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Buzz,
The sudden vibration jolted Zhang Liwei awake from her sleep.
Still half-dreaming, she reached out from under the covers, grabbed her phone from the bedside table, and groggily pressed the power button hard, turning off the preset wake-up alarm.
The curtains in the room were tightly drawn, casting the space into dim darkness. Only a few faint rays of light seeped through the gaps. Zhang Liwei lay still in bed for several minutes, allowing her mind and body to fully adjust to being awake before calmly getting up and slipping on her clothes.
She was already in her mid-twenties, still in her prime, radiant with youth. But beauty fades fast, and if she didn't start taking care of herself now, by the time she hit thirty, any effort would be twice as hard for half the effect.
Zhang Liwei cherished herself. She had learned the art of self-care early on and made sure to always face her work with her best mental and physical state.
And it was precisely this discipline that helped her stand out among many competitors and win a rare opportunity.
She was currently filming the TV drama 'Autumn in My Heart', playing the role of Cui Xin'ai,
A character whom everyone absolutely despised.
After washing up in the bathroom, Zhang Liwei spent a full hour on her morning beauty regimen, applying facial masks, nourishing her eyes, and deep-cleaning oil and residue from her pores.
As a professional actress, pre-shoot makeup was a must. But all those cosmetics sped up the aging of her baby-soft skin. Failing to protect and prep it beforehand would be irresponsible, to say the least.
Still, very few people were like Zhang Liwei, willing to wake up an hour early just to do skincare.
Once she finished, she changed into her workout clothes and headed to the hotel gym for her morning exercise.
When Zhang Liwei arrived at the dining hall, it was already 7:30 a.m.
Most of the 'Autumn in My Heart' cast and crew were already there having breakfast. Everyone needed to leave before 8:00 a.m. to begin the day's filming on set.
And it wasn't just their team in the dining hall, there were also crews from other productions. The place was buzzing with activity.
They were staying at Qunyi Village, an apartment-style hotel in the Jinling Film & TV City, which served as the residential base for countless production teams. While the facility wasn't as luxurious as a true five-star hotel, its prime location and full amenities made it incredibly convenient.
Since Jinling Film City opened for business, there had never been fewer than three film crews stationed at Qunyi Village at any time, even during Chinese New Year. At its peak, more than a dozen crews could be found there.
"Good morning, Miss Zhang!"
"Morning, Sister Wei!"
"Good morning, Sister Wei!"
As Zhang Liwei walked in, many people greeted her, even some who weren't part of the 'Autumn in My Heart' crew.
But they all knew her name, and a few even rushed over, trying to help her get breakfast.
In their eyes, Zhang Liwei could clearly see admiration… and envy.
This kind of treatment was something she had never experienced before.
Zhang Liwei was 25 years old. She graduated from Shanghai Film Academy, and had started acting at 19. She'd done a few small ads and some minor roles, but she remained mostly unknown, never landing a significant part.
After graduating, she and some friends moved to Capital City to chase their dreams. She signed with a third-rate talent agency, and after years of struggle, her biggest role had only been a tertiary supporting character. She could walk the streets and not a single person would recognize her.
Some of the friends who came with her gave up and switched careers. Others simply got married and settled down. Only she clenched her teeth and stuck it out, working hard and continuing to learn.
Then, just like that, a ray of light broke through.
Even now, Zhang Liwei still felt like she was dreaming.
She was famous.
It happened like a summer thunderstorm, sudden, wild, and catching her completely off guard.
Strictly speaking, it was the drama 'Autumn in My Heart' that became a hit. The latest episode had reached a 0.55% national viewership rating, topping all domestic dramas of the same genre and becoming a viral sensation online.
Before filming this drama, Zhang Liwei's Weibo (Langchao Blog) account had just over 500,000 followers.
That number might look decent at first glance, enough to qualify her as a minor "V-list" influencer, but she knew very well that most of those were bot followers paid for by her agency.
Normally, her posts only got a few dozen comments. A few hundred at most.
But now, her blog followers had skyrocketed to 1.2 million, and they were all real fans.
Just yesterday, during a break on set, she posted a behind-the-scenes photo. By that night, it had received tens of thousands of likes, with shares and comments both exceeding 10,000. It was a whole new world compared to her old life.
To be honest, Zhang Liwei never even dreamed that before this show had finished airing, she would already be rising to stardom and climbing the ranks of the industry.
The only minor frustration was this,
Her blog comment section was full of people cursing her out.
Of course, it wasn't because she had done something wrong in real life.
It was because her character, Cui Xin'ai, was so easy to hate.
All that rage?
It was directed at Cui Xin'ai, played by Zhang Liwei.
Even Zhang Liwei herself had nothing to say after reading the entire script, her character was just that infuriating. But as an actress, Zhang Liwei knew that her job wasn't just to showcase a character's traits; she had to dig deep into the character's inner world.
