After Lu Si Jiao finished having her nonsensical thoughts, she patted her face.
She was clear-minded now.
Nothing was determined yet, Lu Zhi Wei didn’t say that she likes girls, how could she keep thinking down this route?
Forming a business CP was also for the popularity, it was reasonable.
Sang Wan Ci, whom every show wanted as a female lead, was already a very good friend for being willing to work with her sister who was a small supporting actress.
—— Lu Si Jiao, wake up, stop thinking about it!
She shook her head and added Ying Xi Ze’s WeChat, then changed the battle venue to WeChat.
[Lu Si Jiao]: That’s settled then, if my jie has any updates on her love life, you have to tell me immediately!
Ying Xi Ze couldn’t understand
[Ying Xi Ze]: But why are you so gossipy about your sister’s love life
[Ying Xi Ze]: I don’t see you so enthusiastic about caring about her health?
Lu Si Jiao really felt like he was dumb.
[Lu Si Jiao]: Physical health matters, emotional health matters too!
[Lu Si Jiao]: Aren’t I just afraid my jie would fall in love and fall out of love then have nobody to cry to?
[Lu Si Jiao]: If I don’t even know who she’s dating, how do I console her?
Ever since she started contacting Lu Zhi Wei again, she realised that Lu Zhi Wei’s circle of friends was very small, to the point that she could count all of Lu Zhi Wei’s friends on one hand.
It seemed like she had lived alone as well in the past, with nobody to chat to or open up to.
It was really pitiful.
Now that she had finally come to her jiejie‘s side, she would shoulder the responsibility of being a family member.
To care for her, to love her, to be the support behind her, wasn’t this all expected?
Even if she couldn’t do all of it, the least she could do was to find out she was upset as soon as possible and let her have someone to confide in……
Sigh.
She was really worried as a meimei.
Truly, didi couldn’t make it, he wasn’t considerate enough.
It’s fine, it doesn’t matter even if the didi can’t make it.
After all, her jie wouldn’t be with Ying Xi Ze in the future.
As long as she found someone who would treat her well.
…… Please read at jiulian lian . wordpress . com
Since they formed the business CP, even if it was more towards showing off their friendship, Sang Wan Ci’s frequency of posting Weibo updates was increasing.
Although sometimes there were still selfies and posts to promote 《Phoenix》, most of it all had something to do with Lu Zhi Wei.
As if she had come down with the “she would die early if she didn’t keep mentioning Lu Zhi Wei on Weibo” sickness.
It was to the point that her fans were all conflicted, happy yet suspicious.
[@01:56]: Baby, if you keep doing this, I’ll really be suspicious that 《Phoenix》’s male lead is Lu Zhi Wei and not Ying Xi Ze. Isn’t your production crew’s direction a bit biased?
[@I want to eat seaweed and fried chicken]: Wuwu why don’t I have a friend like this. God, please give me one too, my criteria isn’t high, it’s good enough as long as they’re like Sang Wan Ci
[@Do you see me caring about you]: God: She’s out of production, change to another one. Or why not you go wash up and sleep
[@Poverty has enveloped me]: Baby, tell mom the truth, has your heart been moved? Mm? 【Domineering stare.JPG】
Sang Wan Ci had to admit, some netizens were really smart.
At least, smarter than Lu Zhi Wei.
Because even the netizens could see she had fallen, but Lu Zhi Wei couldn’t.
Not only could she not see it, she even foolishly came over to tell her: Thank you.
After Lu Zhi Wei sent out that “thank you” message, her whole person calmed down.
But she was also a bit lost.
She was very grateful Sang Wan Ci had put in so much effort to help her, but she was also very apologetic that Sang Wan Ci had to take on so much suspicion.
This possibly was the most precious friendship?
She didn’t know if she was unique, she had never seen Sang Wan Ci be so good to others before.
But even if she had, what could Lu Zhi Wei do.
Wan Ci was just that kind……
Sigh……
She held her phone, sighing.
After that, she pulled herself together.
So what if Sang Wan Ci would treat others like this in the future? At least she only treated her like this now!
How many people in the world could form a CP with the person they had a crush on? Not many.
This was such a rare opportunity!
Besides, being able to form a CP meant that she really was different from other people in Sang Wan Ci’s heart.
At least she was different from the people who used a CP with Sang Wan Ci just for popularity.
Thinking about it, she felt better.
Since she was different from the rest, then she had the courage to take the initiative.
On the other end, Sang Wan Ci was looking at the two words speechlessly: “……”
Lu Zhi Wei, you’re really not clever.
She even wanted to share some of the intelligence from that fan with Lu Zhi Wei.
…… Please read at jiulian lian . wordpress . com
Lu Zhi Wei went with Wen Yao to meet 《Symphony of Dreams》’s Director Liu Zhao.
She sat in the front passenger seat, twisting her head to the side to look outside the window.
Lu Zhi Wei looked at each passerby on the street, their role indicators showing above their heads.
Most of them had a pale yellow colour.
That was the indicator of someone who had no relationship to the main protagonists.
They could live their lives peacefully and calmly.
In the past, she had hoped for a life like that.
A normal life.
But she didn’t expect that her life had become normal with more attention, but this attention…… wasn’t just a normal amount.
She would never have imagined that she would become the male protagonist in an idol drama.
But the only thing worth rejoicing about was that she wasn’t the sort of mesmerising, mystical male protagonist who could charm the female protagonist the moment they met.
Of course, in the original plot it was.
The main reason it had changed was because Lao Wu changed the program and adjusted the determination to avoid a second occurrence of her appearing as a “ge“.
Just as she was thinking about it, a grey colour appeared amidst the sea of yellow.
It was a faint, foreign colour.
It was a colour she had never seen before.
The car flew past and the scene disappeared.
She didn’t even have a chance to take a second look to see if she had mistaken it.
Her eyes widened as she pressed her face to the window, looking backwards.
She couldn’t see anything.
It was like it was a hallucination.
Wen Yao looked at her and asked: “What is it, Zhi Wei jie? Did you see someone?”
