Compared to this one, Meng Zhen preferred the other light-hearted comedy film. Her role would be the male lead’s dream girl, who was engaged to a wealthy and handsome man who was about to return to the country. The male lead, feeling unwilling, wanted to change his goddess’s mind before she got married. With the help of the female lead, he disguised himself as a woman and successfully applied to the company where his goddess worked, setting off a series of comedic events.

In her previous life, Meng Zhen had never been exposed to comedy films. Now, as she flipped through the script, a faint smile graced her rosy lips, complemented by her sparkling eyes. She looked exceptionally charming.

Lei Yin carefully finished reading both scripts. With her small face showing a serious expression, she spoke up, “Based on my simple thinking, I think the comedy film is better. Youth films have too small of an audience, and the plot isn’t that exciting. Comedy attracts attention more effectively.”

Meng Zhen raised her hand and caressed the snowy-white pages. She thought the same way. Without further hesitation, she made up her mind, “Then it’s 《The Icon’s New Clothes》.”

After saying that, Meng Zhen sent a message to her manager, Fei Yun. They exchanged a few brief words before Meng Zhen finally set aside her phone.

“Sister Zhenzhen, just now that forum post has sparked a huge discussion. Everyone is saying you’re CEO Xu’s illegitimate daughter. What should we do?”

Lei Yin scrolled through her phone, her eyes showing increasing panic. Since joining Meng Zhen’s fan group, she had realized how difficult it was for celebrities who appeared glamorous on the surface. Not only did they have to hone their acting skills through hard work, but they also had to be extremely cautious with their words and actions, lest even a slight mistake be seized upon by paparazzi and spread online, destroying their hard-earned reputation in an instant.

After all the effort Meng Zhen had put in, she had finally managed to extricate herself from being trash-talked across the entire internet. If rumors about her started going around again……

Catching a glimpse of Lei Yin’s pale face, Meng Zhen reached out to touch her forehead and whispered, “It’s not too hot. Could it be a slight fever?”

“I’m not sick.”

Lei Yin stood up and paced back and forth in the room due to her overwhelming anxiety.

Meng Zhen sighed quietly and waved to the girl, saying, “Send me screenshots of the post.”

After seeing the other Meng Zhen’s life experiences, Meng Zhen gained a basic understanding of Xu Xuero’s personality. Not only was this younger sister deeply scheming, but she also used her physical weakness as a way to get out of any situation. Whenever she made a mistake, she would silently shed tears in front of Zhao Rong.

Zhao Rong had a soft spot and couldn’t bring herself to discipline Xu Xuero properly each time. Over time, this indulgence warped Xu Xuero’s character.

But this time, Meng Zhen had obtained evidence against Xu Xuero, which might come in handy in the future.

———pr

This translation is by Pocketrobbin at S h a n g h a i f a n t a s y . c o m

Xu family.

Xu Xuero had always been a cautious person. If Meng Zhen hadn’t stolen her limelight at her birthday party, she wouldn’t have been so humiliated. After leaving a reply to Meng Zhen’s fan club president’s comment criticizing Meng Zhen, Xu Xuero thought she could avoid trouble by promptly deleting it. Unfortunately, the situation still escalated.

Early in the morning, Xu Xuero received a message from her best friend and clicked on the link to the school forum. Seeing the popular post, her vision went dark. She felt like she might faint at any moment.

Xu Xuero told herself to stay calm. This matter couldn’t be allowed to escalate any further, otherwise, if her parents found out, she wouldn’t be able to explain herself. In her family’s eyes, she had always been a well-behaved and kind child. If Zhao Rong discovered her resentment towards Meng Zhen, Xu Xuero couldn’t imagine the consequences.

She was extremely anxious, and after hesitating for a while, she finally made a decision.

She hurried into the bathroom, closed the door carefully, and then dialed the school forum administrator’s number. Tearfully, she pleaded with the teacher on the other end to delete the post, “Teacher, please help me delete the post on the forum. If this issue isn’t resolved smoothly, it will definitely affect our company’s reputation. My parents will also be angry. You know I’m just an adopted daughter and not related to them by blood. I’ve realized my mistake……”

Xu Xuero had excellent grades and was usually among the top ten in her year. The teachers at her school like her very much. Now, hearing Xu Xuero cry so sadly, the administrator also felt some sympathy and said, “Student Xu, what you did was wrong. You shouldn’t have casually commented about others online. However, Meng Zhen indeed may not be suitable for being a celebrity since she never even attended high school. It could potentially have a negative impact on younger people. Your point is valid so Teacher will delete the post, don’t worry.”

Upon hearing that, Xu Xuero quickly expressed her thanks, her tone both sincere and vulnerable.

After hanging up the call, she opened the school’s forum page again and stared fixedly at it. In less than two minutes, the post with thousands of comments completely vanished. Many students were puzzled, and some even started new threads to inquire about it, but the fervor from the previous night was gone.

Seeing this, Xu Xuero breathe a sigh of relief.

She collapsed onto the bed, staring at the white ceiling. Suddenly, Gu Ting’s handsome face appeared in her mind.

