Chapter 145 – Reason for Lu Zeyi’s blackening

Translator: ChuRen/ YuQiChen

“Wait a moment,” two girls ran from not far away and entered the elevator.

“Thank you, Director Tang.”

“You’re welcome.”

Tang Qing pressed the elevator button and politely waited for the two girls.

The elevator doors slowly closed.

Inside the elevator was a huge advertising screen.

The man on it had an incomparably handsome face, with deep and stern features, exuding an elegant yet aloof aura.

“Wow, being greeted by Movie Emperor Lu’s handsome face every day. This man is just too good-looking. How can someone be this handsome?”

“He looks good everywhere. I wonder who’s worthy of having such a man.”

“Haha, don’t even think about it. Everyone in the industry knows that Movie Emperor Lu is a celibate god, an unattainable flower. No one can reach his level.”

One of the girls whispered, “But honestly, Movie Emperor Lu’s character is impeccable. I used to be someone’s assistant before.”

The other girl nodded, clearly aware of whom she was referring to, but refrained from naming names due to the presence of other people in the elevator.

“Back when she wasn’t famous, she once played a minor role in the crew. The investor behind that project was a perverted old man. Every time he visited, the director would use the excuse of a gathering to call these minor actors to entertain him with drinks. You know how it is in our industry, unknown extras like us, who would dare offend the director or the investor. It was quite unpleasant. Although they didn’t explicitly demand any ‘unspoken rules,’ being forced to drink and endure harassment was inevitable.”

The other girl nodded knowingly.

“And then, one time, that perverted old man showed up again. The director called everyone out for dinner as usual, planning to resume filming afterward. Movie Emperor Lu happened to be there that day. He probably knew about that old man and flat out refused on the spot. Do you know what he said?”

The other girl exclaimed excitedly, “What did he say?”

“He coldly glanced at the director and casually remarked, ‘Director, the weather is nice. Let’s start shooting after dinner. The later it gets, the more chaotic it becomes.'”

“After that, the director didn’t dare say a word, nor did he dare ask everyone to entertain the old man with drinks. Movie Emperor Lu’s status is no lower than that of the investor. Who would dare offend him?”

“But, wouldn’t they usually not dare ask Movie Emperor Lu to attend such pointless drinking sessions?”

“Yes, they definitely wouldn’t dare to ask him. That’s why they say Movie Emperor Lu’s character is truly impeccable. The actress I followed, that day she was on her period. When she heard she had to entertain, her eyes welled up instantly. She endured without refusing, so I went to buy painkillers to prepare for her. Ah, she was really pitiful.”

“But with just that one sentence from Movie Emperor Lu, she was instantly saved. She wanted to bow down to him right there and then.”

The other girl couldn’t help but exclaim, “Movie Emperor Lu’s character is really outstanding, he never disappoints.”

“Yes, there are many stars in the industry who claim to be ‘celibate’ or ‘loving’, but everyone knows they’re quite promiscuous in private, engaging in multiple relationships. Only Movie Emperor Lu is genuine, never projecting a false image externally. In reality, he’s a true man.”

“Ah, it’s true that it starts with looks but ends with character. Every day there’s one more reason to love Movie Emperor Lu.”

The two girls couldn’t help but sigh in the end, “With such a perfect man, who truly deserves him?”

The two girls chatted away and walked out of the elevator.

Tang Qing had always known that Lu Zeyu was a man of great integrity, but he never expected this side of him. In this mixed entertainment industry, he was truly a rare gem.

As he stepped out of the elevator, he encountered the main character of the girls’ discussion.

“Hi, Lu- Movie Emperor Lu.”

Tang Qing awkwardly greeted him and, without waiting for Lu Zeyu to respond, he quickly lowered his head and walked to the rest area.

After filming the scene where he applied ointment that day, he always felt a bit awkward whenever he saw Lu Zeyu. He couldn’t describe it, but for the past few days, he had intentionally or unintentionally avoided eye contact with Lu Zeyu and tried to avoid contact with him.

Fortunately, Lu Zeyu’s acting was always solid, so Tang Qing wasn’t needed much. Because Gu Minghao found Shangguan Linlin annoying, Tang Qing spent most of his time rehearsing lines with her and helping Gu Minghao with some tasks.

In the rest area, after preparing, Tang Qing cracked the door open slightly and peeked out through the gap, sneakily looking around to see where Lu Zeyu was.

Once he confirmed that Lu Zeyu was not around, he fully opened the door and stepped out.

System 99’s voice echoed in his mind, [Host, what are you lingering here for?]

“Uh, uh, nothing really…” Tang Qing didn’t know why he was feeling so nervous.

System 99 continued, [Host, today the male lead of this mini-world, Yi Qihan, will appear, and the female lead, Xu Wan’er, might also show up. Keep an eye out.]

A few days ago, due to Tang Qing’s interruption, Lu Zeyu didn’t recognize the female lead, Xu Wan’er, who was actually his beloved white moonlight he had been longing for.

