Su Zhiyi sat in the makeup room, the makeup artist applying her makeup. Today was her first day on set, and she didn't have many scenes. The male and female leads were currently filming a scene outside; all her scenes today were with the female lead. Once her makeup was done, she could go out and film with the female lead.
"Sister Zhiyi, your skin is so well-maintained," the makeup artist said, trying to get chummy while working. "I've wanted to do your makeup ever since I saw your unedited photos. I didn't expect to end up on the same set."
"Thank you," Su Zhiyi replied without moving much. "I'll have to trouble you for the next few days."
"No trouble at all. It's an honor to do your makeup."
Just as the makeup artist reached the eyeliner step, the door to the makeup room opened, and someone else entered. Her hand was steady, finishing the eyeliner smoothly the moment the person came in.
"Is there another makeup artist? Xiao He, you... you're doing Sister Zhiyi's makeup? Okay, then have you seen Xiao Yu? Where did he go?"
A gruff middle-aged man's voice rang out at the door. The makeup artist's hand left her face, and Su Zhiyi instinctively looked toward the door.
In that one glance, she met a pair of deep, profound eyes. When she looked at those eyes, they were looking back at her, making her breath catch for a few seconds.
She recognized the middle-aged man—he was the assistant director of their TV drama.
And she recognized the man standing beside him.
In the entertainment industry, no one would fail to recognize him.
The Best Actor, Pei Yan.
Pei Yan stood tall and straight, with deep brows and steady demeanor. Just standing there, he exuded an air of authority. Looking closely at his features, his irises were a light tea-brown, his hair color light, his features more defined than average, with high brow bones and an aquiline nose, like a handsome mix of Western and Eastern ancestry—perfect and flawless.
Su Zhiyi remembered that the media had called Pei Yan a born actor. Seeing him now, she thought the media wasn't wrong. Pei Yan's face was naturally suited for acting, and with his superb skills, it was no wonder he'd been elevated to such heights.
"Pei Yan, you'll have to wait here for a moment. I'll go call Xiao Yu and be right back. Ah, just have a seat," the assistant director said with a full smile, speaking politely to Pei Yan as he pulled out his phone and walked out of the makeup room.
"Mm."
Pei Yan didn't open his mouth, just hummed softly in acknowledgment.
As the assistant director left, the previously noisy makeup room fell silent, leaving only Su Zhiyi and Xiao He, along with Pei Yan who had followed the middle-aged man in.
Pei Yan glanced around the room, his gaze landing on Su Zhiyi.
She smiled and nodded at him in greeting. He returned the nod, then looked away and found a seat in the room.
Xiao He's shock was beyond words; she was stunned speechless. She probably hadn't expected to run into Pei Yan here.
Su Zhiyi flipped through her script, but her gaze kept drifting to Pei Yan, unable to focus on the script. Who could stay calm sitting next to a top actor?
Outwardly, Su Zhiyi showed nothing, but internally she was chatting up a storm with the system, frantically discussing Pei Yan's sudden appearance.
"System, isn't the script Sister Xie gave me from a capital-funded historical idol drama? Pei Yan doesn't do those, right? Why is he here?" She paused, muttering to herself, doubting herself. "Wait, did I go to the wrong set?"
System 030: "No, this is twelve kinds of wrong!"
It was also dumbfounded when it saw Pei Yan, diving headfirst into the data sea to search for information. After a bit of searching, it found something.
"Found it! Wait, Host, let me take a look!"
It skimmed through the data quickly, and its confusion dissipated. "The investor of this drama is his friend. He was invited by the investor to make a cameo—only a few scenes, then he's done."
"Hiss... I can't tell, Pei Yan is also secretly rich."
"Huh?" At the words 'rich,' Su Zhiyi's ears perked up like a trigger word. "Shouldn't top-tier actors like him be rich anyway? He makes a fortune per movie."
System 030 immediately explained: "No, no, not just ordinary rich. He's different."
"How so?" Su Zhiyi tilted her head up, letting Xiao He apply lipstick.
"He's the only son of the second son of the Pei family in City A. His father is an internationally renowned director, and his mother is a retired Hollywood actress. He never used family connections when entering the industry, so no one knows he's the child of an international director and a Hollywood actress."
"As for the Pei family in the capital... Host, just look it up on your phone. The Pei family is a prominent clan in the capital."
