Oh No, My Tail Has Been Seen! - Chapter 10
Chapter 10
◎The Unanimous Choice◎
Zhang Linyu sat sideways, her face turned directly toward the camera, with her signature sweet smile. “Hello, everyone, my name is Zhang Linyu, and it’s a pleasure to meet you all.” She then greeted everyone in the room.
“I’m a new actress signed with Starry Entertainment. While in school, I had roles in many film and TV shows. My favorite is probably the maid Xiao Cai in The Qin School. It was an incredible learning experience to work with senior actress An, and I think that’s where many of the viewers who remember me first saw me.” After her introduction, Zhang Linyu handed the microphone to Ye Qian.
“Hello, everyone, my name is Ye Qian, and I’m Zhang Linyu’s agent. It’s a pleasure to work with Linyu. She is a rare talent who is also willing to work hard. I think we will get along very well, and I’m confident I can train her to become an excellent actress that everyone will love.” Ye Qian and Zhang Linyu exchanged smiles.
Watching their introductions, Su Miao suddenly wondered how Bai Jin would introduce her if she were here. Would she express confidence that they would make a great team, or would she have faith in making her a star? Su Miao quickly dismissed these possibilities. From what she knew of Bai Jin, she wasn’t someone who would say things like that so early. If she were here, she would just introduce herself, and she wouldn’t mention her achievement of having a Film Queen as her client. A successful actor’s career, while supported by the agent’s hard work behind the scenes, also depends on the actor’s own ability and the public’s recognition. Only then can they win the prestigious award.
As the introductions went on, Su Miao heard the name of the girl who had questioned Zhang Linyu earlier. “My name is Xu Sheng, and I’m a signed artist with Orange Heart Entertainment. I’ve played a few small roles in online dramas…” Her expression was cool, but when she smiled, she had dimples, which created a striking contrast. Perhaps because Xu Sheng had helped her out earlier, Su Miao looked at her a few more times. The other person noticed her gaze and looked back directly. Su Miao didn’t look away and gave her a friendly smile. Xu Sheng saw her smile and then quietly looked away, not showing any other reaction.
After everyone had introduced themselves, the host gave each artist a small blackboard and asked them to write down their most desired short-term goal. Su Miao noticed that everyone was discussing what to write with their agents, while her seat was empty. She tried to fight her inner sadness, imagining what Bai Jin would have told her to write. They had only signed a two-month contract, and that was probably only enough time for her to finish a small supporting role. She didn’t know Bai Jin’s plans for her, and she was unsure about guessing what kind of achievements she could gain.
But Bai Jin had already accepted a role for her, and she would be joining the crew next week, even if it was just a supporting role. Bai Jin seemed to prefer a slow and steady approach over overnight success. Thinking this, Su Miao wrote down two words on the blackboard: 拍戲 (Acting).
When the host saw that everyone was about to finish writing, she waved her hand and told them to look at her. “Okay, I see that everyone is done. On the count of three, two, one, show your blackboards to the audience.”
“Three, two, one!” As soon as the host’s voice faded, everyone flipped over their blackboards.
[Big Star] [Best Newcomer Award] [Magnolia Award for Best Actress] [Best Actress Nomination] [Acting]
When they saw Su Miao’s board, everyone looked at each other with confusion. Was her goal a bit too simple? With her great looks, she could easily get a lead role once her acting improved.
When Su Miao wrote those two words, she was thinking of Bai Jin. Her short-term goal was to get Bai Jin to sign a long-term contract with her. As for her other big dreams, she had thought about them before.
She and her college roommates were eating hot pot in the dining hall late one night. A large TV was hanging on the wall, and the auntie with the remote control was flipping through channels. Suddenly, she landed on the Magnolia Awards ceremony. As students from an acting academy, they were all especially interested in these awards shows. Chen Yin immediately told the auntie not to change the channel. The auntie saw that all of them were quite pretty, and she figured they were probably acting students, so she listened to them and put down the remote control. “You don’t even have to guess who’s going to win Best Actress. It’s going to be An Yixin.”
An Yixin was the most popular actress that year. Her drama The Qin School was a huge hit. The male lead was a little-known actor, but with his great looks and excellent acting, he quickly became an A-list star. That year, the theme song from The Qin School was played in every store and on every street corner. Su Miao had also watched the show right away. Everyone’s acting was great, and with the high-quality production, it was clear that the show was made to be a hit.
