Chapter 88 Happy New Year
As Yu Shuling had predicted, Jiang Wenxi's role as the male lead was indeed confirmed. After all, so much time had passed, and the internet has a short memory; they probably don't even remember what happened between the two of them back then.
Moreover, Qi Xiuxiu isn't the second female lead in this drama, but the third, though she has a lot of interaction with the male lead. Right after the casting was confirmed, rumors started circulating on social media, with several accounts saying, "We won't commit until it's officially announced."
Yu Shuling hasn't focused her attention on the male and female leads for quite some time.
Since then, she hadn't seen Qi Xiuxiu again, but she would see Jiang Wenxi at year-end galas or charity banquets. The talent show incident also had some impact on Jiang Wenxi, but as time passed, the public's memory faded, and Jiang Wenxi herself seemed to have started to focus on her creative work and behave herself, so the incident was forgotten.
He originally came from a well-known boy band, so his original fame was there. He made a quick comeback, and although he is not as popular as before, he is still considered a top star.
However, Qi Xiuxiu is far inferior in comparison.
She didn't debut successfully at the time, so naturally, there was no follow-up as described in the original story. In the original story, many resources were provided to Qi Xiuxiu by Jiang Wenxi behind the scenes. Through Jiang Wenxi's introduction, Qi Xiuxiu was able to meet some powerful figures and get entangled with them, which made Jiang Wenxi frequently jealous.
However, in Yu Shuling's view, rather than giving the female lead many halos, the overall highlights in the original book are actually on the male lead and even the various male supporting characters. The female lead's task is to use her "innocence" and "lucky charm" to win over these men, obtain resources from them, and then adorn herself.
But in the end, she's just a character being manipulated. Once the other party takes back everything, the female lead will have nothing left.
From this perspective, she felt that Jiang Wenxi was more like the author's favorite son than Qi Xiuxiu. After all, it was Jiang Wenxi who was surrounded by the halo. In the original book, when Jiang Wenxi and Qi Xiuxiu were dating, it was Qi Xiuxiu who was criticized more. The female lead even received death threats, but she endured it all silently.
The publicity was left to the production team. During her time off from filming, Yu Shuling focused on preparing for her upcoming concert, attending commercial performances, and accepting business deals with her partners. Then, two weeks later, the production team asked them to take character photos, and more and more rumors began to circulate.
You Jingzhou usually surfs the internet and doesn't care about the many rumors, whether true or false. But seeing this trend, he couldn't help but take advantage of his proximity to the person in question to confirm.
Yu Shuling was in a good mood and deliberately teased him:
"Yes, the production team confirmed it. What, you want to be the big spender and invest in replacing him?"
You Jingzhou: "..." He began to consider the possibilities.
As a producer, he's earned a considerable amount in royalties, and has accumulated some savings over the years. However, if he were to invest in a TV series, especially one that would replace a confirmed top male lead, it would definitely fall short.
But in that case, wouldn't he just have to watch Jiang Wenxi and Yu Shuling act as partners?
So annoying!
Regardless of others, in his eyes, Jiang Wenxi was someone with ill intentions. You Jingzhou had already seen this in that episode of "The Secret of the Wilderness." On the surface, Jiang Wenxi seemed to care about nothing, but in reality, he was secretly paying attention to Yu Shuling's reaction.
Especially recently, Jiang Wenxi seemingly accidentally liked Yu Shuling's Weibo post, which aroused his suspicions even more.
Undeniably, Yu Shuling is a very charming girl, and it's normal for her to attract the attention of many men and women besides him. Yu Shuling told him to wait, and that she probably wouldn't consider romantic relationships for the next two years. But just thinking about how a rival could spend so much time with the girl he liked on set, especially since they played the male and female leads, made You Jingzhou feel incredibly sour, like he'd eaten a lemon.
Seeing that You Jingzhou hadn't replied for a long time, Yu Shuling resisted the urge to tease him again and prepared to go for a run. She had always had the habit of exercising, and her weight was not considered light among female celebrities, just over 100 pounds, but she had a slender body and beautiful thin muscles on her arms, which had both feminine softness and strength, making her quite beautiful.
However, after joining the crew, in order to look good on camera, the director will definitely require her to lose weight. At that time, she can't exercise as she pleases and has to eat a low-fat diet. These past few days, Yu Shuling has indulged herself a little and decided to go for a run and reward herself with a delicious fried chicken when she gets back.
You Jingzhou was very tactful and didn't say anything that day. Soon after the title was finalized, "Private Moonlight" established an official publicity account and tagged several lead actors on Weibo. The internet exploded, with various marketing accounts vying to express their opinions.
After Lyra re-signed with the company, she steadily built her reputation in the rapidly changing girl group scene. Yu Shuling, in particular, has maintained her popularity ever since her appearance on a dating reality show went viral and she returned to the public eye.
In the past two years, whether it's fashion attention, luxury brand endorsements, or the achievements of their songs, Lyra has rightfully earned the title of a leader, showing no signs of the decline that almost led to their disbandment back then.
