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Hot Search Alert! The Princess Goes Viral Worldwide-Chapter 137
After the conclusion of "Let’s Go to School," Gu Nanyan quickly joined a film crew.
Though she entered the production early, she didn’t start filming right away. She had no prior experience in acting—in fact, she knew nothing about it at all.
When she first transmigrated into this world, she hadn’t even wanted to pursue this profession, dismissing actors as mere entertainers who existed to please others. How could a dignified princess like her lower herself to amuse others?
But as time passed, she realized how old-fashioned her thinking had been.
Nowadays, acting wasn’t just about being an entertainer—it was a legitimate career, and actors were even revered as stars.
What was a star? A celestial body that hung high in the sky, illuminating and guiding others.
However, few truly lived up to this ideal of being a guiding light. Most were simply in it for the money, resorting to underhanded tactics to secure resources.
Gu Nanyan found this culture distasteful. She noticed that most fans were young children, at a critical stage where their values and worldview were still forming.
What they needed was proper guidance, not blind idolization of extravagance, vanity, or fame.
Without real substance, even if someone were elevated to great heights, their success would be nothing more than an illusion—quick to shatter.
Since others failed to be true stars, she would take on that role herself.
The public had been keeping a close eye on Gu Nanyan. When they learned she had joined a film crew, they immediately tried to dig up details about the script—only to discover it was a poorly regarded project called "The Legendary Teacher." Their expressions turned disdainful.
Her taste was clearly lacking if she chose such a script.
Rumors also spread that it was a small production, with an unknown director, an obscure screenwriter, and no A-list actors. The only redeeming quality was that the protagonist was a teacher, loosely tying it to the theme of "Let’s Go to School."
People assumed Gu Nanyan was just trying to ride the coattails of her previous show’s popularity.
"Nothing to see here," they scoffed. "With her terrible judgment, she’ll ruin herself without anyone else needing to lift a finger."
Meanwhile, Gu Nanyan’s fans were thrilled to hear she had joined a new project, eagerly sharing the news among themselves:
"I’m so excited! We’ll get to see Empress Gu again—she should definitely act more!"
"Empress Gu is a strong, career-driven female lead, my ultimate role model. Of course she’ll keep acting!"
"I can’t wait for this drama—what’s it about, I wonder?"
The script was kept under wraps. Industry insiders with connections could get their hands on it, but the general public remained in the dark.
Netizens were burning with curiosity, desperate to know what kind of drama Empress Gu was working on.
They didn’t have to wait long before Gu Nanyan made an official announcement.
First, Changning Entertainment Company was established. Then, the renowned agent Sister Li switched agencies to join Changning. Finally, the production team for "Starlight" was assembled.
"The Legendary Teacher" was renamed "Starlight," and the entire original crew was replaced.
The production brought in the famous director Yu Mincai, along with a top-tier team for costumes, screenwriting, and cinematography.
The total budget exceeded 100 million yuan.
The news sent shockwaves across the internet.
While historical or fantasy dramas often required hefty budgets for special effects and costumes, modern dramas typically didn’t demand such high investments. The fact that Gu Nanyan’s project had a budget of 100 million was staggering.
Those who had previously dismissed her were now stunned, scrambling to pay attention again.
Feng Chengxi relayed the public’s reaction to Gu Nanyan with amusement: "Empress Gu, you wouldn’t believe it—those snobs thought you’d picked a terrible script and joined some low-budget production. They looked down on you.
Now, they’re eating their words."
Gu Nanyan raised an eyebrow, slightly puzzled. "Why would they assume a small production means I can’t succeed? No one had high hopes for 'Let’s Go to School' either."
Feng Chengxi smirked. "Arrogance, plain and simple. They don’t believe in your talent. By the way, Empress Gu, how’s the script revision going?"
The "Starlight" script retained only the original theme—everything else had been rewritten. A renowned screenwriter was first hired to restructure the plot and character arcs.
But even after the revisions, Gu Nanyan wasn’t satisfied and took it upon herself to make further changes.
Feng Chengxi was intensely curious about what exactly Empress Gu had altered.
The script had been under revision for a week now, with Gu Nanyan poring over books and references every day, working with unprecedented diligence.
It wasn’t that she lacked dedication in other areas—whether it was calligraphy, academics, or livestreaming, she handled everything with effortless grace.
But this script was different. Feng Chengxi had even noticed her frowning at times, deleting and rewriting sections repeatedly, pouring her heart into it.
Feng Chengxi was dying to know more.
"It’s finished," Gu Nanyan said, tapping the script.
Eagerly, Feng Chengxi flipped through the pages—only to find that, at first glance, not much had changed.
The framework remained the same. In the original "The Legendary Teacher," the female lead was a transmigrator from outer space. The new screenwriter had altered her background to being from ancient times, tasked with teaching students.
Empress Gu hadn’t touched this premise, nor had she altered the students’ existing storylines.
"Empress Gu, what exactly did you change?" Feng Chengxi asked, puzzled.
Instead of answering directly, Gu Nanyan said, "Read it carefully, from start to finish."
Feng Chengxi nodded and immersed herself in the script.
Gu Nanyan sat across from her, flipping through books on acting techniques.
From morning until noon, Feng Chengxi was so engrossed that she forgot about lunch. If Sister Li hadn’t come looking for them, she might have stayed lost in the script indefinitely.
"Why aren’t you eating? Even if you skip meals, Empress Gu still needs to eat," Sister Li chided.
Only then did Feng Chengxi snap out of it, looking up at Gu Nanyan with excitement. "Empress Gu, this script is incredible! I knew nothing about Great Qi’s history before, but after reading this, I can recite the names of all its emperors.
I even understand the principles of the 'Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon,' and I’ve grasped the teachings of Confucius, Mozi, and Han Feizi.
Test me—I know it all now!
And it’s not just literature and history—I’ve even picked up science and math. Ask me about trigonometry or the sine theorem—I’m terrifyingly good now!"
Sister Li was baffled. How had Feng Chengxi, who once struggled with basic math problems, suddenly become so confident—just from reading a script? Did Empress Gu’s writing contain some kind of knowledge-infusing magic that turned dull minds brilliant?
Gu Nanyan watched Feng Chengxi’s reaction and asked, "Did you enjoy it?"
Feng Chengxi nodded emphatically. It was amazing!
"Did it feel preachy?" Gu Nanyan pressed. freewёbnoνel.com
Feng Chengxi blinked. Preachy? Not at all. She hadn’t even noticed—she’d just been completely absorbed.
"Good," Gu Nanyan said, satisfied.
She had woven a wealth of knowledge into the script, blending education with entertainment in a way that made learning effortless and engaging.
Crafting this script had required great care. On one hand, she worried about her own gaps in scientific knowledge, fearing she might mislead others.
On the other hand, balancing education and entertainment was no easy feat—push too hard, and it could come across as lecturing, triggering resistance.
That was why she had devoted so much thought to it.
In addition to academic knowledge, Gu Nanyan also used her own experience to teach the children how to fight back against bullying, how to handle a teacher's bias, and how to prove their innocence when falsely accused of theft by classmates.
She approached these lessons meticulously, even categorizing bullying into different levels of severity.
Minor instances included forming cliques to exclude or isolate someone.
More severe cases involved physical violence, extortion, or blackmail.
For each type of behavior, she guided the children on exactly what they should do.