Chapter 2

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The “face-sculpting” game—these two words come alive vividly in this unique game.

On the left side of the panel stands a little character, an exact replica of Meng Kaiyan.

On the right are options for face shape and a row of five facial features to choose from. Clicking on these opens another page for detailed face sculpting. Beyond the five features, there are also options for skin tone, hair texture, body shape, and physique.

These are the major categories. Even more remarkable are the atmosphere-enhancing options. It is said that with these, simply standing next to a trash bin can attract people’s attention. But those are precious and far beyond what the current Meng Kaiyan can hope for.

Oh, and by “precious” here, it doesn’t mean money.

Her family doesn’t have much money.

Though they live in Shanghai, they are not wealthy. Their house and car are fixed assets, and almost all the family savings have gone toward Meng Kaiyan’s various interest classes and additional expenses over the years. Her parents are steadfastly living paycheck to paycheck.

Then what does it refer to?

It’s the star power value.

Meng Kaiyan originally didn’t understand what star power value was, but after attending her middle school graduation ceremony last year and the high school welcome ceremony, she finally got it.

It’s a kind of alternative attraction value.

Even a moment’s attraction counts.

The more people focus their attention on her, the higher her star power value rises.

Moreover, long-term attention yields significantly more star power than short-term or momentary attention.

She couldn’t grasp the exact calculation, but she earned 3 points at graduation and 5 points at the welcome party. She spent those 8 points adjusting her nose, which changed subtly from slightly flat to just barely not flat.

Then came the National Day gala last year, and the New Year’s and Youth Day galas this year.

Meng Kaiyan was overjoyed and actively participated in these events to earn star power points, grateful that her high school held so many parties!

With experience, she knew how to attract attention.

She received 10 points at the National Day gala, 15 at the New Year’s, 18 at Youth Day, plus points from speeches during flag-raising and reading events, accumulating a total of 55 points.

She spent 30 points improving her skin tone and 25 points refining her lip shape.

With subtle changes in skin tone, nose, and lips, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say Meng Kaiyan’s appearance transformed drastically.

If she were an adult now, some would probably accuse her of having cosmetic surgery through a reputable clinic.

But she’s still a middle school student!

Middle school students can only grow into their looks naturally.

She still had 20 star power points left from a piano performance, which she devoted entirely to her nose.

There—now her nose was no longer considered flat.

Ten minutes later, Meng Kaiyan opened her small mirror and examined herself carefully, feeling delighted.

No choice—since the female lead had a beautiful nose, if she wanted to play the young female lead, she had to have a passable nose.

Jian Zhenzhu noticed she wasn’t squinting to rest her eyes and chattered on: “This time, make sure to seize the opportunity. There’s a lot of screen time. It was so hard to get this casting news. The info hasn’t spread widely yet, but once everyone knows, our chances of being chosen will drop.”

Every time Meng Kaiyan finished sculpting her face, she felt great. She nodded firmly, “I will definitely make the most of this chance.”

Her eyes unconsciously brightened.

She had to try her best—to become beautiful, famous, wealthy, and radiant with star power.

Tacky? Maybe. But it’s genetic; her whole family is like this.

The August heat was enough to make anyone peel off a layer of skin.

In Shanghai, it seemed the streets were always crowded with cars, never empty.

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About forty minutes later, they arrived at their destination.

Before getting out of the car, Jian Zhenzhu gave Meng Kaiyan a final check, running her hand through her hair and nodding, “Not bad, keep it up. We don’t compare weaknesses with others, only strengths. Acting is acting—it’s talent that counts.”

See, even with her mother’s loving filter, Jian Zhenzhu knew her daughter wasn’t exactly a beauty.

But Meng Kaiyan’s acting was truly good. In recent years, she often went to the drama troupe, sometimes helping out, sometimes watching. After getting acquainted with the troupe, people occasionally helped her rehearse and gave her small roles.

The troupe would say, “You have talent. When you grow up, try for drama school. Joining our troupe is a steady job.”

Meng Kaiyan nodded toward Jian Zhenzhu, “Mom, don’t worry, I know.”

They got out of the car as a wave of heat hit them. The family of three quickened their pace toward the building.

Today’s audition was here. By the time they took the elevator to the 12th floor, the hallway was already crowded with many people.

“Brother Chen!” Meng Minghai greeted with a simple, honest smile, running over and extending his hand, “Long time no see. Have you been making money lately?”

He’d heard that Chen Wangba was trading stocks. His face looked good today, and his social media hadn’t gone crazy for days—his profits must be solid.

Chen Wangba—or rather, Chen Wangba with a smile—replied, “Just so-so. Getting rich? That’s not for people like us.”

He didn’t have much time for small talk, looking around and asking, “Where’s your daughter?”

Meng Minghai waved at Meng Kaiyan, and Jian Zhenzhu led her toward them.

Chen Wangba looked serious and appraised Meng Kaiyan from head to toe, focusing especially on her face, then nodded, “Not bad. Once inside, remember to be smart. The role has quite a bit of screen time, and Director Jiang is watching closely.”

