Chapter 102: The Scoundrel

Then came a stretch of frantic, exhausting chaos.

By the time matters had finally settled and Song Wan returned to the production, she could scarcely bear to think back on the past half month of living out of a suitcase and hopping from place to place.

Gao Xiang handed her a bottle of water with a grin. "You? It was only half a month, and look at you, completely flattened. Was it really that bad?"

Song Wan nodded furiously. "Absolutely!"

She swore that from now on she would never again mock those stars who spent their lives flying from one place to another and never seemed to have a fixed job.

Never had she understood so clearly as she did now that being a celebrity and being an actor were two entirely different professions.

Seeing through her thoughts, Gao Xiang gave her head a hard tap. "You really are..."

Song Wan could only laugh awkwardly and steer the conversation away.

Glancing at the time, they were almost at the set of Starfall.

After some deliberation, Jin Youqian decided to invest one hundred and fifty million yuan in the Starfall production, solving at a stroke the funding shortages the crew might have faced later on.

At the time, Song Wan had nearly stared him to death: he was rich, yes, but to throw out one hundred and fifty million in a single breath—wasn't that a little too extravagant?

Even Shi Yi, upon hearing the size of Jin Youqian's investment, had looked at Wu, the special assistant, in stunned silence.

What could Wu say? He could only brace himself and reply, "Our Mr. Jin is not short of money."

And yet, thinking of Jin Youqian's usual penny-pinching ways, he sneered inwardly.

Miss Song really had earned her keep with that face of hers.

A disaster for nations and cities alike.

Though the investment was made under the company's name, the crew's coordinator, Shi Yi, knew very well what was really going on.

He had given Song Wan the voting rights for the remaining cast auditions in Starfall.

The actors for Starfall were already mostly set; only a few major roles had yet to be decided.

That was what Shi Yi had told Song Wan after she read the script and agreed to take the female lead.

As for many of the less important supporting roles, they were being filled by film academy students, extras selected directly through open casting at the studio city, or trainees signed by various agencies.

In other words, newcomers.

There was only one reason: saving money.

Besides, students from film academies were not necessarily worse actors than those trendy young heartthrobs and starlets in the industry.

Though they were still nowhere near Song Wan's level.

Song Wan had no objection to any of this. Everyone starts as a newcomer; there was no need to look down on anyone because of that.

More importantly, because the project carried a strong science-fiction element, most of the budget had long since been earmarked for post-production, leaving only a pitiful amount for actors' salaries.

By rights, Song Wan was already the highest-paid cast member.

In order to make sure Song Wan would be comfortable on set, the production had even said, while searching for the male lead, that her opinion would be paramount, and that the compatibility between the male lead and Song Wan in scenes must be prioritized above all else.

In other words, if an actor had excellent skills but looked awkward, distant, or lacking in chemistry with Song Wan when paired with her, the production would discard him from contention for the male lead.

Both Jin Youqian and Song Wan were very satisfied with that.

Money well spent.

So Song Wan agreeing to come today for the actor selections was partly due to this very consideration.

She needed a male lead who could hold his own opposite her.

Yet when Song Wan entered the production, she found that Director Zhou Qi was like a live volcano on the verge of eruption, his face dark as he spat fire at anyone who came near.

"Uh..." Song Wan approached him hesitantly. "Director Zhou, did something happen?"

She had assumed that by now they were already late enough, and that the crew should have taken care of the miscellaneous tasks and prepared the audition arrangements.

Zhou Qi turned at the sound of her voice. Seeing that it was Song Wan, he froze for a moment. Then he restrained some of his fury, though his expression remained ugly.

Song Wan suddenly remembered that when she had first met Zhou Qi while filming Cloud Immortal, her first impression of him had been his tyrannical, fire-spitting image as he shouted at Wang Juan.

But she had not forgotten either that most of the time, Zhou Qi was actually very easy to talk to.

"Is it a problem with the actors?" Song Wan asked again.

This time Zhou Qi could hold back no longer, and he immediately began pouring out his grievances to Song Wan.

"Starfall is a huge piece of cake. Everyone knows that. Everyone wants a bite, a share, and I know that too."

He took a deep breath, as if trying to calm the anger in his chest, but it clearly did little good.

"But damn it, if you want to come take advantage, can't you at least pay some price for it? You want a good role in the crew and you still don't want to lower your fee? Who does he think he is? The king of heaven? Damn it, I really don't feel like giving them that face. I'm done with it. Whoever wants to play, let them play!"

The flesh on his body trembled with rage, making him look ridiculous and terrifying at once, and it was easy to sympathize with him.

"Get the hell out of here, all of you!"

He was, after all, the greatest figure in the crew apart from Song Wan, all right? And these people, who couldn't even read the situation, still dared to pressure him recklessly. Who did they think they were? And what did they think that rotten little company amounted to?

Zhou Qi paced in circles, fuming, his rage finding nowhere to go.

