Weak A, She Just Wants to Live to the End (GL) - Chapter 9

Unexpectedly, Lin Anan and Wu Xixi received a call from Li Sheng the day after they went back.

Perhaps their conversation yesterday had an effect, as Li Sheng had arranged an opportunity for her to show her face—to help a very popular live stream shopping host sell products.

To be precise, she wouldn’t be selling products. She was just supposed to go up and help energize the atmosphere when the host took a break. The host would also take the opportunity to mention Lin Anan.

Even though it wasn’t a formal gig, taking this step was a good start.

And Wu Xixi had checked; the host’s popularity was high. If she could appear on camera, she would at least catch the attention of a few viewers.

So, the next day, Wu Xixi and Lin Anan asked for time off again and went to the management company for the live stream.

The live stream was scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m., but Li Sheng had told Lin Anan to arrive before 2:00 p.m. She didn’t understand why she had to be so early until she got there—it was two hours of makeup for five minutes on camera.

Li Sheng had the makeup artist pick out a few cute and natural-looking outfits for Lin Anan. After comparing them, they chose a light blue one. Then he told her to change and wait in line for her turn to get her makeup done.

During her free time while waiting, Wu Xixi handed Lin Anan a few drafts of talking points she had gotten from the stage manager and told her to memorize the content.

After reading the content, Lin Anan and Wu Xixi looked at each other, both with a look of astonishment.

They didn’t expect that the seemingly spontaneous live streams were all scripted. Even the few seemingly impromptu conversations on camera were planned out in advance.

But astonishment aside, Lin Anan was determined to seize this long-awaited opportunity.

While Lin Anan was diligently memorizing her talking points, she occasionally glanced at the makeup artist doing makeup for the popular host, Mini. She didn’t know how many layers of makeup the artist had put on Mini, but an hour had passed by the time she was finished.

After the makeup artist put the final touch on Mini’s eyebrows, she stepped away to look at the overall effect. Lin Anan looked up from her script out of curiosity, and her eyes lit up.

Although the makeup artist was already working on Mini’s makeup when she arrived, Mini was almost bare-faced then. Now that her makeup was done, her entire look was brand new.

The makeup artist also seemed very satisfied with the natural effect. She packed up her makeup box and started to get Mini’s hair ready.

Lin Anan couldn’t help but say, “Wow, you look so good.”

Mini glanced at Lin Anan and said in a nonchalant tone, “You’re Lin Anan, right?”

Lin Anan remembered that she needed this host to promote her today, so she gave her a friendly smile. “Yes, I’m Lin Anan. Please take care of me today.”

The host didn’t say a word. She lowered her head and looked at her nails, not showing any intention of responding to Lin Anan.

Lin Anan felt a little embarrassed. She looked at Wu Xixi behind her and shrugged helplessly.

The host quickly got her hair done and went into the live stream studio. The makeup artist moved her makeup case in front of Lin Anan’s mirror and started getting her makeup ready.

Lin Anan still held the draft scripts, muttering a few lines.

Unconsciously, another hour passed. After the makeup artist finished her last stroke, she turned Lin Anan’s chair 180 degrees to face the mirror.

Lin Anan couldn’t believe the person in the mirror was herself.

The makeup artist had given her a natural and clear look, hiding her facial flaws and highlighting her features to make them look more three-dimensional and natural.

The makeup didn’t look heavy, but it had taken over an hour to create, making her look youthful and vibrant.

When Lin Anan was waiting outside the live stream studio after her hair was done, the live stream was already well underway.

After the host, Mini, finished selling a product, the stage manager gave her a signal to naturally introduce Lin Anan into her talking points.

Mini received the cue and immediately got into character. She said sweetly to the camera, “Thank you, my little darlings, for supporting me just now. I’m telling you, I was so busy today trying to lower the price of that fan you all liked that I didn’t even have time to eat.”

“Little darlings, let me take a break first.”

Then she pretended to naturally turn and reach for a cup. She then acted surprised to see Lin Anan and excitedly reached out to greet her. “Hey, isn’t that Anan? Is that Anan?”

A staff member outside the camera responded, “That’s Sister Anan.”

Mini pretended to be excited, got up, and shouted out to her, “Hey Anan, long time no see! Come over here and let me see you.”

Then she enthusiastically said to the camera, “Little darlings, my good friend is here. She’s an actress. How about I let her tell you a little bit about the product later?”

The stage manager gave Lin Anan a signal to go in. Lin Anan took one last look at the talking points in Wu Xixi’s hand, then put on a sweet smile and walked toward the camera. “Long time no see, Mini.”

Mini got up and gave Lin Anan a fake hug, pretending to be warm and friendly. “Yes, long time no see.”

