Caught in Affairs with Superstar

Chapter 463: Chapter 366: Three Men

Lew Qingqing left, and Zhou Yun never mentioned this matter to anyone.

She also hadn’t heard a word about it from anyone else.

Zhou Yun’s schedule was always packed, and soon, the impact of the incident gradually faded.

Her next movie ”Falling Leaves” was a film narrated entirely from the female protagonist’s viewpoint—at least the script made it clear that was the case.

But in this movie, there were still several important male characters.

The first male character, Zhong Qiulai, is Wan Duoyan’s boyfriend, played by Zhou Yun. He is also Chinese, but he is determined to stay in the United States and is unwilling to return to China. During Wan Duoyan’s visit to China, he constantly urged her to return to the United States, and later had a major conflict with her because Wan Duoyan wanted to stay in China.

The second male character, Meng Fanyan, a handsome man Wan Duoyan meets in China after her return, happened to sit next to Zhou Yun on the plane and later unexpectedly met her at a night market. As Wan Duoyan was having a huge conflict over whether to stay in China or go back to the United States with Zhong Qiulai, Meng Fanyan tried to comfort her. After having supper, they went to a bar for drinks. Immersed in the comfort Meng Fanyan provided, she also realized his intentions towards her. Coincidentally, when alcohol was taking its effect, Meng Fanyan’s girlfriend suddenly arrived and mistook her for someone else, leading to a misunderstanding and a conflict. After the misunderstanding was cleared, Wan Duoyan learned about Meng Fanyan’s double-dealing in foreign affairs. Wan Duoyan slapped Meng Fanyan twice and decisively left.

The third male character, Wan Long, Wan Duoyan’s cousin. They were at odds from their first meeting, bickering over trivial matters. Wan Long insulted her for having a ”white heart covered by yellow skin” and she retorted by calling him an uneducated ruffian. Their conflict escalated continuously, during which Zhong Qiulai was also incessantly urging her to return. Feeling that things were not going smoothly in China, and that the relatives she thought would warmly receive her were not as friendly as imagined, she packed her things in the middle of the night and left quietly. Unexpectedly, Meng Fanyan, whom she had slapped earlier, found her location, intending to take revenge. In the dead of night, he covered her mouth, making her unable to scream; she struggled desperately. Wan Long suddenly appeared at that moment and chased Meng Fanyan away. Overwhelmed with residual fear, Wan Duoyan cried bitterly. Wan Long rebuked her for her insanity in running away at midnight, and Wan Duoyan retorted, venting out all her grievances. They argued for a long time, and after running out of energy, they reconciled.

These three main male characters were chosen by Shi Luoqi and Xue Qin after half a year of selection.

At the end of November, the final casting session.

Shi Luoqi had called Zhou Yun as well.

Xue Qin, however, had an opinion. She told Shi Luoqi, ”The final say on who to use is mine, I don’t care about that girl Zhou Yun’s opinion.”

Shi Luoqi smiled and said, ”You really have a temper, Zhou Yun is such a good actress, you shouldn’t be biased against her just because she is very popular. I know you want to use less well-known actors, but Xiao Qin, you must admit that she’s very suitable for the role of Wan Duoyan, right?”

Xue Qin didn’t respond.

Not responding actually meant tacit agreement.

Shi Luoqi said, ”Using newcomers has its benefits, and using celebrities has its benefits. You are a new director, having a well-known actress like Zhou Yun back you up brings great advantages to your debut work. You know this. Otherwise, even with me helping as a producer, there are still too many uncertainties. We still hope this film can be successful, rather than making a film that hardly anyone knows about, right?”

Xue Qin: ”Sister Luo Qi, I understand what you mean, I’m not against her acting, it’s just...”

”It’s just that you’re afraid because she’s a big star, she won’t listen to you and it’ll affect your authority as a director, isn’t it?” Shi Luoqi clearly understood Xue Qin very well and pinpointed Xue Qin’s main concern.

Xue Qin shrugged non-committally.

Shi Luoqi: ”Before I decided to invite Zhou Yun, I had done a lot of investigation. If she was the kind of arrogant actress, I definitely wouldn’t dare to use her, nor would I recommend her to you. I’m the producer for this film, and choosing actors is a risk for both you and me. My standards are known to you. How Director Chen Zian selects actors for his films is how I select for yours—standards are the same. Of course, I know what you want to say; you wouldn’t have to worry about actors acting up if you were Chen Zian, because no big name actors consider themselves big in front of him. You’re a new director, so you have these concerns.”

”But it’s precisely in times like these that you should use your ability and your talent to convince her, not just stand there with a stern face as if that would prove to her that you disdain her celebrity status,” Shi Luoqi added, ”She’s a good actress, and you’re a good director. Good collaborations produce good works. If you’re wary of her celebrity status, she’ll also question where exactly you don’t see eye to eye. This kind of atmosphere doesn’t produce good movies, you know that. Chen Zian has also encountered such actors, hasn’t he? So, why did I want to invite her over? The reason is simple: I want her to see with her own eyes how you make a movie on matters that have nothing to do with her, without any deliberate acting. Your standards, your taste, your thinking, everything is clear in the realm of art.”

After hearing Shi Luoqi say all this, Xue Qin finally understood Shi Luoqi’s intentions.

On the day of the casting, Zhou Yun first met Shi Luoqi and Xue Qin in the lounge.

To Zhou Yun’s surprise, Xue Qin actually came up and shook her hand, saying, ”Feel free to voice any thoughts you have later.”

Zhou Yun had never received such good treatment from Xue Qin.

She didn’t know what had happened behind the scenes and was a bit shocked.

”Okay, okay.”

After leaving Xue Qin’s lounge, Zheng Xiaojue murmured under her breath, ”Has she suddenly changed her personality? Why did her attitude suddenly become so good?”

Zhou Yun gave Zheng Xiaojue a look and said, ”Be careful, don’t let anyone hear you.”

Zheng Xiaojue sighed and said, ”It’s true, her face used to be as long as a horse’s face, acting as if we owed her money and refused to pay it back.”

Zhou Yun said, ”Alright, Xiaoju, no matter what, she’s the director. We should avoid gossiping about her in public in the future, in case someone hears it, it gets out, and there’s negative news again. I’m keeping my distance from negative news now, hoping to never have anything to do with it again.”

Zheng Xiaojue: ”Understood, I will definitely keep a tight lid on my mouth.”