n

n

nThe reporters went wild a second time, and the flashing of the cameras were incessant. The ‘Chaos’ crew hadn’t published any stills yet. It was Yu Yaoyao’s first reappearance after yesterday’s drama. So, the Director indulged the group of reporters taking her pictures. Yu Yaoyao was a vision in her dark palace dress, dark purple lips and smokey makeup. Occasionally, some reporters tried to steer the moment towards the recent scandal, but it didn’t last long. Yu Yaoyao had already won this.

nYu Yaoyao didn’t let them down. She walked to her place on the set, gently dabbing the rouge paper on her cheeks, holding a mirror. She was already in character. The director hadn’t yet called the scene into action, yet Yu Yaoyao was already in it!

nYu Yaoyao was kneeling in the center, pretending to dab her face in powder and rouge, in plain palace clothes. She looked like an exquisite ink painting from an era long gone; she had turned the entire set into a time that was long past. Nobody made a sound.

nZhou Qiu looked at her with a hint of admiration in his eyes. He signaled everyone to silence, in fear of breaking this moment.

nGu Qianqian, played the new queen. She was dressed in a bright yellow phoenix dress. It was her moment to enter the scene with several maids and eunuchs. When the scene was called into action, Gu Qianqian sashayed in, head held high, and walked in front of Yu Yaoyao.

nYu Yaoyao didn’t raise her head, but she put down the rouge paper in her hand. She placed her hands on the small table and stood up.

nThe eunuch sharply yelled, “Sheng Ji, kneel to accept the Imperial Decree.”

nYu Yaoyao didn’t move. It was as though she didn’t hear what was said. Yu Yaoyao as Sheng Ji was lifeless, indifferent and numb.

n“Sheng Ji, kneel! You dare disobey?” the eunuch cried.

nGu Qianqian showed a hint of anger in her eyes. She played the Queen of the new dynasty and the New Emperor’s childhood lover. She had been fighting with him in the war all her life, which had resulted in two miscarriages. When the new Emperor took the Imperial City, he had announced that he wanted to take Sheng Ji into his harem, smitten by her beauty. This had been a cruel blow to the new queen who had given her life to him and lost two babies before they were born. He forgot his wife; he forgot his children, dead in the war.

nGu Qianqian had been nominated three times in a row for the Best Actress Award and won them. It was rumoured that she was most likely to win this year as well. Being a talented actress, she fit the role of the queen so perfectly. She had a cold kind of beauty that befitted royalty.

nThe ancient kind of beauty that Gu Qianqian possessed was cracked a little at this moment. There was always a hint of envy in her eyes towards Yu Yaoyao. This added to the character’s temperament, so Zhou Qiu nodded encouragingly.

n“Make her kneel,” Gu Qianqian commanded. Sheng Ji’s hands were twisted behind her back and she was forcefully pushed down on her knees to the ground. Gu Qianqian mustered all her envy and hatred towards Sheng Ji who had stolen her husband’s heart, and towards Yu Yaoyao herself, who had stolen her endorsement!

nThe company Excellent Diamond had invited her just about an hour ago. But everything had gone downhill after that. The public relations department of Excellent Diamond had apologized to Yu Yaoyao on their official Weibo and expressed a willingness to cooperate with her. They had completely forgotten about their invitation to Gu Qianqian.

nGu Qianqian didn’t much care about an endorsement from a tiny sub-brand, but she didn’t like being ignored. The brand had never apologized or reached out to her!

nEven today, despite being the closest to win the Best Actress Award, she had been completely ignored by the reporters. They had chosen to flock to Yu Yaoyao. She was just a black horse that had emerged from popular searches!

nGu Qianqian gritted her teeth and raised her hands to slap Yu Yaoyao across the face. There was no slapping in the script, but she had improvised. “Your dynasty has ended,” she shouted vehemently. Zhou Qiu, behind the camera, was in shock. The reporters were speechless. Shen Yichong rushed towards the scene, Little Bun covered his eyes. However, he stopped before he reached the stage, Yu Yaoyao had stopped Gu Qianqian’s hands before it hit her face and pushed her hard and stood up.

nGu Qianqian hadn’t expected this. She was unprepared and fell hard on the ground. Yu Yaoyao looked down at her. She curled her dark lips, looking cold and empty. She looked like a creature from hell. “Next time, it will be you.”

nThere was no dynasty that was immortal. The insinuation of her line, paired with those cold and numb eyes, was the perfect dialogue ever delivered. Shen Yichong smiled with admiration. Zhou Qiu clenched his fists in excitement and kept the camera rolling.

nYu Yaoyao continued with the scene. She even stepped a little on the hem of Gu Qianqian’s bright yellow phoenix dress, leaving a footprint. Finally, she opened her arms wide, closed her eyes, leaned over and fell…

nThe black dress flowing in the wind like a dancing black butterfly, a mass of black ink blossoming on white paper.

n“Cut! Perfect!” Zhao Qiu shouted, applauding excitedly, “Yu, that was perfect!” He was practically jumping in joy.

n