Renee Morgan gripped her phone and sat up: "What military training reality show?"
"I'm a Real Man, they've already done two seasons, both had super popular A-list actors and celebrities as guests, but it was lukewarm at best. This time, the director wants to try using regular people and barely-known, bottom-tier stars, hoping it'll go viral. I sent them your profile—seriously, your résumé is gorgeous—and the director picked you on the spot."
"Look, Morgan, I really believe in you. Yeah, your roles so far have all been supporting, but you're gorgeous, your acting is good, I just don't believe you can't get famous."
Warren was practically slapping her thigh in guarantee: Renee Morgan was the next rising star.
However, Renee Morgan, who's long accepted she's cannon fodder, showed no sign of joy. Her face was pale, sweating buckets.
"Morgan, Morgan..." Warren wasn't sure if she was even listening.
"Yeah, I got it, Warren." Renee Morgan forced herself to hold it together, chatted for a bit longer, then hung up.
Renee Morgan felt completely lost, but couldn't even cry.
The feeling was torture—like someone with cancer, knowing it's terminal, but having to hold on with chemo, just too scared to die.
But the struggle of a half-dead soul only ends in death; the pain doesn't lessen.
After Renee Morgan got to her apartment, before she'd had time to rest, Warren called to tell her that filming for I'm a Real Man starts in three days, and she'd come tomorrow to take Renee over personally.
Warren explained on the phone: "You should've gotten a couple days off, but the filming location is a military base, outsiders aren't allowed in. All participants need to meet at a designated hotel, then the director's team will drive you guys inside."
Renee Morgan would have to go to the hotel and meet the other participants. The director's crew might already be filming at that point, so because of this extra segment, they need to go early. Filming starts in three days, but tomorrow she'll need to head out.
Renee Morgan said she's in pretty good shape and told Warren not to worry—she'll arrive on time at the hotel the director specified.
Warren insisted on picking her up tomorrow—there were things she needed to tell her in person, or she wouldn't feel at ease.
Renee Morgan didn't refuse again; after hanging up, she collapsed on the bed and closed her eyes.
After a while, she took a deep breath and exhaled: "Fuck being cannon fodder. Whoever uses me as a stepping stone, I'll make sure they crash and burn."
She threw her pillow across the room, got up, and headed for the bathroom. Tomorrow she'd meet the crew at the hotel, so today she was going to do skincare—might as well stun them first.
The next day, after breakfast, Warren drove Renee Morgan to the hotel.
In the car, Warren reminded her about the show's core premise; Renee Morgan's an actress, so she should focus on acting well. There's no need to build some fake persona for reality TV, and don't just accept whatever "script" the directors hand out—don't fall into their traps and end up as the token loser for comparison.
Sure, scandalous fame is still fame, but it's risky—it could ruin an actor's whole career.
The agency gave Renee Morgan this show mainly to boost her popularity. Afterwards, she's meant for the big screen; Warren and the company's execs were all counting on Renee's looks.
Of course, her overall package is amazing—killer body, classically trained, lively acting; with everything together, what's to worry about not making her a top-tier leading lady?
Renee Morgan listened closely but felt a little spaced out.
She knew how much the company and Warren valued her. In fact, even in her dreams, no matter how many times she hit rock bottom, the company and Warren never gave up on her.
Sure, there was too much sunk cost invested to walk away, but more than that, they saw the star potential in Renee Morgan.
They always believed someone with Renee's qualifications would make it big, and take the company to new heights.
Just then, they arrived at the hotel entrance. Renee Morgan waved at Warren with a relaxed look: "Warren, just head back, it's a pain to park here. I'm good on my own."
"Alright, did you really soak in everything I said, Morgan darling?" Warren double-checked, and only let her go after seeing Renee nod.
Renee Morgan bid Warren goodbye, then dragged her suitcase into the hotel lobby.
Just as Warren expected, the director's crew started filming at the hotel already.
Renee Morgan wasn't surprised at all; after greeting the staff, she went to the inner lounge.
Warren timed her arrival perfectly—when Renee Morgan walked in, three other guests had already arrived.
The three guests were two men, both actors who'd appeared in some well-known shows in small roles, but had zero fame.
The other guest was a woman, a regular person picked to join the show after signing up, so she'd participate in military training alongside these low-profile celebs, experiencing life at a frontline army unit.
Renee Morgan's entrance made all three guests pull exaggerated faces.
—Yes, everyone wanted airtime.
—And yeah, they really thought Renee Morgan was hotter than any A-list celebrity.
Renee Morgan, arriving just a few minutes after the others, had no idea that minutes ago the director's team announced the whole show would be filmed according to netizens' votes, with a live broadcast all the way through.
Netizens were saying:
—Who actually cares about a bunch of nobodies and regular folks?
—We just want to see real army life and maybe catch a glimpse of those military guys' muscles~
Compared to edited tapes, livestreams are more likely to catch surprises and uncover real military life.
Renee Morgan had no clue about this twist yet.
She also didn't know the cameras on her were streaming live.
Because the show's marketing team had pushed hard, spending tons on promotion, thousands of fans were jumping in and out of the livestream room.
The screen was full of question marks: [Sigh, each season keeps getting worse. At least the guests in the first two were top-tier male stars and leading ladies. What's the hook this season?]
[Yeah, rumor is this season's guests are just regular people and new, unknown actors. The only big name is a washed-up has-been actor and a past-her-prime actress.]
[It's a defense/military reality show, not a fashion walk. What does "star power" matter? The celebrity guests before had big followings, but did any of them actually finish the military training? All of them cheated their way through—the show had to force a happy ending.]
In the lively bullet chat, one comment managed to catch everyone's attention.
User 'AquaIsMyGod': [Renee Morgan? Is that the Renee Morgan I know?]
Everyone started teasing and asking: [Aren't you supposedly a B-University academic star? Got any gossip for us?]
AquaIsMyGod: [She's the campus queen at B Film University next door, and I heard she got in as a martial arts prodigy. Don't ask how I know—I'm telling you, back in school, not just at B Film, the whole swarm of B University guys were obsessed with her.]
The chat exploded instantly.
[...]