Shift! The Side-Character Heroine

If Jiangnan University had been a film academy, Zhao Youyue would not have stood out as much. After all, film academies produced famous stars all the time – most of them stepping onto the first rung of success long before graduation. Everyone was already used to it. One day, some talent scout would come across them. If paired with a competent director and crew, all should be set for them…

Such things happened in film academies, or any other art college, for that matter. However, in Jiangnan University, a famous top-ranking university with many brilliant students, a certain someone suddenly became an influential actress by merely acting in one teenage movie. Now, that was something!

Moreover, it just so happened that the movie was released not long before the start of the school. When school started, the movie was still a much heated topic. Many students were looking forward to the start of a new school semester. They were not eager to study, rather, they wanted to meet the new star on campus. If they could get an autograph, wouldn’t that be great?

One has to know that it is notoriously difficult to get Zhao Youyue’s autograph. Whenever she was done filming, she would never stick around to participate in all the PR mess. It was as good as her not even being involved in the production whatsoever. Or rather, when the movie was done filming, her job was also concluded…

If other actresses dared to do this, they would have already been blacklisted by investors across the industry. They would not even be allowed to mix with the people in the industry, because such actions showed that they had no professional ethics.

However, Zhao Youyue could do this. She could not care less about the entertainment industry. Moreover, the investor of the movie was her relative. What action could be taken against her?

If Lady Zhao turned up to do some filming just because she had nothing better to do, the entire industry should be honored. If she left without a word, it was their loss…

Now that Zhao Youyue’s nickname as the “Modern Zhang Guorong” had spread out, countless directors wanted a shot at fame by working with her. The film community was also very chaotic. Actresses were the powerhouses that determined whether a movie went bust or touched the heavens.

In this world, women were not the only ones who climbed up the social ladder to change their destiny. Men could too. As long as they were favored by Lady Zhao, their value would definitely soar!

Unfortunately, Zhao Youyue had no plans to continue acting, as of now. She had long said that she was not in it for the fame or fortune, but to maintain the iconic image of the character “Chu Luoxun.”

“Beautiful April” had become a typical example of “throwing a sprat to catch a mackerel[1].” The rate of return had been terrifying. Zhao Wei had been resolved himself to suffering a loss. He only got a level of shock and awe that would have put an older man in a wheelchair. Who could have expected to earn a fortune from this!

It was no mystery why the movie became a major hit…

All in all, Zhao Youyue had both acting skills and appeal. If she had a manager, her manager would most definitely urge her to take up the next big production movie – preferably those with CGI. If the movie became extremely popular, her position in the filmdom would be cemented.

Of course, in addition to Zhao Youyue, the other biggest beneficiary was Han Leng. Many creators felt that he was the biggest winner. On top of that, it had been a “sleeping victory.” “Beautiful April” was pretty average as movies went. You shouldn’t ask too much from the writings of a high school kid. The only thing of note would be the character, “Chu Luoxun.” The character that had the fortune of attracting Lady Zhao’s attention. Lady Zhao had promoted the character in more than one way and had even saw fit to personally act as the character in the movie. The movie became more influential than ever!

A writer actually became this famous with a maiden work that had not yet even been fully realized. Who wouldn’t be envious?

Moreover, there were rumors that Lady Zhao and the famous author Han Leng shared a bond of sorts. When they were in high school, they seemed have gone on dates together to various locations. Were they actually an item?

If that was the case, Han Leng was truly about to reach the peak of his life!

Due to the movie’s major success, the sales of his book rocketed once again. How much money was that, you wonder? Some people were jealous of Han Leng. They claimed that he was only so successful because he had Lady Zhao behind his back. Lady Zhao did not support him financially – she provided something far valuable.

From his relationship with Lady Zhao, he had gained reputation, fame, and fortune. Countless other creators wished that they had a perfect reader like Lady Zhao!

While many students of Jiangnan University were looking forward to the start of school, Zhao Youyue remained as aloof as ever. She did not lay low, neither did she try to gain attention. However, she had changed her car into one that was more apt for a missy. If we were to compare her car brands to the cars of the other world, then she had replaced her Mercedes-Benz with a Rolls-Royce. The very logo at the head of her car was enough for any of its occupants to be identified as a Lady, had it appeared in a movie or anime.

While other missies might have relied on their elders to obtain such luxuries, Zhao Youyue had relied on her own capabilities.

Zhao Youyue had also profited a great deal from “Beautiful April.” Her cousin Zhao Hao was not so stingy that he would go back on his own promise. The project had been a major success, thanks to his younger sister. She deserved that payout!

In fact, Zhao Youyue’s had performed far beyond Zhao’s expectations. Of course, Ding Yuncong had been blown away as well. They were both very proud to have such a talented younger sister…

How did Lady Zhao make use of the money? Well, other than continuing to build her business up, Zhao Youyue had used the remaining funds to further establish her missy persona. If she was originally a side-character missy, then, now, she was a missy in every sense of the word, just like the missy character that creators imagined.

When Jiangnan University reopened, a super-premium super-luxury car slowly drove towards the school gate. It did not take long before everyone stopped in their tracks to stare!

Translation note :

[1] “Throwing a sprat to catch a mackerel” means to sacrifice something of little value in the hope of gaining something better. A small expenditure made, or a small risk taken, in the hopes of a far more substantial or significant gain.