The Rebirth of a Top Star

Cooperation? What kind of cooperation? Shen Nanqiao's expression didn't change, but the look in her eyes as she looked at Gu Ning carried a different meaning.

Before this, Gu Ning had always presented himself as a gentleman, not bound to anyone. Shen Nanqiao, having spent so much time with him, was almost certain it was real.

But now his image in Shen Nanqiao's mind has been overturned.

"What does Teacher Gu mean?" Gu Ning, now facing Shen Nanqiao, felt that the surrounding environment had changed as Shen Nanqiao spoke.

She is not a naive newcomer to the industry.

Gu Ning had thought this from the first time she met Shen Nanqiao. And now, Gu Ning was certain that Shen Nanqiao was no ordinary newcomer.

However, in this case, things will actually be easier to handle.

"I mean, variety shows are all scripted, aren't they?" This was the first time Gu Ning had used such a tone when communicating with someone.

Although it was quite different from Gu Ning's usual self, the two people standing there were now comfortable.

Shen Nanqiao knew that Gu Ning, who spoke at this moment, was the one who wasn't pretending. Gu Ning also knew that when Shen Nanqiao stood up like a thorn in her side, that was the real Shen Nanqiao.

The two stopped wearing masks and began to chat more openly.

Shen Nanqiao found an open space and squatted down comfortably.

Gu Ning's guinea pig instincts kicked in. He glanced around and saw that Shen Nanqiao had squatted down. It seemed pointless for him to just stand there. After thinking it over, he noticed that Shen Nanqiao was playing on her phone and not paying attention to him.

She had no choice but to move over to Shen Nanqiao's side and quietly squat down.

"This variety show is pretty good, it's quite novel." Gu Ning changed the subject and brought the topic back to what she wanted to say.

"How did you know that?" Shen Nanqiao looked up with interest.

“Everyone needs to have some connections in the industry,” Gu Ning thought Shen Nanqiao had said something pointless, but it seemed interesting. “You knew this even earlier than I did.”

Shen Nanqiao remained noncommittal, but inwardly she felt a little elated, praising herself, "I didn't get this information from any connections; it's all thanks to my own intelligence."

Shen Nanqiao was secretly very smug, but he kept his mouth shut.

"It's alright." Gu Ning had been secretly observing Shen Nanqiao for a long time before he even met her. He and his agent always tried to figure out who was behind Shen Nanqiao, giving her the resources and opportunities to be the first to access variety shows that no one else in the industry knew about.

He must be a very important person.

Otherwise, Shen Nanqiao himself would be a very important person.

Gu Ning now leans more towards the idea that Shen Nanqiao is more capable, because the "big shot" the agent mentioned has never actually appeared.

Seeing that Gu Ning didn't continue speaking, Shen Nanqiao lowered her head and stopped looking at him, while reminding him, "If you have nothing more to say, Director An should call you back."

Shen Nanqiao was in a good position to see Director An's movements clearly. He was already looking around for Gu Ning's whereabouts, but the two of them were crouching down and were quite well hidden, so they might not be easily spotted at a glance.

Shen Nanqiao kindly reminded him, but Gu Ning wouldn't stop, "What do you think of the collaboration?" He was eager to know what Shen Nanqiao's opinion was on his proposal.

Gu Ning turned around and glanced at the director who had started to get busy. She knew that she didn't have much time left for this opportunity, and judging from Shen Nanqiao's attitude, she didn't seem willing to have another conversation.

"If we collaborate, it will boost your current drama, your public image after you officially enter the industry, and your overall popularity, as you know."

Gu Ning's eyes and brows clearly conveyed what he hadn't finished saying.

He, Gu Ning, has a very good reputation among the public.

Shen Nanqiao knew what he meant; it was about creating a CP (couple pairing), just like with Fang Zihe before.

Although Shen Nanqiao didn't mind, she still needed to discuss such an important matter with her agent.

Shen Nanqiao was not going to give him a definite answer.

Even if we take a step back and assume that there are no other guests on the variety show that she has a better connection with, Shen Nanqiao doesn't mind who she teams up with.

It's just a variety show and a game; Shen Nanqiao never intended to actually date anyone from the start.

"But, Teacher Gu, what do you mean by cooperation?" Shen Nanqiao put on her act of feigning ignorance to the fullest and asked Gu Ning naturally.

He stood up and waved to Director An, who had finally noticed him. His outstretched arm allowed An Luochen to spot the male lead squatting there.

