Love Variety Show: The despised me exploded in popularity

The next day.

The contracts for the four actors needed to be signed on the set because the shoot was only going to last one or two days. Aside from the extras, for the main actors, it was akin to a small gig.

If they were acquainted, even a verbal agreement would suffice.

To show their importance, two young actors, Wang Jiaming and He Yi, were delivered to the filming site ahead of time by their parents, who signed the contracts on their behalf as guardians.

"We're missing one, where's the male actor?" Zhou Mian looked up, his eyes searching through the crowd, "Meng Wenhong, if you're here, give a shout."

Zhou Mian called out three times, but when he found no one on-set and also couldn't get through by phone, he started to worry.

Missing?

Almost at the same time, Zhou Mian broke out in a cold sweat. The best case would be that Meng was running late or had overslept. He hoped Meng hadn't gotten into trouble last night or just stood them up.

If it was the latter, it would definitely affect the shooting schedule.

Then, Meng Wenhong suddenly returned Zhou Mian's call. Zhou Mian quickly answered the phone, and before the other could speak, he asked, "Where are you?"

"Hospital, sorry about that, Brother Zhou," Meng Wenhong said weakly, full of apology, "I got food poisoning last night, acute gastroenteritis."

"Last night? Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

The other party hemmed and hawed, beating around the bush, unable to provide a clear explanation.

After hanging up, Zhou Mian found Xu Qingyan.

"Director Xu, that kid Meng Wenhong bailed. He probably got a new gig."

The final actor's contract on the table remained unsigned, so they had no leverage over Meng Wenhong. At worst, Meng's actions were unethical, and he didn't have any legal responsibility to bear.

Several people were standing around on the set; they were too close to discuss matters quietly. Moreover, there was no point in trying to hide the issue, as shooting was about to begin and the male actor had vanished.

"He bailed?"

Shen Jinyue's bun hairstyle bobbed as she spoke. She had been infuriated the night before by Xu Qingyan's comment about "shrimp-head girl." She had trouble falling asleep and woke up early, still drowsy. Stay connected with empire

"What do you mean? He stood us up?"

"Yeah, he agreed just last night, but stood us up today." Pei Muchan didn't look too pleased either; after all, if things went smoothly, they only needed to shoot for one day.

Xu Qingyan had stressed the previous evening over dinner that they could finish shooting in just one day at best.

If there had genuinely been an emergency, that would have been one thing, but it was clear that Meng had simply bailed, which was utterly unreliable. Worse still, he could have given them a heads-up last night, but chose to wait until today to say anything.

"He must have gone to another drama set, someone mentioned it in the group last night," Sun Mengyun timidly said, "The 'Pearl Curtain Dream' crew is casting eunuchs and palace maids."

"Eunuchs?" Liu Heming overheard their conversation, "Even though it's a big production, he probably couldn't get a prominent role, right?"

"Are they offering him more money?"

"Less, but I suppose he could shoot for more days." Sun Mengyun shook her head, her spirits low now that her partner had disappeared, "Director Xu, does that mean we can't shoot my scenes today?"

Xu Qingyan, at the heart of the storm, showed little reaction and put away his phone.

"We'll shoot as planned; I've found another male actor who will be arriving shortly."

Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned.

From Zhou Mian passing on the news to everyone's righteous indignation, then to their turning to ask Xu Qingyan in confusion, no more than five minutes had passed—scarcely enough time for a smoke break.

Yet when they looked to Xu Qingyan for a response, they found that he had already calmly resolved the issue. His expression was solemn, not given to unguarded speech, every line of his face sharp.

This left everyone instinctively swallowing hard, feeling the full pressure of the director's role.

Such speed, such decisiveness... impressive.

"That fast?" Shen Jinyue was surprised.

"Yes, don't just stand there, go get your makeup done," Xu Qingyan said, sitting in the director's chair and opening his laptop. He turned to Zhou Mian, "Go check on the extras and see when they'll arrive."

"Oh, right, okay." Zhou Mian, too, had recovered from his shock and turned to leave, making a call as he went.

Xu Qingyan's handling of the situation had taken him aback, not because Xu Qingyan had anticipated the need for an alternate male actor—a competent director would always consider that—but because he knew Xu Qingyan was an amateur through and through. It was Xu Qingyan's first day on the job as a director and the first day of shooting: everything was a first-time experience for him.

Faced with such a situation, even with preparations in place, a few curses would have been expected.

But instead, in less than five minutes, Xu Qingyan had contacted the backup actor and settled the matter on the spot, not once mentioning Meng Wenhong, as if the man had never existed.

In just a few words, he steadied the crew, delegated tasks, and directed people.

Without exaggeration, Zhou Mian had only ever seen such commanding presence in big-name directors. Such directors ruled the set like tyrants.

No one else mattered; everyone present was merely a tool for the director to wield at will.

Heh, could there really be a natural-born director?

Zhou Mian dismissed any last shred of complacency and stopped treating this project as a mere small music video. Instead, he devoted himself with the utmost seriousness to his work.

While he wasn't sure about others, he did not want to be categorized as unreliable by Xu Qingyan because of his attitude.

The entertainment industry changes day by day, with newcomers rising rapidly. Being the most open yet also the most traditional of industries, getting gigs largely depended on platforms and connections.

Many assistants had turned their careers around by investing in new directors. Resources were meant to be gambled, not hoarded—when you saw promising talent, you had to be bold.

Over the years, Zhou Mian had spent so much money on drinks and picking up tabs. To be honest, despite knowing so many people, he realized none of them were useful in the end.

In the dressing room, Xu Qingyan stood alone by the door, waiting.

Pei Muchan had put on the cheongsam and her face was still flushed. She stood sideways, her shoulders slightly tensed, avoiding the intense gaze from a certain someone.