what to do.

The three of them changed their clothes and headed together to the filming location ahead. The TV series they were currently shooting was set during the Republican era, titled *Flaming Rose*. Zeng Meng played the female lead, Du Sha, while Yan Duo initially portrayed Du Sha’s close friend and later transformed into her father’s eleventh concubine. Zhou Yingmeng’s character was one of the earliest awakened pioneers in thought and played a crucial role in inspiring the female lead’s rebellious consciousness.

Yan Duo didn’t have many scenes to film today.

After being forcibly taken, Wen Rou was officially announced as the eleventh concubine by Du Mingde during Du Sha’s birthday banquet. She was then sent into Du Mingde’s study, where all she had to do was keep her head lowered throughout the scene.

Even so, they still had to retake the scene twice. Finally, Director Chen roared, “Can’t even lower your head properly?” Yan Duo nearly wanted to vanish into the ground out of embarrassment. Later, perhaps because this awkward feeling coincidentally aligned with Wen Rou’s emotions, they managed to get it right on the third take.

At this moment, Yan Duo, who had changed clothes and removed her makeup, did not return to the hotel. Instead, she sat on the set, studying the script while waiting for someone.

Since officially starting filming, Yan Duo had begun to deeply doubt that her status as a top student in her teachers’ eyes was actually just a facade. The theories from books couldn’t be applied to reality at all, and for various reasons, she struggled to get into character. But just now, during the third take, Yan Duo seemed to have found a bit of that feeling—the same feeling she had when filming with Ji Ran.

After waiting on the set for half an hour, the person she was waiting for didn’t show up, but she did receive a phone call.

“Yan Duo, although Fan Entertainment signed you over half a year ago, the value you’ve created—with no endorsements, no promotional events—can’t even cover the high costs of packaging, wardrobe, advanced coaching fees, or even my fees as a top-tier agent. Not to mention the medical expenses for the veteran actor who collapsed on set due to your poor acting skills. But even so, the company still thinks of you and has sent you warmth—a competent assistant.”

By the end of the call, Qi Sixian couldn’t help but burst into laughter over the phone, while Yan Duo felt like facepalming.

“Qi-jie, if you keep talking like this, I might as well just die.”

Yan Duo suspected that the real reason Qi-jie called was to persuade her to end her life.

Qi Sixian clicked her tongue twice. “If you can’t even take a joke, how can you be a star? Oh, right—you’re not even a star yet. At best, you’re just an unknown artist from the 180th tier.”

After signing with the agency, Yan Duo, being somewhat of a “nepo baby,” never had to worry about resources. She had acted in several movies and TV series, playing either the second female lead in better productions or more significant guest roles in lesser ones. Yet, for one reason or another, none of these projects were ever released or aired. Without a single appearance on either the big or small screen, she couldn’t even land endorsements or promotional gigs.

Qi Sixian could speak so bluntly precisely because they had a good relationship. She knew Yan Duo wouldn’t mind, and Yan Duo was well aware that, despite the teasing at this moment, Qi Sixian would still fight for better opportunities for her after hanging up the phone.

“No, sis, I need to correct you—I’m not a D-list celebrity… I’m not even on the list at all!”

Yan Duo wasn’t the least bit bothered by her current situation, cracking jokes about herself without any embarrassment.

Qi Sixian couldn’t help but laugh, then composed herself and said, “Don’t overthink the assistant matter. Everyone has one, so no one can criticize you for it. Besides, having her will save you from many trivial tasks in the future, allowing you to focus more on acting. It’s not a bad thing.”

Yan Duo nodded in agreement.

“Also, I’ve secured a few more scripts for you. They’ve been sent to you, with filming scheduled after May. See if any of them interest you.”

At this, Yan Duo had something to say, “Sis, I have one request—I don’t want to play concubines or mistresses anymore. I’ve done so many that I’m practically becoming the go-to actress for such roles!”

From entering the entertainment industry until now, whether by coincidence or because she was just too fated with the “concubine” role, Yan Duo had acted in five dramas—three of which were concubines, and all of them were the kind that suffered miserably. This made Yan Duo feel awful.

Qi Sixian glanced sideways: “You should be grateful you even get roles, yet you’re still picky!”

She added, “Don’t worry, the new script I found doesn’t overlap with those types.”

Hearing this, Yan Duo grinned, “Sis, love you!”

Qi Sixian spat out a curse, saying, “Hurry up and get famous so I can exploit you to the fullest,” before hanging up the phone.

After being teased by Qi Sixian like this, Yan Duo felt much more relaxed. She wasn’t in a hurry to read the new script and instead focused carefully on the scenes she would be filming the next day.

Once she became famous, there would be many things to do, but for now, she needed to hone her acting skills diligently to ensure she could rise to stardom.

Another half hour later, Fan Xian finally arrived with his assistant.

Fan Xian reached out to touch Yan Duo’s hair the moment he saw her, but she dodged his hand.

“Senior, you can lose your head, but never your hairstyle!” Yan Duo said half-jokingly.

