Chapter 89 is my position.
The man tonight was more ferocious than ever before. His dark eyes were filled with a murderous intent. Sheng Yi was only thankful that she had eaten her fill before going into battle.
Time flowed by as it pleased, and the turbulent waters returned to calm. The flickering lamplight cast a soft glow, which seeped into the heart of the waves in the gentle spring breeze. She closed her eyes, her consciousness gradually fading, letting the water ripple gently, carrying her on and off.
In a hazy state, a pair of large hands scooped her up from the water. The clear, melodious voice she remembered was now veiled in a husky, indistinct tone. The gentle breath, tinged with laughter, seemed to reach her ears from a great distance.
"You're already out of energy?"
Her falling consciousness was abruptly pulled back, and Sheng Yi's eyes widened, a faint red mist welling up at the corners. She mustered her strength and bit his shoulder, saying, "You think everyone's like you? May you be reborn as a hardworking ox in your next life!"
Wen Shili smiled and nodded, readily acknowledging her accusation, "Yes."
He remained silent, then turned over in her arms, his white back undulating like the blooming of spring flowers.
In the end, Sheng Yi couldn't lift a single finger. Wen Shili helped her clean up, changed the sheets, and then put her back on the bed.
Half-asleep, she felt as if he had been looking down at her for a long time, and finally, a light kiss, like snowflakes, landed on her forehead. "Can you just rub against me?"
The tone was so resentful that Sheng Yi couldn't sleep soundly in her dreams. She felt as if a voice from somewhere was constantly questioning her, asking why she had bothered with others.
When she woke up again, she checked the time and it was just before four o'clock. The culprit was sleeping soundly with his eyes closed, his arms tightly wrapped around her waist. She couldn't remember what she dreamed about afterwards, but the feeling of being chased by debt collectors lingered.
The next day, when the topic came up, Wen Shili didn't admit it at first. But under her "severe" interrogation, his eyes flickered, and he said in a wronged tone, "I'm more useful than all of them."
Sheng Yi laughed immediately, "Teacher Wen, you're really generous! Show us two big-budget productions to show your sincerity?"
Although his main profession is singing, Sheng Yi has no doubt about his connections and abilities in the industry. Just look at the top-notch production teams he's starred in before. She believes that if he wanted to, the resources Zhang Li had promised, such as leading roles under Zhang Li's direction, are on a completely different level from what he can offer.
Wen Shili paused his hand that was massaging her waist, his eyelashes lowered slightly, as if he was really considering it. "Okay, come with me to meet a few people later."
He was always happy to pave the way for her, as long as she was willing to accept it. The so-called external voices were nothing more than an excuse for the incompetent who were powerless to control them.
Later? Does he have to be so quick? Sheng Yi froze, then grabbed his hand and tossed it aside. "No, I'm busy today."
Wen Shili: "It's alright, I'll wait until it's convenient for you."
The way he said it made it sound like those big-budget production teams had nothing better to do than wait for her to have time to meet them whenever she wanted. But when it came to him, Sheng Yi really didn't dare to say anything definitively. After scrutinizing him for a while, unable to tell if he was serious or joking, Sheng Yi looked away and made up a random excuse, "I'm shy."
She's shy? Wen Shili smiled slightly, commenting calmly, "You're all talk and no action." Less than half a second later, he contradicted himself, "Your words always hurt people."
Sheng Yi was incredulous. "You seemed to be enjoying the kiss."
Wen Shili: "..."
She experienced the consequences of being too quick-tongued once again this morning.
When the alarm clock rang, Sheng Yi was driven crazy with frustration. She punched and kicked, yelling, "Let go, you beast!" Just thinking about Wu Simin getting up and then disappearing into thin air was too wonderful a scene to imagine.
She got up to pick up her clothes, but with a muffled groan, he dragged her back down. "I'll take you there later, and we can have dinner together."
Come on, she hasn't even revealed herself to Wu Simin yet, it would be quite exciting to suddenly appear out of nowhere. Sheng Yi didn't even think, "No!"
Wen Shili, however, had his own set of theories: "Don't you girls treat each other to meals when you're dating? If I don't treat someone to a meal, they'll have a bad impression of me, and if they have a bad impression, they'll talk badly about me, and if they talk badly about me, you'll dump me..."
Sheng Yi was speechless. As he listened to the increasingly outrageous talk, he realized that the number was far beyond his capabilities. Finally, he stopped, coughed, and concluded, "If you calculate it this way, a meal is still a good deal."
It's a good deal, but the problem is that nobody even knows you exist! Of course, Sheng Yi couldn't say it directly. She thought for a moment, "It's so kind of you to go through all this trouble. You might as well just coax me into being with you."
Wen Shili nodded in agreement, and then Sheng Yi was buried in the pit he had dug himself.
Having finally escaped his clutches, Wen Shili scooped her out of bed, gave her clothes to wear, his manner gentle and attentive, a far cry from his earlier insatiable state. Sheng Yi reached out to Wu Simin while replying; earlier, Zeng Shaoguang had also sent her several messages.
Sheng Yi clicked on it, and the first message displayed was: "Where is he? Why is your man sending me a private message so early in the morning? It's kind of scary."
Sheng Yi subconsciously looked up. Wen Shili was buttoning her clothes. Noticing her gaze, his eyes followed hers. Sheng Yi gave an awkward laugh, then, remembering all the endless trouble she'd been going through, she closed her eyes and immediately betrayed Zeng Shaoguang.