"Pei Yan's background has been well-protected. No one has dug up that he's a member of the Pei family."
Su Zhiyi's expression stiffened: "?"
Jiang Yuanheng, Pei Yan... How was everyone more impressive than the last? Not only were they good-looking, but they also had illustrious backgrounds and top-tier skills. Did ordinary little stars even stand a chance in this industry?
Dammit, why couldn't there be one more rich person in the world—her!
Most of the dramas Su Zhiyi starred in were terrible, and this one was probably no exception. Though she was called a vase actress, she had an enterprising heart and wanted to shed that label. Before joining the set, she binge-watched many historical dramas and movies, including those starring Pei Yan.
Pei Yan's acting was truly impressive—his eyes seemed to speak. When she watched other actors, she found them mediocre, but the moment Pei Yan appeared on screen, she was instantly drawn into the story, her emotions shifting with his performance.
Unfortunately, when she acted opposite these men in real life, her acting could be considered Oscar-worthy. But she had never drawn a world related to the entertainment industry before, never been a star, never received professional training. As soon as she faced a bunch of cameras, microphones, and staring staff, her acting fell apart, stiff as a marionette.
Su Zhiyi's acting might be poor, but she had a diligent, eager-to-learn heart and wanted to act well. After Xiao He finished her makeup, she couldn't help but sidle up to Pei Yan.
Lowering her voice, she tentatively asked, "Um, Best Actor Pei, can I ask you a question?"
Pei Yan, who had been expressionless, responded. He turned to look at her.
The young woman was playing the role of a delicate, beautiful senior princess. Her small, exquisite face lifted, looking up at him from below, her clear, light-colored eyes reflecting his image. Like the most precious, purest gem in the world.
Yet her makeup was on the mature, grand side—heavy but not jarring, and her elaborate dark red costume made her skin look like snow, bright as a flower. She was like a spoiled princess.
Pei Yan was momentarily distracted, his gaze unfocused. Only when Su Zhiyi tilted her head, waved her hand in front of him, and called out "Best Actor Pei" again did he slowly recover, showing no emotion on his face.
"Don't call me Best Actor Pei," Pei Yan said, his tone flat and cool, like plain water. "Just use my name."
"Oh..." Su Zhiyi changed her address and repeated her question. "Pei Yan, can I ask you a question?"
Pei Yan was aloof and spoke little. His answer was a single word: "Ask."
"I often watch dramas and movies to learn, and I've seen many of your films. I truly think your acting is excellent—your attention to detail is exquisite. I'm a bit of a fan."
Su Zhiyi asked the question she most wanted to ask: "So, I wanted to ask, how can I improve my acting?"
Pei Yan's expression didn't change much, suggesting he often got this question.
"If only I could improve my acting level quickly," Su Zhiyi added quietly. "At least so I don't get trashed so badly for my acting."
Her voice carried a hint of grievance.
Pei Yan appraised the pretty young woman before him, seemingly searching his memory for the name Su Zhiyi. He vaguely remembered someone mentioning the actress named Su Zhiyi.
Wasn't she... Gu Yumo's favorite celebrity?
What had Gu Yumo said?
She said Su Zhiyi was an artist under Qianyue Entertainment, a rich girl who entered the entertainment industry to experience life.
"Baby Zhiyi is so beautiful. I met her offline once; she's even better-looking than her retouched promotional photos online. It's a pity her dramas are a bit... resource issues? Well... actually, her acting isn't great, so she has a lot of black fans."
"There are so many ugly male actors with bad acting, why only pick on female stars? Can't they cut beautiful women some slack?"
Those were Gu Yumo's exact words. Though Su Zhiyi's acting wasn't great, her face was indeed stunning.
Whether Su Zhiyi's acting was good remained to be seen—Pei Yan hadn't watched her dramas, so he couldn't judge. But from Gu Yumo's comments and Su Zhiyi's question just now, her acting was probably very poor.
However... Pei Yan looked at Su Zhiyi's beautiful eyes, full of expectation for his answer, and thought of her company, Qianyue Entertainment, which had a bad reputation in the industry for exploiting employees and artists.
Finally, he gave the most feasible answer. "Qianyue Entertainment isn't a good company. If you change companies, maybe your acting will improve significantly."