Chapter 29 – Green Peony

Shen Fubai was ultimately dragged to the dressing room by Li Man. Shen Fubai could bear the slight, but Li Man couldn’t. Regardless of whether Yang Yingying was as rumored, she couldn’t bear to see her own child suffer any injustice, nor would she tolerate even the slightest possibility of him being used by others.

To Li Man, an outsider would never compare to a child she had watched over for six years. Protecting her child was instinctive.

Li Man’s decisive and forceful demeanor was reminiscent of a female special agent ready to embark on a mission in a script. Shen Fubai feared that Li Man would kick open the door and shoot Yang Yingying, so as he was being pulled along, he said, “Sister Li, sister Li, be nice to her later, at least leave her alive.”

Li Man glared fiercely at him. “What are you thinking? I’m not a gangster.”

Shen Fubai thought to himself, But you look exactly like a godmother right now.

Of course, he didn’t dare say it out loud.

Li Man walked up to Shen Fubai’s exclusive dressing room. The door was closed, and no sounds could be heard from inside. She stopped in front of the door and forcefully opened it.

The woman applying lipstick in the makeup chair immediately turned around.

_

_

She was an incredibly alluring woman. Her emerald-green peony-patterned cheongsam outlined her graceful figure, while eight-centimeter heels accentuated her slender posture. Her hair was styled with finger waves, and she wore an emerald bracelet on her wrist. Her face was adorned with a vintage makeup look, exuding ample charm.

Her eyes were captivating, filled with an abundance of allure.

Instantly, Shen Fubai thought of a name.

Green Peony.

Green Peony was a character in “Pear Blossoms.” In the bustling streets of Jinling and the Qinhuai River, how could there be performances without the laughter and smiles of courtesans in painted pavilions?

Green Peony was such an extraordinary woman. Skilled in music, singing, and dancing, and knowledgeable about poetry and literature, she was the confidante of many literati in Nanjing. In the city of Jinling, all the famous dandies and scholar-bureaucrats, whose names could be counted, were her guests behind the scenes.

It was said that Jinling had two great beauties, one being Yu Tang, and the other, Green Peony.

Most importantly, there was a subplot in the drama—Green Peony had a fleeting affair with Chu Yu’s older brother, Chu Mu, which ended tragically under the pressure of feudal ideology.

Green Peony also had another identity; she was Yu Tang’s biological sister.

Green Peony’s original name was Cui Cui, and she shared the same mother with Yu Tang. In those times, a couple wouldn’t have just one child, even if they were poor. They still valued having many children, resulting in their growing poverty.

Yu Tang’s real name wasn’t Yu Tang either; it was Zhu Zi… Don’t complain about its vulgarity; a humble name meant easier survival.

Cui Cui and Zhu Zi were the eldest and second oldest in the family, and they had four younger siblings. Later, when the family could no longer make ends meet, they sold their eldest daughter, Cui Cui, into the brothel, where she was renamed Green Peony by the madam. Not long after, realizing they still couldn’t afford to raise the family, they also sold their second son, Zhu Zi, to a theater troupe, where the master renamed him Yu Tang.

On the bright side, they at least received good names.

But let’s not think about the bad side; it’s heart-wrenching.

The siblings had been separated for many years, unaware of each other’s identities. Despite their later fame and equal glory in Jinling, they didn’t know that they were actually flesh and blood relatives.

It can be seen that despite their poverty, this family had excellent genes, giving birth to both men and women with fine features.

This pair of siblings also captured the hearts of the two brothers of the Chu family, the first household in Jinling.

In the drama, Green Peony and Yu Tang only recognized each other much later, when Green Peony’s body was already frail, her appearance gaunt and worn-out. But years ago, Green Peony was always the peerless beauty who captivated half of Jinling with her smile.

The actress playing Green Peony was Yang Yingying.

