Overnight Hit: Vicious Stepmother and Genius Son
Chapter 557 - 554

Chapter 557: 554

After replacing Fu Shinuan, the filming process sped up considerably.

Bai Lingshan’s acting was much more natural and spirited than Fu Shinuan’s, perhaps because she herself was a wealthy heiress, exuding confidence in every move. Her lines might not be pleasant to the ear, but her expressions and body language radiated an inexplicable cuteness.

Recently, the weather had been getting colder, with temperatures often falling below zero. During the morning shoot, all the actors were notified that they needed to head to Anshan by Wednesday to film for a few days.

For Ye Zhenzhen, filming trips were nothing out of the ordinary, but she had promised Xiao Chen that she would take him out again if she had time over the weekend. Now, that plan with Xiao Chen had to be scrapped.

Close to noon, during a break in shooting, Ye Zhenzhen was rehearsing with Xiao Yi when Bai Lingshan came over with a grin and asked, "How about we go to Weilan Pavilion for lunch?"

It was obvious that she had addressed this to Xiao Yi on purpose.

Xiao Yi was in the middle of reading his lines and didn’t even spare Bai Lingshan a glance.

Before Ye Zhenzhen could think of how to respond to Bai Lingshan, she heard Xia Zhi’s voice,

"Where are we eating? Count me in."

"Weilan Pavilion, are you coming?" Bai Lingshan didn’t try to hide it and looked at Xia Zhi with clear, unabashed eyes.

Xia Zhi nodded, "Sure, I’ve been craving their chocolate charlotte. Zhenzhen, you should come too. We can chat about the script. I have something to do the day after tomorrow, so I can’t go to Anshan."

Ye Zhenzhen: "Okay, let’s all go."

Bai Lingshan and Ye Zhenzhen exchanged smiles before turning to Best Actor Xiao, "Best Actor Xiao, come join us."

Xiao Yi closed the script book, "No thanks, I have other plans for lunch."

As soon as he said it, he left.

Bai Lingshan looked at Xiao Yi’s retreating back, pouting with an almost crying expression, "Rejected again..."

"He probably really is busy," Ye Zhenzhen tried to console her.

Xia Zhi turned his head and said helplessly, "Zhenzhen, you don’t need to comfort her. Best Actor Xiao is always like this. It’s not just her; I’ve been rejected many times as well."

Initially pouting, Bai Lingshan suddenly asked him, "He’s rejected you so many times, why do you still like him?"

Xia Zhi: "So you’re saying you don’t like him anymore after being rejected?"

"No, the more he rejects me, the more I like him."

"Your words leave me without a comeback, because I feel the same way."

Bai Lingshan stretched out her arms, "Then let’s hug and keep striving."

"Yeah, let’s go for it!"

Ye Zhenzhen watched their exchange and was speechless.

She had been worried that helping Bai Lingshan might offend Xia Zhi, but surprisingly, these two rivals could still interact so harmoniously. Quite interesting!

At lunch, Bai Lingshan explained to Ye Zhenzhen,

"Zhenzhen, sorry about that. The person who was supposed to meet you today can’t make it. Do you have time after the afternoon shoot or in the evening?"

Ye Zhenzhen asked, "Is it something important? I have a couple of free periods this afternoon, but I’m going to pick up Xiao Chen from the kindergarten. If it’s not very urgent, we could talk over the phone."

Shen Yibo would also be coming over from the kindergarten to shoot in the afternoon, so she planned to pick up Xiao Chen to visit the set, a promise she had made the night before.

Bai Lingshan pursed her lips, unsure how to judge the importance of the matter since the person hadn’t revealed any specifics.

"It’s probably not that urgent, then. I’ll have him call you instead."

"Okay."

Ye Zhenzhen didn’t actually pay much mind to the person Bai Lingshan mentioned, until she drove to the kindergarten to pick up Xiao Chen and learned that Shu Huaiqing was the person in question.

The kindergarten hadn’t dismissed yet, and since they had arrived early, Shu Huaiqing was able to find an opportunity to speak with Ye Zhenzhen.

"Mrs. Song, I had actually wanted to meet you at noon, but there was a company meeting in the afternoon, and the timing was a bit tight. I heard from Shanshan that you were planning to pick up Xiao Chen from school..."

Ye Zhenzhen asked, "Shanshan? Bai Lingshan?"

She had mentioned this only during lunch with Bai Lingshan.

"Oh, right. Shanshan is my cousin."

Ye Zhenzhen was slightly startled. Cousin?

She had just found out that Bai Lingshan was a rich second generation, never imagining she was Shu Huaiqing’s cousin.

Shu Huaiqing smiled again, "I specifically came to thank you for the incident at the supermarket yesterday. If you have time, after picking up the child, I’d like to treat you to a meal and also talk about a potential endorsement deal."

Ye Zhenzhen declined politely, "I’m afraid I can’t do lunch. After picking up Xiao Chen, I have to go back to the set, and I’m scheduled for two scenes this afternoon. Regarding the endorsement President Shu mentioned, I think it’s feasible. For the details, you can contact my agent."

Products of good quality and high standards, she indeed had interest in endorsements, especially to support local brands.

Shu Huaiqing was overjoyed, having not expected Ye Zhenzhen to agree so readily, "Alright, I’ll have someone reach out tomorrow."

The scene of the two of them standing aside, smiling and talking, was captured by other parents from the class and shared in a chatty group;

"I’ve picked up the children many times but never seen Ye Zhenzhen in person before. Her skin looks so good, so young."

"She hasn’t given birth to any children, she’s a step-mom, isn’t she? If we didn’t have children, we could look the same."

In a small group chat with around a dozen members, both male and female, the conversation might seem harmless, but the circle of wealthy parents was so small that it didn’t take long for the news to spread from this small group.

Lu Sangning was waiting at the Huanya Group building, planning to intercept Song Jinze.

When she saw the photo of Ye Zhenzhen and Shu Huaiqing talking and laughing together, a mocking smile curled at her lips, "She’s just a minor celebrity, playing around everywhere. How can she compare to me?"

Without a second thought, she sent the picture as a multimedia message to Song Jinze’s phone using a newly switched number...