She didn’t know if she was overthinking it but Xu Xuero couldn’t shake the feeling that Gu Ting was particularly attentive to Meng Zhen at last night’s birthday party. There wasn’t anything between them, right?

No! Absolutely impossible!

Someone like Gu Ting, born with privilege and overflowing talent, would definitely not be so shallow as to only value appearance over substance. Meng Zhen was just an empty-headed fool, unworthy of being Gu Ting’s girlfriend.

———pr

After choosing the script, Meng Zhen decided to audition for 《The Icon’s New Clothes》. The director of this film was named Cao Lei, who had just turned twenty-seven this year. His comedy film from two years ago had received widespread acclaim, prompting him to plan for another film upon returning from studying abroad.

Due to his good family background, Cao Lei has been quite successful in his career as a director. And as soon as the script for 《The Icon’s New Clothes》 was written, he knew this film was bound to be a hit.

To ensure the film’s quality, Cao Lei chose a professionally trained young actor to play the male lead, Zheng Qi. As the female lead had fewer scenes, he selected a relatively unknown actress. However, as the artists for other characters were confirmed one by one, Cao Lei became increasingly anxious about casting the actress for the male lead’s dream girl, Shi Yuwei.

According to the character design, Shi Yuwei had been Zheng Qi’s crush since high school, so she must not be too old, possess a good temperament, and most importantly, the actress must have outstanding beauty to convincingly portray a goddess.

Cao Lei was stressed. But one time, when he went to the supermarket, he saw a beautiful life-size cardboard cutout of a female celebrity that perfectly matched Shi Yuwei’s image in every aspect.

He immediately forgot about shopping and pulled out his phone to search for Meng Zhen’s name. After watching 《Daffodil》 and that one episode of 《Do-Re-Mi-So-La》, and confirming that Meng Zhen’s face wasn’t just photoshopped, he sent the script to Anmei Entertainment.

Recently, the weather in the capital had become colder. With trees on the streets bare, it gave a somewhat desolate impression.

Meng Zhen arrived at the film set in Xin Xin’s car. As soon as she walked in, she saw a man squatting on the ground eating a boxed meal. He stared at her blankly for a while before finally saying, “You must be Ms. Meng, right?”

She nodded in acknowledgment, but before she could say anything, the man quickly stood up, placed his meal on a bench, and extended his hand to shake hers. “Hello, Ms. Meng. I’m Cao Lei.”

Meng Zhen didn’t expect the well-known director Cao Lei to be so down-to-earth. She quickly shook hands with him and said softly, “Director, I’m here to audition for the role of Shi Yuwei.”

Cao Lei had a straightforward personality, showing his pleasure openly on his face. He nodded and led Meng Zhen inside, before calling the screenwriter over in a casual manner. “We’re not that formal here. Let’s do the audition right here. I’m sure Ms. Meng has already read the script before coming. Just perform the scene where Shi Yuwei is dancing.”

Before the male lead disguised himself and entered the company, Shi Yuwei was portrayed as an ethereal goddess, untouched by worldly concerns. This dance scene wasn’t particularly challenging for Meng Zhen. She pursed her lips, nodded respectfully to the director and screenwriter, then began performing a classical dance.

The young woman’s slender waist moved like the tender willow branches of early spring— soft and supple. Her steps were steady, without a single mistake, and her almond eyes shimmered with gentle radiance, making her appearance especially pleasing to the eye.

Suddenly, her movements came to a halt. She glanced back with a hint of confusion on her small, palm-sized face. Just moments ago, she distinctly felt someone watching her. Could it be that she was imagining things?

According to the script, when the male lead passed by the school’s dance practice room, he encountered Shi Yuwei practicing classical dance. He watched her from the doorway for a long time and fell in love at first sight.

“Not bad, Ms. Meng. You danced well and acted well. You’re very suitable for the role of Shi Yuwei.”

Cao Lei applauded, unable to hide his satisfaction in his eyes. He had high standards for his work, and encountering an excellent actress like Meng Zhen naturally put him in a good mood.

Not long after Meng Zhen signed the contract with the film crew, Cao Lei received a call from an investor asking him to replace the female lead with Xiao Lan.

“Mr. Zhao, are you sure you’ve got the right film? This is a low-budget comedy film. Xiao Lan is a popular actress, and I can’t afford her high fee.”

“What? Xiao Lan is willing to lower her fee? And you’ve already discussed it with Yu Liang?”

Cao Lei rapidly fired off several questions in quick succession. He couldn’t fathom why Xiao Lan would take an interest in his script. The most outstanding role in this movie was the male lead, followed by Meng Zhen’s character, Shi Yuwei. The female lead’s presence wasn’t particularly prominent.

Moreover, for Cao Lei, the female lead was less important than Shi Yuwei. Thus, when casting, he only set two requirements. One, the actress must have adequate acting skills, and two, she must have a passable appearance.

Xiao Lan was arguably one of the most popular actresses in the country and had professional training. Although she lacked a certain spark, she was reliable and wouldn’t make mistakes. Having her play the female lead would also increase the film’s attention and benefit the box office.

At this point, Cao Lei was already tempted. He smoked a cigarette in the bathroom and finally agreed to the investor’s request, consenting to Xiao Lan playing the role of the female lead.