Love Rival Is Getting Prettier Everyday - Chap 22
Chapter 22: Stunning Comeback!
He loved his life and hated his death. Li Xu was a person who loved and hated very strongly, but he was very good at hiding it.
Every time Shen Jintai read the script, he would fall in love with the character a little bit more.
It was hard to land the male lead. Generally, the roles after usually weren’t that great. However, if they act well, they could outshine the male lead.
The drama adopted the model of filming while broadcasting. This was Shen Jintai’s first time trying such a model. Looking at the schedule, the broadcast would be one month after the start of filming, which would make the time very tight.
The disadvantage of this kind of model was that if the TV series being filmed and broadcast had a low rating, it could be cut off. The advantages were that the plot and characters could be adjusted through the audience’s feedback. If there were too many negative reviews, the characters that drag down the ratings too much could be removed. There were also situations where if the character became popular, a support role could replace the main protagonist.
The first 20 episodes were finalized. Both Yang Lizhi and Bai Qingquan had requirements in their contracts. Major changes were not allowed to affect their scenes in these 20 episodes. According to screenwriter Meng Xiaosheng, the drama was estimated to have 40 episodes.
If the ratings were strong, it wasn’t impossible to extend it later. In fact, he remembered that this TV series was indeed extended, and it ended up with 46 episodes.
The 46 episode TV series was broadcast twice a week. This not only made it popular, but gave it a lot of staying power. It would almost certainly be surrounded by heat for at least a year.
The next 26 episodes would really depend on fate. Of course, the main male and female protagonists were still the hero and heroine. The biggest change would be the fate of the supporting roles.
Shen Jintai was ambitious, and his ambitions did not just extend to TV series. He must not waste this chance. Whether he could turn over a new leaf or not was completely dependent on this drama that was about to set the world on fire.
—
The press conference was coming up, but Shen Jintai didn’t have the appropriate outfit to wear. His reputation was so bad, no brand was willing to lend him one out for fear of tarnishing their reputation. He decided he would rent an outfit from a small studio instead.
This studio specializes in serving artists. They carried a lot of high-end apparel in the store, but the possibility of renting something that would fit perfectly was basically 0%. Shen Jintai wasn’t able to find a suitable outfit. There were very few men’s clothes, and most of them were previously worn by stars from the 18th-tier. Still, he thought they were passable and felt that as long as no one was specifically out to blacken him, no one would notice.
Li Meilan didn’t think it would work.
“How do you know no one will blacken you? You’re being a bit too nonchalant about this. You have more moonlight powder than your own family. Their power alone is enough to stab you from head to toe. In any case, you used to endorse a top luxury brand. If you wear anything that’s not high-end, you’ll definitely be ridiculed. This is your comeback. We can’t make do with just anything.”
Following her intuition as an agent, Li Meilan felt that special attention should be given to his comeback. If they weren’t careful, this comeback debut could have become a mockery of the entire network. She felt that on the night of Shen Jintai’s comeback, no matter her personal status, clothes, or shoes, she had to make sure there would be no mistakes.
Shen Jintai also agreed. He couldn’t give people a feeling of exasperation, otherwise the internet public opinion would shame him to death. He decided to ask Mrs. Yan for help.
Mrs. Yan had been eagerly waiting to assist. “Next time you don’t speak up, I’ll drag you to go try on clothes.” Although she didn’t mix with the entertainment industry, she understood all the twists and turns of Vanity Fair. If Shen Jintai wanted to make a comeback, she would let him shine in all directions!
Mrs. Yan immediately ordered the driver to take them shopping. With her status as Fang Fengmei, no brand would dare neglect her! In most cases, these big-brand stores would have items for the season that haven’t been displayed yet. These items were usually reserved for high-end clientele, such as Mrs. Yan.
Mrs. Yan sat on the sofa drinking coffee and watching the staff help Shen Jintai get dressed. Horses relied on saddles, people relied on clothes, and top-notch men’s clothing was meant to be put on men’s body.
Shen Jintai felt he had become a phoenix. He didn’t really have a good frame for formal wear, but due to his height it was passable. Although he was a bit thin, he was in relatively good shape and had a straight waist and back. Besides these qualities, he really had nothing else going for him. As such, and to maintain his professionalism as a star, whenever he went out, he would pay special attention to his form and avoid hunching his back.
“This is Qiuchi’s favorite brand,” Mrs. Yan whispered. “He’s also attending your press conference. Show it off to him. As long as you’re not reckless, you will look just as good as others!”
With the clothes ordered, the next thing was to prepare for the press conference.
The investment scale of was massive. Sunshine Media heavily promoted this drama, so everyone was paying close attention to it. The press conference was scheduled for Friday night at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.
Many gold powder already knew about it, and Li Meilan had invited a few representatives to come show support.
