Sheng Tang’s acting skills were so good that Wen Yu and Feng Yanqiu were both overshadowed.
The result of overpowering performances was that the crew elevated Sheng Tang’s screen time and gave Wen Yu some compensatory consolation.
As for Feng Yanqiu, the crew merely had the producer explain the situation.
Producer Wang Xi was eloquent, making many empty promises, saying that in future collaborations, Feng Yanqiu would be given priority consideration and more opportunities in promotions.
Feng Yanqiu remained the male lead, his status unchanged, but the film’s theme had shifted.
The film’s theme shifted from one woman’s career growth, culminating in both professional and romantic success, to the career transformation of two women.
In the end, the original female lead Qi Qi found love, quit her job, and traveled the world with the male lead William; whereas the original second female lead Zhao Beibei became a world-famous model, transforming from a domineering lady to an even more domineering fashion icon.
The male lead remained the male lead, but half of his screen time was given to the second female lead.
When Feng Yanqiu debuted, his screen time was squeezed out by a secondary male role before. However, being squeezed out by a secondary female role was a first for him.
He and his agent were very dissatisfied with this.
However, dissatisfaction was useless.
Feng Yanqiu lacked confidence.
To be honest, it was also because Feng Yanqiu and his agent were too greedy.
Feng Yanqiu started as a TV drama actor, performing for several years without much success, then suddenly exploded in popularity after starring in a fantasy drama.
That winter break, he truly became an "overnight sensation," his presence dominated the entire internet.
In such a scenario, he should have focused on developing in the TV drama sector, taking more good roles or participating in variety shows to stabilize his position.
Unexpectedly, he and his agent were ambitious, wanting to break into the film industry.
The film industry is perceived as the highest level within the entertainment ecosystem. Many film industry big wigs don’t think highly of TV drama actors.
Even actors from theatrical backgrounds are more welcomed than those from TV dramas.
An actor transitioning from TV drama success to the film sector, even if ultimately successful, is often heard to have "washed off" his TV drama past, forever regarded as a tier lower.
Under such a cruel discrimination chain, Feng Yanqiu self-destructively abandoned developing in the TV drama sector to pursue a film career.
When he was wildly popular, capital welcomed him, and he landed a major production by a famous director.
The major production premiered during the summer holidays—only to flop.
After a flop, he should have promptly returned to taking TV dramas, but Feng Yanqiu was undeterred.
He took up another film.
That film turned out to be a money-grabbing scam with fake contracts, ultimately embezzling over 90 million in investment, with the project shooting two-thirds before being shelved.
Not only did Feng Yanqiu not receive his payment, but he also lost time and reputation.
"Who’s Afraid in the Workplace" was his third film.
Zheng Weiwei makes films targeting women, with minimal requirements for male actors, needing only to be tall and handsome.
Feng Yanqiu fit these two criteria perfectly.
Plus, the explosive TV drama he starred in aired last winter break, less than a year and a half ago, so audiences hadn’t forgotten him. Inviting him to add a touch of glamour to the film was naturally a wise choice.
In Zheng Weiwei’s films, the male lead isn’t responsible for box office success, much like how many blockbusters feature female eye-candy playing minor roles.
This is why Zheng Weiwei easily cut Feng Yanqiu’s scenes since he wasn’t essential.
Yet Feng Yanqiu and his agent also knew they were in no position to drive box office sales, lacking any negotiation leverage. His "roots" in TV drama, even at his peak, saw his movies flop; in the film sector, he struggled to be valued.
Still, Feng Yanqiu was very angry.
He wasn’t angry at Zheng Weiwei or Wen Yu, who was uninvolved. Instead, all his fury was directed at Sheng Tang.