In the second scene, Ning Qiuxiu was acting opposite the lead male actor, Fang Jinyan.

In the drama, Ning Qiuxiu plays the daughter of a prime minister, who falls in love with the male lead at first sight.

To help him ascend to the throne, she silently contributes a lot.

When the new emperor takes his place, old factions and border barbarians start to stir, seeking to marry the princess to secure a peaceful alliance.

Yun Yao, her character, willingly agrees to marry into the borderlands for the sake of national peace, sacrificing her own future and happiness.

Her character has personal feelings but is also deeply principled.

Later, her husband collaborates with neighboring small countries to attack her own nation.

She bravely sends news back to the male lead, helping him coordinate an attack to eventually reclaim these border lands.

Ning Qiuxiu wanted to play this second female role because it had more depth compared to ordinary romantic roles.

The first scene was the meeting between Yun Yao and the male lead, Rong Yan.

For Ning Qiuxui, this was not too difficult, and her performance exceeded expectations.

Fang Jinyan’s acting was also very competent.

Both actors were able to handle each other’s performances, and Director Sun didn’t need to call for any takes.

When Director Sun finally shouted “Cut,” Fang Jinyan, who was usually aloof and distant, surprisingly smiled at Ning Qiuxui and said, “I didn’t expect your acting to be so good.”

Ning Qiuxiu modestly and pretentiously replied, “Oh, it’s nothing. I just had some intensive training at the company recently. It’s barely presentable. I hope I didn’t embarrass you, Senior Fang.”

“It can’t be just a brief training,” Fang Jinyan said confidently. “Acting is something that relies on accumulation.”

He could tell at a glance that although Ji Weiliang’s acting was good, her experience was lacking.

Ning Qiuxiu smiled and said, “Senior Fang, you have a good eye.”

In a few moments, Director Sun had already reviewed the playback and said, “Okay, that’s a wrap.”

The scene was done in one take!

The celebrities and actors who had come to watch Ning Qiuxiu, who was seen as someone with connections, were feeling embarrassed.

They probably even reflected on their own performances and realized they didn’t reach Ning Qiuxui’s level.

Ji Weiliang, who had been looking forward to showing her skills, was now extremely frustrated.

Her own scene took three attempts to get right.

The first attempt failed due to her lack of experience and incorrect positioning, the second because she didn’t catch Fang Jinran’s cues, and the third, although technically correct, still didn’t satisfy the director, so they had to shoot it again.

In front of Ning Qiuxui, her only pride was her acting, but now even that was overshadowed.

Ji Weiliang bit her lip, determined not to lose.

Ning Qiuxiu, in contrast, returned to her resting room with a calm expression despite the complicated looks from others. Inside, she was thrilled.

She had been looking forward to this moment for a long time.

“Qiuxiu, you were amazing! Your performance was so good. You should have seen the expressions on everyone watching. It was hilarious!” As soon as she closed the door of the resting room, Xiao Chi was the first to speak, clearly excited and feeling proud.

Qu Hua also said, “You’re really something, Xiao Qiuxiu. I underestimated you before. I’m sorry!”

“It’s alright,” Ning Qiuxiu waved her hand graciously, forgiving him. “The scenes for today are done, right? I’m exhausted.”

Since she joined the crew, she hadn’t had a moment’s rest and her feet were sore.

“Done for today. Go take off your makeup and change. We’ll all go out for dinner later, my treat!” Qu Hua said enthusiastically, knowing he had found a gem in Ning Qiuxiu.

Everyone cheered and praised Ning Qiuxiu, making her feel even better.

The phrase “one person rises, and the whole team benefits” seemed to apply as everyone’s spirits were high.

Ning Qiuxiu was in a great mood, smiling as she sat down to have her makeup removed.

She took her phone from Xiao Chi and saw a WeChat message from Jingjing.

She opened it and, upon seeing its content, was so startled that she almost dropped her phone, quickly closing the message.

Ning Qiuxiu was shocked to receive a revealing photo of Zhan Qingyue from Jingjing!

It showed Xian Qingyue with his shirt buttons undone, exposing his chest.

Fortunately, the makeup artist was too focused on removing her complex hairpins to notice.

If others had seen the photo, it would have ruined her image.

Jingjing even insisted that the photo was taken by Chen Yi.

Ning Qiuxiu couldn’t even bring herself to look at it and immediately deleted it after sending it, claiming to be a completely serious caretaker with no ulterior motives.

Ning Qiuxiu thought: “…”

The photo was likely taken when Zhan Qingyue was getting dressed for a drive, showing only his bare chest with no particular pose or artistic flair.

It was only because Zhan Qingyue was handsome that the photo looked like an art shot, making viewers feel like they might nosebleed.

She felt that Jingjing and her mother both had a similar way of thinking.

Thankfully, they didn’t know each other; otherwise, she would be in big trouble.

She couldn’t let Jingjing continue like this, or the next photo might be even more inappropriate!

[Ning Qiuxiu: Publicly selling employer photos? No bonus for this month!]