Director Xu was equally picky about the actress for the role of Green Peony when he was initially casting, no less than for Yu Tang. Both Green Peony and Yu Tang were considered two of the most beautiful women in Jinling; they had to be of the same level.

In the entertainment industry, where beauties abounded, few could live up to the word “peerless.” Green Peony, a seductive courtesan, didn’t suit any of the popular young actresses with leading lady faces.

Director Xu pondered for a long time before suddenly remembering someone like Yang Yingying in the industry, and he invited her to audition.

From a certain perspective, Director Xu was quite bold in his choice of cast, completely disregarding Yang Yingying’s reputation as the public girlfriend within the industry.

The role of Green Peony wasn’t a mere vase; it required solid acting skills, something that couldn’t be summed up as a performance based on her true nature.

This should be one of the few roles Yang Yingying had taken on that wasn’t a vicious supporting character, and she placed significant importance on this opportunity.

_

_

Shen Fubai watched as Yang Yingying, dressed in a cheongsam, turned her head, blinking his eyes. He thought to himself that she was indeed beautiful.

A standard almond-shaped face, fox-like eyes, and facial features that seemed tailor-made for a seductress. How could one word describe her charm?

No wonder she was often criticized as a vixen.

Not only female celebrities, but even Shen Fubai had been attacked for being effeminate due to his exquisite appearance. There was a period when Shen Fubai was blacklisted across the internet by his rivals; he had only recently debuted, his dance skills were still impressive, his single hadn’t been released yet, and he was quite low-key, lacking any scandals. They latched onto his appearance instead.

Insulting his looks as ugly was too low-level, only inviting counterattacks for being blind. So, they called him effeminate, lacking masculinity.

Shen Fubai was scolded until he had no temper left: Want masculinity, do you? Come out, I’ll punch ten of you. Born beautiful, blame me for it?

They weren’t accused of being plastic surgery freaks, though. Because both had debuted early and were practically raised in the public eye, this point couldn’t be used against them. They both debuted at sixteen, with Yang Yingying being two years older than Shen Fubai.

Shen Fubai felt some sympathy towards Yang Yingying, whom he hadn’t interacted with much, through empathy. They both endured defamation and criticism for their beauty at the age of sixteen, which was truly pitiful.

_

_

Yang Yingying debuted early, making her Shen Fubai’s senior in terms of experience. However, in the entertainment industry, obscurity was a cardinal sin. An 18th-tier artist who had been in the industry for ten years would still bow and call a junior who rose to fame in a year their teacher.

Upon seeing Li Man and Shen Fubai, she was startled, stood up, and nodded in greeting. “Mr. Shen, Miss Li.”

Li Man gave a fake smile. “Miss Yang, our Fubai needs to use this dressing room. I apologize, please leave.”

Yang Yingying picked up her bag from the makeup table, speaking neither humbly nor arrogantly. “No problem, I’ve finished my makeup. I’m sorry for taking up your dressing room.” She offered Shen Fubai a faint smile.

Shen Fubai: “Ah, it’s alright.”

“Please,” Li Man glanced sharply at Shen Fubai, signaling him not to speak further, then politely issued an eviction notice to Yang Yingying.

Yang Yingying bowed politely, turned around, and walked out of the dressing room, closing the door behind her.

As soon as Yang Yingying left, Li Man began checking the dressing room everywhere, fearing that Yang Yingying might have intentionally left something behind or installed hidden cameras.

Yang Yingying was infamous for causing scandals; any male star who spent a bit more time with her would end up in a rumored relationship. Half of the entertainment industry was her rumored boyfriend, ranging from top actors to rising idols, every one of them more famous than her, hence the title of public girlfriend.

Someone like Shen Fubai, if entangled with her, would surely be drained dry.

After a thorough check and finding nothing unusual, Li Man was barely relieved. “There aren’t any major issues.”

This wasn’t paranoia; there were simply too many cases in the industry where people had been ruined by carelessness.

