MQSP - Chapter 12
Chapter 12
"What's wrong with you? If you're not feeling well, say so now. You can't let an illness linger," Lu Qing urged, worried.
"It's nothing, I've just been under too much stress these past two days." The half-cup of hot water helped. At least her complexion had visibly improved, not as pale as before.
"I see. So, what about the role?" Lu Qing asked curiously. This role was the very reason she had rushed over so early in the morning. If Baiye had truly lost the part because of her, she was determined to argue it out with Lin Yuqing to the very end.
Baiye shook her head and gave a bitter smile. "I… I quit."
"Quit? Why!?"
Baiye lowered her head without responding. Lu Qing waited for a long time, but she showed no intention of speaking, which made Lu Qing frantic. "You rest here. Wait for me. I'll take you back to school in a bit." With that, Lu Qing turned, got out of the car, and headed straight for the film set.
"Su Yu!" When she returned to the set, everyone was on a break. Lu Qing spotted Su Yu in the crowd at once. She strode over in a few quick steps and pulled her aside.
"Hey, hey, hey, why are you grabbing me? What happened?" Su Yu was unaware of Baiye's situation and looked completely baffled.
"I'm asking you, what's the deal with this role? Why did Baiye quit?"
"How should I know? I was about to ask you! Didn't you say she wanted to play An Liang?!"
"Didn't she?" Lu Qing sensed something was off.
"You guys have me all confused. You said she wanted to play An Liang, but she auditioned for An Xi. I offered her An Liang, and then she said she wanted to quit." Su Yu rubbed her forehead, complaining of a headache.
Lu Qing was visibly stunned. She auditioned for An Xi??
"You must have filmed the audition, right? Can I see it?" Lu Qing's tone softened. She felt there might be some misunderstanding.
"Sure." Su Yu nodded and readily called over the camera operator, asking her to play the audition footage from the day before for Lu Qing.
The camera operator obediently showed Lu Qing the audition clips for both Gu Baiye and Ye Jingwen. After watching them, Lu Qing promptly flew into a rage.
"Su Yu, what's the meaning of this? You made Gu Baiye improvise in a set scenario with restricted lines, but you let Ye Jingwen act straight from the script? It's a competition between two people, and you resort to these kinds of tricks!?"
Su Yu pressed her forehead. This role had been giving her a massive headache for the past two days. That Lin Yuqing, who knew what had gotten into her, was dead set against letting Baiye play the lead. It was obvious that Baiye's emotional range, control of details, and ability to improvise were all stronger than Ye Jingwen's. But Lin Yuqing was acting as if she were possessed, refusing to consider any of it, only saying she didn't want Gu Baiye. Her hostility was more than just a little bit.
Su Yu was at her wit's end. She really couldn't find a more suitable lead actress than Lin Yuqing, so she could only wrong Baiye and settle for second best.
"I thought you were a breath of fresh air in the directing world, someone who always marched to the beat of her own drum, only doing what you wanted and never caring what others thought. I never expected you to be so worldly and calculating!" Lu Qing's words were sharp and merciless, making Su Yu's cheeks burn.
"Where's Lin Yuqing?" Lu Qing decisively shifted her aim to Lin Yuqing.
"The dressing room." Su Yu just as decisively sold Lin Yuqing out. After being scolded by Lu Qing like that, she had lost a lot of face. Besides, she was also dying to know why Lin Yuqing was so opposed to Baiye.
The two of them marched straight to the dressing room. Lu Qing pushed the door open directly and saw Lin Yuqing sitting at the vanity, fiddling with her phone.
"Lin Yuqing." Lu Qing strode menacingly to stand before Lin Yuqing, looking down at her.
Lin Yuqing merely glanced up at the mirror, showing little reaction.
Xia Xiaozi had been sitting sullenly to one side, stewing over this matter herself. But seeing Lu Qing enter, she still got up at once and went over, trying to pull them apart and maintain a safe distance.
"Lin Yuqing, why are you taking your anger out on Gu Baiye? Is it because of me, or because of your own guilty conscience?"
"What nonsense are you talking about." Lin Yuqing was relatively composed, her tone flat as she quietly placed her phone face down.
"What am I talking about? You know perfectly well what I'm talking about. I saw Baiye's audition. In what way was her performance inferior to Ye Jingwen's? You can't even see such an obvious difference. There's only one reason: you're targeting her."
"Why are you targeting her? A kid who hasn't even graduated yet, what has she done to deserve you targeting her?" Lu Qing sneered.
Xia Xiaozi heard this and thought, This is bad. Before she could stop her, she heard Lu Qing continue.
"It's because she looks like Gu Xinran, isn't it? Because you don't dare to face Gu Xinran, so you take it out on anyone who resembles her."
Lin Yuqing's brow furrowed deeply. That name stabbed her heart again, the pain so sharp it left her breathless.
Su Yu was also surprised to hear this. The first time she saw Baiye, she had paid special attention to her for this very reason—because she did bear a slight resemblance to their old friend, Gu Xinran. But out of consideration for Lin Yuqing's feelings for Gu Xinran, Su Yu had never mentioned it to her face. However, she had been eager to bring Baiye onto the set, hoping Lin Yuqing would see a shadow of the past Gu Xinran in her, as a comfort for her longing.
