However, as she gained popularity and encroached on the interests of many peers, various doubts began to surface.
For instance, questions arose about how she possessed so many skills.
Was she taking credit for the work of other staff members?
Or had she purchased naming rights and similar arrangements...
Another point of contention was how, despite never attending high school and lacking professional education, she understood so much, even surpassing some professionally trained artists.
Even more outlandish was the speculation that her two-year hiatus was due to marriage, pregnancy, and childbirth.
And that she was now making a post-partum comeback.
However, these were merely conjectures without any concrete evidence. Consequently, the overall impact was not significant. Moreover, Ding Yun's establishment of a personal studio and the hiring of staff were publicly disclosed, and she continued to produce high-quality works.
Therefore, fewer people believed these rumors.
But this did not mean Ding Yun's path was smooth sailing. Some things only become apparent when one actively engages in them, revealing their immense difficulty, troublesome nature, and the unavoidable frustrations one must face.
Her journey of creating and publishing videos indeed proceeded smoothly, with no major issues, as these were areas she controlled and developed herself.
However, other aspects were far less satisfactory.
For example, participating in some galas and parties required lip-syncing, not live singing, with microphones deliberately turned off.
Indeed, people started inviting her to act in television dramas.
But these roles were consistently for dancers or singers, as if she possessed no other performing talents besides singing, dancing, and performing.
Rarely did a production crew invite her for a different kind of role.
In the end, her acting was so superb that, compared to the mediocre performances of the lead actors, her style was completely out of sync. The director politely asked her to tone it down, so as not to make the lead actors' poor acting so glaringly obvious.
If everyone's acting was roughly the same, wouldn't the acting of the male and female leads appear less awkward and prominent?
It was only then that Ding Yun realized that sometimes, one cannot simply be a dedicated and professional person if they wish to be. This is because the entire industry, or the circle of the profession one aspires to be dedicated and professional in, might not be healthy or normal.
In a situation where everyone else is corrupt and you are the only one with integrity, if you wish to be dedicated and professional, you will inevitably be ostracized and boycotted by your peers and even the entire circle.
They might even consider you to be the one who broke the rules first.
A single ink blot on a white sheet of paper appears glaringly obvious and messy. However, a white dot on a black sheet of paper is equally conspicuous, out of place, and difficult to reconcile. Reality is not like a Tai Chi diagram where the black dot occupies the center of the white, or the white dot occupies the center of the black. Reality either dyes the white dot black or expels the white dot from the black paper, almost without exception.
As Ding Yun repeatedly refused unspoken, unfair agreements, the number of people willing to collaborate with her dwindled.
Many even began to privately call her hypocritical and falsely virtuous, suggesting she had fallen to the level of an internet celebrity yet remained coy.
They were unwilling to acknowledge her as a celebrity artist.
After all, many internet celebrities were now appearing in television dramas and films. She, a former minor celebrity far outside the top eighteen, still had no major screen works to her name.
She could only cause a stir online.
It was difficult to refute such claims.
If it weren't for the fact that internet celebrity culture hadn't fully emerged when she entered the industry, and she had entered as an artist, then purely counting from when Ding Yun possessed the body, she wouldn't truly be classified as an artist.
Regarding these circumstances,
Ding Yun offered no rebuttal.
After days of contemplation and deliberation, she made a firm decision: to reject all external invitations, cease interacting with people in this circle, and simply do her own thing.
She believed that if the original owner had the capability,
she would have thought and acted the same way.
Since the original owner did not wish to be constrained by her parents or her company agent, she naturally would not want to be constrained by the various rules and unspoken agreements of the entertainment industry.
She was currently powerless to change the entire entertainment industry.
So, she could only choose not to play their game.
She would go solo.
Of course, although Ding Yun thought this and planned accordingly, she did not issue a public announcement saying, "I'm not playing with you anymore, don't contact me." Such thoughts were fine to have internally, but once published, it would make her an enemy of the entire artistic community.
Even if she wanted to announce it, she would have to wait until she had developed for some time and gained the ability to resist.
Therefore, things continued as before.
The only change was that Ding Yun rejected all subsequent invitations. While maintaining her core work without impact, and leveraging her increased professionalism and talent to improve her current skills,
she developed several side businesses to earn money.
For instance, software programming and stock trading, which are lucrative side professions when one has the capability.
Naturally, managing so many tasks would lead to a lack of energy. Therefore, Ding Yun had to resort to her signature move: creating a sub-personality. This sub-personality would use the consciousness chip to complete tasks that could be done entirely online, while her main personality would control the physical body to accomplish things that required physical presence.
Only then could she barely keep up,
and avoid exhausting herself to death.
With these profitable side businesses, whether Ding Yun accepted work or compromised with the unspoken rules of the entertainment industry became a matter of indifference. Or, one could say, she had sufficient confidence to refuse compromise.
If she wanted to act in television dramas, she could invest herself.
If she wanted to act in films, she could also invest herself.
If she wanted to participate in variety shows, she could similarly invest herself.
After all, things were different now compared to the past. Not being able to air on television wasn't a major issue; it could be broadcast online. As long as one could afford the losses, there was always a way to get it broadcast. Even if she offended many people, and even offended the video platform operators, at worst, she could build her own platform.
Therefore, after selling several software programs and making several fortunes in the stock market, Ding Yun immediately began planning projects.
She initiated projects for television dramas, films,
and even variety shows...
She wouldn't film the typical content. Instead of the melodramatic youth dramas flooding the market, she would film pure, unrequited love stories that ended without resolution.
While other male leads in dramas flaunted their bodies,
she would film pure romance dramas where hands were never even held.
When other films focused on comedies and directors and producers dared not film tragedies, she would film tragedies.
And they had to be heart-wrenching.
Tragedies that pierced everyone's hearts.
Variety shows would be similar. She wouldn't aim for variety show effects or ratings, but for authenticity. For example, a documentary-style reality show tracking a dozen ordinary pregnant women through their ten months of pregnancy. Different families, different husbands, different mothers-in-law, and different lives could all become explosive points.
It could also directly address the various difficulties faced by pregnant women.
...