Chapter 84
After Ning Manqing went abroad, although Li Chu often kept in touch with her, it wasn't the same as when they were on set, seeing each other almost constantly, day in and day out.
She felt a little empty inside. To improve her state of mind, she threw herself into self-improvement and her busy work schedule.
She picked a script and joined a production to play the second female lead.
This drama was partly invested in by her company. The earliest Li Chu's currently completed dramas would air was next year, so to maintain continuous exposure, she definitely needed to keep filming.
She was quite particular about scripts for female lead roles, but less picky about second female lead roles, as long as the character and plot weren't too nonsensical.
The drama she joined was a modern workplace drama. When Tang Congnan found out she had agreed to it, he was quite annoyed.
Brother Nan's exact words, sounding like a worried parent, were: "You turn down the female lead role in this kind of drama, but you're fine with the second female lead? Are you trying to kill me?"
According to Li Chu's current status, although she hadn't reached the ranks of A-list actresses, she was quite prominent among the second and third tiers. Furthermore, because her portrayal of Qin Mu had received unanimous praise for her acting skills, she had a wide range of roles available in the industry and was perfectly capable of playing a female lead. Yet, she ignored scripts offering her the lead role and chose a second female lead instead. It wasn't surprising that Tang Congnan didn't understand, and Zheng Ru was also quite puzzled.
Zheng Ru was the Beta girl who had previously swapped roles with Li Chu and played the third female lead in the historical idol drama. They had gotten along well on that set.
After Li Chu left that production, although they didn't have time to meet often, Zheng Ru would occasionally like Li Chu's social media posts and send her voice message greetings during holidays. She seemed enthusiastic and sincere, and Li Chu had a good impression of her.
Zheng Ru was playing the third female lead in this new drama. When she found out Li Chu was the second female lead, she immediately came to ask.
"Teacher Li, why did you agree... Although Sister Xintian is a senior, this industry doesn't strictly follow seniority. Your resources should be better than hers."
The female lead of this workplace drama, Lin Xintian, was a Beta who debuted ten years ago. She had previously acted in well-received dramas but hadn't gained much popularity. Recently, her popularity saw a resurgence due to playing the second female lead in a hit drama, which led to her getting the lead role in this show.
The company hadn't initially intended for Li Chu to play a supporting role; they had merely passed the script along as a formality without even notifying her. However, Li Chu saw it herself and decided to take the role. The company tried to dissuade her, but it was only a superficial attempt.
Because Li Chu was essentially affiliated with Black Gold in name only, the company hadn't planned to maximize her commercial interests. Moreover, the boss of Black Gold knew that Li Chu might jump ship once her short-term contract expired, or even before, so they didn't have many demands for her.
Since Li Chu proactively wanted to play the second female lead to boost ratings, Black Gold was naturally happy to oblige, and so the matter was settled smoothly.
"Don't say things like that outside, okay?"
Hearing Zheng Ru's words, Li Chu made a shushing gesture towards her.
"Of course, I know. I only dare say this because it's you, Teacher Li. Besides, it's not just me; other people are guessing too. This industry is always prone to baseless speculation."
"Don't worry about what others say. I know what I'm doing."
Li Chu could tell Zheng Ru was genuinely concerned about her and didn't have ulterior motives. She gave Zheng Ru a reassuring smile.
"Okay! That's good. But speaking of which, Teacher Li, you seem quite different compared to when we first met in the first half of the year."
Zheng Ru nodded, then touched her chin as she looked Li Chu up and down, voicing her thoughts.
"Different? Have I gained some weight?"
Li Chu looked down at herself, then touched her face and asked.
She had joined that historical idol drama set not long after finishing 《Die at Dawn and Dusk》, and she was very thin back then. Now, she had a normal actress's physique.
"No," Zheng Ru shook her head, circling Li Chu and scratching her cheek. "I can't quite put my finger on it. It's just the feeling you give off. It's like you're leaning more towards that kind of mature, elegant beauty. Before, you were a bit more lively."
Mature, elegant beauty. The first person who came to Li Chu's mind was Ning Manqing.
Maybe her girlfriend's aura was rubbing off on her.
"But Teacher Li, you look better like this. You were too thin before. When I watched you play Zhaomu, I was worried a sudden gust of wind in the drama would blow you away."
"It wasn't that exaggerated."
Li Chu said with a smile, feeling quite happy inside. After all, who doesn't like being praised for being beautiful, especially by a pretty younger girl?
After joking around, Li Chu inwardly sighed at the passage of time. It felt like the wrap-up of 《Die at Dawn and Dusk》 was just yesterday, but it had actually been almost a year.
It seemed people were always being pushed forward by time, slowly yet relentlessly. Li Chu waved goodbye to Zheng Ru and went to her own dressing room.
Three assistants followed closely behind Li Chu: Qian Duoduo, Yuanzi, and the new bodyguard Ning Manqing had mentioned finding for her, a female Alpha named A Yao.
She and Yuanzi were from the same security company. Li Chu initially found her name strange, but after hearing A Yao's full name, Li Chu found it even stranger, because she told Li Chu her full name was Shanyao (Chinese Yam).
It was Yuanzi who explained that it was their company boss's peculiar hobby to have everyone use food or ingredients as code names, and they didn't get to choose; they drew lots like cards.
