Transmigrated into the Film Empress Sister's Sugar Baby Alpha (GL) - Chapter 4
While getting her makeup done, Shen Yishu conveniently searched for the novel “Golden Hairpin” online.
As a revenge-fueled “cool text,” the original novel had an excellent reputation. It was the top 1 revenge novel of the year on Green River, a huge hit that broke out of its niche, with countless people giving it high ratings and shedding tears in the comment section.
While Browse topics on the Big Eye app (likely Weibo), Shen Yishu noticed that many of Ji Xiangyu’s fans didn’t support her taking on “Golden Hairpin.” The reason was simple: they believed Ji Xiangyu should take on more profound scripts instead of using her fame to make money by starring in IP dramas.
In contrast, a considerable number of original novel fans were overjoyed. They felt that Ji Xiangyu’s temperament matched that of Zhou Yi, who meticulously planned later in the story, and that as long as Ji Xiangyu’s name was attached, the drama wouldn’t flop.
With a hint of curiosity, Shen Yishu searched for the original content on Baidu Baike.
“Golden Hairpin” tells the story of Zhou Yi, the only daughter of the prestigious Zhou family in the capital of the Great Xia Dynasty, who wrongly gave her heart to and fell in love with Li Jin, the deposed crown princess. The Zhou family fully supported Li Jin’s ascension to the throne, solely so that Zhou Yi could become empress and live a carefree life.
In her youth, Li Jin swore an oath that Zhou Yi would be her only one, yet years after successfully ascending the throne, she brought back her distant cousin Li Yu and made her a consort. Later, Li Jin accused the Zhou family of disloyalty, had their property confiscated, exiled them, and placed Zhou Yi under house arrest.
During her reign, Li Jin was not a benevolent ruler. She was cruel and depraved, indulged in excess, and abused torture. The court and the common people suffered immensely, yet no one dared to show anger or speak out. During a flood in Jiangnan, Li Jin not only failed to open the national treasury for disaster relief but instead spent huge sums on lavish banquets in the palace.
Shortly after a banquet, Zhou Yi, under the guise of old affection, invited Li Jin for a quiet talk under the moonlight. She then drugged and knocked out Li Jin, and subsequently put her under house arrest. General Mu, the commander of the Imperial Guards who had recently been reassigned back from another region, had secretly loved Zhou Yi for many years and defected to the female lead between imperial power and justice. Li Jin’s distant cousin, Li Yu, also chose to support Zhou Yi because of General Mu.
Zhou Yi began to rule from behind a screen. Despite opposition, she managed the government affairs in an orderly manner and later ascended the throne with General Mu’s support.
During her reign, Zhou Yi never gave General Mu an official title, but General Mu always unconditionally supported all of Zhou Yi’s decisions, offered her strategies, and fought battles for her. They were lovers, but even more, soulmates.
As for Li Jin, she gradually went mad in confinement, finally witnessing Zhou Yi’s ascension to the throne, and then smashed her head against a pillar, dying.
After reading it, Shen Yishu was silent.
She hadn’t expected that she’d transmigrate to be a scumbag Alpha, and even in this drama, she was playing a scumbag empress. The word “scumbag” ran through her entire life. No wonder even with Ji Xiangyu in the cast, the director agreed to let her in. Playing a scumbag, as a scumbag, the director thought Shen Yishu was perfect.
“Scene one, action!”
When Shen Yishu came out, Ji Xiangyu was already in character.
This scene depicted Zhou Yi confessing her feelings for Li Jin to her family.
She wore a plain long robe, her dark hair cascaded like a waterfall, half of it pulled up with a wooden hairpin. Women in the Great Xia Dynasty could be emperors or officials. Zhou Yi was originally trained by her family for officialdom, but the crown princess Li Jin was deposed due to her mother’s concubine, and when she left the palace, she tearfully pleaded with Zhou Yi for help.
Zhou Yi’s heart softened, and she decided to seek her father’s help.
