70: But you can become famous

Director Zhao called to notify him in the evening, and Shen Lian arrived at the filming site early the next morning.

He didn't sit down, instead standing there looking tall and elegant, holding a thermos and taking sips one by one.

Director Zhao was doing a final round of inspection of the set layout, and as he passed by Shen Lian, he casually remarked, "Sit down while you drink."

Shen Lian simply nodded, but showed no intention of moving.

If anyone asked, he'd say he was working on his physique lately.

Someone joked with a smile, "Teacher Shen, with looks like yours, do you still need to work on your physique?"

Shen Lian smiled through his tears, "Striving for perfection."

How else could he say it? 'Oh, I've been repeatedly flipped like a fried fish these past few days, and a certain part of me has reached the limit of what life can endure, so I can only stand. If you can't handle that, bring me a bed, I can lie down too'?

The stylist arrived, and Shen Lian put down his thermos to follow her to the makeup room.

"Teacher Shen, you've worked hard; you've lost weight again lately," the stylist remarked. The character 'Lu Xiaokai' gave off a first impression of being beautiful and thin, and she hadn't expected Shen Lian to keep pushing himself to fit the role.

Shen Lian: "..." Was that weight loss? That was the loss of vital energy.

In fact, when Chu Yilan touched Shen Lian's waist this morning, he felt deep regret. He stood in front of him gesturing for a long while, his sharp brows knitted into a knot.

Shen Lian laughed at the sight and daringly leaned in, "Heartbroken? Then don't be so ruthless next time."

To his surprise, Chu Yilan actually nodded solemnly.

Even now, Shen Lian couldn't help but smile when thinking about it.

A short while later, the makeup room door was pushed open, and Lin Fu entered with his assistant.

"Morning, Teacher Lin," Shen Lian took the initiative to greet him.

A sincere smile appeared on Lin Fu's usually cold and stern face: "Morning, Teacher Shen."

The two talked while getting their makeup done. Shen Lian had rested beautifully for a few days, but Lin Fu hadn't. Some scenes that could be filmed in private rooms or meeting rooms were easier to find locations for and had to be done that day, so Lin Fu was quite tired.

Shen Lian had just finished changing when the set runner started rushing him.

Shen Lian hurried to follow.

The current 'Lu Xiaokai' was distinctly different from when he was in the small town. He no longer wore cheap street-stall clothes; instead, he followed Feng Zheng and wore designer brands. At the same time, that bright and flamboyant face seemed to be sealed within an invisible shell, appearing very stiff even when he twitched the corners of his mouth.

Lu Xiaokai arrived for his appointment. When he reached the private room, no one else was there yet. The youth sat on the sofa by the door, head bowed, lost in thought.

Lu Xiaokai also wanted to succeed without relying on Feng Zheng's help, so he had come here secretly behind Feng Zheng's back.

The so-called business partner was in his fifties and pot-bellied. As soon as he entered, his gaze swept over Lu Xiaokai at lightning speed. The man secretly suppressed his satisfaction, followed by drinking and chatting freely. Lu Xiaokai was clumsy with words and couldn't take control of the conversation at all; he was so deceived by the other party that he couldn't tell truth from lies, only feeling in a dizzy haze that he was about to succeed.

But the end of the story was that when Lu Xiaokai went to the private room's restroom, he was pushed down from behind.

The youth was unable to resist; his mouth was covered as he was pinned beneath the sink. The sound of fabric being torn rang out in the air. Lu Xiaokai jolted awake from a beautiful dream only to fall into an abyss, the camera focused solely on his face.

That large hand blocked his chance to call for help. A sliver of light from outside fell directly across his eyes. From initial horror and fear, with large tears falling one by one, to later despair and numbness—the entire process was as clear as colors spread across a flat sheet of paper.

"Cut!"

The opposing actor quickly pulled his hand away. Shen Lian's crying scene was so explosive that for a moment he thought he had actually pressed down too hard and hurt him.

"Are you okay, Teacher Shen?"

Shen Lian waved his hand, not yet fully out of character, but his tone was natural: "I'm fine, I'm fine. You pressed very lightly."

Director Zhao didn't even have time for Shen Lian, instead engaging in a heated discussion with the screenwriter behind him.

It was a bit difficult for Shen Lian to climb up, yet he had to pretend to be calm and unbothered.

Lin Fu noticed and asked casually, "Did you hurt your leg in the fall?"

"No, I just slept on it wrong; it's numb." After Shen Lian spoke, he noticed Lin Fu was still looking at him. "What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure how things will go for me with this drama, but you're going to get famous. Believe it or not?"

Shen Lian smiled, "I'll take that as a good omen."

Lin Fu felt that Shen Lian had a bit of pride and confidence within him.

Shen Lian's lunch box was brought separately by Jiang You. Director Zhao, curious, craned his neck to take a look and couldn't help saying, "Wait, what are you eating? This is so bland."

Plain porridge, pickles, and small buns—wasn't the crew's spicy chicken and braised pork better than this?

Shen Lian had become very smooth at making excuses after half a day. He said offhandedly, "My stomach hasn't been great these past couple of days."

"You youngsters," Director Zhao sighed, "your bodies aren't as robust as ours."

I'm robust, how am I not robust? Shen Lian thought. I managed to make it to the set to continue filming without falling apart; I'm incredibly robust!

—

Hu Kailan fell into silence as he looked at the several invitations in his email inbox.

They were all advertising collaborations, but the point was—designer brands! Big brands! Not only was the compensation generous, they specifically asked for Shen Lian.

So, should they take them one by one?

"Everything has been arranged," Sun Binghe reported to Chu Yilan. "They've all been carefully selected by me. I definitely won't let Mr. Shen be mistreated."

"I've noticed," Chu Yilan looked up, "that you are exceptionally attentive to Shen Lian's affairs."

Sun Binghe's expression changed, and he immediately declared his loyalty: "It's all for you, Boss!"

Although there was a slight suspicion of watching the drama and slacking off, it would be too unfair to be fired by Chu Yilan because of that.

Chu Yilan snorted with laughter, "I'm just asking, what are you afraid of?"

Sun Binghe thought: Given your possessiveness over Mr. Shen, shouldn't I be afraid?

Meanwhile, Social Media Platform blew up a little. Wei Fanchen had some name recognition, but he struggled to even reach third-tier status. Suddenly, so much dirt was exposed: bullying other artists on set, acting like a big shot and cursing at fans, having a messy private life, and seemingly being involved with Zhou Tangsi. Anyway, it gave the onlookers plenty of gossip to enjoy.

Since it was all solid evidence, it was impossible for die-hard fans to even try to control the comments and save his reputation.

The final piece of information regarding Wei Fanchen was that he was being prosecuted by relevant judicial authorities for malicious arson and intentional injury at a certain place on a certain date.

As for the victim, a certain Mr. Zheng, people quickly guessed it was Zheng Ge.

Because on the day they went to the mountain villa, Zheng Ge had posted a selfie on Social Media Platform with his location set there. Later, news also broke that he had been rushed to the hospital overnight, and in the captured footage, his face looked scorched by smoke and fire.

Zheng Ge's fans exploded instantly. After scouring Wei Fanchen's social media page several times like a plow, this person was destined to completely disappear from the public eye.

Chu Yilan never held back when he struck. As for exposing Zheng Ge, it was entirely to shift the public's attention. He didn't care whose heart was broken or how their reputation fared.

In Shen Lian's words, Zheng Ge's life would not be easy.