Hearing Wen Yao’s voice, Lu Zhi Wei returned to her senses and sat back.
She rubbed her eyes and patted her face, feeling like she was a little more awake.
She smiled at Wen Yao: “Nothing.”
She probably had really seen it wrongly.
After all, that colour was too dim. Dim to the point that it would be a miracle if someone else could see it.
She felt like her eyes weren’t so impressive.
… Please read at jiulian lian . wordpress . com
Lu Zhi Wei and Director Liu Zhao met in a teahouse.
They had specially arrived ten minutes early.
The waitress brought them to the private room. Once the door opened, it revealed a few people already sitting inside.
But the VIP Liu Zhao wasn’t there yet.
Aside from the male lead who was busy with another appointment, and the second female lead who hadn’t arrived yet, the rest of the crew had reached.
Lu Zhi Wei thought to herself: Looks like everybody’s early.
She politely greeted everybody and habitually glanced at their yellow halos before those disappeared.
Everybody was friendly and harmonious.
Until the third female lead Jin Man Wen appeared.
“Miss Lu, hello.”
Hearing this clear, gentle voice, Lu Zhi Wei figured it would be a very pretty girl.
She turned to look, her eyes widening slightly.
Not because of this short-haired girl’s looks.
But because Jin Man Wen’s indicator was a deep yellow.
—— The sign of a supporting character.
The indicator flashed for a few seconds then disappeared.
Lu Zhi Wei’s heart filled with suspicion.
What’s going on, how was she able to bump into a supporting character here?
What was even more outrageous was that Jin Man Wen didn’t even have a name in the original plot!
Jin Man Wen raised her hand, good-naturedly reaching out to shake her hand: “It’s our first time meeting, I’m Jin Man Wen. I really like you, I’ve watched all your shows.”
A friendly and warm air came towards her.
Lu Zhi Wei didn’t know why, but she thought of Qiu Luo.
She understood it. Because the world had an accident, a lot of people’s roles changed, just like how she became the male protagonist from a transparent entity.
It must be the case.
As a mature male lead, she had learnt to find explanations for herself.
Lu Zhi Wei thought: I can climb such a big rank difference to become the “male protagonist”, the female protagonist can ignore the plotline, why can’t other people climb a small rank difference to become a supporting role!
Lu Zhi Wei collected her thoughts and smiled, grasping Jin Man Wen’s hand: “Hello, thank you for liking me. I’ve also watched Miss Jin’s shows, your acting is good.”
Hearing Lu Zhi Wei say that she watched her shows, Jin Man Wen immediately became happy.
“If you have time, let’s exchange pointers. I think you really act well, I’d like to learn from you.”
It was the first time Lu Zhi Wei had been praised like this, she was a bit surprised: “No no, I’m not worthy of teaching anybody yet.”
Jin Man Wen immediately held her arm: “Don’t be humble, everybody can see how good your acting skills are, or else how would you have gotten on the hot search? You need to believe in yourself.
“Come, sit by my side, okay?”
“Mm??”
“Okay, just sit here.”
“……”
So Lu Zhi Wei blurrily got pressed into the seat next to Jin Man Wen.
She wasn’t sure, but she had an odd feeling.
Jin Man Wen treated her nicely, but she felt like something wasn’t right. She couldn’t put her finger on it.
She looked for Lao Wu to help her analyse it.
Lao Wu thought about it: 【If you’re the original male protagonist Qiu Luo, this attitude from Jin Man Wen would basically mean she likes you. But I’ve already fixed the program, the system didn’t receive any reminder of an incorrect judgement, so you’re a woman in her eyes.
【As for whether she likes you now or not…… I really can’t tell. Maybe she just wants to be friends with you.】
Following 《Phoenix》’s broadcast, and Sang Wan Ci and Ying Xi Ze’s efforts to interact with her, she was definitely much more popular than before.
Although she had only been a small supporting character, but the business potential was showing itself.
With popularity and value, there would naturally be many people she had never met before trying to become her friend.
Lu Zhi Wei: 【Oh, that’s fine then.】
Making friends was fine, she liked making friends.
As for liking her, forget it, she already had someone in her heart.
With the intention of making friends, Lu Zhi Wei started chatting with Jin Man Wen, the air light.
When talking about acting skills, Lu Zhi Wei didn’t hesitate to recommend Meng Lian Yu’s acting lessons on a variety show.
“Although there aren’t many episodes, but it’s really insightful. After you’ve watched it, you can use it in your own acting, it’s definitely useful! Go watch, you won’t lose anything by watching it!”
Jin Man Wen: “……”
Why did she feel like there was a salesperson sitting beside her?
She quickly put on a smile: “Okay, I’ll go take a look, thanks for the recommendation.
“Seeing you recommend it, do you like Meng Lian Yu a lot?”
Lu Zhi Wei nodded: “Mm, I really like her!
“How about you?”
Jin Man Wen: “I like Teacher Ji Feng.”
Lu Zhi Wei: “Oh I know, they’re both friends.”
Jin Man Wen: “That’s right, they’re friends, and they’re both single until now. Oh right, speaking of which, Teacher Lu, do you have a boyfriend?”
The topic changed too quickly, Lu Zhi Wei was a bit lost: “?”
Jin Man Wen suddenly lowered her voice: “Or…… A girlfriend?”
Lu Zhi Wei immediately felt like her heart had been stabbed.
She laughed awkwardly: “Ah, no, I’m single.”
Jin Man Wen smiled: “I’m single too haha. Work’s too busy, so I don’t have time to date. You too, Teacher Lu?”
Lu Zhi Wei casually lied: “Mm, pretty much.”
The main reason was because the person she liked was too outstanding, she didn’t even know if there would be a chance to date.
As the two of them chatted, Director Liu Zhao arrived.
Everybody in the room stood up to welcome him.
Liu Zhao was wearing a cap, with his hair in a small braid behind. His looks were average, with a clean face.
He didn’t stop walking, waving a hand to indicate for everybody to sit down: “No need to be formal.”