The news of Shen Jintai’s planned return had been overwhelming. His recent activities gave away too many hints. Public opinion had been fermenting for a while and was about to explode. It wasn’t only Shen Jintai’s side that was excited and worried, but the crew themselves felt the same way.
Finding Shen Jintai as the second male lead was a surprise that fell from the sky. The crew and Sunshine Media were waiting with high anticipation. Their drama was certainly going to take the top publicity spot. With an ex-top idol and a current top idol who were rivals, plus the huadan, Yang Lizhi, they were wondering how many hot searches they could make.
With the combination of individual celebrities and several companies’ buying hype, this drama would dominate the hot searches tonight!
—
Bai Qingquan, who was wearing a custom-made suit, was admiring himself in front of a mirror.
The staff beside him couldn’t help but praise him, “really handsome, so handsome.”
Amidst a pile of rainbow farts, Bai Qingquan smiled slightly. He was good-looking. He had been on a diet and worked out, so his figure was in peak condition. He was born to wear clothes. Whether it was casual or formal, he could hold* it.
*Original was in English, refers to having the ability to do it.
“Tell my fans to bring more light signs to the scene today. I’m afraid Shen Jintai won’t be able to see it!” He said to Wei Ge. He wanted to flaunt his current popularity in front of Shen Jintai, showing off the moonlight that shone everywhere.
Even without his instructions, as the number one fan group that no one could contend with in terms of scale or energy, Moonlight Powders had already organized and prepared for the launch of the press conference half a month in advance. From controlling public opinion, countering black fans, ect, all these things had been arranged and there were absolutely no shortcomings. They even set up a special “gold extinction action team”. There was no way in hell they were letting Shen Jintai make a comeback! It was no longer a secret that Shen Jintai was going to participate .
“Do you know what clothes Shen Jintai will wear?” he asked Wei Ge.
Wei Ge said, “Don’t worry about him. How could he compare with you now?”
It’s not just about appearance. Beauty can nourish people as well. Bai Qingquan had been blessed with the spring breeze in the past two years. His body was full of a top-notch aura. His self-confidence radiated from his bones. This was the starlight cultivated from pampering and love that could only be found in popular people.
“He has always liked to show off in fancy clothes,” Bai Qingquan said. “Although he has been very low-key these days, I believe that it’s easier to move mountains and rivers than to change a person’s nature*. This time it’s his comeback. It’s impossible for him to not take it seriously.”
*Idiom that should be self-explanatory. Basically, people don’t easily change.
According to his understanding of Shen Jintai, Shen Jintai must have been repressing himself all this time and was about to explode tonight. Maybe the recent changes in his looks, from the low eyebrows to the smooth ears, were all fake so that he could put on a show for tonight. Hehe!
Bai Qingquan glanced in the mirror again. He usually didn’t wear makeup. However, for today’s event, he specifically invited a top makeup artist to paint him. His already beautiful face was decorated with meticulous makeup that made his beauty shine even brighter. His body seemed to be radiating.
Tonight, let him use this flourishing beauty to completely defeat Shen Jintai!
Ho, ho, ho!
—
“Report! Shen Touhua really is coming back. He’s in DGLL. It’s set!”
“I saw it! I saw it! Someone posted a photo of the backstage and saw Shen Touhua!”
“Fuck me. I’m a little excited about what’s going on. Does anyone have the source of the pictures? I want to see!”
“I want to see how wonderful Shen Touhua will be this time! Arrange the red-haired flower skirt!”
“The picture is here!”
Someone immediately posted a picture of the backstage. The picture wasn’t very clear. It was a group of people surrounding a dressing room. There were several familiar faces from the entertainment industry. Shen Jintai was standing in the upper right corner of the picture, but there were many people in front of him, blocking the view. It didn’t show his attire, only traces of his black hair could be seen.
“Wow!”
“Wow, Shen Touhua really had a change of face!”
“Pull it down*. The hair may be normal, but the clothes must still be blinding! Just wait and see!”
*(拉倒吧) Northeastern dialect that has the same meaning as “forget it” but it’s a bit deeper. The meaning is a bit more contemptuous.
“It seems like these days the hype was true about him preparing for his comeback. I just didn’t expect that he would participate in !”
“He’s actually in the same drama as Bai Qingquan? Is he crazy or is Bai Qingquan crazy? Aren’t they rivals?!”
“I don’t know which of them is crazy, but their fans certainly are already crazy.”
“I’m so excited! I’m so excited! I want to see them tear each other up. It’s been so quiet in my district lately.”
“I think that it’ll be in the hot search soon. I think eight groups have already swiped the screen.”
“Bai Qingquan’s acting only depends on whether the script is good or bad. It is not up to him to decide with which actors he cooperates. Please don’t tie him to Shen Touhua, thank you!”
