First Kiss Diary - Chapter 21

A good night’s sleep.

Ji Ning reached out to turn off the alarm under her pillow, opened her eyes to the familiar decor of the hotel room, and got up to draw back the curtains.

It was still dark outside.

For her, starting work early in the morning was routine, as was changing hotels frequently. Typically, she would stay at a nearby hotel the night before working there the next day. Hotels were like a second home for entertainers.

After changing clothes and washing her face, Ji Ning hurried to the set to do her hair and makeup.

As the female lead in “This Place Has Stars,” she didn’t need to do her own makeup. The crew would have a dedicated makeup artist for her. She just needed to arrive early at the set in the morning. Every production had its own makeup room.

While the makeup artist applied foundation, she dozed off slightly, then woke up a bit when they started styling her hair, taking out her phone to read the news.

Every night after checking her alternate Weibo account, she would log out to avoid being photographed and accused of riding on Ji Shiyu’s popularity.

Having a trending topic-prone personality, she couldn’t afford to make any rash moves.

Even though she logged out, Weibo still retained some memory and recognition functions. She casually scrolled and saw some Weibo posts about Ji Shiyu, saying he had finished shooting some ads and rushed back to T City overnight.

The filming location for “This Place Has Stars” happened to be in T City recently.

While Ji Ning was getting styled, the supporting actress for this drama, Yin Yao, also came to get her makeup done. Since there weren’t many makeup artists on set, Yin Yao had to wait on the side. Just as Ji Ning was almost finished, two extras, likely also waiting for hair and makeup, approached.

The extras’ makeup and hair would be much simpler and take only about ten minutes.

The two girls looked at Ji Ning and discussed something. She vaguely heard the words “Ji Shiyu.”

Then the two of them stood up, greeted Ji Ning and Zhuo Gong warmly, displaying a humble demeanor typical of newcomers, but completely ignored Yin Yao, who was sitting across from them, her face suddenly becoming somewhat awkward.

The two glanced at Yin Yao without expression, then looked at her blankly, seemingly trying to remember if they had met her before.

Ji Ning had seen this kind of situation before. While they pretended to be earnestly learning acting, they were actually trying to curry favor with the lead actor. Those who weren’t as famous as Ji Shiyu didn’t even register on their radar.

When she first started acting, she had also been treated differently. She thought she would get used to it after experiencing it many times, but after two years in the industry, she still found it hard to ignore.

The first lesson for an actor isn’t mastering acting skills, but rather treating everyone with equal respect. Besides, Yin Yao was a nice person who had even helped her get coffee.

Ji Ning stood up from her chair, and as the two girls took over, she continued to smile at them. “We newcomers have to learn a lot from our seniors. You should learn a lot from Yin Yao’s performances; her acting style suits you well.”

The newcomers were stunned.

Ji Ning tilted her head. “No greetings?”

The two immediately realized their oversight and stammered a few “please teach us more, Teacher” to Yin Yao.

Yin Yao was also taken aback and looked at Ji Ning, who smiled at her. “We have a scene later. I’ll be waiting for you outside.”

Yin Yao hadn’t expected Ji Ning to stand up for her like that, especially since she had only helped Ji Ning get coffee a few times. Many lead actors believed that the entire crew should serve them and paid no attention to others’ efforts.

She had seen rumors about Ji Ning before, saying she favored certain newcomers while giving others a hard time. Now she vaguely understood why; some newcomers desperately needed lessons in how to behave.

Ji Ning was actually very kind.

—

Ji Ning waited under the studio tent for filming to start. Yin Yao hadn’t come out yet, but Zhuo Gong had finished his makeup and come out.

“You’re quite something,” Zhuo Gong nudged her elbow. “The newcomers really like you; the makeup room is buzzing.”

Ji Ning raised an eyebrow.

Zhuo Gong stood straight in front of her. “You know, I’ve been in a similar situation before. When I was filming with Shiyu ge before, there was a female supporting actress who only fawned over him the whole time. She didn’t even spare a glance for anyone else. Shiyu ge was flipping through the script and directly asked her, ‘Am I the only human here?’ She was so scared… Hahaha! Later, she even bowed to the camera guy.”

