Caught in Affairs with Superstar
Chapter 191 - 159: The Beginning of the Scandal

Chapter 191: Chapter 159: The Beginning of the Scandal

Luoyan, as the name implies, is the female protagonist of "Luoyan."

The entire story revolves around Luoyan.

Someone has set their sights on Luoyan, meaning that this role is not something Zhou Yun can just play if she wishes to.

Zhou Yun was stunned.

This news was something she hadn’t heard before.

She looked towards He Yong.

He Yong also wore a look of surprise; without asking, it was obvious that he too had just heard this for the first time.

He Yong asked, "Liang Paper Piece, who is interested in this role?"

After pondering for a moment, Liang Haiyuan uttered the name: "Lew Qingqing."

Zhou Yun couldn’t help but feel that fate was playing tricks on her.

She didn’t know many people in the entertainment circle, Lew Qingqing was one, Su Yan was another, and it seemed she was fated to cross paths with them both.

"Of course, apart from Lew Qingqing, there are two other actresses who are also interested in this script and have approached me, but for various reasons, they haven’t taken further action," Liang Haiyuan said.

He Yong felt somewhat irritable upon hearing Lew Qingqing’s name.

Lew Qingqing was a first-line actress who could compete with Su Yan, with even better public appeal than Su Yan.

The fact that Su Yan could partner up with Song Chi to star in "Heart Inquiry" showed what kind of status Lew Qingqing had in the TV series circle.

If Lew Qingqing wanted to play "Luoyan," she would indeed be a much tougher competitor than Zhou Yun.

Zhou Yun may be popular, but her popularity was only trend-based. Was she a big star? No, did she have any representative works in high-rated dramas? To say nothing of a representative work, she didn’t have any notable works at all.

Then again, even if Zhou Yun was popular, who knew what the outcome would be if she took on the role of the female lead.

This was not a low-cost drama like "Eighth Heartbeat," where Zhou Yun’s participation would attract sponsors keen on the popularity, recovering the cost before it even aired.

Lew Qingqing had real fans and an audience that had built up over many years.

He Yong asked, "Liang Paper Piece, has it been decided that Lew Qingqing will play ’Luoyan’?"

"It’s not set yet, but there are intentions. Moreover, the headquarters has suggested that the male lead should be played by our company’s Li Ci. Since the male lead is an actor from our company, it wouldn’t be good to use another actor from our company for the female lead."

Liang Haiyuan turned to Zhou Yun and said, "I am really sorry, Miss Zhou, I actually came to explain this to you in person, and I really hope to have the opportunity to work with you in the future."

Zhou Yun felt disappointed, shook her head, smiled, and said, "Me too, it’s okay."

He Yong didn’t know what to say for a while.

Initially, he wanted to bridge the gap and land Zhou Yun a role in a drama she liked to mend their previously sour relationship, but not only did he fail to succeed, but he also made things worse.

After seeing off Liang Haiyuan, He Yong complained in a low voice, "Liang Paper Piece, that was really not cool of you, if there was no chance from the start, why didn’t you tell me in advance?"

Liang Haiyuan replied, "President He, it’s also a coincidence, I received the news just before I walked in. Previously, there was no word from Lew Qingqing’s side that she wanted to play this role."

As a major producer, He Yong wasn’t in a position to lose his temper with him.

Reluctantly seeing him off, He Yong went back to the set to find Zhou Yun and apologize for the mishap.

"This incident is indeed my fault for not clarifying things in advance."

Zhou Yun smiled wryly and said, "President He, just the fact that you put thought into this astounds me, but it’s normal for good roles to be highly sought after, and it’s normal for them to choose Lew Qingqing."

He Yong gritted his teeth and said, "I’ll try to secure it for you again."

Zhou Yun remained silent.

The likelihood of He Yong securing it seemed slim, but since he offered, Zhou Yun didn’t bother to pour cold water on his intentions.

After He Yong left, Song Chi came over and curiously asked, "Why is President He from your company visiting the set every three days? Afraid that Luo Zhiqiu will poach you?"

"At first, that was why, now... it seems that he really wants to mend the relationship with me," Zhou Yun said with skepticism in her eyes, not daring to confirm, since He Yong had done too many excessive things in the past, "Let’s not worry about him. Are we almost done filming our part?"

Song Chi nodded, "The scenes here will be finished soon, and once done, you will only have the scenes at the brothel that haven’t been filmed yet."

The scenes of their young selves’ first encounter at the Lew Residence were filmed with two child actors and did not require their participation.

Before they knew it, time had flown by, and it had already been two months since Zhou Yun joined the production.

Zhou Yun had about half a month’s shots to complete here; then she’d wait for the main crew to finish before everyone moved to the film and television city.

There were a lot of scenes yet to be filmed there, including the scenes where Zhou Yun’s character, Liu Rusu, due to her family’s decline, ends up in a brothel.

There weren’t many scenes for her character there, and the production team obviously couldn’t build an entire brothel just for Liu Rusu.

They would have to rent a suitable location.

Zhou Yun shared the news about her missing out on "Luoyan" with Song Chi.

Song Chi was at a loss for words on how to comfort Zhou Yun.

"Don’t wrack your brains trying to find words to comfort me. I am just a little disappointed, it’s not too heart-wrenching," Zhou Yun said.

Song Chi replied, "Even for me, it’s not possible to get every role I wish to play in."

"I said there’s no need to comfort me."

Song Chi smiled slightly, "Still, it’s a formality I have to go through."

"Are you taking on any other dramas after ’Heart Inquiry’?" Zhou Yun asked.

Song Chi shook his head and said, "Once this drama is finished, I need to get my studio up and running."

"You didn’t have a studio before?" Zhou Yun asked in surprise.

"I had a fixed team, but it was still managed by Zuo Jing," Song Chi said. "I’ve almost settled things with Luo Zhiqiu; when my contract expires, I will set up my own studio, and Zuo Jing will invest and take a share of the equity, so we can continue to cooperate in this form. She understands that I can’t keep going with the previous mode of cooperation."

"She agreed to it so quickly?" Zhou Yun asked.

Song Chi nodded, "She had prepared herself mentally."

"Then... if things didn’t go as smoothly as they are now, what would you have done?" Zhou Yun asked.

"There wouldn’t have been anything to do, just wait for the contract to expire peacefully," Song Chi said. "With such a big production like ’Heart Inquiry,’ she wouldn’t dare do anything to me, because any trouble with me would sink the investment in the drama."

"Was this your trump card?"

"I just wanted to make her think twice before using dirty tricks on me," Song Chi said.

Zhou Yun replied, "It’s good that things turned out well."

"Yeah, Luo Yuhu has finally shifted his focus to the new talent he’s currently nurturing," Song Chi laughed. "For years he’s been keeping an eye on me for his sister, and in the end, I managed to set up my own team behind the scenes and hire Director Kang. I heard he was furious enough that one night after drinking too much, he cursed me in the office, calling me an ingrate."

"Forget about people like that. I didn’t like him from the start, truly detestable," Zhou Yun expressed her opinion without reservation.