When Ji Xiangyu wasn’t in character, her aura was very sharp, exuding a “do not approach” vibe, arrogant and cold, like the moon in the sky, unattainable except for its reflection in water.
Once she entered character, all her cold arrogance receded, leaving only the integrity and pride befitting a scholar, like the wooden hairpin on her head, collecting her aura, as gentle as jade, yet unyielding.
“Father,” Zhou Yi stepped over the threshold and softly called out to the middle-aged man drinking tea on the seat, “Your daughter wishes to discuss something with you.”
Father Zhou placed his teacup on the wooden table, the bottom of the cup clinking against the saucer.
“If it’s about the former crown princess, then let’s not mention it again.”
Zhou Yi pursed her lips and remained silent for two seconds, then slowly spoke: “Your daughter only seeks to marry Li Jin. From now on, I shall bear any consequences myself.”
Shen Yishu moved a small stool and sat next to the director, crossing her legs, holding the script in one hand and propping her chin with the other, staring unblinkingly at Ji Xiangyu.
“Did I painstakingly teach you for so many years just for you to threaten me with your future?” Father Zhou violently smashed the teacup to the ground. The teacup shattered into pieces, and tea leaves spread with the spilled liquid.
—Just like the Zhou family ten years later, fractured and scattered.
Zhou Yi lowered her head, knowing she was at fault, but stubbornly refused to back down: “Your daughter did not.”
Father Zhou stood up, hands clasped behind his back, and left with a harsh statement: “Get out and kneel. Come back to me when you’ve thought it through!”
Shen Yishu felt quite a shock.
She somewhat understood why Ji Xiangyu’s fans wanted her to take on better scripts. “Golden Hairpin” wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t destined for awards. With Ji Xiangyu’s talent, she deserved deeper characters.
But when you’re working, who doesn’t look at the money? Shen Yishu didn’t think there was anything wrong with Ji Xiangyu’s choice. Using talent to make money or pursue dreams was not wrong.
Besides…
Shen Yishu looked at Ji Xiangyu, who was getting up to move to another spot to kneel, and met her gaze.
Because of the previous scene, Ji Xiangyu’s eyes were slightly red, making her look pitiable. Her thin lips were slightly pursed, revealing a hint of stubbornness. Her jawline was narrow, exuding an inherent coolness.
Shen Yishu couldn’t help but sigh, someone who looked like this was a treat for the audience just by appearing on screen, let alone having such excellent acting skills.
Ji Xiangyu seemed not to have expected to meet Shen Yishu head-on. A fleeting, almost imperceptible look of surprise crossed her face. The taut straight line of her thin lips curved, transforming from Zhou Yi back to Ji Xiangyu.
The moment the camera turned, she adjusted herself. When her face reappeared, she was Zhou Yi again.
According to the script, this scene involved rain, and the prop crew was bringing in high-pressure water guns, preparing for artificial rain.
Shen Yishu suddenly thought of something. She called Zhu Li and whispered a few words. Zhu Li nodded and scurried out of the set.
Today happened to be an overcast day. Jiang Wu, who played General Mu, was already waiting to go on set in a red outfit.
In the original novel “Golden Hairpin,” General Mu was portrayed as a deeply affectionate and enduring general. Shen Yishu’s peripheral vision caught Jiang Wu’s expression, and she felt something was off.
There was a two-minute pause in between. The makeup artist came up to re-set Ji Xiangyu’s makeup to prevent it from washing off when wet.
“Scene two, action!”
As the prop crew’s words fell, several high-pressure water guns were switched on.
Amidst the falling water droplets, the scene officially began.
First, they had to get wet before the scene could properly unfold. The high-pressure water guns provided ample water, and her hair was soaked in less than a minute. Water droplets gathered in her hair, flowing down her jawline and into her slightly open collar.
Wet clothes clung to her body, cold and sticky. Even with knee pads, kneeling was uncomfortable. Ji Xiangyu was inwardly impatient, but showed no sign of it outwardly.
Jiang Wu held an umbrella in her right hand, waiting for the director to count down her entrance.
