Following Wan Wei’s instructions, Zhou Yining verified her identity and launched her Weibo account.

On the first day, she posted a greeting to everyone.

Netizens quickly discovered that this newcomer was formidable: Actress Queen Zhou Wei, Jing Xin, and Yu Yuanhang, all cast members of the Taiping Dynasty, followed her. Many other popular artists followed her, too. Was she really just a newcomer?

Netizens were extremely curious about Zhou Yining’s identity and were waiting for a tabloid leak. That evening, someone posted a long Weibo thread, completely exposing Zhou Yining’s personal information, family background, and education.

“Master’s graduate from XX University in the UK, daughter of the chairman of an S City listed company, cousin of Hua Chen Film and Television CEO Qin Sen.. No wonder she could play Consort Ning in Taiping Dynasty. That’s quite the background, almost rivaling Jing Xin’s.”

“That education is impressive, probably top three among female artists in the industry. What’s the deal with her carrying a bag of cash? Showing off? She’s definitely going to be targeted by thieves now [bye-bye emoji].”

“The blogger said she absolutely hates Dong-ge. Is that true? She’s playing Dong-ge’s concubine in the Taiping Dynasty! I’m worried she’ll poison him! [horror emoji]”

“I’m so worried about Dong-ge’s safety! I need to go leave a warning on her Weibo!”

“With Dong-ge’s powerful Eastern Palace fans, she wouldn’t dare mess around, would she?”

…

That evening, Zhou Yining opened her Weibo, and her eyes widened in shock.

…What in the world happened??

She had only 188 followers, yet she had 3,688 new comments and 2,389 new mentions.

Did I gain followers? No, that wasn’t right; she still had only 188 followers, mostly friends and crew members, plus twenty or thirty ad accounts and zombie accounts. Where did all the comments and mentions come from?

She clicked and quickly scanned the feed, discovering it was entirely filled with ridicule and abuse.

How did this happen so suddenly? Just as she was searching for the source of the incident, her phone rang. It was Wan Wei.

It seemed something had gone wrong.

Wan Wei answered the call and went straight to the point. “You’ve hit the Weibo trending list, but it’s not good news. Everything about you has been leaked. We can’t stop this, and even if we could, it wouldn’t help. Don’t say anything foolish. Don’t reply to any comments.”

So, she was trending. No wonder.

But how did she trend? Had her private account, where she insulted Ji Dongyang, been exposed?

Zhou Yining frowned, only managing to say after a while, “Okay.”

Wan Wei suddenly chuckled. “Trending on your first day of opening Weibo isn’t entirely a bad thing. Either go big red or go full black. I hope it’s the former.”

Zhou Yining pouted. “What about both?”

Wan Wei laughed again. “That works too, as long as you’re not entirely blacklisted. Be careful tomorrow; it’s your first day on set. I won’t be there.”

Wan Wei finished giving instructions and hung up.

Zhou Yining clicked on the trending topics. Her name was right there. Fortunately, her anonymous account hadn’t been exposed.

She finished reading the long post and let out a sarcastic laugh.

See? There are always people in this world who can’t stand to see her doing well.

…

Early the next morning, Zhou Yining drove herself to the set. Since she had just hit the trending list last night, everyone on the crew couldn’t help but stare at her. They realized this girl had serious backing. But what they were most curious about was her backpack. They had often seen her with a seemingly heavy bag in Hengdian, but no one had expected it to be full of cash.

That’s definitely asking for trouble!

In the entire crew, only Ji Dongyang and Zhou Wei had individual dressing rooms. The other important supporting actors shared male and female rooms. As Zhou Yining walked past Ji Dongyang’s room, she happened to run into him, dressed as the Emperor, walking out. They exchanged a silent glance and then looked away.

Zhou Yining offered a smile. “Dong-ge, good morning.”

Ji Dongyang glanced at her. “Mm.”

Zhou Yining laughed and turned to leave.

In the makeup room, Jing Xin was dressed as a palace maid. The other three concubine actresses were already made up, greeted her when she arrived, and left to prepare.

Zhou Yining tossed her bag onto the floor and went to change into her costume.

The makeup artist stared at Zhou Yining’s bag and asked Jing Xin, “Is she really carrying cash in that bag?”

Jing Xin nodded. “She never carries less than fifty thousand yuan in cash in her bag.”

Makeup artist: “…That’s a lot!”

Zhou Yining changed her clothes and sat down in front of the vanity mirror. The makeup artist began applying her makeup, praising her skin. While doing her eye makeup, she couldn’t help but compliment her further: “Your eyes are so beautiful. With eyeliner, they are dripping with seduction. And that tiny mole on your cheek right here is the perfect finishing touch. Paired with your eyes and the makeup, you look lazily charming, like a seductive wild cat!”

Zhou Yining’s skin was fair and delicate, almost flawless, except for a barely visible mole one centimeter above the tip of her nose, on her left cheek. This mole looked unique on her face and added a dash of allure.

Zhou Yining blinked her beautiful, bright almond-shaped eyes. Her smile was enchanting. “Really? Can it hook a man?”

The makeup artist was stunned by her gaze and nodded vigorously. “Absolutely captivating!”

Zhou Yining smiled. “That’s good. I’ll go seduce the Emperor later then.”

Everyone present burst into laughter.

The initial filming of the Taiping Dynasty in Hengdian covered Prince Xiao leading his troops to quell the rebellion. Towards the end of the war, the old Emperor died, and Prince Xiao ascended the throne. Zhou Yining’s character, Mu Ning, was originally Prince Xiao’s concubine. Mu Ning’s father rendered great service, and after Prince Xiao took the throne, he elevated Mu Ning to Consort Ning, who would later become a notorious poison concubine.

