Starlet Taotie Chapter 21 (Part 2)
Chapter 21.2 Film Emperor's Style
Comments were flooding in asking if she hadn't posted her workout photo on time today because she wasn't feeling well, and reassuring her not to rush.
Ann Lisa's expression flickered as she stared at her phone.
After a long pause, she finally posted the pre-taken workout photos she'd saved up.
Then she added a caption:
【Sometimes I envy those with smooth sailing. I don't have that kind of luck, so I just have to work twice as hard!】
The moment she posted it, fans swarmed in with comments.
【Checking in!】
【My waifu, still just as beautiful today】
【What's wrong, Lisa? Did something upset you?】
The CarameLiis were indeed quick to pick up on something amiss.
It wasn't long before they found the newest post on 'Lingxiao Chronicles'' official Weibo account.
It was Yue Jia's character still, featuring Jiang Tao.
And as it turned out, Ann Lisa wasn't the only one with Jiang Tao PTSD.
【Fk!!】
【Why is it Jiang Tao again?! Can't you just leave our Lisa alone?! Stand on your own for once!】
【They're both supporting female roles, but our Lisa's stills got released together with the other supporting actors, only Jiang Tao got a solo post. The preferential treatment is just unbelievable】
The CarameLii's tantrum under the official Weibo account naturally provoked backlash from Jiang Tao's fans and other bystanders.
【Seriously? Who's the one not standing on their own here?】
【I was so happy seeing Jiang Jiang's new look, and now I've got some unknown creatures swarming around, what a buzzkill】
【not a fan of either side. can we please not fight over billing order* under the official post? It's such an eyesore】
(TLN: The order in which actors are credited in promotional materials and film and television works.)
【I think this casting is great! These stills really capture Yue Jia's vibe】
Fans from both sides were going at it furiously in the comments.
Most of Jiang Tao's fans had come through variety shows or were just drawn to her looks. In terms of combat power, they were no match for the well-organized, strategically-minded CarameLiis.
In the early rounds, they were practically getting crushed.
The CarameLiis even threw in a fair share of mockery.
But Jiang Tao's fans were getting fired up too.
【If Jiang Jiang really had some powerful backer, how could she have been dragged through the mud so badly before?】
【She'd earned this role with her own ability, the director thought she was a good fit, and who were these people to criticize her?】
The facts were on Jiang Tao's side.
Once her fans found their rhythm, the CarameLiis started to crumble.
In the end, all they had left was to question Jiang Tao's acting skills.
【Then let's let the work speak for itself!】
【Jiang Tao's acting is so painfully bad, she's going to ruin the whole show】
Jiang Tao's fans suddenly had nothing to say.
After all, her past performances were right there for everyone to see, and they couldn't exactly lie through their teeth and call her acting good.
The CarameLii grew even more smug, unleashing wave after wave of mockery.
But just then, a trending topic shot up.
#Shen Zhiyan and Jiang Tao Audition Footage Leaked#
According to reports, it had been leaked by an intern on the 'Lingxiao Chronicles' crew, a fan of Shen Zhiyan who had secretly recorded all of his audition clips.
She'd lost her phone, and the videos had been uploaded online.
Though the production team reacted quickly, there was no stopping the spread of the footage, especially when it involved someone like Shen Zhiyan, the ultimate traffic magnet.
Within just half an hour, it had gone viral across the entire internet.
The video was taken covertly, so the angles weren't great, but the resolution was crystal clear.
The camera was aimed straight at Shen Zhiyan, with Jiang Tao only showing half of her profile.
Yet the sheer, erupting ferocity in her presence held its own even against the film emperor's performance.
Not to mention, she had fully embodied Yue Jia's character – brutal, proud, yet utterly infatuated with Vaidūrya, obsessed to the point of madness.
With just this single short clip, even those who had never read the original novel could feel themselves drawn in, their curiosity piqued for the drama itself.
In no time, search volume for 'Lingxiao Chronicles' spiked to a new high.
【Aaaah! This clip is way too short! I need more!】
【I'd already given up on xianxia dramas, terrible acting, five-cent CGI, an insult to the audience's eyes, but this clip today is such a pleasant surprise! And I heard the director is Zhou Zhilan, so the effects are actually guaranteed!】
【She can fully receive and match Shen Zhiyan's energy on screen! Where did this powerhouse actress come from?!】
【Powerhouse actress? Jiang Tao??!!!】
【Jiang Tao's acting was always this good?!】
Jiang Tao's fans were practically howling with excitement.
【That's Best Actor Shen she's going up against! Our Jiang Jiang is doing us so proud!】
【Aaahhh!!! My mom-fan status is slowly melting away! Jiang Jiang is too cool, from today on I'm her girlfriend fan*!】
(TLN: In Chinese fandom culture, "girlfriend fans" (女友粉) imagine themselves as the idol's romantic partner, most of the time this is not to the literal extreme, kinda like ‘this is my waifu’. "Mom fans" (妈粉), by contrast, see the idol as someone to nurture and care for like a child, focusing on their well-being rather than romance.)
