Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 1
“Yesterday, the police from the Chaoyang Public Security Bureau received a tip from the public and arrested a drug suspect named Yuan in a certain community. Tests confirmed that Yuan tested positive for marijuana. Yuan, a male actor, admitted to drug use and is currently under administrative detention according to law.”
A simple situation report, in the form of a screenshot with blue background and white text, stirred a ripple in the entertainment circle on this early evening.
Of course, the entertainment circle was abstract, and there was no way to form a physical entity to stop people from watching and criticizing with great interest.
So all these waves were rolled into Weibo.
The report from Ping’an Beijing didn’t name names, but within a few minutes, the person involved was identified—Yuan He, who had just gained some popularity as the third male lead in a major IP-adapted TV drama.
However, he was still a newcomer. After the entertainment gossip accounts shared the news, his newly gained fans cried, eventually leaving messages like “changing from a fan to passersby” or “we will always wait for you here” and then there was no more noise.
Ran Lin lay on a small and exquisite European-style double sofa. His long legs awkwardly rested on the armrest due to the cramped space. But Ran Lin didn’t mind, even finding it quite comfortable, as he continuously scrolled through his phone, his calf and foot unconsciously swaying to some rhythm from another space.
Beneath the situation report, some passersby asked the perennial question—why is it always the Chaoyang Masses who achieve meritorious deeds? Can’t celebrities think and change their location? For example, to my great Miyun with its majestic mountains, dense forests, and reservoirs!
Underneath this old question, there was an old joke—the world has five major intelligence organizations: the CIA of the United States, the KGB of the former Soviet Union, Mossad of Israel, MI6 of the United Kingdom, and the Beijing Chaoyang Masses (BJCYQZ*).
*Clarity: The Beijing Chaoyang Masses is [Běijīng zhāoyáng qúnzhòng] (北京朝阳群众). The acronym is taken from BeiJing ChaoYang GunZhong. Note that while it is a z in pinyin, it’s actually a C (in pronunciation wise), which is why it’s a C not Z.
In fact, why celebrities were always caught in the Chaoyang District was something Ran Lin knew best, as he had lived here for two years.
Two years ago, when he was about to graduate from college, he suddenly became popular on Weibo because of a few photos. However, it was more like a round of popularity than true fame. Initially, he was called the most handsome student on campus, a bright young man, but then some marketing account created a hot topic—”If there is a first love, it must look like you.”
The origin of the photos was unknown, seemingly taken by a schoolmate.
In the evening on the sports field, with the sunset in the west, a young man in a white shirt sat on the parallel bars, looking into the distance. The young man had a clear and handsome face and a tall and well-proportioned body, especially complementing his bright eyes. Despite the dim light, his eyes made him look bright, like the first breeze of a clear morning.
For Ran Lin at that time, it was just an ordinary college senior returning dispirited from an unsuccessful job search. Otherwise, who would sit on the parallel bars in a white shirt, contemplating life?
For Ran Lin now, that was a turning point in life.
When an agency contacted him, asking if he was interested in entering the entertainment industry, he thought it was a scam. Only after the company reimbursed his travel and accommodation to discuss in Beijing did he go, with extreme caution and even an emergency contact method and code with his dormitory brothers.
Fortunately, the sky in the capital was clear… well, in terms of spiritual civilization. The company, called “Dream Without Limits” Entertainment and Culture Co., Ltd., was indeed in the entertainment industry, signing some familiar-faced minor celebrities, but probably hadn’t achieved much success due to its recent establishment.
Ran Lin was cautious and meticulous, usually not making impulsive decisions. Once he made up his mind, he didn’t hesitate.
He studied language in college, had limited job prospects, and attended an average university, so he hadn’t found a job by his senior year. He had to admit, the “Dream Without Limits” employee made the entertainment industry sound very attractive, tempting him, who had never thought about connecting with the entertainment industry, with visions of a dazzling future.
So, he made the first slightly risky decision of his life.
If he succeeded, he would be in the limelight, without any worries; if he failed, he could just pick up his college major and start over in society.
