After a bowl of steaming hot wontons, Shang Wan finally had her first good night’s sleep since her book transmigration.
Wrapped in a soft blanket, the fever-reducing medicine gradually took effect in her body. When she woke up, Shang Wan was drenched in sweat, and her body temperature had dropped accordingly.
She opened her eyes in the sunlight streaming through the window, feeling as if she had finally been fully revived.
Although Yang Mingyi had cursed harshly, she didn’t dare to leave Shang Wan, who was still running a fever, alone in the villa. After instructing the housekeeper to take good care of her last night, she rushed over early this morning.
As soon as Shang Wan woke up, she saw Sister Yang standing by the bed, staring at her with a complicated expression.
Shang Wan felt a chill run down her spine.
She asked, “Sis, what’s wrong?”
Yang Mingyi replied, “Do you remember what you said last night?”
Shang Wan tentatively asked, “Did I say my sleep plan failed and Fu Chen stabbed me?”
Yang Mingyi: “…”
Seeing the increasingly dangerous look in Yang Mingyi’s eyes, Shang Wan quickly recovered her memory and said, “I said I’d return to the set today to apologize and make amends!”
Hearing the satisfactory answer, Yang Mingyi gave a leader-like approving smile.
Just as Shang Wan was about to breathe a sigh of relief, she saw Yang Mingyi staring at her, scrutinizing her for a while before asking, “Just the day before yesterday, you told me you didn’t want to play the supporting female role for a newcomer. Why have you suddenly changed your mind today?”
Shang Wan: “…”
As expected, what was bound to come had come.
Shang Nanzhi’s personality had changed overnight. Those who hadn’t interacted with the original might not notice anything, but Yang Mingyi had worked closely with Shang Nanzhi for three years and couldn’t possibly miss the change.
Yesterday, Shang Wan had managed to fool her with a pitiful act, but trying the same trick again today wouldn’t work.
“Ahem.”
Shang Wan cleared her throat, looked sincerely at Yang Mingyi, and said with tears in her eyes, “Sis, my love is dead.”
Yang Mingyi: “??”
Are you even listening to yourself?
Ignoring Yang Mingyi’s soul-deep exasperation, Shang Wan continued, “Fu Chen not only refused to sleep with me but also stabbed me. Indeed, men are heartless—only money is a lasting companion.
“So from now on, I’m going to channel the passion I had for men into my work!
“Sis, you’ll support me, right?”
Yang Mingyi: “…”
She knew it—nothing good ever came out of Shang Nanzhi’s mouth.
She sighed, rubbing her forehead, and asked the question she was most concerned about at the moment: “Since Fu Chen didn’t kill you, is he planning to finish the job later? Just tell me all the trouble you’ve caused at once so I can mentally prepare myself.”
Shang Wan raised two fingers and swore to the heavens, “He’s already vented his anger. He even had a doctor treat my wound. Sis, you can trust me to handle things!”
Yang Mingyi: Too exhausted to complain. Let it be.
Shang Wan had truly left Yang Mingyi in shock.
It wasn’t until the driver dropped both of them off at the set that Yang Mingyi, looking at Shang Wan’s still somewhat pale face, reluctantly reminded her, “If you really don’t feel well, have the driver pick you up. Don’t push yourself.”
Shang Wan immediately tried to show her loyalty: “Sis…”
But Sister Yang cut her off on the spot: “Just shut up.”
With a bellyful of unspoken words, Shang Wan had barely set foot on the set when she was met with a gaze filled with three parts mockery and seven parts dissatisfaction.
Shang Wan: Where did this pie chart come from?
The owner of the pie chart had refined features, his long hair tied high with a jade crown. The high-quality costume he wore accentuated his tall, slender figure—he truly deserved the praise of being as elegant as an orchid or jade tree.
However, the look he gave Shang Wan was so unfriendly that it carried an air of arrogant disdain.
With just one glance, Shang Wan guessed the identity of the person before her.
That gaze, that familiar contempt, that expression of utter disdain for Shang Nanzhi—
“Ding!”
“Hello, Host. It has been detected that the devoted male supporting character Fang Xinghe has made his appearance. The current Bond Points collection progress for Fang Xinghe is 0. Please work hard to complete the mission.”
