On an afternoon with no classes, Wen Ying visited the film set again. The crew was busy at work. Wen Ying and Shui Mingyue sat under the sunshade. Shui Mingyue quietly told Wen Ying about what had happened in the past few days.
Wen Ying was in a great mood. Her tone revealed happiness. “You made things clear with him. Has he not been pestering you?”
Shui Mingyue shook her head. “The set is full of people coming and going. I do not want to be alone with him again. He has no opportunity.”
Luo Hao had no chance to pester Shui Mingyue in conversation, yet he often looked at her with that wounded expression.
Shui Mingyue had worried that unfavourable gossip might spread on the set, such as rumours of her leading him on and then abandoning him. Unexpectedly, no one cared at all.
Perhaps everyone on the crew was simply too busy.
Anyway, forget it. Since no one was gossiping, Shui Mingyue felt much more relaxed.
When Wen Ying heard Shui Mingyue say that now the female lead clung to her every day, calling her “Teacher Mingyue” sweetly and constantly gazing at her with admiring eyes, she could not help chuckling. “Have you noticed that the female lead understands your works very well too?”
Shui Mingyue felt embarrassed. “How did you know?”
Wen Ying laughed heartily. “What is strange about that? They are playing the male and female leads from your novel. How could they act without understanding your works? If it were me, I would not only read your book ten or eight times. I would also search online for all sorts of reviews to see how other readers and industry professionals interpret it! Mingyue, this is not some fateful connection. It is the basic professionalism needed to succeed in the entertainment industry, just like how we research a lot of material before starting to write.”
Shui Mingyue fell silent for a moment, then adopted a posture of lying flat and accepting mockery. “I understand. You mean Luo Hao was deliberately catering to me from the start… Alright, thinking back now, it does seem that way. Go ahead and laugh. I will not interrupt you.”
Shui Mingyue allowed Wen Ying to laugh freely, but Wen Ying stopped laughing instead.
“I was wrong. Regardless of how Luo Hao treated you, your fondness for him was certainly genuine.”
Shui Mingyue nodded lightly. “Yes, it was.”
Shui Mingyue also realised she might have liked the wrong person, but she would not deny what had happened. Her fondness for Luo Hao was completely sincere, without any falsehood.
Wen Ying was whispering with Shui Mingyue when the female lead finished her scene. Accompanied by her assistant, she walked towards the sunshade.
“Am I interrupting the two teachers?”
Wen Ying noticed that the female lead was always smiling brightly.
What is wrong with a girl who loves to smile having a bit of ambition? Girls do not deceive other girls’ feelings. Or rather, she had clear goals and never hid her ambition. This made it hard for Wen Ying to dislike her. It was like Yao Xiaojia working as a real estate agent. Clients knew her enthusiastic attitude was to close deals, yet she would not cheat them for a sale. Instead, she used her knowledge of properties to analyse seriously for clients, considering their needs and helping them choose the most suitable home. How could clients dislike such enthusiasm?
In Wen Ying’s eyes, the female lead was just like that.
Compared to Luo Hao’s evasiveness, the female lead never concealed her ambition.
When ambition does not harm others, it should not be disliked.
“Sit down. You are not interrupting us. Mingyue and I were just talking about you.”
The female lead’s eyes lit up. “Really? Teacher Xiaoyu, what did you say about me? Ah, I know. Teacher Mingyue must have said my comprehension is too poor!”
Wen Ying smiled and praised her. “Mingyue said you have strong comprehension, act seriously, and work hard. When this drama airs, you will definitely become popular!”
The female lead was delighted. “Then I will borrow your auspicious words!”
Shui Mingyue gave Wen Ying a reproachful glance. She had indeed said the female lead acted seriously. But whether she would become popular after airing, how could Shui Mingyue guarantee that!
Shui Mingyue thought Wen Ying was just being polite, unaware that Wen Ying was telling the plain truth.
For idol dramas adapted from romance novels, the male lead must be handsome. The female lead does not need to be stunningly beautiful. In fact, brightly glamorous looks in idol dramas usually play the second female lead. Those who play the main female lead are generally fresh and cute, the enduringly attractive girl-next-door type.
Romance writers do this to help readers better identify with the female lead. The same applies when adapted into dramas. Casting a brightly glamorous actress as the female lead creates distance for viewers.
The female lead in Shui Mingyue’s drama had a very fresh appearance.
Not exceptionally beautiful, but she grew on you upon closer look. Not a vivid flower on the branch, but more like a gentle breeze passing through the blossoms. Viewers seeing her on screen would feel a refreshing comfort, like a cool breeze on the face. This breeze was not aggressive. Savouring it carefully revealed a faint floral fragrance.
