Shift! The Side-Character Heroine

Nie Suzi was an ambitious, popular idol. Plus, no matter how much the media lambasted her, film directors had never once doubted her attitude as a professional actress. Never once has she failed to fulfill a film director’s request in a movie.

Most people did not know this. They thought that she was just another idol with a pretty face. After all, she was a longtime member of an idol group.

The media soon focused on this youth idol drama, since this was a partnership between Xue Lu and Nie Sizu. Xue Lu was confident that Nie Sizu performance alone would guarantee the movie a spot in the blockbuster list.

Nie Sizu was the most famous member of the idol group ABC48. While her haters were numerous, her fans far outnumbered that number. Best of all, she actually had more fangirls than fanboys! Lastly, her fans had no qualms about spending money on every merchandise related to her!

On her last birthday, her fans had rented the entire rooftop of a skyscraper for a night, setting up lights that said “Happy Birthday.” Of course, she hit the headlines again. These fans are crazy!

Filmmakers were wise enough to know that having Nie Zisu in their productions would be a plus. Her attraction and crowd influence was undeniably strong!

Xue Lu also believed that Nie Zisu could play as a decent Lin Meiyue. Nie Zisu’s face was nothing outstanding. She had a round and adorable face that was pleasant to look at, and that was about it. After all, she never did any surgery on her face.

It was rare for the entertainment world to have an all-natural inhabitant. Some actors had distinctive features, yet they would rather have surgery just to look pretty. Of course, these procedures failed for more than one, forcing them to step off the stage.

Of course, some people thought that having cosmetic surgery was a gesture of respect. They were meant to entertain the audience, removing the ugly part would be a sign of respect for the customers. How ridiculous!

Nie Zisu had once been asked the question of why she had forgone cosmetic surgery. Being a straightforward person, she had claimed that she needed none of it, as she was the fairest of them all. Yes, that blew the headlines up again. People once again criticized her boldness and arrogance.

Reporters loved to interview Nie Zisu. Her answers were always mind-blowing, it gave them so much writing material. “Arrogance” became a close partner of Nie Zisu.

Just like Liu Xingxing, Nie Zisu had never acted as a protagonist before. Of course, the both of them accepted Xue Lu’s invitation without any hesitation.

Xue Lu only had one more slot to fill. She needed someone who was experienced in big screens and movies. Age did not matters. With the latest makeup technology, anyone could look young.

This actor had to lead Liu Xingxing and Nie Zisu in the world of acting. That would be a perfect crew.

Never once did Xue Lu consider Zhao Youyue. Han Leng did not have any influence nor experience in filmmaking. How could a new face like Zhao Youyue debut as a protagonist?

Evidently, Xue Lu never once investigated Lady Zhao’s background. She would have learned that the Zhao Family’s power seemed to know no bounds. Their influence would make her film more prolific than she could imagine. Zhao family was never one to obey natural law and order!

It was like having Jack Ma as a father in another world. That man had hired a lot of famous martial art actors to play in his movie. [1] They even had to be beaten by him in fights. How logical was that?

Zhao Youyue never intended to use her family’s influence. She planned to play by the rules and attend the audition. The audition was managed by a disgusting, wretched director who was in charge of side character casting.

Usually, such figures took bribes to take people in. Some actress would be willing to sleep with them, just to get a good spot. Fresh Graduates would stop at nothing to earn themselves a ticket into the film industry.

The director’s name was Ding Wei. Xue Lu had instructed him to carry out a casual audition for Zhao Youyue. She would not be chosen anyway. Besides, Xue Lu was busy dealing with big shots to play in her movie, she had no time to entertain Zhao Youyue.

Ding Wei’s eyes flew wide open when he first saw Zhao Youyue. She had the elegance and character of a protagonist. Unfortunately…

Zhao Youyue’s efforts all went to waste. She had even used her character card, “Zhang Guorong.” All she got in return was a perverted look from the director. There was no need to dream of becoming a protagonist. A fresh actress becoming a protagonist? Well, he could always give her a significant side character’s role. Interested in discussing the details over dinner or karaoke session?

Ding Wei was familiar with the hidden rules. He had mistaken Zhao Youyue as some ordinary girl who was dreaming of being a superstar. That was the least of her concerns. She was merely trying to stop others from ruining the image of her wife.

Han Leng was this close to punching Ding Wei in the face, if Zhao Youyue had not stopped him. Nobody insults Lady Zhao and gets away with it!

Zhao Youyue had somehow seen this coming. Authors did not have much power of the proceedings of film adaptations, even if it was based on their work. Han Leng still had a long way to go…

Zhao Youyue called up Zhao Hao and Ding Yuncong and shared her story of being bullied by a director. She had been wronged by the hidden rules in the entertainment sector.

Of course, Lady Zhao wanted to pay back the insult she had. How could she let it go without an apology?

Zhao Hao could not allow her cousin, a member of the Zhao Family to be bullied. They must pay for what they did!

Translation Note:

[1] Ma Yun (Chinese: 马云, [mà y̌n] born 10 September 1964), known professionally as Jack Ma, is a Chinese business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He is the co-founder and executive chairman of Alibaba Group, a multinational technology conglomerate. As of March 2018, he is one of China’s richest men with a net worth of US$42.7 billion, as well as one of the wealthiest people in the world.