Today was Zhou Yining’s first scene, and it was opposite Ji Dongyang.

Zhou Yining’s scene was scheduled for the afternoon. They were currently filming scenes with the court officials. She watched Ji Dongyang on the Dragon Throne. His eyes were sharp, and every expression was intense. Undeniably, he possessed a natural kingly aura.

Director Xu shouted, “Cut! Next group, prepare!”

Ji Dongyang took a break while waiting for the afternoon’s scene. He walked down the steps from the throne and paused next to Zhou Yining, glancing at her.

Zhou Yining smiled at him. “Greetings to the Emperor.”

Ji Dongyang looked at her for a few seconds, then slowly looked away. “We haven’t started filming yet. There’s no need to be so polite to me.”

He finished speaking, walked to a nearby chair, took an eye mask from his assistant, put it on, leaned back, and stayed perfectly still.

Zhou Yining made a face at his eye mask. The hateful, poker-faced Emperor.

After lunch, they began shooting the first scene of the afternoon.

The clapperboard snapped shut, and everyone’s eyes focused on Zhou Yining and Ji Dongyang.

Consort Ning, in a rose-colored, cross-collared, floor-length gown, gracefully walked into the Imperial Study, followed by two palace maids. After performing the proper greetings, Consort Ning took the ginseng tea from the maid’s tray and walked over, smiling. “Your Majesty is burdened with state affairs. Your concubine worries about your health.”

Consort Ning placed the tea on the desk. The Emperor looked up at her. Consort Ning smiled, placed her arm on his shoulder, and shifted her body, settling herself on his lap…

Director Xu: “Cut! Zhou Yining, are you a zombie? Your movements are so stiff!”

Zhou Yining: “…”

She hadn’t realized Director Xu was so harsh with his insults.

She glanced at the expressionless Ji Dongyang, quickly stood up from his lap, and stood there to receive Director Xu’s scolding.

Director Xu: “Didn’t I tell you about the scene just now? You’re supposed to be flattering the Emperor. With such stiff movements and a forced smile, how is a man supposed to feel moved or softened?”

Zhou Yining quickly apologized. “Director, I’ll try again.”

Second take.

Director Xu: “Cut! Do you understand coy flirtation? Don’t just constantly lean into the Emperor!”

…

Twelfth take. Director Xu: “Cut! Luckily, you’re skinny, or if we keep filming like this, the Emperor’s leg will be crippled from you sitting on it!”

Zhou Yining: “…”

Director Xu, you’re about to cripple me with your scolding.

Director Xu said, annoyed, “Take a twenty-minute break. Jing Xin, help Zhou Yining find the feeling. Teach her how to act!”

Jing Xin, who was named, looked surprised, then looked at Zhou Yining and Ji Dongyang. “Okay.”

Zhou Yining stood up from Ji Dongyang’s arms for the twelfth time. Ji Dongyang also stood up, looked down at her, and said, “Didn’t you say you wouldn’t burden me? You are the actress I’ve worked with who has the most NGs.”

She hadn’t expected to eat her words so quickly.

Zhou Yining bit her lip, wanting to argue but lacking the confidence. She was momentarily speechless.

A few seconds later, she angrily shook out her sleeve and walked away.

As soon as she entered the lounge, Jing Xin started to complain to Zhou Yining. “Your gaze towards Dong-ge needs to be more seductive. He’s the Emperor, and you’re a concubine! You didn’t look like you were trying to flatter him at all—I thought you were trying to hand him a cup of poison tea…”

Zhou Yining waved her hand, annoyed. “I know how to be flattering! How to be seductive! But when I see Ji Dongyang’s face, I can’t be charming or seductive!”

Jing Xin stared at her. “That’s what being an actor is! Even if your co-star is annoying, once you take the job, you have to act. Do you still want to be in this drama? If Qin Sen finds out you NG’d this many times…”

Zhou Yining quickly pleaded, “Please, you absolutely cannot tell Cousin Qin.”

Jing Xin: “Even if I don’t tell him, Director Xu will. The entire crew will be talking.”

Jing Xin continued, “Dong-ge is a powerful, skilled actor. If you keep bouncing around in front of him with this awful acting, he’s probably looking at you like a clown.”

Zhou Yining: “…”

Jing Xin didn’t mince words when criticizing her. “Or maybe he just thinks you’re an idiot. You don’t want people to look down on you like that, do you?”

Zhou Yining was startled for a moment, then stood up and glared fiercely at Jing Xin. “Who’s an idiot! Just wait, I’ll hook him later, and if I can’t hook him, I’ll disgust him to death!”

Jing Xin: “…”

Did she say too much?

Wait, that’s not what she meant!

Zhou Yining had already rushed out.

The scene started again.

Consort Ning nestled softly in the Emperor’s embrace, her body pliable, and breathed lightly near his ear. “Your Majesty, you haven’t visited your concubine for a long time…”

The Emperor’s expression remained unchanged. He gently pulled her slightly away. A faint smile curved his lips. “I have been busy with state affairs recently.”

Consort Ning pouted, batting her almond eyes. She snuggled closer again, gently rubbing her cheek against his neck. “Your Majesty…”

Director Xu, behind the monitor, slapped his forehead and shouted angrily through the megaphone, “Zhou Yining, you’re an imperial concubine! Not a prostitute! Don’t be so trashy!”

Zhou Yining: “…”

Ji Dongyang glanced at the girl still sitting in his lap and let out a humorless snort from his nose.

Zhou Yining snapped her head up to look at him. “What are you snorting at!”

Ji Dongyang stared down at her. “Never been in a relationship?”