Shrine - Chapter 94

Chapter 94

Shi Ran had another early morning engagement, while Ruan Ruan had a short break after wrapping up the second season. In two days, she and An Lu were going to meet a director. There was a cameo role in his movie; the part wasn't big, but the character was well-written, making it an effective cameo. Ruan Ruan did the homework An Lu had prepared for her and also went online to search for the director's representative works, planning to find time to watch them all.

She opened a video streaming site, placed her laptop on the dining table, and heated up a bowl of milk.

Before watching, she scrolled through her phone. She remembered Shi Ran's new hairstyle and searched for it online to see how the fans were praising it.

Unexpectedly, apart from some infatuated fans who were just there for her looks, some of her career-focused fans were expressing their worries in the top comments.

Ruan Ruan put down her spoon and read them one by one.

"Isn't 360 a cameo? Why cut her hair?"

"Is it confirmed she's taking 360? Please don't… crying.jpg"

"@ShiRanStudio You'd better explain this to me. It had better be that my sis wanted to cut it herself. Don't tell me it's for that huge flop of a movie."

"Honestly, putting up with you taking this piece of trash was already more than enough, and now you're making her cut her hair."

"My sis has had long straight black hair for so many years, just for the convenience of styling for her roles. Now she gets a hime cut, how long will it take to grow out? Is she even going to join the cast for her next drama? Or is she going to wear a wig the whole time? question.jpg @ShiRanStudio"

There were even more merciless comments:

"Surprise us by dyeing your hair next time. @ShiRanStudio"

"How many minutes of screen time does she have to warrant a haircut? Her plan for the second half of the year isn't retirement, is it?"

Ruan Ruan's heart sank as she read. She never thought such words would be directed at Shi Ran. She attracted the most attention in the industry, and also the sharpest. Even her freedom to cut her bangs was restricted.

Sometimes, Ruan Ruan felt that the entertainment industry was also a giant shrine. People turned celebrities into wooden idols onto which they projected their dreams. They anticipated her, worshipped her, looked up to her, and admired her. But they also feared the idol would no longer accept their worship, feared she would fall from her pedestal, feared having nothing to depend on, feared she would become too human, feared she was about to descend to the mortal realm.

If a dream descended to the mortal realm and rolled around in the secular world, it would become an unremarkable living person. No one would pay for mediocrity.

Ruan Ruan put down her phone, looked up, and rubbed her elbows. She, too, began to worry.

Although the fans' words were harsh, they did point out something strange. Shi Ran had maintained the same hairstyle for so many years. It was just a cameo, so why was it necessary to cut her hair? The hime cut was beautiful, but it would not only affect her makeup and styling for all red carpet and brand events, but also the styling for her future roles.

The more she thought about it, the more it felt wrong. One side of her chest lifted like a seesaw, creating a sore, tight feeling.

Ruan Ruan called Wu Mei.

Wu Mei had been drifting around Shucheng for a long time and was quite familiar with the core crews of various productions. She often brought Ruan Ruan some "intel."

From the sound of her voice, Wu Mei had just woken up. She squinted and said she had pulled an all-nighter, asking Ruan Ruan to let her wake up a bit.

She was doing much better now, able to land second or third female lead roles. Although they were all small-budget productions, she no longer had to suck up to the "Master of Lights."

Ruan Ruan patiently waited for Wu Mei to revive before slowly and deliberately asking about Shi Ran's situation on the set of 360 Times of Missing You.

"I was thinking, for a special appearance with few scenes, especially in a production that isn't a big deal, they would usually suggest wearing a wig, right?" Ruan Ruan frowned.

Thinking about it more carefully, it had been over ten days since Shi Ran joined the cast. Did a special cameo really require that much filming time?

Wu Mei hissed and sat up in bed. "I'll ask around for you."

Thirteen minutes. Ruan Ruan timed it precisely. The half-finished milk had gone cold and tasted gamy. Her fingers tapped on the tabletop like she was typing on a keyboard. Just as she was about to lose her patience, Wu Mei's call came.

"I have a feeling Teacher Shi was duped by that production," she said, getting straight to the point.

"Duped?"

"Yeah. I heard from a sound engineer on that set that it was supposed to be a special appearance, but they've been adding scenes for her ever since she joined. They're throwing flying pages at her every day."

