From being a company boss to becoming an artist's assistant, Qin Ran's status plummeted, but she didn't mind. Behind her glasses, her eyes curved into a smile as she agreed, "I'll be counting on you, then, to give me a hand up when the time comes."
Yu Shuman's laugh was hearty, but before she could say anything more, there was a knock on the door. "Uh-oh, I've been caught," she said before quickly hanging up.
Qin Ran looked at her phone, which showed they had been talking for three minutes. Smiling, she tucked her phone away. Her conversation with Yu Shuman gave her the strength to tackle something she'd been putting off—resigning from her part-time job.
When she told her boss, the woman asked if there was something wrong, but Qin Ran shook her head. "The job is starting to interfere with my studies. I need to focus on my academics. I've saved up enough for a few months, so I should be okay. If I need more money, I'll come back." The boss reluctantly agreed and reminded her that she could always come back if she ran into trouble.
Qin Ran agreed, but as soon as she left, she forgot all about it. The only thing she remembered was that the free dinner the boss had given her was quite tasty. To avoid future awkwardness, Qin Ran decided she would stop eating at that cafeteria altogether. For someone with social anxiety, this was the best way to avoid trouble.
With her meal in hand, Qin Ran returned to her dorm. Her roommates asked how Yu Shuman's performance went, and Qin Ran said it was great. They then urged her to check out the school forum. Intrigued, Qin Ran opened her laptop while eating her dinner. Once the computer was on, she navigated to the forum and immediately saw the top trending post.
"Go, Yu Shuman! When you become famous, the autograph I got will be worth a fortune!"
The poster lavished praise on Yu Shuman's performance, sharing numerous photos taken during the event. The comments were full of admiration, with many underclassmen praising her beauty. Upperclassmen chimed in, explaining how Yu Shuman had become the university's most famous beauty.
The consensus was clear: as a student of A University, it was their duty to support their star in her journey through the entertainment industry.
Not everyone was supportive, though. Some questioned whether pursuing a career in entertainment was a waste for someone who had made it into A University.
An upperclassman quickly shut down this criticism, saying, "Remember, getting into university is about having more choices, not limiting yourself to your major."
As Qin Ran ate, she upvoted all the positive comments about Yu Shuman and left her own comment at the bottom: "Go, big sis! You can do it!"
Yu Shuman was indeed giving it her all. After the initial selection of 50 contestants, they had to form teams and prepare for the first official performance. Thanks to her company's influence, Yu Shuman was teamed up with four highly skilled and somewhat well-known contestants. Among them, she was the least experienced, with her good looks being her only advantage.
While she was excited about the team, her teammates were not as thrilled. In any group, friction is inevitable, and Yu Shuman soon sensed some hostility directed at her. She had just finished a phone call in the restroom when someone knocked on the door rather rudely. Trying to avoid conflict, she smiled as she left the stall.
But the other person wasn't ready to let it go. They eyed Yu Shuman up and down before sneering, "Riding on the coattails of a big company, huh? Your skills might not be up to par, but you still managed to get into a good team. Guess your spot in the next round is already secured."
At first, Yu Shuman thought the person was upset about her using her phone, but it turned out they were more interested in her company's influence.
Yu Shuman calmly watched the person finish their rant before replying, "You don't have a company backing you?"
Her sharp retort caught the other person off guard. Before they could respond, Yu Shuman continued, "I remember that you're also a company-recommended contestant, right? Would you have made it past the initial selection without that backing?"
Many of the self-recommended contestants had some prior fame and had to go through rigorous auditions to get selected. Yu Shuman recalled that this person had a small company behind them, much like the one she had been with before.
"You're coming at me now because you're jealous that my company is stronger than yours. If I were from a small company like yours, you probably wouldn't even bother with me."
Yu Shuman was always direct, and her bluntness left the other person red-faced and at a loss for words. They might have been good at making snide remarks, but when everything was laid bare, they didn't have much else to say. In short, they had some pride. Yu Shuman, on the other hand, wasn't concerned about appearances and didn't mind spelling things out.