"Lin Yuqing, why don't you dare to face Gu Xinran!" Lu Qing closed in, step by step, her manner aggressive, completely ignoring Lin Yuqing's ghastly expression.
"Lu Qing, these are two completely different things. Can you please not lump them together!" Xia Xiaozi couldn't help but speak up.
"Fine. Then you tell me, why was Baiye's role changed? What right does she have to do that?" Lu Qing demanded, suppressing her rage.
Xia Xiaozi was speechless. She could understand Lin Yuqing's desire to protect Xiao Ye, but even she couldn't accept such a heavy-handed method that might even crush Xiao Ye's spirit. But she couldn't tell anyone this, so she could only remain silent.
Lin Yuqing kneaded her forehead. Her mind was a tangled mess, especially after Lu Qing had mentioned that name. Many unpleasant memories began to surface.
"Director, uh, sorry to interrupt, but there's a problem with Jingwen's costume fitting. The boss from MG is here, so… maybe you should go have a look?" The costume designer knocked on the door, opportunely breaking the gunpowder-filled atmosphere.
"The boss from MG? Xue Yuexian?" Su Yu was taken aback. MG Entertainment was a fairly reputable company in the industry. Their boss was a powerful woman on the surface, but in reality, she was a promiscuous figure with a very messy private life. She was also a lesbian who loved to hook up with innocent young starlets, all under the guise of "mentoring newcomers," and had shamelessly set her sights on university students.
"Ye Jingwen is with MG?" Su Yu couldn't help but imagine the relationship between Xue Yuexian and Ye Jingwen, and a sudden chill ran down her spine. It can't be…
Following the costume designer to the changing room, she indeed saw the legendary industry leader, Xue Yuexian, dressed in a black lace dress and strappy high heels, her attire daring and incredibly sexy.
"Well, well, Xue Jie, what wind blew you here?" Su Yu went over to greet her with a smile. They were old acquaintances.
"Su Yu, so this is your set. One of our company's newcomers, I came to check on her. Hey, after all these years, how has your production not improved at all? How can anyone wear a costume this ugly? If the costumes, makeup, and props aren't up to par, will anyone even watch the show you film?" Xue Yuexian expressed her disdain very directly.
"Hey, Yuexian, you know me. Small-budget production, not like you, rolling in money." Su Yu draped an arm over Xue Yuexian's shoulder and felt her collar. "Nice. Latest custom design, over a hundred thousand?"
"Get off." Xue Yuexian slapped her hand away.
"What kind of drama is it this time?"
"GL. What else would I be filming?"
"Oh, so your tastes haven't changed. Who's the female lead?" Xue Yuexian seemed to have become a little interested.
"Lin… uh…" Su Yu paused. She had almost forgotten. If Lu Qing was the second person who hated Lin Yuqing the most, then this Xue Yuexian was number one…
"Hm?" Xue Yuexian raised an eyebrow.
"It's Lin Yuqing, I really like…" Ye Jingwen, who was standing nearby, chimed in. However, halfway through her sentence, she noticed Xue Yuexian's expression change drastically, turning cold in an instant and revealing a trace of extreme disgust.
"Don't you know I hate Lin Yuqing the most?" Xue Yuexian shot Ye Jingwen a harsh glare and spoke in a cold voice. The latter fell silent as a cicada in winter, not daring to make another sound.
"Su Yu, I'll give you a chance. Drop Lin Yuqing, and I'll invest in this drama, including the post-production publicity." Xue Yuexian made a very tempting offer.
Su Yu was clearly stunned for a moment. "Yuexian, don't joke around."
"When I, Xue Yuexian, say something, I always mean it. It's not the first day you've known me."
Su Yu smiled and shook her head decisively. "You big shots can have whatever grudges you want with Lin Yuqing, but I really don't want to get involved. I just want to film my drama properly. So please don't make things difficult for a small, insignificant director like me, okay, Xue Jie?"
"Fine. Jingwen, we're not taking this role. Change your clothes and go back to the company."
"Huh? Xue Jie, I…" Ye Jingwen wanted to protest, but one look from Xue Yuexian made her lower her head. "I'll go change right now." Without another word, she went into the inner room.
Su Yu was about to explode. When you titans clash, why do you all have to make things difficult for me! She had been so frustrated over this role for the past two days. One person quits just like that, and now another one says she's not doing it anymore. Could they please show some respect for the profession!
"Alright then, Xue Jie. Since it's come to this, I have nothing more to say. I won't see you out." Su Yu had hardened her heart this time. It was her own drama, why was she always being swayed by others? Lu Qing was right. She had always marched to the beat of her own drum, only doing what she wanted. She had been far too indecisive with the casting this time. That wasn't her!
"Hah. Since Lin Yuqing is in this drama, I imagine we'll have many more opportunities to meet. We have plenty of time." Xue Yuexian's words were clearly pointed.
"Whatever you want." Having figured things out, Su Yu was in a much better mood and didn't care about Xue Yuexian's provocation. She waved her hand, turned, and walked away, heading straight for the dressing room where the other two were still at daggers drawn.
"Lu Qing, Lin Yuqing, I've decided! The second female lead in this drama will be Gu Baiye! Lin Yuqing, you have to accept it whether you like it or not. Don't forget the three rules we agreed on beforehand." Su Yu played her trump card to threaten Lin Yuqing, but the latter seemed to not be listening to her at all, lost in her own thoughts.
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