“Shen Jintai’s comeback was really painstaking. He made small moves behind the scenes to replace the second male lead. All I can say is hehe! I don’t want to tie Bai Qingquan to this bloodsucker!”
“Please Shen Touhua, let my brother go!”
“Shen Touhua flower Shen Touhua.” Attached were GIFs of ghosts and animals twisting around with scarlet flowers on their heads.
“Moonlight powder arrived at the scene so quickly, hahaha!”
“Hurry up and tear it up! Tear Shen Jintai apart!”
“I’m not doing anything tonight. I want to watch the live broadcast!”
“Post the live broadcast address, and I want to watch too!”
“I have posted a live broadcast, so cuckoos are welcome to go in and chat together! “
The red carpet was already in progress. The venue was a large auditorium. Their group of actors have already arrived backstage, waiting to walk it one by one.
In addition to the actors who participated in the show, there were also representatives of the producers and investors of the show. Yan Qiuchi, as the producer, also attended the press conference and had already taken a seat on the stage.
Shen Jintai put his hand in his pocket and lowered his head slightly.
Li Meilan passed through the crowd and asked in a low voice, “Are you nervous?”
Shen Jintai raised his head and looked at Li Meilan with a smile. His eyes were a little moist. “A little bit.”
“Don’t be nervous. You were born to belong on the stage. Everything will be fine.” Li Meilan was also very emotional. She was nervous, tense, and excited inside.
Shen Jintai nodded. Yang Lizhi and Bai Qingquan took the lead, followed by Song Wei and other veteran celebrities. He lined up in the middle, and everyone was separated by a distance and obeyed the dispatching arrangements.
“Shen Jintai, follow me,” the dispatcher said.
Shen Jintai breathed a sigh of relief and followed the dispatcher to the entrance of the red carpet. Someone was already taking pictures of him with his mobile phone. He stood in the shadow and looked out and saw Yan Qiuchi sitting in the first row on the stage.
He could only hear the deafening shouts of moonlight powders all calling out “Bai Qingquan, Bai Qingquan!” Their shouts were fanatical and passionate. The sparkling lights of cameras kept flashing, but Bai Qingquan, Yang Lizhi, and others had already mastered the art of not blinking from the flashes. The men looked handsome and gentle, while the women were bright and domineering. This kind of reversal of traditional gender roles had a certain CP charm to it.
Shen Jintai’s heart was beating fast. He suddenly saw a girl next to him holding a bunch of bright red roses.
He walked over and asked in a low voice, “Can you give me one?”
The girl was taken aback and nodded.
“Thank you.”
“Shen Jintai, you’re up!” the dispatcher shouted.
Shen Jintai put the rose in his chest pocket, slowly exhaled, straightened his lower back, and walked into the light.
“Shen Jintai!” He heard someone shout.
The cameras all turned to him at once, flashing non-stop. Shen Jintai felt a little dizzy, but he calmed down, smiled, and waved as he walked along the red carpet.
These long and short guns* all seemed to be focusing on him.
*Slang referencing to the cameras in the hands of photographers.
Bai Qingquan, who was walking ahead, suddenly found all the flashing lights had moved away from him. He was flabbergasted. Fuck!
His heart started aching. History was about to repeat itself again. Where there was Shen Jintai, there was no light for him!
He looked back and saw that Shen Jintai was dressed in a formal suit with normal black and white colors. A single red rose stretched out of his breast pocket seemed to accentuate his entire figure. The flashing lights around him were dazzling like stars. He walked with firm steps. Under the night sky, he was like a flower bathed in moonlight.
The author has something to say:
Coming up next, we have: double-beauty drama, beauty upgrades, sexy upgrades, love rivals, and lovers that are stupidly confused. The fragrance1 is coming, and the vinegar jar2 is ready! Brothers and friends are rivals in the Shura field3. The desperate pursuit of the wife in the crematorium4. The face-slapping will be satisfying. The whole staff is really fragrant, but they are getting more and more flowers from Gaoling5, and what they’re known for is distributing regret pills6!
1Reminder: (真香) – Slang that means a situation where a person originally made up his mind not to do something or did something, but in the end, he took the initiative to act in the opposite direction.
2Being jealous.
3Tragic battlefield. Could also mean a person who is fighting to the death in a difficult situation.
4Genre in novels where one character hurts their lover, realize their mistake, and do their best to seek their forgiveness.
5I think this is referring to a place in ancient China known for ceramic culture and natural ecology… and a guess medicine (see clarity)
6Clarity: I think the reference the author is making here is that the staff (who’s looking down on Shen Jintai now) is going to have a reverse 180 (really fragrant) and will regret their decision on looking down on him (pills from Gaoling).
The follow-up novel , is a novel of a reverse transmigration in the entertainment circle.