Saying this, she closed the chat box without caring about Jingjing’s desperate explanations.

Ridiculous!

She’d seen Zhan Qingyue’s body when she married him; how could she be swayed by such a photo?

She only right-clicked to keep evidence for deducting Jingjing’s bonus!

….

The official Weibo account of “Floating” quickly uploaded the photos of today’s costume shoot.

Since this drama stars Fang Jinran, it has garnered a lot of attention online.

There had already been a lot of controversy when the official Weibo confirmed Ji Weiliang as the female lead, leading to a lot of uproar.

Director Sun had to personally step in to confirm Ji Weiliang’s acting skills to calm things down.

Later, when the second female lead, Yang Mei, was replaced due to a scandal, rumors started circulating that Ning Qiuxiu, who had just left the “Mystery Girl Group,” would take over the role.

Fang Jinran’s fans were almost up in arms, feeling that their idol was being mistreated by the production team, with a “one lead and one replacement” situation being seen as unfair.

However, these were just rumors, and the official Weibo hadn’t given a clear statement—mainly because they were afraid of backlash.

But today, they had some confidence, as Ji Weiliang’s performance was stable, while Ning Qiuxiu’s performance was unexpectedly impressive.

That evening, Ning Qiuxiu had dinner with them and then went back to her hotel.

She had another shoot the next day and needed to keep a low profile.

After returning to her hotel, she took a shower, applied a face mask, and browsed Weibo.

Although the official Weibo account praised her extensively, it was all just based on their word, and without any video proof, fans saw it as the production team flattering Ning Qiuxiu, which only made them more annoyed.

Thus, the comments under the official Weibo were still quite harsh.

Ning Qiuxiu had anticipated this reaction and wasn’t too bothered by it.

She had navigated two worlds and was quite open-minded about many things.

The trending topics didn’t cause much of a stir, with only #FloatingStarts# and #FangJinranYongYan# having some criticism directed at her.

[Qu Hua: “Qiuxiu baby, remember to post on Weibo. I’ve asked Xiao Zhu to send you the pictures and text. If you’re too busy, I’ll post them for you!”]

Qu Hua sent her a WeChat message reminding her to post on Weibo.

Ning Qiuxiu opened the chat with Xiao Zhu and saw several photos of her from the costume shoot.

These were private shots taken by her assistant but had been approved by the production team for posting.

The photos had been carefully edited, and even Ning Qiuxiu was a bit surprised at how stunning they looked.

When she imagined Yun Yao while reading the script, the photos perfectly matched her mental image.

The features of Ning Qiuxiu were full of the vitality and intelligence that a character like Yun Yao needed, giving a striking impression as if her soul was perfectly aligned with the role.

In her previous life in the entertainment industry, people often used the word “spirit” to describe someone who had a special quality.

Ning Qiuxui clearly possessed this innate spirit, a kind of natural gift from the heavens.

The message from Xiao Zhu was a standard, formal note wishing her success and expressing hope for a smooth shoot.

Ning Qiuxiu saved the photo, opened Weibo, and after hesitating over the text box for a moment, she deleted the standard message and wrote instead: 【Even if the path to the most dazzling peak is filled with thorns, I will march forward without hesitation. Hello, Yun Yao.】

Although it sounded a bit pretentious, genuine feelings were far better than those formal, clichéd phrases.

Most importantly, she intended this as a subtle jab at Ji Weiliang.

Who said that with the best resources and roles, one couldn’t stand at the most dazzling peak?

Qu Hua had already contacted marketing accounts, and once Ning Qiuxui’s Weibo post was up, it was instantly pushed across the internet. He was now confident and spared no effort in promoting her.

Ji Weiliang, who had been rehearsing with her assistant until late at night, felt that although Ning Qiuxiu had outperformed her today, it was clear that she had underestimated her.

Ning Qiuxiu had come prepared and caught her off guard.

Ji Weiliang knew she needed to work even harder.

After finishing the last round of rehearsals, Ji Weiliang rubbed her aching neck and picked up her phone.

The screen displayed two notifications, one of which was: “The controversial female second lead of Falling into Chaos, Ning Qiuxiu, posts that even if the path to the most dazzling peak is covered with thorns, she will still march forward…”

The phrase “most dazzling peak” was particularly sharp, like a cruel knife exposing Ji Weiliang’s most embarrassing and awkward moments.

She clenched her phone, held back her rising anger for a long time, and then sneered, mocking: “Small-time success.”

Ji Weiliang closed that post and opened Weibo.

With Ning Qiuxiu drawing away a lot of the negative attention, Ji Weiliang’s team quickly seized the opportunity to gain some positive feedback.

Online, there was almost no criticism left, and even marketing accounts were supporting her and subtly criticizing Ning Qiuxiu.

Although Ji Weiliang knew these were all tactics by her team, she felt much better.

Even if Ning Qiuxiu performed well in one scene, the production team wouldn’t release any videos, so Ning Qiuxiu would still be seen as the untalented person who only got the role through connections.