Fang Xinghe, the fourth male lead, was Shen Hui’s most loyal admirer and the white moonlight in the hearts of many readers.
Unlike Gu Xun’s substitute romance or Fu Chen’s domineering ghostly forced love, Fang Xinghe’s love was pure and untainted.
From the moment his gaze fell upon Shen Hui, he had always respected her choices, admired her soul, and cherished her for who she was.
However—
Shang Wan looked at Fang Xinghe’s flickering avatar on the Capture panel and the large number “0,” unable to suppress a deep sigh in her heart.
Why did she have to transmigrate into the role of the villainess Shang Nanzhi??
If only she had been given Shen Hui’s identity, completing the Capture mission in three months would have been a dream.
With a heavy heart, Shang Wan accepted the reality of becoming the villainess and greeted Fang Xinghe from a distance: “Teacher Fang, long time no see.”
The response she received was the back of Fang Xinghe’s head.
This devoted male supporting character, finding her utterly unbearable, pretended not to hear and simply turned and walked away.
Shang Wan: “…”
The air froze for a moment.
The production assistant who had come to pick up Shang Wan quickly stepped in to smooth things over: “Teacher Shang, Manager Yang mentioned you were in a car accident a couple of days ago. How serious are your injuries? Why didn’t you rest a bit longer?”
Shang Wan fell silent for a moment.
At this moment, she really wanted to let out a confused “Huh?” but she held back.
No wonder Fang Xinghe had looked at her with such mockery earlier. With the excuse Sister Yang had come up with, combined with her current perfectly fine appearance, anyone with a functioning brain wouldn’t believe such a foolish lie.
Shang Wan gave the production assistant a sympathetic look.
Forcing oneself to lie against one’s conscience—what a pitiable, unspoken hardship of the workplace.
Shang Wan forced a smile and exchanged a few pleasantries with the production assistant. She then instructed the driver and assistant to bring down the hundreds of servings of sweet soups and snacks from the RV to distribute to everyone, hoping to salvage her hopeless reputation.
She said sincerely, “I’m truly sorry for delaying everyone’s progress these past few days because of my issues.”
As the saying goes, “When you eat someone’s food, your words soften; when you take someone’s gifts, your hands grow gentle.” Coupled with Shang Wan’s unprecedented apology, many of the crew members’ expressions softened considerably.
Even Shen Hui, the female lead who had been rehearsing a scene earlier, smiled at Shang Wan and said, “Sister Nan Zhi, it’s alright. Everyone experiences one or two unexpected incidents in their lives. You were injured, not skipping work on purpose. We all understand.”
Shang Wan: “…”
Why did that sound so much like an insult?
Shang Wan wasn’t the only one who thought so. Almost as soon as Shen Hui finished speaking, Fang Xinghe’s cold laugh echoed from the side.
Shang Wan: If you don’t speak, no one will think you’re mute!
Shang Wan took a deep breath and was about to recite “Don’t Get Angry” in her mind when Shen Hui subtly tugged at her sleeve.
She said, “Sister Nan Zhi, Teacher Fang was just teasing me for not being good with words, don’t take it to heart.”
Shang Wan: Listen to that!
Look at that emotional intelligence!
The female lead truly lives up to her role—Shang Wan sighed inwardly.
Beneath that delicate yet resilient appearance, like a pure white flower, lay a heart that could empathize and understand others at any moment.
Compared to the devoted male supporting character beside her, it was like night and day.
It was just a shame that the few men she encountered weren’t quite normal.
While Shang Wan was inwardly sympathizing with the female lead, the System’s beeping sound rang out once again:
“Congratulations, Host. Your final Bond Points collection target, the female lead Shen Hui, is now online. Current Shen Hui Bond Points collection progress: 0. Please keep it up, Host!”
Shang Wan: All set, time to get to work.
After distributing the sweet soup and snacks, Shang Wan headed straight to the dressing room.
The TV series the original host had taken on was called Zhao Ming Palace, which told the story of the puppet emperor Li Zhao and his empress Shen Mingzhu, who carefully strategized, feigned weakness, and ultimately reclaimed imperial power from the powerful Princess Qionghua, who held sway over the court.
Needless to say, the male lead Li Zhao was played by Fang Xinghe, while the female lead Shen Mingzhu was secured by Shen Hui.
