Shift! The Side-Character Heroine

Zhang Guorong easily entered the best filming academy in the country. She only intended to gain some life experience, but her good results, her prodigious nature, her terrific results, soon yielded many prizes. Let’s not say that these prizes were what that helped her enter the academy. It was her actual work that gained the notice of many senpais and pros, which helped her gain new connections and expand her public reach.

No matter the generation, there was always an unchanging rule in filming. Public relations would not always help at getting prizes, but they could increase the chances of getting one. If one wanted to get a prize without counting on public relations, there was no point in even trying, unless that actor or film has reached an excellent level.

Sometimes, it was not about the film. For instance, awards actually reached one of those vase girl actresses you see in adverts. It all depended on whoever who makes use of the hidden rules first.

During her university years, Zhang Guorong no longer remained low-key. She performed extremely well in many fields and even received an invitation to be a Student Representative and participate in the student exchange program that involved several other well-known filming academies. She did not let up on and quickly fell within the radar of famous directors, leaving a deep impression in their hearts.

Zhao Youyue even forced words of wisdom and affection into Zhang Guorong’s mouth. It was just like the controversy of how “every famous quote that appeared out of the random had been spoken by Lu Xun,” when they were in fact, spoken by Bai Yansong.

She believed that such words of wisdom could inspire those who loved persuasive writing. They could write something like this — Zhang Guorong did so and so when she was in university. As everyone fought over the roles, she would quietly pick up a piece of trash and toss it into the trashcan. This action had not gone unnoticed by the director, who took this as her possessing good moral qualities. This got her the role. To Zhang Guorong, she was just picking up trash, so why would she be selected as the female main character? She was not being modest; she had hoped that someone brilliant would be chosen instead, but apparently, she had been left with no choice. All she could do was to read two poems aloud, reminding everyone not to create waste and take responsibility for their own mess to succeed in life.

Zhao Youyue would not be able to pinpoint on when this happened – that would be ridiculous. She would only breeze over it as an example, reminding everyone how she had been able to lay down her own path, and that there were other ways of attracting the attention of others.

Zhang Guorong had abandoned her low profile. It was time to show her true colors. Unfortunately, when attention came, unwanted attention would be close by. Suitors started throwing confession at her from the left and right. This caused some friction in her relationship with her friend Tang Tang. Of course, when two people shared such a close bond, they would be bound to argue and quarrel. If love was genuine, there would be inevitable cold wars from time to time. These wars only strengthened the bond, and they would be back together not long after, stronger than ever.

On Valentine’s Day, Tang Tang had habitually ordered cake and chocolate for Zhang Guorong, yet there they were, arguing over something silly. Wouldn’t the first one who gives in end up being the loser? Most couples ended up breaking up, due to one party thinking that they would be persuaded to stay, with the other party thinking that time would mend everything.

When Tang Tang finally realized that the cakes and chocolate might end up looking apologetic on her part – they had already reached the hands of Zhang Guorong. Of course, Zhang Guorong would never be short of chocolates on Valentine’s day, but she always preferred the ones sent by Tang Tang.

Not wanting to look like she had lost the argument, Tang Tang had instead sent Zhang Guorong a telegraph – saying that the cake and chocolates had been sent mistakenly. Telephones had yet to exist back then, only transmitters.

Zhang Guorong then replied – I ate them all mistakenly.

And that was how the two of them made up, and things went back to how they were in the past – never to leave each other ever.

Zhao Youyue did not find anything odd about this, but readers would find this extremely cute and sweet.

One might find this cute, but when someone in the sidelines used that word sarcastically; would you still dare admire it in silence? Would it not be better to get rid of the sarcastic beast?

A few more paragraphs were written to showcase Zhang Guorong’s talent. One told of the time when she was simply accompanying her senpai, only to end up being noticed by the director instead of her senpai. Another told of the time when she joined a singing competition for fun, only to emerge as the champion. In her victory speech, she had admitted that she wanted to be an actor, and thus never once stepped into the field of singing.

When Zhang Guorong graduated, she had already claimed the main character role for multiple movies. With her acting skills and her beauty, she finally set out, becoming famous in no time.

For once, Zhao Youyue did not make this up. A genius was at her peak. Geniuses would often by unbeatable, as they would be well-versed in literally everything – catching the eyes of many who wished to just be like her.

However, the famous Zhang Guorong was not without mysteries of her own. A year and a half’s worth, to be exact. No one knows why, but nobody ever got to solve the puzzle. The speculations were endless, but the most likely one was that her acting skills had peaked, so she wanted to take some time off to recharge to surpass herself.

This gave Zhao Youyue the time and space to unleash herself. Why did Zhang Guorong suddenly go incognito? This was not a case of stagnation. She was already an unbeatable genius, and geniuses had no limits. There was only one possible reason – love!

Zhang Guorong and Tang Tang were enjoying the best time of their lives. Indeed, Zhang Guorong’s absence had been due to love. Rather than giving up on love, she had given up on success. Tang Tang asked for longer shifts at her bank. Once again, the aroma of coffee at Vancouver got stronger.

Rising early, standing on the balcony, looking at the mountains in the distance and the endless sky. The vivid greenery; even the sight of her neighbor’s deer coming over to feast on the wildflowers. Zhang Guorong called this deer Bambi [1]. This beautiful, otherworldly place, where there was not the slightest sliver of disturbance, and nothing to spoil the scenery – only the wide sky and the refreshing aroma of flowers.

After receiving fame as the youngest actor alive, she decided to flee from acting and moved to Canada. They lived in a small house, located on the mountains. One looked at Bambi with a smile from her perch on the balcony, while the other one decided to play safe by getting some water ready.

Zhao Youyue had made all of this up based on a picture of Zhang Guorong and Tang Tang. They may or may not have lived there, but Zhang Guorong was possibly missing the special person in her life and had stayed there for a few days.

Readers did not want to read about boring, plain friendship. What they wanted was heartwarming, sweet love!

Zhang Guorong’s legacy raged on in her absence. Upon returning, it was like a king had returned, instantly blotting out the presence of those around him. Those around him were not just any regular humans either; they were the generation of prodigies.

Currently, many fans would be wondering – if Zhang Guorong was still alive, where would she stand today?

Sadly, even more would ask, “Who is Zhang Guorong?”

It was to be expected – seeing how little information about Zhang Guorong was available. Moreover, no one was around to tell the story. Only those who were her fans and those who watched old films would know her name. It was normal for young-uns to remain clueless about her.

A certain “brother” no longer walked the earth. Others would carry his memory and miss his shows. Stopping a random passerby would yield answers.

Translation Note:

[1] Bambi: A deer from a well-known Disney film.