Lin Chenghuan noticed that after Lu Zhiwei shed the mysterious aura of being the boss, her intimidating presence had significantly diminished. Moreover, she seemed to grow embarrassed at the slightest provocation.
Indeed, interacting with the boss who used to coldly order her back to the company for meetings or question her about online scandals felt more thrilling… Wait, she shouldn’t let her thoughts wander like that. She definitely didn’t want to develop any masochistic tendencies.
In any case, reassured that Lu Zhiwei wouldn’t back down, Lin Chenghuan felt content and stayed in her room, idly scrolling through her phone and watching TV.
Online, various behind-the-scenes photos and videos from the film set were finally released by entertainment gossip accounts. Clips of Lin Chenghuan and Han Ruoruo filming attracted a large number of fans of the original novel’s couple. The promotional efforts had been quite successful, and it seemed such publicity stunts would become a regular occurrence in the future.
Moreover, the character Liu Fuying had chemistry with many others, wouldn’t Lu Zhiwei also join the promotional bandwagon? Even if she didn’t post on Weibo, the mere fact that the boss herself was acting would likely generate significant buzz.
This was an interesting gimmick. Was this her plan all along? Boosting publicity while experiencing the thrill of acting, all while saving the company’s drama, truly killing three birds with one stone.
However, Lin Chenghuan never imagined that Lu Zhiwei’s decision to join the cast was simply to have a drama where she could form a couple with her. After all, the character Liu Fuying shared a deep connection with Wei Shihuan.
Lu Zhiwei had learned a few days before filming began that Yuan Yiran might run into trouble, but it wasn’t until she witnessed Lin Chenghuan and Han Ruoruo filming together that she decided to step in herself. Having already engaged in reasonable promotional activities with Lin Chenghuan, she figured she could calmly watch her interact with others in the future.
It was part of an actor’s professional duty to engage in promotional activities with co-stars during a drama’s release, and no one could reasonably oppose such behavior. Since she couldn’t beat them, she might as well join them, or so Lu Zhiwei thought.
Three evenings later, when Lu Zhiwei was added to the drama group chat, the cast and crew didn’t pay much attention, assuming the big boss just wanted to check in periodically. However, Qin Xiao’s next message sent shockwaves through the entire group.
[Welcome, President Lu! Also, let me introduce everyone to the new actress playing Liu Fuying, Lu Zhiwei, Sister Wei. Let’s give her a round of applause! [Fireworks][Fireworks]]
After the director’s announcement, the group fell into an eerie silence. After a while, Xu Sheng finally spoke up: “P-President Lu? Oh my, did I eat too many mushrooms and start hallucinating?”
The coordinator: Hahahaha, welcome, President Lu! Thank you for saving the day! [Mischievous Grin]”
Han Ruoruo: “Welcome, President Lu! [Smirk]”
Lin Chenghuan: “Welcome, President Lu! Looking forward to acting with Sister Wei, hahahaha.”
Xu Sheng: “Welcome, President Lu! Congratulations to Xia Yao’s top star for embarking on an acting career, this drama is bound to be a hit!”
Screenwriter Su Xiaoxiao: “President Lu’s vibe matches Liu Fuying’s perfectly. This is a legendary save, I’m so moved, wuwu.”
…
Following this, the main cast and crew members showered the chat with celebratory messages. Lu Zhiwei humbly responded, asking for everyone’s guidance since she had no experience and was a complete novice when it came to acting.
Everyone hurriedly reassured her, saying things like, “You’re too modest, President Lu.” However, Lin Chenghuan could easily imagine the curiosity hidden beneath their polite facades. And she was certain many of them were just as excited as she was.
Among the crew group, aside from Lin Chenghuan, the production coordinator was the second person after the director to learn about Lu Zhiwei’s participation. She quickly pulled out the pre-prepared shooting schedule for Liu Fuying’s scenes and made efficient arrangements by integrating them with the rest of the cast.
The role that had been vacant for half a month could finally be scheduled for filming, and the unexpected casting choice instantly ignited the coordinator’s enthusiasm for her work.
“Thanks to President Lu’s involvement, Liu Fuying’s scenes can finally begin shooting. Here is the filming schedule for the next week, please check it, everyone,” the coordinator promptly distributed the script.
After receiving the document, Lin Chenghuan noticed that Lu Zhiwei’s shooting schedule was relatively packed to make up for lost time, but at least wrap-up time remained at 9 p.m.
The next morning was reserved for Liu Fuying’s costume fitting, after which the official cast photos could finally be released on the studio’s social media. By then, the news of Lu Zhiwei’s participation would not only shock the crew but also set the entire internet abuzz.
Just imagining the scene felt both amusing and thrilling. Being an actor was truly fascinating, the entertainment industry was indeed full of surprises…
Lin Chenghuan tossed and turned in bed, unable to calm down even for a moment, so she got up and hurried straight to Lu Zhiwei’s room.
If Lu Zhiwei were merely her friend, she might have grabbed her by the shoulders and shaken her, or even playfully pushed her onto the bed to vent her excitement. Unfortunately, Lu Zhiwei’s intentions seemed less straightforward, so regrettably, she couldn’t act so freely.
Instead, Lin Chenghuan could only burst into laughter upon seeing Lu Zhiwei, then sit on the sofa and aggressively knead a cushion. Lu Zhiwei could only sigh and shake her head in resignation.
“Is it really that funny?”
“Just thinking about how shocked our crewmates will be is hilarious. Shengsheng said she must have eaten too many mushrooms and started hallucinating… Pfft, hahaha!” Lin Chenghuan’s joy was simply uncontrollable.
“…” Lu Zhiwei fell silent for a moment, then chuckled as well.