Lin Anan followed the stage manager’s cue, nodded at the camera, and sat next to Mini. “Hello everyone, I’m actress Lin Anan.”

Mini also sat back down in her chair, took a sip of water from her cup, and pretended to be excited. “Anan, I can’t believe you’re at the company today!”

“We probably haven’t seen each other in over half a year, have we?”

Lin Anan didn’t know if the original owner had ever met Mini before, so she just went with the script she had memorized. “Yeah, it’s been over half a year.”

The host heard what Lin Anan said, turned to the camera, and smiled. “I’m telling you, little darlings, Anan and I have been friends for many years. We’ve been so busy lately that we haven’t had time to see each other. It’s such a surprise to see her today.”

At this point, the viewers started leaving comments. After a wave of compliments about how cute and pretty Lin Anan was, they started asking if she was a new host or a new assistant.

Mini ignored the viewers’ comments and pretended to chat with Anan about their lives.

Lin Anan answered all of her questions, following the script Wu Xixi had given her. Their relationship looked just like that of two old friends.

When the comments started to show signs of an argument, Mini, seeing that the emotions were ripe, deliberately leaned toward her phone, pretending to read the comments. “Isn’t it true, little darlings? I’m so happy to see Anan that I forgot to look at your questions.”

She held her phone and pretended to stumble over her words as she read. “You’re asking… if she’s… a new assistant?”

“Oh, no, no.”

“Is she… what, a new host?”

“Oh, no, no.”

…

After asking and answering herself a few times, Mini smiled brightly at the camera. “Oh, little darlings, you misunderstood. You don’t know this, but Anan is an actress.”

“She wasn’t feeling well a while ago, so the company canceled all her work and sent her abroad to recover. She just came back these past two days.”

Then she pretended to look at her phone again and read a viewer’s question. “This little fairy baby is asking… what TV shows has she been in?”

“I’m telling you, little darlings, Anan was in a TV show called The Jade before. She played Consort Chen in it, and she also filmed a shampoo commercial, yes, that refreshing shampoo.”

“Don’t let her lack of screen time fool you. She was just feeling unwell for a while. She actually has a lot of potential, and the company has high hopes for her.”

At this point, Lin Anan, following the script, humbly said, “Mini, that’s just a friendship filter. You’re making me sound so good. But I really have been arranging for new roles lately.”

The viewers on camera finally started to doubt Lin Anan’s identity. The stage manager quickly signaled for them to change the topic.

A staff member, following the pre-arranged plan, deliberately walked to the camera with a bowl of instant hot pot and asked the host, “Sister Mini, this is the instant hot pot you just lowered the price for. Do you want to sell it today?”

Mini pretended to have suddenly remembered. “Yes, of course! Didn’t some of the little darlings say a few days ago that they really liked this hot pot? I almost forgot about it.”

“Perfect, perfect. Let’s cook it right now so we can taste it for the little darlings first.”

After Mini said that, she took two bowls of pre-prepared instant hot pot from the staff member. She handed one to Lin Anan, and the two of them, in front of the camera, opened them and talked about them while they cooked them.

While the hot pot was cooking, the two of them sold a small item as a flash sale.

Mini, following the script, told the viewers that she was so happy Lin Anan was in the live stream studio that she was going to sell a hundred of them at a rock-bottom price.

The viewers started frantically grabbing the items, forgetting their questions about Lin Anan. Mini’s words also helped Lin Anan gain some favor with the audience.

After the flash sale was over, they both opened their hot pots.

Mini pretended to be surprised. “Oh my god, little darlings, this hot pot is so big after it’s cooked! I thought there was only going to be a little bit.”

“It seems to be a great value.”

“Anan, hurry and try this. Is it good? I heard some of the little darlings say that the essence of this hot pot is the beef.”

Lin Anan went along with her, picked up a piece of beef, took a bite, and pretended to chew it deliciously. “Wow, Mini, this is really good. How much is one bowl?”

Mini said, “The price of this hot pot has been lowered by me today. It’s a great deal.”

After she said that, she deliberately shouted to someone outside the camera, “A Ding, how much is this hot pot?”

The assistant, A Ding, replied from afar, “Sister Mini, it’s 100 for three bowls now.”

Lin Anan, as per the script, asked in a puzzled voice, “It’s only 100 for three bowls? Is it that cheap? I thought it was 60 per bowl before?”

Mini picked up a piece of fried tofu skin and took a bite. “Yeah, I just lowered the price yesterday.”

“Little darlings, this hot pot is a super great deal today. The price has been lowered, and the flash sale is only 100 for three bowls! You have to be quick to get it!”

Lin Anan smiled warmly. “It’s that cheap? Then when I leave later, please pack nine bowls for me.”

Mini quickly waved to a staff member. “Hey, A Ding, pack nine bowls for Anan to take with her later. Pack them now, or we’ll sell out.”