“General Mu, prepare, enter.” As soon as the director’s words fell, General Mu slowly walked towards Ji Xiangyu.
This was a scene setting the groundwork for the blossoming emotional connection between the two female leads, excellent in both storytelling and visual appeal. According to the script, General Mu would stop by Zhou Yi’s side for a few minutes, with no dialogue in this scene, only a few close-up shots.
General Mu walked forward. Just as she was about to reach her designated spot, she suddenly stumbled.
“Cut!” The director frowned and called a halt. “What’s going on?”
Jiang Wu turned around and said to the director, quite embarrassed, “I’m sorry, my leg just cramped up. Shall we do it again?”
After apologizing to the director, she turned again and apologized to Ji Xiangyu, who was kneeling on the ground.
Ji Xiangyu stood up from the ground, glanced at her, and said nothing.
Shen Yishu subtly frowned. She was about to pull out her phone to look up Jiang Wu when Zhu Li ran in from outside with a cup and handed the glass water cup to Shen Yishu.
The cup with hot water was warm, even a little hot to the touch.
The director called for the second take. Ji Xiangyu straightened her costume and knelt down again.
Jiang Wu walked out of the frame, waiting for the director to call action.
The second time, Jiang Wu walked behind Ji Xiangyu, her forefoot even stepping on Ji Xiangyu’s costume.
The director impatiently called “cut” for the second time.
If the first time was an accident, the second time was quite obvious. Shen Yishu, holding the hot water cup, noticed that Ji Xiangyu’s complexion wasn’t good.
Normal Omegas usually enter a weak period for a few days after estrus. As long as they are generally healthy, they don’t need to pay special attention. It wasn’t quite autumn yet, and the morning temperature had already dropped. The wind swept across the wet set, and even Shen Yishu, wearing a T-shirt, felt a bit cold.
Even more so for a soaking wet Ji Xiangyu.
Ji Xiangyu said nothing and called for the third take.
Even a child knows that things shouldn’t happen more than three times. Unfortunately, Jiang Wu didn’t.
When the director called “cut” for the third time, Ji Xiangyu’s lips were an almost undisguisable pale.
She composed herself, looking at the smiling Jiang Wu, her tone icy.
“I remember you debuted in the same year as me.”
Jiang Wu froze for a moment, then replied with a cheerful smile, “Yes, by order of debut, you should even call me senior sister.”
Zhu Li whispered into Shen Yishu’s ear, “They debuted from the same company.”
Ji Xiangyu’s face was extremely cold, the arrogance suppressed by the wooden hairpin returning to her. “Ten years since debut, and your acting hasn’t improved at all. If you put more effort into your acting instead of other things, you wouldn’t even get a nomination.”
This remark undoubtedly hit Jiang Wu’s sore spot.
She had been in the industry for ten years without a single nomination. Netizens laughed that all her efforts in a decade couldn’t compare to Ji Xiangyu’s debut drama. Of course, she resented Ji Xiangyu. No actor didn’t want good scripts, no actor didn’t want award nominations.
Her face was extremely grim, but she still forced herself to remain calm. She just took two steps forward, wanting to pull Ji Xiangyu’s hand and feign deep sisterly affection.
Ji Xiangyu warily took two steps back. She had been kneeling for a long time, already exhausted, and her legs gave out, almost causing her to fall.
She would rather fall than take the hand of the person in front of her.
Shen Yishu put her arm around Ji Xiangyu’s waist, steadied her backward-leaning body, and then let go, only supporting Ji Xiangyu with her shoulder.
The still warm water cup was placed into Ji Xiangyu’s hand by Shen Yishu. The warmth dispelled some of the chill. Ji Xiangyu regained a little strength, unscrewed the cap, and took a couple of sips of the hot water, which also had red dates in it.
Shen Yishu looked at Jiang Wu with a cheerful smile and said, “Don’t be angry about nominations. If you haven’t gotten one now, you probably won’t in the future either.”
Jiang Wu: …
That was a brutal blow.