He liked to think of the worst-case scenario. If he could accept the worst outcome, then he could proceed with the decision.
Thus, he signed a six-year contract at the age of twenty-one.
Now, two years later, becoming the center of everyone’s attention was out of the question, but at least he was making a decent living. He would sporadically take on roles as the sixth, seventh, eighth, or ninth male lead in drama series and managed his Weibo account diligently. As long as he wasn’t extravagant, he was doing okay. And living in a neat single apartment provided by the company in the most bustling part of the capital, he couldn’t really ask for more from them.
This brings us back to the initial question.
Why do all the celebrities live in the Chaoyang District?
Because it is the largest district in Beijing, with the highest resident population and the highest concentration of film and culture companies.
Everyone likes to live close to their workplace, and this applies to both the struggling actors and the successful stars.
But the entertainment industry is much larger than Chaoyang District, and the number of people in it is also much larger. Those who become celebrities are just the tip of the iceberg that’s visible above the water. Most people are forever submerged in the briny depths, either dissolving into the sea or evaporating completely.
Ran Lin felt like he was about to evaporate.
There were still three years and nine months left in his contract, but it had been almost half a year since he had received any notification of work.
The company’s strategy was to cultivate a group collectively, select the best, and focus on training them. It was a race to see which of the new talents they had signed would break through first.
In the end, it was Han Ze who emerged. He became famous last summer for his role in a rather cliché idol drama. After that, the company’s resources were clearly skewed towards him, and the rest of them, including Ran Lin, were more or less left to fend for themselves.
In this circle, some people, like Yuan He, lose themselves in the glitz and glamour. Others, like Ran Lin, struggle for years without ever really entering the true spotlight of the industry.
As he was daydreaming, his phone slipped from his hand and hit his tooth, instantly waking him up.
The tall tip of his nose touched the screen and very considerately refreshed his phone, updating the hot topics for him.
Sitting up and holding his phone, his intention was to check his injured tooth for any looseness, but the moment he saw the latest hot topic, he forgot everything else.
[Veteran actor shows what ‘reincarnation acting’ is all about!]
The Weibo title was short and impactful, and the content was just a clip from a recently popular TV drama.
Ran Lin had been feeling quite down recently, not really focusing on honing his acting skills, and had been spending most of his time brushing up on Spanish, preparing to fall back on his original major if needed.
But the moment he watched that clip of the veteran actor’s powerful lines, his blood boiled with excitement.
He had never truly loved anything in his life. Even choosing his college major was based on the notion that lesser-known languages would lead to better job prospects.
But after two years in the industry, he found himself falling in love with acting.
No matter if it was a minor role with only a few scenes and lines, he would pore over the script, rehearsing in front of the mirror like a madman. For characters not given much background by the scriptwriter, he would even create their personal histories, losing himself in the joy of it.
Acting wasn’t a superior profession. It was just one of many, like finance, IT, architecture, advertising, cooking, and so on.
But he loved it.
So much so that the mere thought of not being able to continue made him, who was usually so laid-back, utterly despondent.
“Young man under the sun~~ Has your dream been realized~~ In the cold world~~ Has it changed you~~”
The ringtone of the phone suddenly rang, and the flashing caller ID displaced the original Weibo video.
“Kang Ge*.” Ran Lin didn’t dare to delay and picked up the phone as quickly as possible.
*Brother (哥). Term used to show respect and affection towards someone who is male that is either older or holds a higher position or authority. Usually, it signifies closeness or friendly relationship.
He wasn’t sure how other agents interacted with their artists, but whenever Kang Hui contacted him, it was definitely about work. Maybe because they didn’t have a contractual relationship and both worked for the company, since the company assigned Kang Hui to be his agent, they had always been polite and strictly professional, without any personal interaction.
“Come to the company now.”
As always, brief and to the point.
Usually, Ran Lin wouldn’t make a fuss. Even if the instructions were vague, he would comply first and ask questions later. But it was already eleven o’clock at night…
“Now?”