"Look, the director is looking for you." Shen Nanqiao gestured towards Director An's position, telling Gu Ning to hurry back to his seat.

Gu Ning was so annoyed that she had nothing to say.

He thought that if she was a naive and innocent girl, she could accomplish her ideas simply by opening her mouth; if she was very clever, then they were both shrewd businesswomen who could easily conclude contracts without saying a word.

Who knew that she was neither naive nor mercenary? What Gu Ning didn't understand was that Shen Nanqiao only wanted to do things as she pleased, regardless of the consequences or the benefits; in short, she just wanted to be herself.

Shen Nanqiao followed Gu Ning back to Director An's side.

Taking advantage of Gu Ning's disappearance, An Luochen once again harshly criticized our male lead. Shen Nanqiao, who was behind him, heard everything clearly and felt a little smug.

Without even showing it on his face, An Luochen immediately turned his scolding on Shen Nanqiao.

"Everyone else is busy, but you manage to find time to sleep." The director noticed all of Shen Nanqiao's little actions.

Shen Nanqiao playfully stuck out her tongue at the director, then stood behind him without saying a word.

The scene that had been interrupted by Shen Nanqiao's appearance has started again.

Ye Meng's performance this time was much better than the last time after she adjusted her mindset; at least Shen Nanqiao was able to get into the story.

You know what, if Ye Meng hadn't deliberately caused trouble and opposed me, she would have been a pretty good actress.

Given her past actions, Shen Nanqiao could only mentally award her a "not bad" rating. Her acting was alright, but her character was another story.

During a break between An Luochen's shifts, Shen Nanqiao casually dragged over a small stool belonging to some staff member and sat down next to Director An.

"Director." Shen Nanqiao had just opened her mouth, before she could say anything else, when An Luochen reached out a hand, his gesture of refusal meeting Shen Nanqiao's small face.

“When there’s nothing to do, one should be diligent.” An Luochen didn’t even need to say the second half of the sentence.

"I really have something to do." Shen Nanqiao pushed Director An's hand away. "I know you are the most understanding director."

Before the matter was even out of the question, people were already showering him with compliments.

"Stop, stop, stop right now!" An Luochen had goosebumps all over his body. Shen Nanqiao was definitely not acting normally, and he didn't want to hear her say another word.

An Luochen stood up and left.

Shen Nanqiao followed closely behind.

"There's basically no more of my storyline now," Shen Nanqiao stated, before she wanted to continue.

An Luochen abruptly stopped walking, turned around and looked at Shen Nanqiao, "Now that your big show is over, you're just slacking off?"

In fact, An Luochen was still a little angry. In the past, no actor would be so arrogant as long as they were on their own set.

Shen Nanqiao was just the kind of person this old man liked.

Director An deliberately put on a stern face, thinking that his expression would scare Shen Nanqiao.

Little did he know that Shen Nanqiao was now very adept at reading his expressions.

"I took on a variety show," Shen Nanqiao said directly, imagining that the next question from Director An would be about which show it was or when it was filmed.

An Luochen's thought process is different from Shen Nanqiao's.

Actors who are given work in the past would say, "My agent has arranged a variety show for me." But Shen Nanqiao's way of saying it was different from everyone else's.

"What, your agent doesn't care about you?"

Shen Nanqiao was stunned. Things hadn't gone as she expected, which was a bit unexpected. "Ah, my manager has been quite busy lately." Shen Nanqiao was telling the truth, but An Luochen interpreted it as her manager treating the artist differently.

Shen Nanqiao even has to personally accept variety show appearances.

"The variety show we're filming soon," Director An muttered to himself. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he added, "Did you participate in Lao Song's dating reality show?"

An Luochen and Director Song are very good friends.

Shen Nanqiao was genuinely unaware of this connection.

“I don’t know what’s so great about his lousy variety show.” An Luochen didn’t support Director Song’s initial idea of ​​starting such a variety show.

He doesn't usually watch variety shows, let alone these weird dating shows. He never watches them.

An Luochen looked down on the idea of ​​them suddenly adopting this approach from abroad.

Now that Shen Nanqiao says she's going to participate too, he openly rolls his eyes at her in front of her.

Shen Nanqiao was a little embarrassed. He thought the director would at most tell him not to delay the filming, but he didn't expect that they were acquaintances.

This is really awkward.

"What were you trying to say?" Seeing that Shen Nanqiao was too scared to speak, although this was only An Luochen's perspective and the scene he perceived.