"I don't know why you decided to pick a fight with me today, but it was a stupid move. You're just going to make an enemy of me. If you know I have a big company backing me, why come after me? That's just plain dumb."
Yu Shuman wasn't just looking out for herself—she didn't want her experience on the show to be ruined by drama, nor did she want the program's image tarnished, which could affect her. As for whether her own words would get out... Yu Shuman wasn't too concerned. After all, Sister Li had told her to just have fun, and Yu Shuman had taken that advice to heart. Sister Li had even let her do as she pleased since taking over as her manager.
Yu Shuman had been enjoying her time on the show so far. Her straightforward attitude was rare among the contestants, most of whom had to suppress their true personalities under layers of carefully crafted public personas.
Yu Shuman even wondered if this person was picking a fight with her because they were too repressed and needed to vent. Not that it would affect Yu Shuman—she was only trying to help the person see how foolish their behavior was.
Yu Shuman could be surprisingly kind-hearted.
But the other person didn't seem to appreciate it, throwing Yu Shuman a disdainful look and walking away with a cold snort. Yu Shuman watched them leave without much reaction. She simply returned to her bed and hid her phone. Before long, a smile reappeared on her face as she thought back to her friends coming to watch her performance and how Sister Li had treated them to a feast.
Yu Shuman had been so used to scrimping and saving that she had never been to such a fancy restaurant, and she figured Qin Ran hadn't either. Qin Ran's situation was even tougher than hers—an orphan who had never been adopted, growing up alone and fending for herself. She had it much harder. Yet, Qin Ran was even more resilient, paying her own way through college without relying on anyone else.
Just thinking about how Qin Ran had funded her education and supported herself made Yu Shuman's heart ache a little.
At least she had been able to treat Qin Ran to a good meal today. She thought about how Qin Ran had been a bit shy when she offered her food, and the smile on Yu Shuman's face grew even wider. She patted her cheeks to motivate herself.
—Come on, Yu Shuman! You're not just doing this for yourself or to repay your debts—you're doing this for Qin Ran too! You promised to stay loyal when you made it big, so now it's time to start making it big!
While Yu Shuman was thinking about how to work even harder, back in her dorm, Qin Ran sneezed. She had no idea Yu Shuman was thinking about her like this, but if she did, she'd probably feel guilty, embarrassed, and maybe even start curling her toes in discomfort.
The truth was, Qin Ran hadn't been adopted because she didn't want to be. Whenever potential adoptive parents visited the orphanage, she would hide in the back. Until high school, she had benefited from nine years of free education, and the leaders in her area were always kind to her, even checking in on her during holidays. After high school, she had bonded with Yu Shuman, and though the cashback from the system hadn't been much at first, it was enough for someone with her modest needs.
As for fancy food, Qin Ran had eaten so much of it in her past life that she was almost sick of it.
Rubbing her nose, Qin Ran thought she might be coming down with a cold, though the weather was still warm. She redirected her focus back to the papers in front of her, pushing other thoughts aside. As a first-year student, Qin Ran was expected to attend evening study sessions, but she had skipped tonight. She shared the same major as Yu Shuman, and the upperclassmen on duty for the study session were the same ones who had gone to watch the performance with her today. They would likely turn a blind eye to her absence.
In fact, the senior who was on duty tonight had already told Qin Ran that if she was tired, she didn't have to come—they would cover for her.
So Qin Ran had decided to stay in her dorm, where the early autumn breeze gently blew through the window. The night air was cool, rustling Qin Ran's hair and lifting the corner of the papers on her desk.
Qin Ran reached out to flatten the paper, her finger resting on the words "female lead" written on the page. Below that, in neat handwriting, was the name of the female lead: Ling Miaohan, along with detailed notes on her various identities and achievements.
In addition to this, Qin Ran had also written a summary of the original plot.
The sky outside darkened, and the lamp on her desk illuminated the room, casting a bright light on Qin Ran's round glasses, which reflected a cold gleam. She lightly tapped her finger on the words "Ling Miaohan," the sound of her fingertip drumming against the paper echoing in the quiet room.