The highway was unobstructed. Renee Morgan nestled in the back seat, her delicate and petite face mostly hidden by a sun hat, clutching a pillow and breathing softly.
Renee Morgan had a dream, a fleeting montage that lightly illustrated her life.
This was an era where stars gathered like clouds.
Actress Renee Morgan was the stepping stone for all these stars, commonly known as cannon fodder.
Every top-tier actress who was wildly popular had stepped on Renee Morgan at some point. Of course, just a single step, and they were ahead.
For example, on a national defense training reality show, Renee Morgan, an actress by trade, wasn't supposed to act spoiled, yet on the first day of filming, she missed the assembly due to a skin allergy. Five days and four nights of shooting, she missed three whole days, reappearing cautiously on the fourth day, trying to please the other members. But since she missed the first three days of training, she ended up standing awkwardly on the sidelines. In the latter half, she did follow through, but what was the use?
Netizens and viewers nationwide in front of their TVs would only think that as an actress, you were pretentious, probably being the rumored "Miss Numbers," who just mumbled numbers in place of lines.
No comparison, no harm. Another actress in the same field, Wendy Aldridge, also an eighteen-line obscure star, became a top-tier star through the very same reality show.
In the show, she wasn't afraid of hardship or fatigue. Though a female star, she showed the most tenacious spirit, completing every military task perfectly, only to humbly tear up, saying the true heroes were those defending the country.
This wasn't the real reason for her rise. The real reason was the last episode, exactly the one where Renee Morgan appeared.
The last episode involved crossing a lake on two ropes, and whoever crossed the lake completed the task.
The show had eight members, and, coincidentally, Renee Morgan and Wendy Aldridge, these two contrasting figures, were put into one group.
Renee Morgan went first, followed by Wendy Aldridge. They were gripping the ropes at both ends as they stepped onto them.
Renee Morgan was doing just fine in the beginning but fell off when Wendy Aldridge shook her hand a bit too hard.
Renee Morgan knew how to swim, yet for some reason, every time she tried to grab the rope to get up, Wendy Aldridge seemed about to fall, scaring Renee Morgan from grabbing the rope.
Even when Wendy Aldridge was nearly dragged underwater a few times by her, she still thought of her teammate and reached out her wrist with all her strength, pulling her up.
The instructors in the team were moved to tears, praising Wendy Aldridge, saying that the most needed spirit in the team was unity, dubbed "team soul." Wendy Aldridge was the bravest, kindest, and most loving girl they had seen.
The old instructor sobbed while praising her, not crying for Wendy Aldridge, but for the comrades who once stood side by side.
Wendy Aldridge, the unknown star, skyrocketed to fame overnight, gripping first-tier resources.
While Renee Morgan, with decent acting and a few shows airing, seemingly on the rise, became Wendy Aldridge's comparison, faced online backlash and exited the scene, fading into the edge of the entertainment industry.
Renee Morgan was like an unbeatable cockroach. A few years later, she returned to the screen. A low-budget film she starred in went viral online, even being nominated for many film awards.
Renee Morgan received many film invitations, including one from the Golden Flower Awards, one of the top three film awards. The award carried significant weight; being nominated was proof of strength. If she could win, it would surely push her to the top tier.
Renee Morgan was flattered and went to the awards ceremony with utmost gratitude, only to be told that her film had been disqualified for plagiarism, and the original film replaced its nomination.
The original film was from a renowned director, a large production, and a regular at the festival, deserving respect from everyone.
The Best Actress award that was originally hers was immediately given to Gigi Grant, the lead actress of the original film.
The presenter was a highly popular award-winning actress who indignantly accused Renee Morgan's team of plagiarism. Their film organization prided itself on fairness; hence, they decided to give the award to Gigi Grant.
Thunderous applause erupted below the stage.
In a daze, Renee Morgan walked out of the awards ceremony, receiving a call from her manager that the film had been taken down, with the whole internet calling for her to get out of the entertainment industry.
A few years later, Renee Morgan, now middle-aged, once again made it into the International Film Best Actress nominations. Just when she had hopes of winning Best Actress, she fell from grace once more...
Such things kept happening. She was the queen of cannon fodder, an unbeatable cockroach among them, her burning fighting spirit illuminating many female stars. As she reached old age, smoking on the street, while her peers were showered with glory, their stories shared across screens, each sentence filled with pity for Renee Morgan yet also trampling her into the mire.
"Hoo hoo hoo..." Renee Morgan woke up in shock from her nightmare, telling herself it was just a dream that could never come true.
She kicked off the blanket, revealing her creamy-skinned long legs, straight and slender.
She took out a small mirror from her bag, gazing at her radiant and beautiful face, capable of being both pure and seductive.
She further took out her phone, flipping through various stage drama stills.
She was so beautiful, with a top-notch figure, and superb acting skills. How could she possibly just be cannon fodder, and such a tragically struggling one at that?
Renee Morgan comforted herself, gradually calming her breathing, yet her eyebrows slowly furrowed.
What if this really was her destiny?
In the world, there were far too many tragedies. Being cannon fodder was just a speck in the long river of history, unnoticed, and no one would study why cannon fodder remained cannon fodder. They seemed born just to embellish those who shone brightly.
She was just one of them.
Just like a drama she watched yesterday, where twin sisters were supposed to be two flowers. The elder sister was loved by her parents and favored by her brother, living a life that blossomed, with excellent grades, a remarkable career, marrying a good person, having filial children, and being esteemed in her old age.
The younger sister, due to her withdrawn personality, was disliked by her parents and unloved by her brother. Her life was as repressed and gloomy as her character, with poor grades, an inability to find a job, marrying a thug, and having a child who was a genius. She thought she would rise, but the genius met with an accident at twelve and died, leaving her in madness overnight, spending her old age in a nursing home, remembering only her elder sister, highlighting the greatness of the elder sister through her enlightenment.
"..."
Renee Morgan found herself struggling to breathe.
When her agent called, she finally caught her breath.
"Morgan, where are you? Are you back yet? I have good news for you. Besides the few dramas set to premiere, the company signed you up for a reality show, a national defense training program. Once the dramas air, followed by the show's popularity boost, you'll have a bit of fame." Warren's brisk voice crackled over the phone, filled with undisguised joy.