“Is there a problem?”
“No, I mean, do I need to prepare anything?”
“No need. Just go straight to the makeup room when you arrive at the company.”
“Okay.”
Ran Lin quickly took a taxi to the company and found that not only him but also He Jiayi and Chen Ling had been called in.
These two were in a similar position to him in the company, being neglected after Han Ze’s rise to fame, maintaining their popularity on Weibo with some variety show appearances and selfies.
In contrast to the hurried arrival of these three artists alone, the summoned styling and photography team was well-prepared. Once settled in front of the makeup mirror, the stylist started first, finishing the makeup and hairstyle, then choosing clothes.
The photographer had nothing to do for the moment and sat there, dozing off with his camera.
Clothes make the man, especially for those with naturally outstanding foundations like them. After careful styling, they looked like trendy and handsome guys. Moreover, each of them was styled according to the company’s usual direction. Ran Lin wore a trendy brand baseball jacket with a somewhat flowery pattern but looked particularly young, embodying the bold youth despite being twenty-three, almost unchanged from the boy on the parallel bars in his old photos; He Jiayi was tall and handsome, dressed in simple casual wear, representing the fresh boyfriend style; Chen Ling was in punk attire, embodying the rock youth.
Even the slowest would realize that this was for a street shoot.
However, Ran Lin didn’t guess entirely correctly—it was a street shoot, but not of night scenes, but at the airport.
Airport candid shots have become a trend in the entertainment industry in recent years. Regardless of whether the artists were actually taking a flight or how tiring it was to walk in high heels, they had to dress up beautifully for a few airport shots every now and then.
Of course, the artists wouldn’t admit to staging these shots. They were supposedly taken en route to catching a flight, “casually” shot, and some even claimed they were candid shots taken by paparazzi.
It was unclear who first discovered this “divine path”, but several in the industry had become fashion icons through “airport street photography”, and a few with strong influence and a solid fan base had terrifying selling power. Almost as soon as the airport photos were released in the morning, the same items would sell out online by the afternoon.
As a male artist, Ran Lin wasn’t particularly keen on taking photos, especially when he saw some female stars posing at the airport with full lighting and photography setup, only to claim the photos were “candid”. He found it embarrassing.
But there was no choice; if one wanted to survive in this circle, they had to use every trick in the book.
After being embarrassed for others, it was his turn to shine.
But actually, from the hasty phone call, it was clear that this “street shoot” wasn’t prepared for them. Upon asking Kang Hui, it turned out that Han Ze’s schedule had changed, and he had returned early from Fashion Week.
Han Ze was now the company’s key focus, and it was necessary to have a team take first-hand, beautiful photos of him at the airport. Otherwise, if all the internet had were fan screams or awkwardly angled ugly photos, the publicity director might as well not continue working.
The company probably thought that shooting one was the same as shooting four, so they decided to share the team and give them a chance for publicity. Otherwise, they would always be stuck posting selfies on Weibo, which even the most devoted fans would tire of.
At two-thirty in the morning, the airport was much quieter than during the day, with a few travelers dozing or browsing on their phones and tablets. Everything was silent.
But this tranquility lasted only until the international flight exit.
A sea of people was accompanied by flashing lights. If not for airport control, these young men and women would probably have drums, gongs, and firecrackers.
Surprisingly, not all of the light signs were for Han Ze; in fact, only a few were. Most were for another name—Lu Yiyao.
Kinky Thoughts:
It’s been a while since I did an entertainment novel. My first project was Your Rival in Love Gets Prettier Every Day. This novel was highly recommended by a friend, so I decided to pick it up, and I have no regrets as it’s probably one of the best showbiz danmei I’ve read. It is also by an author that I’m quite interested in their other works, so I also picked up Midnight Owl.
Hope you enjoy it.
Here’s some artwork from the physical volumes which can be ordered here:
It also has a Manhua, which you can read in English or Chinese. Some artwork below. The English Manhua is translated as Rise to Stardom (though I prefer suddenly trending, which will be explained in a later chapter why).
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