Three days later.
Zhu Xingtong’s post had “turned red,” trending at the top of the forums. Simultaneously, Zhong Ying—an actress who had always been talented but lacked fame—gradually began to emerge into the public’s line of sight.
Beauty is Justice.
The photos Zhu Xingtong had shared quickly gained traction. Every single one was meticulously edited; even if the photography skills weren’t professional, the angles were chosen with cunning precision to capture Zhong Ying’s beauty.
Who wouldn’t love a “Big Sister” in her twenties who smiled with such gentle indulgence and possessed such a stunning figure?
The thread eventually drifted off-course. The fledgling “CP fans” were no match for the Water Army Zhu Xingtong had hired. Bit by bit, the discussion transformed into a pure “Visual Fan” shrine for Zhong Ying. As the original poster, Zhu Xingtong’s ID, “Don’t Touch My Cub,” naturally became the leader of Zhong Ying’s fan circle.
Because of this post, Zhong Ying’s official social media accounts saw a significant surge in followers. However, since The Actor hadn’t been released yet, her exposure was still limited to her past minor roles and that one viral character poster. The hype was slowly fermenting in the background, perhaps waiting for the right moment to explode.
……
The Actor didn’t have many outdoor scenes, but because the crew was top-tier, the director meticulously refined every shot and movement. Consequently, the filming schedule was far from short.
Zhong Ying mentioned that Bai Lan had also been cast, albeit in a supporting role. Zhu Xingtong knew who Bai Lan was—she was Zhong Ying’s biggest “fan-girl” in the film industry. Though she was a popular “Little Flower” herself, everyone eventually learned that Bai Lan’s true idol was the future Movie Queen, Zhong Ying.
“Must be nice having friends around. You’re probably having so much fun you’ve forgotten all about home—unlike this CEO, whose days are nothing but boredom.” Looking at the schedule Zhong Ying had sent, Zhu Xingtong sighed silently.
It had been a week since the Cub left. She missed her!
At first, she didn’t think much of it, but now this massive house felt desolately empty. After waking up from an afternoon nap, Zhu Xingtong sat on the edge of the bed, yawning incessantly. Before she could find something to do, Long Ze called.
“Sister, help! Mother Song has issued a death warrant. She said if I don’t go back to see her this week, she’ll fly back to the country to see me personally!”
Zhu Xingtong was amused. “Why don’t you just go back?”
Long Ze’s voice was full of grievance. “Why? For a blind date, obviously! Ever since my brother got a girlfriend, Mother Song has passed all those blind date photos to me. Those women are all two or three years older than me!”
“As the saying goes: ‘A wife three years older is like holding a gold brick.'”
“Sister, why are you gloating?” Long Ze was furious. “Can’t you control your own aunt?!”
Thinking of Madam Song, Zhu Xingtong frowned. “Long Ze, I can’t help you. Bye.”
You must be joking!
Who was Madam Song? She was Zhu Xingtong’s maternal aunt. Because the original CEO’s parents had passed away early, she had essentially grown up in the Long household. This was why she and Long Ze were so close despite being cousins. To Zhu Xingtong, Song Wenlan was effectively her mother.
Asking Zhu Xingtong to help Long Ze hold back Song Wenlan? Forget it. She was afraid she’d get dragged into it too. What if the aunt turned the question on her: “What about you? Still don’t want to get married?”
She didn’t want to go on blind dates either!
“Sister! Don’t be like this!” Long Ze’s voice nearly cracked. “My brother won’t save me, and neither will you! If you don’t help, I’ll tell Mother Song that you’re ‘keeping’ an artist from my company!”
Zhu Xingtong: “…Long Ze, are your bones itching for a beating?”
Hearing her voice turn cold, Long Ze faltered. “Sister… are you serious about Zhong Ying?”
“…Why do you ask?”
