He Ting maintained a calm demeanor and said, "What’s the rush? You stay and rest in the hospital; the film crew is the one that should be worried."
Su Yan said, "Won’t this delay the filming schedule? If I can’t finish shooting on time, won’t I end up holding back the crew for a few more days?"
He Ting said, "That won’t happen, rest assured. As long as we take a firm stance here and don’t return to the crew, they’ll definitely be the anxious ones."
Su Yan was still a bit concerned and said, "Will this cause Kang Xin and Song Chi to have a negative opinion of me? Sister Ting, they are no ordinary people, and besides..."
"Don’t worry, our reasoning is perfectly justified. You’re injured and need to rest in the hospital for a few more days, which is very normal. Who could say otherwise? Later on, we can invite them out for a meal and have a heart-to-heart chat." He Ting said, "Moreover, the whole issue started with Song Chi owing you an apology. He initially said you were unquestionably the leading lady, so why did they end up giving Liu Rusu so many additional scenes? Now the female supporting role is almost on par with you."
Upon mentioning Zhou Yun, Su Yan, who had been somewhat hesitant, immediately lost her hesitation.
"You don’t know, Zhou Yun and Song Chi are thick as thieves on set. Despite her mediocre acting skills, Director Kang praises her out of consideration for Song Chi, resulting in some people in the crew gossiping that my acting can’t compare to hers, which is infuriating!"
He Ting said, "Why hurry? When the show is aired, the audience will see for themselves who is better and who is worse. They are not blind."
Su Yan said, "I feel so constrained staying in the crew now; even Director Kang has such high demands."
He Ting said, "Be more motivated and learn as much as you can. It’s beneficial for improving your acting. Director Kang is well-known for coaching actors. If you perform well in this drama, we can aim for an award."
Su Yan said, "Sister Ting, don’t you know about my acting skills? I can’t compare to the older generation, but among my peers, who can compete with me?"
He Ting said, "Of course I know about your acting skills, but learning is an endless process, and not every director is Kang Xin."
"Understood, I will study diligently with Director Kang, as long as he doesn’t dislike me because of this incident." Su Yan said, "Sister Ting, with your extensive connections, I’ll leave this to you!"
He Ting snorted lightly, "Now you’ve learned to sweet-talk? You should be more charming on set too! With that, how could Zhou Yun make any waves?"
"But I don’t have a boyfriend like Song Chi to help me build connections on set; I can only rely on you, Sister Ting." Su Yan hugged He Ting, "I knew you’re the best, Sister Ting."
He Ting smiled and said, "How grown up already, yet still acting like a child, let go."
"No, I won’t let go."
After leaving the hospital, He Ting thought for a while, searched for nearby malls, took a taxi to the mall, and browsed around. She picked out an Hermès scarf and a men’s wallet.
In the evening, she made dinner arrangements at a nearby restaurant with Wen Binglan.
Wen Binglan showed up with a headache, thinking He Ting was there to argue about liability, but to his surprise, she handed over a little bag with a cheerful smile and said, "Little Wen, sorry about the trouble from Yanyan’s incident the past few days. I happened to see a wallet that suits you while I was shopping this afternoon, so I just bought it as an apology gift."
Alarms rang in Wen Binglan’s head.
This was too out of character for He Ting; suddenly becoming so soft, what was she up to?
Wen Binglan did not accept and smiled, saying, "Sister Ting, why are you being so formal with me?"
He Ting said, "Oh come on, don’t be a stranger, take it!"
He Ting insisted and placed the items into Wen Binglan’s hands.
"Are you really angry with me?"
"No, of course not. But, Sister Ting, this matter can’t really be blamed on our crew, I..." Wen Binglan was speaking when He Ting made a stopping gesture.
He Ting said, "Let’s not talk about that today. You must be tired recently, managing such a large crew is hard work."
Wen Binglan replied, "It’s my job."
"Today I’m the host, order whatever you want to eat," He Ting said. "Our Yanyan’s princess temper must have caused you trouble too."
In the evening, Zhou Yun, Song Chi, and Director Kang gathered for dinner, sitting together around a small table.
As the evening sun set, everyone rested.
After dinner, they would continue the night shoot.
Halfway through the meal, Director Kang was called away, leaving only Zhou Yun and Song Chi.
Shooting all day, Zhou Yun looked at Song Chi’s overly familiar face and said, "We have major night scenes again tonight, no time to rest, can you handle it?"
There was a cup of black coffee beside Song Chi, brought to him by his assistant.
"I have to endure even if I can’t. I’ll take a nap after eating dinner, just thirty minutes of sleep."
Zhou Yun suggested, "Should I move my solo scenes up so you can rest a bit?"
Song Chi replied, "Forget it, don’t make things complicated; it’s all been scheduled already."
Zhou Yun remarked, "Ah, if we could split into two units for shooting, it would lessen the pressure on the schedule."
"Director Kang would never allow a second unit director to shoot his scenes, he doesn’t even let go of minor scenes involving the leads," Song Chi said. "But it’s good this way. I saw a rough cut yesterday, and it turned out better than I expected."
Zhou Yun encouraged, "Keep it up, strive for another Best Actor award."
Song Chi lowered his voice, "Not just me, Director Kang said you might have a shot at Best Supporting Actress."