Meng Kaiyan smiled, “Okay, thank you, Uncle.”

“Hey! A good girl. Smile more; you look better when you smile.” Saying that, Chen Wangba took her to register, with Jian Zhenzhu and Meng Minghai right behind her.

After registering, they lined up to wait. Chen Wangba had his own affairs and left early.

Time passed, and more people arrived.

People came and went; some entered the room happily and left with drooping faces. Meng Kaiyan clenched her fists and pressed her lips tightly, her anxiety growing stronger.

“Number 25!” someone called.

“Here! I’m coming!” Jian Zhenzhu reacted faster than Meng Kaiyan, quickly raising her daughter’s hand to signal.

She then said, “Don’t panic, don’t be afraid. Mom and Dad will be waiting right outside.”

“I’m not afraid,” Meng Kaiyan encouraged herself. “I’ll definitely perform well this time.”

For this role, she had read the original twice, carefully studied the character, and rehearsed with a drama troupe teacher. She had prepared thoroughly for a whole month.

Taking a deep breath, Meng Kaiyan stepped inside.

Click—

The door closed, cutting off the faint sounds outside.

She wore a perfectly measured smile: “Hello, directors and teachers. My name is Meng Kaiyan, I am sixteen years old…”

“Alright, a petite little flower, right? Here, take this and perform the scene on it.” Jiang Baiyang placed a script on the desk, signaling Meng Kaiyan to take it.

There were about six or seven people in the room, their expressions tinged with impatience. Though they didn’t show it outright, Meng Kaiyan sensed their sleepy vibes.

Summer afternoons indeed made people drowsy.

Meng Kaiyan was not discouraged. Though her carefully crafted self-introduction ended abruptly, her smile remained steady as she took the script and quickly skimmed the passage.

The play was a period drama about a rural girl who unexpectedly became a steel factory worker during the early years of the founding of the nation.

The drama was lengthy, spanning the girl’s youth, middle age, and old age. Except for her teenage years, the same actress would play the other stages.

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Acting works like this: playing older roles is easy, but playing younger ones is hard. The director pondered for a long time and finally decided to cast a separate young actress. Naturally, the casting director had to move swiftly.

Meng Kaiyan’s task was to act out a scene where the young girl, Qiaohua, secretly crouches by the school wall to eavesdrop while tending sheep.

At that time, many country girls couldn’t read, but Qiaohua had a heart eager to learn. Meng Kaiyan had to portray Qiaohua’s yearning for knowledge and passion for life.

She breathed slowly, closed her eyes, and moved her throat. In less than two seconds, she looked up, her gaze subtly changed.

Jiang Baiyang immediately noticed. The little girl sat at the corner of the wall, head slightly tilted, eyes focused but not fixed on any one spot. Occasionally, she tiptoed forward a few centimeters.

Interesting, he thought.

Regardless of the quality of the acting, the speed at which this little girl got into character was worthy of praise.

More deeply, she had control.

Most importantly, she was familiar with the original work. It was clear she had prepared thoroughly; otherwise, she wouldn’t know how to express the scene just by looking at the script.

Whether she had talent was still uncertain, but her attitude was earnest and hardworking, which was obvious.

“She’s quite proper,” someone whispered behind Jiang Baiyang. “Must have studied dance, her posture’s neat and graceful.”

Jiang Baiyang nodded slightly, changed his sitting posture, and began observing the young actress more closely.

Thanks to frequent rehearsals with the troupe, Meng Kaiyan did not suffer from “performance embarrassment.” She was good at expressing herself on stage, showcasing all her abilities, allowing others to help correct her—this was her current advantage.

But trouble soon arrived.

Meng Kaiyan was fully immersed in her performance. She quietly pricked up her ears, as if listening very intently.

After a moment, she suddenly looked up, as if startled. Her expression was not surprise or fear, but dazed.

Yes, with hands wrapped around her knees, head tilted back, her face blank.

“This is the moment of being discovered,” Jiang Baiyang knew in his heart. He nodded gently but his brow slowly furrowed.

“Do you remember the lines? Say a couple,” he said.

Meng Kaiyan seemed not to hear. The next second, she naturally said, “Teacher, I am sitting here listening to your lesson.”

“Why are you sitting outside?” someone replied. “You should come inside to read.”

“I have to tend the sheep.”

“So does tending sheep mean you can’t study?”

“No, because I tend sheep, I can come to study.”

“Stop—”

Jiang Baiyang sat upright and cleared his throat twice. “That’s all for now. You may leave.”

Meng Kaiyan stood up and bowed.

As she turned, Jiang Baiyang called out and asked, “By the way, are your parents here? Would you accept other roles?”

Meng Kaiyan was genuinely stunned.

She had read the original. Among the named characters, only the young female lead seemed suitable for her.

But she responded quickly, “My parents are here, and I can accept other roles.”

Good, that was clever.

Jiang Baiyang smiled and ticked a box on her resume.