Chapter 44: Signing the Contract
After finishing breakfast, An Wen took a car to school, only to be immediately surrounded by students from Di Cheng No. 1 High School, their phones raised to capture her.
Under the sunlight, the girl’s skin was as fair as jade. A blue butterfly hair tie held her ponytail in place, with a few loose strands framing her face. Beneath her neat, slightly arched brows, her peach-blossom eyes glistened with a watery charm, gazing at those around her. Her delicate nose and small cherry lips, painted a natural red, added to her beauty. Even the unflattering blue-and-white school uniform looked refreshingly pure on her.
The images circulating on Weibo had clearly been doctored—An Wen in person was so stunning it felt almost sacrilegious to look at her directly.
Smiling, An Wen responded to her classmates’ encouragement, signing autographs all the way to her classroom. By the time she arrived, Weibo was already flooded with photos and videos of her attending school.
After several days of classes, numerous clips of her had spread across Weibo and Douyin, earning her even more fans due to her striking looks.
Soon, companies began approaching her. An Wen met with each of them before deciding to sign with Huayi.
Backed by the Chu Group, Huayi was a prestigious entertainment company with a long history of producing artists who enjoyed both widespread popularity and critical acclaim. Its resources and capital were unmatched, making it notoriously difficult to join.
Once the contract was signed, Huayi assigned her a manager—Song Jia, who had previously guided actor Yang Zezhou to an award-winning career. When Song Jia first met An Wen, she scrutinized her for a long moment before saying, “Your appearance is indeed outstanding, but I don’t manage mere pretty faces. Do you have any acting clips?”
Jiang Shiyu handed over videos stored on her phone. After watching them, Song Jia’s stern expression softened slightly. “Not bad,” she remarked—indicating her willingness to take An Wen on.
“Given recent events, I’ve arranged for you to join a variety show to boost your visibility before any dramas air. I heard you’re interested in auditioning for Hua Luo Chang An?”
“Yes,” An Wen replied.
“Which role are you aiming for?” Song Jia asked.
“Lin Wanting.”
A flicker of surprise crossed Song Jia’s eyes before she nodded. “It’s good experience. Here’s the script for Hua Luo Chang An. You have a week to prepare.”
She handed the script over, and An Wen accepted it.
The variety show Song Jia had arranged for her was Heartbeat Prince. Each episode featured a female guest who would select a makeup style, after which the four male hosts would apply it according to her request. The catch? Female guests had to appear bare-faced, and despite knowing post-production filters would be applied, many actresses hesitated to participate.
Airing at 10 PM on Tomato TV, the show was hosted by the network’s star presenter, Wu Lei. Its ratings were solid among variety programs, with each episode surpassing 100 million online views.
To maintain an element of surprise for the male hosts, the female guest for each episode was kept secret in advance.
The four permanent male hosts were Xu Liangxuan, Li Yuebin, Yang Ziming, and Zuo Shaoyuan. Among them, Zuo Shaoyuan was an actor from Ding Qian Kun, playing Fei Hong—a divine eagle and sworn brother of Xuan Yuan Zun. An Wen knew him, though they had no scenes together.
The recording was scheduled for 6 PM that day, but An Wen arrived by 5. Cameras captured her as she began removing her makeup—a segment that would later be released as a behind-the-scenes clip. Since the show required a bare face, An Wen hadn’t worn any makeup. When Wu Lei instructed her to remove it, she paused briefly before obediently pouring makeup remover onto a cotton pad and wiping her face clean.
Wu Lei noticed that her wiping didn't make much difference and realized something was off, asking, "You're not wearing any makeup?"
An Wen shook her head, her face still bearing traces of foam from the cleanser, and replied, "I'm not wearing any makeup."
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