Divorce Is An Absolute Must! - Chapter 17

Chapter 17: A Patron

◎Why act so pure when you all rely on your patrons?◎

Qi Yao took off his microphone and stormed off the set. “Someone ruined my mood today. I’m not filming anymore.”

The director’s biggest fear was an actor suddenly refusing to film after everyone had started working. His face flushed red and green as he quickly looked at the ad manager.

The manager had no choice but to bite the bullet and go negotiate with Qi Yao’s team.

No one had expected Qi Yao, a newcomer, to say such a thing despite being late and unskilled.

It wasn’t just a lack of ability; it was a problem with his character.

Qian Chu gave Qi Yao a cold look and reminded Li Lan, “Ms. Lan, the young woman for your interview is already waiting at the door.”

Li Lan rose calmly. “Then let’s go to the interview first.”

Her time was precious and couldn’t be wasted on such nonsense.

Inside, Qi Yao saw Li Lan leave and became even more arrogant. “I don’t think you need me to film anyway. Someone loves to act so much, you might as well just let her film everything.”

The manager forced a smile and said, “Mr. Qi, please take this call.”

Qi Yao’s movements paused. A middle-aged woman’s voice came from the phone. Her tone was very displeased. “Qi Yao, what are you causing a fuss about now?”

Qi Yao was startled, and his arrogant demeanor immediately vanished. He picked up the phone, walked to a corner, and said cautiously, “President Qi.”

“This is a candy brand under S Corp. S Corp is a luxury brand. If you don’t want to film this, the company has plenty of other people who do,” President Qi said with a hint of a warning. “I’m promoting you because I see your potential. If you don’t cooperate on set and delay work, I’ll replace you at any time.”

Qi Yao was scared when he heard that and quickly said, “I’m sorry. I’ll definitely film well and not cause any trouble.”

Only then did President Qi’s tone soften. She used a carrot-and-stick approach. “Go on. As long as you’re obedient and work hard, you’ll be rewarded.”

Seeing President Qi’s attitude soften, Qi Yao couldn’t help but defend himself. “It’s not that I’m not serious. The person I was acting with was too harsh. She actually said I was acting like a horny poodle.”

President Qi remembered who he was acting with, and her tone became serious again. “If she says something to you, she says something. You’re there to work, not to make friends. Li Lan is backed by a big shot at Heguang Tongchen, so her background is not simple. I used my connections to get you this resource. Just listen to whatever she says and stop causing me trouble.”

Qi Yao wanted to say more, but the threat in President Qi’s tone was already very obvious.

His relationship with President Qi was only a distant, roundabout one, and President Qi was a strong-willed person. He didn’t dare to say anything else and could only agree.

After hanging up, his assistant walked over to wait for instructions.

Qi Yao threw the phone back to the assistant. His expression was sullen as he muttered, “So Li Lan has a patron too, and she acts so pure. Bah!”

The assistant lowered her head to pick up the phone and didn’t say a word.

Qi Yao muttered for a while before he composed himself and returned to the set, gesturing as if to say that he could continue filming.

Qian Chu said chillingly, “How unfortunate. Ms. Li is in the middle of an interview. Everyone will have to wait.”

“Everyone is filming an ad. Why does she have to be in an interview?” Qi Yao said in a displeased tone.

Qian Chu looked at him expressionlessly. “Oh really? Didn’t someone say they weren’t filming today? Also, our Ms. Li’s schedule has already been delayed by more than three hours because of someone’s lateness and laziness. Not even the director has a problem with it.”

Qi Yao was furious. “You!”

His assistant pulled on his arm and whispered, “Remember what President Qi said.”

Qi Yao suppressed his anger and turned his head away.

The set became quiet again. Fortunately, the atmosphere was no longer as tense. The director and manager looked at each other, and they really wanted to sigh.

Fortunately, Li Lan had already familiarized herself with the interview script in advance. She didn’t deliberately make people wait, and the interview ended efficiently in half an hour.

After returning to the set, because of President Qi’s warning, Qi Yao cooperated honestly to finish the couple shots and didn’t cause any more trouble.

Li Lan left after finishing her couple shots. Qi Yao’s solo shots dragged on until late at night. The director had to change the script again and delete a few shots to complete the final filming.

At three in the morning, Qi Yao had just left the set when he posted a message on Weibo: “I’ve seen the moon at three in the morning many times, but this is the first time I’ve had such a profound acting lesson. Some lessons are more unforgettable than the script. I’m grateful for all the special attention.”

The post included a picture of the set after work and a blurry script with what looked like numerous marks on it.

His fans immediately rushed to comment, calling him their “gege” (older brother) and expressing their sympathy.

But there were also some more observant fans.

“Actors are human too. Do you see the bloodshot eyes in gege’s eyes? He was probably maliciously held on set until three in the morning, right?”

“What special attention? Why do I smell a strange scent?”

“The person above got it right. There’s definitely nothing wrong with gege’s acting. He was probably being excluded.”

In the car on the way to the hotel, Qian Chu saw the Weibo post right away.

“How can someone like this be popular?” Qian Chu said with genuine emotion. “Ms. Lan, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a low-level, brainless guy.”

Li Lan said she was making a fuss over nothing and was unperturbed. “In my early years when I wasn’t famous, there were plenty of freaks and strange people, if not more.”

Qian Chu was a talented intern that Li Lan had poached from Heguang Tongchen. She came from a well-off background. By the time she became Li Lan’s assistant, Li Lan was already famous, so she had never encountered anyone like Qi Yao before.

“Thankfully, Ms. Zhu wasn’t here,” Qian Chu suddenly remembered something and said in alarm. “I remember the last time Ms. Zhu visited the set, she heard an actress you were acting with badmouthing you behind your back and got into a fight with her. It almost escalated to the point of calling the police.”

Li Lan’s expression was momentarily dazed when she heard this.

Qian Chu happened to be absent that day and only found out about it afterward. She asked, “What was it about that day? I’d always thought Ms. Zhu was a gentle person who wasn’t good at fighting back. I never expected her to get into a fight with someone.”

Li Lan remembered what happened that day. It was only about three months ago.

In recent years, she had shifted her career from abroad to China. The first thing she tried was acting. She was an experiential actress and never fought for the lead role. She looked at the production and the crew. As long as the script was good and the team was dedicated, she would try various supporting roles to hone her acting skills and constantly improve.

This, of course, was not in line with her status. Those who knew about this “downgrading” of her status would praise her for accumulating experience and having a long-term vision. Those who didn’t would badmouth and bully her.

Zhu Qing… Zhu Qing’s personality was, of course, very good. She was kind by nature and was the kind of person who would worry about hurting others whenever she interacted with them. For her to lose her composure in public and argue with someone to that extent, the other person must have been extremely disgusting.

Qian Chu pressed on. “What exactly happened that day?”

Li Lan lowered her gaze slightly and recalled, “I wasn’t there, so I’m not sure of the specific details. It was probably… something about President Yang.”

Qian Chu blinked in surprise and murmured, “No wonder Ms. Zhu blew up.”

In Qian Chu’s impression, Zhu Qing had always been an easygoing person with a gentle temper, especially with Li Lan. Besides not liking Li Lan’s work environment, she would just not get involved herself and had never made any unreasonable requests.

If Zhu Qing could blow up at someone on set, it must be because the other person had severely harmed Li Lan’s interests.

As if on cue, Li Lan’s phone suddenly lit up.

The exclusive ringtone for [President Yang] rang. It was a little tune Li Lan had sung with a guitar when she was eighteen.

Her voice was young, like a green lotus with a fresh drop of rain on it, full of a young girl’s affection.