Yu Shuling is a top-tier member of Lyra, and compared to Jiang Wenxi, she can be considered a top-tier prospect. In the past two years, she has started to expand her acting range, and her popularity has grown even more. It would not be an exaggeration to say that she is a hot A-list star. Partnering with Jiang Wenxi does not necessarily raise her status.
The two are a beautiful woman and a handsome man, and their looks are a perfect match. They should have been a pleasing couple, but when the official announcement was made, the comments section was almost overflowing with fans' messages.
This wave of popularity is bound to last quite a while, until the series airs, then it will truly be a chaotic mess.
The filming started after the Lunar New Year. With the year-end approaching, it's a rare opportunity for artists who have been busy all year to take a break and recharge. Li Song and Zhong Xinfan both have good relationships with their families, and they had already bought their tickets back home. However, Chuan Nai's parents have been completely neglecting her for the past few years, and they probably don't even remember that they have a daughter left behind in China. The only slightly better thing is that no one has come to ask her for money.
As for Lin Yujie, after arguing with her brother, she simply gave up and became depressed. Now, upon hearing Sister Qian's official confirmation of the holiday, she rubbed her face in frustration.
The original owner had never mentioned her family to them, so Lin Yujie naturally assumed that she would go home for the New Year. She sat sullenly in the living room of the dormitory, her slender fingers swiping across her phone screen as she played Temple Run.
Yu Shuling peeked out from behind her:
"Kawana will be spending the New Year with me again this year. I'm also inviting you here. Don't say I don't care about you."
Lin Yujie's character saw the rock in front of them and crashed straight into it, dying, but didn't continue. Turning around, she asked in surprise:
"Together with you? Can I also go to your house?"
Yu Shuling gave a soft "hmm," and Kawana, who was usually quite honest but now spoke Chinese very well, walked over and said with a smile:
"If you don't come, I'll just have some alone time with Lingling."
This "two-person world" left Lin Yujie stunned for a moment before she realized that Yu Shuling wasn't taking Chuan Nai to spend the New Year with her family, but rather spending it alone. She jumped up from her chair in a flash, almost falling over.
They had been together last year, but Lin Yujie hadn't thought much of it, assuming that Yu Shuling's family, like Chuan Nai's, lived abroad or in some distant place and couldn't easily return. Unexpectedly, they were together again this year. The gloom on Lin Yujie's face vanished instantly, and she quickly hooked her arms around Yu Shuling and Chuan Nai's necks, not letting them leave.
"Hey, what do you mean by 'casually' inviting me? You two dare to have an affair? You want to get beaten up?"
A moment later, she released the two of them, seemingly unsure of the surprise:
"It's just the three of us, no one else?"
Yu Shuling shook her head:
"Song and Xinfan are coming over on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year. They were busy the previous few days."
Lin Yujie wanted nothing more than to give her a kiss on the cheek. Excited like a child, she immediately opened her phone and started choosing snacks to eat during the Chinese New Year.
She had already become estranged from her family, and going back would only lead to criticism, so she figured she might as well stay with her friends; she'd definitely feel much more comfortable there. As for Yu Shuling, the original owner's mother had long since left, and her father had accumulated gambling debts, but legally, there was no such thing as a child paying for their father's debts, so Yu Shuling felt perfectly justified in blocking him.
It's better to get together with some friends and have a good time during the New Year. Anyway, she'll be joining a film crew after the New Year.
Li Song and Zhong Xinfan packed their luggage and said goodbye to them. Yu Shuling's home was here. She had bought a new small apartment last year, with three bedrooms and a living room, which was just enough for the few of them to live in. That afternoon, they went to the supermarket together to do some shopping before returning to the exquisitely decorated apartment.
Living together as three girls inevitably leads to some playful bickering. Lin Yujie enjoys playing video games and invites Yu Shuling to join in. Chuan Nai, who isn't into these games, isn't forced to play. When the two girls are playing together on the sofa, they simply watch dramas quietly. When they get hungry at noon, they take turns cooking or ordering takeout. During the Chinese New Year, they basically give up on managing their figures and order whatever they like to eat.
On New Year's Eve, Yu Shuling went to prepare fresh ingredients early in the morning. She had been taking a break for the past few days and planned to show off her skills by making something nice for them. Some of the dishes were only available in the palace. She searched for tutorials online and experimented on her own, so she should be able to recreate about 70-80% of them.
Lin Yujie and Chuan Nai enthusiastically put on aprons and helped her. The three of them worked for a long time, preparing a table full of delicious food and even buying cocktails to go with it. As evening approached, the Spring Festival Gala was about to begin. As someone who had only been in the modern world for a few years, Yu Shuling still retained a certain enthusiasm for this kind of formulaic program. Most importantly, having background noise made it seem more lively.
Once the dishes were plated, Yu Shuling, unusually, posted a picture on her WeChat Moments. Three wine glasses were arranged in a flower shape in the center, sprinkled with fresh flower petals, making the dishes look vibrant and appealing.
Before long, social media messages came in like snowflakes, but Yu Shuling was too busy grabbing red envelopes and talking to Lin Yujie and Chuan Nai to pay attention to them.
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Author's note: Just a quick transition, hehe.
I'll try my best to maintain the update frequency! I missed a few days because I was busy, lol. I'll try my best to update once a day or every other day for the next few days.
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