The Movie Queen is Flirtatious and Doting - Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Ye Yansheng laughed. “So that’s how it is.”

Gu Yinglian: “Sister Ye was right; the truth was bound to surface sooner or later.”

Ye Yansheng: “Oh? Did it surface that quickly?”

Gu Yinglian: “Yes. Haven’t you been following it? The crew has stopped filming for rectification.”

Ye Yansheng: “I see. And what are your thoughts on this?”

Gu Yinglian sighed. “I don’t have many thoughts. I can only wait.”

Ye Yansheng chuckled. “Fair enough. Wait for me to come back.”

…

Ye Yansheng returned from Japan, looking high-spirited and triumphant.

The crew of Fighting Tooth and Nail was currently undergoing “rectification.” In reality, the need for this was purely due to the negative press surrounding the sexual harassment incident. Xu Feifan’s image as a bright, positive idol had collapsed, and the production team was being blasted by domestic media and internet platforms for condoning such behavior. The public fallout was catastrophic.

The male lead, Xu Feifan, had been in the rising stage of his career with a bright future ahead. This drama was supposed to take him to the next level. Instead, his persona shattered, fans deserted him in droves, and his “traffic” value plummeted. “Xu Feifan Sexual Harassment” stayed at the top of the trending lists for days without losing heat.

With the male lead “cold,” the investors wanted to pull their funding to cut their losses. The producer and director discussed replacing the male lead, but raising new funds proved difficult. If no one invested, this project—already a month into filming—was likely to be “aborted.” The director was unwilling to give up. Since they were replacing the male lead anyway, and the original female lead, Ye Yansheng, was now clear of scandal—and even hailed by the audience as the “Goddess of Justice”—he wondered if he could invite her back to save the half-dead production using her massive star power.

The director approached Ye Yansheng. She considered it for a moment and said, “I can come back to continue filming. But I have one requirement.”

The director looked at her. “What requirement? If it’s about the salary, I’m afraid… as you know, this drama has been through a lot. The impact of the incident was severe, investors pulled out, and we’re currently in an emergency search for new backers…”

Ye Yansheng said, “Investors? Well, what about me?”

The director was stunned, looking her up and down. “You?”

Ye Yansheng smiled. “Yes. Isn’t the solution right in front of you? Or do you think I can’t afford the price?”

The director asked, “Then tell me, what are your conditions?”

Ye Yansheng said, “Didn’t you make Gu Yinglian the female lead? I want the script changed to a ‘dual female lead’ drama. You heard me right—a dual lead story.”

The director fell silent for a long time before sighing. “The ‘dual female lead’ theme is a bit too edgy. There isn’t much of a precedent for it domestically, and the NRTA is watching closely right now. If we film it and it gets banned, we’re all finished.”

Ye Yansheng said, “There won’t be any explicit behavior. We’ll stick to the original business-war format, but make her a spy from a rival company lurking by the CEO’s side. Wouldn’t that kind of twist be interesting? Plus, I’ll perform for zero salary.”

Hearing “zero salary,” the director couldn’t help but smile. “I don’t mean to pry into your private life, but isn’t this a bit extravagant? Has Xiao Gu promised you something? Investing this much to push her… frankly, if you end up with neither the girl nor the money, it’ll be a huge loss. Besides, Xiao Gu’s acting needs work. She’s too green, no experience at all.”

Ye Yansheng said, “If you trust me, I can be her mentor and personally guide her acting.”

The director thought it over. This seemed to have no downsides; in fact, it solved all his current headaches. He had an investor, Ye Yansheng was back, and she was working for free. Her only condition was changing the script to a dual-lead business thriller. As long as they didn’t cross any “red lines,” the censors would have no reason to block it. If “Palace Intrigue” dramas were just groups of women fighting, why not a modern version? Add a few emotional threads—family, friendship, and the like—and it’s a blockbuster. They could market it as “Women’s Solidarity/Friendship.” As long as it resonated, people would watch. Moreover, Ye Yansheng herself was a “traffic magnet”; with her, the ratings were guaranteed.

Ye Yansheng looked at the director. “Well? Say something.”

The director said, “It’s not impossible. Focusing on ‘Friendship between Women’ and such… I’ll discuss it with the screenwriter to see how to make the changes compelling.”

Ye Yansheng said, “Fine. I’ll leave that to you. I think the original script was good; you can combine elements from both versions.”

“Definitely,” the director said. “Asking the screenwriter to rewrite everything right now would kill her. I’ll go talk to her.”

The director went to the screenwriter. Upon hearing she had to change the script again, the screenwriter wanted to die—but as soon as she heard Ye Yansheng was back and had requested the change herself, she was instantly revitalized. Ye Yansheng was the screenwriter’s darling. For her? Change it! It must be changed! She’d change it non-stop, overnight, even if it cost her her life!

Seeing the screenwriter’s enthusiasm, the director breathed a sigh of relief. “Get it done as fast as possible. Make it as exciting as you can.”

“Don’t worry,” the screenwriter said.

The director, still a bit uneasy, added one more instruction: “Avoid the ‘landmines’ (censorship triggers). It’s strict these days, so keep it pure. Don’t do anything unnecessary.”

The screenwriter laughed. “It’s a business war. Where am I going to find ‘purity’?”

The director sighed. “Just handle the changes as you see fit. You know the situation. This drama has truly been through the wringer.”

“It has,” the screenwriter agreed. “Let’s hope the resumption of filming goes smoothly this time.”

…

The screenwriter worked day and night for a week before she was finally satisfied. She showed it to the director, who had no objections. They planned to keep the parts they had already filmed (removing the male lead’s scenes) and continue from there. The screenwriter had mostly altered the second half. Since the story was already in her head, she kept a solid structure, ensuring the script didn’t fall apart. She primarily modified the interactions between Ye Yansheng and Gu Yinglian to reflect Gu Yinglian’s new character arc.

Gu Yinglian received the new script. This was her third version! She had a massive headache. She had just managed to get familiar with the previous one, and now it had changed again?

She flipped through the new script, her eyes widening the further she read. This is… Ye Yansheng’s role is back?! And wait, why has my ‘vibe’ changed? I’m not a secretary anymore… I’m the heiress of a rival company? What kind of crazy twist is this!

Gu Yinglian read the whole script through. They wouldn’t reshoot the previous scenes; instead, the plot would shift to her being a rival heiress who goes head-to-head with Ye Yansheng. The two would battle fiercely in the business world, and Gu Yinglian would evolve from a weak, gentle secretary into a “black-bellied” (scheming) heiress!