The Scandalous Actress Needs to Strive GL - Chapter 19

B City.

Qiu Wan and her group arrived at the first filming location, where she met the other two partners.

Li He, upon seeing Qiu Wan, habitually smiled, maintaining his warm-hearted male persona, and greeted her familiarly: “Qiu Wan, we meet again. Please take good care of me for the days to come.”

The other guest, female singer Lai Su, only nodded politely and did not greet her. She walked past, waved at Li He, and then pushed her suitcase and walked away.

For this shoot, to allow the artists to experience life, assistants were not permitted to accompany them. It was meant to be completely hands-on for the artists themselves. Qiu Wan noncommittally also nodded, and then pushed her own large suitcase forward.

They had just met when a storm of controversy erupted online.

#PopularSingerDisdainsCooperation

#ScandalousVaseGetsColdShoulderOnSet

#LiHeIgnoresPastGrudges,SmileWarmAsSpringBreeze

Lai Su has always been known in the industry for being straightforward. Such people either have solid talent or a sufficiently strong background, and she happened to have both, so she didn’t need to show respect to anyone and could live life as she pleased.

Li He’s persona had always remained intact after many years in the industry, apart from some minor, harmless scandals, no real dirt could be dug up. Therefore, as soon as the trending topics emerged, the situation became one-sided, with everyone attacking Qiu Wan.

After all, she had many scandals and never seemed to have a strong backer, so she was casually let the netizens blacken her name. Sometimes, people have this kind of baseness: if they can’t get or destroy something beautiful, they will take the opportunity to trample on it, adding fuel to the fire without penalty.

At the same time, the production crew, having just seen the news, received an inquiry from Mu’s Entertainment. It was very official yet uncompromising: do not consume our artist by unfairly elevating one and stepping on another, and according to the contract, no leaks of the filming should occur…

The associate director was stressed. When did they consume an artist? And how would they leak filming materials? It was just that the initial confidentiality work wasn’t done well. They originally thought they could build some initial buzz, but who knew it would attract so many paparazzi.

He put down his phone and looked at the paparazzi squatting outside the filming location, and some others disguised and mixing with the villagers. They couldn’t exactly drive them away; after all, they were just borrowing the location, and even though they had negotiated the filming schedule, the villagers who earned money from these paparazzi wouldn’t stop them from staying there.

At this point, they started to regret it. In the past, they would select middle-aged or established, practical actors as guest artists. They hadn’t invited these “traffic” artists before. Now, this was trouble. They initially thought Qiu Wan only had some scandals but no concrete evidence, Li He was also transitioning, and Lai Su was currently very popular, which should bring more buzz than before.

However, the current buzz was clearly too much. As expected, one should not lightly invite these “traffic” and popular artists. If this situation isn’t handled well, it might be difficult to conclude the show.

The next day, the first episode started filming. When the civilian guests arrived, Qiu Wan, whose phone had been taken away early, only then realized the show had been changed to a live broadcast. Although there would be an edited version later, the initial stage would be broadcast live.

This was partly to deal with filming leaks and partly to follow the current trend of live broadcasting. However, seeing the other two looking unsurprised, Qiu Wan belatedly recalled Jin Wen’s inexplicable words upon her arrival “Did you bring your phone?”

How did she answer back then? She said she did. It seems that wasn’t the meaning she understood, it was “be sure to have your phone.” But at this moment, what she was thinking about was something else.

Compared to not being able to receive external messages promptly, she regretted more not being able to contact “our Iceberg CEO Mu” anytime. She wondered if that person would occasionally think of her.

Mu’s Entertainment CEO’s office. Mu Qingchen looked at the person on the live broadcast screen and, upon hearing the news, saw the momentary confusion. That person must really not have prepared extra phones.

CEO Mu, who hadn’t received any messages all day, glanced at her phone. Fortunately, she didn’t impulsively send any inappropriate greeting, otherwise, when that woman returned, she would definitely intentionally drag out the sound and ask, “Did you miss me?”

Mu Qingchen’s mouth slightly curved up, unconsciously smiling. She regained her composure and looked at the person on the live screen. Seeing the next scene, her distant mountain like eyebrows subtly furrowed. This man seemed to be clueless. Shouldn’t he respect the wishes of others?

At the filming location, the civilian guest was the leading figure in the internet celebrity world, rumored to have been signed by Zhou’s Entertainment. They were doing a two-episode variety show to build buzz before formally entering the entertainment industry.

According to the show’s rules, the civilian guest had the priority to choose teammates. Of course, during this process, the three artists would not wait to be picked; they could actively show favor or refuse, or even form a two-person team, leaving the remaining one to team up with the civilian guest.

The current situation was just like this. Li He casually walked next to Qiu Wan, standing side by side. The crew even pulled a long shot at this moment, making the two people seem closely reliant on each other.

After the long shot returned, he presumptuously said: “Qiu Wan and I partnered not long ago, and I regret not being able to get to know her well, so let’s voluntarily form a group.”

Li He recalled the promise of Miss Zhou’s second daughter, Zhou Lanlan, the vice president of Zhou’s Entertainment, before he left: “Although Qiu Wan is only a third-tier artist, her popularity remains high. As long as you can tie yourself to her, I guarantee the company will give you the best resources. Besides, although that woman is just a vase, a vase has its advantages, doesn’t it? That face, that figure, if you can get your hands on her, it’s a profitable deal no matter how you look at it.”

Thinking of this, he touched the expensive watch on his wrist and moved a little closer to Qiu Wan. Originally, they stood a small distance apart, and the difference wasn’t noticeable, but up close, the contrast was obvious.

