Transmigrated into the Film Empress Sister's Sugar Baby Alpha (GL) - Chapter 5
Zhu Li’s jaw almost dropped to the floor.
Jiang Wu, despite having no awards, was quite famous. She had several hit dramas to her name, and among actresses of her generation, her achievements and popularity were top-notch. If it weren’t for Ji Xiangyu overshadowing her, she would have been immensely successful.
However, the conflict between Ji Xiangyu and Jiang Wu was not something Shen Yishu, an obscure celebrity, was qualified to get involved in.
Hearing Shen Yishu’s sarcastic remarks, Zhu Li almost burst into tears.
Jiang Wu couldn’t take on Ji Xiangyu, but crushing a small-fry like Shen Yishu would be effortless. For a popular celebrity, using their resources to blacklist a minor one was practically a flick of the wrist.
Zhu Li thought with a distraught face, Shen Yishu wouldn’t possibly believe that if she spoke a few words for Film Empress Ji, Ji Xiangyu would look at her differently, would she?
That was the film empress known for her cold demeanor and cold heart, with zero scandals in ten years of debut. Zhu Li had worked in the industry for several years and had never heard of anyone flattering Ji Xiangyu successfully. There were plenty of people who wanted to stand up for Ji Xiangyu, but Ji Xiangyu simply didn’t buy it.
Shen Yishu, in the eye of the storm, couldn’t experience Zhu Li’s anxiety about potentially losing her job.
She had originally intended to simply observe and see how Ji Xiangyu would handle this workplace sabotage, but Ji Xiangyu was particularly weak today, and Shen Yishu couldn’t just stand by. After all, she was the one who had marked her yesterday. She couldn’t completely distance herself.
Even though Ji Xiangyu’s words implied she wanted nothing to do with her, Shen Yishu still couldn’t bear to watch Ji Xiangyu in such a pathetic state.
She stood behind Ji Xiangyu, and the Alpha’s warmth continuously flowed to Ji Xiangyu, who was shivering from the cold, like a bonfire in the snow. Ji Xiangyu lowered her gaze, looking neither at Jiang Wu nor at Shen Yishu.
Shen Yishu didn’t know what she was thinking.
Two seconds later, Ji Xiangyu closed the cup lid and let out a light laugh.
Her voice had always been clear, like a mountain spring, icy, yet leaving a sweet aftertaste in the throat.
“What Shen Yishu said is true, work on your acting skills,” Ji Xiangyu looked up, a hint of sarcasm on her lips, “Don’t let the next time we meet be when you’re still sitting with the crew, watching me receive an award.”
Jiang Wu: ?
Ji Xiangyu’s reply was essentially publicly supporting Shen Yishu.
She then re-examined Shen Yishu, who had just spoken disrespectfully to her.
Shen Yishu stood confidently, accepting her gaze. Before transmigrating, she had given public speeches and presentations on countless occasions, so she was never afraid of being in crowded places.
Her eyes curved in a smile, filled with mockery, showing no fear. She wore an exquisite costume, a dark-colored robe embroidered with subtle gold, exuding an undeniable nobility and pride.
Jiang Wu knew Shen Yishu.
To be precise, she knew the original Shen Yishu. Before Ji Xiangyu joined the crew, the two had filmed several scenes together. Jiang Wu remembered that two days prior, Shen Yishu had thrown a tantrum at her assistant in the hallway after several NGs and even made someone go buy barbecue for her late at night.
Jiang Wu eyed Ji Xiangyu suspiciously, wondering how such a rogue had managed to win Ji Xiangyu’s favor.
She was about to speak, but Ji Xiangyu interrupted her with a gesture.
Ji Xiangyu handed the water cup back to Shen Yishu, waved away the blanket offered by her assistant, and called out “Fourth time” to the bewildered director outside the frame.
Shen Yishu understood it was her cue to leave, but then Ji Xiangyu gripped her wrist.
The fingers on her wrist were cold and slightly trembling from the chill, unable to control their strength, causing Shen Yishu’s slender wrist to redden, as if grabbing a piece of driftwood.
Ji Xiangyu paused for two seconds, then slowly and softly said, “Come to my room after filming.”
Shen Yishu was about to say that wasn’t a good idea when Ji Xiangyu forcefully pushed her out of the shot.
She turned back blankly, just in time to see Ji Xiangyu suppress the smile on her lips, like a crescent moon, hooking the gently swaying pond water, making one’s heart sway as well.
By the time she obediently sat back down on her stool, Ji Xiangyu had already returned to her original position, her cold demeanor restored, letting the makeup artist adjust her clothes and makeup, waiting for the director to call action.
Jiang Wu suppressed the frustration in her heart, retreated off-set, and waited for the scene to begin.
Shen Yishu turned and saw Jiang Wu’s indignant expression, sensing that after today’s filming ended, Jiang Wu was likely to cause her trouble.
