Chapter 17

Shen Yan paused before saying, “When would it be convenient for us to exchange our suitcases? Or you could give me an address, and I can just mail it to you.”

The man on the other end of the phone gave a low hum, his voice slightly nasal, as if he had a cold. Then, he simply said two words: “Address.”

After he provided the address, Shen Yan decided to take the suitcase downstairs to the security office and wait while thinking about her future.

After waiting for over half an hour, a discreet black luxury van pulled up at the entrance of the complex.

A middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses stepped out of the car. When he saw Shen Yan, a brief look of surprise flashed across his face. Then, he quickly exchanged the suitcases with her and handed over an autographed card. “Thank you.”

Shen Yan took it instinctively, but her fingers loosened, and the autograph card fell to the ground.

The name Lu Yunchen was written in smooth, flowing strokes—gentle, without sharp edges, yet carrying an undeniable strength.

The man opposite her clearly hadn’t expected this reaction. He assumed she was overwhelmed with excitement and bent down to pick up the autograph for her.

Shen Yan immediately said, “I don’t want it. I’m an anti-fan.”

With that, she grabbed her suitcase and walked away.

Lu Yunchen? How did she end up taking the wrong suitcase with Lu Yunchen of all people? He was the male god of the novel’s original female lead—a top-tier celebrity in the entertainment industry. The original female lead had joined showbiz because of him, and later, the male lead had even gotten jealous over Lu Yunchen. He had wanted to go after him, but since Lu Yunchen was actually from the powerful Lu family—and he wasn’t interested in the female lead anyway—nothing ever came of it.

Dragging her suitcase, Shen Yan walked much faster than when she had arrived.

Lu Yunchen’s manager twitched his lips before bursting into laughter. He picked up the discarded autograph card and got back into the van.

“Yunchen, she didn’t want it. She said she’s your anti-fan. Hahahahahaha!” Ever since Lu Yunchen became a top-tier celebrity, his manager had never seen him rejected like this.

Slouched in his seat, Lu Yunchen opened the car window and glanced outside, catching only a glimpse of a figure hurrying away with a suitcase. He casually picked up a business card from the table, looked at it, and murmured, “Shen Yan?”

His manager was still excited. “She’s really pretty!”

“Why is she my anti-fan?” Lu Yunchen asked.

His manager chuckled. “I forgot to ask. Hahaha!”

After laughing, his expression turned serious. “You’re the male lead of Immortal Road, and the production team wants you to be a judge for their audition program. What do you think?”

Lu Yunchen let out a soft hum, then rested his head on the table, preparing to sleep. “Tell me when we get to the set.”

In Shen Yan’s past life, Lu Yunchen’s manager had also wanted to ask him about judging Immortal Road’s auditions. However, back then, Lu Yunchen had fallen asleep in the car as soon as he left the airport, so his manager had simply turned down the offer.

But this time, because of the suitcase mix-up with Shen Yan, Lu Yunchen hadn’t fallen asleep.

Thinking it over, his manager suggested, “Your schedule is packed, and you’re exhausted. Maybe I should cancel one of your projects? Being a judge for Immortal Road’s auditions is much easier than filming a drama.”

Lu Yunchen fell asleep without saying a word, and his agent directly declined an invitation for him to play the male lead in another television drama.

Shen Yan returned home, tossed her clothes from the suitcase into the washing machine, and sat on the sofa, resting her chin on one hand. She continued contemplating her future, and as she thought, she couldn’t help but laugh.

She had been reborn and finally had such an opportunity; why make life so exhausting? She realized that in her previous life, it was only because she liked Meng Yi’an that she acted that way. In this life, as long as she didn’t like Meng Yi’an, everything would be fine.

Having figured it out, Shen Yan got up and went to the kitchen to cook.

In the past, for Meng Yi’an, Shen Yan had developed excellent culinary skills, but now her cooking was solely for herself.

After busying herself for quite some time, Shen Yan took a shower and went to bed.

Early the next morning, Zhou Ruo asked Shen Yan to go to the entertainment company. Shen Yan got up, changed clothes, and went to the agency without makeup.

Zhou Ruo said, “I’ve already signed you up for the ‘Immortal Path’ audition show. You really know how to choose resources.” Pausing, she continued, “The male lead seems to be Lu Yunchen, but it’s not officially announced yet. As long as Lu Yunchen acts, this will be a drama that can explode in popularity.”

“Lu Yunchen?” Shen Yan was surprised. The male lead in her previous life wasn’t Lu Yunchen. Could it be that the male lead who initially declined was Lu Yunchen?

‘Immortal Path’ was particularly popular at that time and could be considered a blockbuster drama. The male lead was a newcomer, and the female lead was a popular young actress. Although some roles were filled through auditions, some popular actors played minor roles.

At that time, it was said that the newcomer male lead was the director’s son, and the director filmed ‘Immortal Path’ to promote him. But later, it was said that the originally agreed-upon male lead withdrew, so the director temporarily found someone else to play the role.

So, was the original male lead Lu Yunchen?