He sat down and wanted to get straight into it, but he noticed someone missing when he looked around the room. He turned to ask his assistant: “Zhou Ling Ling isn’t here yet?”
Zhou Ling Ling, the second female lead for this show, was from the same company as Lu Zhi Wei.
Lu Zhi Wei had been surprised when she first found out that she was cast as the second female lead.
From what Wen Yao had said, Zhou Ling Ling had been supported by the company until she had become arrogant. She normally looked down on the smaller actors in the same company.
Thus, as the “big sister” of Sheng Yue, it was inconceivable that she would be a supporting actor for a smaller actress from the same company.
But Wen Yao suggested another possibility.
Maybe Zhou Ling Ling didn’t even know who the female lead was, and she couldn’t be bothered to find out.
Liu Zhao had wanted to bring up his requests for the show once everybody arrived.
So be it if the male lead couldn’t make it because of another work appointment, he could just be informed over a call.
Zhou Ling Ling, who had nothing on recently, why couldn’t she come?
If it wasn’t for the fact that her acting skills were passable for the second female lead’s role and that she had resources behind her, he wouldn’t even want her in the crew.
Liu Zhao’s face showed his displeasure as he asked his assistant to call her and hurry her up.
The assistant walked out in a panic and called Zhou Ling Ling’s manager.
Lu Zhi Wei watched all of it quietly.
Wen Yao wasn’t around, so she gossiped with Lao Wu.
She said: 【Director Liu probably doesn’t really like Zhou Ling Ling.】
Lao Wu: 【Be a bit more confident, remove “probably”.】
Lu Zhi Wei amicably changed it: 【Director Liu doesn’t really like Zhou Ling Ling.】
Lao Wu: 【Speaking of which, I think you should be a bit more concerned whether Zhou Ling Ling will find trouble with you.】
In the original plot, Zhou Ling Ling was also a supporting female character who had some chances to show her face.
She liked the male lead Qiu Luo, and she fought with Sang Wan Ci on occasion.
But the reason they fought wasn’t only because of Qiu Luo, but because the radiant and shining Sang Wan Ci could always easily steal the attention away from her, making her inflated ego upset.
In other words, she was fighting with the female protagonist halo.
Now that Qiu Luo didn’t have his halo anymore, the male protagonist halo now could be considered the “second female protagonist halo”.
Nobody knew how the second female protagonist halo could affect a supporting character like Zhou Ling Ling.
Lu Zhi Wei started praying in her heart: Please be a good person, please be a good person……
Don’t let her encounter a second Qiu Luo.
So be it if he was greasy, but he was even unsavable.
This child was really exhausted.
Everybody waited silently for ten minutes before Zhou Ling Ling arrived.
This was the first time Lu Zhi Wei was seeing Zhou Ling Ling in person.
Zhou Ling Ling was a pretty young lady, with a clean face. She looked like a good girl next door if she didn’t speak.
Her only flaw was that her gaze was too sharp. She was used to lifting up her chin and speaking down to people. There was no arrogance that made it seem like she disdained all living beings, there was only an unpleasant meanness.
Liu Zhao’s unhappiness was clearly written on his face.
But Zhou Ling Ling wasn’t worried: “Don’t be angry Director Liu, aren’t I here now?”
Liu Zhao really wanted to scold her, but thinking about it, he gave up.
One more sentence was one more second wasted. He still had another appointment after this, he had no time and he didn’t want to waste everybody else’s time too.
Besides, with Zhou Ling Ling’s personality, it’s not like she would wake up just by someone scolding her.
If he scolded her and she left, he would still have to call her after. It was tiring thinking about it.
“Don’t be late next time, it’s a waste of time.” Liu Zhao’s tone wasn’t pleasant. “Go sit down.”
Zhou Ling Ling didn’t rebut him or care about it at all, sitting down without any remorse.
She was only here to work together with a big director and get a good reputation. She had also heard there were a lot of important scenes for the second female lead in this show; Liu Zhao was still considering if he wanted to make it a show with two female leads.
It was enough that there were plenty of scenes, the others weren’t important. She didn’t even bother to see who was the one who managed to get the female lead’s role.
No matter who it was, it was fine as long as it wasn’t someone who was less popular than her.
She couldn’t stand being a supporting character to small actors.
The company had spent so much money and resources to support her, not to let her be a support to someone else.
Oh right, and the other criteria was that it was fine as long as it wasn’t Sang Wan Ci.
She didn’t like that woman.
After sitting down, Zhou Ling Ling’s gaze swept across everybody’s faces as she scoffed coldly in her heart: Hmph, none of them are more popular than me.
Then her eyes slowly landed on Lu Zhi Wei’s face.
She knew Lu Zhi Wei, Sang Wan Ci’s recent CP.
It was a bit of a shock, Sang Wan Ci had been willing to form a CP with someone.
And it was even a small actress from their company with no reputation.
But…… What was Lu Zhi Wei doing here?
What was she acting as?
Liu Zhao, sitting beside her, had already started listing his requirements for the actors.
She didn’t interrupt, keeping this question for later.
Liu Zhao’s basic requirements for the actors were simple.
“Go learn a musical instrument.”
Everybody was shocked.
Liu Zhao’s face didn’t change: “This is a show about music, a good portion of the show will be scenes with music. As the people in the show, it’s a basic requirement to be able to play the instruments. I also hope you’ll really play the instruments, I don’t want it to be an act that the audience will expose.
“You don’t have to learn too much, each of you has an instrument, just learn that.
“For example, Zhou Ling Ling is the second female lead, the second female lead plays the piano, so Ling Ling will learn the piano.
“Zhi Wei is the female lead, the female lead is the violin, so go learn the violin.”
Hearing that Lu Zhi Wei was the female lead, Zhou Ling Ling froze, looking at Lu Zhi Wei.
Lu Zhi Wei accidentally met eyes with her.
Lu Zhi Wei: “……”
There’s killing intent!
Liu Zhao didn’t notice the atmosphere between them.
He raised a finger, saying to the room: “I only have one request. Before we start shooting, all of you must learn your own instrument, is that clear?
