Chapter 42 Telephone

Recording will continue in the afternoon.

When the makeup artist touched up Lu Zhao's makeup, she looked at his left cheek and asked cautiously, "Mr. Lu, is your face... a little allergic? It looks a bit red."

Lu Zhao remained expressionless: "Yes, a little. It's alright, just cover it up a bit."

Not far away, Ling Wei was holding a thermos that Brother Li had somehow gotten his hands on, sipping warm jujube water. Hearing this, she lifted her eyelids and glanced at him.

She restrained herself.

The final recording session concluded amidst cheers from the entire team.

That evening, Ling Wei received a message from Lu Zhao on WeChat.

Announcing to the world: [Did you see the closing fireworks? They were set off by the production team.]

A public announcement: [(Shared link: a compilation of clips from a certain website's finale) This is well-edited.]

Announcement to the world: [Brother Li said there's a brand event near your station next week...]

A public announcement to the world: [What time will you get off work tomorrow?]

The phone kept vibrating on the table, the screen turning on and off repeatedly.

Ling Wei had just finished compiling the last script supervisor's sheet when she picked up her phone and finally typed out a line.

Weiwei smiled brightly: "Thank you, Teacher Lu, for your cooperation during this time. You've worked very hard. I hope we'll have the opportunity to work together again in the future."

After the message was sent, the "typing..." message flashed at the top of the dialog box for a long time, and finally only "..." appeared.

The world is peaceful now.

If it weren't for his face, she would have slapped him like a bee and a dog for this inexplicable family member.

He then tried to stop her, saying he had something to say to her.

She'd never listen.

============

After the variety show ended, the pace of life slowed down noticeably.

Ling Wei was holed up in her rented apartment, her computer screen flashing with data analysis of various short dramas and hit case studies.

Only one desk lamp was on in the room, its light illuminating her focused profile.

System: "Weiwei, are you... going to make a short drama?"

Ling Wei: "Mm."

System: "So you're quitting your job at the TV station?! You're giving up your secure job?"

"Maybe." Her tone was flat, but something shone brightly in her eyes.

The variety show stage is lively and has given her enough recognition, but ultimately it is someone else's rules, and the brilliance is within a limited framework.

What she longed for deep down was always a broader and freer narrative space.

It was the dream of film that allowed her to pour all her expressive desires into it and leave her mark on the big screen.

She stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the street scene below as the lights came on. Her thoughts were clearer than ever before: leveraging the connections and industry insights accumulated through "The Pursuit Order" was the first step.

Then, she must seize the excellent springboard of short dramas to hone her ability to accurately capture the audience's emotions, and use it as the fastest stepping stone to accumulate her first pot of gold for independent creation and solid market achievements.

Finally, she would carry this "pledge of allegiance" to Riemann, to the battlefield she had longed for.

But this time, she will not be a newcomer to be manipulated. She will have enough say to protect the core soul of her work.

The evening breeze caressed her face, carrying the coolness of late summer, but it did nothing to cool the boiling heat in her blood.

The road must be taken one step at a time, but now she is absolutely certain—

This game is finally going to proceed according to her rhythm.

After hearing her plan, the system was also excited and shouted "Weiwei is brilliant!" countless times!

Ling Wei was amused and laughed heartily, feeling as if she could already see a bright future. The room was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

As she was laughing, the system suddenly remembered something: "Um... Weiwei, what about Su Yuqing?"

who?

Ling Wei's laughter stopped abruptly. "Damn! I almost forgot about this person!"

She touched her nose guiltily, but still straightened her back and adopted a commanding posture: "It's okay. Now that she has lost the support of the Lu family, she can fight her way up in the film crew on her own. It's quite impressive that she was able to get the role. We should just focus on our own development."

The system quickly checked the timeline: "Hmm, so far, apart from the few opportunities originally meant for 'You Who Are an Actor,' she hasn't been able to steal the opportunities from others yet, and the core timeline is very stable."

Just as Ling Wei was beginning to relax, a thought suddenly flashed through her mind.

wrong!

If Su Yuqing is unable to gain any substantial benefits from Lu's parents for a long time, and her initial targets, Lu Yan and Lu Zhao, have already grown up and become more powerful...

Will she completely abandon the persona she's cultivated, skip the difficult Lu family parents, and go directly to those two people?

Almost simultaneously, the system let out a loud "roar" in her mind.

"Something's wrong! I'm sensing abnormal fluctuations in the world lines!"

This means that an event significant enough to influence the main storyline is about to occur.

Meanwhile, a thousand miles away.

Su Yuqing failed the audition for the film crew once again.

Back in her room, she slumped onto the edge of the bed, her nails digging deep into her palms.

Why? She perfectly replicated the performance of that successful person from her previous life, and even did it better, so why did the director still choose that person?!

Resentment filled her heart.

Those two old bastards from the Lu family!

He was all sweet talk when he thanked her, but his attitude turned ambiguous and he just played games with her!

She painstakingly approached the Lu brothers, carefully cultivating their relationship for so many years—was it all for nothing?!

She opened WeChat. Lu Yan's chat window was always concise. Lu Zhao would reply to her messages, and his tone was somewhat familiar, but that was all, like he was treating a friend with whom she had a decent relationship.

To avoid being looked down upon, she maintained an image of integrity and selflessness, and never directly asked for resources.

But if things continue like this for the rest of her life, what's the point of her modesty?

Are they waiting for them to remember to give her alms?

No, she couldn't wait any longer!

The future she knew of had only a few years left to last.

A ruthless glint flashed in Su Yuqing's eyes, a look of desperate determination.

She took a deep breath, and without further hesitation, picked up her phone. The moment the call connected, she quickly adjusted her breathing, making her voice carry just the right amount of choked emotion and vulnerability:

"Ah Zhao...did I...did I bother you?"

Lu Zhao on the other end: "What's wrong? What happened?"

This reaction was expected, and Su Yuqing composed herself: "Actually, it's nothing... I just failed the audition again today. I prepared for this role for three months, and the director was really optimistic about me, but I don't know why..."

She paused at just the right moment, leaving a blank space that left much to the imagination, before continuing in a slightly choked voice:

“I know I shouldn’t be upset about such a small thing, and I shouldn’t bother you. But Ah Zhao, there aren’t many people I can talk to in this industry. Seeing how successful Miss Ling is in the variety show field, and how beautifully she has changed careers, I… I feel like I can’t do anything except act.”

She subtly steered the conversation toward Ling Wei, her tone tinged with envy yet subtly contrasting: Su Yuqing, on the other hand, was still steadfastly pursuing the "right path" of acting.

"Sometimes I wonder if I'm too stubborn? What if I had been like her and changed direction..."

She sighed softly, her tone suddenly becoming firm, "But this is the path that Uncle Lu and Aunt Lu supported me to take back then, and I don't want to let them down."

At this point, her voice softened, carrying a hint of self-mockery and helplessness:

"Maybe I'm just not good enough. Ah Zhao, do you think... I should give up acting?"