Ruan Ruan rubbed the pads of her four fingers with her thumb. She had guessed as much but found it hard to believe. With Shi Ran's current status, how could she be bullied like this? And why would she agree to it?

A wave of distress washed over her, but Ruan Ruan didn't say much more. After hanging up, she stared blankly at the completely cold milk.

Where did things go wrong? She thought for a moment, then stood up, put her hands on her hips, and picked up her phone to dial An Lu.

"Hello? What's up?" An Lu sounded slightly surprised. Ruan Ruan rarely called her.

"Sister Lu, I wanted to ask you, do you know why Shi Ran took the role in 360 Times of Missing You?"

"Oh, that," An Lu said, relieved. "I'm not too clear on the details, just heard it was a role she took as a favor."

"Was it… a resource exchange to get Non-Desire through the censors?" Ruan Ruan guessed cautiously.

An Lu denied it. "No, it wasn't. Non-Desire got lucky. The investigation into the male supporting actor is done, and there are no issues. They said it just needs some line revisions before being sent for another review, and then it'll be done."

Ruan Ruan scratched her forehead. Then she heard An Lu hesitate. "But… well, there is something related to this."

"What is it?" Ruan Ruan swallowed.

"Her commercial manager, Alice, is about to resign," An Lu sighed.

"Why?"

"She said that managing Shi Ran from now on will be very difficult."

"Right now, the news about her taking 360 is just a rumor; it hasn't been officially announced yet. Once the news is out, there will be an obvious wave of negative public opinion. Shi Ran has always taken the high-end route, and her commercial positioning reflects that. Simply put, her status and style are already established at a certain level. If she takes on a trashy project for money, the public opinion backlash against her will be huge. You know, she's, um… not the type to always greet people with a smile, and her fans, as a whole, are quite high-profile."

An Lu spoke tactfully, knowing Ruan Ruan would understand. It's lonely at the top, and the higher you climb, the harder you fall. The jackals and tigers in the valley were all waiting for her to misstep so they could tear a piece of flesh from her.

"The public opinion is one thing. For Alice, commercial value is the most direct metric. If Shi Ran's career path goes off track, it will affect the brands' perception of her and could lead to a lack of confidence from them going forward. This is why they've carefully protected Shi Ran's image for so many years. Once the project is officially announced, the commercial team will have to explain things to the brand PRs to maintain stability. And that's the best-case scenario. She probably finds it all very exhausting."

"Besides, managing Shi Ran's commercial deals probably isn't much of a challenge for her anymore."

Ruan Ruan listened with bated breath, her lips pressed into a thin line. Her career path was worlds apart from Shi Ran's. She didn't realize that taking one not-so-good role could have such a severe impact on Shi Ran.

"You've probably seen it already, but her fans are already showing resistance to this. And there's something else her fans don't know."

"I'm not sure if you know this, but Alice told me that Shi Ran needs to observe things to act. If it's something she can't observe, she can't act it well. That's why she has always stayed away from subjects outside her safe zone. This genre, for her, is a complete danger zone."

Perhaps that was also why the filming was taking longer than expected.

An Lu's speech slowed, so much so that Ruan Ruan could hear her own abrupt heartbeat. She started to panic, and the area behind her ears grew hot again, just like during that period when she felt like she was drowning.

"You mean…" Ruan Ruan anxiously bit her nails, her eyelashes lowered as she nibbled at them quickly.

"Every artist in this industry has a core competency. We often talk about whether an artist has a 'yellow riding jacket.' Some artists are famous for being infamous, but they have a strong star quality—'as long as the face is there, the kingdom stands.' Some are very witty and gain fans every time they're on a variety show. Some rely on their public persona, and some rely on their work. Shi Ran's 'yellow riding jacket' is her acting."

She had always gotten her way in the industry through her solid professional skills. If this bubble were to be burst, no one knew what would happen.

"Ruan Ruan," An Lu's voice grew heavy, switching to a whisper, "why are you asking all this? Do you have some idea? Are you thinking of taking some of her resources? Or are you saying that if Dianxing goes under later on, we should find a way to establish a personal studio for you?"

None of the previous words had made Ruan Ruan's heart pound with such fear as this last sentence. It was so shocking that she could almost see a candle flame flickering before her eyes.

Previous Table of Contents Next