“I just feel like you care too much. I thought you were just suddenly curious about women, and since she’s pretty, you favored her a bit. But I heard you took over the entire investment for The Actor and even went to the auditions personally. You’re literally acting as her bodyguard! Sister… have you gone ‘crooked’ (gay)?”
Long Ze knew his cousin well. She had money and had lived a wild life before, but lately, he really felt something was off.
“…Since when is my business any of your concern?”
Long Ze: “…” Note to self: Do not provoke.
“Sister, just help me this once. If you handle Mother Song, I’ll tell you some news about Zhong Ying. How about it?”
Zhu Xingtong’s ears perked up. “What news?”
“Zhong Ying got injured while filming. It happened yesterday afternoon. It’s nothing serious, just a bit of broken skin.”
Zhu Xingtong: “?”
“How do you know that?” She was annoyed and a bit flared up. She was the patron, yet she hadn’t received a word of this. Zhong Ying had even sent her a ‘goodnight’ message last night without mentioning a single thing about an injury.
CEO Zhu was unhappy. Very unhappy. Her Cub didn’t respect her enough to tell her!
“Uh… Sister, I am technically her direct boss. If something happens to an artist, they report to me.”
“Is that so? Then you can come back to work at Little Star tomorrow.” Hmph. Boss.
Long Ze: “???”
“Sister, anyway, I’m counting on you for Mother Song! I’ll send you the address of their outdoor set. You should go visit her as an investor/shareholder of The Actor!”
With that, Long Ze hung up at lightning speed. Zhu Xingtong gripped her phone silently.
……
The next day, Zhu Xingtong took a private jet directly to the location.
The Actor was filming in a small, scenic town abroad. There were no skyscrapers, only simple, low-slung houses. The air was fresh, the scenery beautiful, and the locals moved at a leisurely pace. Everything suggested a “peaceful years” vibe. In reality, however, the town in the script was far from wealthy.
Zhu Xingtong didn’t have the heart to enjoy the view. Ever since Long Ze’s call, she had been in a foul mood. She headed straight for the set.
……
Arriving at the location, she squeezed through the crowd. Strangely, the cameras weren’t rolling. The actors were resting under umbrellas, and assistants were busy scurrying around.
Scanning the area, she finally found Zhong Ying. She looked to be in good spirits, and there was no visible sign of injury. Did Long Ze lie to me?
“Miss Zhong, I’m sorry. I messed up the take again.” Standing before Zhong Ying was Cao Wenrui. He looked apologetic and quite pale.
Zhong Ying looked at the man blocking her path and said calmly, “Oh.”
“You… won’t accept my apology?”
“I’m not the only person you should be apologizing to.”
Since the day before yesterday, Cao Wenrui had been struggling. Whenever they had a scene together, he would NG (No Good/fail) dozens of times. Eventually, Director Yu lost her temper and ordered the entire crew to take a break, leading to this current scene.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with you, but pull yourself together. The Actor cannot afford your mistakes,” Zhong Ying said with a hint of sternness. If Cao Wenrui’s fans were there, they would have probably jumped up to attack her.
Cao Wenrui felt wronged, but since Zhong Ying had spoken, he could only mumble a “Mhm.”
Then, Director Yu walked over. The sophisticated, mature woman’s face was clouded with fury. She was even less polite than Zhong Ying: “Cao Wenrui! Do you even know how to act?! I find it hard to believe you’ve survived in this industry this long!”
“The moment we start, you daze off! You can’t even get your lines out straight! Is Zhong Ying a ghost standing in front of you? She is Jiang Ci! Your wife! Are you a domestic abuser or a henpecked husband? Should we just let you play Zhong Ying’s wife instead?!” Director Yu roared.
“What is your problem? You’re fine when you’re acting alone! Why do you turn into a coward the moment you have a scene with her?!”
As Director Yu’s scolding continued, Cao Wenrui lowered his head, his embarrassment exposed before everyone. “I’m sorry, Director Yu.”
