Reborn Queen's Uprising

Chapter 15: An Invitation From The Director

When he saw the scene, Cao Hao was close to roaring out in loud laughter in his mind, but he held it in with much difficulty. To think that this girl, who was called Tang Xiaoxiao, was indeed so capable! She was actually able to push an experienced actress to this extent. She managed to steal the scene just with her appearance and aura, forcing the well-known Wen Ruoyi to regain some points by selling her figure and sex appeal.

However, it’s a pity that no matter how much Wen Ruoyi tried to sell her sex appeal, she could never compare to this girl!

By the time Tang Xiaoxiao stood before her, Wen Ruoyi’s expression was completely ashen. A sense of humiliation and helplessness filled her heart. Her scene was actually stolen by an amateur manager!

Someone who did not even have any experience in acting at all!

Was she… really so old now?

“Aunt Chen, this is the Su family,” a gentle, yet firm and cold voice rang.

Wen Ruoyi looked up with slight confusion. That alluring yet aloof face appeared diagonally above her, as she repeated her words once more, a small warning hidden in her tone. “Aunt Chen, this is the Su family.”

Wen Ruoyi didn’t make a sound as she instinctively extinguished the cigarette she was holding.

As she extinguished the cigarette, the entire crew was thrown into shock once more!

With Wen Ruoyi included, everyone wore faces of disbelief and shock!

“A-Are you kidding?” the director’s assistant, Liu Cheng, remained standing in his spot as his hands clenched into tight fists. His mouth was completely agape, so much that it seemed he had forgotten how to close them. “Am I seeing things? Wen Ruoyi actually lost so badly during her acting PK battle with Tang Xiaoxiao? She actually cooperated with Tang Xiaoxiao and extinguished the cigarette?”

Cao Hao really didn’t know if he should cry or laugh at this moment. Wen Ruoyi, an actress with decades worth of experience and as someone who had obtained so many Best Actress awards, was actually influenced and led by a newbie in an act. Instinctively, her acting skills were aroused by the newbie and she ended up following the newbie’s acting rhythm. She even forgot the character she was acting and was completely controlled by the newbie’s acting skills!

Decades worth of acting skills was actually incomparable to a girl who was barely twenty years old.

Yang Shan gripped onto the corner of her shirt tightly. When faced with this completely unfamiliar Tang Xiaoxiao in front of her, her eyes sparkled, though it seemed like she was hesitating…

…

Two continuous months of movie filming was finally reaching its end. The smile on Cao Hao’s face grew brighter and brighter and Yang Shan no longer needed to be scolded by the director for her every scene. It was no wonder he would be like this. The movie he had prepared so long with his blood, sweat and tears was finally about to be completed. Although the movie had yet to be screened, it had already attracted strong attention from the outside world. Even amongst the cast, well-known actors often appeared at their set to guest star in the movie, making the entire set extremely lively and bustling.

Following the director, Cao Hao’s cry of the final “cut”, the entire set broke out into cheers. Yang Shan, who was wearing a bright red cheongsam the crew had custom made, got up from the floor and flew towards Tang Xiaoxiao, who was standing by the side. She was so excited she started shouting, “We’re finally done! We’re finally done!”

Two months spent on set had allowed Yang Shan, the little princess of her family, to experience what being an actress was. It was normal to have more than two dozen takes for a scene. She was scolded terribly by the director, was bullied by the crew and often had to crouch in the corner to eat a cold bento. The crew often had to film until three or four am in the morning, so she would find a chair and fall asleep while sitting on it. More often than not, she could only sleep for three to four hours, before she had to get up and get her make-up touched-up before she continued filming.

“Alright, get a person from each team to stay and pack up the equipment, before all of us go have supper and drink tonight!” Cao Hao waved his large hands. “My treat!”

“Oh, yeah!!” the crew cried out loud once more.

Two months’ worth of held back emotions was all released at this moment. Several people threw their filming equipment down and instantly headed into a bus parked not too far away before they waved at everyone. “Let’s go, let’s go!”

Yang Shan was also about to follow everyone to go drinking, only to be pulled back by Tang Xiaoxiao, who said helplessly, “Shanshan ah, you can go drink, but please change your clothes and remove your make-up first. With your 1920s beauty dressing, you’ll really attract too much attention.”

Yang Shan glanced at her own acting outfit before she poked her tongue out shyly. “Don’t worry! I got it, I’ll go and change and remove my make-up.”

The moment Yang Shan left, the director, Cao Hao, walked over seemingly in deep thought as he smoked. “Xiaoxiao ah, the filming is finally complete and our intertwined fates end here. May I know if you have any thought about developing a career in the entertainment industry?”

Tang Xiaoxiao smiled as she crossed her arms, her head tilting in an angle before she said with a laugh, “Director Cao, shouldn’t you ask Shanshan this? She’s the female lead you chose after all and I’m just a temporary manager.”

Cao Hao chuckled. “Yang Shan is only my female lead of a movie, but you… really have the qualification to become my long-term female lead. So? Are you interested?

Tang Xiaoxiao raised an eyebrow as her beautiful black orbs gazed straight at Cao Hao. “Director Cao, can you give me a reason?”

Cao Hao exhaled a ring of smoke as he said longingly, “It’s simple – your appearance, your figure, your aura, your acting skills and your soulfulness. These are all areas I value… Believe me, with my help, I promise you’ll become the top female actress in the whole of China within three years.”

An innocent smile bloomed on Tang Xiaoxiao’s face. “Director Cao, does this mean… that you don’t plan to care about Shanshan after this movie?”

Cao Hao glanced at Tang Xiaoxiao from the corner of his eye. “This movie is enough for me to make her popular. As for her path after this, she will have to make it herself.”

“However,” Tang Xiaoxiao bowed her head slightly as if she had regained a demure countenance as she said faintly, “Have you thought about this? Director Cao, if I accepted your invitation and you don’t use Yang Shan in your next movie, what will she think? She will think that I’ve betrayed my friend and stole the status and role that originally belonged to her.”

“So what? I’m the one who doesn’t want to use her anymore… In this circle, does true friendship even exist? Let’s not say that you didn’t steal her role, but even if you did, so what? You did so much behind the scenes to support her and everyone in our crew noticed and kept it in our hearts. When anyone mentions you, who wouldn’t give you a thumbs up of respect? Yet, what did Yang Shan do for you? Apart from giving you trouble, did she give you any reward? If she really was a friend, she would have signed a managing contract with you already, and you wouldn’t have to still pay for her up until now.”

Tang Xiaoxiao rubbed her fingers together as if she was hesitating.

Cheng Mu happened to pass by at that moment and Cao Hao noticed him immediately with his sharp eyes. He waved Cheng Mu over. “Come, come, Xiao Cheng, help me convince this stubborn girl…”

Cheng Mu walked over helplessly, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. He laughed and said jokingly, “Director, are you trying to poach her over to the dark side?”

Cao Hao felt a little awkward hearing his words, so he coughed. “Cheng Mu-ah, you’re her senior. Come, talk about how foolish and stubborn this girl is for wanting to be Yang Shan’s manager. She has such good appearance, aura and acting skills, yet it’s all going to waste! I want her to become my long-term female lead, yet she’s afraid of Yang Shan calling her out for stealing Yang Shan’s role… it’s making me so furious!”