In her previous life, Shui Mingyue’s drama was delayed until 2012 to air. Those years saw a boom in youth campus films. After airing, the female lead gained much attention for her fresh looks and natural performance.
Viewers thought a new star was rising. People said Shui Mingyue’s drama made both leads famous. Luo Hao indeed became hugely popular. Yet the female lead seemed to vanish from the entertainment industry. Digging deeper, this was an old drama from five years prior. In the five years from filming to airing, the female lead had actually retired and married!
Yes, this ambitious female lead standing before Wen Ying retired and married not long after finishing Shui Mingyue’s drama, never waiting for the day of great fame… Earlier, Wen Ying’s attention had been on Shui Mingyue retiring from writing, leaving no room to focus on others. Now thinking about it, this drama was truly cursed. Shui Mingyue retired, the female lead quit the industry, and only the male lead, after five years of obscurity, became massively famous!
Wen Ying’s usual thinking was that whoever ultimately benefited might be the most suspicious.
Thinking this way, the one who ultimately profited seemed to be only Luo Hao.
Unsure if Luo Hao had completely given up or would continue entangling Shui Mingyue, following the principle of better safe than sorry, Wen Ying prepared to further consolidate the results.
Wen Ying chatted idly with the female lead for a bit. Once the female lead relaxed, she casually asked as if joking, “A writer friend of mine is recently plotting a new book with a very abusive segment. It is roughly about a girl who desperately wants to be a star. The girl truly has talent in acting and a good image. She is determined to succeed. After entering the industry, she faces all sorts of difficulties. But the girl is clever. Even if overcoming obstacles is not elegant or graceful, she still passes each hurdle and finally gets the chance to play the female lead.”
Both Shui Mingyue and the female lead listened attentively.
Shui Mingyue wondered who this “writer friend” Wen Ying mentioned was. Her first thought was that Wen Ying was making it up, the so-called friend being Wen Ying herself.
She quickly dismissed this guess. Wen Ying’s focus in the coming years was clearly the Jiuding series. She had heard Wen Ying was writing the second book recently. Where would she find time for another new book?
Moreover, Wen Ying had already written “Starry River and You”. She probably would not write the same type again.
So there really was a “writer friend” discussing plots with Wen Ying. Several names flashed through Shui Mingyue’s mind. After training at the literature academy so long, it was normal for Wen Ying to stay in touch with other students.
The female lead listened intently because Wen Ying’s description gave her strong identification.
Unlike Luo Hao, who was scouted by the directing team at school, the female lead was discovered by a talent scout in high school and recommended for commercials.
In the entertainment industry, merely fresh looks are considered standout in real life. The female lead had been praised as pretty by relatives and friends since childhood. As a young girl with vanity, she thought one commercial would make her soar… Reality proved she was too naive.
The commercial aired with good response.
Then nothing followed.
No one stays famous long from a single commercial. Initial attention needs follow-up works to sustain.
The female lead was awakened by reality. She later shot second and third commercials, then sporadic jobs. Only in the third year did she get a chance for a supporting role in a drama. In this process, some tried to deceive her for sex, some wanted her to sign exploitative contracts, others tried to bind her emotionally so she would willingly slave for them.
Wen Ying’s phrase “overcoming obstacles in a posture not elegant or graceful” struck the female lead hard, because that was exactly her experience. She suffered many losses before understanding the industry’s rules. Finally, she got the chance to play the female lead in the adaptation of Shui Mingyue’s work.
Wen Ying paused midway, not continuing. The female lead grew anxious. “Teacher Xiaoyu, what happens next?”
Wen Ying glanced at her. “What happens next, my writer friend has not decided yet. Anyway, the plot is quite abusive. The girl finally fights for the chance to play the ‘female lead’, yet does not live to see the drama air. After airing, the girl has already retired and married. The drama’s popularity and the role’s fame have nothing to do with her anymore. My friend has settled on this ending. The process is tricky. Why would the girl retire when her future is bright? My friend fears setting the abusive point too lightly to convince readers, yet also fears abusing too harshly and getting scolded. After all, in the earlier setup, this girl has no major flaws beyond wanting to rise in the entertainment industry. My friend cannot bear to abuse her too severely.”
Is this not harsh enough?
The female lead put herself in the role and suddenly felt like crying.
She too had waited so long for an opportunity.
Though Shui Mingyue’s adapted drama had modest investment, after reading the script and original, the female lead felt it would be a hit.
For truly big-budget dramas, roles would not come to someone of her small status.
Wen Ying’s plot not only made the female lead want to cry but also left an uncomfortable lump in her heart. Identifying with it felt distressing and inauspicious.
The female lead looked resentfully at Wen Ying. “Teacher Xiaoyu, if we had no grudge, I would suspect you were insinuating about me.”