“What use is an apology! The crew hired you to act, not to go on vacation!” Director Yu rubbed her forehead in frustration. “If you think you can’t do it, go back to being a ‘star.’ There are plenty of people who want the lead role in The Actor!”
Cao Wenrui panicked. Are they going to replace me? He quickly promised, “Director Yu, please rest assured. I’ll adjust immediately. It’s all my fault. I won’t NG next time. Definitely!”
“Definitely next time!” Zhu Xingtong scoffed at that phrase in her head, then turned to a nearby staff member and asked, “What’s going on here?”
The staff member explained quite candidly, sounding a bit annoyed: “That male actor is useless. He cowers the moment he has a scene with the female lead. He stammers and can’t get a word out. After seven or eight NGs, Director Yu went crazy. She’s never seen such a dull actor. Just look at how hard he’s being scolded—you can tell how much of a waste he is.”
“I thought Cao Wenrui’s acting was supposed to be decent?” Zhu Xingtong muttered. After spending time on the forums, she knew a bit about him. He was a talented young actor under Long Ze; he was supposed to be good. He had to be, or he wouldn’t have been cast as the lead. But this scolding… Zhu Xingtong began to wonder if his talent was just hype from brainless fans.
“Actually, Cao Wenrui is quite helpless,” a young man in glasses said as he walked over, smiling. “He was doing fine when he first arrived. But due to set arrangements, we filmed the indoor scenes first. Two days ago, it was the scene where Jiang Ci discovers the husband’s affair. She questions him and gets slapped a few times, which triggers her hatred. In the middle of the night, Jiang Ci picks up a knife and kills the husband played by Cao Wenrui.”
The glasses-wearing man chuckled. “Cao Wenrui can’t handle Zhong Ying’s acting. He couldn’t bring himself to hit her, and then he was genuinely terrified by her performance. When we filmed the night scene, he NGs twice before finally getting into character—only to be hacked by Jiang Ci with a knife the moment he did.”
Zhu Xingtong: “…” What a tragic guy.
“I bet he’ll have a psychological shadow about getting married in the future,” the man joked. “Cao Wenrui hasn’t been in a good state these past two days. Director Yu’s idea is to replace him if possible. He’s the lead, after all. At this rate, he can’t meet her requirements. I wonder what you think, President Zhu?”
Eh? She was recognized?
Zhu Xingtong stared at him. “Do you know me?”
The man looked slightly embarrassed. “I am Li Yuanhe, the Assistant Director. We met at the auditions. You were one of the judges. However, you left in a hurry, so I didn’t get to greet you.”
“I see. Hello.”
“I heard you were coming today, so I specifically waited here. Director Yu wanted me to ask you… about replacing the male lead…” the Assistant Director whispered. “Cao Wenrui isn’t performing well. Director Yu has already contacted this year’s new Movie King, Liang Hong. If you give the word, Liang Hong can take over immediately.”
A high-end crew moved fast—if you can’t do the job, you’re out.
“I’ll consider it. I’ll give you an answer tomorrow.”
“Understood.”
Zhu Xingtong didn’t agree immediately. The name “Liang Hong” caused her heart to skip a beat.
In her book, Liang Hong was a very important character. A young Movie King—low-profile, talented, and with a great personality. He was almost a perfect male lead. His connection to Zhong Ying was that they both received offers for a romance film, leading to a deep bond. He had even been a mentor of sorts to her.
In this world, he was one of Zhong Ying’s few true friends.
But… Liang Hong liked Zhong Ying.
Even though Zhong Ying never accepted him in the end…
Zhu Xingtong: Suddenly, I feel like a thief is about to steal the Cub I’ve been keeping in my basket.
Furthermore, Liang Hong wasn’t supposed to appear this early. He should only show up after Zhong Ying had already made a name for herself. Why was this meeting happening so soon? Was it because Zhong Ying playing Jiang Ci had changed the timeline?
Zhu Xingtong frowned, lost in thought. Seeing this, the Assistant Director didn’t dare say more and quietly slipped away.