YMBLTY

Chapter 45: You Have Been Removed

As Gu Wei sat in the back of a car, speeding away from H City, he checked the time and realized Jiang Xun should have received his birthday present already. He wondered if Jiang Xun was feeling pleasantly surprised.

The training room could get so stuffy sometimes, so Gu Wei was pretty sure he had chosen the most suitable present imaginable.

Mu Yue took out her earphones and started relaying Gu Wei's afternoon schedule to him. "Once we arrive on set, you'll be taking some in-costume cast photos for Like the Moon. You'll need to have your hair styled and dyed for your role."

"I know," Gu Wei said. He had already thoroughly read the script and character profile several times, and he'd gained a very clear understanding of what Miao Zihan was like.

"One more thing," Mu Yue said. "If I'm remembering correctly, you were originally supposed to play the male lead in this drama?"

"Right," Gu Wei said. "But then I was told He Cheng would be given that role, and I was given the supporting male role instead."

When he first heard that news, he had complained a little and of course he had been disappointed. But after reading the script, he grew fond of the stubborn and strong-willed Miao Zihan and became determined to do a good job of acting out this role.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," Mu Yue continued. "He Cheng, who replaced you, started out as a net star, and he's invested heavily in this show. He isn't as well-known as you, but I've heard his temperament isn't pleasant, and his fans are vicious when they feud with others. Manager Zhao has asked you to stay away from him as much as possible, to avoid conflict, and to just focus on filming."

"I know, I won't cause any trouble," Gu Wei promised. He wasn't interested in the darker machinations of the industry, and being cast in a drama was a rare opportunity for him. He had every intention of taking his job seriously. He had prepared for this role in earnest, taking lessons with a coach hired by his agency and even going to visit Jiang Xun. All of it was for the sake of portraying Miao Zihan well.

"Also," Mu Yue added. "Didi, Zhao-jie asked me to remind you to do your part for the variety show that just aired. Get on Weibo and do some promo. The other four guests have already interacted, and Jiang Xun's post is the most recent one in the thread, so you can just share that."

Gu Wei had genuinely forgotten about that. He opened up Weibo on his phone and saw that Jiang Xun had already done some promo for the episode. He must have spent some time on Weibo last night after Gu Wei had fallen asleep.

On Jiang Xun's Weibo page, the first two messages were ones Jiang Xun had posted quite recently. One of them was the one Jiang Xun had sent out while lending Gu Wei his training account. After Gu Wei accidentally slaughtered one of Jiang Xun's teammates in cold blood, a teammate who was livestreaming the incident no less, Jiang Xun had personally gone on Weibo to shut down a few tabloids that were trying to use the incident to stir up some drama.

@TMW-Xun: My bad, I'm entertaining a little sweetheart right now. No need to worry. Anyone looking to start rumors and gossip can disperse now.

The other post was the one Jiang Xun had sent late last night, promoting the variety show—

@TMW-Xun: See you on the next installment. @T.ATW-ShiXinyan: Hmph! Next time, I'll make sure I'm the first to find my group's lead dancer! @CocoaBeiKe: We'll work hard next time too. @QianYiningLovesSinging: Next time, make the director wear the miniskirt! angyface.jpg @EscapeWithoutATraceOfficial: Did everyone enjoy the first episode? We'll be filming the second installment soon! Everyone, stay tuned!

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The first installment of the show had been a hit. It received overwhelmingly positive responses from netizens, and it ranked at the top of the charts everywhere it was broadcast. The show became a popular topic on Weibo, TikTok, and other social media platforms, and the announcement that a second installment would soon be filmed got viewers even more excited.