While they were talking, Yuan Xi’s makeup was already finished.

Yet, no one in the dressing room seemed eager to leave.

The director was clearly fuming outside, and walking out now would be like stepping straight into the line of fire. Yuan Xi, however, couldn’t help but feel curious. Qi Yunrou had joined the crew through Liang Hao’s recommendation but now, barely into the shoot, she had already stirred up trouble. Didn’t she consider how this would affect Liang Hao?

Liang Hao wasn’t just an investor, he was also a friend of Qi Yunrou. By causing such a commotion, wasn’t she slapping him in the face?

After about ten minutes of silence, there was still no commotion from outside. Finally, the assistant director couldn’t hold back any longer. He opened the door to take a look.

Yuan Xi thought for a moment and decided to follow Director Zhang out.

Qi Yunrou had apparently arrived at some point and was now standing before the director and Liang Hao. The three seemed to be deep in conversation, though from a distance, the director’s and Liang Hao’s expressions didn’t look pleasant at all.

Scanning the crowd, Yuan Xi’s eyes landed on Cheng Xiaoke who was crouched in a corner, leisurely munching on sunflower seeds.

Sidling up to Cheng Xiaoke, Yuan Xi grabbed a few sunflower seeds from her hands and asked while cracking one open. “What’s going on? Why does the director look so upset?”

Cheng Xiaoke glanced at the hand pilfering her seeds, and upon realizing it was Yuan Xi, the murderous look in her eyes softened. She fished out another handful of seeds from her pocket and dumped them into Yuan Xi’s palm.

“I heard the director found out that Qi Yunrou’s been in talks with Beauties in Makeup.” Cheng Xiaoke said nonchalantly, popping another seed into her mouth. “The moment she got here, she was pulled aside for questioning. Judging by the director’s and Liang Hao’s faces, it’s probably true.”

Cheng Xiaoke spoke as if she were narrating someone else’s drama, her casual demeanor completely at odds with the tense atmosphere. She kept eating her seeds without a care in the world.

After cracking a few sunflower seeds, Cheng Xiaoke suddenly smacked her forehead as if she’d just remembered something. She leaned closer to Yuan Xi and whispered. “Oh right, Brother Yuan, yesterday when I went to the parking garage to deliver drinks to Zhang Yan, I saw that person—you know who—driving off. She must have gone to meet with them then.”

Yuan Xi glanced at Cheng Xiaoke, still munching on sunflower seeds, his expression tinged with confusion.

“Is Qi Yunrou really that bold? With You for the Rest of My Life may not be a massive production, but it’s not exactly small either. And with her acting skills? Honestly, I think Director Yu has already shown remarkable patience.”

Cheng Xiaoke spat out a sunflower seed shell with practiced ease and replied calmly. “She’s just not that famous yet. And besides, Qi Yunrou was in talks with Beauties in Makeup before. She didn’t get the role back then, but now that there’s another chance, of course, she’s going to try and wedge her way in.”

Yuan Xi thought about the plot details he’d seen before. There was no mention of how Qi Yunrou landed the lead role in Beauties in Makeup but she did end up getting it in the end.

So, was the original lead actress replaced? And was this whole ordeal Qi Yunrou’s way of securing her spot as the female lead?

Whatever the truth was, Qi Yunrou’s actions had certainly soured the atmosphere for the entire With You for the Rest of My Life crew.

Liang Hao, being both an investor and the one who introduced Qi Yunrou to the team, had the worst expression of all. He alternated between looking at Qi Yunrou and the director before finally pulling her aside to a corner for a private discussion.

“Are you really in talks with the Beauties in Makeup crew?”

Liang Hao stared at Qi Yunrou, struggling to believe it. How could she be so unprofessional? She had already signed on with the With You for the Rest of My Life production, yet she was still reaching out to another crew?

Qi Yunrou’s expression turned aggrieved as she looked at Liang Hao with wide, innocent eyes. “Brother Hao, I’m sorry. I… You know I had already been in contact with the Beauties in Makeup crew before. But after they decided on Zhao Qiqi, I gave up. Now that Zhao Qiqi’s in trouble, they’re the ones who reached out to me.”

Liang Hao frowned, his gaze filled with suspicion as he looked at her.

Seeing his silence, Qi Yunrou grew anxious. She grabbed his hand, her voice tinged with desperation. “Brother Hao, you know how much effort I put into trying to land Beauties in Makeup. Now that their lead actress is in trouble and they’ve come to me, I…”

Liang Hao had no intention of listening any further. He pulled his hand away from Qi Yunrou’s grasp and looked at her coldly. “So, this is how you repay me?”

Qi Yunrou froze for a moment, stunned by Liang Hao’s reaction. He had never treated her like this before.

“Brother Hao, I…”

Liang Hao cut her off, his eyes filled with hurt. “You told me you didn’t pass the audition, so I introduced you to this crew. The director had someone else in mind, but I convinced him—using my status as an investor and your reputation—to bring you onboard. And this is how you repay me?”

Qi Yunrou avoided Liang Hao’s gaze, but her guilty expression spoke volumes.

Liang Hao stared at her for a long moment, then took a deep breath. “Fine. If that’s how it is, you can leave. Our crew can’t accommodate someone like you. Since you’ve found a better opportunity, go ahead and take it.”

Qi Yunrou’s actions had completely crushed Liang Hao’s hopes.

