This conflict has been resolved: it was all Ai Xiao’s fault.
Sheng Tang’s assistant Ai’ai was very moved and became even more loyal to Sheng Tang.
Ai Xiao refused to continue acting no matter what.
She cried and went back to the company to complain to Gu Jiahui, but Sheng Tang had already called ahead.
Therefore, Gu Jiahui did not meet Ai Xiao; instead, Gu Jiahui’s secretary came forward and sternly warned Ai Xiao.
Then, the secretary also told Ai Xiao’s manager, "She has neither a sense of contract nor any acting skills. Don’t arrange any more work for her in the future."
This completely subdued Ai Xiao.
Ai Xiao anxiously looked at her manager.
On the set, faced with the absence of the leading actress, the director just had a headache for thirty minutes before deciding to use Sheng Tang to play the leading role of Li Hong.
"Director, is this appropriate?" Sheng Tang said, "So much has already been filmed."
"No problem, you can do it," the director said, "Your portrayal of Li Lan before and after her transformation was like two different people. If you play Li Hong, I believe you can show the essence of three different characters."
Sheng Tang: "..."
So, the capable have to do more work?
The script did not need to be changed; only the post-production might require a bit more spending.
Now, the producer was stretching every penny, and the crew was being thrifty at new heights, so the post-production budget was unexpectedly ample.
Sheng Tang discussed with the director. To distinguish between the two roles of Li Lan, she made some changes to Li Hong: "Li Hong’s personality is sunny, warm, even a bit playful and cute. After all, she is a pampered girl from an intellectual family.
I think, when she walks, she can land on her toes, showing her lightness. Her smile could also be the kind that lifts the corners of her eyebrows, completely different from Li Lan."
Then, Sheng Tang tried acting it out.
Before the director could say anything, Qian Zhe Lin on the side applauded vigorously: "Amazing! Both characters are completely different from Li Lan’s. Sheng Tang, your acting is excellent!"
After speaking, Qian Zhe Lin regretted not getting into the film academy and starting to earn a living early.
After seeing Sheng Tang, he finally understood that sharpening the axe does not delay the work of chopping firewood.
With someone like Sheng Tang, success is certainly in her future.
The plot continued.
Without Ai Xiao, the scenes with both the male and female leads became Sheng Tang and Qian Zhe Lin; and for Ai Xiao’s previous scenes, involving dialogues, the director promised to shoot them first so Qian Zhe Lin could attend to his other matters.
Qian Zhe Lin felt it was possible to finish filming before October 20th, and he became very happy.
He no longer resented the director.
Sheng Tang spoke with Gu Jiahui over the phone.
"You focus on filming first, and when you return, I will sign a new contract with you," Gu Jiahui said, "You will get ten percent of the box office share."
Sheng Tang thanked him.
Without Ai Xiao, the one holding up progress the most was the director.
And the director seemed to have found inspiration in the harmonious performances of Sheng Tang and Qian Zhe Lin.
He no longer tried different camera angles repeatedly.
Often, they would get it right in one take, almost bringing Qian Zhe Lin to tears.
The crew only had one day off per week, and they continued to work through the National Day holiday. By October 12th, Qian Zhe Lin’s scenes were all completed.
This gave Qian Zhe Lin plenty of time to study the script for his next project.
He was overjoyed.
The crew held a simple wrap party for him.
"I have gained so much," Qian Zhe Lin said, "especially in terms of acting. The director and Sheng Tang have helped me immensely, thank you."
This was the truth.
Qian Zhe Lin’s acting had improved not just a little, but by an entire level from when he first joined the cast.
About eighty percent of the credit went to Sheng Tang, who set an example for Qian Zhe Lin to emulate in his acting; the director’s coaching accounted for the remaining twenty percent.