As for Shang Nanzhi, she played the second female lead in the series.
The ambitious, power-hungry Princess Qionghua, who dominated the court.
In the original novel, Shang Nanzhi was quite dissatisfied with this role.
It wasn’t because the character lacked depth or was too utilitarian. Shang Nanzhi disliked the role simply because Qionghua wasn’t the female lead.
Thanks to Yang Mingyi’s relentless efforts to secure top-tier resources for her, Shang Nanzhi had played female leads since her debut.
Although her abysmal acting skills meant that every time she starred in a drama, her performance would be harshly criticized, her irresistibly enchanting and captivating looks kept her in the spotlight.
The entertainment industry was like this—it thrived on creating dreams for people.
They didn’t fear a lack of acting skills; they feared mediocrity and dullness.
Shang Nanzhi was the kind of person who, despite her poor acting, never lacked attention or topics of discussion.
Shang Nanzhi had always been satisfied with her position in the industry.
The number one beauty who outshone all other female celebrities.
But this time, Yang Mingyi had her playing the second female lead.
And worse, she was being used as a stepping stone for Shen Hui, a newcomer who had just debuted.
Even though Yang Mingyi repeatedly explained to her that due to her five consecutive TV series flops, investors were unwilling to pour too much money into her, Zhao Ming Palace had an excellent production team, and the role of Qionghua was exceptionally compelling—making it the perfect opportunity for her to turn things around—Shang Nanzhi remained unsatisfied.
If she was going to stage a comeback, why couldn’t she play the female lead?
She couldn’t accept it.
It was for this reason that, driven by desire, Shang Nanzhi set her sights on Fu Chen.
A renowned entrepreneur who seemed almost ascetic and indifferent to women, yet possessed a face that perfectly aligned with her aesthetic preferences—it was as if heaven had sent him to tempt her into sin.
If she could seduce Fu Chen, what resources would she lack?
But Shang Nanzhi never imagined that once she embarked on this misguided path, she would lose even what she originally had.
While reading the novel, Shang Wan had been deeply impressed by the character of Princess Qionghua.
On one hand, it was due to her own professional instincts.
On the other hand, it was because, in order to highlight the female lead Shen Hui’s excellent acting skills, the author went to great lengths to repeatedly describe the exaggerated details of Shang Nanzhi’s performance, which made readers’ blood pressure soar.
Fortunately, after Shang Nanzhi offended Fu Chen, the “Zhaoming Palace” production team was pressured by the Fu Group to recast the role. Otherwise, Shang Wan dared not imagine how the show would have turned out.
In front of the makeup mirror, Shang Wan raised her slender eyebrows slightly. Her towering hairstyle resembled clouds, and the intricate palace attire adorned her entire figure with opulent and dazzling beauty, making it almost impossible to look directly at her.
Shang Wan gazed at the reflection in the mirror—a face entirely different from her original appearance.
It was more glamorous and vibrant than hers, yet also more exaggerated and superficial.
Only when she slightly lifted her eyes did a hint of inquiry in her gaze retain a trace of her past self.
Since the current Shang Nanzhi is me—
Shang Wan met the gaze of the reflection in the mirror and told herself in her heart: Then I must perform every role of Shang Nanzhi well, earn everyone’s Bond Points, and truly survive.
Once the makeup was finalized, Shang Wan walked out of the dressing room and bumped into Fang Xinghe, who was about to act opposite her.
Still immersed in the role of Qionghua, Shang Wan had yet to break character. She glanced down at Fang Xinghe with a haughty look and gave him a slight nod.
Instantly, Shang Wan heard the System’s voice: “Congratulations, Host. Fang Xinghe’s Bond Points have increased to 1 point.”
Shang Wan: “??”
She frantically asked the System in her mind: What’s going on? Tongtong, are you sick?
System: …
As a robot, it rarely experienced what it meant to be speechless.
After a long pause, it replied to Shang Wan: “No, the System cannot get sick.”
Shang Wan suspiciously glanced back at Fang Xinghe, wondering if this guy might be a fan of period dramas. The next second, the System’s notification sounded again.
“Fang Xinghe’s Bond Points have decreased by 1 point. Current Bond Points: 0.”
Shang Wan: “…”
Alright, alright, are you messing with me?