Chinese entertainment: Top stars started being pursued by young actresses

Chapter 190, 189. Your ex-boyfriend suffered mistreatment on set (5K)

"..."

Chen Duling didn't make much of a move.

Seeing this, Wang Churan took a step forward and said, "I want to have dinner with Lin Shaobai now."

That's a very naive statement.

Wang Churan felt a tiny bit of regret after saying it.

Hey, hey, hey, they look like elementary school students now!
Chen Duling probably thinks this scene looks like a clown.

Chen Duling first looked at Lin Shaobai, then at Wang Churan.

"Ok."

She didn't intend to argue further.

Since Wang Churan has already said that, we can't very well argue with her here.

After simply saying those two words, Chen Duling turned and left with her bag on her back, as if she had never said those words.

Wang Churan looked at Lin Shaobai.

"She just left like that?"

"Otherwise, what kind of expression do you want her to have?"

Lin Shaobai took out his phone as he spoke.

A minute ago, the film director messaged him, saying there was something he needed to discuss.

"This is too bland. Does Chen Duling lack romantic feelings? She doesn't react at all. What could possibly make her react more strongly?" Wang Churan said, looking at Chen Duling's back.

Lin Shaobai said that Du Ling usually doesn't have much expression, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she is a taciturn person.

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Xiaolin, what do you think of my performance during the script readings on set these past few days?"

Wang Churan had an expression that seemed to be seeking praise.

"not good."

"Huh? Really? Don't scare me." Wang Churan circled around Lin Shaobai.

This is her first film, so she takes it very seriously.

Lin Shaobai was just trying to scare her. Seeing how anxious she was, he softened and said, "Okay, I was just kidding. Actually, you did a pretty good job."

"Oh dear, can you please stop breathing so heavily when you talk? You scared me."

Wang Churan patted her chest dramatically.

"Shaobai, you know how much I care about this movie."

"..."

“I know you want to say that I have a small role in this movie, but even so, I hope that Li Muzi can become one of the roles in my life.”

"I don't have that idea." Lin Shaobai smiled. "Even a small role can be memorable if played well. There are plenty of examples of that, right?"

"Sigh, you've always been so encouraging."

Wang Churan shook her head helplessly yet affectionately, instinctively wanting to hug Lin Shaobai's arm, but quickly withdrew her hand when she remembered they were outside.

"Alright, let's go eat dinner. I'm starving."

"Tsk tsk tsk, what a coincidence, the director just told me to go find him."

"what?"

While Wang Churan was still in a daze, Lin Shaobai backed away, turned a corner, and walked into the director's office.

It wasn't until the door was completely closed that Wang Churan realized what was happening. Pointing at the director's room, she muttered a pathetic complaint: "Why didn't you say so earlier!"

……

Meanwhile, Zhou Ye was submitting resumes and interviewing for new scripts.

After "A Little Reunion" aired, she did receive several offers for scripts.

Because of the characters' personalities, they are generally campus dramas.

Zhou Ye now understands that, on her own, she can only get access to some low-budget web dramas.

Just pick one of these web dramas with a good script and outstanding characters.

It's not easy for aspiring actors to find work...

After several twists and turns, Zhou Ye found a TV series adapted from a popular IP novel.

After a formal interview, the producer decided that she would be the second female lead in the drama.

But just when they were about to sign the contract, they suddenly changed their minds.

Zhou Ye flew all the way here, only to be told by the producer, "Sorry, this role has already been cast with someone else."

Zhou Ye was dumbfounded.

The unexpected situation of having to switch roles at the last minute actually happened to me.

Zhou Ye had heard similar stories before she entered the entertainment industry, but she didn't pay much attention to them at the time.

"No, wasn't it supposed to be mine from the beginning?"

The novel itself is very famous, the novel IP is popular, and after the TV series airs, there will be some book fans to support it, so it won't be a big flop.

Unless the filming is truly awful and unbearable to watch.

Zhou Ye got this role through a proper interview, only to have it snatched away by someone else at the last minute?!
Any actor would be angry in this situation.

The female producer simply looked Zhou Ye up and down.

