Chapter 37: Chapter 37: The Younger Little Puppy
As soon as Ye Xian returned to the hotel, she started looking up the show “Business World.”
She hadn’t bothered to check before, but once she did… the female lead turned out to be Cheng Jingshu.
Talk about a small world of enemies.
Ye Xian opened a can of Yakult and began to watch the show at twice the normal speed.
The plot roughly told the story of a poor girl who, after graduating from college, went to the big city alone to strive for success, starting from the bottom as an office worker, enduring various hardships and setbacks, until at last, with the male lead’s help, she grew into an outstanding white-collar employee.
Such female-oriented inspirational workplace dramas were very popular in the market. With the recent recipient of the Magnolia Award, Cheng Jingshu, and a strong male lead joining the cast, the show did start with impressive ratings. However, as time went on, the ratings began to sag, and both word of mouth and reviews declined.
As for why, Ye Xian had already figured it out.
The show was marketed as a ‘female-centric thrilling counterattack’ when in fact, it was filled with catty fights, heart-wrenching tragedies, and melodramatic plot lines.
Especially troubling was a malicious supporting female character—Ning Xiner—an aristocrat with overflowing talent who was ruthless and, due to her affection for the male lead, constantly made life difficult for the female lead.
Threats, slanders, and schemes were all part of her arsenal against the female lead – and they all succeeded.
They succeeded in bringing the female lead to tears of frustration time and time again, and succeeded in driving a wedge between the male and female leads repeatedly.
The suffocating plot frustrated and angered the audience.
What happened to the promised thrilling counterattack and satisfying revenge?
What happened to the sweet, sweet love story?
What is this garbage they’re showing? Watching a TV series shouldn’t be this infuriating!
So the fans went to protest on the show’s official Weibo page, suggesting that the villainess should leave the show quickly, or else they would drop the show!
But Ning Xiner was a very important character in the drama, playing a crucial role in driving the plot forward, so she definitely couldn’t be written out hastily.
Luckily, since this show aired weekly and there was plenty of time, the production team followed the popular practice of filming while airing, which had become popular over the last two years. This method was adopted precisely to prevent the story from collapsing while airing, allowing the script to be altered according to audience reactions to recover the ratings.
The screenwriters of “Business World” adopted a method of recovery: since Ning Xiner couldn’t be removed from the show, they added a new love interest for her. This way, she wouldn’t constantly cling to the male and female leads.
The role Ye Xian was auditioning for was a new character about to appear in the show—Gu Chen, the rich young master who falls in love with Ning Xiner at first sight and chases after her relentlessly like a little puppy.
The production team had already posted an audition notice online, with open auditions taking place three days later at the Sunshine Media Building.
Requirements: Must be no older than 22 years old, have a delicate appearance, well-proportioned facial features, and acting experience.
Although it was a minor role with little screen time, and the female lead was Cheng Jingshu, whom she didn’t particularly like, this opportunity was vital for her—it was the first step in re-entering the public eye and altering the audience’s poor impression of her.
She was determined to get it.
Moreover, sometimes even a small supporting role could shine brightly.
Three days later, at the Sunshine Media Building.
Inside the audition hall on the first floor, the director, producer, and screenwriter of “Business World” were all seated below the stage.
On the stage, a male actor auditioning was performing with great effort.
“Wanwan, will you accept my confession? Believe me, I truly love you!”
The male actor knelt on one knee, holding the hand of the female actress, his eyes filled with hope and urgency, longing for her to respond to his fervent love.