Cui Xin'ai, as terrible as she was, was still a girl who lacked love and longed for it. Most of her behavior came from a place of emotional imbalance. She wasn't evil to the core. Her persistence and struggle in loneliness were still worthy of recognition.
Capturing that delicate balance wasn't easy, it demanded a high level of acting skill.
Zhang Liwei read the script more than a dozen times, over and over again. Fortunately, she had the opportunity to frequently discuss it with the screenwriter, allowing her to understand the character's mindset and bring her to life, not as a mechanical performance, but as a real person with flesh and blood.
It was exactly this kind of effort and dedication that earned her recognition from the director, her colleagues, and countless fans.
After picking two eggs, a glass of milk, and a few slices of bread at the buffet, Zhang Liwei found an empty seat and sat down.
Just as she was halfway through breakfast, a middle-aged woman with a slightly old-fashioned look hurried over.
She greeted her excitedly: "Liwei!"
Zhang Liwei looked up and gave a soft smile. "Sister Dai, have you had breakfast yet?"
The makeup artist sitting next to Zhang Liwei had just finished and got up, offering the seat.
"Thank you, thank you!" Sister Dai said as she sat down, then leaned in and began speaking in a low voice.
Sister Dai was Zhang Liwei's agent.
Zhang Liwei had already gone through two previous agents, Sister Dai was her third, assigned by the talent agency she had signed with.
Truthfully, Zhang Liwei didn't particularly like her.
Sister Dai was a veteran at the agency, shrewd, calculating, and opportunistic. She managed four artists in total and had barely paid attention to Zhang Liwei before, since she was the least known among them and never tried to curry favor.
Zhang Liwei landed the role of Cui Xin'ai entirely through her own effort and luck, with almost no help from Sister Dai.
In fact, Zhang Liwei even knew that when Qian De Studio was casting, Sister Dai actually tried to push for a different actress in her roster.
But in the end, Zhang Liwei got the part.
It was said that Sister Dai was so displeased she badmouthed her at the company afterward.
When Zhang Liwei first arrived in Jinling, Sister Dai didn't even bother to accompany her, she didn't even assign her an assistant.
Everything changed after 'Autumn in My Heart' premiered.
Once the show's ratings broke 0.3%, Sister Dai rushed to Jinling in person, and even brought along a personal assistant for Zhang Liwei.
Most importantly, Sister Dai's attitude changed drastically. No longer did she act high and mighty. After the show's ratings exceeded 0.5%, she was practically a different person, friendly, even fawning.
Zhang Liwei found it both amusing and bittersweet.
But she didn't let it get to her head. She didn't take this opportunity to retaliate or act bossy just because she was finally getting attention.
In the entertainment industry, people followed success and status like shadows. This kind of behavior was all too normal. To be fair, Sister Dai had at least managed to negotiate a decent contract for her when she landed the role, even if it meant Dai herself took a cut of the earnings.
Zhang Liwei knew very well that Sister Dai was now worried she might switch agents since she was on the rise.
At least for now, Zhang Liwei had no such plans.
But of course, she wouldn't say that out loud, better to keep Sister Dai guessing.
She chuckled inwardly. She really was starting to resemble Cui Xin'ai a little.
Sister Dai had rushed over this morning with exciting news: a well-known fashion brand was interested in signing Zhang Liwei for an endorsement deal.
They were impressed with her image and potential and wanted to sign a two-year contract.
The terms were quite attractive.
Zhang Liwei listened calmly while finishing her breakfast. Then she replied: "Sister Dai, let's put that offer on hold for now. I think 'Autumn in My Heart''s ratings can go even higher."
If this had been just two weeks ago, she would've signed the deal in a heartbeat, even for half the offer or less.
But now, it was obvious the brand was trying to snatch a bargain.
Sister Dai was speechless.
She hadn't expected Zhang Liwei to respond so rationally. She had planned to surprise her with this news, to win her over.
And now she realized, she barely knew the real Zhang Liwei.
Zhang Liwei was far more mature, rational, and self-assured than she had assumed. She had her own judgment and wouldn't just let herself be pushed around.
Sister Dai suddenly felt a deep sense of panic, as if she was about to lose a treasure.
But Zhang Liwei didn't care what Sister Dai thought. After finishing her breakfast at a leisurely pace, she called over her assistant and boarded the crew's rental bus to head to set.
Today's shooting schedule was packed with multiple scene changes.
Once she got off the bus, Zhang Liwei spotted two familiar figures not far away. Her face instantly lit up with a radiant smile, and she practically jogged over in excitement.
"Sister Fei, Teacher Lu, good morning!"
Among the entire 'Autumn in My Heart' crew, aside from the director, Zhang Liwei respected these two the most,
Lu Chen and Chen Fei'er.
Especially Lu Chen, her gratitude toward him came from the bottom of her heart.
(Chapter end)
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