If it were the original owner, she might genuinely be scared. But Shen Yishu wasn’t from this world and didn’t have a real sense of Jiang Wu’s popularity, so naturally, she wasn’t particularly afraid. She averted her gaze and focused on Ji Xiangyu in the scene.
While both were beautiful “sisters,” the straightforward beautiful sister was more appealing than the scheming one.
This take went extremely smoothly. After such a big commotion, Jiang Wu didn’t dare to do anything else.
The minor friction didn’t affect Ji Xiangyu’s performance. She knelt down, and the bravest daughter of the Zhou family returned. Jiang Wu, feeling a lump in her throat, wanted to compete with Ji Xiangyu in acting. This scene wasn’t her focus, and she made no mistakes, passing in one take.
The director called “cut.” Ji Xiangyu’s assistant rushed over with a blanket, wrapping it around Ji Xiangyu’s trembling, cold body.
Ji Xiangyu, wrapped in the blanket, took the thermos handed by her assistant. The rising steam dispelled some of the chill. Through the mist, Ji Xiangyu vaguely saw Shen Yishu with her head tilted, eyes lowered, a smile on her lips, listening to Zhu Li say something, and then letting out two soft laughs after hearing it.
She averted her gaze, let out a cold snort, and walked to the lounge.
Sure enough, a scumbag Alpha is a scumbag Alpha, always trying to flirt with anyone.
In reality, Zhu Li was almost crying, frowning, and speaking quickly.
“Sister Shen, you’ve provoked Jiang Wu, she’s going to cause you trouble!” Zhu Li shuddered just thinking about the look Jiang Wu gave her when she left.
“Mhm, mhm.” Shen Yishu heard it in one ear and out the other.
“If she tries to blacklist you, what will you do if you can’t get any roles?!”
Shen Yishu lowered her eyes, thought for a moment, and replied with a smile, “I have money.”
Zhu Li: …
Shen Yishu felt someone watching her. When she looked up, she only saw black hair swaying, and the mist mixed with a faint rosemary scent brushed past, like a kitten scratching her palm, soft and ticklish.
After calming Zhu Li, Shen Yishu had to go film her scene.
Compared to Ji Xiangyu’s arduous filming schedule today, her own scenes today were quite easy, even a bit fortunate.
She sat down on a long bench with a slight sense of novelty. Around her sat four or five beautiful actresses with exquisite makeup, all dressed flamboyantly. Wine glasses and fruit props were placed on the low table. Shen Yishu, with a flick of her wide sleeve, completely embodied the image of a dissolute playgirl.
Today, she was filming the scene where, while Zhou Yi was pleading with her father in the rain for permission to marry, Li Jin was in her palace, drinking and playing with her maids. When a servant reported that Zhou Yi was kneeling in the rain, Li Jin, drunk, told the servant not to spoil her good mood.
No one’s heart turns bad; it’s bad from the start, just hidden beneath a refined shell, not immediately apparent. The more Li Jin trampled on Zhou Yi’s sincerity, the more precious Zhou Yi’s and General Mu’s feelings seemed.
This scene was done twice.
The first time, Shen Yishu couldn’t get into character and was awkward flirting with the extras, so the director called “cut.”
The second time, she got into character. A maid handed her a wine glass, and she embraced the maid’s shoulder, letting the maid feed the wine glass to her lips. The two chatted and drank, and Li Jin’s demeanor and actions were utterly debauched.
The director saw her expression and joked with the crew members beside him: “It’s easy to play a character that aligns with the actor’s personality.”
Just then, Ji Xiangyu, who had taken off her wig and changed out of her wet costume, walked by. Hearing this, she looked towards Shen Yishu, who was sitting on the elevated platform, and Shen Yishu happened to be looking at the front camera.
Their gazes briefly met in the air. Shen Yishu recited her lines, her eyes sparkling, like a reflection of the Milky Way, smiling radiantly.
Ji Xiangyu subtly looked away and left.
On the way back to the hotel after filming, Zhu Li chattered on while seeing her off.
“If Jiang Wu causes you trouble, just back down immediately. Ji Xiangyu definitely won’t stick up for you. Don’t go looking for trouble yourself.”
“If it really comes down to it, call me. I’ll go apologize to her. It’s not easy for anyone to debut. Didn’t you still want to become Ji Xiangyu 2.0? Ji Xiangyu wasn’t this wild before she got famous.”
Shen Yishu didn’t listen to a word.
She casually mumbled a few perfunctory replies, exited the elevator, and still had Ji Xiangyu’s words about coming to her room tonight on her mind.
After walking two steps, she saw a figure leaning against her hotel room door.
Even though she was wearing a mask and hat, completely covering herself, Shen Yishu recognized her at a glance.
—Jiang Wu.
Author’s Note:
Later, when Shu Shu and “Sister” chatted in bed about their early debut days, “Sister” had something to say: You might not know, but I was even wilder when I first debuted.