No, no—
"No way! Why?! Our contracts are all signed, how can you just replace someone like that?"
Xiao He and Guo Xinya were rehearsing their lines perfectly when a sudden commotion erupted outside the lobby. Xiao He was immediately pulled out of his reverie and looked up at the door.
It turns out that the last main cast member has arrived.
Lu Yuxi's outfit was typical of a Korean boy band. Forgive Xiao He for not knowing how to describe it, but he had double eyelids, an oval face, panda-eye eye makeup, and dark lipstick, which perfectly matched his early stereotypes about boy bands from that region.
—Forgive him! He's tried hard not to be stereotypical, but the other person really does fit the stereotype too well!
In the script, Lu Yuxi plays a singer, which overlaps with his original profession. This is why the production team of "Yu Ye" invited Lu Yuxi to star in the show. It's a great opportunity because it's both interesting and generates buzz, and doesn't require much acting skill; he can just be himself.
Generally speaking, for this kind of role, as long as the actor doesn't do anything reckless and performs well, they can't go wrong no matter how they act, and they can still earn money and popularity.
However, the complexity of human beings may lie in the fact that we often see idiots like Lu Yuxi in life.
It takes quite a bit of skill for him to manage to ruin a perfectly good pie when he's almost certain to win.
However, it is clear that Lu Yuxi is still very dissatisfied, and even caused a scene on set with her agent.
"Cough cough—"
Seeing that Xiao He was distracted, Guo Xinya coughed lightly to remind him to continue rehearsing his lines.
Xiao He quickly lowered his head somewhat awkwardly and began reading the script in his hands again.
In reality, it wasn't just Xiao He; almost everyone sitting inside the hall had already turned their attention to the door.
Even Yuan Sitong breathed a sigh of relief without her noticing.
Fortunately, fortunately, they arrived at the film set on time, otherwise she would be one of the many people being turned away at the door and having their contracts terminated.
What a relief!
The other seated people were also surprised to varying degrees.
I didn't expect that Director Zhuang's words just now weren't just harsh words spoken in anger, but were for real. This time, he really intends to terminate the contract!
Many people gradually began to have their own calculations.
"Sizzle—"
The sound of someone dragging a chair came from inside the hall.
Everyone looked up and saw that it was Zhuang Hongyi who had stood up.
"Ahem, I'm going out for some fresh air, you guys continue."
Zhuang Hongyi coughed lightly, then turned and walked out, while Yan Shaohan tapped the table, signaling Xiao He to continue.
Xiao He quickly lowered his head and began to recite his lines in a pretentious manner.
-
By the time the reading session ended, Lu Yuxi and his group had already left.
Even Zhuang Hongyi, who originally said he was just going out for some fresh air, had already left the set early.
The atmosphere at the scene finally eased a bit, and everyone felt less pressured. A few familiar old friends gathered together to chat about everyday things. However, Xiao He was completely unfamiliar with the people present and couldn't join their conversation, so he didn't plan to linger and prepared to pack up his things and leave.
Suddenly a voice called out to him—
"You must be Xiao He?"
Xiao He paused slightly, then turned his head and saw Gao Zhenxia carrying a canvas bag, smiling at him.
"It's me, Teacher Gao." Xiao He nodded and took the initiative to greet him.
“I’ve heard Teacher Zhuo Jianhua mention you before,” Gao Zhenxia explained. “He had been saying that he had met a strange young man in Shanghai, and now that I’ve met him, he is indeed quite special.”
Xiao He recognized her: "Ah, it's Teacher Zhuo."
It seems that Zhuo Jianhua is also a Peking Opera teacher. He was invited to attend a class at Peking Opera before... Sure enough, the seniors are in a circle, exchanging information and resources with each other.
"You weren't really into character today."
Gao Zhenxia looked Xiao He up and down, and then she saw that Xiao He was visibly nervous.
