During afternoon tea, the gossip-loving crew members pieced together everything that had happened that day.

It turned out that Xia Chengcheng hadn’t been fired by Director Zhou, but she had voluntarily withdrawn from the role of Wu Huan. And while she was negotiating the termination of her contract with Director Zhou, she conveniently became the executive producer of 《Immortal Vow》.

After taking on the role of executive producer, Xia Chengcheng didn’t interfere with the filming by forcefully changing the script or shot list. Instead, she was very considerate, allowing the crew more time to prepare and rest.

And, by the way, the beautiful lady also brought delicious afternoon tea.

In just the time it took to finish afternoon tea, Xia Chengcheng’s reputation within the crew had completely shifted.

Who said she was a drama queen, a troublemaker, or a seductive vixen? Xia Chengcheng was clearly a kind-hearted fairy! A rich and generous investor!

As for the previously favored female lead, Ye Shiwen, ever since the news broke about her mother being a mistress who climbed the social ladder, the way people looked at her had clearly changed.

Some of the buzz leaked online, and many began speculating about the family backgrounds of Xia Chengcheng and Ye Shiwen.

Both of them came from a wealthy family, and in Jiang City’s elite circle, there was only one Xia family. Xia Chengcheng’s mother, Xia Bailu, had been the heiress of the Xia family, while Xia Yongde was only an adopted son.

Thirteen years ago, Xia Bailu passed away from illness. Less than six months later, Xia Yongde married Ye Liufeng. Although there was no solid evidence that Ye Liufeng had been a mistress, the fact that Xia Yongde married a new lover so soon after his wife’s death was, at the very least, questionable.

The term ‘mistress rising to the top’ stirred only a small storm online before being swiftly suppressed by the Xia family’s PR team.

Still, Ye Shiwen panicked.

Not just because Xia Chengcheng had accused Ye Liufeng of being a mistress, but more importantly, Xia Chengcheng had actually become the executive producer of 《Immortal Vow》!

This was something that had never happened in her past life.

In Ye Shiwen’s memory, in the previous timeline, Xia Chengcheng had landed the female lead role in 《Immortal Vow》 and rose to stardom with it.

That was why Ye Shiwen had wanted to take the role from her— to walk the same path, and to steal her success!

But in this life, every step Xia Chengcheng took had diverged from the previous one. From slapping Ji Jinghan to now turning around and becoming the executive producer of 《Immortal Vow》. Everything had changed.

Ye Shiwen had believed that her rebirth and her memories of her past life would allow her to navigate this life smoothly, and that everything would be different.

But now, she wasn’t so sure anymore.

Afternoon tea ended quickly. Director Zhou’s assistant came to ask if Ye Shiwen had rested enough, and if she had, they could begin filming.

Yet somehow, Ye Shiwen’s mind remained in a daze. When it came time to shoot her character VCR, she couldn’t even focus.

The male lead, Xu Shaoyang, had a well-defined, upright appearance and was a skilled actor. Zhou Xiangnan had chosen him because of his exceptional acting ability. He could portray the cool charisma of the demon lord in 《Immortal Vow》.

But even after several lines, Ye Shiwen kept missing her cues.

It was a stark contrast— an acting powerhouse versus a popular young actress. Even though it was just a character VCR shoot, the difference between the two was like night and day. Even outsiders could tell how stiff Ye Shiwen was.

Director Zhou had to cut the scene multiple times, and Ye Shiwen was growing increasingly flustered.

And the more flustered she got, the worse her performance became.

Suddenly, she glanced toward the director’s seat and saw Xia Chengcheng sitting right next to Director Zhou.

The set was a microcosm of society, with very clear hierarchies. Usually, there were no seats beside the director, and even the hottest stars would stand half a step behind.

But Xia Chengcheng was seated right next to him. Two identical folding chairs were perfectly side by side.

Ye Shiwen’s heart tightened.

Zhou Xiangnan was equally troubled. Ye Shiwen had won the role through her audition, and she had done an excellent job during it, expressing the emotions of the female lead vividly. Otherwise, Zhou Xiangnan wouldn’t have chosen her.

But today, her performance was completely lacking.

Xia Chengcheng, watching through the director’s monitor, said lightly, “Director Zhou, if Ye Shiwen’s acting is like this, I seriously doubt she’s capable of playing the female lead.”