“It’s fine as long as you can play it. It doesn’t need to be super professional. Of course, if you can make it super professional and get a certificate, I’m happy to hear it, congratulations on learning a new skill.”
Everybody laughed.
Only Zhou Ling Ling couldn’t laugh.
The fire in her eyes was almost burning Lu Zhi Wei alive.
When Liu Zhao stopped talking, she raised her hand and pointed at Lu Zhi Wei: “Director Liu, what role did you say she was?”
【It’s here.】 Lao Wu said.
【It’s killing intent.】 Lu Zhi Wei replied.
Everybody in the room paid attention, a “time for gossip” expression on their faces.
“Mm?” Liu Zhao looked at her. “The female lead, why?”
“?” Please read at jiulian lian . wordpress . com
Zhou Ling Ling: “She’s the female lead?! Who made the decision!”
She didn’t get the female lead, how could an unpopular small actress step on her head?!
Was the person who made the decision blind, couldn’t they see who was the one who could really bring in viewers for the show!
Liu Zhao was calm: “Me.”
Zhou Ling Ling suddenly went silent: “……”
Liu Zhao patted the back of her chair: “Do you still have something you want to say? Hold onto it for a while, I’m not done yet.”
Then he turned around and continued discussing the filming with the rest of the room, completely ignoring her anger.
【Not bad, this director is protecting you.】 Lao Wu said.
Lu Zhi Wei loosened a breath in relief.
Lao Wu worried: 【But whether your company protects you or not, it remains to be seen.】
Lu Zhi Wei was not like Qiu Luo, with someone in his family backing him.
Thinking about it, Lu Zhi Wei was worried, but she quickly became optimistic again: 【No worries, we’ll see as we go. I have a backup plan anyway.】
Lao Wu didn’t understand: 【What backup plan?】
Lu Zhi Wei: 【Xiao Ying asked me to go to their company in the past. If Sheng Yue really wants to suppress me for Zhou Ling Ling, then I’ll pack up and go work with Xiao Ying. If I can’t work with Xiao Ying, then I’ll work with Wan Ci.
【There are so many management companies, there is bound to be one who will take me, right?】
Lao Wu paused, then smiled: 【Mm, you’re right. My daughter has so much potential, she’ll be hotly sought after for sure.】
With a backup plan in place, Lu Zhi Wei wasn’t afraid anymore.
She calmly endured Zhou Ling Ling’s fiery eyes as she listened to Director Liu.
She didn’t know how badly Zhou Ling Ling wanted to rip her apart right now, she only knew she had to learn the violin.
“Okay, we’ll wrap up here. I called you guys over to let you familiarise yourself with each other. You guys can create your own chat groups and make friends first.
“Whether you learn it on your own or find a teacher, it’s up to you, as long as you can play the instrument at the end.”
Liu Zhao got up, looking at his watch.
“Thanks for coming, everyone. I still have something to attend to, I’ll be leaving now. If you have anything to ask, look for my assistant. Bye.”
“Bye, Director Liu.”
“Bye bye, Director Liu.”
“Bye bye.”
The farewell greetings came one after another.
Lu Zhi Wei already had an idea when she heard him say “find a teacher”.
She decided to take the initiative again!
Instead of speak of the devil, now the devil came even if you thought of him.
She had just been about to look for Sang Wan Ci when she called her.
Having just finished a work meeting and having your crush call you, nobody would be able to be unhappy.
So she quickly said bye to everybody and walked off with her phone, not even looking at Zhou Ling Ling.
Jin Man Wen didn’t have time to ask for her contact either.
Zhou Ling Ling stood there, feeling like Lu Zhi Wei’s smile as she was leaving was unbelievably irritating.
Arrogant and haughty, it made her particularly uncomfortable to think about it.
—— Lu Zhi Wei, what right did you have to become the female lead!
… Please read at jiulian lian . wordpress . com
“Wan Ci,” Lu Zhi Wei put on her mask and hat as she walked out of the teahouse. “Why did you suddenly call me?”
“I just finished filming and recalled you were meeting the director today,” Sang Wan Ci said. “How is it, was it successful?”
Lu Zhi Wei was very happy Sang Wan Ci paid so much attention to her.
Her smile suddenly became genuine: “Mm, it was successful. Director Liu didn’t say much, he just wanted us to go practice an instrument.”
Sang Wan Ci doubtfully hummed: “Practice an instrument?”
Lu Zhi Wei explained: “Director Liu said he wishes that when we’re filming, we’re really playing the instrument and showing that we can play it, not just putting on an act for the audience.”
Sang Wan Ci understood, saying warmly: “Being responsible for the audience is a good thing.”
Lu Zhi Wei replied lightly: “Mm.”
She looked at the road in front of her.
The bright sunlight shone down as the breeze and her crush’s gentle voice brushed against her ear.
Her heartbeat suddenly increased.
She couldn’t help but call out: “Wan Ci.”
“Mm?”
“I have a small question,” she asked. “Can you play the violin?”
She already knew the answer before she asked.
In the original plot, it was written that not only did Sang Wan Ci know how to play the violin. She also knew how to play the piano, the guzheng[1], the harmonica and more.
There were so many she felt like Sang Wan Ci was too capable.
But thinking about it, she was the female protagonist in an idol drama, how could she not be capable?
But if she continued being this capable, people who wanted to be the female lead in an idol drama probably would need to know how to fight with eighteen different weapons.
Then she heard Sang Wan Ci reply: “I can.”
—— Yeah! Step one complete, the fish is about to get hooked!
She silently rejoiced as she said: “Then can you ——”
“I can.”
Sang Wan Ci replied immediately, not even waiting to hear the rest of the question.
“I finish filming in July, I can go look for you once my break starts. I’ll teach you how to play the violin then.”
Lu Zhi Wei was dumbfounded: “?”
How did she know what I was going to say???
“That’s decided then. I’m going to go eat first.”
“Bye bye……”
“Mm, bye bye.”
After hanging up, Sang Wan Ci’s lips curved upwards slightly, a hint of victory in her smile.
—— Good, the fish has taken the initiative to get hooked.