“I agree,” Chen Yin said. “There’s basically no competition.” The friends who were eating hot pot with her put down their chopsticks. It was time for the Best Actress nominations, and the host started introducing the nominees and playing clips of their best scenes. An Yixin’s clip was a scene where she lost her true love. Her eyes were filled with sorrow, but she tirelessly danced with her sword. In the rainy night, she was wearing a long red dress that looked so painful and tragic. Su Miao was moved by the scene and could feel her sadness through the screen.
That night, an older actress was announcing the Magnolia Award for Best Actress. She looked at the list in her hand, smiled kindly, leaned into the microphone, and said four words. “The unanimous choice.”
In an instant, everyone’s eyes were on An Yixin. The actresses she was competing against all went over to hug and congratulate her. The camera cut to a close-up, and An Yixin humbly responded to every person who congratulated her. The older actress stood on the stage, looking at the young actress with pride and excitement, and called out her name, “An Yixin!”
An Yixin elegantly walked to the center of the stage with her dress lifted and accepted the trophy from the older actress. She looked at everyone in the audience, and her gaze landed on a specific spot with determination. A few tears fell, and she turned her back to wipe them away before facing the audience again. “I’m so surprised to have received this award. This has been my goal ever since I became an actress, and I can’t believe I’ve achieved it so quickly. It feels like a dream. The first person I want to thank is my agent, Bai Jin. You’ve always been with me on this journey. We’ve been through so many things together, and you’ve never given up on me. Thank you.”
The camera quickly cut to Bai Jin in the audience. She looked at the award-winning An Yixin with a proud smile. When she noticed she was on the big screen, she politely waved to the camera.
Su Miao felt a pang of sadness as she watched this scene. She was happy that An Yixin had received the award, but she also couldn’t help but wonder how wonderful it would be if she could do the same. It would be such a beautiful thing to win the highest honor and invite the person she loved most to share the glory.
“I’m going to stand there too,” Su Miao blurted out. Her roommates all heard her, but their reactions were minimal. They were all on the path to becoming actresses, and their ultimate goal was to stand on that very stage.
“Well, it seems Su Miao’s wish is very down-to-earth,” the host’s voice suddenly pulled Su Miao back from her memories. She glanced at the other people’s goals and replied, “I’m a complete newbie, so I hope to take things one step at a time. My goal is to work hard and act well to lay the foundation for all future possibilities.”
Su Miao’s answer was perfect. The host nodded in approval and then moved on to the next person. Everyone had their own thoughts, but after hearing Su Miao’s response, they all started to wonder if their goals were too ambitious and began to speak with more humility.
After the session, the host led them to the dining hall for dinner. “This is the dinner our production team has prepared for you. I hope you enjoy it. Starting tomorrow, you’ll have to make all three meals yourselves.” The host sat down in the empty seat next to Su Miao after guiding them to their seats. “Originally, there wasn’t a spot for me, but since Bai Jin isn’t here, I hope it’s okay for me to sit here.”
“It’s okay. It’s just a seat. I’m sure Bai Jin wouldn’t mind.” She was sure Bai Jin wouldn’t mind. Just as she understood why Bai Jin had to leave because her other artist was in trouble.
After the host sat down, the dishes were quickly served. There was a variety of dishes. But the moment she saw the steamed fish, Su Miao’s face changed instantly. She quickly lowered her head and tried to compose herself. As a mermaid, she had some fish-like qualities, and their family rule was that they couldn’t eat any seafood. Otherwise, they would be punished. It’s fine, it’s fine, just don’t eat it. Su Miao kept repeating this to herself, and after a few tries, she finally looked up at the dishes on the table again.
The host set the tone and said, “The food is all here. Everyone, please start eating. We’ve been interviewing for a while, so you must be hungry.”
One of the artists said, “Hunger is a necessary part of being an artist.” Everyone else at the table agreed and chuckled.
Su Miao didn’t laugh. She used the serving chopsticks to grab some spicy chicken and put it in her bowl. Then she quietly ate, wanting to fill her stomach quickly.
“Su Miao, why aren’t you eating the fish? The fish is steamed so tenderly and tastes so good.” Zhang Linyu picked up a piece of fish and was about to put it in Su Miao’s bowl, her eyes looking so clear and kind.
Su Miao pulled her bowl back as if she had been shocked by electricity and said coldly, “I can’t eat fish.”
Her kind gesture was rejected, but Zhang Linyu didn’t persist. She put the fish in her own bowl. “Okay then, I just thought it was really good. I saw you were only eating one dish, so I wanted to share with you.”
“Thank you,” Su Miao said. She felt that her reaction was a little too strong. Under the camera, any action would be magnified infinitely. Zhang Linyu was just being kind by trying to get her some food.