The two of them pretended to eat a few more bites of the hot pot. Then Mini put the item up for a flash sale and announced it was sold out.

Then A Ding pretended to shout from outside the camera, “Sister Anan! Sister Anan, Sister Xixi is calling you for a meeting.”

Lin Anan answered and then said to the camera, “Little darlings, I’ll see you next time. I have to go to a meeting for work now.”

Mini quickly had the staff remove the hot pot and then replied warmly, “Okay, okay, next time you have a new show, remember to come back and tell the little darlings who like you today.”

Lin Anan, following the stage manager’s instructions, quickly walked out of the camera’s view. As she walked toward the live stream studio door, she heard Mini add to the camera, “Anan came to the company for a meeting today and just happened to see me live streaming, so she came in. She’s busy with a new show right now.”

Then she changed the subject. “Hey, what price did you all want me to lower the other day?”

“Xiao Ding! What’s the next product? Bring it over and let me see…”

Lin Anan walked out of the live stream studio, feeling a huge sense of relief.

Before the live stream, Mini had been cold to her, and she had thought the live stream wouldn’t go well. She didn’t expect Mini to change her attitude so quickly. Her acting was so professional.

After the whole thing was over, if Lin Anan hadn’t known that this was her first time meeting Mini, she would have believed that the two of them were childhood friends.

The scene was so friendly she almost couldn’t keep up.

Wu Xixi came to greet her from outside and gave Lin Anan a thumbs-up. “Anan, you did a great job. It looked very natural.”

Lin Anan grabbed the back of her clothes, feeling a thin layer of sweat on her back.

The two of them composed themselves outside the live stream studio, then went back to the makeup room to remove their makeup and change their clothes. After that, they headed to Li Sheng’s office.

Lin Anan stood at the door of Li Sheng’s office and knocked. “Brother Li, it’s Anan.”

“Come in,” Li Sheng’s steady voice replied.

When Lin Anan pushed the door open, she was surprised to see that Li Sheng was watching the live stream they just did. Lin Anan heard her own voice coming from the computer. “It’s that cheap? Then when I leave later, please pack nine bowls for me.”

Li Sheng’s eyes moved from the computer to Lin Anan, a smile on his face. “You did well today. Your acting has improved a bit from before.”

In fact, Li Sheng had asked Lin Anan to come over and help Mini sell products to test her.

Based on his previous understanding of Lin Anan’s personality, she would have looked down on a live stream appearance like this. He didn’t expect her to agree without hesitation.

He didn’t really want to make things difficult for Lin Anan.

It was just that her initial impression of him was too bad. She was not only unprofessional but also picky about her work, constantly quitting without notice. Later, Bai Yunshuang told him not to worry about Lin Anan, so he just went with the flow and let her fend for herself.

He didn’t expect Lin Anan to suddenly show up after a period of being inactive. Her attitude and ideas were much better than before, so he decided to give her a chance to see what she could do. After all, her contract hadn’t expired, so he might as well get some use out of her.

He didn’t expect Lin Anan’s performance today to exceed his expectations. He finally had a better impression of her.

Lin Anan said politely, “Thank you for the compliment, Brother Li.”

Li Sheng didn’t reply. He continued to watch the fake interaction between Lin Anan and Mini on the computer. It wasn’t until Lin Anan was called away by the assistant A Ding that his eyes moved back to her. “How do you feel about today? Are you adapting well?”

Of course, Lin Anan didn’t dare to say she wasn’t adapting. She said obediently, “I’m okay. I’m adapting well.”

Li Sheng held a pen upright on his desk and tapped it rhythmically. After a moment of thought, he said, “Alright, you worked hard today. You can go back now. If I have any new work, I’ll contact you.”

Lin Anan didn’t dare to say anything more. She and Wu Xixi just said a few more words of thanks and left the management company.

In the following days, Li Sheng’s opinion of Lin Anan indeed changed. He helped her get many jobs. Although they were all small roles, for a small cannon fodder like Lin Anan, it was already a very good treatment.

By the second month, the two of them had simply quit their original jobs and began to focus on their acting careers.

Looking at their monthly salaries getting higher and higher, they couldn’t be happier.

But in their happiness, they were still a little cautious. As time went on, the two ticking time bombs who were filming in another province would soon be approaching.

So, they had to start taking precautions in advance.

For example, they started to intentionally check the artist lists for Lin Anan’s jobs. If they saw Yu Nanxi’s name, they would decline the job.

Although Li Sheng would occasionally get angry, he turned a blind eye to it and didn’t hold it against her since Lin Anan was obedient and worked hard.

And with all these jobs, Lin Anan slowly went from being an unknown extra to a low-level celebrity that audiences found a little familiar.