Shift! The Side-Character Heroine

Zhao Youyue did not only possess the power to bridge the gap between the two incompatible geniuses, Han Leng and Su Li. She could practically summon Zhao Hao and Ding Yunchong out of her pocket. These two tycoon celebrities had not been lying dormant. Their recent exploits had reignited their internet fame, drawing attention from far and wide. This fresh lease of fame was not unlike that from their days of old, before that ridiculous candid shot of Zhao Youyue sitting shotgun in Ding Yunchong’s car sullied their image, albeit momentarily.

Even news of Zhao Youyue being Zhao Hao’s cousin-sister had gained much momentum on its own. Most terrifyingly, everyone wanted to know more about the enigmatic Zhao Youyue, mainly when it concerned her background, even though Zhao Hao was wealthier than Zhao Youyue and may even have accomplished more. Ding Yunchong was to blamed in part for this. He had caused shockwaves across the internet when he had claimed to be chauffeuring Zhao Youyue and that he was the one trying to get into her good books, not vice-versa. Zhao Youyue’s apparent importance to Ding Yunchong could not be overstated any further.

Zhao Hao and Ding Yunchong were both highly involved in the entertainment circle. With these two bigshots around, Zhao Youyue was convinced that she had the right to step into the entertainment circle without any hindrances.

Zhao Youyue wanted to resurrect the fame of the deceased, legendary actress – Zhang Guorong. It was her time to claim yet another ultimate card.

She had no qualms about lowering herself to seek help from the two men. They usually hung out together during the weekends. A tiny favor like this would not hurt.

When the two men were introduced to the late Zhang Guorong’s pictures, their eyes almost flew out of their sockets – and thus they started digging up more of her past, even going so far as to watch one of her mainstream films together. Mainstream, in this case, being a relative term, since she was so obscure, to begin with.

The two men had only assumed that Zhao Youyue needed help boosting her own fame. She was not only pretty, she was an eloquent orator, an excellent gamer. They could always count on her as the calvary whenever they found themselves in a pinch during their gaming escapades. Even so, when they learned of Zhang Guorong, an uncharacteristic pang of remorse struck the very cores of their hearts. For one to die at such a young age – had she even blossomed completely?

Ding Yunchong was a highly active online critique when it came to actors. Very few had escaped his harsh tongue, one of his most cynical statement being how female celebrities were nothing more than props scattered across red carpets.

Now, he felt the rare urge to repent. He launched the first volley on his Weibo – the start of the 21 shots that actress Zhang Guorong never got.

“I am not going to waste any more time blabbering about the shenanigans beyond the red carpet. The truth will always stand the test of time, and it does not require any periodic maintenance on my part. But hear me now, on my 30th birthday, I got to know of a certain Zhang Guorong, courtesy of my dear friends. It did not take long before we got ourselves into a Zhang Guorong mainstream film marathon. The more I watched, the more I came to the revelation that a Goddess had once descended upon this realm, a Goddess had once walked among us and the blind pagans that we were, we never knew of her. I truly want the world to know more of her, and if you’re keen, you could start with her films, as they were really good. Sadly, her candle was snuffed out all too soon. It is even more of a shame to know that she lived in once upon a time when none of us were around. She would have made a terrific buddy.”

His post was lengthy, but in reality, Ding Yunchong had dictated the entire thing, while his secretary frantically reproduced his words in text. Attached to the post was a portrait shot of Zhang Guorong’s beautiful person. He had nothing to offer but endless praises for Zhang Guorong by shoving the best actress title upon her, beckoning other actresses to learn from her. It was not their acting that needed help, it was their personalities.

This generation was lacking in actors and actresses who threw their hearts and souls into improving themselves. This generation lacked the quality and the numbers.

That was how Ding Yunchong reclaimed his title as the disciplinary committee of the entertainment circle. This single post had caused tremors across forums and chat groups.

“Who is this Zhang Guorong? I’m a young’un, so do excuse me not knowing her. I gotta say, judging from her photos, damn, she looked good!”

“Here’s all you need to know about Zhang Guorong… (Copypaste information from Wikipedia and Baidu)”

“I never expected Ah Chong to be a siscon [1] too. We may not share the same tastes in imoutos, but you have good taste, I’ll give you that.”

“Buddies? What buddies exactly, Ding Yunchong? (Laughs)”

“Zhang Guorong is not an online celebrity. She’s a real-life goddess in the flesh! If fate had given her more time, she would definitely be one of the greatest actresses in history!”

“She has transformed my preferences. But it’s really hard to find anything about her; there isn’t even a complete biography around…”

…

As Ding Yunchong’s Weibo got to work, youngsters were slowly getting to know this legendary actress, Zhang Guorong. At the very least, some might dig around for her mainstream films. When presented with her immense acting skills, they would then be driven to learn more about Zhang Guorong. Even if they did not immediately get to it, curiosity in a highly pressurized compartment would not take long to blow up.

Finally, Zhao Youyue joined in the discussions herself by throwing in the book, “Perfect Acting — A Lifetime’s Worth of Youth” and quickly followed with, “Firstly, let’s get this out of the water. I’m a siscon myself. I don’t care if you guys think I’m a pervert, all that you need to know is that I truly, truly respect this woman! Her looks, to her demeanor, to her acting skills, they are all beyond compare! So I’d hereby like to share this to all who are present – ‘Perfect Acting — A Lifetime’s Worth of Youth’ written by another legend, Zeng Qinqin. It is by far the most complete retelling of Zhang Guorong’s life. Reading this has only leveled up my siscon stats. I would like to hereby thank Zeng Qinqin-sensei for gifting the world such a good read. Aspiring actors would learn from this, as would anyone else, if you’re interested in viewing your sister’s life from another angle.”

Zhao Youyue’s post quickly gained recognition. While everyone’s curiosity about Zhang Guorong had peaked, this book was like the perfect meal for the starving masses. This was the ideal opportunity to advertise such a niche book.

Of course, this could no longer be classified as a self-help title, no thanks to the author going overboard.

Next, Zhao Youyue spent some money on advertisers to spread the word around, to praise this book and in extension of it, Zhang Guorong. This slammed a whole new perspective in faces of the curious young. This was a romanticized, different Zhang Guorong, but she was still loosely based on her real-life counterpart.

That was precisely why she had the potential to be another iconic card for Lady Zhao to use.

One day, everyone would be gobsmacked, when the legendary actress makes her return in another’s body!

Translation Notes:

[1] Siscon: mainly means those who are in love with their sisters, but in this case its used to refer to Zhang Guorong since everyone calls her “sister/imouto”