After Lu Si Jiao finished having her nonsensical thoughts, she patted her face.
She was clear-minded now.
Nothing was determined yet, Lu Zhi Wei didn’t say that she likes girls, how could she keep thinking down this route?
Forming a business CP was also for the popularity, it was reasonable.
Sang Wan Ci, whom every show wanted as a female lead, was already a very good friend for being willing to work with her sister who was a small supporting actress.
—— Lu Si Jiao, wake up, stop thinking about it!
She shook her head and added Ying Xi Ze’s WeChat, then changed the battle venue to WeChat.
[Lu Si Jiao]: That’s settled then, if my jie has any updates on her love life, you have to tell me immediately!
Ying Xi Ze couldn’t understand
[Ying Xi Ze]: But why are you so gossipy about your sister’s love life
[Ying Xi Ze]: I don’t see you so enthusiastic about caring about her health?
Lu Si Jiao really felt like he was dumb.
[Lu Si Jiao]: Physical health matters, emotional health matters too!
[Lu Si Jiao]: Aren’t I just afraid my jie would fall in love and fall out of love then have nobody to cry to?
[Lu Si Jiao]: If I don’t even know who she’s dating, how do I console her?
Ever since she started contacting Lu Zhi Wei again, she realised that Lu Zhi Wei’s circle of friends was very small, to the point that she could count all of Lu Zhi Wei’s friends on one hand.
It seemed like she had lived alone as well in the past, with nobody to chat to or open up to.
It was really pitiful.
Now that she had finally come to her jiejie‘s side, she would shoulder the responsibility of being a family member.
To care for her, to love her, to be the support behind her, wasn’t this all expected?
Even if she couldn’t do all of it, the least she could do was to find out she was upset as soon as possible and let her have someone to confide in……
Sigh.
She was really worried as a meimei.
Truly, didi couldn’t make it, he wasn’t considerate enough.
It’s fine, it doesn’t matter even if the didi can’t make it.
After all, her jie wouldn’t be with Ying Xi Ze in the future.
As long as she found someone who would treat her well.
…… Please read at jiulian lian . wordpress . com
Since they formed the business CP, even if it was more towards showing off their friendship, Sang Wan Ci’s frequency of posting Weibo updates was increasing.
Although sometimes there were still selfies and posts to promote 《Phoenix》, most of it all had something to do with Lu Zhi Wei.
As if she had come down with the “she would die early if she didn’t keep mentioning Lu Zhi Wei on Weibo” sickness.
It was to the point that her fans were all conflicted, happy yet suspicious.
[@01:56]: Baby, if you keep doing this, I’ll really be suspicious that 《Phoenix》’s male lead is Lu Zhi Wei and not Ying Xi Ze. Isn’t your production crew’s direction a bit biased?
[@I want to eat seaweed and fried chicken]: Wuwu why don’t I have a friend like this. God, please give me one too, my criteria isn’t high, it’s good enough as long as they’re like Sang Wan Ci
[@Do you see me caring about you]: God: She’s out of production, change to another one. Or why not you go wash up and sleep
[@Poverty has enveloped me]: Baby, tell mom the truth, has your heart been moved? Mm? 【Domineering stare.JPG】
Sang Wan Ci had to admit, some netizens were really smart.
At least, smarter than Lu Zhi Wei.
Because even the netizens could see she had fallen, but Lu Zhi Wei couldn’t.
Not only could she not see it, she even foolishly came over to tell her: Thank you.
After Lu Zhi Wei sent out that “thank you” message, her whole person calmed down.
But she was also a bit lost.
She was very grateful Sang Wan Ci had put in so much effort to help her, but she was also very apologetic that Sang Wan Ci had to take on so much suspicion.
This possibly was the most precious friendship?
She didn’t know if she was unique, she had never seen Sang Wan Ci be so good to others before.
But even if she had, what could Lu Zhi Wei do.
Wan Ci was just that kind……
Sigh……
She held her phone, sighing.
After that, she pulled herself together.
So what if Sang Wan Ci would treat others like this in the future? At least she only treated her like this now!
How many people in the world could form a CP with the person they had a crush on? Not many.
This was such a rare opportunity!
Besides, being able to form a CP meant that she really was different from other people in Sang Wan Ci’s heart.
At least she was different from the people who used a CP with Sang Wan Ci just for popularity.
Thinking about it, she felt better.
Since she was different from the rest, then she had the courage to take the initiative.
On the other end, Sang Wan Ci was looking at the two words speechlessly: “……”
Lu Zhi Wei, you’re really not clever.
She even wanted to share some of the intelligence from that fan with Lu Zhi Wei.
…… Please read at jiulian lian . wordpress . com
Lu Zhi Wei went with Wen Yao to meet 《Symphony of Dreams》’s Director Liu Zhao.
She sat in the front passenger seat, twisting her head to the side to look outside the window.
Lu Zhi Wei looked at each passerby on the street, their role indicators showing above their heads.
Most of them had a pale yellow colour.
That was the indicator of someone who had no relationship to the main protagonists.
They could live their lives peacefully and calmly.
In the past, she had hoped for a life like that.
A normal life.
But she didn’t expect that her life had become normal with more attention, but this attention…… wasn’t just a normal amount.
She would never have imagined that she would become the male protagonist in an idol drama.
But the only thing worth rejoicing about was that she wasn’t the sort of mesmerising, mystical male protagonist who could charm the female protagonist the moment they met.
Of course, in the original plot it was.
The main reason it had changed was because Lao Wu changed the program and adjusted the determination to avoid a second occurrence of her appearing as a “ge“.
Just as she was thinking about it, a grey colour appeared amidst the sea of yellow.
It was a faint, foreign colour.
It was a colour she had never seen before.
The car flew past and the scene disappeared.
She didn’t even have a chance to take a second look to see if she had mistaken it.
Her eyes widened as she pressed her face to the window, looking backwards.
She couldn’t see anything.
It was like it was a hallucination.
Wen Yao looked at her and asked: “What is it, Zhi Wei jie? Did you see someone?”