Fan Xian had gentle eyes and a considerate heart. He withdrew his hand and passed the snacks he was holding to Yan Duo with a smile, saying, “Go enjoy these first. I need to have a word with the director.”

Yan Duo took the bag and, upon hearing that Fan Xian wanted to see the director, her eyes flickered slightly. She lowered her head and said somewhat awkwardly, “Could you put in a good word for me with Director Chen?”

Having held the crew back for so long, Director Chen must have already formed a negative opinion of her. Some things might be hard to say directly to her, but as her company’s leader, Fan Xian is different—Director Chen likely wouldn’t hesitate as much.

“Okay.”

Fan Xian had already heard about Yan Duo’s performance on set when he contacted Director Chen. This time, he came specifically to help smooth things out for her. Seeing her extremely awkward state, he once again felt the urge to ruffle her fluffy hair, but in the end, he restrained himself and walked toward Director Chen instead.

Yan Duo watched Fan Xian leave, then turned to speak with the new assistant while observing the situation over there. Seeing Director Chen still smiling warmly and not appearing particularly angry, she let out a slight sigh of relief.

Ten minutes later, Fan Xian returned to Yan Duo’s side and said, “Let’s go, you’re treating me to dinner.”

Yan Duo didn’t mind the big boss being stingy by making a small employee treat him to a meal. She quickly skipped over to his side and asked anxiously, “Did Director Chen say anything about me?”

Given her performance on set, if it weren’t for Director Chen considering the Fan family’s reputation, Yan Duo thought he would have already started cursing her out. liangxyz.com

Fan Xian smiled and glanced at her, “You’re overthinking it. The director is very satisfied with you and said you’re very smart.”

Yan Duo didn’t believe this at all. Satisfied? Smart? How could that be possible!

Yan Duo looked at Fan Xian without speaking, but her eyes clearly spelled out two words—liar.

Fan Xian realized his lie had been seen through and comforted her, “When you don’t have any filming scheduled, you can come back to the company for training. I’ll arrange instructors to guide you.”

Fan Entertainment has always placed great emphasis on actors’ performance training, regularly organizing workshops for its artists.

Yan Duo shrugged—you can’t become a master overnight. For now, this was the only way.

After finishing their conversation, Yan Duo took Fan Xian and the new assistant to a restaurant with decent food. Although Fan Xian jokingly suggested that Yan Duo treat them, in the end, it was Fan Xian who paid the bill.

After the meal, Fan Xian didn’t linger much longer. He left the assistant behind and departed.

The new assistant was named Fang Fang. While Fan Xian was around, she appeared quiet and reserved, leading Yan Duo to assume she was introverted. But once Fan Xian left, Fang Fang disappeared for the afternoon. When Yan Duo saw her again, she was utterly shocked.

“Liu Chuang and his makeup artist have become a ‘set couple.’ They sneak out to meet every night, and the noise they make is ridiculously loud.”

“Director Chen’s door gets knocked on every night—both men and women. Rumor has it he doesn’t open for just anyone, but those who do get in include both genders.”

“A while ago, leaked set photos from the crew were actually sold by an assistant of one of the lead actors.”

“Also, your roommate Zhou Yingmeng—her boyfriend Mu Tian is in the crew next door, but he won’t let her visit the set.”

……

Fang Fang was assigned by Director Chen to share a room with Zeng Meng’s assistant. On her first day, she visited every assistant and key staff member with small gifts, and with her sweet talk, she learned a bunch of gossip that Yan Duo hadn’t picked up in a whole month. Now, after chattering away excitedly for most of the time, her mouth was parched.

“And yours too, Duo-jie,” Fang Fang said after taking a sip of water. “Someone saw you sneaking up to the 25th floor last night.”

Yan Duo, who had been listening intently, suddenly choked on her own saliva upon hearing gossip about herself. “What else did they say about me?”

She had been so careful last night—first pressing the button for the 24th floor, then deliberately climbing one flight of stairs to reach the 25th floor. Yet, she was still spotted? Yan Duo was deeply concerned about the incident Zeng Meng had mentioned, overheard from the cleaning staff. She worried someone might link her and Ji Ran together. For her, it didn’t matter much—she was just a nobody, and a little mudslinging wouldn’t hurt. But Ji Ran was different. Yan Duo didn’t want to cause him any trouble because of her.

Fang Fang thought for a moment, then chuckled and said, “What’s the point of going upstairs? No one saw anything. But Liu Chuang’s makeup artist told others that you’ve been trying to flirt with Liu Chuang, only to be rejected by him. Don’t worry though—nobody believes it. They all say you’re clearly Boss Fan’s lover, and Liu Chuang wouldn’t dare make a move even if he wanted to.”

Yan Duo: “……”

Yan Duo felt both frustrated and relieved. As for Liu Chuang and Fan Xian, those were just baseless rumors—nothing had happened. She didn’t care about them. The only thing on her mind was whether anyone might have found out about what happened between her and Ji Ran upstairs last night… right?

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