【I just went back and watched Jiang Jiang's old dramas, the improvement is insane! She must have worked so hard. Honestly, I'm motivated now. Getting up right, I'm going to memorize a whole page of vocabulary tonight!!】
【Where are Ann Lisa's fans now? All quiet? Weren't you all saying our Jiang Jiang's acting was terrible earlier? Emmm... if this is "terrible," I'm sure your queen would dream of having it too!】
【Aaaaah Queen Yue Jia is gorgeous! Some salty people need to stop hopping around and posting Weibos pretending everything's fine (I'm not naming names, if the shoe fits, wear it)】
【I'm both an original novel fan and a Jiang Jiang fan, I was a little conflicted when I saw the stills, but now? No hesitation at all. Wuwuwu when is this drama airing?! I've already got my membership money ready!】
【I heard it's not coming out until next summer!! Why must the wait be so long!!!】
【’Lingxiao Chronicles’, do you dare air it earlier?! You think I can't afford the membership fee or what!?!】
…
What had started as a crisis ended up turning into free publicity instead.
For a massive IP like 'Lingxiao Chronicles', the production team certainly didn't lack a promotional budget, but free and high-impact exposure like this was a welcome bonus.
And Jiang Tao gained another wave of fans in the process.
Besides fans of her looks and those who enjoyed her variety show appearances, now there are even fans who admire her career and acting skills.
Originally, Shen Zhiyan's fans had assumed this was just another nobody trying to ride on their idol's coattails. But after clicking in, they realized that while she was a nobody, "coattail-riding" wasn't really the right word.
If anything, Jiang Tao was the one taken advantage of*.
(TLN: for those confused, Jiang Tao was the one leading the scene; it was Shen Zhiyan who kept faltering.)
Many of his fans had watched the video.
Even though only a sliver of Jiang Tao's face was visible in the frame, the sheer force of her presence still practically burst through the screen.
Shen Zhiyan had long proven his mettle over the years, racking up both box office hits and awards alike.
His fans had long moved past the era of being overly sensitive or defensive; they found it beneath themselves to bully a small-time actress.
Quite a few of them even followed Jiang Tao on a whim and praised her acting skills.
Jiang Tao's fans reciprocated graciously, humbly noting that she still had room to grow and would continue learning from her seniors.
Both sides got along splendidly.
The only ones left nursing wounds were Ann Lisa and her fans.
The senior sister role she'd been cast as was originally a cold-on-the-outside, warm-on-the-inside beauty. While distant in demeanor, she was gentle and considerate at heart, making her a beloved goddess to many fans of the original novel.
In their eyes, Ann Lisa's looks had never quite measured up to the character's description.
And now, with her quietly goading her fans into attacking a fellow cast member—this kind of character was a world apart from the original's compassionate, tender-hearted senior sister who cared for all living beings.
As a result, a considerable number of original novel fans began petitioning against Ann Lisa playing the role.
When she saw this, Ann Lisa almost blew up in anger.
She'd only been feeling sour inside and wanted her fans to vent on her behalf.
But instead, her scheme had backfired spectacularly.
Her agent called her, furious: "Didn't I tell you not to mess with Jiang Tao?! Are you happy now that it's turned out like this?!"
Ann Lisa felt just as wronged. "I didn't expect it to turn out like this!"
Her agent was nearly driven mad by her. "Do you have any idea how much buzz 'Lingxiao Chronicles' is generating? How many actresses at your level are eyeing it? Even if you did nothing, they'd still be looking for any excuse to stir up trouble. You’ve just dug your own grave... I heard Gao Sheng and Duan Lele have already gone to see Director Zhou. You are… sigh!"
Only then did panic set in for Ann Lisa. "What should I do now?"
"For now, don't do a thing. Stay put, keep your head down, and wait for filming to start," her agent said sternly.
Ann Lisa didn't dare argue and obediently obliged.
…
Over on Tong Tong's side, she'd been working hard on damage control for Jiang Tao only for the tide to turn completely in the blink of an eye.
She sat there dumbfounded.
Then she glanced over at Jiang Tao, lounging on the sofa, snacking while scrolling through her phone.
She suddenly felt like her job as an agent was a little too easy.
Just then, Jiang Tao looked up. "Tong Tong, the fans are saying I should post on Weibo and engage. What does that mean?"
Jiang Tao actually quite liked her fans.
There was a faint warmth radiating from them. While it was not overwhelming, it was soothing to the heart.
Like sweet, fragrant rice milk.
So Jiang Tao wanted to do something for them in return.
Tong Tong only then remembered; she'd been so swamped lately that she hadn't paid any attention to Jiang Tao's fanbase at all.
She jotted it down in her notebook while explaining absently, "Engaging means posting on Weibo. Sharing bits of your daily life, posting photos, short videos, things like that..."
Jiang Tao looked thoughtful.