Sensing things going south, Chen Mingjie quickly chimed in, “Wenwen’s acting is actually very good. We all saw that during the audition! Besides, the cast has already been announced. Wouldn’t it be difficult to replace her now?”

Xia Chengcheng took a sip of her matcha latte. “The second female lead role was already announced too, right? Yet we are now finding a replacement. Director Zhou, we were rushed before, and some casting choices were made hastily. Now that we have more time, we can afford to be more selective.”

Zhou Xiangnan immediately understood what she meant.

Take it slow. Replacing the female lead was also an option.

He fully agreed with Xia Chengcheng’s perspective. Choosing a popular actress could ensure traffic and exposure, but it also costs money, not to mention that, acting-wise, they were often mediocre.

If they had time, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to mold a more suitable actress, and it might even help reduce the budget.

Ye Shiwen grew even more anxious. Ever since she learned Xia Chengcheng had become executive producer, she had a bad feeling. And now it was coming true. She really wanted to replace her!

“Chengcheng, I’ve already signed a contract with the crew! You can’t just replace me on a whim! That’s not fair! Besides, I did a great job in that audition scene!”

“Did you?” Xia Chengcheng smiled sweetly. “Then it only proves that you can act in that one scene. But we don’t need someone who can only do one good take. Just now, you were cut five times. Xu Shaoyang passed on the first try.”

Ye Shiwen hurried to defend herself, “That scene was supposed to be emotional! It’s the farewell between the female lead, Yu Susu, and the demon lord, so of course it’s not easy to perform!”

She had been planning for 《Immortal Vow》 for so long. She couldn’t lose this role!

But Xia Chengcheng didn’t even spare Ye Shiwen a glance. She sat lazily in the folding chair, the hem of her elegant dress draping down and swaying gently at the edges. She looked at Ye Shiwen like a noble cat watching a helpless prey struggle.

“Ye Shiwen, I’m not someone who gives second chances. You’re out.”

Everyone was stunned.

No one expected Xia Chengcheng to say that.

This was Ye Shiwen!

She’s an extremely popular young actress, but she was cast aside so decisively?

Ye Shiwen felt like her head had exploded. She still wanted to argue, but Director Zhou’s assistant reacted quickly. As soon as Xia Chengcheng said ‘You’re out’, he promptly escorted the dazed Ye Shiwen out of the studio.

Inside Xia Chengcheng’s head, her idiotic system took a full minute to process everything. Then it erupted in rage.

〖What are you doing?! What you just did cost the female protagonist her most important role for becoming Best Actress! The core plotline is gone! How’s the novel’s story supposed to continue?!〗

Xia Chengcheng remained nonchalant. “It’ll go on however it goes.”

The system fumed. 〖You did it on purpose! You totally did it on purpose! You’re sabotaging the plot!〗

“I did not.”  Xia Chengcheng responded righteously. “I’m creating obstacles for the female protagonist! Conflict is what drives a story forward. I’m the evil supporting character, so I’m supposed to make life hard for her! Without me stirring things up, would the novel even be exciting?”

〖System: ……〗

That…… kind of made sense, but something still felt off.

〖So what’s going to happen to Ye Shiwen now?〗 The system asked. 〖You’re the executive producer. If you don’t approve, she can’t come back!〗

“You’re absolutely right.”  Xia Chengcheng replied sincerely. “But that just proves I’m setting up a strong enough challenge for the female protagonist! This is her big test! I believe in her! If she can’t even defeat me, the little boss, how’s she supposed to take down the big boss, Xie Zhixing? Am I right?”

The system’s brain went fuzzy, struggling to keep up. It replied hesitantly, 〖……Right?〗

Xia Chengcheng added meaningfully, “If she can’t beat the boss, how does she deserve to be the female protagonist? Am I right?”

The system frowned, deep in thought. It kind of made sense. 〖Uh…… I guess you’re right.〗

Xia Chengcheng said with a sorrowful yet determined tone, “So I’m not sabotaging the plot, I’m training the female protagonist! I’m thinking about her future! The more twists in the plot and the harder her journey, the more exciting the story becomes, and the more the audience will love it! Am I right?”

As the system listened, a sudden sense of reverence surged within it. Its expression turned solemn, and its tone became resolute.

〖Right!〗