January 29, 3 p.m., Jing City, Wanjia Denghuo Supermarket.
"Sister Zhang, what are you looking at?"
"My daughter just messaged me. She said a big star came to our supermarket, and someone took a photo and posted it online. But the person who took the photo couldn't find her a moment later. Still, she's definitely somewhere in the supermarket. My daughter told me to keep an eye out and ask for an autograph if I see her. She said she really likes this star."
"She's still in the supermarket? Didn't your daughter say what the star's called?"
"She did. What was it again? Honestly, what's wrong with my memory? I've forgotten! But my daughter said this star's really popular lately. If she shows up, someone's bound to recognize her. Once we see a crowd gathering, we'll go take a look. We can't go wrong!"
"Our supermarket's huge, with several floors. If the star's on another floor, even if she gets mobbed, we won't see her!"
"You're right about that. My daughter just sent me a photo. It looks like she's on our floor. I'll send it to you in a bit. Keep an eye out, too."
Just then, Cao Shiyu pushed her shopping cart over to the weighing station.
"Hello, could you weigh these for me?"
She took the cherries, large prickly cucumbers, tomatoes, and other items out of her cart one by one and placed them beside the scale.
Cao Shiyu usually went grocery shopping about once every three days, and most of the time she came to a large supermarket like this one. She loved the abundance of choices in a big supermarket. In truth, though, she never bought much. She would have liked to buy more snacks, but as an actress—especially an ambitious one—she had to watch what she ate at all times.
As Sister Zhang, the clerk at the weighing station, expertly entered the barcodes and weighed the items, she said to Sister Liu beside her, "I only took a quick look at the photo. She wasn't wearing sunglasses or a mask. You know how big stars online always wear the whole getup wherever they go: sunglasses, a mask, and a baseball cap. Then they bring along bodyguards, assistants, and agents. What a spectacle! This star came alone and wasn't even wearing a mask. I bet she's here to drum up publicity. Just you wait! It won't be long before reporters show up to do an impromptu interview."
Sister Liu pursed her lips. "I don't know what's wrong with people these days. Aren't stars just people with two shoulders and one head? What's the big deal about chasing after them? Is their farts supposed to smell sweet just because they're famous? If you ask me, even if a big star stood right next to me, I'd carry on with what I was doing. If I gave her a second glance, you could say Liu Cuiqin had never seen the world!"
Sister Zhang handed the weighed items to Cao Shiyu. "All right, all right, you've got principles. When I go get a photo and an autograph, don't come along!"
"Don't worry. I definitely won't!"
Cao Shiyu asked curiously, "Excuse me, sorry to bother you, but are you talking about something happening right now? Is there a star in this supermarket?"
"It just happened," Sister Zhang said with a smile. "My daughter messaged me five minutes ago."
Sister Liu smiled, too. "What's so great about stars? I hear their private lives are a mess. They're not decent people! Young lady, I think you're prettier than any big star. If I were choosing a daughter-in-law, I'd pick someone like you, not a star!"
"Thank you, ma'am. You're too kind!"
"I'm not flattering you! The more I look, the prettier I think you are! Look at your skin—just like a freshly peeled egg. So smooth! Forgive an old lady for asking, but what cosmetics do you use? Do you have a boyfriend?" Sister Liu asked with a beaming smile, looking as if she couldn't wait to get Cao Shiyu's WeChat so she could introduce her to her son.
"Excuse me, coming through!" The customer behind them had grown impatient and squeezed forward.
Cao Shiyu's items had all been weighed, so she smiled and nodded to the two clerks before going to pay.
On the way, Cao Shiyu heard people talking about a star visiting the supermarket three times in a row.
So a star really did come to this supermarket?
Who is it? Do I know her?
When will I be like this unknown star and become the center of attention, too?!
Cao Shiyu bit her lip as she wondered.
Since she had chosen the Central Academy of Drama and the path of acting, she had done it to become famous—to make it big overnight!
She wanted to be a star, to get more people's attention, to be loved by millions!
Maybe she was too ambitious. But if she weren't, why would she have chosen to become an actress in the first place?
Cao Shiyu joined the line at a less crowded checkout and, as she waited, took out her phone to read the short reviews of Young Bao Qingtian on Dou Miao Network.
