Late at night, the air in Yancheng was humid and suffocatingly hot.
Ever since Yan Shixiu took over Huahai, heâd quickly got to grips with the entire operation in a very short period of time.
At the same time, he felt a sense of satisfaction mixed with pride; under Shi Lanâs leadership, there indeed were no bad debts to settle.
âMr. Yan, Director Tang has called, and heâd like to speak with you,â the assistant said respectfully, knocking on the glass door to Yan Shixiuâs office.
âPut him through on the intercom,â Yan Shixiu replied without lifting his head.
In truth, Yan Shixiu didnât have to guess; he knew it had to do with Shi Lanâs role as the second female lead.
The moment someone had a meltdown on their first day on set, now being ostracized by the whole crew, it wouldnât have come to the director making the call himself if it werenât serious.
Yan Shixiu had been worried about finding an excuse to see her, but now, it seemed like a good opportunity.
â¦
Shi Lan dared to openly cause such a commotion for many reasons.
Firstly, having signed a servitude contract, she had no choice in the matter, but she really didnât want to see Gu Chengyuâs face. If Gu Chengyu insisted on withdrawing her role as the second female lead, sheâd be happy to see it happen. But she had a fallback plan; if Gu Chengyu actually succeeded, sheâd make a big fuss about how heâd been stringing her along as a backup while suppressing and ostracizing her, stirring up a storm and switching to the role of a victim.
Secondly, she figured the role wouldnât be pulled; she couldnât say for certain about others, but Yan Shixiu had personally watched her sign the contract, in black and white. Now, with the whole crew suppressing and ostracizing her, it was a slap in Yan Shixiuâs face. The man might seem genteel and harmless, like a university professor, gentle and refined, but⦠if someone dared offend him, well, sorry, but please depart this world.
Therefore, Shi Lan dared to risk going against industry norms and offend the entire crew to make her stance clear.
The next day, Miss Shi Lan, who hadnât received any shooting schedule, arrived on set with Sun Ling by her side.
This time, it was Director Tang discussing the script.
The crew, aware of the ostracism that Shi Lan was facing, kept an unspoken agreement; knowing she wouldnât last in the crew, they didnât wish to bother with her. As for Gu Chengyu today, he had even less desire to throw a look Shi Lanâs way, given he had had an in-depth conversation with Director Tang the night before. He was confident that, given Director Tangâs strict requirements for actors, he wouldnât tolerate Shi Lanâs continued delays in the crew.
âAn Lan⦠Or how about we try to speak to Director Tang in private later?â Sun Ling suggested, feeling awful as the surrounding staff treated them like air. It was just too humiliating.
However, Shi Lan took a step forward and pushed Sun Ling behind her.
Director Tang had finished discussing the scene and was resting behind the National Couple with the script in his hands. Shi Lan stepped forward politely and asked Director Tang, âDirector Tang, do you really intend to replace me?â
Everyone on the scene was stunned. Theyâd never seen an artist like Shi Lan, who knew what the directorâs attitude was but still walked into the line of fire.
Director Tang put away his script and looked at Shi Lan with a complex expression.
The atmosphere on set suddenly became tense and riveting.
âWhere did you hear that?â
âIsnât everyoneâs attitude⦠clear enough? We donât need to exchange pleasantries. Iâm sure you know whoâs causing trouble, but as I said yesterday, Iâm not here for personal reasons. So, to avoid wasting everyoneâs time, how about I contact Huahai right now? Iâm signed with Huahai, and if Huahai wants to replace me, I wonât say another word and will leave immediately. That way, I wonât hold up everyoneâs time. What do you think?â Shi Lan said, her expression devoid of fear.
Even faced with a big-time director, she was neither servile nor haughty, her demeanor collected.
Director Tang was momentarily lost for words and didnât respond.
âThe whole set⦠has at least three hundred people, right? To ridicule, mock, and coldly brutalize a twenty-one-year-old girl, did I desecrate your ancestorsâ graves?â
Sun Ling was shocked by Shi Lanâs words!@@novelbin@@
She felt she needed an emergency heart pill right then.