It must be admitted that Zhou Ye made her mark in the entertainment industry because of the hit drama "A Little Reunion," and she now has her own representative work.

But this time it's the people from the capital stronghold, there's nothing we can do.

"Teacher Li, we clearly agreed that I would be the one to play the role, so why did it suddenly change to someone else?"

Seeing that the other party remained silent, Zhou Ye could only speak again.

"Then I'll tell you why."

The producer came to Zhou Ye's side and pointed to the young actress in the farthest distance.

"It's obvious that she's more suitable for this drama than you. Actually, you should seriously examine yourself; she's better than you in every way."

“It was all agreed upon at the time. You said I was the most suitable person to play this role.”

"Why can't you understand? Can she be compared to you? The director also said that maybe he was too hasty in choosing you."

Zhou Ye felt that these reasons were just made up by the producer!
In all aspects?
Just kidding, I'm 100 times prettier than her!
Zhou Ye thought to himself.

"But--"

"No need to say anything more! You don't need to come."

The producer was too lazy to explain any further, and after saying a few words, he asked Zhou Ye to leave.

After Zhou Ye came out, he stood blankly outside the gate.

It felt like I'd been doused with cold water; all I felt was endless frustration.

"At least reimburse the cost of your round-trip airfare, right?"

She muttered to herself.

I came all this way, only to be replaced at the last minute?!

That's incredibly hurtful!
"At least come up with a plausible excuse! Who are you trying to fool with that?!"

Zhou Ye turned his head sullenly and happened to see the actress who had replaced him.

She discovered that the actress was behaving intimately with one of the producers of the TV series, and that they were definitely not just ordinary friends.

The producer's hand remained around the actress's waist, and kept moving upwards...

Seeing this, Zhou Ye finally understood why he had been replaced.

So, that's how it is...

There's nothing we can do about it.

Zhou Ye gave a bitter smile.

She has no background, no big agency, and no good agent. How could she possibly beat someone like that?

After carefully analyzing the situation, Zhou Ye advised himself to accept the fact as soon as possible.

Isn't it normal for actors to be replaced at the last minute in the entertainment industry?

Moreover, it's normal to be replaced even if a contract has been signed.

Capital can change hands at will; what chance do child actors have?

Zhou Ye carried his bag and sat down on a nearby bench.

The sky was overcast, and Zhou Ye's mood was even more depressed than the weather.

It's not easy for a new actor to get a role, and yet they were so blatantly squeezed out by those in power.

"Tsk. No wonder they all say that actors need a strong heart."

"Tch! Just a second female lead, I don't care!"

Zhou Ye leaned back lazily in his chair, humming and groaning, feeling a tightness in his chest that made it hard to breathe.

In a daze, she recalled the scene when she nervously accepted the interview with the script in hand.

I took every round so seriously, and this is the result.

Is this industry really that materialistic?
Zhou Ye also wondered if he had been too well protected by Lin Shaobai before.
The resources were provided by Lin Shaobai from the very beginning, so there was no possibility of the actor being replaced.

Even if the capital wants to replace her with someone else, they should consider whether Lin Shaobai is present, otherwise it would be too blatant.

It seems we won't be able to wait peacefully for filming to begin...

Even if it's filmed, there's a possibility that scenes will be cut, supporting characters will have more screen time, the main character will be weakened, and so on...

Zhou Ye's mind was filled with negativity. She had never thought about these things before...

All the time I had before wasted!
Zhou Ye sighed, looking somewhat dejected, as if he had lost all his energy and spirit.

"Could it be that I'm just not good enough?"

"She's prettier than that actress, but maybe her acting is better than mine?"

"Maybe I..."

Zhou Ye fell into deep self-doubt.

Silently sit for two hours before arranging a car to go to the airport.

I couldn't help but shed a few tears while driving.

She called her mother from the taxi.

It rained while we were waiting for the bus, and Zhou Ye looked like a down-on-his-luck little dog, all wet and drenched.

Her bangs were wet and stuck to her forehead, and her long eyelashes were covered with glistening water droplets.

Zhou Ye didn't speak after the call connected; she was still composing herself.