As soon as the voice message was opened, Zeng Shaoguang's incoherent voice began to blare. Sheng Yi forced herself to listen to half of it before saying, "You should tell him that I'm not that kind of person," and then immediately pressed pause.
She changed the subject, preemptively asking, "Why did you message him privately?"
Wen Shili looked away. "Photographs." Thinking of a certain word he had just seen, the corners of his mouth unconsciously curled up again.
His words were concise, but the underlying meaning was immediately clear: he wanted to ask him for the photos.
Ah, can you say that all those photos are still safely stored on her phone? Zeng Shaoguang's accusations from last night were still ringing in Wen Shili's ears, but after listening, Wen Shili showed no remorse whatsoever.
“That was originally my spot,” he said.
Wu Simin only stayed in S City for one day, and the two met again during lunchtime. Wen Shili helped make the reservation at the restaurant.
Looking at the restaurant's decor, Wu Simin held Sheng Yi's hand and exclaimed, "So this is what it feels like to hook up with a rich woman!"
Yesterday's events were really intense, and Sheng Yi still hasn't quite recovered. Seeing that she looked a bit listless, Wu Simin said with concern, "What kind of lousy job is this? You have to call people out before dawn. Busy as you are, you still need to take care of your health."
Meeting her concerned gaze, Sheng Yi was speechless. Yes, before she could even explain, Wu Simin had automatically filled in the blanks in her mind. Now, in Wu Simin's eyes, she was Sheng Yi, a miserable working-class woman exploited by her job and powerless to do anything about it.
Sheng Yi had no intention of overturning the script that had already been written, so she had no choice but to follow the established content. "Fortunately, the capitalist is quite generous today, and he will reimburse us for this meal."
With just one sentence, Wu Simin's resentment vanished, and she even went so far as to join the ranks of capitalists, asking if they could also provide dinner, even if she had to work overtime tonight.
Sheng Yi: "..."
The capitalist himself was very willing, but unfortunately the two of them didn't get to have the meal in the end.
The results of the last audition are in, and the director team has arranged to meet Sheng Yi tonight.
When she arrived, she found that the table was packed with people, including the director, screenwriter, producer, and investors. Sheng Yi greeted several of them, some of whom she had met during the interview.
Unlike the serious atmosphere of the last interview, even the director was very friendly. My old acquaintance Zhang Meng was also there, and Sheng Yi was seated next to her.
This project has been in preparation for more than half a year. Around the middle of the year, Sheng Yi had vaguely heard Lao Qian mention it. It is said that the main actors have already been decided internally, and the team has been building the behind-the-scenes crew around the established lead actors.
However, for some unknown reason, the official announcement wasn't made, leading to a recasting just before filming began. The production team kept the news tightly under wraps, preventing it from spreading widely outside the industry, but those within the industry had generally heard rumors.
Sheng Yi first came into contact with this project when Zhang Meng handed her the notebook.
After the last collaboration ended, Zhang Meng's career also reached its peak. Several of her screenwriting works were broadcast well, and she became increasingly popular in the industry.
It was quite a coincidence. After the ratings for "Starry River" skyrocketed, Sheng Yi had been receiving countless offers for projects, including major ones like this. For example, the script for her second collaboration with Zeng Shaoguang came from a big production company.
Capitalizing on the popularity of hit drama couples to reunite and reap the rewards, coupled with the support of major production companies, is a common strategy for the subsequent development of many hit drama couples. Therefore, after the production company released several rumors about a second collaboration between "Yi Wan Guang Nian," none of the parties responded to the news. In many people's minds, this is equivalent to her next project already being decided.
The script and their project started around the same time, and the production team had already delayed the project. It was impossible for her to wait until she finished filming one episode before joining the production team. Therefore, Sheng Yi was an option that was ruled out by the team from the beginning.
It was during Sheng Yi's last live stream that she casually clarified the rumors when a fan asked. Zhang Meng saw the news and then messaged Sheng Yi again, knowing that Sheng Yi was still casting for her next role. The script was sent to her email that same day. That's how they got in touch.
However, there are also many practical problems.
Firstly, the project itself already had a cast. Whether it was the script, costumes, makeup, or the selection of co-stars and supporting actors, everything was designed around the original female lead. Changing the actress at the last minute might not be a good fit.
Secondly, Sheng Yi herself has no experience in filming large-scale period dramas, and there's even the negative precedent of "The Overbearing King's Nightly Pampering," so the casting team wasn't really sure what to expect. Although the production team hired professional instructors for everything from makeup and costumes to etiquette training, whether she can withstand the test now that she's on set is a major challenge.
When Lao Qian heard the news, he shook his head and told Sheng Yi that even if she took on a project with such a high bar set by the original actress, she would always be overshadowed. If the project aired well, people might say she stole the show or took advantage of a loophole. If the project aired poorly, she would be repeatedly compared to the original lead actress, and people would say that if the actress hadn't been replaced, this and that would have happened.
Sheng Yi had naturally considered this issue, but just looking at the story and the cast and crew, one could see the sincerity of the production team.
She suddenly remembered the opportunity that led her to take on the role in "The Overbearing King's Nightly Pampering". Perhaps one of the reasons was that, since entering the industry, she had actually wanted to act in a decent period drama, but at the time, all she was given were those fragmented pieces.
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