Aside from work, her daily life was basically just eating.
Easy-peasy!
…
Wu Xiaoying had first become a fan of Jiang Tao through 'Over Here!'.
She and some friends had started a small business together, making and selling dried fruit from their hometown. But their brand was too small, added to the fact that they refused to cut costs in order to maintain quality, so they simply couldn't compete with the commercial dried fruit on the market.
Plus, since their products had no preservatives, the shelf life was extremely short.
If they couldn't sell them in time, they had to be thrown away.
They'd poured months of work and all their savings into this only to end up with failure.
Every time she watched box after box of dried fruit being dumped out, Wu Xiaoying felt her heart bleed.
They'd even tried hiring influencers to promote their products, testing all kinds of marketing strategies—but nothing worked.
A friend told her that if business didn't pick up within the next month, they'd probably have to declare bankruptcy.
Wu Xiaoying was so anxious she couldn't even eat.
Until she watched Jiang Tao's variety show. No matter what Jiang Tao ate, she did so with such focus and reverence.
Watching her, Wu Xiaoying felt herself influenced too, grounding herself and eating properly again.
After eating well, she could keep pushing forward.
But no matter what methods they tried, they still couldn't save their business in the end.
Wu Xiaoying stared at those rows of dried fruit boxes, and a sudden, inexplicable thought struck her: she wanted to send some to Jiang Tao.
She had no ulterior motives.
Just the purest fan instinct, to share the best with her idol.
Of course, there was a good chance those dried fruits would never even reach Jiang Tao's hands.
But since they couldn't sell them and these dried fruit would just be thrown away anyway, it was a waste either way.
She thought to herself, almost in defeat—
Maybe if she hadn't insisted on quality so stubbornly. Maybe if she’d used lower-grade fruit. Maybe if she’d used preservatives, artificial flavors…
Wu Xiaoying shook her head.
If she gave up on those principles, then what was the point of starting this company in the first place!
Finally, the last day came.
They packed up their company belongings, taking one last, lingering look around.
Wu Xiaoying steeled herself and shut the office door. "Let's go."
But just then, her friend's phone started blasting with the relentless chime of their Taobao store's specially-set notification sound.
Wu Xiaoying grumpily smacked his arm. "Are you trying to make us even more miserable? Using that as your ringtone."
"N-no, that's not it..." her friend stammered. "I've never changed my ringtone..."
Wu Xiaoying froze.
Soon, all of their phones started ringing in rapid succession.
They quickly pulled out their phones and discovered that there really were a flood of customers messaging them in the backend.
【Why is everything taken down?!】
【Boss, everything's sold out! do you still have any dried fruit left?!】
【Boss, put the links back up!】
【Why is there no more dried blueberry?!】
The three of them exchanged bewildered looks; none of them had any idea what was going on.
Wu Xiaoying suddenly remembered that her phone had pushed a notification for a special follow earlier, but she'd been too busy packing to check it.
And her only special follow was Jiang Tao.
She fumbled to open her phone and saw that Jiang Tao had posted a new Weibo.
【Giving everyone a peek into my daily life】
Attached was a short video.
The video started with Jiang Tao waking up. After washing her face and brushing her teeth, she sat down to a hearty breakfast. Then, while reading her script, she reached over and grabbed a bag of dried fruit.
A thick slice of dried mango; easily bitten into, revealing plump, juicy flesh with only the faintest hint of fiber.
No powdered sugar coating. Just the mango's naturally enticing orange-yellow hue, enough to make anyone's mouth water and appetite surge.
After finishing the dried mango, Jiang Tao opened a bag of dried blueberries beside it.
Large, plump blueberries not deflated in the least, but moist and glossy. The transparent bag was clean and clear, with no traces of impurities or syrup residue.
Fans had tuned in expecting to see Jiang Tao’s beautiful daily life, only to end up getting tempted by snacks instead.
【Those dried fruits look so good!! Wuwuwu, does anyone know the brand?!】
【As a dried fruit enthusiast, I can tell at a glance that this mango is top quality- thick flesh but not tough, with clear fibers. Definitely not the kind made with edible glue and mango pulp. And the color of this mango means it's sweeter than average, even without sugar coating. Sweet, great texture, and no greasy aftertaste from cheap frosting...】
【GUYS I JUST WANT TO KNOW THE BRAND!!】
【I screenshotted the video, sharpened the image, and finally found the name! Xin'an Dried Fruit! but it looks like their Taobao store has already shut down...】
【How is that even fair?!?!】
Wu Xiaoying lowered her phone.
She and her friends stared at each other.
Their phones were still chirping nonstop with new messages.
One of her friends asked hesitantly, "So...does this mean we're not going bankrupt after all?"
TL Note: To those who also started craving for dried fruits after reading this chapter, click on the mango and blueberry images to get redirected. It’s my personal amazon affiliate link; it won’t cost extra, I just get about ten cents every time someone orders through my link! Thanks in advance for supporting your local fan-translator! ^^