He had thought she would at least consider his efforts and avoid stirring up trouble. Even though her acting skills were subpar, he had never criticized her. After learning that she had a boyfriend, he had still gone out of his way to secure resources for her. This wasn’t the first time she’d changed her mind at the last minute, but Liang Hao never imagined she would do something so disrespectful, especially knowing he was an investor.

Qi Yunrou watched Liang Hao’s retreating back, a pang of guilt tugging at her heart. But then, recalling how indulgent he had always been, she stepped forward, walked to Liang Hao and the director, and bowed deeply.

“I’m sorry. This time, I was wrong. I promise it won’t happen again.”

The director, unsure of what Liang Hao and Qi Yunrou had just discussed, was taken aback by her sudden apology. He looked at Liang Hao in confusion.

Liang Hao’s expression was calm as he said, “Miss Qi has decided to terminate her contract with us. Director Yu, the choice for the female lead will proceed as you originally intended. As for the production, I’ll no longer interfere. I leave everything in your capable hands.”

The director gave Liang Hao a surprised look, then glanced at Qi Yunrou. In the end, he said nothing and simply nodded in agreement.

Qi Yunrou cast a grateful look at Liang Hao before leaving with her assistant.

Liang Hao kept his head down, staring at the script in his hands. As he listened to the sound of her footsteps fading away, his grip on the script tightened involuntarily.

Director Yu glanced at Liang Hao and patted him on the shoulder. “There are plenty of fish in the sea. Why tie yourself to just this one? Honestly… apart from her looks, I really don’t see what’s so great about Qi Yunrou. Yet you—and everyone else—seem to be bewitched by her.”

After saying this, Yu Xinglong gave Liang Hao a curious look.

Liang Hao’s brow twitched slightly, but he said nothing. After standing silently for a while near Yuan Xi, he eventually turned and headed to the dressing room to get his makeup done.

Yuan Xi, hiding in a corner and observing from a distance, couldn’t hear what Liang Hao and Qi Yunrou had said. However, judging from the situation, it looked like… the two of them had split?

Qi Yunrou’s departure didn’t cause much of a stir among the crew. Although everyone was curious, they all understood it was best to suppress their curiosity for now.

The change in the female lead meant that all the previously filmed scenes would have to be scrapped, and there was no telling how long it would take to confirm a new actress. What’s more problematic was that Qi Yunrou had already been officially announced as the lead. Now that she was being replaced mid-production, what reason could they give to the public?

The truth certainly couldn’t be disclosed. But if they didn’t reveal the real reason, the publicity team would need to come up with a plausible explanation that would save face for everyone involved.

Without Qi Yunrou, the rest of the day’s shoot went remarkably smoothly.

The director reached out to the actress he had previously considered for the role. After discussing the details, they confirmed her joining date.

Time passed quietly for Qi Yunrou, though Xia Wenru couldn’t help feeling frustrated when she didn’t get the drama she had hoped to witness.

When the new female lead joined the production, Yuan Xi was stunned upon seeing the familiar figure.

The new lead was none other than Hong Xue—who happened to be managed by the same agent as Qi Yunrou.

Hong Xue had a straightforward and cheerful personality. She arrived with just one assistant in tow, and by the time Yuan Xi showed up, Hong Xue’s assistant was already distributing snacks to the crew. Hong Xue herself had quickly bonded with several of the main cast members, even earning a favorable impression from Xia Wenru.

When Hong Xue spotted Yuan Xi, her face lit up with surprise and delight. She walked right up to him and boldly pinched his cheek, grinning as she said. “I didn’t expect Brother Chen’s new artist to be this cute! Come on, call me ‘senior sister.’”

Yuan Xi hadn’t anticipated Hong Xue’s playful personality. Startled, he quickly stammered out, “Senior sister!” before rubbing his cheek and running off to hide.

From his corner, Yuan Xi glanced at Liang Hao, who was sitting nearby, quietly reading the script.

Perhaps the incident with Qi Yunrou had taken a greater toll on Liang Hao than he let on. While he hadn’t openly shown any discomfort, he had clearly grown more withdrawn since then.

Even so, his dedication during filming remained unwavering—if anything, he seemed to have become even more focused and intense.

Whether it was Liang Hao’s exceptional performance or the director’s realization that the lead cast wasn’t fully in the right state of mind, the director eventually decided to give the crew a break. Considering everything that had happened recently, it was clear he had his hands full.

Thus, on the second day after Hong Xue joined the production, the entire crew was given a holiday.

Hong Xue: “…???”

What’s going on? I just joined, and now we’re on break?

No matter how surprised Hong Xue felt about the unexpected turn of events, the fact remained—the crew was on break. To avoid any misunderstanding, the director made it a point to explain the situation to her personally. Embarrassing as it was, it had to be said.

Yuan Xi, however, was the happiest about the holiday.

During his time with the crew, he hadn’t had a proper chance to chat with Fu Yunzhou. Now that he finally had some free time, he couldn’t help but worry—had Fu Yunzhou been eating well? Was work wearing him out?

The moment the holiday was announced, Yuan Xi wasted no time hopping into a car and heading back to the main residence.

Once home, he dove straight into the kitchen and began cooking with full concentration, determined to prepare a delightful dinner and give his idol a big surprise that evening.

Aunt Zhang heard the commotion and stepped out, instantly spotting Yuan Xi busily working in the kitchen and a loving smile crept onto her face. Quietly, she slipped away to call the young master, reminding him to come home early in the evening since someone had prepared a surprise for him.

Fu Yunzhou responded with a soft chuckle, a faint smile lingering on his lips.

The only person who would prepare a surprise for him was that one special someone.

=^_^=