After Becoming the Mother of the Scumbag Stand-In Female Lead - Chapter 52

Hearing this, Xu Ziqiu pursed her lips slightly, her gaze drifting away uncomfortably.

Sheng Yunjin followed her line of sight and noticed the hand hanging by her side.

A vivid red scratch marred the fair skin of her hand.

Perhaps sensing Sheng Yunjin’s attention, Xu Ziqiu decided there was no point in being evasive.

“The actress originally cast for the role… she seemed to have some resentment toward me. This morning, she improvised a scene without permission and got kicked off set by the director…”

That actress wasn’t from Green Apple Entertainment, nor had she auditioned for the role—she had been directly inserted by an investor.

Likely relying on her connections, she looked down on Xu Ziqiu, a newcomer landing the female lead right out of the gate. So, during this morning’s shoot, she added an unscripted move, attempting to slap Xu Ziqiu.

Fortunately, Xu Ziqiu reacted quickly and blocked it with her hand.

The actress had long acrylic nails and had struck with considerable force, leaving a clear mark on Xu Ziqiu’s hand.

Though it wasn’t a serious injury—just a superficial scratch—anyone on set could tell it had been intentional.

The director of this drama had a fiery temper. After this incident, he immediately saw through the actress’s intentions and wasted no time kicking her out.

After all, Green Apple was the primary production company behind this project. The main cast, along with the director and screenwriter, were all affiliated with Green Apple.

As for the investor? The director figured Lin Xiaoyu could handle it.

Sheng Yunjin rubbed the tip of her nose, unable to suppress a smirk.

Seems like nowhere is safe from drama, even on set.

Noticing her smile, Xu Ziqiu relaxed as well.

Though her hand was scratched, getting rid of a hidden troublemaker wasn’t such a bad outcome.

“Can you tell me about the role?”

Since Chen Yan hadn’t gotten back to her yet, Sheng Yunjin figured she might as well keep herself occupied.

Seeing her interest, Xu Ziqiu’s eyes brightened.

Finding a replacement actor on short notice wasn’t easy. The director had initially planned to hold another round of auditions to select someone suitable, but that would’ve taken time.

Though this character didn’t have many scenes, she played a pivotal role in driving the plot forward. Given that this was a major Green Apple production, the director wasn’t willing to cut corners.

“Actually, the character suits you quite well. She’s the male lead’s younger sister—a wealthy heiress and the best friend of his deceased first love…”

Xu Ziqiu pulled up the digital script saved on her phone and gave Sheng Yunjin a brief rundown of the supporting character’s arc.

After listening, Sheng Yunjin thought the role sounded promising.

Plus, the scenes were limited—she could probably wrap up filming in two or three days if they shot intensively.

“Sounds good. Should I go with you to the set this afternoon for an audition?”

Xu Ziqiu paused. She had instinctively assumed that if Sheng Yunjin agreed, the role would be hers without question.

After all…

Shaking off the thought, she reminded herself not to view Sheng Yunjin through a biased lens.

“…Sure. I’ll be heading to the set around three. We can go together.”

As she spoke, Xu Ziqiu glanced at the bandage wrapped around Sheng Yunjin’s left hand. “But your hand…”

Casually moving her hand, Sheng Yunjin smiled and said, “It’ll be fine in a few days. If I pass the audition, I’ll have to trouble the director to postpone my scenes until after the bandages come off.”

Nodding, Xu Ziqiu looked at her confident, radiant smile and said gently, “…You’ll pass.”

Just being with Sheng Yunjin like this, she felt as if she were seeing the character from the script come to life.

…

In the afternoon, Sheng Yunjin and Xu Ziqiu went to the film set together. Many of the crew members were employees of Qingguo Entertainment, and whispers spread when they saw Sheng Yunjin walking beside Xu Ziqiu.

Some even thought she was there to replace Xu Ziqiu as the female lead.

…

Since filming hadn’t started yet, Sheng Yunjin followed Xu Ziqiu to the director’s lounge.

The director of this film, Wu Tingyu, had produced many hits works in her youth. But in recent years, perhaps wanting to retire, she hadn’t released any new projects.

It was unclear how much effort Lin Xiaoyu had expended to sign her with Qingguo.

When the two entered, Director Wu had just hung up the phone.

She had kicked out the investor’s representative and needed to give Lin Xiaoyu an explanation.

Fortunately, they were in the right on this matter, so Lin Xiaoyu didn’t make too much of it.

After all, investors were businessmen at heart—they wouldn’t risk severing ties with Qingguo over some troublesome minor actress.

…

Setting her phone aside, Director Wu’s gaze fell on Sheng Yunjin.

Adjusting her black-framed glasses, she said with a hint of amusement, “I was just telling President Lin we should bring you in for a tryout, but she refused. And now you’ve come on your own?”

Wu Tingyu knew Chen Yan and was aware she had brought Sheng Yunjin to Nancheng for filming.

In Wu Tingyu’s view, three months of rehearsal time for a stage play was more than enough.

She thought having Sheng Yunjin guest star for a couple of days wouldn’t be a big deal.

Wu Tingyu didn’t know Sheng Yunjin well—she’d only seen her from afar at the company a few times and heard Chen Yan mention her.

So her impression of Sheng Yunjin was that of an arrogant young miss with some acting skills.

Some acting ability was enough—what really mattered was that her temperament and appearance perfectly fit the role.