Yuanzi's full name was Tangyuan (Glutinous Rice Balls). She originally felt her name sounded too soft and not cool enough, but seeing A Yao, an Alpha, being called Shanyao made her feel much better. Until one day, she discovered someone in their company was called Mala Xiang Guo (Spicy Stir-Fry Pot). She and A Yao instantly felt balanced, thinking their own names were actually quite nice.
Upon entering the dressing room, A Yao first used a device to check for any hidden cameras or listening devices. While she was checking, Yuanzi inspected the room's furnishings for anything unusual.
Qian Duoduo was initially stunned by their routine, feeling terrified as if she were in an Agent 007 movie rather than the entertainment industry, and felt her professionalism as the original assistant was being questioned.
After being shaken like this a few times, she decided if you can't beat them, join them. So while Yuanzi and A Yao were conducting their checks, she disinfected the surfaces Li Chu would use, like the table and chair.
This whole procedure took over ten minutes. Li Chu wasn't idle either; she held her script, reviewing what she needed to act out later.
The second female lead Li Chu was playing this time was named Han Zhaoyun, a rich young lady who dreamed of starting her own business but kept failing. She was college roommates with the female lead, and their relationship was quite good.
From the female lead's perspective, this was a story about a workplace newcomer gradually becoming a successful professional, achieving success in both love and career.
The female lead didn't have a smooth start. Although she graduated from a prestigious university, after graduation, her only relative, her grandmother, was in poor health with little time left. So, unlike her classmates who chose to develop their careers in first or second-tier cities or pursue further studies, she returned to her small county town.
After her grandmother passed away, the female lead took her savings to the big city she dreamed of, wanting to build her own career there. However, as she wasn't a recent graduate and lacked outstanding work experience from the past year, she struggled and could only find a non-major related job she didn't particularly like to make ends meet.
Skipping over some events she encountered and her story with another Beta female character, the female lead eventually reached a difficult point and had to ask Han Zhaoyun, her former college roommate, for help.
Han Zhaoyun happily invited the female lead to live with her, partly because they had a good relationship, and partly because she wanted to ask the female lead for advice on workplace matters. Han Zhaoyun also dreamed of becoming a successful businesswoman. Unlike the female lead, as a pampered Omega from a wealthy family, her starting point was high, but she had failed in her entrepreneurial ventures several times. However, she persisted despite repeated failures. When she met the female lead again, she was working at the company the female lead admired, aiming to learn from experience.
Thanks to Han Zhaoyun's enthusiastic help, the female lead also joined that company and had deeper interactions with the other Beta female character.
In short, the character Li Chu was playing was a kind, cute, and beautiful person who was naive, rich, and extremely loyal to her friends, paving the way for the female lead's counterattack and success story.
Li Chu was quite satisfied. The pay for this drama was good, and the role was relatively easy to play. The latter part of 《Model Couple》 had been emotionally draining, so playing someone lighthearted and cute was a nice change.
When this drama's start-of-filming was announced, Li Chu's fans exploded, not with joy, but with frustration, especially her career fans.
@SweetLi ZiWorldNo1: exm? Our girl is playing the second female lead? Even though I know it's a dual Beta drama, how could our girl play the second female lead? Black Gold, come out and take the blame!
@LiChuOffScreenGirlfriend: Damn it, our Sweet Li Zi has always been so chill (Buddhist-style), but that doesn't mean we're easy to bully! Just because we don't start flame wars, they bully Li Zi like this? Please, Die at Dawn and Dusk is bound to get nominations this year, okay? And this is the follow-up project?
@GoLiLiziGo: Sister just wrapped up a drama where she was the female lead not long ago, I don't know why she dropped to second female lead. Although it's officially announced, I'm still so mad. Also, just complaining, my sister is more than capable of playing the female lead in this kind of drama, right?
However, while such voices existed, they were few. Tang Congnan was prepared and appeased the fans, emphasizing that this was genuinely Li Chu's own choice.
Thus, guided by this, the fans began to focus on admiring her looks. After all, this was Li Chu's first time playing such a sweet fairy-like character. In the promotional photos, she had long flowing hair, wearing a white knit sweater and a pink coat, exuding an autumn/winter peach milk tea vibe.
But while Li Chu's fans calmed down, some people online started mocking Li Chu for this, saying she was going downhill, becoming unpopular, and playing support for a "comeback actress."
These people were Zhong Yue's fans. The two fanbases had clashed before, and a group of Zhong Yue's fans had become staunch Li Chu anti-fans, ready to criticize anything related to Li Chu. Because of past dating rumors with Ning Manqing and Zhao Zhichun, things that had no solid proof online, they mocked Li Chu for flirting with everyone she met. Now that Li Chu was playing the second female lead, they found another point to ridicule.
Lin Xintian's fans weren't happy about this. Although they were fewer in number, they couldn't just let people mock her randomly. So, they started helping Li Chu's fans tear into those people, entering repeater mode.
@XintiansSweetheart: Li Chu will definitely get nominated at the year-end awards, what does your idol have?
@TwiceCookedPorkIsAlsoTastyHehe: Li Chu will definitely get nominated at the year-end awards, what does your idol have?
@GoXintianGo: Li Chu will definitely get nominated at the year-end awards, what does your idol have?
Qian Duoduo found it hilarious and recounted it to Li Chu like a joke.
"Sister, you'll definitely make it at the year-end Yulan Awards."
Li Chu smiled, a little embarrassed, but felt a flicker of anticipation in her heart. "I hope so," she said.
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