The mother on the other end of the phone seemed a little confused.

"Ono, what's wrong?"

Hearing his mother's gentle voice, Zhou Ye pursed his lips and said, "Mom, my role has been changed."

"what?"

"I chose this role from several scripts. I prepared for it for a long time and went through three rounds of auditions before they decided to cast me. But they changed my mind at the last minute. Mom, I'm so upset."

Zhou Ye rubbed his eyes, but he still couldn't stop the tears from flowing.

The driver, who was sitting in the front seat, heard the crying and couldn't help but glance at her.

"Did they say what the reason was?"

"They said I wasn't a good fit for the role, but I later found out that person had connections. So there was nothing I could do."

"It's okay, Ono, it's alright. Listen to your mother, being replaced in the role wasn't your fault, so don't blame yourself. Like you just said, we didn't expect this kind of thing to happen..."

With his mother's comfort, Zhou Ye felt much better.

Indeed, seeking help from one's mother is most helpful when feeling extremely wronged.

It's a pity I can't run into my mother's arms and cry now.

It's so uncomfortable.

After hanging up the phone, Zhou Ye lowered his head and subtly pinched his pants.

At that moment, she made up her mind that in the future she must become the one with decision-making power, the one who can choose the script, instead of a substitute that is temporarily discarded.

Thinking of this, Zhou Ye typed a few words in the chat box and sent them to his mother.

Thank you, Mom. You comforted me, and I feel much better now.

"Mom, don't worry, I won't give up because of this."

The driver breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Zhou Ye's mood improve as he looked out the window at the scenery.

The rain pattered against the taxi window. Zhou Ye watched for a while, then wrote Lin Shaobai's name on the window with his finger.

I wrote those three words without thinking, and a few seconds later I realized what I was doing and immediately wiped them away with my hand.

Her slightly flushed cheeks were reflected in the car window.

They poured too much emotion into the relationship and couldn't forget it after the breakup.

A thought suddenly popped into Zhou Ye's mind: if he could sign with Lin Shaobai's Baichen Entertainment, maybe this wouldn't have happened.

They will also have many resources.

"No, no, no."

Zhou Ye quickly shook his head.

Since you've already broken up, let's part amicably. There's no need to continue like this.

Things aren't really that hopeless. It's just that I was replaced in the role, it's okay.

Zhou Ye could only console himself with this thought.

……

Lin Shaobai flew to Beijing to attend the Pop Music Chart Awards Ceremony.

The Global Chinese Music Awards is a music award organized by Chinese-language radio stations around the world.

The male singers nominated that night included Xue Zhiqian, Li Ronghao, Lin Junjie, Zhang Xingxing, Zhang Jie, Dr. Chen, Mao Mao, and Cai Kunkun from the boy band Nine Percent.

Female singers include Tia, Karen Mok, Chang Hui-mei, Tsai Yi-lin, Wang Hsin-ling, Lin Yi-lien, and Hsu Chia-ying.

Speaking of Wang Xinling, she was once really popular. In the year 2000, she became famous everywhere as the "Sweetheart Queen".

"Love You" and "Curved Eyelashes" became popular songs.

After that, he went quiet for a while.

It wasn't until she encountered "Sisters Who Make Waves Season 3" that she successfully made a comeback.

Lin Shaobai entered the back area and went to his private rest room.

This time, his agent, Sister Li, was by his side.

"There is a talent show for female celebrities over 30 years old called 'Sisters Who Make Waves.' Their production team decided to find two male celebrities to be witnesses to the formation of the group. These witnesses seem to be more like hosts."

"And these two male celebrities decided to choose the most popular young star right now, which is you. The other one they chose is Huang Xiaoming."

"Shaobai, do you know how shocked I was when I heard about this show? They actually put Ning Jing, Yi Nengjing, Huang Shengyi, Wan Qian, Jin Xiaochen, Wu Xin and other famous actresses on one show. I don't know what the production team was thinking, how could they come up with such a dramatic combination?"

Even after being in the entertainment industry for so long, this is the first time that agent Sister Li has ever seen a show like this.

Lin Shaobai smiled; he knew that this program had suddenly become a hit across the internet.