Though he spoke lightly, he also knew that the production company behind Starfall was merely a small workshop registered less than two years ago, with not a single finished work to its name. It could not be compared with the other side's company at all.

Even if he was angry, he still did not dare tear things apart outright.

He, Zhou Qi, was certainly not afraid of them. But would the crew's investors be afraid? He did not know.

Could the production company withstand pressure from the other side's firm? He did not know that either.

He loved the novel Starfall, and the script adaptation had been good. Zhou Qi understood in his heart that he must not let his own mistakes ruin this drama.

That was the real reason he was so stifled he had nowhere to vent his fury.

Song Wan, however, found it strange. "Who wants to snatch the roles in Starfall? Director Zhou, you're actually afraid of them?"

She remembered that during Cloud Immortal, Zhou Qi had even dared to go head-to-head with Chen Yi and Zhao Meng, and they had only been able to swallow their tempers and listen to his lecture without daring to retort.

Zhou Qi sighed. "The other side is an artist from Mingcheng Pictures. And behind him... you understand."

He gave a bitter smile. "I'm not afraid of him myself, but the person behind him has some ties with people above. They could easily block the drama's approval."

No matter how good his family circumstances might be, there was nothing he could do in that regard.

Song Wan only grew more puzzled. "Didn't you know this drama has an investment from Imperial Capital Entertainment?"

Zhou Qi froze. "Mr. Jin?"

Song Wan nodded, her brows knitting.

Zhou Qi truly didn't know? Had Shi Yi and the others not told him?

Zhou Qi's eyes suddenly widened. "Shi Yi never told me!"

Having just received this thrilling news, Zhou Qi instantly became energized. He did not even bother giving Song Wan another glance, and turned to run into a room.

Song Wan looked up and saw a sign hanging above it.

Audition Room.

Gao Xiang blinked. "If Shi Yi and the others didn't tell Zhou Qi, they must have had their own reasons. If you just tell Director Zhou directly, it could make them wary of you."

To be honest, the crew had already shown Song Wan a great deal of favor. If Song Wan still wanted more benefits from it, or if she disrupted some plan of theirs...

The other side would certainly think she was ungrateful.

Song Wan did not think much of it. "I've met Shi Yi. He's not someone with too many schemes. He may simply have forgotten to tell Director Zhou because of something."

Gao Xiang did not agree. "You've only met Shi Yi once. How could you possibly know what kind of person he is? And even if Shi Yi really is as straightforward as he seems, what about the boss behind him? Do you know what kind of person he is?"

"I don't know," Song Wan said, shaking her head. "But I do know he's definitely a devoted fan of Starfall."

She did not believe that the only reason the boss had taken a liking to Jin Youqian's investment was "Mr. Jin won't interfere with the crew's filming." There were few investors like that, but they were not nonexistent in the industry.

Anyone who could put up one hundred million would hardly joke with their own money. Even if they had once liked to meddle, they would rein it in a great deal once the money was on the table.

So the owner of Endless Light Pictures, whom she had not yet met, had certainly chosen Jin Youqian with leverage in mind.

Leverage, so that when others wanted to interfere, they would hesitate and not dare push too far.

Or perhaps they simply would not dare interfere at all.

Maybe even Shi Yi's failure to tell Zhou Qi this news was because he had been waiting for her to say it to him herself.

She was the only artist under Imperial Capital Entertainment, and Jin Youqian's rumored lover; in the eyes of others, her weight naturally was not ordinary.

Song Wan told Gao Xiang this speculation directly.

Gao Xiang turned it over in her mind, then had to admit Song Wan's guess was probably true.

But...

"Even if you're right, we still need to go see exactly what happened. You're responsible for this crew and don't want to see some random person meddling in it. But you're also responsible to the company, and you can't damage the company's reputation."

Song Wan smiled. "Of course!"

She had not forgotten that she was already Jin Youqian's wife now.

Song Wan knew Mingcheng Pictures, and she had long been prepared to meet an acquaintance from her previous life. Yet she never imagined that this acquaintance would be so terribly familiar.

The newcomer was a male star, probably somewhere in the second or third tier of the industry. He had handsome features and a tall, upright figure, and even though he was already past thirty-five, his face was still maintained like some twenty-seven- or twenty-eight-year-old pretty boy.

"Han Sen!" Song Wan cried out in disbelief.

This was the second time Song Wan had seen Han Sen since her rebirth, but it was the first time she had faced him directly.

The last time, in the studio city, she had accidentally bumped into him, but she had dealt with it quickly and it had not left a deep impression on her.

But now, seeing Han Sen appear in the Starfall crew, she could hardly keep her emotions under control.

She did not know whether Han Sen had already been cast as an important role in Starfall.

That meant that for the next several months, perhaps even a full half year, she would have to live in the same production with Han Sen, see him every day, and sometimes even act face-to-face with him.

How disgusting...

As that thought flashed through her mind, her stomach churned violently. She had no choice but to cover her mouth and turn to flee from the audition room.

"Ugh..."