Chapter 5.1

After the opening ceremony, the official filming began the next day.

Wen Tang had stayed up late the night before and woke up before eight in the morning to head to the set.

Her apartment was about a forty-minute drive from the filming location. Liu Meifen wanted to book a room in a nearby star-rated hotel for Wen Tang, but Wen Tang declined. Having stayed in various hotels since she was young, she had grown tired of treating hotels as her home.

In the car, Ke Xin handed Wen Tang breakfast, allowing her to eat on the way.

Wen Tang enjoyed eating the fried buns from Heshengyuan, but as a female star, she had strict control over her diet. She allowed herself to indulge only when starting a new filming project, considering it a reward for the upcoming months of hard work.

While Wen Tang ate, Ke Xin scrolled through her phone and frowned.

“Tang Tang, look at this.”

Ke Xin handed her phone to Wen Tang, showing her the trending topic of the day.

“Jiang Qianya has somehow gotten involved with Director Feng and is partnering with Zhao Yijun in a movie!”

Director Feng, whose full name was Feng Qiqian, was one of the most renowned directors in the country, known for both his critical acclaim and box office success. Many actors competed fiercely to get a role in his films, even minor ones.

In recent years, Wen Tang had acted in several films, but they had all been received lukewarmly. Her comfort zone had always been in television dramas.

The role of the female lead in the current drama, Hear Your Heart, was originally meant for Jiang Qianya. However, Jiang Qianya had suddenly withdrawn from the project, even willing to pay a penalty for breach of contract. At first, it was thought that Jiang Qianya had bailed because the production team was considered low-profile, but now it seemed that the real reason was her desire to align herself with Director Feng and shoot for the stars.

Wen Tang glanced at the phone that Ke Xin handed her, not surprised, as she had already heard whispers about it from Liu Meifen.

In the car, besides the driver, Wen Tang and Yang Yang were both unusually calm upon hearing the news, while Ke Xin was extremely surprised!

She couldn’t understand why. Wen Tang’s popularity was not any lower than Jiang Qianya’s—if anything, it was slightly higher, especially in recent years. Her acting skills were also far superior to Jiang Qianya’s.

So why was it that no major director had picked Wen Tang for a leading role in a good film?

“Ke Xin, how come you’re only hearing about this now?” Yang Yang said with a laugh. He and Ke Xin, the two assistants, had been infuriated when Wen Tang was forced to take over the role due to Jiang Qianya’s withdrawal.

Ke Xin’s large eyes widened in confusion.

Yang Yang continued to explain, “It’s all because of her latest and most extravagant suitor, the second son of the Hengxin Group. He’s pulling all the strings to chase her, throwing money and resources around. I wouldn’t be surprised if Director Feng’s movie is somehow related to him! I don’t believe otherwise!”

Yang Yang spoke with a bitter tone, “With so many admirers and such high standards, she still can’t see anyone she likes! Today I’ll help you get a part in a film, and tomorrow you help me get a role in a drama. Resources will keep flowing, and we won’t have to worry about anything in the future!”

Yang Yang’s tone was particularly sardonic, and his exaggerated gestures made Wen Tang and Ke Xin burst into laughter.

Wen Tang finished her breakfast and decided to take a nap in the car, but just as she was about to settle down, a “ding” sound announced a new WeChat message.

She picked up her phone and saw a black avatar at the top of her friend list with the name “Y.”

After a whole night, Wen Tang had completely forgotten about her initiative to add Gong Yue as a friend.

Gong Yue had finally accepted her friend request at 8:30 in the morning.

Wen Tang looked at the black avatar and raised an eyebrow. She felt a pleasant sense of affirmation.

In this world, it seemed that no one could resist her charm.

Though the friend request had come later than expected, it was still a sign of success.

Wen Tang glanced at the avatar and name once more before contentedly turning off her phone.

Despite Gong Yue’s acceptance of her friend request, she was now fully calm and no longer impulsive. She had lost interest in pursuing him in her current role and decided to let him stay as a silent friend in her contact list.

As the lead actress in the drama, Wen Tang had a substantial role.

She had a habit of memorizing her script lines before filming each day. Her excellent memory ensured that once she learned her lines, she rarely forgot them. Although Wen Tang’s educational background was minimal—often criticized as equivalent to being illiterate—Liu Meifen would lament that if Wen Tang had received a proper education, she would have likely excelled at a top university. With such an education, she would be even more perfect, combining beauty and talent in an impeccable way.

Unfortunately, Wen Tang was now grown up and regretting her past choices was pointless.

She dismissed such thoughts. She had chosen to focus on her career, and money was essential to sustain herself and her ambitions.

While she had memorized all her lines for the day, she still kept her script close during breaks, immersing herself in her role and pondering her character.

The script was still in its early stages, with no emotional scenes yet, which was manageable for her.

However, when it came to emotional scenes, Wen Tang struggled. The romantic and dramatic elements in the script often felt flat and incomprehensible to her. Only through personal experience could she truly understand and portray such emotions convincingly.

“Tang Tang, Gong Yue isn’t coming to the set today!” Ke Xin reported, having inquired about him at the studio.

“He’s playing the third male lead. Though he has a significant role, his scenes are all in the latter part of the drama. I just asked the producer’s assistant, and he won’t be joining us for at least another month!”

A month seemed like an eternity.

How could they talk about a sweet, wonderful romance if Gong Yue wasn’t even present?

Ke Xin looked distressed, even more so than Wen Tang, who was focused on her script.

She had never considered the possibility that Gong Yue might not end up as Wen Tang’s boyfriend. All the younger men Wen Tang had shown interest in before had never escaped her grasp. She was a sure shot—a true “little fresh meat” collector.

Wen Tang, deeply absorbed in her script, paid no attention to Gong Yue’s absence.

There was a reason Jiang Qianya had been overshadowed by Wen Tang in recent years.

It was all about vision. Take Hear Your Heart, for example. The production team and investors were strong, but the real draw was the script. Once the story began, it captivated the audience, making it addictive and irresistible.

Wen Tang had encountered many dramas with such excellent qualities, and all of them had eventually become major hits.

Jiang Qianya’s decision to leave the drama for Director Feng’s film seemed questionable. While Feng’s films had experienced some successes, his recent projects had received mediocre responses, making it hard to determine if they were truly profitable or not.

Wen Tang waved her hand dismissively and returned to her script.

A few days later, as the production team had settled and Wen Tang had gradually gotten into her rhythm, she finished her morning filming ahead of schedule. Recently, she had been working on a global endorsement for a luxury brand and had successfully signed the contract. Now, she was in the promotional video shooting phase, which was scheduled for the entire afternoon.

After lunch, Wen Tang arrived at the studio for the shoot. Originally, the promotional video was expected to take at least the whole afternoon, with the possibility of continuing into the evening if needed. However, Wen Tang’s outstanding condition and high shooting efficiency meant that by just after five o’clock, all the work was completed ahead of schedule.

On her way home, Wen Tang was fiddling with her phone. As usual, she checked her WeChat Moments out of habit. A few scrolls in, her eyebrows raised in surprise.

Gong Yue had posted a moment just a few minutes ago. The post was promoting Jiang Qianya’s newly announced film, collecting likes and offering a photo poster of Jiang Qianya as a reward for reaching fifty likes.

Gong Yue was a fan of Jiang Qianya?

Since adding Gong Yue on WeChat, his account had been dormant in her contact list, and she had never paid attention to his Moments.

Wen Tang clicked on his Moments out of curiosity.