When some marketing accounts spread rumors about such a variety show, everyone thought the marketing accounts had lost their minds.

How could they possibly put together these established female artists, who are already quite old, to do a singing and dancing performance?
As it turns out, "Sisters Who Make Waves" actually succeeded.

Over the years, people have grown tired of talent shows featuring young trainees, but they've never seen anyone who's already famous and has a certain status in the entertainment industry singing, dancing, and forming a girl group!

We also need to see how the photos turn out, regardless of the height.

The female celebrities who initially appeared on the show never imagined that it would become a phenomenal hit variety show, and that many of them, who had lost their jobs and faded into obscurity, would rise to fame through the show.

After the show aired, it brought fame to several female celebrities who had been out of the spotlight for a long time.

For example, Meng Jia and Wang Feifei, who came back from the Xiaohan Girls Group.

Even though they are a popular girl group, their names are still unfamiliar to most people.

These two were originally trainees at JYP Entertainment.

After training, she debuted as part of a girl group called Miss A with two other people.

He debuted with a hit song, achieving phenomenal success!

Unfortunately, only one member of their group became popular, who was also Xiaohan's national first love, Bae Suzy.

The company failed to maintain a balanced development among its members, resulting in one member becoming dominant. Bae Suzy became incredibly popular, while the other three members faded into obscurity.

Gradually, Bae Suzy became a national star.

Once she gained fame, she stopped working with the group and started pursuing her own career.

Miss A, the explosive rookie group that debuted with a hit song, also saw their success vanish in the blink of an eye.

Korean boy and girl groups subsequently took this as a lesson and made sure not to let any member of their group become too popular.

If a member is seen to have the potential to become a breakout star, they will be appropriately suppressed.

This is what fans often call a "dog company," that's involved in espionage!

A similar example is Sakura, who debuted for the second time.

It's rare for a company to allow one of its members to be more popular than the entire group.

If signs of trouble emerge, the company will allocate resources to other members of the group.

To cultivate someone who can rival this wildly popular member.

Zhang Yuanying and Ahn Yujin from IIVE use this same tactic.

“Shaobai, I think your appearance on this show is a double-edged sword. Its novel program features may become popular, and you will also gain corresponding exposure as a witness to the formation of the group. However, I am afraid that you will not be able to handle more than 30 female celebrities in their thirties and forties with works on the same show.”

Agent Li gave a calm analysis.

"Don't worry, Sister Li, there are only advantages to going on this show." Lin Shaobai got up and poured himself a glass of water. "Besides, there are two witnesses to the group's formation, it's not just me. I can handle it."

What's there to be unable to handle... they won't start arguing on the show.

"The talent show 'Youth With You Season 2' from Kiwi Island has also approached you to be the PD. You'll be recording two variety shows next year. Is it possible for you to make it in time?"

Lin Shaobai shrugged and casually tossed the empty paper cup into the trash can: "I'll make time for it."

"Okay, I'm relieved to hear that. Before filming starts, we need to go on Happy Camp to promote 'Better Days'..." The agent deliberately leaned closer to Lin Shaobai and said, "I heard you broke up with Zhou Ye?"

Lin Shaobai was sitting in a chair looking at his phone when he heard his manager's words. He looked up and asked, "What's up?"

"Alright, I have something else to tell you. Since we've already said goodbye, there's no need for me to say it."

Lin Shaobai sensed something was wrong and quickly asked, "What's wrong?"

"My friend told me this, so I can't guarantee it's true or not. But I'll tell you something. A TV series adapted from a well-known campus novel IP recently started casting. Originally, Zhou Ye was cast as the second female lead, but later, someone with connections was brought in by investors, and Zhou Ye was replaced."

"Replacement?"

Lin Shaobai stood up instantly, abandoning his phone, his eyes even more determined than before.

"Yeah, isn't it normal to insert people into our circle? Zhou Ye, who is the second female lead, doesn't have any background. It's perfectly normal for her to be temporarily replaced by someone with connections."

The agent didn't take it seriously, but Lin Shaobai was furious when he found out.

(End of this chapter)