Upon seeing the translated subtitles, netizens were stunned. They couldn’t believe someone would be shameless enough to publicly disparage their own country’s traditional culture just to please foreign fans. Didn’t he feel embarrassed at all?

If Yue Yuanzhao thought Korea was better, why did he come back to develop in China?

He even participated in a domestic traditional music variety show to maintain popularity and solidify his fan base. Using gayageum techniques to play guzheng, no wonder it sounded off.

Now, not only traditional music enthusiasts disliked Yue Yuanzhao, but even ordinary people had no fondness for this pretentious and insincere celebrity.

Yue Yuanzhao’s manager kept making phone calls, trying to hire spam accounts to whitewash Yue Yuanzhao. However, he had already been labeled as a cultural cringe. Who wouldn’t want to step on him when they saw him? Even some spam accounts found him so repulsive that they refused to take the job.

The manager begged and pleaded, finally finding a way to clean up Yue Yuanzhao’s feed. They also contacted Weibo’s management and requested the deletion of the interview video.

Just as one crisis was being managed, another emerged. Meng Zhen suddenly posted an update, which was a filing notice from the court.

【Recently, Mr. Yue Yuanzhao and the Weibo user with the ID ‘Happy Spectators’ have engaged in slander and defamation. The court has now filed the case. We hope Mr. Yue can take this as a warning and stop testing others’ limits. [Image] [Image]】

When netizens saw this post, they were all somewhat dazed. It was one thing for Yue Yuanzhao to bring down his own country, but to conspire with a marketing account to frame Meng Zhen? His actions had truly pushed the public’s tolerance to the limit.

【Is there a more malicious celebrity than Yue Yuanzhao in this world? Lacking professional skills, he resorts to defaming his colleague. If Meng Zhen wasn’t a relative of CEO Xu, Xu Group wouldn’t have spoken out for a small celebrity. If it had been someone else, they wouldn’t have been able to clear their name, and their career would have been ruined for life.】

【Previously, Yue Yuanzhao even posted on Weibo that he despised celebrities who like to put on airs. Even back then, he was trying to bring Meng Zhen down. What did she ever do to offend him?】

After entering the internet age, every action people took left traces. It didn’t take long for netizens to dig up Yue Yuanzhao’s dark history.

In high school, he was caught cheating on an exam and was publicly reprimanded by the entire school. After going to Korea as a trainee, he began undergoing plastic surgery and, under the guise of being an idol, deceived several female fans. One of them even attempted suicide by slitting her wrists because of him.

His various misdeeds were so numerous to list.

At this moment, Yue Yuanzhao, with disheveled hair and a grimy face, sat on the studio’s sofa. His eyes were bloodshot, and he stared intently at the phone screen with an indescribably ferocious expression.

His comment section had long been overrun by passersby and haters. Phrases like ‘Yue Yuanzhao get out of the entertainment industry’, ‘Yue Yuanzhao has a bad character’, and ‘Yue Yuanzhao doesn’t follow the law’ were constantly getting liked, and the spam accounts had lost their original effectiveness.

“Sis, what should I do now?” Yue Yuanzhao asked in a trembling voice.

The manager had just been scolded by the boss. Thinking of the companies demanding compensation for breach of contract, her heart bled. With a gloomy face, she said, “Yuanzhao, it’s not that the company doesn’t want to help you, but you’ve made too many mistakes. We’ve suppressed so many scandals before. If you had been more careful and stopped making mistakes, you wouldn’t be in this situation today.”

“Sis, you brought me up single-handedly. You can’t give up on me!”

Yue Yuanzhao finally tasted the feeling of fear. He hurriedly stood up and tightly grasped the manager’s hand, as if holding on to a lifeline.

“The company has already decided to terminate your contract.”

The manager looked reluctant on the surface, but inwardly she felt a sense of relief. Over the years, she had no idea how many messes she had cleaned up for Yue Yuanzhao, all because the company’s boss wanted to protect him. Now, with his future completely ruined and no longer of any use, the company finally decided to abandon him.

The manager mercilessly shook off his hand, picked up her bag, and left the studio.

Watching the woman’s figure gradually recede into the distance, Yue Yuanzhao felt all his strength drain away. He collapsed to the ground, clutched his head with both hands, and let out a pained howl.

———pr

After the court case was filed, Yue Yuanzhao called Meng Zhen countless times, expressing his desire to reconcile.

But Meng Zhen refused to agree at all.

In the end, Yue Yuanzhao was sentenced to one year in prison with a two-year probation. He was likely the first celebrity in the entertainment industry to be sentenced for defamation and spreading rumors.

Such a stain would accompany Yue Yuanzhao for life, impossible to wash away no matter how much he regretted it.

Meng Zhen didn’t waste much thought on Yue Yuanzhao. Recently, she had been preparing for an audition for the drama 《Investiture of the gods》.

It mainly tells the story of the transition between the Shang and Zhou dynasties, intertwined with the tale of the war of the gods.

In it, the most important female character was Daji. She was the daughter of the marquis of Ji Province, Su Hu, and was presented to King Zhou of Shang as a concubine. Her presence caused chaos in the kingdom and overturned the rule of the Shang dynasty, which had lasted nearly six hundred years.