“You two are quite alike, both straightforward.” Ji Ning nodded, gesturing towards the script in his hand. “For the lines.”

“Are you a workaholic?” Zhuo Gong complained, holding the script, “Can’t we have some time to rest and chat?”

“The audience won’t give you time. If it’s not good, they’ll leave,” Ji Ning said calmly, “Do you want me to go find Yin Yao for you?”

“No, no, no, alright, alright. I love working, work makes me happy.”

Ji Ning chuckled, reminding, “The scene where the male lead gets jealous.”

In the script, the female lead’s grades are too good, and every time she leaves school, boys ask her questions. Over time, the male lead becomes annoyed, asking the female lead questions others have already asked.

In the scene after school, Ji Ning got into character, with emotions, “Qi Zaolin, it’s late, let’s go home?”

Zhuo Gong, still not focused, shook his head, “Song–Chen–Xing–I have a question too.”

This is when the female lead is supposed to point to a question and ask the male lead. Ji Ning followed the script, delivering his lines, “Ah? Is it this one?”

“Yes.”

After the female lead finishes asking the question, she is told to stay and wait for the teacher. She starts doing homework while waiting, and the male lead stays with her. They don’t have many lines, so Ji Ning skipped ahead.

Next, the female lead acts a bit sick and falls asleep drowsily. In a half-awake state, she sees the male lead uttering some incredible words, as if she’s dreaming: “What?”

“You heard it.”

Zhuo Gong elongated his tone, and instead of the affectionate and cold “I like you,” he sang it in Cantonese: “Black Pineapple. Those captivating eyes, even more enchanting smile…”

Ji Ning: “…”

Can he take medicine before delivering his lines?

Ji Ning rolled up the script in his hand and pointed it at Zhuo Gong, “Don’t forget you’re supposed to be the aloof and icy character.”

“Then change my posture,” Zhuo Gong switched to a poker face, and began singing again. But before he could finish a few lines, he suddenly grabbed his head, “Oh my god! Who hit me!”

A paper ball rolled to the ground.

Ji Ning followed the direction of the target and saw Ji Producer sitting expressionlessly under the nearby shelter, legs casually crossed.

“Take a look,” Ji Producer gestured.

Zhuo Gong unfolded the paper ball, his expression gradually becoming complicated. Ji Ning saw a few words from the back through the light, realizing it was the lines for the afternoon scene.

At the same time, Ji Producer posed a soul-searching question, “You seem to be having a good time. Your lines must be delivered perfectly, right?”

Life is not easy, Zhuo Gong sighed.

“I’m sorry, Brother Shiyan,” Zhuo Gong cleverly admitted his mistake, “I’ll go memorize the lines immediately. I’m not qualified to sing here.”

Ji Shiyan: ??

Zhuo Gong pulled up a chair, about to sit down, when Ji Shiyan came over, “When I used to film, I had a trick.”

Zhuo Gong immediately listened attentively, “Yes, please tell me!”

“When memorizing lines, you should go to a place where no one is,” Ji Shiyan hinted, looking into the distance, “Being alone will enhance your immersion and understanding.”

Zhuo Gong frowned for a few seconds, understanding, “Alright…I’ll go.”

“But if I leave, who will rehearse with Ningning?” Zhuo Gong seemed reluctant, “So I…”

The man answered quickly, “It’s okay, I’ll help you.”

Zhuo Gong choked and looked up at the sky, “…okay.”

He hadn’t realized before that Ji Producer was such a helpful person.

Zhuo Gong took the script and went to a secluded spot, squatting there, pondering life.

Ji Ning didn’t know where Ji Shiyan got the script from, but at this moment, the man sitting across from her indeed had the lines and knew which scene they were filming later.

Ji Shiyan, basking lazily in the sunlight, glanced at her, “One more time?”

“Oh…okay.”

Ji Ning coughed twice and began the female lead’s lines again, “It’s late, let’s go home?”

