My beautiful CEO wife
Chapter 721: Unwritten Rules of the Entertainment Industry?

Chapter 721: Chapter 721: Unwritten Rules of the Entertainment Industry?

Chu Xiaoran, though lively in nature, was extremely serious about her work and was willing to endure hardship. She was indeed capable of hanging under the sun for such long periods.

With this thought, Xiao Zheng couldn’t help but look towards the distance. There, a young woman was surrounded by the director and others, much like stars around a moon. She had four or five assistants, some holding umbrellas for her, some passing her water, as if waiting on a princess.

Xiao Zheng frowned and said, "This woman must be your leading lady, right? The gap between how you and she are treated is too big. Why is everyone revolving around her? What’s going on?"

Xiao Zheng knew that this didn’t make sense at all.

Although Chu Xiaoran was a newcomer, she already had high popularity before coming here. Plus, she was hardworking, her acting skills passed muster, and she was the second female lead. Even though her status on set couldn’t compare with that of the leading lady, it shouldn’t be too far off.

However, now, everyone seemed to be revolving around the lead actress as if they were deliberately ignoring Chu Xiaoran.

Chu Xiaoran, with her head down, mumbled for a while before finally saying, "It’s okay, this is how it is within the crew."

Xiao Zheng rubbed Chu Xiaoran’s hair and said in a deep voice, "Do you really need to hide anything from me? There must be a reason for this, speak."

Chu Xiaoran hesitated for a moment before saying, "At the beginning, things were pretty good. But after I played several scenes and the director praised me a lot of times for my good performance, the leading lady kept making mistakes.

She started holding a grudge against me. After that, she began targeting me intentionally or otherwise. In the end, the entire crew started to target me."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Zheng’s eyebrows quivered as he said, "Just a minor artist, does she have that much power?"

Chu Xiaoran angrily said, "If it were just a minor artist, of course she wouldn’t have that much influence, but... but..."

"But what?" Xiao Zheng noticed Chu Xiaoran blushed as she spoke.

Chu Xiaoran squirmed for a while before saying, "But this Tao Linxin offered herself up and became a executive’s mistress at the talent agency, her status rose significantly, and even the director doesn’t dare to offend her easily."

"Originally, if there hadn’t been any mishap, the lead role should have been mine, but then Tao Linxin parachuted in directly and snatched my position." When Chu Xiaoran spoke of this matter, her heart still held some grievances.

"I see..." Xiao Zheng chuckled sarcastically.

The entertainment industry was indeed full of unspoken rules. Those willing to sacrifice their dignity could climb quickly, but those who worked hard and honestly faced suppression.

"Actually, you could have also used some tactics to make the director see you in a new light," Xiao Zheng said with a smile.

"Ah Zheng! What are you thinking? How could I possibly do such a thing? Even if it means leaving showbiz, I would never do that," Chu Xiaoran said, her face flushed with indignation.

Xiao Zheng was momentarily taken aback before he realized and chuckled, "You misunderstood me. I wasn’t suggesting you become someone’s mistress.

I meant that you could simply reveal who you are. If the higher-ups at the talent agency knew you were Leng Ruobing’s sister, wouldn’t they treat you like a revered Buddha?"

Chu Xiaoran glared at Xiao Zheng and retorted, "It’s all your fault, making such vague statements and causing me to misunderstand."

Xiao Zheng gave a wry smile, "It’s my fault."

Chu Xiaoran snorted, "Of course, it’s your fault." She paused, then continued, "Actually, I’ve thought about what you just said, but I eventually decided against it. If I use my sister’s identity now, then what was the point of all my efforts? I’ll still work my way up from the bottom.

Although the crew is somewhat biased against me because of Tao Linxin, the director does take filming seriously and has high standards. I can learn a lot from him, too."

Xiao Zheng nodded and said, "That’s a good mindset. I can see you are serious."

Chu Xiaoran smiled, cheered and satisfied by Xiao Zheng’s support and understanding.

"It’s starting, it’s starting. All actors, come over here, and the crew, get ready." Just then, the director called out loudly. Upon hearing his voice, everyone headed over.

Chu Xiaoran said, "I’m off to film now. Ah Zheng, you just watch from here."

Xiao Zheng was a bit concerned and said, "Wirework is dangerous, so be careful."

"Don’t worry, there definitely won’t be any issues this time," Chu Xiaoran reassured with a cheerful wink before skipping over to the set.

Despite the unfair treatment she received on set, this young girl still maintained an optimistic attitude.

Xiao Zheng couldn’t help but smile.

After Chu Xiaoran left, the crew began to prepare to shoot the new scene.

The director said, "This scene is a fight scene. Our leading lady is chased through the woods and, when she finds herself in the most perilous situation, the second leading lady descends from above to rescue her.

Such fight scenes don’t test one’s acting but do require a lot of physicality and stamina.

If this were an ordinary web series, we could just muddle through, but we can’t afford that. This sort of scene can really reflect the attitude of a TV drama. We must strive for perfection. Understood?"

"Understood!"

Everyone affirmed.

From a distance, Xiao Zheng nodded slightly. No wonder Chu Xiaoran was willing to compromise. It seemed that although the director’s character wasn’t great, he was very dedicated when it came to directing.

Soon, they began filming.

The leading lady, Tao Linxin, was first chased through the woods by a group of black-clothed, masked men. It was a tough fight, and she was already injured when she was completely surrounded and on the verge of capture.

Just then, Chu Xiaoran, who had been hoisted up by the wire rig, swooped down from the sky to rescue Tao Linxin.

Everything was going perfectly up until it was Chu Xiaoran’s turn, and then there was a mishap.

As Chu Xiaoran descended, her movements suddenly became stiff, her body shaking, losing all sense of grace.

"CUT! STOP!"

The director, seeing this, shouted angrily, "Chu Xiaoran, what’s wrong with you? Haven’t you eaten?"

Chu Xiaoran was quickly brought down, and to the director’s rebuke, she lowered her head and said, "I’m sorry. When I was coming down just now, I thought of the moment the rope broke earlier, and I got scared."

The director frowned and then waved his hand dismissively, "Forget it, I won’t hassle you this time. Let’s try again."

Then, they began to film again.

The leading lady reshot the scene of being chased through the woods, and then Chu Xiaoran descended from the sky, ready to perform the rescue.