Chapter 684: Chapter 684
The replacement of the spokesperson was all conducted behind the scenes, with undercurrents surging and countless celebrities backstabbing and confronting each other.
By the time the public found out about this news, the posters and advertisements for the new spokesperson had already come out, and all they learned was the news of the victor.
In Huaxia’s fashion scene, many stars were paying attention to Vanks’s change of spokesperson, eager to see which female celebrity would snatch the role from their mouths!
However, the official Vanks statement was calm like a lake without ripples for many years—deeply secretive, revealing not a hint of information.
Some female celebrities specially went to ask the current, yet-to-be-dismissed spokesperson, but even that spokesperson had no clue about which star would take over, only sure that it would be a female celebrity.
Life suddenly became peaceful, and at this time, the results of World’s battle for the Oscars came out fresh—all as Sheng Yan predicted, they came up empty-handed!
Online, another wave of mockery toward Sheng Yan surged, but, under Zhang Ming’s active guidance, it was met with a more rational response from the netizens.
Winning an award is essentially a gamble, and being shortlisted already shows one has the strength, but whether one can win the laurel ultimately depends on the judgment of the committee judges.
Those netizens mocking Sheng Yan for a decline in acting skills and popularity had no logical standing.
If Sheng Yan’s acting was poor, he wouldn’t have appeared on the shortlist at all!
If Sheng Yan’s popularity was lacking, his film "World" couldn’t have made it into the top twenty global box office hits of last year!
Time rushed by, and mid-May arrived.
In the crew of "Xiao Xiangyu’s Many Sorrows", the filming progress had also reached halfway.
That day, Director Liu specifically gathered all the actors for a meeting, the contents of which were serious, discussing the issue of extending the filming duration.
He Jinxia had not decided on her schedule after finishing this film, so she had no complaints; Yu Yanyu, on the other hand, had a few concert invitations, but they were not something he couldn’t reschedule.
As for Ren Xiao, this poor thing had no other engagements apart from this drama and wanted to mooch off the crew’s meals for a few more days, hoping the longer he could stay, the better.
It was only Qiu Zhenze who strongly objected—he had already taken on another film that was set to start shooting in mid-June.
When he initially signed the contract, it was said that the filming period for "Xiao Xiangyu’s Many Sorrows" would be three months. Trusting Director Liu’s integrity, Qiu Zhenze did not hesitate much before accepting a new film for June.
Now it was May, and suddenly they were talking about extending the filming time—isn’t this playing with people?
Qiu Zhenze, "No, I don’t agree. If I extend my filming time here, my new film will be in breach of contract."
Director Liu’s face grew somber, "You are the male lead, you have a heavy role, and many of the later scenes need you to carry the finale. If you leave, the crew also can’t continue filming."
A wry smile spread across Qiu Zhenze’s face, "Director Liu, it’s not that I don’t want to extend, it’s just that my contract for the new film is already signed. If I don’t start shooting in mid-June, I’ll be in breach of contract!"
Even if the director of the new project was more lenient, willing to postpone his start time, he would still have to start shooting by early July at the latest.
But the duration Director Liu wanted to extend was a full two months!
No matter how you calculate it, the timing just doesn’t line up!
He Jinxia and the others looked at each other, also unsure of what to do.
Director Liu thought for a moment, asked everyone else to go out, and decided to have a private chat with Qiu Zhenze.
"Sis, do you think Senior Qiu will choose to multi-task between drama sets?" Once they reached the big tree and saw no one around, Yu Yanyu couldn’t wait to ask.
In the entertainment circle, many popular stars choose to work on multiple drama sets simultaneously—morning at one set, afternoon at another. During peak times, it’s not impossible to shuttle between four or five sets.
He Jinxia’s brows furrowed slightly as she shook her head, "He probably won’t. Senior Qiu doesn’t like multi-tasking between sets. It disperses the actor’s focus, resulting in a decline in the quality of their work."
Ren Xiao couldn’t help but say, "Does that mean canceling the new drama? That would make it very difficult for the production crew."
The production teams typically secure actors well in advance. If actors drop out, it means they have to start the search all over, and many stars’ schedules are booked months in advance, some even a year out.
Finding a suitable actor at the last minute isn’t always possible for the production crew.
He Jinxia frowned, "Don’t mention this outside, but since Director Liu has decided to extend the filming period, he will consider the various situations of the actors and should offer a solution."
Yu Yanyu and Ren Xiao weren’t very optimistic about this, knowing the chaos within the circle; it’s rare to find directors who are genuinely considerate of the actors.
It’s not a question of Director Liu’s character but that the situation itself was handled poorly.
The next day, when they saw Qiu Zhenze again, his demeanor was as serene as before, without any trace of worry.
He Jinxia quietly asked him, "Has the issue with extending the filming been resolved?"
Qiu Zhenze nodded, looking relieved as he said, "Director Liu asked me to drop the other drama. He said he would explain the situation to that drama’s director and even found a new actor to replace me."
Seeing the unusual expression on his face, He Jinxia had a hunch and asked, "You seem like you didn’t really want to do that drama?"
Qiu Zhenze gave a wry smile, "It’s not that I didn’t want to do it; at the beginning, I was quite keen on it. Director Liu asked me to show him the script of that drama and after reading it, he seriously dissected it with me, saying it was all about looks and lacked substantial content, calling it a fast-food drama."
"Initially, I took on that drama as a gamble, betting on reaching the next level. The lead actress is a rising star, and the show is bound to be popular once it airs. I analyzed the script myself, and it’s a mix of good and bad. But after what Director Liu said, I started to waver."
He Jinxia reminded him, "Director Liu’s words may not be accurate; after all, he wants you to stay and shoot this film."
"I’m not unaware that he hasn’t spoken the whole truth, but there are indeed many disadvantages to that drama. And Director Liu is very firm here, ’Xiao Xiangyu’s Many Sorrows’ is already halfway through, and I couldn’t just walk away."
He Jinxia blinked in surprise, looking up to see the helpless resignation on Qiu Zhenze’s face.
She sighed quietly to herself; they were ultimately too vulnerable...
Director Liu was good indeed, but he’d put them in a difficult spot, without the power to resist and forced to accept the changes in schedule.
The only consolation was that the drama had good content, and both she and Qiu Zhenze were relying on it to bring a spike in their careers.
This incident made He Jinxia understand much and caused her heart to become even colder and tougher.
The entertainment circle, after all, is a place where interests are prioritized, even more ruthlessly than the ancient times she came from. Follow current novᴇls on noᴠelfire.net
In ancient times, there were many valiant knights willing to die for their respected friends, a sentiment that’s almost extinct in the modern day.
He Jinxia called Luo You to tell him about the incident.
Luo You spoke in a relaxed tone, "I’m aware, it’s no secret that Director Liu likes to extend filming. A little effort would have revealed that. When you accepted the role, I looked into it and already had a countermeasure prepared, making sure your schedule afterward was left open. Now, it seems I was quite wise."
His words shifted, "The show was originally set to wrap up mid-June, but with a two-month delay, that pushes it to mid-August, nearly missing the entire summer season, which isn’t acceptable."