Chapter 3453: Diva, Diva (10)

‘Heartless and ungrateful’ was the only way to describe someone like Yue Wenlun.

Ning Shu gave a faint smile and began memorizing her script. She was studying the lines for the second female lead, mulling them over again and again. It was better to be prepared in advance than to scramble to memorize lines on set.

She wanted to be sure of herself.

Ning Shu did not call Yue Wenlun. What would be the point?

A phone call wouldn’t change the outcome.

Besides, Yue Wenlun’s heart had already strayed, so saying anything more would be useless.

Meanwhile, Qiao Ling’er called Yue Wenlun in a state of excitement. Both thrilled and apprehensive, she told him that she had actually been cast as the female lead.

She worried this would make Miss Mu unhappy.

Yue Wenlun was also somewhat surprised, but he reassured her. “The director decided on the roles. It has nothing to do with you. Don’t let it weigh on your mind. Just focus on acting well.”

“Hearing you say that makes me feel a bit better. Otherwise, I wouldn’t even know how to face Miss Mu,” Qiao Ling’er said fearfully. “Do you think she’ll blame me?”

“It’s fine. Everything was the director’s decision.”

Qiao Ling’er grinned silently. She was about to become a superstar. Mu Shuyao had become famous because of this role, and now she was the one who was going to play it.

This was an opportunity she hadn’t been given in her previous life.

During the opening ceremony, Ning Shu and Qiao Ling’er crossed paths.

Both were dressed in their costumes. Qiao Ling’er wore a pale green dress that, when paired with her ethereal aura, made her look like a celestial being.

Qiao Ling’er was perfectly suited for this role.

Ning Shu, on the other hand, was dressed in bold red with flaming red lips. A red mole was painted between her eyebrows, making her look both enchanting and fierce.

Originally, this role hadn’t suited Mu Shuyao’s temperament at all. She hadn’t been able to master the character, which was why she had been criticized so harshly in the past.

Ning Shu looked at Qiao Ling’er nonchalantly. “I didn’t expect my replacement to be you.”

Qiao Ling’er said somewhat fearfully, “I don’t know how I ended up as the female lead either. I never intended to steal your role.”

Ning Shu reached out. Her fingers were adorned with long, tapered prosthetic nails. She patted Qiao Ling’er on the shoulder, causing the girl’s heart to tremble involuntarily.

“It’s fine. I’m looking forward to acting opposite you. Wenlun told me you’re an acting genius,” Ning Shu said gently.

Qiao Ling’er felt a sense of oppression and forced a smile. “As long as you’re not angry with me.”

“How could I?” Ning Shu curled her lips. Her blood-red lips contrasted against her straight, snowy white teeth, creating a breathtakingly sharp look.

Qiao Ling’er stared at Ning Shu in a daze.

The opening ceremony proceeded through several stages, including the lighting of incense and formal bowing.

After the ceremony, everyone went out for a meal to get to know one another.

Qiao Ling’er’s crystal-clear, fragile temperament did a lot to reduce the hostility directed toward her.

However, some insiders who knew the situation watched Ning Shu with sympathetic eyes.

They knew Qiao Ling’er had been introduced by Yue Wenlun.

While Ning Shu was in the restroom, she overheard members of the crew gossiping. They said Qiao Ling’er was Best Actor Yue’s new favorite and that Mu Shuyao was about to be discarded.

Ning Shu: …

It certainly seemed to be the truth.

Once the gossips left, Ning Shu emerged from the stall. She turned on the faucet to wash her hands, dried them, and took out her phone.

She leaned against the vanity to scroll through the latest rumors.

To boost ratings, the production crew would periodically leak gossip to keep the drama trending.

Ning Shu sent a tip to a popular, verified account on Weibo, stating directly that the production had swapped female leads.

She wrote it as a very melodramatic, convoluted story. She framed the whole thing as a sensationalized love triangle.

In short, it was a scandalous tale of Yue Wenlun tossing aside his old flame for a new one.

She made sure to drag Yue Wenlun right into the center of it.

After Ning Shu sent the tip, the Big V posted the scoop on Weibo.

Ning Shu wasn’t doing this with the hope of reclaiming the lead role. In fact, she didn’t think playing the second lead was a problem at all.

She did this because she wanted to shatter Yue Wenlun’s public persona as a mature, steady man who stayed away from scandals.

Ning Shu put her phone away and left the restroom, bumping into Qiao Ling’er at the door.

Qiao Ling’er greeted Mu Shuyao, and Ning Shu simply nodded before walking past her.

After the meal, everyone returned to the hotel to rest. Ning Shu went back to her room, where she practiced yoga, contorting her body while checking the gossip online.

Under that account’s Weibo post, Yue Wenlun’s fans were out in force, claiming people were slandering their Best Actor award winner.

Best Actor Yue wasn’t that kind of playboy. He was an award-winner, so how could he be a two-timer?

While the fans didn’t like Mu Shuyao and felt she wasn’t good enough for him, they were certain it was impossible for the Best Actor award winner to cheat.

They assumed some random woman was just trying to ride his coattails to fame.

Regardless, many people started digging into Qiao Ling’er’s background.

Qiao Ling’er was speechless when she saw the gossip online.

Even though it was technically true—Yue Wenlun really had called to recommend her—the truth was mixed with lies. Right now, Yue Wenlun did have special feelings for Qiao Ling’er.

In any case, Qiao Ling’er was going to be labeled a ‘mistress’ for a while.

The fact remained that she had snatched someone else’s role, and there was no way to argue against that.

Mixing lies with truth was the only way to make people believe the story.

The next day, filming began. Ning Shu’s character was various shades of evil, while the protagonist was the embodiment of truth, goodness, and beauty.

Ning Shu already knew her lines by heart.

Qiao Ling’er, however, had only recently received the script and was frantically trying to memorize it scene by scene.

When Ning Shu acted opposite Qiao Ling’er, Ning Shu was calm and composed, while Qiao Ling’er was visibly panicked. She was either forgetting her lines or failing to get into character.

Ning Shu’s role was that of a powerful, poisonous-hearted beauty who needed to be domineering.

And being domineering was easy.

Ning Shu tilted Qiao Ling’er’s chin up, threatening her with a wicked expression to stay away from the male lead.

She told her she would kill her and made it sound as gruesome as possible.

Qiao Ling’er stammered and forgot her lines. “NG!”

After repeated NGs, the director grew impatient and started shouting at Qiao Ling’er.

It was normal for actors to be scolded by directors. In her previous life, Qiao Ling’er had been scolded often, so normally she should have been able to endure it.

However, in this life, Qiao Ling’er was taking the ‘genius’ route. If word reached Yue Wenlun that she was causing constant NGs, his opinion of her would likely plummet.

Because of this, Qiao Ling’er was anxious. Extremely anxious.

The more anxious she got, the more mistakes she made, leading to even more failed takes.

Finally, the director slammed his hat down and called for a break to give Qiao Ling’er some coaching.

Ning Shu sat in the rest area while a makeup artist came over to touch up her look, applying a fresh layer of bright red lipstick.

Ning Shu took a mirror to look at herself.

It was the same face, but with this makeup, she didn’t look ethereal at all. Instead, she looked reckless, arrogant, and brimming with evil intent.

Ning Shu adjusted her expression in the mirror. This role was actually quite good.

The original host hadn’t been able to handle the character’s aura, which made her performance look awkward and earned her nothing but insults.

Mu Shuyao was better suited for the harmless, innocent female lead type because her natural aura fit that mold.

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