Ji Weiliang scrolled through Weibo and saw that Fang Jinran, whom she followed, had just posted a comment supporting Ning Qiuxiu: “You did great today. The scene was very enjoyable.”

“……”

Seeing this, Ji Weiliang’s anger flared up again.

She lifted her phone, thinking about throwing it on the ground, but then remembered it was a new phone that cost over 3,000 yuan.

She put it down and cursed under her breath, “Damn it!”

---

Ning Qiuxiu was surprised that Fang Jinran came out to support her.

It wasn’t vanity; she just felt Fang Jinran treated her a bit differently.

But whether in the book or from her previous life’s memories, she had no interactions with Fang Jinran.

Just as Ning Qiuxiu was puzzled, her phone rang.

It was Qu Hua calling. Ning Qiuqiu answered, “Qu Hua.”

“Little Qiuxiu, you’re not resting yet, are you?” Qu Hua’s voice was full of uncontrollable excitement. “Did you see that Fang Jinran retweeted your Weibo?”

“I saw it,” Ning Qiuxiu knew Qu Hua was calling about this.

She preemptively explained, “I don’t know what he means. I only had one meal with him before, and we didn’t even exchange WeChat contacts.”

“I see,” Qu Hua thought for a moment and then said cheerfully, “That just means you’re good at making connections. Even if you didn’t have a relationship before, you do now. Remember to reply to his Weibo comment to be polite.”

“Okay.”

Ning Qiuxiu actually wanted to check the comments under Fang Jinran’s Weibo post, as they would probably be very interesting, especially since Fang Jinran’s fans had been the most critical of her.

“There’s one more thing…” Qu Hua hesitated.

Ning Qiuhong: “Hmm?”

“Well, I was planning to secure a major brand endorsement deal for you. But after the group disbandment and the resulting drop in your popularity, I gave up on it. Now, we can use the current buzz to create some rumors about you and Fang Jinyan to ride on his popularity. If we do this, we’ll secure the endorsement deal immediately. What do you think?”

“No way!!!” Ning Qiuxiu didn’t expect Qu Hua to have such an idea and rejected it immediately.

How could she create rumors with Fang Jinyan right after joining the crew?

That would just give Exhibit Senior a handle to catch her, and the old man might be displeased.

Besides… she was now Mrs. Zhan. How could she spread rumors?

“Huh? Why not?”

“I…” Ning Qiuxiu took a moment to organize her thoughts and said, “Fang Jinyan was helping me out of goodwill. If we create rumors and use it for marketing, who would want to help me in the future?”

“That’s true,” Qu Hua, focused on the opportunity, hadn’t considered the implications, “Alright then. I’ll think of another way to secure the endorsement. Get some rest. I’m heading back tomorrow. Take care of yourself and keep up the good work~”

After hanging up, Ning Qiuxiu lay in bed and laughed out loud at the hotel ceiling.

It had been a fulfilling and happy day.

With a good start, the following shoots went smoothly.

Ning Qiuxui’s performance was consistently good, with minimal NGs.

The director, sometimes irritated by others, would film her scenes first to relieve his mood.

The next examination for Zhang Qingyue also arrived as scheduled.

Ning Qiuxiu was more excited than anyone.

This examination would show whether the talisman water she had given Zhan Qingyue had any effect.

Jingjing, having had her bonus deducted last time, was now obedient and promised to promptly communicate the examination results.

Perhaps due to being preoccupied, Ning Qiuxiu was a bit distracted and accidentally misread her lines during shooting, resulting in two NGs.

Director Sun was visibly upset: “Qiuxiu, what’s wrong with you today? Your performance is off.”

“Sorry, Director Sun, I… I need a half-hour break.”

“Alright, you go find your rhythm. Let’s shoot the next scene first. Get Xu Ya and Jinran ready. I’ll brief them in ten minutes.” The director instructed the crew to rearrange the props and prepare for the next scene.

Ning Qiuxiu bowed and apologized to everyone.

Switching between scenes might be a quick decision for the director, but for the rest of the crew, especially the staff, it meant re-setting all the props, which was a huge hassle.

Ning Qiuxiu quickly walked back to her dressing room, feeling a nagging sense of foreboding as her eyelids twitched.

“Xiao Chi, give me my phone,” Ning Qiuxiu said, then turned to another assistant, “Xiao Wu, I remember there’s a place nearby where we can get Haagen-Dazs. Go buy some for everyone. I’ll transfer the money to you.”

Xiao Wu’s eyes widened in surprise: “You want to buy Haagen-Dazs for the whole crew?”

“Yeah, is there a problem?”

“No, no problem.” Xiao Wu was in awe, feeling like she was dreaming.

She usually couldn’t even afford to buy it for herself!

Ning Qiuxiu didn’t think much of it.

She took out her phone, just as a message from Jingjing came in.

[Jingjing: Ahhh, Miss Ning! Dr. He just told me that he checked on Mr. Zhan and unexpectedly found that some of Mr. Zhan’s brain functions have actually recovered. In other words, Mr. Zhan has regained some consciousness and there are signs he might wake up!!!]