Superstar's Development Diary
Chapter 491 - 492: Comparisons Can Be Maddening

Chapter 491: Chapter 492: Comparisons Can Be Maddening

After sending the message, the celebrity gently shifted her gaze towards He Jinxia, only to see a smile playing at the corner of He Jinxia’s lips, which left her puzzled.

Upon closer inspection, it was indeed a smile!

This celebrity was utterly confused—how could He Jinxia still manage to smile while being relentlessly outbid by Deng Zhaoyan? Could He Jinxia be so angry that she was reduced to laughter?

Of course, He Jinxia was not laughing out of sheer rage.

A hint of interest flashed in her eyes, as she felt she had found a way to raise even more money—by getting involved in every auction item and fiercely competing with Deng Zhaoyan!

Tsk, just thinking about it was thrilling.

Subsequently, Deng Zhaoyan was completely thrown into the rhythm set by He Jinxia, and after being outmaneuvered twice, Geng Ni, privy to more of the backstories, had her interest piqued and excitedly joined He Jinxia’s camp to compete with Deng Zhaoyan.

Both parties kept the bidding war heated, one raising by five thousand, the other by ten thousand, the bids doubling and the back-and-forth play leaving them delighted.

Deng Zhaoyan ended up with two more auction items in her embrace. At this, other celebrities couldn’t sit still either. They all looked in Deng Zhaoyan’s direction, unable to fathom her motives—was she trying to claim the title of "most purchases tonight"?

That wouldn’t do, if you have the guts—go for the title of "highest value of auction items purchased tonight." What’s the point of hoarding so many auction items!

More celebrities joined the auction, and an invisible battle amongst first-rate stars officially commenced.

Usually, top stars would only enter the auction after half of the items had been presented, as the items that appeared later were more prestigious, and the bids made were much higher.

However, disrupted by the commotion between He Jinxia and Deng Zhaoyan, top stars started to bid from the thirteenth auction item onward, and the prices soared one higher than the other, which made the host’s smile undeniable.

Elsewhere, in one of the front-most seats, a director couldn’t help but frown, sensing something amiss, and asked:

"Why have those A-list celebrities joined the bidding? We’ve only had a dozen items auctioned, and it isn’t time for the top stars to make a move yet, is it? Could it be that there is a shortage of B-list celebrities tonight?"

Another director squinted his eyes, a contemplative expression passing over his face, "I don’t think it’s that we have fewer B-listers. I’ve seen the guest list for the Bazaar Charity Dinner, nearly half of the B-list is here."

The first director who spoke couldn’t resist theorizing, "Could it be an alliance of A-listers suppressing the B-listers here?"

The other directors, accustomed to producing films and shows, let their imaginations run wild, and before long, a narrative about A-list celebrities fearing the future achievements of B-listers and conspiring to suppress them prematurely took shape.

Sheng Yan, overhearing their increasingly far-fetched and fantastical speculations, darkened in expression and decisively cut off their nonsensical guesses, "Someone from the A-list has broken the rules, and the others are worried they won’t be able to secure items later, so they’ve started bidding early."

The directors’ faces changed slightly—a rule-breaker?

A director, upon thinking of something intriguing, said with a playful tone, "Interesting, Bazaar hasn’t been disrupted by celebrities for a long time, who was bold enough?"

Sheng Yan didn’t continue, letting them guess all they wanted.

At that moment, a King-level singer chuckled and said, "Turns out it’s Deng Zhaoyan; who would’ve thought that she’d be the one to break Bazaar’s rules."

The singer was Zhang Chen, and the hotel Sheng Yan stayed at while filming "World" was one he had invested in. He was also aware of the unsuccessful attempt by Deng Zhaoyan to negotiate with Sheng Yan, which ended with her being thrown out by Sheng Yan.

Because of this, Zhang Chen had even made a special call to Sheng Yan to offer his apologies.

Dissatisfied with Deng Zhaoyan’s tactless approach, Zhang Chen subsequently used some methods to suppress her.

Deng Zhaoyan wanted to take on more roles to make a transition, didn’t she? Well, he made sure she got fewer offers, delaying her transition.

The effect was significant. For three months, Deng Zhaoyan didn’t receive a script from any famous directors. The only offers that came her way were from obscure, small productions, and even if they offered her sky-high fees, Deng Zhaoyan wouldn’t be foolish enough to take them.

Her goal was to transition and broaden her money-making avenues, not to drain the pond to catch all the fish and leave after taking a huge sum while her fame lasted.

Zhang Chen didn’t have a good impression of Deng Zhaoyan, so as soon as he learned about this, he readily ratted her out.

"Deng Zhaoyan? How could it be her! Isn’t she a regular in Harper’s Bazaar?" another director questioned in disbelief.

It would be understandable for other celebrities, but it was unimaginable for a star like Deng Zhaoyan, who emerged from the fashion industry, not to know the significance of Harper’s Bazaar in the Huaxia fashion circle. Sabotaging an event meticulously organized by them... was she looking to retire?

Zhang Chen chuckled and said nonchalantly, "I just found out myself. Deng Zhaoyan couldn’t stand a second-tier celebrity, so she would bid against any item that the celebrity was interested in. Because she drove the prices too high, the second-tier celebrity often gave up in the end."

"As you know, the first twenty or so items were aimed at second-tier celebrities. Occasionally, a top-tier celebrity would take interest and make a bid, but Deng Zhaoyan had to outdo that female celebrity in everything, leading to an increasing number of items being bought at higher and higher prices," he explained.

"The other top-tier celebrities, worried that Deng Zhaoyan intended to purchase many items, and knowing they couldn’t compete with us later on—especially once Geng Ni started bidding as well—decided to follow suit and started bidding," he added.

Upon hearing this, the directors shook their heads, and one of them commented, "Now that top-tier celebrities have gotten involved with the lower-priced items, the later items won’t sell as well."

It was common practice for the celebrities to reserve their money for auction items that appeared later. But now, having spent high amounts on low-value items early on, those celebrities might not join the competition for the remaining items.

After all, it’s all for charity. As long as the money is right, what they ended up winning didn’t matter to many of the celebrities.

Some directors had worked with Deng Zhaoyan and had a good impression of her. They couldn’t help but express their pity, "She’s been in the business for so many years, how could she fail to see the big picture? Offending the Bazaar Charity Dinner might get her blacklisted by Harper’s Bazaar."

Sheng Yan spoke lightly, seemingly defending but actually belittling Deng Zhaoyan, "Young people... hot blooded. It’s quite normal."

At these words, the other directors couldn’t help but cast strange looks at Sheng Yan. He seemed to be about the same age as Deng Zhaoyan, if not a little younger.

There’s a saying: "Comparison is the thief of joy."

Without comparison, one is unaware, but once you compare, it’s startling. The difference between Deng Zhaoyan and Sheng Yan was just too great.

Just from tonight’s behavior, labeled as "hot-blooded youthfulness," other directors’ impression of Deng Zhaoyan had considerably worsened.

At the auction event, Deng Zhaoyan had yet to come to her senses, still bidding on items.