Immediately, Gao Zhenxia laughed heartily and patted Xiao He on the shoulder: "Just kidding—you're so young, why are you so calculating? Look at Director Yan, he's easygoing and doesn't hold grudges, quick-witted and sharp-tongued, isn't that great?"
Xiao He: "..."
Although it sounds like a compliment, ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ it doesn't sound like a good word at all.
"Look, he's not saying anything now."
Gao Zhenxia found Xiao He's hesitant expression amusing and burst into laughter: "Just by looking at your expression, I know you're thinking a lot of things about me! Haha, I love a brat like you."
Xiao He: "...Whatever makes you happy."
Just then, Liu Rulan returned and greeted Gao Zhenxia, saying, "Teacher Gao, it's been a long time."
"Xiao Liu, the new guy you've brought along this time is quite good. He's very interesting and much better than the last one," Gao Zhenxia said with a smile.
Liu Rulan also revealed a proud expression: "Of course, my judgment has always been good—"
While Liu Rulan and Gao Zhenxia were talking, Xiao He saw Guo Xinya preparing to leave alone.
Guo Xinya met Xiao He's gaze, hesitated for a moment, then walked over to thank him: "Thank you very much for today."
"It's nothing, it's nothing." Xiao He waved his hand. "It was Sister Liu who asked me to sit down. After all, we're all in the same production team, and if any bad rumors spread, it will definitely affect our work."
"But thank you anyway."
Guo Xinya thanked her sincerely.
In fact, Guo Xinya had encountered those kinds of looks from the crew countless times.
After becoming the go-to leading lady for many great directors, her acting skills and abilities completely disappeared—from then on, all that everyone saw was her beauty.
Her resources are exchanged for her beautiful body; her fans are lured in by her beautiful face; her value can be offset by her beauty.
Therefore, Guo Xinya began to obsessively fight against those voices, trying to change the way those people looked at her.
—It wasn't until later that she realized some things weren't actually her problem at all.
Some people's hearts see everything as dirty.
Guo Xinya suddenly felt relieved.
Although it took a long time to find peace, thankfully it's not too late.
Furthermore, she encountered a junior like Xiao He who was willing to lend her a hand, for which Guo Xinya was truly grateful.
Xiao He took this opportunity to ask Guo Xinya, "Sister Xinya, a friend of mine is also trying to lose weight recently. But as you know, there are a lot of fake drugs on the market now. I feel that the ones that you guys have used are more reliable. I wonder how your friend got the drugs? I'd like to buy some to give to my friends."
"Huh?" Guo Xinya was taken aback, not expecting Xiao He to continue asking about the diet pills. She hesitated for a moment, but considering that Xiao He was indeed a nice person, she relented and said a few more words, "My friend is a VIP customer, so she can buy better medicine from inside the store. However, under normal circumstances, these medicines cannot be given away as gifts. This bottle of medicine is the regular version sold to the public. If you are interested, I can help you contact my friend and see if she is willing to be your referrer."
VIP customer?
Sales are divided into internal and external channels?
Do I need a recommendation to buy this?
Xiao He was very surprised.
This was information he hadn't investigated at all!
"Sister Xinya...aren't you a VIP?" Xiao He asked tentatively.
“My friend did want to recommend it to me, but I wasn’t very interested.” Guo Xinya shrugged. “After all, every medicine has side effects, and I don’t have such a strong need to lose weight.”
To put it another way, Versailles has never been one to gain weight easily, so she doesn't have much anxiety about losing weight.
"Oh, I see. I'll think about it some more. I won't bother Sister Xinya for now. If all else fails, I'll try to persuade my friend to exercise and lose weight."
“I do have some diet plans and exercise routines from when I was trying to lose weight, and I personally felt they were quite effective. I can share them with you,” Guo Xinya said proactively. “Let’s add each other’s contact information? I’ll send them to you later.”
Xiao He hadn't expected Guo Xinya to take it so seriously, so he quickly took out his phone and said, "Okay, thank you!"
After Guo Xinya said goodbye and left, Xiao He's expression turned serious.