Meng Zhen was auditioning for the role of Daji and she received part of the script depicting the scene where King Zhou of Shang first met Daji.

Ji Province’s marquis, Su Hu, sent his cherished daughter to the capital. At that time, Daji had not yet been possessed by the Nine-Tailed Fox. She was anxious, trembling with fear, yet she had to please King Zhou sitting on the high platform.

She wore a mask adorned with eerie and supernatural patterns, dancing before the entire court of civil and military officials. Her waist was slender like a willow, her dance graceful and elegant, yet the girl’s face remained hidden beneath the mask.

King Zhou of Shang was captivated by Daji’s dancing. He descended from the high platform, lifted the girl’s chin, and removed the mask, revealing her face as beautiful as the moon.

The drama would be directed by Director Qian Xubing and Meng Zhen had great confidence in his professional abilities. She also aimed to compete for the role, sharpening her acting skills and mastery of lines.

After researching, she discovered that the most prevalent dance during the Shang dynasty was the shamanic dance, used for sacrificial rituals and prayers, imbued with a deep sense of mystery and vastly different from modern dance styles.

Capturing that ancient and mystical feeling wouldn’t be easy.

But Meng Zhen wasn’t the type to easily give up. She choreographed her own dance routine and even ordered a mask online that perfectly embodied the style of the Shang dynasty.

Wearing a mask adorned with fierce and grim patterns, her face completely concealed, Meng Zhen could only rely on her dance movements to express emotions.

In addition to the mask, shamanic dances also used five-colored feathers as props, with each feather measuring up to a meter long. To perform a graceful and pleasing dance, coordination between the arms, elbows, wrists, and fingers was crucial, executing movements like hooking, lifting, covering, and waving in precise sequences.

Meng Zhen first choreographed a set of basic movements, recording herself with her phone while dancing. After completing the dance, she played back the video frame by frame, carefully observing her steps and movements, deciding which parts to adjust and which to keep.

After practicing for five days, it was finally time for the audition.

Meng Zhen arrived at the studio before ten o’clock and was promptly led to the rest area by the production staff.

In the room, besides her, there were three other actresses, namely Xiao Lan, Jiang Lianqin, and Zhao Baoru, all of whom were more well-known in the industry than her.

Among these three, the most famous was Xiao Lan. She had started as a child star, gaining fame across the country with her commercials. As she grew up, she excelled academically and smoothly entered the country’s top film academy. Her career had been smooth sailing, making her a leading actress at Yunlai Entertainment.

《Investiture》 was an ensemble cast production. Given Xiao Lan’s status in the industry, the only role she considered worthy was that of Daji.

Jiang Lianqin, like the other Meng Zhen, debuted through the talent show 《Dream Chaser》. At that time, Jiang Lianqin ranked first, showcasing excellent singing and dancing skills along with a charming, innocent appearance that gained her numerous fans online.

Unlike the first two, Zhao Baoru was older, having left the entertainment industry for a full three years due to marriage. However, she was a talented movie actress known for her acting skills and good looks.

“Meng Zhen, it’s been a while since we last met. I watched the short film you acted in, and your Daffodil flower spirit is really beautiful.”

Jiang Lianqin walked up to Meng Zhen and took her hand, wearing a gentle smile on her face. “I heard that Director Qian was also involved in the production of 《Daffodil》. Is he strict?”

Upon hearing that, Zhao Baoru’s eyes flickered, and Xiao Lan’s expression turned somewhat unpleasant. After all, among the four, only Meng Zhen had worked together with Director Qian Xubing. If Director Qian valued this, wouldn’t the rest of them just be extras?

Meng Zhen pulled her arm back and smiled apologetically, saying, “The filming period was very short, so I’m not too sure.”

“Oh, I see.” Jiang Lianqin blinked, looking particularly innocent.

Not long after, Director Qian and Assistant Director Li entered the rest area one after the other. Seeing the four actresses sitting in chairs, they didn’t waste any time and got straight to the point, “Today, we’ve gathered you all here to select the actress for the role of Daji. You’ve all received the script, so please perform according to its content.”

The rest area of the studio was spacious enough, allowing ample room even for dancing. Xiao Lan, being the most famous, auditioned first.

Xiao Lan had a quarter of European ancestry, giving her more profound features than the average person in the country. With a high nose bridge and deep-set eyes, her appearance was extremely striking. However, her features leaned more towards Western aesthetics, making it somewhat challenging for her to portray the classical beauty of the country when acting in historical dramas.

Xiao Lan studied acting professionally, and while she knew some dancing, it was only superficial knowledge.

She gritted her teeth and performed a traditional dance, but her movements appeared very stiff. Director Qian stopped her performance shortly after it began.

“Xiao Lan, your foundation in dance isn’t strong enough. This role isn’t suitable for you.” Being one of the country’s top directors, Qian Xubing dared to directly point out Xiao Lan’s shortcomings without fear of offending her.

Upon hearing his words, Xiao Lan became anxious and couldn’t help but say, “Director Qian, the most important thing in portraying Daji is acting. We can use a double for the dance scenes. There’s no need to be so strict, right?”

Qian Xubing frowned, his expression darkening. “If you want a double for anything requiring professional skill, what kind of artist does that make you? You might as well be a print model.”