In her past life, when Shen You’an was first brought into the industry by He Qian, she quickly became famous because of her beautiful appearance.
During that phase, it could be said she was extremely popular, with no other fresh faces of the same era able to compete. Content originally comes from noveⅼfire.net
He Qian lined up a bunch of movie and TV roles for her, under the guise of honing her acting skills through practice, but in reality, he only wanted to quickly drain all the value out of her.
At that time, although Shen You’an didn’t quite understand the rules of the entertainment circle, she had a good habit from a young age: no matter what she did, she would invest her full commitment. Unfortunately, facts proved that all efforts don’t necessarily get rewarded.
In high school, she studied so hard, hoping to escape that mire, yet in the end, she couldn’t even take the college entrance exam.
Since she became an actress, she had to refine her acting skills, otherwise, she wouldn’t be at ease taking her paycheck.
Although after the agency and manager took their cut, the paycheck left in her hands was pitiful compared to most celebrities in the industry, it was still much higher than the salary she earned slaving away as a waitress, and for that, she was very content.
So no matter how bad the script she received was, or how bizarre the character setup, she would meticulously write a character backstory, scrutinize the character’s logic, and even humbly ask veteran actors in the crew for guidance and learning.
Unfortunately, in this superficial circle, her face was a natural sin.
Because she was too beautiful, audiences ignored her acting skills, only fixating on her face and then criticizing her for acting in roles with skewed values.
Because she was too beautiful, any slightest interaction with the opposite sex would lead to nasty rumors, even unethical marketing accounts and competitors spared no effort to stir up gossip and spread slanderous rumors.
Because she was too beautiful, company leaders targeted her, and He Qian got her drunk and delivered her to a leader’s bed. She kept the last shred of her rationality, smashed a glass bottle, and with a shard of glass threatened to cut her own carotid artery, warning the man attempting to violate her that if he took one more step forward, she would spill her blood right there.
At that time, she was too naïve and too stubborn, charging headlong with reckless courage until she was battered and bruised, covered in scars.
Perhaps her lunatic state at that moment scared the old man, and although he let her go, the subsequent punishment was to freeze her out forever, hoping she would be desperate enough to crawl back to him crying, willingly offering herself.
Of course, Shen You’an would never do what those people wanted. When the company didn’t provide her with resources, she took the initiative to audition, visiting set after set, willing to play even a bit part with no lines, to avoid her face causing more trouble. She even learned to disguise herself, drawing her eyebrows thick, darkening her skin with powder, adding freckles and moles, blending in among the extras, and thus she went unnoticed.
There was a big director preparing to shoot a major film, looking for a stand-in for the female lead. Shen You’an applied and was luckily chosen by the director from over a hundred applicants because her build closely matched that of the female lead.
Once in the crew, Shen You’an realized it was a martial arts film with many fight scenes and horseback riding sequences for the female lead. The actress couldn’t endure the hardship, so they hired several stand-ins, with Shen You’an specializing in horseback riding.
During that time, she constantly practiced horseback riding day and night with the equestrian coach hired by the crew; the reins wore calluses into her palms, and every night when she returned to her rented room, the insides of her thighs were so raw they were nearly worn to the bone, sticking to her clothes, each removal a piercing agony.
She also had to guard against the man she shared a lease with breaking in at night. During those days, she kept a knife under her pillow for self-defense and didn’t dare to fall into deep sleep.
Shen You’an could hardly say how she managed to persevere during those days, she healed from collapses in despair, and collapsed while healing, over and over again in cycles.
Whenever she felt she couldn’t hold on any longer, she remembered the words of a man on the rooftop that night: "Grit your teeth, just hold on a bit longer, endure it, and one day you will be proud when you turn around, grateful that you’re still alive."
So she grit her teeth, persevering and persevering through each agonizing night...
She brilliantly completed the stand-in’s horseback riding scenes, her beautiful and fluid riding skills caught the director’s attention, who then exceptionally gave her a bit part with a few lines and some action moves.
Even if it was just a few moves, she diligently practiced with the martial arts instructor, who admired her perseverance, patting her on the shoulder and encouraging her as a promising talent who would surely stand out in the future.