Zhou Yun and Xu Siyao met again in the makeup room.
Xu Siyao had a triumphant smile on her face.
Sister Lin looked at Zhou Yun with a slightly indignant expression on her behalf.
To many people, Zhou Yun was the logical choice for the lead actress of "Eighth Heartbeat" Part Two, so why was it Xu Siyao?
They instinctively thought that Zhou Yun was ousted due to some reasons.
Many rumors are spread without even the people involved knowing what’s happening, and many impressions are bizarrely formed.
Zhou Yun, however, was not angry; she had been uninterested in "Eighth Heartbeat" Part Two from the start.
Why would she be bothered about "Eighth Heartbeat" when Huang Zhong brought "Letter to You" to her and she had not even given in to that?
The lead role that Xu Siyao turned over wasn’t something Zhou Yun would consider from the start.
Yet Xu Siyao was very proud, and seeing Zhou Yun, she blinked her big eyes pitifully, looking both guilty and anxious, and cautiously asked, "Sister Xiao Yun, they chose me as the lead actress for the second part, you’re not angry with me, are you?"
There were others in the makeup room besides the two of them.
As soon as Xu Siyao spoke, everyone else’s ears perked up.
Zhou Yun looked at Xu Siyao with surprise, "Huh? Siyao, why would you think that? Why would I be angry?"
Xu Siyao: "Sister Xiao Yun, weren’t you the lead actress in the first part?"
Zhou Yun chuckled lightly and said, "So what?"
Her expression and tone deliberately gave off a nonchalant vibe.
Xu Siyao didn’t know what to say.
If one wants to play a scene, they must have someone to play along; otherwise, a solo act often feels like directing and acting by oneself, which diminishes the effect. Hence, to deal with someone deliberately picking a fight, if you don’t know how to respond momentarily, just act nonchalantly. No matter what they say, just nonchalantly reply with "So what," or even more succinctly, with "Oh."
This was an experience Zhou Yun summed up over her past experiences, and it has been very effective so far.
At this moment, Zheng Xiaojue spoke up like divine intervention, "Sister Xiao Yun, Sister Lan asked me to remind you, the episode of ’Scandal’ airing tonight will announce your joining ’Heart Inquiry’, and she wants you to interact with ’Heart Inquiry’s’ official Weibo."
The makeup room fell silent.
Anyone in the entertainment industry would know the significance of a major production.
The words "Heart Inquiry" were like a ladder to the clouds for actresses like Zhou Yun and Xu Siyao—something vastly aspirational.
Who wouldn’t want to act in it?
Even if it’s just a minor role appearing for one or two episodes?
Recall the palace drama a few years ago, crowned as the king of dramas from its preparation stage, with dozens of actresses sharing the screen. They weren’t assigned lead roles after that drama; they were already leading actresses in major dramas before it, where even dual female leads had to be carefully weighed. But in front of a top-tier drama, a lead role? No matter, they would be willing to act even if it were just a three-episode role.
Xu Siyao’s face, triumphant just a moment ago, went expressionless as if struck by lightning.
Whispers started to rise.
"Zhou Yun is actually going to act in ’Heart Inquiry’?"
"Is it the ’Heart Inquiry’ directed by Song Chi?"
"I heard that this drama is confirmed to be directed by Director Kang!"
Xu Siyao’s face turned pale.
Her right hand clenched tightly, nails dug into her palm painfully.
What just happened? This was more humiliating than being slapped in public. Xu Siyao felt several piercing gazes on her, laughing at her embarrassment. The awkwardness rolled over her face like a sharp knife; she forced a smile and said, "So Sister Xiao Yun is going to film ’Heart Inquiry,’ huh."
Zhou Yun said, "Didn’t you know about this? I thought you were aware already."
Recalling Zhou Yun’s earlier words, "Why should I be angry?" Xu Siyao felt even more the irony.
On set, such embarrassments always spread quickly.
By the morning, everyone on set knew about Xu Siyao’s humiliation. Several people who usually disliked Xu Siyao saw Zhou Yun and remarked, "Well done," unsure of how many people Xu Siyao had offended.
Xu Siyao did not smile at all.
In August, the blazing summer sun made the set feel like a furnace.
The actors began to sweat profusely and had to touch up their makeup frequently.
Hot weather brought short tempers.
With the addition of two more spin-off movies to shoot, the workload for the crew increased.
During the day, the priority was to shoot Zhou Yun’s scenes, while the spin-off films starring Yu Yhan and Yin Zhou were mostly assigned to Team B.
Gu Huaichun had stronger opinions about this than Zhou Yun.
"It’s clear they’re just riding on the popularity of this series, trying to make some extra money." Gu Huaichun said, "The scripts were hastily written, and the filming is sloppy, goodness knows how much criticism it will receive upon release."
"You’re not in it anyway." Zhou Yun said.
Gu Huaichun: "You think Xiao Yin wants to act in it? He doesn’t want to at all, but the company arranged it, and he couldn’t refuse. Having such a bad film on his resume is a stain for life."
Zhou Yun bitterly smiled.
Gu Huaichun: "And haven’t you noticed? Director Lu’s focus is obviously distracted. Although he was never very demanding, he used to know exactly what he wanted, clear-headed. But now, sometimes he just lets us try out scenes on our own before making any decisions."
Zhou Yun: "That’s also good, it gives you more room to perform."
Gu Huaichun gave Zhou Yun a direct glare.
They then chatted about various other things.
"I heard you really upset your fellow apprentice sister." Gu Huaichun said, "Aren’t you usually not one for showiness? How come you made her jealous this time?"
"It wasn’t me making her jealous," Zhou Yun replied, "Yuehai wanted to prepare the second movie and named her as the lead actress. She had to boast about it in front of me, and my assistant accidentally let it slip."
"They didn’t ask you for the second movie?"
"They know if they asked me, I wouldn’t do it," Zhou Yun said, "My schedule for the second half of the year is already full. Even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t have the time to shoot. They wouldn’t wait that long for me."
Gu Huaichun curled his lips.
"Luckily, I’ve already taken another role."
"It can’t be that bad for Yin Zhou, right? Is he really going to be in the second movie?"
"It seems so; after all, under the banner of ’Eighth Heartbeat Part Two’, they can’t just leave Xu Siyao to hold the fort alone." Gu Huaichun said, "Apparently, the scriptwriter is revising the script again, adding some scenes between Yin Zhou and Xu Siyao in the first part to set up for the second part."
"A case of drawing a snake with legs."