"Chang Yu is so pure and innocent. If I were Bao Heitan, I'd choose Chang Yu!"
"Oh my god! What's wrong with the screenwriter? Why did Chang Yu have to die? Why, why, why????"
"I won't accept this. Absolutely not!!!"
"Don't stop me! I'm going to send the screenwriter a box of knives!"
"It's so hard to be friends with Bao Heitan!"
"Chang Yu and her brother are so pitiful! Those four people all deserve to die! They should all be chopped to pieces! Bao Zheng's such a blockhead. Couldn't he have pretended he couldn't uncover the truth?"
"Are there really no more scenes with Chang Yu later on? I love this character so much. What am I supposed to do?"
Just then, the cashier asked, "Do you have a membership?"
Cao Shiyu put away her phone and said, "Yes, 1378..."
The cashier lowered her head and entered the membership number.
As Cao Shiyu arranged her items, she thought, Now that the last two episodes have aired, more and more of the short reviews mention Chang Yu. Does that mean I'm getting a little popular? But lots of people mention Jin Jiawei in their reviews, while almost nobody mentions Cao Shiyu. They all know Chang Yu, but not the actress who plays her. So is this what they call a popular role but an unknown actress?
And when will I need to wear sunglasses and a mask whenever I go out?
An assistant and an agent following me around?
Cao Shiyu gave a quiet laugh.
What are you thinking, Cao Shiyu? Sister Lan has so many performers under her, and you're the least successful of them all. You think you'll have an assistant and an agent following you around?
She had filmed several commercials and anti-Japanese war dramas, but she had never needed to wear a mask when going out. Even when she went shopping just three days ago, she never had to worry about anyone recognizing her. But now Young Bao Qingtian had aired, and her scenes had been on screen for three days. The show was so popular—was it possible someone might recognize her the next time she went out?
"Would you like a bag?" the cashier asked.
"One medium-sized bag, please!" Cao Shiyu replied.
The cashier picked up a bag and handed it to Cao Shiyu. Then she looked up and froze.
"Are you...? Oh my god! What everyone said in the group chat is true! You really haven't left yet!" The cashier was so excited she could barely get the words out.
Cao Shiyu's heart suddenly began to race. It looks like someone recognized me. Have I finally become someone people recognize when I go out?
"Are you Chang Yu?"
The conversation between Cao Shiyu and the cashier caught the attention of the young man behind her in line. He looked up and—wait, wait, wait... wasn't that the girl from Young Bao Qingtian? Wasn't she Chang Yu?
"Oh my god! I'm a huge fan of yours. Could... could we take a photo together?" the young man asked, his face flushed and his voice stumbling over the words.
"Of course!"
Cao Shiyu agreed readily. She didn't think it was a bother at all, and she wasn't annoyed by the idea of being pestered. On the contrary, she was over the moon.
Wasn't this the very reason she had applied to the Central Academy of Drama and become an actress?
While Cao Shiyu took a photo with the young man, the cashier secretly snapped a picture and posted it to her Moments.
"Who do you think this is? Should I sneak one of her cherries so she learns how cruel the world can be?"
After posting it to her Moments, she sent a message to the work group: "That's right, the big star really hasn't left yet. I'm ringing her up right now!"
Cao Shiyu's head snapped up. Could the big star those two clerks were talking about actually be me?
Her mind went blank, as if struck by a thunderclap!
Am I famous? Can I really be called a star? Three days ago, nobody would have recognized me. I came to this very supermarket to shop three days ago, and no one recognized me then!
In just three days—after only three days—I, Cao Shiyu, am famous?!
Can people really call me a star now?!
I'd been quietly working for two years since graduation. A month ago, I auditioned for a bit part with barely any lines, and they still criticized me for being stiff and holding back, for not following directions. What a load of nonsense—stiff, not following directions! Did they think she didn't know what they were after? Hmph! It wasn't even the eighth female lead, and they still had the nerve to ask!
Everything had happened so quickly that she hadn't had time to prepare herself. When she heard people talking about stars, it hadn't even crossed her mind that they might be talking about her.
Just last time she came to the supermarket, nobody knew who she was. How had she suddenly become the big star everyone was talking about?
Cao Shiyu's eyes suddenly welled up.
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