Following the director's words, Shen Nanqiao hurriedly replied, "We might be filming the first episode soon, which will be a live broadcast, so there will be some delays here."

When the word "delay" came up, Shen Nanqiao was a little cautious, observing the director's expression.

Sure enough, An Luochen's face immediately darkened.

"I mean, we can film my scenes in the next few days," Shen Nanqiao quickly said the second half of her sentence. Director An's expression softened a bit, but he still maintained a tense demeanor.

"Is it not allowed?" Shen Nanqiao looked up at the director standing two steps away from her and asked softly.

An Luochen was caught in mid-air by her words. If he said no now, looking into the girl's eyes, he would feel like he was committing an unforgivable crime.

Upset.

An Luochen, an old man well past fifty, in his sixties, was actually being manipulated by a young girl who had just entered the industry.

An Luochen turned away from her, pondering how to best arrange her time.

Seeing that she had said so much, even used her trump card, but still couldn't persuade the old man, and knowing she couldn't just leave on a whim, Shen Nanqiao realized she couldn't just leave anytime soon.

Since she was already in a bad situation, Shen Nanqiao decided to go all the way and betray Gu Ning, who had just gotten close to her.

"Are you fixated on the scenes between me and the male lead?" Shen Nanqiao first used this tactic to lure the snake out of its hole.

She walked up to the director, her whole demeanor radiating confidence.

An Luochen sighed and said to Shen Nanqiao, "You know you don't have much experience, so all the few intimate scenes were saved for last. What will happen to these scenes if you leave first?"

Director An expressed all his concerns, and Shen Nanqiao finally felt confident.

A smile played on her lips, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Going to film a variety show isn't like I'm never coming back," Shen Nanqiao said, putting aside the director's worries. Then she dropped her bombshell, "But director, don't you know our male lead is also going to be on this variety show?"

"Huh? Huh? What did you say?" An Luochen thought he had misheard. He reacted again before realizing what he had said. "You mean Gu Ning also signed Lao Song's contract?"

“Yes,” Shen Nanqiao almost laughed out loud, “So don’t worry, we’ll be back together when we film the later scenes.”

Having added fuel to the fire, Shen Nanqiao knew she had been exonerated. However, Shen Nanqiao looked at Director An walking towards Gu Ning, and Gu Ning standing there, completely unaware of what was happening.

Silently, she lit two candles for Gu Ning in her heart.

No sooner said than done, on the very night that Shen Nanqiao had confessed to An Luochen, she received a notification about the 'True Meaning of Two People'.

Two days later, after returning to Yungang, the first day of filming at the Love House began.

Shen Nanqiao was glad that she had already given Director An a heads-up today.

Everything went smoothly, and the timeline jumped directly to the day filming began.

The cabin was located in the suburbs of Yungang, not far from the temple Shen Nanqiao had visited that day. However, the location was slightly different.

The surrounding environment is excellent, and the facilities are readily available; you don't need to drive too far.

The main point is that Director Song specifically said before filming started that drivers were only allowed to come and drop off their children on the first day; at other times, they were not allowed to bring assistants or drivers.

Thankfully, they weren't filming them leaving their homes. This was the only thing Shen Nanqiao felt fortunate about. Otherwise, when they appeared on camera, other female celebrities and singers would all be in mansions and large apartments.

He lives alone in his small, dilapidated house, though it is becoming more and more comfortable in his eyes.

The contrast is so stark, especially on a television screen. It's quite embarrassing.

The car arrived at the designated location, and Shen Nanqiao looked at her little orange cat with concern, "Don't get out of the car. The director said it's going to be a live broadcast from the beginning. If you go down to help, the director will be unhappy."

Shen Nanqiao was not prepared to offend the director right away.

She knew that Xiaoju was worried about her, and that Xiaoju had been paying more and more attention to her lately.

Shen Nanqiao was very pleased.

Shen Nanqiao patted Xiaoju's hand, comforting her to find somewhere to have fun while she was filming.

He then opened the door and got out of the car.

As soon as the car door opened, a cameraman was already approaching with his lens.

Shen Nanqiao wore low-heeled black leather shoes and a form-fitting silk dress that accentuated her beautiful figure.

She took the packed suitcase from the trunk. The huge suitcase next to her made her waist look even slimmer, so slender that it could be encircled by a hand.

Her long, straight black hair and her innocent, smiling face immediately drew everyone's attention in the live stream.