“I have a question too,” Zhuo Gong said, calmly but with a hint of certainty and defiance, even a bit of dissatisfaction.

Ji Ning pointed to the script, mimicking the female lead’s action, “Is it this one?”

“Yes.”

After a few seconds of silence, Ji Ning completed the transition scene in her mind, and then, in a daze, spoke for the female lead, “What?”

“You heard it,” he said, lightly but with certainty, adding a bit of natural charm, “I like you.”

――Even though subconsciously prepared, the moment she heard “I like you,” she was still caught off guard, unable to resist, her ear nerves and heart trembling, as if hearing the crackling of firewood burning next to her ear.

I can’t hear what you’re saying, say it again?

Incredibly effective, even casually saying a confession line can take someone’s life.

Big bold letters flashed in her mind: die without regrets, then quickly erased.

No, she hadn’t won the lawsuit yet.

Direct lines paired with a good actor equals 100% effectiveness.

Ji Ning felt even her tongue was burning.

Ji Shiyan still seemed a bit leisurely, flipping the script over and asking, “Why are your ears red?”

Ji Ning quickly calculated, “I’m sunburned.”

“…”

Certainly! Here’s the translated text with spaces between paragraphs:

“――

After finishing the morning shoot, Jining returned to her trailer for a brief rest, preparing for the afternoon filming. Although the past two years of filming haven’t been smooth, at least her bank account hasn’t been empty. She earned enough to support herself and afford this trailer. In the past, trailers were only owned by top celebrities, but now, with the increasing demands on artists, many have bought their own trailers, making life much more convenient.

After eating the nutritionist’s low-calorie, high-satiety meal, she checked Weibo.

[Zhong Fei], this account never stops, even when she takes her to court. During the court process, she’s become even more arrogant, perhaps trying to prove she’s not afraid of anything, even comforting fans with “tomorrow, remember to take care of Ning Ning.” It’s really interesting how someone who only deserves to live in the shadows can face the spotlight so calmly, reassuring deceived fans not to be afraid. Relying on poorly edited videos, patched-together photos, and the skill of concocting stories from images, she uses some easily manipulated netizens as her pawns.

Despicable, low-level, bad, and stupid.

Of course, her recent lively behavior might also be a sign of guilt. After all, the more guilty one is, the louder they tend to shout.

Some people do a good deed every day, but this account spins a tale every day, or rather, several tales.

This account works hard every day for money. Jining knows very well that relying solely on one person is not enough to run this account successfully. Who wouldn’t like a celebrity who sets up fake accounts and cares more about her every move than her fans do, and whose daily routine involves scrutinizing her words and actions?

Behind every large fake account is a team operating or supporting it, and they are definitely her competitors.

If one were to dig deeper, the network of fake accounts is far from simple.

[Zhong Fei] fabricates rumors in sync with current events, almost moving Jining to tears.

[Is this the dedication of [chicken] fans, admiringly watching, even if she’s present, letting the stand-in complete the scenes of her back and watering, tut tut tut, taking money without working and still selling a persona, any [chicken] with a dream is admirable.] The accompanying image is of Jining watching a supporting actor dressed like her.

The original relationship lines in “Here Lies a Star” were simple. Considering the dramatic arc of the script, the screenwriter added a role for her twin sister, played by Yin Yao.

This scene is where the mother buys very similar clothes for the female lead and her sister, and the sister is mistaken for the male lead when she’s out.

Just by finding a scene with a back view and the male lead, the rumor of “Jining chilling on the side watching the stand-in act for her” emerged. If not for these fake accounts, Jining wouldn’t have known the story could be spun like this.

Just as Jining was checking Zhong Fei’s Weibo, Nono knocked on the window from outside.

“Ning Ning, we’re about to start filming, get ready.”

Jining nodded and grabbed a small fan before stepping out of the trailer, where she saw Yin Yao approaching.

Yin Yao was still wearing the outfit from the scene where the fake news was created because it was the last scene, for both her and Jining.

Yin Yao shook her phone and smiled warmly at Jining. “Remember we’ve been shooting for so long and haven’t taken a photo together? Shall we take a selfie?”