Of course, there were several reasons for this. Firstly, the female lead had changed her name; Xu Wan’er was her current stage name, not her real name. Secondly, due to the concept of “a woman changes a lot in eighteen years”, the female lead’s character was a childhood ugly duckling who transformed into a stunning beauty after cutting her bangs and removing her glasses, becoming a typical Mary Sue female lead that was breathtakingly beautiful.

[This is a romance novel. The male lead and the villain are good friends. The villain, knowing that the male lead likes the female lead, voluntarily steps back, wanting to give way to the male lead. Both the villain and the male lead treat the female lead well, and the female lead is torn between them.]

[In order to win the female lead over, the villain arranges for her to go to a distant place to film. Unfortunately, the female lead’s grandmother suffers a sudden heart attack and, unable to reach the female lead, passes away alone in the hospital. Upon learning this, the female lead is completely heartbroken and seeks solace in the male lead’s arms.]

[In short, the female lead wavers between the two men, and the story gets quite melodramatic. By the end, most readers have lost interest.]

[Host, try to prevent the villain from recognizing the female lead as his white moonlight. It’s best not to let them meet at all. As long as he doesn’t fall in love with the female lead, she won’t have to go through complicated emotional turmoil, and the love story between the male and female lead can smoothly progress, turning into a simple sweet story.]

Tang Qing nodded curiously and asked, “Why did Lu Zeyu become the villain? He looks more like a supporting male character.”

[During filming with the female lead, a scandal erupted involving the villain, but due to his selfish desires, he didn’t suppress the scandal. Some brainless fans of the villain saw the scandal and began viciously attacking the female lead online, which led to the female lead’s grandmother unintentionally encountering those comments and suffering a heart attack.]

So Lu Zeyu inadvertently hurt the female lead’s grandmother, leading to him becoming the villain.

[Additionally, towards the end, just as the female lead was about to be with the male lead, the villain’s character darkens, and he gets an impulse to imprison the female lead.]

“Huh? Lu Zeyu doesn’t seem like that kind of person.”

[So, this novel had a messy ending. The author initially intended to shape a beautifully tragic supporting male character, but as the story progressed, he turned into the villain.]

Tang Qing couldn’t help but ask, “Will Lu Zeyu actually end up imprisoning the female lead?”

[Even I, System 99, don’t know. Lu Zeyu is like a Schrödinger’s villain.]

[However, I speculate that it’s unlikely. Because Lu Zeyu’s character is originally a pitiful supporting male character, he shouldn’t go down such a twisted path.]

Tang Qing agreed with this assessment.

With Lu Zeyu’s upright personality, how could he ever resort to coercion?

It must have been the author’s writing that had gone off the rails.

He would definitely focus on completing the task properly and ensure that Lu Zeyu continued to maintain his image as a celibate god, unwavering for a hundred years.

(ˊ-ˋ)/

After finishing the afternoon shoot, Tang Qing was packing up and preparing to leave when he heard voices arguing around the corner.

It turned out to be Shangguan Linlin and a man.

This man was the male lead of this mini-world, Yi Qihan. He had gentle and handsome features, and when he spoke, he seemed to bask in the warm sunlight of spring, exuding a soothing aura.

“Shangguan, listen to me, this script can’t be changed anymore. These scenes are all based on the original work, approved by the author. They’ve been planned out long ago. How can we make changes now that we’re almost done shooting?” His voice was soft, his pace relaxed, making it quite comfortable to listen to.

“Screenwriter-gege, listen to me, this script can still be tweaked a bit for better effect. Besides, Director Gu can make changes to the scenes. As a screenwriter, why can’t you…” Shangguan Linlin ignored his refusal and continued to chatter on.

Her voice was sweet and coquettish, giving Tang Qing goosebumps.

“No, Director Gu hasn’t changed any crucial scenes…”

Yi Qihan was earnestly explaining the reasoning to Shangguan Linlin, but she wasn’t listening at all.

“Just change the subplot of that supporting actress. This newcomer, called Xu Wan’er, is just a supporting role. It’s better to tweak it and give that standout scene to the female lead instead.”

This male lead seemed to be not very talkative, naturally carrying a quiet demeanor, completely unable to handle a pushy woman like Shangguan Linlin.

Shangguan Linlin despised this newcomer named Xu Wan’er.

Xu Wan’er had just emerged into the limelight because of her pure temperament and outstanding appearance, attracting a lot of attention. She and Xu Wan’er shared similar character settings and paths, and Shangguan Linlin had been secretly competing with Xu Wan’er for a while, fearing that Xu Wan’er might steal her title of “pure and innocent beauty”.

Moreover, Xu Wan’er’s role in this film was particularly appealing.

Shangguan Linlin had a premonition that after this film was completed, the one who would become popular in the end might be the supporting actress, Xu Wan’er, rather than herself.

This would likely turn her into a laughingstock in the industry once again.

As the two continued to argue, a cold male voice suddenly interjected:

“Shangguan, the audience isn’t blind. No matter how good the script is, it’s useless for someone who doesn’t take acting seriously. Instead of wasting time arguing with the screenwriter, why don’t you go back and improve your acting skills?”

“Watch out, one day no one will be able to cover for you, and you’ll fall straight through the earth’s core.”

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