Not long after Lin Chenghuan arrived at Lu Zhiwei’s room, Fang Yuan called her, so she stepped out to the balcony to answer.
“Hey, Sister Fang.”
“Huanhuan, you’ve been in Hengdian for a few days now, are you settling in alright? Not too tired, I hope?” Fang Yuan asked warmly.
“Thank you for your concern, Sister Fang. I’m not tired. The crew wraps up at nine every night, and even if we occasionally run late, it’s never by much.”
“That’s good to hear. I heard the nine o’clock wrap-up was President Lu’s arrangement, she really is a great boss… By the way, is she really playing Liu Fuying?”
“Yes, she’s doing her costume fitting tomorrow,” Lin Chenghuan replied, her voice tinged with amusement. Sister Fang was clearly here for the gossip, as expected.
“That’s absolutely hilarious!”
“Hahaha, I think so too. Everyone’s pretty excited and curious about it.”
“Tell me… why do you think she suddenly decided to act?” Fang Yuan lowered her voice mysteriously.
“To save the day, I suppose. Having the boss step in personally is sure to generate a lot of buzz.”
“That’s one benefit, but she’s never been keen on appearing in public before, she’d even avoid interviews. Now she’s acting in a drama herself… Could there be something else attracting her?”
“Maybe she just felt like acting on a whim, or the character’s persona appealed to her?” Lin Chenghuan pondered briefly, though she didn’t see much point in overanalyzing motives.
“Is it possible she wants to share scenes with someone specific, or even build a CP with them? Don’t you think it was a bit too concerned of her to show up at your place looking for you last time?” Fang Yuan ventured cautiously.
“…”
Lin Chenghuan was frozen in place. She wasn’t narcissistic enough to immediately jump to that conclusion. Joining the production just for her… that level of recklessness didn’t seem like Lu Zhiwei at all. Visiting her after hearing about the death incident could still be considered normal concern.
“Sister Fang, your… imagination might be a bit too vivid.” Lin Chenghuan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, yet her heart raced at the mere possibility.
“Really, you’re quite oblivious sometimes. With my years of experience…”
“Don’t worry, Sister Fang. If I have any new romantic developments, I’ll definitely report them,” Lin Chenghuan quickly said, thinking Fang Yuan was worried about her secretly dating behind the company’s back, while simultaneously cutting off Fang Yuan’s detailed analysis.
“Hahaha, I know you have good judgment. I really have high hopes for you two.”
“…”
“By the way, I’ll visit the set in Hengdian in a few days and bring you some delicious food.”
“Ah, thank you, Sister Fang.”
Lin Chenghuan was completely exasperated. After exchanging a few more words with Fang Yuan, she ended the call. When she returned to the room and saw Lu Zhiwei leisurely watching TV on the sofa, she instantly felt guilty, unable to maintain the carefree excitement she had felt earlier.
“What’s wrong? Did a phone call scare you?” Lu Zhiwei looked up.
“…Sister Fang is coming to visit the set in a few days,” Lin Chenghuan replied, forcing herself to calm down. Had her unease been that obvious just now?
“Oh, the boss is inspecting but you’ve become such good friends with her. Are you still afraid of her?”
“No matter what, she’s still President Fang,” Lin Chenghuan said, even though she wasn’t actually afraid of Fang Yuan.
“Good thing I’m not your boss anymore,” Lu Zhiwei remarked naturally.
“…”
Lin Chenghuan’s recently calmed heart was thrown into disarray again. She hesitantly sat on the adjacent sofa, thinking that Fang Yuan was right, she really was oblivious.
Even if Lu Zhiwei hadn’t joined the production for her, many of his actions were still questionable. Yet, most of the time, she naturally treated him as a friend. And these past few days, she had even been carefreely visiting Lu Zhiwei without a second thought. This was just…
Lin Chenghuan didn’t know how to describe it. In short, if Lu Zhiwei had truly agreed to join the production because of her, then he must have been recklessly impulsive to an extreme degree, and his feelings were far more intense than she had imagined.
The shock was similar to discovering that a wise and dignified ruler was actually like King You of Zhou, who lit warning beacons for mere amusement, though comparing Lu Zhiwei to him felt somewhat insulting to his character, the sense of astonishment Lin Chenghuan felt was just as profound.
“Tomorrow… Sister Wei, you’ll have to wake up early to go to the set too. Filming is actually quite exhausting,” Lin Chenghuan said.
“Perfect timing to experience it with you,” Lu Zhiwei replied with a faint smile, gazing calmly at her.
Lin Chenghuan’s heart continued to beat irregularly, and she nearly lost her composure under her gaze. Fortunately, the TV was still on, and she hadn’t always engaged in idle chatter during her previous visits to Lu Zhiwei’s place, they often spent time on their phones separately.
Moreover, quite a few people had reached out to chat with Lin Chenghuan that evening, and her phone rang frequently. Lu Zhiwei’s phone was just as busy. Thus, after spending a harmonious evening together, Lin Chenghuan finally returned to her room, her heart filled with a mix of guilt and exhilaration.
The next day, the crew members unanimously arrived at the set over ten minutes earlier than usual and finished their makeup sooner. Lu Zhiwei arrived punctually at 7:30 a.m. Since it was her first time designing her makeup and styling, the process took much longer than for the others.
Thus, many actors were already able to head to the studio to film, but Lu Zhiwei still hadn’t finalized the first batch of makeup and styling. The actors who needed to shoot had no choice but to leave the makeup room under Qin Xiao’s urging.
Lin Chenghuan, as one of them, even though she wanted to stay and join in the excitement, could only reluctantly leave, glancing back repeatedly as she went.