Hearing Wen Yao’s voice, Lu Zhi Wei returned to her senses and sat back.
She rubbed her eyes and patted her face, feeling like she was a little more awake.
She smiled at Wen Yao: “Nothing.”
She probably had really seen it wrongly.
After all, that colour was too dim. Dim to the point that it would be a miracle if someone else could see it.
She felt like her eyes weren’t so impressive.
… Please read at jiulian lian . wordpress . com
Lu Zhi Wei and Director Liu Zhao met in a teahouse.
They had specially arrived ten minutes early.
The waitress brought them to the private room. Once the door opened, it revealed a few people already sitting inside.
But the VIP Liu Zhao wasn’t there yet.
Aside from the male lead who was busy with another appointment, and the second female lead who hadn’t arrived yet, the rest of the crew had reached.
Lu Zhi Wei thought to herself: Looks like everybody’s early.
She politely greeted everybody and habitually glanced at their yellow halos before those disappeared.
Everybody was friendly and harmonious.
Until the third female lead Jin Man Wen appeared.
“Miss Lu, hello.”
Hearing this clear, gentle voice, Lu Zhi Wei figured it would be a very pretty girl.
She turned to look, her eyes widening slightly.
Not because of this short-haired girl’s looks.
But because Jin Man Wen’s indicator was a deep yellow.
—— The sign of a supporting character.
The indicator flashed for a few seconds then disappeared.
Lu Zhi Wei’s heart filled with suspicion.
What’s going on, how was she able to bump into a supporting character here?
What was even more outrageous was that Jin Man Wen didn’t even have a name in the original plot!
Jin Man Wen raised her hand, good-naturedly reaching out to shake her hand: “It’s our first time meeting, I’m Jin Man Wen. I really like you, I’ve watched all your shows.”
A friendly and warm air came towards her.
Lu Zhi Wei didn’t know why, but she thought of Qiu Luo.
She understood it. Because the world had an accident, a lot of people’s roles changed, just like how she became the male protagonist from a transparent entity.
It must be the case.
As a mature male lead, she had learnt to find explanations for herself.
Lu Zhi Wei thought: I can climb such a big rank difference to become the “male protagonist”, the female protagonist can ignore the plotline, why can’t other people climb a small rank difference to become a supporting role!
Lu Zhi Wei collected her thoughts and smiled, grasping Jin Man Wen’s hand: “Hello, thank you for liking me. I’ve also watched Miss Jin’s shows, your acting is good.”
Hearing Lu Zhi Wei say that she watched her shows, Jin Man Wen immediately became happy.
“If you have time, let’s exchange pointers. I think you really act well, I’d like to learn from you.”
It was the first time Lu Zhi Wei had been praised like this, she was a bit surprised: “No no, I’m not worthy of teaching anybody yet.”
Jin Man Wen immediately held her arm: “Don’t be humble, everybody can see how good your acting skills are, or else how would you have gotten on the hot search? You need to believe in yourself.
“Come, sit by my side, okay?”
“Mm??”
“Okay, just sit here.”
“……”
So Lu Zhi Wei blurrily got pressed into the seat next to Jin Man Wen.
She wasn’t sure, but she had an odd feeling.
Jin Man Wen treated her nicely, but she felt like something wasn’t right. She couldn’t put her finger on it.
She looked for Lao Wu to help her analyse it.
Lao Wu thought about it: 【If you’re the original male protagonist Qiu Luo, this attitude from Jin Man Wen would basically mean she likes you. But I’ve already fixed the program, the system didn’t receive any reminder of an incorrect judgement, so you’re a woman in her eyes.
【As for whether she likes you now or not…… I really can’t tell. Maybe she just wants to be friends with you.】
Following 《Phoenix》’s broadcast, and Sang Wan Ci and Ying Xi Ze’s efforts to interact with her, she was definitely much more popular than before.
Although she had only been a small supporting character, but the business potential was showing itself.
With popularity and value, there would naturally be many people she had never met before trying to become her friend.
Lu Zhi Wei: 【Oh, that’s fine then.】
Making friends was fine, she liked making friends.
As for liking her, forget it, she already had someone in her heart.
With the intention of making friends, Lu Zhi Wei started chatting with Jin Man Wen, the air light.
When talking about acting skills, Lu Zhi Wei didn’t hesitate to recommend Meng Lian Yu’s acting lessons on a variety show.
“Although there aren’t many episodes, but it’s really insightful. After you’ve watched it, you can use it in your own acting, it’s definitely useful! Go watch, you won’t lose anything by watching it!”
Jin Man Wen: “……”
Why did she feel like there was a salesperson sitting beside her?
She quickly put on a smile: “Okay, I’ll go take a look, thanks for the recommendation.
“Seeing you recommend it, do you like Meng Lian Yu a lot?”
Lu Zhi Wei nodded: “Mm, I really like her!
“How about you?”
Jin Man Wen: “I like Teacher Ji Feng.”
Lu Zhi Wei: “Oh I know, they’re both friends.”
Jin Man Wen: “That’s right, they’re friends, and they’re both single until now. Oh right, speaking of which, Teacher Lu, do you have a boyfriend?”
The topic changed too quickly, Lu Zhi Wei was a bit lost: “?”
Jin Man Wen suddenly lowered her voice: “Or…… A girlfriend?”
Lu Zhi Wei immediately felt like her heart had been stabbed.
She laughed awkwardly: “Ah, no, I’m single.”
Jin Man Wen smiled: “I’m single too haha. Work’s too busy, so I don’t have time to date. You too, Teacher Lu?”
Lu Zhi Wei casually lied: “Mm, pretty much.”
The main reason was because the person she liked was too outstanding, she didn’t even know if there would be a chance to date.
As the two of them chatted, Director Liu Zhao arrived.
Everybody in the room stood up to welcome him.
Liu Zhao was wearing a cap, with his hair in a small braid behind. His looks were average, with a clean face.
He didn’t stop walking, waving a hand to indicate for everybody to sit down: “No need to be formal.”