Qiu Wan, as required by the show to create a sense of closeness with the locals, only applied a little lotion, and then put on a long black down jacket that went below her knees, truly bundling herself up like a giant mascot.

Li He, however, not only had meticulous makeup but also wore a stylish woolen coat. Even the color of his shoes was carefully matched. Unlike Qiu Wan, who actually wore snow boots, wearing clothes purely for warmth.

But the effect was also very obvious. While he was enduring the cold, his hands and feet freezing, and his face pale, Qiu Wan, due to her warm clothing, even showed a slight flush of color on her face from being too warm.

Current comments on the screen:

Is Qiu Wan bare faced?

No exaggeration, this woman’s beauty is truly impressive

Li He’s makeup is too heavy

Why does it feel like their genders have swapped?

Rough guy Qiu Wan, delicate woman Li He, they are oddly a perfect match

Is the person above blind?

Mu Qingchen couldn’t help but tighten her grip on the mouse upon seeing the comment about them being a perfect match. Only after seeing the disapproving comments below did she relax again. Not to mention Li He is 6 years older than Qiu Wan, how could his makeup-maintained look match Qiu Wan’s natural beauty?

However, a few seconds later, her hand clenched again, watching rows of comments on the screen shipping the pair. Mu Qingchen pursed her lips, with only one thought in her mind: Are they all blind?

They weren’t blind; they were just earning money. Zhou Lanlan looked at the live comments, a slight smile on her lips: “Li He, you better not disappoint me.”

She thought about it and still felt uneasy. She simply called the production crew directly. This time, she must let that woman know what kind of saddle suits what kind of horse. Someone as unattainable as Qingchen is not someone an unwarranted woman like Qiu Wan can reach.

Qiu Wan, in the midst of filming, didn’t have much opinion on who she teamed up with, or rather, her opinion wasn’t needed at all. The civilian guest clearly took cues from Li He. Could they be from the same company?

As for Lai Su, it was even more obvious. She practically spelled out, “I don’t like teaming up with Qiu Wan.” So, everyone was probably happy with the current situation, except for Qiu Wan herself.

After the grouping, Qiu Wan and Li He were led to an old farmer’s house. It was said that the old man of the house had made pipa and erhu all his life. He could originally rely on this skill to pass down and support his family, but now it was difficult to sell even one.

“Young people now learn things like the piano and guitar. Which child learns this anymore? Those who do learn this go buy high-end goods. I’m old. I can’t make high-end goods, and I can’t sell them either. These old fellows just keep me company.”

The old man looked at the row of erhu behind him. He made them out of professional itch, a habit of several decades. Even if no one bought them, he would occasionally make one, neatly arranging them there like his children.

After observing the erhu making process, the old man demonstrated a short piece. Li He was uninterested. He was originally from a boy band, learning Western instruments, and had never touched traditional ones. Without a place to show off his own skills, he found it somewhat boring.

But even if such a show felt boring, one had to occasionally express admiration for the folk artist, and then cooperate by showing a look of regret. It would be perfect if one could show a bit of interest.

For example, here. Li He inwardly looked down on her without batting an eye. This woman, she sure can act. If he hadn’t already figured out the routines of this industry, he would almost have believed that Qiu Wan genuinely liked these outdated things.

However, what surprised him even more was yet to come.

“Uncle, may I try?” Qiu Wan held the towel, carefully and lovingly wiping the pipa covered with a layer of thin dust. In her eyes, there was not only eagerness to try but also a kind of sentiment that others didn’t understand.

The original owner didn’t play any instruments, and she had never even seen Western instruments. On the contrary, the pipa and erhu were common instruments in her dynasty, and playing the pipa was one of her specialties.

Are you here to be funny? Don’t insult traditional instruments

Is this something you can just try? Know your limits

Just be a quiet vase. It’s wrong to cause trouble just to get screen time

The comments section was flooded with negative reviews. The live broadcast continued. The old man nodded and took out something for Qiu Wan to put on her hand. Then, she took off her down jacket, held the pipa, pressed the strings with her left hand, and casually plucked twice with her right.

OMG, she knows how to tune it. Am I the only one who sees that her demeanor looks professional?

The person above is not wrong. Someone who studied pipa tells you her posture and fingering are correct

I bet one bag of spicy strips that Qiu Wan really knows how to play

Sister, I bet two bags of spicy strips that she doesn’t

When the music started, everyone in front of and behind the scenes, both at the live location and watching the live broadcast, couldn’t help but gasp. What kind of immortal scene was this?

The woman, unpainted yet stunning, quietly held the pipa, playing a tune that was unknown yet beautiful in the slightly desolate courtyard, her eyes full of melancholy. If the camera hadn’t zoomed in on her reddened fingers, people would almost forget that this was the dead of winter, and Qiu Wan only wore a knitted shirt, finishing the entire beautiful piece of music.

Ah, who said Qiu Wan was a vase? I’m a fan now

Wow, is this Qiu Wan? Is she using a body double?

Due to the shock, the comments even slowed down, with only a few showing disbelief.

Mu Qingchen in front of the screen also stared straight at the screen. This woman seemed to possess charms she didn’t know about. She watched Qiu Wan, who had put her down jacket back on, in the live broadcast, and also saw Li He beside her, whose eyes were full of lust.

Remembering the rows of comments earlier saying the two were a perfect match, she took out her phone and sent a message to Yu Baishu: Ask if the list of civilian guests has been finalized. If not, negotiate it.

What civilian guest list? Negotiate what? Yu Baishu was completely bewildered and clueless. When did the CEO’s way of speaking become so difficult to understand from its usual simple and clear style?