Shen Fubai almost fell victim once. Someone had installed a hidden camera in his bathroom. At that time, he was only seventeen, and discovering the device in the bathroom was like a bolt from the blue, infuriating him to the point of smashing the camera on the spot. Initially, he assumed it was the work of a hardcore fan, but later found out that it was a despicable tactic employed by a rival.

Because the evidence involved privacy, Shen Fubai couldn’t even sue, and was forced by the company to let it go quietly.

Of course, now Shen Fubai had become a top star, and the rival from back then had already cooled down, no longer worthy of being called his opponent.

How lonely it was to be invincible.

_

_

Sitting in front of the mirror, Shen Fubai waited for the makeup artist to arrive. “I think Yang Yingying is really different from what’s said outside.”

Outside, she was portrayed as promiscuous and cheap, but upon closer inspection, she appeared perfectly normal.

Li Man rolled her eyes. “Judging someone’s character after meeting them once, who gave you that confidence?”

Shen Fubai: “Those spreading rumors haven’t even met her once.”

Li Man was surprised. “Why are you defending her so much? Did you fall in love with her at first sight?”

Sighing, Shen Fubai said, “After all… she’s my long-lost sister.”

Li Man: “Don’t get too into character, little brother.”

“Alright, I’ll tell you the truth.” Shen Fubai spoke calmly. “I’m her fan.”

Li Man: “Aren’t you a die-hard fan of Jiang Heng? How did you suddenly find another idol?”

The term “die-hard fan” itself was derogatory, but in Shen Fubai’s case, it took on a new meaning—unwavering love for Jiang Heng, deeply poisoned, hence the nickname “die-hard fan.”

Shen Fubai explained, “I’m not switching allegiances; Heng Heng is my true love—not just that, he’s my whole life. As for Yang Yingying… I admire her acting skills. I admire anyone with good acting skills.”

Shen Fubai had only come into contact with the real Yang Yingying for the first time, but he had watched several of her works. Her resources weren’t great, but she had certainly become familiar to the public.

A deeply-rooted villainess.

True lovers of acting naturally had a natural affinity for skilled actors. An actor’s primary job was to act, and as long as they excelled in that, it didn’t matter what problems they had in their personal lives. As long as they didn’t violate morals or break the law, Shen Fubai fully respected their lifestyles.

With over seven billion people in the world, how could everyone live according to the same mold?

Yang Yingying received a call as soon as she left the dressing room. The contact was labeled “Ex-Boyfriend No. 7.”

The alluring woman in the emerald-green cheongsam held the phone between her ear and shoulder, lit a cigarette from her bag with one hand, and spoke lazily. “We’re not getting back together, moving on to the next one.”

Within a minute, another call came in.

This time, it was Ex-Boyfriend No. 6.

“I told you long ago we wouldn’t keep in touch. Where did you find my number?” The languid woman leaned against the wall, her brows slightly furrowed. “Blocked, goodbye.”

After hanging up, Yang Yingying put the cigarette in her mouth and slowly blew out a smoke ring.

Another call followed closely.

Really, couldn’t she even enjoy a cigarette in peace?

Yang Yingying looked down at the screen. A surname Jiang.

She paused, removed the cigarette from her mouth, and hesitated for two seconds before pressing the answer button.

“…He’s doing well in the production team. What are you worried about? You know his talent, remember how he said if he didn’t act well, he’d have to go back and inherit billions? Scared people into earning him three Best Actor awards.” Yang Yingying chuckled as she leaned against the wall.

“After so long… when you call me, you only ask about your brother, not me?” Just before hanging up, Yang Yingying asked.

The person on the other end of the line said something, and Yang Yingying laughed. “Okay, I understand.”

She hung up the phone.

Thinking for a moment, she extinguished the cigarette.

“How does your brother need my care when he’s so capable?” Yang Yingying threw the cigarette butt in the trash and murmured, “He doesn’t even take care of me.”