Chapter 195: Chapter 195: If Only She Had a Bit of Self-Awareness

The new drama’s launch press conference, Tong Yuanyuan arrived fashionably late, but fortunately, she made it just before all the actors paid respects and offered incense to the gods.

In this drama, the two leading actresses are Shi Su and Tong Yuanyuan, and the lead actor is Wei Sinan, a popular young star who suddenly became famous earlier this year because of a web drama.

The supporting cast also has some minor celebrities.

At the press conference, Tong Yuanyuan and Wei Sinan’s enthusiastic fans organized a support rally, with dozens of fans holding KT boards and light signs, continuously cheering for them. The whole scene looked particularly lively and vibrant.

When it was time for the three leading roles and the director to offer incense and unveil the red cloth covering the machinery, Tong Yuanyuan was already at Shi Su’s side. The two were quite in sync at that moment; no one spoke, and they each avoided looking at one another, adhering to all the processes of the press conference.

Half an hour later, all the leads and crew members took cars to leave the venue, heading directly to the filming location.

The script for "Honey Ferris Wheel" outlines a story about two best friends starting their careers and renting an apartment together, working hard in their respective fields. They grow from career rookies into workplace elites, finding success in both career and love—it’s a highly inspirational story.

The two leading ladies have plenty of scenes against each other. Most scenes are set in Z City, and the first scene was a quarrel between Shi Su and Tong Yuanyuan at a vacation resort.

Tong Yuanyuan just couldn’t get into character. She either forgot her lines or couldn’t grasp the feeling, causing more than twenty NGs. The director was quite furious, but considering Tong Yuanyuan was the goddaughter of an investor and favored by such a bigwig as Jin Yuanshan, he couldn’t say much. He just asked Tong Yuanyuan’s acting coach to work with her some more, then left for the resting shed to drink tea and cool off.

Shi Su had an unusually large amount of lines in this scene, causing her to be stuck repeating them over twenty times and exhausting all her energy and emotions in vain. She was not her usual self at work; she was particularly furious inside. Although she didn’t show it, when she returned to the van and placed the script down, her movements were somewhat heavy-handed.

Jun was on the phone in the van. Seeing Shi Su come in and throw down the script, she immediately put down the phone, looking at her with sympathy: "Not finished with the first scene yet?"

Shi Su rubbed her temples: "She’s really not cut out for acting."

Jun glanced outside and saw Tong Yuanyuan talking to her acting coach about something, but she was clearly not pondering acting. Soon after, she took out her phone and sat on the couch outside her caravan, seemingly either watching videos or playing games.

It’s indeed infuriating.

"After all, she brought investment into the project, but no matter how much the crew indulges her, they can’t keep stalling. The scenes still need to be shot; the director and the others will surely find a way to resolve this," Jun comforted.

Shi Su leaned back in the van, eyes closed: "I know, I’ll treat it as a test of my will and patience. If the film doesn’t get completed in the end, it’s not my responsibility. All losses will be borne by the crew and her godfather. What am I afraid of?"

...

After over an hour of adjustment and rest, filming resumed.

This time, Tong Yuanyuan finally managed to memorize her lines and added a bit of emotion, but it was only akin to a schoolchild adding a bit of feeling to a recitation—not nearly enough for the performance level the scene required.

The director frowned and yelled cut: "Yuanyuan, try to find the feeling again. This won’t do; the two of you are having a disagreement because your companies are competing for a tender. You’re longtime best friends having friction because of work, so your emotions shouldn’t be like this. You’re best friends, not enemies—you can have anger and grievance in the argument, but not hatred; your emotions are all wrong!"

"Sorry, Director." Tong Yuanyuan hurriedly apologized and took the script from her assistant who ran over.

Even in a hurry, Chujiu ran over to drape a coat over Shi Su. The weather was freezing, and Shi Su was wearing a costume from the drama that provided no warmth, since the scene was set in spring.

"Shi Su, do you want to rest in the van for a while? Don’t catch a cold," Chujiu asked.

Shi Su hadn’t said anything when Tong Yuanyuan’s assistant suddenly gave them a derisive look, his tone full of undisguised disdain: "Isn’t this what they mean by having the temperament of a young lady but the fate of a maid? Catching a cold from just standing around here? So spoiled!"

Chujiu glared directly at him: "Just for one scene? It’s already been hours since the first scene of the whole drama hasn’t been finished. Our Shi Su hasn’t made any mistakes; who do you think is causing her to be stuck here in the cold? I care about my own actor and want her to rest in the van—what’s that got to do with you? You’re supposed to be a female idol, yet not only do you spread rumors and gossip, your acting is atrocious too. We haven’t said anything, so why do you have the nerve to keep chirping?"

"You..." the assistant was about to speak.

Tong Yuanyuan put down her script and turned to glare at Shi Su and Chujiu: "Who are you calling a bad actress?"

Chujiu had long had enough of her; she knew the previous incident on Weibo was all Tong Yuanyuan’s doing. Courageously, she was ready to defend Shi Su, but Shi Su held her back.

Shi Su, holding Chujiu’s wrist, shot Tong Yuanyuan a cold glance: "If you had any self-awareness, you wouldn’t even ask that question."

Tong Yuanyuan sneered: "Why do you care about my acting? However many times I NG, you have to NG that many times with me, deal with it!"

Shi Su was indeed very particular about her coworkers. The previous drama with Xia Yilin, even though she lacked emotional intelligence, at least she had some acting skills. Even if not outstanding, she put in the effort to secure her place in her acting career.

Whereas this Tong Yuanyuan was clearly here for nothing but fun.

She didn’t mask her displeasure, speaking straightforwardly: "The contract states the shooting span is ninety days. If filming isn’t completed in three months, everyone’s schedules—including the actors’—will clash, and the cost of exceeding the contracted shooting time will increase dramatically. The funder will bear all these losses. Are you sure you want to keep messing around like this? Are you sabotaging me or yourself? Maybe you should reassess."

"The Jin Family is wealthy; they’re not afraid to burn money. I’m just starting out, and naturally need some time to adapt. If you can’t handle it, you can choose to terminate the contract yourself!" Tong Yuanyuan turned her head confidently towards Shi Su, sure that Shi Su was furious but could do nothing about it.

"If you’re going to maintain this attitude, Tong Yuanyuan, we might as well not film today."

"Suit yourself, quit if you want. There are lots of actresses eager to play this lead role."

Chujiu couldn’t help her anger: "You could better use this time spent tantruming to study the script! Do you even have any professional ethics?"

Tong Yuanyuan’s assistant suddenly stepped forward and shoved Chujiu: "Shut it, you, is this your place to speak?"