Rebirth from the Ashes - Chapter 618

Chapter 618: Ms. Li’s Perfect for the Role
On this night, the production team organized a get-together for the actors to get to know each other.

Li Jingran was feeling the blues as she had a hunch that Yuan Yu was declaring war and challenging her. Yuan Yu must be colluding with Cloud Seven to disgrace her.

Su Ruowan, on the other hand, was having the time of her life. Sure, she once had her doubts about Shen Xi the moment she read the script. However, after mulling over it, Su Ruowan believed that her suspicions may be for nothing.

Chen Yu in the story died in the end, but Shen Xi was very much alive and doing well. She swindled the Su family a large sum of money and cut ties with them. Shen Xi achieved fame and fortune wherever she went.

If only Shen Xi, the b*tch, suffered the same tragic end as Chen Yu in the story.

Hu Zheng, the director, was warmly catching up with the actors.

The actors questioned Screenwriter Cloud Seven’s presence. They also wanted to know if the screenwriter would grace them with his presence during shooting.

“Cloud Seven wouldn’t be on the set. However, he would watch the filming in progress by video when necessary to provide some direction,” Hu Zheng explained with a smile.

The only person on everybody’s mind was Screenwriter Cloud Seven and it was as though the director was invisible.

Still, Screenwriter Cloud Seven never appeared on set for the filming of his last TV series either. No one had seen his face to this day.

The actors booed in disappointment. Although they had gotten word from the production crew of The Smiling Nation that the screenwriter was not once present during the shooting, they were still upset as they really wanted to meet him.

With most of the actors of Lady Luck being rookies, Li Jingran stood out as the person with the highest standing in the room. There was a veteran actress, Lin Chan, who debuted the same year as Li Jingran. As her age grew, so did her experience. However, Lin Chan never really found fame as she found herself stagnating in the B-list.

Lin Chan often played second supporting roles, extras, and sometimes the leading lady of budget TV dramas in the past. Now that she was older, she often got maternal parts such as grandmothers and mothers. For Lady Luck, she would be portraying Nie Qingzhu, who was the lady of the Gu household and mother to the female supporting roles. Lin Chan had more scenes than Li Jingran.

At the dinner table, the conversation was slowly steering to the script. Since everyone just got to know each other, they did not have much in common to talk about.

Half the cast were seasoned actors while the other half were rookies. Less than a handful of them were in between in terms of experience.

The veteran actors were about Lin Chan’s age, who were advancing in their acting career around the time Li Jingran and Su Yi made their debut.

Actors who debuted in the same year were often compared side by side of their successes. Hence, these actors were more or less jealous of Li Jingran and Su Yi’s good luck.

While shooting the breeze, everyone probed Lin Chan about her role as Nie Qingzhu. They asked if she could share her feelings and takeaways after reading the script.

Lin Chan was a beautiful actress in her forties. Having looked after her figure and skin, she appeared ten years younger. Hearing that, she smiled. “Talking about insights, I think Ms. Li will have a better idea of the character. I would say that Ms. Li’s perfect for the role, more than I am, I reckon.”

The seasoned actors got the message right away. Li Jingran was Su Yi’s second wife. Although the younger actors were in the dark about it, the veterans in the circle were no stranger to that fact.

Nie Qingzhu, to be played by Lin Chan, was the mistress who took over the place of the wife after wiping the latter out. The actors then had caught wind that Su Yi’s first wife was dead, but the cause of the death was hidden well from the public.

Color drained from Li Jingran’s face. Her years spent in front of the camera did help her get a grip as she modestly grinned. “I won’t say I have any insights. Don’t be ridiculous, Ms. Lin.”

Godd*mn Lin Chan! It was no wonder Lin Chan was only a mediocre actress with that wicked mind of hers. Serves her right for never making it big.

“Oh, right. I heard that Mr. Su’s eldest son is back in the country and has started a company. Is that true?” Lin Chan was not going to let Li Jingran go easily.

With Li Jingran’s facial muscles stiffening, she wanted to do away with Lin Chan there and then. Nodding with a smile, she gave a vague answer. “I won’t say it’s a company. His dad gave him a bit of money to start up.”

Lin Chan lamented. “Those who grew up abroad are different. I understand that he studied in a prestigious school. That’s amazing. Is the son still like his mother?”

“He’s like his father.” Li Jingran was dying to get out of there. Refusing to spend another second in the room, she wearily kneaded her temples. “Please excuse me, I’m not feeling well. Do enjoy your meal.”

Lin Chan gazed at Li Jingran with an intriguing smile. She drawled, “Why are you so quick to leave? I have questions I need advice on.”

Li Jingran politely replied, “We’re all cast members of the TV series. There will be time.”

The younger generation of actors could feel the tension and sparks flying in the room, albeit they had no clue why.

Su Yi and Li Jingran kept their affairs under wraps. Since Su Yi tied the knot with Yuan Yu’s mom in secret, barely anyone knew that he was taken. Only a small number of people in the entertainment line were aware of it.

He later divorced and got hitched to Li Jingran in a high-profile wedding. They did not spare the public display of affection after the marriage and even paid off the media to wipe any traces leading to him and his ex-wife.

The media painted Su Yi and Li Jingran as a handsome and loving power-couple. Over time, the public saw them as the paragon of the perfect couple in showbiz and nothing else.

Li Jingran urged Su Ruowan to leave alongside. Wanwan would not be able to handle Lin Chan’s malicious attack if she was left alone to fend for herself.

After getting into the executive van, Li Jingran furiously kicked the car seat and shouted, “D*mn Lin Chan!”

Who did she think she was? Lin Chan was only a second-rate actress even after all these years. How dare an actress who was destined for old hag roles gave her hell in public!

“Mom, how did she know?” Su Ruowan hated Lin Chan’s guts. It would reflect badly on her if anyone were to find out about her family secrets.

As time passed, Su Ruowan was no longer the child who would believe in anything. She used to accept that Mom and Dad were madly in love and that Yuan Heng died of illness.

Later, her beliefs began to sway when Yuan Yu returned to the country. She started to suspect that Yuan Heng’s death was more than met the eyes, and it had something to do with Mom and Dad..