Shen Yan quickly asked, “Has Lu Yunchen signed a contract with ‘Immortal Path’?”

Zhou Ruo replied, “He hasn’t signed a contract yet. It’s just said that Lu Yunchen will play the male lead, but I don’t know the details.”

It might be the same as in her previous life; Lu Yunchen might not take the role. Therefore, Shen Yan didn’t need to collaborate with Lu Yunchen. Moreover, it was still uncertain whether Shen Yan could participate in this drama, so there was no need to overthink.

Shen Yan breathed a sigh of relief and then asked, “When does the audition show start?”

Zhou Ruo said, “The audition show starts in ten days and will be broadcast live. I think with this broadcasting mode, ‘Chen Fei’ will be aired halfway through the show. By then, your popularity will rise further. If we manage it well, even if you can’t play an important role, getting a supporting role shouldn’t be a problem.”

‘Immortal Path’ is adapted from a novel, and many supporting roles have a lot of fans. So, as long as Shen Yan plays one of them, it will be beneficial for her.

Zhou Ruo added, “Had I known this, we wouldn’t have let Zheng Rou participate.”

Shen Yan didn’t respond, as she believed more in strength.

The filming of ‘Xiangshou Life’ was scheduled before the ‘Immortal Path’ audition show. Zhou Ruo had previously mentioned that these two schedules wouldn’t conflict, and indeed they didn’t. The ‘Immortal Path’ audition show aired once a week, ‘Xiangshou Life’ was filmed in the capital, and the ‘Immortal Path’ audition show was also in the capital.

Now, Zhou Ruo saw Shen Yan as a promising talent, so she personally accompanied her to the ‘Xiangshou Life’ set. Moreover, Director Wu had a good reputation in the industry, and Zhou Ruo wanted to network with the crew for future audition opportunities.

Since it was a modern drama, the styling was relatively simple.

After getting styled, Shen Yan waited for the opening ceremony. Her scenes, combined, would wrap up in a week. After all, the drama was about three couples, and as a supporting character, her screen time was limited.

Soon, the opening ceremony took place. Shen Yan followed along, mimicking others’ actions. During the Q&A session, she simply acted as part of the background, with no reporters questioning her.

The actors who auditioned that day glanced at Shen Yan, noting her rather… legendary audition experience.

After the opening ceremony, Shen Yan went to the set. Although she had only one scene that day, she wanted to observe how others acted.

Zhou Ruo informed her, “The ‘Xiangshou Life’ crew will have dinner together tonight. You’ll probably be at the same table as the director. I have other matters to attend to, so I won’t accompany you. Once ‘Chen Fei’ airs, consider finding an assistant.”

Shen Yan replied, “We’ll see. If I find a suitable candidate, I’ll hire an assistant.”

Filming a prime-time TV series differs from web dramas. Director Wu is quite strict and often scolds actors during filming. Even some well-known actresses have been reprimanded by him.

Soon, it was Shen Yan’s turn to act. She had a scene with the third male lead, who played her brother. After greeting each other, they started filming. Fortunately, both had good acting skills, so the scene was completed in one take. After filming, Shen Yan returned to the hotel to await the crew’s dinner that evening.

This time, Shen Yan shared a room with another newcomer, Chen Yu, in a five-star hotel.

As soon as Shen Yan entered the room, Chen Yu excitedly grabbed her sleeve, exclaiming, “Lu Yunchen is also in this film city! Ahhh!”

Shen Yan was speechless.

“Moreover, fans are visiting the set today. Let’s join them! We can blend in with the fans and visit.” Chen Yu started pacing, saying, “I need to change clothes.”

While searching for clothes, Chen Yu took out Lu Yunchen’s support light sign and gifts, looking more like a fan than someone there for filming.

Shen Yan asked, “Did you enter the entertainment industry because of Lu Yunchen?”

Chen Yu replied, “Yes, many actors I know entered the industry because of Lu Yunchen.”

After thinking for a moment, Shen Yan said, “I don’t chase stars, so I won’t join you.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Yu wanted to promote Lu Yunchen, but due to her eagerness to visit the set and considering that she was sharing a room with Shen Yan and could do it later, she decided to go alone.

Shen Yan, being a covert anti-fan, even considered changing rooms.

Chen Yu went to the set visit and hadn’t returned since; she was likely still there, perhaps chatting with other fans about their idol pursuits. Shen Yan received a call from Zhou Ruo, who advised her that, given her low status, she should arrive early for the dinner gathering. Shen Yan promptly changed her clothes and headed out.

By this time, the sky had darkened, and a row of streetlights illuminated the path.

The dinner venue wasn’t far from the hotel, so Shen Yan decided to walk, albeit slowly, as she wasn’t particularly fond of such gatherings.

A nanny van and a luxurious car drove past her, one following the other.

Lu Yunchen’s manager, who had been discussing fans with him, noticed Shen Yan and hurriedly said, “Yunchen, your anti-fan!”

Hearing this, Lu Yunchen, who had been reading a script, glanced outside and said, “Stop the car.”

Simultaneously, Meng Yi’an coldly ordered, “Stop the car.”