53 Taking Ugly Photos

Shi Ran walked over slowly in a red dress. As she walked, her long hair moved slightly, and red ribbons intersected.

The makeup on her face was heavier than before. Her eyeliner was thicker, making her peach blossom eyes look even more seductive. The mole on the tip of her nose seemed to be on just the right spot.

In the face of everyone’s gaze, she merely smiled and was able to instantly captivate everyone.

The loose clothes she wore covered her graceful figure.

As she walked up to Kell, her skirt fluttered elegantly with every step.

Kell was amazed. He couldn’t wait to get Shi Ran in front of the camera and start taking pictures.

“It’s beautiful, darling. Smile in my direction.”

“Goodness! Darling, you’re smiling right into my heart.”

“Bring up the props. Yes, yes, yes! That’s it. That’s the cool, cool feeling.”

Kell’s excited voice filled the room as he snapped away.

“What’s there to see?” Xiao Qi pursed her lips. “Kell doesn’t have good taste either. How is Shi Ran looking good?”

“Huh?” Kell, who was focused on the shoot, heard this abruptly.

He stopped smiling and looked over coldly. “Are you questioning my judgment?”

“I…” Xiao Qi’s eyes were flustered, and she took a step back in fear.

Seeing this, Wen Yufei pulled Xiao Qi behind her and smiled apologetically at Kell. “Kell, Xiao Qi has always been loose-lipped. Please don’t argue with her on my account.”

Kell glanced sharply at Xiao Qi’s face and snorted. “She’s just a junior assistant. I can’t be bothered with her.”

Xiao Qi hid behind Wen Yufei, not daring to speak.

After Kell returned to his focus, Wen Yufei helplessly poked Xiao Qi’s forehead with her finger. “Let’s see if you dare to talk nonsense in public again.”

“I was wrong, Sister Yufei,” Xiaoqi muttered. “But I just feel that Shi Ran is far inferior to Sister Yufei.”

“That comparison is unnecessary,” Wen Yufei said speculatively.

After filming, Shi Ran saw that Wen Yufei had yet to leave and glanced at her.

The next second, Wen Yufei walked towards her.

“Shi Ran,” Wen Yufei called softly, her tone soft like a Jiangnan woman’s. “I apologize for Xiao Qi. I have spoiled her.”

Shi Ran glanced at the indignant Xiao Qi and landed her eyes back on Wen Yufei’s face. She then said, “It’s fine.”

Xiao Qi was just a small fry so she didn’t think much of her.

“Then I’ll treat you to a meal when we’re free next time. I watched your racing live broadcast last time. It was very exciting,” Wen Yufei praised.

“Thank you.”

The two of them did not talk much. After exchanging a few pleasantries, they separated.

When they returned to the car, Xiao Qi gritted her teeth. “Sister Yufei, look at that Shi Ran’s attitude. She looked so cold! Everyone in the entertainment industry smiles when they see Sister Yufei.”

“That’s just her personality. I think it’s pretty good that way.” Wen Yufei had a thick script on her lap and she was reading it seriously.

“She’s just a D-list actress. She’s been a little popular with variety shows lately, but what’s the use? She’s only that popular. She doesn’t have a single representative work.”

“What right does such a person have to play the second female lead in the same drama as Sister Yufei? Is she worthy of it?!”

Xiao Qi was indignant. She was so angry that the flesh on her face was trembling.

Seeing this, Wen Yufei was amused. “Jing Tian recommended her. Jing Tian has always been impartial. I believe she must have her merits.”

“How is that possible?! My idol actually recommended her?? I’m going to stop being his fan!” Xiao Qi was so angry that she took a deep breath.

She took her phone out of her pocket and opened the album. She laughed as she read.

This change in mood made Wen Yufei look sideways.

Then, Xiao Qi handed the phone screen to Wen Yufei and said happily, “I secretly took a photo of her just now. Sister Yufei, look at this photo. Isn’t it ugly?”

The background of the photo was very dark, and it made her skin color look a few degrees darker. Coupled with the fact that she was hunched over in a chair, her face was very blurry and had no signs of beauty.

“If those fans of the original work saw your photo, they would protest. The Bai Lan in the book isn’t like this.” Wen Yufei laughed.

“That’s right!” Xiao Qi realized. She looked at the photo on her phone and had an idea.

… .

The next day, the official Weibo account of “Returning with the King” released a makeup photo and cast list. It was quickly pushed to the top of the trending searches.

‘Returning with the King’ was adapted from a bestselling novel. It had a large following and received mixed reviews when it was heard that it was going to be made into a television series.

But the consensus was that everyone was looking forward to the casting.

As soon as the makeup photo was released, the comments were already more than 100,000.

[Ye Yanrou is really being played by Wen Yufei!! That’s awesome!!]

[Wen Yufei is simply the Ye Yanrou in my heart.]

[Xiao Chen is played Bai Jingtian!! I love him!!!]

[This lineup is really an immortal lineup.]

[Who’s the second female lead? She’s so beautiful. This photo feels so good!]

[At this moment??? My Master Ran is actually acting as Bai Lan??]

[The styling photo is very touching. I just don’t know how good she is at acting. I’ve never seen her before.]

[Wasn’t there news that Master Ran had cameo scenes for ‘The Chained Palace’?]

[Everyone knows how Shi Ran’s acting is. It’s so bad. Don’t ruin my Bai Lan please.]

Just as everyone was discussing animatedly, a marketing account called ‘Little Junior Sister of the Entertainment Industry’ released a photo shoot.

Shi Wenfei was as beautiful as a goddess.

And the other one…

[Is that Shi Ran???]

[Her posture… this skin color… serious??]

[This photo is completely different from the official photo of the production team.]

[The crew’s retouching is too much.]

[How can you play Bai Lan like that? What makes you look like Bai Lan??]

[I was just looking at the official photo and thought it was beautiful. Now… Boom!]

[The original fans indicated that they couldn’t accept such an ugly Bai Lan.]

[Destroying the Original Series]

At this moment, Shi Ran’s Weibo reposted the official Weibo post of “Returning with the King” and netizens flooded into her Weibo to comment.

[Even someone like you can play Bai Lan?? Are you serious?]

[Please, don’t ruin my Bai Lan. Quit acting.]

[Quit while you still have some popularity.]

[I was going to be a fan of yours but why did you decide to play Bai Lan?]

Netizens scolded and advised Shi Ran to give up acting. Some people even turned that ugly photo into an emoticon and spread it in the comments section.

“Who took this photo? This is too much!” Fang Tongtong was trembling with anger.

She zoomed in on the photo. “This is obviously a deliberate attempt to lower the light exposure. Or was it a shaky shot? Your features are blurred!”

Shi Ran was sitting in the bay window with a blanket over her legs, going through the script.

The sunlight refracted in through the window and hit her face. Her features were so delicate they were dazzling.

Seeing this, Fang Tongtong picked up her phone and took a photo.

There was no need for composition or retouching. It was beyond beautiful.

She pouted. “Sister Ran is so good-looking. This person must deliberately want to harm Sister Ran.”

Shi Ran marked the script with a fluorescent pen and listened to Fang Tongtong’s nagging. She then chuckled. “There’s your favorite ice cream in the fridge. Eat it yourself.”

This time, Fang Tongtong was not distracted by the food.

When Ji Wenfeng arrived at Shi Ran’s apartment, he saw Fang Tongtong pacing around angrily.

“Because of the photo?” Ji Wenfeng quickly guessed the reason.

He changed his shoes and came in.

Seeing that Shi Ran was reading the script, he said to Fang Tongtong, “Do you still have the video of the photo session you took yesterday?”