…

Hearing this, Sheng Yunjin remained unruffled. She said calmly, “I’ve already reviewed several scenes for the role. Would you like to see my audition now, Director Wu?”

Wu Tingyu’s smile deepened as she glanced at Xu Ziqiu. “Did you give her the script?”

Xu Ziqiu nodded, her gaze toward Sheng Yunjin tinged with complexity.

This person really was composed and confident no matter the situation.

…

The audition scene was simple—Sheng Yunjin was practically playing herself.

But to Xu Ziqiu, it was clear she did have acting skills.

At the very least, this scene was originally meant to be a confrontation between Sheng Yunjin and the male lead, yet even performing alone against empty space, she didn’t break immersion.

The role was quickly decided. Due to Sheng Yunjin’s injured hand, Director Wu agreed she could join the crew a few days later.

…

Sheng Yunjin spent the entire afternoon sitting beside Director Wu, watching the monitors and learning as she listened, appearing perfectly calm and relaxed. In contrast, her assistants Xiao Feng and Xiao Nan grew increasingly anxious behind her.

As the day drew to a close, there was still no word from Chen Yan’s side.

Moreover, the lead actress originally cast for the play couldn’t perform, so Sheng Yunjin ended up taking a minor supporting role in Xu Ziqiu’s production…

Back in Beijing, their agent Sister Li let out a piercing scream upon hearing the news.

Xiao Nan, standing nearby, fielded Sister Li’s frantic calls. No matter how much Sister Li tried to persuade, Xiao Nan stubbornly relayed Sheng Yunjin’s exact words:

“The character seems interesting. I want to play it.”

This blunt response nearly gave Sister Li a stroke.

She and Xu Ziqiu’s agent had always been sworn rivals. Securing Sheng Yunjin for her side had been a major victory for Li Qing.

Everyone in Qingguo Entertainment knew about Sheng Yunjin’s close relationship with their CEO Lin—she was clearly destined for stardom.

And yet…

Sheng Yunjin had voluntarily gone to play second fiddle to Xu Ziqiu!

This meant Li Qing would have to lower her head before Xu Ziqiu’s agent now…

…

Let the world think her crazy—Sheng Yunjin couldn’t care less.

After a day on set, she even had dinner with Xu Ziqiu and some assistants that evening.

Returning to the hotel, Sheng Yunjin followed her usual routine of calling Si Mu. They chatted about their respective days before falling asleep with the video call still connected.

Si Mu had heard about the incident involving Chen Yan and Zhou Yuan that day, but seeing Sheng Yunjin seemed unbothered, she didn’t press further. She resolved to ask Lin Xiaoyu about it at the office tomorrow.

…

Sheng Yunjin was gradually drifting off while whispering sweet nothings to Si Mu when knocking at her door jolted her awake.

Frowning, she threw on a robe and checked the time with visible irritation—11:30 PM.

This better be important.

Noticing she needed to attend to something, Si Mu ended the call. She turned on the bedside lamp and began researching Chen Yan and Zhou Yuan online.

While completely unfamiliar with entertainment industry politics, Si Mu understood every field had its unspoken rules.

If Sheng Yunjin was working in this world, she needed to understand it better.

Otherwise, her girlfriend might get taken advantage of without her even knowing.

…

At the door stood Xiao Feng, nervously presenting her phone to Sheng Yunjin’s beautiful but thoroughly annoyed face.

Internally cursing Chen Yan—why call about this in the middle of the night after radio silence all day?

The lengthy text message detailed how Chen Yan had smoothed things over with Zhou Yuan—the role still belonged to Sheng Yunjin.

The rest comprised apologies and instructions to report for rehearsal at the training compound tomorrow.

Seeing Sheng Yunjin’s thunderous expression, Xiao Feng cautiously added, “Sister Yunjin… Teacher Chen Yan seems sincere. She went to our previous hotel first, only calling after finding we’d left…”

The implication: Chen Yan had intended to apologize in person, resorting to texts only when that proved impossible.

With a noncommittal “Hmm,” Sheng Yunjin turned back toward her room.

“Got it.”

The next morning, Xiao Feng and Xiao Nan got up extra early and went together to Sheng Yunjin’s room to wake her.

The hotel they were staying in now wasn’t like before—it was a half-hour drive from the training compound.

Factoring in time for washing up and breakfast, they had to get up at least an hour early.

But before they could even knock, Sheng Yunjin’s voice came from behind them.

“What are you doing here?”

Dressed in workout clothes—a white sports bra and light purple shorts—Sheng Yunjin’s tall, graceful figure was perfectly accentuated.

Her face still carried a faint flush from exercise, though not a single drop of sweat could be seen on her skin.

Sheng Yunjin opened the door and walked in, leaving the two assistants standing dumbfounded before following her inside.

“Jiejie, did you go for a morning workout?”

Grabbing a change of clothes and heading toward the bathroom, Sheng Yunjin calmly replied, “Mhm.”

As the bathroom door closed, the two assistants exchanged a silent glance before looking down at their own slightly pudgy stomachs.

Xiao Feng was the first to avert her gaze, mentally consoling herself.

She wasn’t a celebrity—eating well and enjoying life were what mattered most. No need to be so strict about her figure…

Yes, that was the right way to comfort herself.

Beside her, Xiao Nan quietly thought the same.