Chapter 13
Zuo Bian didn’t stay home for long; the film crew was waiting for her to return to filming. Although she was a major investor in the production, it wouldn’t be appropriate to be too capricious and take breaks whenever she pleased. Zuo Bian still understood this basic courtesy.
Upon returning to the set, Zuo Bian noticed that Hu Miaofu had inexplicably become close to everyone, while Chang Wensi remained the same, always putting on airs with an arrogant demeanor.
However, Zuo Bian heard that Xu Ruisheng, the actor playing the male lead, had taken another leave of absence today. He was late for the opening ceremony, and now he was constantly asking for leave after filming officially started. Some people on the set were already dissatisfied with Xu Ruisheng, but after all, he was a popular young actor with a large following, so they still had to maintain a facade of respect.
The day after Zuo Bian returned to the set, Xu Ruisheng also returned from his leave. It was said that he had been recording a show the day before.
While filming scenes with Xu Ruisheng, Zuo Bian always felt that he was intentionally or unintentionally getting close to her, making it seem like there was something ambiguous between them.
Zuo Bian didn’t like Xu Ruisheng very much, and her agent had also told her to stay away from him. So every time they finished filming a scene, Zuo Bian would quickly distance herself from Xu Ruisheng by at least three meters, as if he had some contagious disease.
Xu Ruisheng’s face darkened, but he couldn’t say anything. Many people in the crew were veterans of the entertainment industry, who couldn’t see through his intentions? They just didn’t expose him directly.
Xu Ruisheng and Lü Deng had also considered using Hu Miaofu, the third female lead, to create a shipping scandal, but Zuo Bian was the female lead of the drama. As long as her performance wasn’t terrible, the drama would definitely gain some popularity after its broadcast. Only by riding on this wave of popularity could he increase his own fame. Trying to create a scandal with the third female lead would probably only end in failure.
============================================
In Xu Ruisheng’s room.
“Brother Lü, that Zuo Bian is like a brick wall, I can’t get through to her at all.” Xu Ruisheng said, frustratedly running his fingers through his hair.
“Ruisheng, your popularity has been declining recently. Your Weibo views and interactions are only half of what they used to be, and your ability to sell products has also significantly decreased. If this continues, you’ll gradually fade away in the entertainment industry. Do you know what’s the most terrifying thing? The most terrifying thing is that no one remembers you at all!” Lü Deng said, slamming his hand on the table in excitement.
“Alright, alright, I get it. I’ll listen to you.”
Lü Deng’s anger subsided a little. “I’ll ask for another day off for you tomorrow. I’ve secured a third male lead role for you in the drama ‘Imperial Power’. Don’t underestimate it just because it’s a third male lead role. It’s more popular than the male lead role in ‘Ascending to Immortality’. What a bullshit male lead, it’s just a supporting role for the female lead!”
“Ascending to Immortality” was a female-centric drama, with the main focus on the female lead. Although the male lead’s ranking seemed the same as the female lead, his screen time was pitifully small.
Especially since this drama had the Zuo family’s investment, all resources were tilted towards Zuo Bian. Everyone in the entire drama was just a supporting character for Zuo Bian.
After only two days of filming, Xu Ruisheng asked for leave again. Even Chang Wensi, who was known for her capriciousness, didn’t ask for leave as frequently as Xu Ruisheng.
Today’s filming schedule had to be adjusted again, and Director Chen and the screenwriter were discussing it together.
Screenwriter: “Xu Ruisheng asked for leave again today. Should we postpone this scene until he comes back?”
Director Chen stroked his chin and said in a deep voice, “I think this scene can work without the male lead. Just delete his part and continue filming as usual.”
The screenwriter drew a line on the script with a pen. “Mm, I’ll listen to Director Chen.”
The male lead’s screen time was already less than the female lead’s. With scenes being deleted like this, his screen time became even smaller.
Xu Ruisheng was juggling multiple projects, and his condition was getting worse and worse. He often couldn’t get into character, making Director Chen furious.
“What’s going on? Is this wire stunt scene difficult? Have you never done it before? Or are your bones loose from resting too much?”
Although he didn’t name names, everyone knew who the director was scolding.
Xu Ruisheng didn’t dare to speak. He had asked for leave too many times and was clearly in the wrong.
After Director Chen shouted “Action!”, Xu Ruisheng jumped down from the second-floor railing. In this scene, the female lead was misunderstood by everyone, and the male lead descended from the sky to save her.
The male lead’s entrance in this scene had to be ethereal and beautiful.
However, Xu Ruisheng had only slept for two hours the night before and was already exhausted. As he descended, his mind suddenly went blank, and he forgot to maintain his balance. His entire body was suspended by the wires, spinning uncontrollably.
Xu Ruisheng’s mind cleared, but it was too late to regain his balance. Director Chen shouted through the megaphone for the crew to stop the wires, but unfortunately, the wires malfunctioned at this critical moment.
The feeling of weightlessness made it impossible for Xu Ruisheng to stay calm. Just as he thought he was going to crash to the ground, he suddenly felt lighter. When he opened his eyes again, he met Zuo Bian’s gaze.
Xu Ruisheng had been desperately trying to get close to Zuo Bian, and now he had succeeded so easily, but in a rather awkward way.
Lü Deng, who was offstage, subconsciously pressed the shutter button, an inappropriate thought popping into his mind: It would be great if it was Zuo Bian who was being carried.
Zuo Bian gently put down the tall Xu Ruisheng and turned to the director. “Director Chen, that was really dangerous just now. Please make sure the wires are safe before we continue filming this scene.”
Director Chen: “O-Okay… It’s getting late, let’s call it a day.”
The scene of Zuo Bian effortlessly catching a 140-pound man was so shocking that everyone was momentarily stunned, while Xu Ruisheng was still lying weakly on the ground.
“Miss Zuo Bian, are you alright? How can you be so strong as a girl? I definitely couldn’t do that.” Hu Miaofu was the first to approach Zuo Bian and express her concern.
“I’m fine, but Mr. Xu seems to be frightened.” Zuo Bian glanced at Xu Ruisheng, who was still lying on the ground behind her.
However, Hu Miaofu firmly blocked Zuo Bian’s way. Zuo Bian frowned in confusion. “Is something wrong?”
Hu Miaofu smiled awkwardly. “Nothing.”
“Then I’ll go back to my room and rest.” After saying that, Zuo Bian walked around Hu Miaofu.
“Senior Xu was just scared, shouldn’t Miss Zuo Bian care a little? I’m sorry, I’m not trying to order Miss Zuo Bian around, but I just feel that it’s not very good to leave without even caring. It seems… it seems very cold-blooded.” The more Hu Miaofu spoke, the lower her head drooped. Standing next to the tall and straight Zuo Bian, she looked as if she was being bullied.
Zuo Bian said to 555 in her mind: ‘555, don’t you think Hu Miaofu’s words are strange? I can’t put my finger on it, but I just feel uncomfortable listening to her.’
【Host, just speak as you normally do. This Hu Miaofu’s level is still very low.】
‘Okay.’
“But I was also scared just now, why don’t you care about me? But Senior Xu almost had an accident, if you’re worried about him, shouldn’t you check if he’s injured? Why are you still talking to me? Oh, I understand, because you don’t care about him at all. You’re so cold-blooded.” Zuo Bian expressed her confusion earnestly.
Hu Miaofu stood there as if struck by lightning, her lips trembling, unable to utter a word.
555 mentally clicked its tongue. As expected, straightforwardness could counter all hypocritical schemes.
Leave a Reply