He sat down and wanted to get straight into it, but he noticed someone missing when he looked around the room. He turned to ask his assistant: “Zhou Ling Ling isn’t here yet?”
Zhou Ling Ling, the second female lead for this show, was from the same company as Lu Zhi Wei.
Lu Zhi Wei had been surprised when she first found out that she was cast as the second female lead.
From what Wen Yao had said, Zhou Ling Ling had been supported by the company until she had become arrogant. She normally looked down on the smaller actors in the same company.
Thus, as the “big sister” of Sheng Yue, it was inconceivable that she would be a supporting actor for a smaller actress from the same company.
But Wen Yao suggested another possibility.
Maybe Zhou Ling Ling didn’t even know who the female lead was, and she couldn’t be bothered to find out.
Liu Zhao had wanted to bring up his requests for the show once everybody arrived.
So be it if the male lead couldn’t make it because of another work appointment, he could just be informed over a call.
Zhou Ling Ling, who had nothing on recently, why couldn’t she come?
If it wasn’t for the fact that her acting skills were passable for the second female lead’s role and that she had resources behind her, he wouldn’t even want her in the crew.
Liu Zhao’s face showed his displeasure as he asked his assistant to call her and hurry her up.
The assistant walked out in a panic and called Zhou Ling Ling’s manager.
Lu Zhi Wei watched all of it quietly.
Wen Yao wasn’t around, so she gossiped with Lao Wu.
She said: 【Director Liu probably doesn’t really like Zhou Ling Ling.】
Lao Wu: 【Be a bit more confident, remove “probably”.】
Lu Zhi Wei amicably changed it: 【Director Liu doesn’t really like Zhou Ling Ling.】
Lao Wu: 【Speaking of which, I think you should be a bit more concerned whether Zhou Ling Ling will find trouble with you.】
In the original plot, Zhou Ling Ling was also a supporting female character who had some chances to show her face.
She liked the male lead Qiu Luo, and she fought with Sang Wan Ci on occasion.
But the reason they fought wasn’t only because of Qiu Luo, but because the radiant and shining Sang Wan Ci could always easily steal the attention away from her, making her inflated ego upset.
In other words, she was fighting with the female protagonist halo.
Now that Qiu Luo didn’t have his halo anymore, the male protagonist halo now could be considered the “second female protagonist halo”.
Nobody knew how the second female protagonist halo could affect a supporting character like Zhou Ling Ling.
Lu Zhi Wei started praying in her heart: Please be a good person, please be a good person……
Don’t let her encounter a second Qiu Luo.
So be it if he was greasy, but he was even unsavable.
This child was really exhausted.
Everybody waited silently for ten minutes before Zhou Ling Ling arrived.
This was the first time Lu Zhi Wei was seeing Zhou Ling Ling in person.
Zhou Ling Ling was a pretty young lady, with a clean face. She looked like a good girl next door if she didn’t speak.
Her only flaw was that her gaze was too sharp. She was used to lifting up her chin and speaking down to people. There was no arrogance that made it seem like she disdained all living beings, there was only an unpleasant meanness.
Liu Zhao’s unhappiness was clearly written on his face.
But Zhou Ling Ling wasn’t worried: “Don’t be angry Director Liu, aren’t I here now?”
Liu Zhao really wanted to scold her, but thinking about it, he gave up.
One more sentence was one more second wasted. He still had another appointment after this, he had no time and he didn’t want to waste everybody else’s time too.
Besides, with Zhou Ling Ling’s personality, it’s not like she would wake up just by someone scolding her.
If he scolded her and she left, he would still have to call her after. It was tiring thinking about it.
“Don’t be late next time, it’s a waste of time.” Liu Zhao’s tone wasn’t pleasant. “Go sit down.”
Zhou Ling Ling didn’t rebut him or care about it at all, sitting down without any remorse.
She was only here to work together with a big director and get a good reputation. She had also heard there were a lot of important scenes for the second female lead in this show; Liu Zhao was still considering if he wanted to make it a show with two female leads.
It was enough that there were plenty of scenes, the others weren’t important. She didn’t even bother to see who was the one who managed to get the female lead’s role.
No matter who it was, it was fine as long as it wasn’t someone who was less popular than her.
She couldn’t stand being a supporting character to small actors.
The company had spent so much money and resources to support her, not to let her be a support to someone else.
Oh right, and the other criteria was that it was fine as long as it wasn’t Sang Wan Ci.
She didn’t like that woman.
After sitting down, Zhou Ling Ling’s gaze swept across everybody’s faces as she scoffed coldly in her heart: Hmph, none of them are more popular than me.
Then her eyes slowly landed on Lu Zhi Wei’s face.
She knew Lu Zhi Wei, Sang Wan Ci’s recent CP.
It was a bit of a shock, Sang Wan Ci had been willing to form a CP with someone.
And it was even a small actress from their company with no reputation.
But…… What was Lu Zhi Wei doing here?
What was she acting as?
Liu Zhao, sitting beside her, had already started listing his requirements for the actors.
She didn’t interrupt, keeping this question for later.
Liu Zhao’s basic requirements for the actors were simple.
“Go learn a musical instrument.”
Everybody was shocked.
Liu Zhao’s face didn’t change: “This is a show about music, a good portion of the show will be scenes with music. As the people in the show, it’s a basic requirement to be able to play the instruments. I also hope you’ll really play the instruments, I don’t want it to be an act that the audience will expose.
“You don’t have to learn too much, each of you has an instrument, just learn that.
“For example, Zhou Ling Ling is the second female lead, the second female lead plays the piano, so Ling Ling will learn the piano.
“Zhi Wei is the female lead, the female lead is the violin, so go learn the violin.”
Hearing that Lu Zhi Wei was the female lead, Zhou Ling Ling froze, looking at Lu Zhi Wei.
Lu Zhi Wei accidentally met eyes with her.
Lu Zhi Wei: “……”
There’s killing intent!
Liu Zhao didn’t notice the atmosphere between them.
He raised a finger, saying to the room: “I only have one request. Before we start shooting, all of you must learn your own instrument, is that clear?