Jining nodded. “Sure.”

As the shutter clicked, she thought of something.

Yin Yao took two photos, and Jining also took out her phone and took a few selfies.

Before the afternoon shoot, she quickly edited a Weibo post and sent it out――

[Sending a postcard with @Yin Yao, please check out the sister selfie we took together.]”Sure, here’s the text with spaces between paragraphs:

Sending postcards was a trend from the game “Traveling Frog” a while ago. In the game, the frog character often travels, and players, like loving mothers, would occasionally receive postcards from their frog sons in the in-game mailbox, complete with photos. So, later on, people started referring to sharing photos as “sending postcards home,” and fans would jokingly ask their idols to “send more postcards while traveling.”

Of course, Ji Ning’s Weibo post wasn’t just a simple selfie. Initially, some people didn’t realize it, focusing only on comments like “Oh, so cute” and “Finally, no more awkward selfies.” Soon, fans suspicious of the “black” (fake) account noticed something:

【Is the darling responding to the black account’s mention of a body double? Does “sister” imply a close relationship or a new familial storyline in the script? In any case, there are two characters! I noticed the collar in the black account’s photo is orange, while the darling’s collar is red!】

Orange and red look similar from afar, so Ji Ning purposely took a selfie focusing on their collars. A comparison revealed that the person in the black account’s photo wasn’t a body double, as they would wear the same clothes as the main character. Besides, she specifically mentioned “sister’s selfie,” indicating it’s a new character. It’s both promotional and subtly refuting rumors. Fans who realized this couldn’t help but laugh:

【The marketing team must be cursing; I had the press release ready, money spent, and before I could even release it, it’s debunked instantly. Damn, I’m loving having an idol like this!】

【Being oneself’s biggest fan and combating the haters. Today, I’m shipping Ning x Xiao Er duo!】

【Sorry, Ningjie is just awesome.】

【So clever! I’m a fan now. From today, I officially join Lemon Sister’s team.】

Yin Yao, smart as well, immediately retweeted with a comment: 【New characters are adapting to the script. Hope everyone can understand and like it~】

The black account was thoroughly exposed and couldn’t wiggle out of it.

—

After filming for over a week on set, finally, there was an afternoon without any scenes to shoot? But it was hard to enjoy with nothing to do. Nowadays, people’s expectations of artists are akin to saints. Being good at acting isn’t enough; they must excel in all aspects, or else they’ll be ridiculed. You’re a student, right? Even if you excel at acting outside, it’s useless if you skip school—even better if you fail a subject, sparking a day-long trend on social media. To avoid gossip, she couldn’t keep skipping school; occasionally, she had to go back. It was script class in the afternoon, and she heard the teacher was absent today, replaced by someone more formidable. But Ji Ning didn’t mind; she always attended script classes, often going back to the hotel only after an hour of class.

When Ji Ning and Nono arrived early for class, their classmates were surprised and couldn’t stop whispering about it. Two boys saw Ji Ning and started whistling, but she ignored them until they threw chalk at her. 20-year-old boys aren’t much different from 16-year-olds; they’re still immature and seek attention, especially from a rising star like Ji Ning. After a while of being pelted, Ji Ning, who was taking notes, had had enough and was about to turn around when a commotion broke out. She turned around to see a familiar figure passing by the window, causing a stir as he entered the classroom. It was Ji Shiyun. How did he get here?

The two boys at the back forgot to move, staring at the blackboard with wide eyes. “Damn, seeing a top-tier star in my lifetime…” Ji Shiyun stood tall and straight, exuding a natural aura of authority. He placed his books on the desk, his fingers resting on the spine. All eyes were on him, awaiting the “substitute teacher’s” introduction, even though everyone knew him. But protocol had to be followed, right? Ji Shiyun paused for a moment under the attention of the whole class, then his gaze landed on Ji Ning behind him, and his first words were— “The two at the back.” The classroom erupted in whispers for a moment before he continued, “Since you like throwing things so much, go throw away one class.”