“It’s fine as long as you can play it. It doesn’t need to be super professional. Of course, if you can make it super professional and get a certificate, I’m happy to hear it, congratulations on learning a new skill.”
Everybody laughed.
Only Zhou Ling Ling couldn’t laugh.
The fire in her eyes was almost burning Lu Zhi Wei alive.
When Liu Zhao stopped talking, she raised her hand and pointed at Lu Zhi Wei: “Director Liu, what role did you say she was?”
【It’s here.】 Lao Wu said.
【It’s killing intent.】 Lu Zhi Wei replied.
Everybody in the room paid attention, a “time for gossip” expression on their faces.
“Mm?” Liu Zhao looked at her. “The female lead, why?”
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Zhou Ling Ling: “She’s the female lead?! Who made the decision!”
She didn’t get the female lead, how could an unpopular small actress step on her head?!
Was the person who made the decision blind, couldn’t they see who was the one who could really bring in viewers for the show!
Liu Zhao was calm: “Me.”
Zhou Ling Ling suddenly went silent: “……”
Liu Zhao patted the back of her chair: “Do you still have something you want to say? Hold onto it for a while, I’m not done yet.”
Then he turned around and continued discussing the filming with the rest of the room, completely ignoring her anger.
【Not bad, this director is protecting you.】 Lao Wu said.
Lu Zhi Wei loosened a breath in relief.
Lao Wu worried: 【But whether your company protects you or not, it remains to be seen.】
Lu Zhi Wei was not like Qiu Luo, with someone in his family backing him.
Thinking about it, Lu Zhi Wei was worried, but she quickly became optimistic again: 【No worries, we’ll see as we go. I have a backup plan anyway.】
Lao Wu didn’t understand: 【What backup plan?】
Lu Zhi Wei: 【Xiao Ying asked me to go to their company in the past. If Sheng Yue really wants to suppress me for Zhou Ling Ling, then I’ll pack up and go work with Xiao Ying. If I can’t work with Xiao Ying, then I’ll work with Wan Ci.
【There are so many management companies, there is bound to be one who will take me, right?】
Lao Wu paused, then smiled: 【Mm, you’re right. My daughter has so much potential, she’ll be hotly sought after for sure.】
With a backup plan in place, Lu Zhi Wei wasn’t afraid anymore.
She calmly endured Zhou Ling Ling’s fiery eyes as she listened to Director Liu.
She didn’t know how badly Zhou Ling Ling wanted to rip her apart right now, she only knew she had to learn the violin.
“Okay, we’ll wrap up here. I called you guys over to let you familiarise yourself with each other. You guys can create your own chat groups and make friends first.
“Whether you learn it on your own or find a teacher, it’s up to you, as long as you can play the instrument at the end.”
Liu Zhao got up, looking at his watch.
“Thanks for coming, everyone. I still have something to attend to, I’ll be leaving now. If you have anything to ask, look for my assistant. Bye.”
“Bye, Director Liu.”
“Bye bye, Director Liu.”
“Bye bye.”
The farewell greetings came one after another.
Lu Zhi Wei already had an idea when she heard him say “find a teacher”.
She decided to take the initiative again!
Instead of speak of the devil, now the devil came even if you thought of him.
She had just been about to look for Sang Wan Ci when she called her.
Having just finished a work meeting and having your crush call you, nobody would be able to be unhappy.
So she quickly said bye to everybody and walked off with her phone, not even looking at Zhou Ling Ling.
Jin Man Wen didn’t have time to ask for her contact either.
Zhou Ling Ling stood there, feeling like Lu Zhi Wei’s smile as she was leaving was unbelievably irritating.
Arrogant and haughty, it made her particularly uncomfortable to think about it.
—— Lu Zhi Wei, what right did you have to become the female lead!
… Please read at jiulian lian . wordpress . com
“Wan Ci,” Lu Zhi Wei put on her mask and hat as she walked out of the teahouse. “Why did you suddenly call me?”
“I just finished filming and recalled you were meeting the director today,” Sang Wan Ci said. “How is it, was it successful?”
Lu Zhi Wei was very happy Sang Wan Ci paid so much attention to her.
Her smile suddenly became genuine: “Mm, it was successful. Director Liu didn’t say much, he just wanted us to go practice an instrument.”
Sang Wan Ci doubtfully hummed: “Practice an instrument?”
Lu Zhi Wei explained: “Director Liu said he wishes that when we’re filming, we’re really playing the instrument and showing that we can play it, not just putting on an act for the audience.”
Sang Wan Ci understood, saying warmly: “Being responsible for the audience is a good thing.”
Lu Zhi Wei replied lightly: “Mm.”
She looked at the road in front of her.
The bright sunlight shone down as the breeze and her crush’s gentle voice brushed against her ear.
Her heartbeat suddenly increased.
She couldn’t help but call out: “Wan Ci.”
“Mm?”
“I have a small question,” she asked. “Can you play the violin?”
She already knew the answer before she asked.
In the original plot, it was written that not only did Sang Wan Ci know how to play the violin. She also knew how to play the piano, the guzheng[1], the harmonica and more.
There were so many she felt like Sang Wan Ci was too capable.
But thinking about it, she was the female protagonist in an idol drama, how could she not be capable?
But if she continued being this capable, people who wanted to be the female lead in an idol drama probably would need to know how to fight with eighteen different weapons.
Then she heard Sang Wan Ci reply: “I can.”
—— Yeah! Step one complete, the fish is about to get hooked!
She silently rejoiced as she said: “Then can you ——”
“I can.”
Sang Wan Ci replied immediately, not even waiting to hear the rest of the question.
“I finish filming in July, I can go look for you once my break starts. I’ll teach you how to play the violin then.”
Lu Zhi Wei was dumbfounded: “?”
How did she know what I was going to say???
“That’s decided then. I’m going to go eat first.”
“Bye bye……”
“Mm, bye bye.”
After hanging up, Sang Wan Ci’s lips curved upwards slightly, a hint of victory in her smile.
—— Good, the fish has taken the initiative to get hooked.
