No matter the process, it couldn’t overshadow the fact that Qi Yunrou had firmly established herself in the entertainment industry.

With the accumulation of numerous resources, she had gained quite a fanbase. At the very least, Yuan Xi was nothing more than a minor, insignificant presence in comparison to her now.

After a few leisurely days at the main residence, the holiday break for the crew had come to an end.

The arrangements for Beauties in Makeup had been finalized, and both parties were on stable terms. Furthermore, Qi Yunrou herself hadn’t encountered any issues.

This was undoubtedly good news for the production team of With You for the Rest of My Life. Although it was true that Qi Yunrou’s actions had been less than honorable, they couldn’t afford to call her out on it directly.

First, there was Liang Hao acting as a buffer. Second, if such a situation were to escalate, it would inevitably impact their production team as well.

Holidays always seemed fleeting. Once the brief reprieve ended, the crew plunged into the intense rhythm of filming.

Most of Yuan Xi’s scenes were shared with the male and female leads. Although his overall screen time was limited, her scenes were scattered throughout the script.

Piecing together the fragmented schedule, it would take about a month to wrap up all of Xia Xi’s scenes.

Hong Xue’s acting was in no way inferior to Liang Hao’s. When the two of them performed together, even the onlookers couldn’t help but feel captivated by the intensity.

The fundamental requirement of acting was to convey the intended atmosphere to the audience effectively.

For Liang Hao, whose primary focus was acting, delivering outstanding performances was second nature.

Hong Xue, on the other hand, had a more versatile career path. She dabbled in acting, variety shows, and singing, spreading herself across various fields without truly excelling in any.

Yet, even so, when facing Liang Hao, she didn’t falter or get overshadowed.

Previously, due to Qi Yunrou’s lackluster acting, Liang Hao had to deliberately hold back to accommodate her. But now, facing Hong Xue, he unleashed his full potential.

Sitting nearby as a mere spectator to their on-screen confrontation, Yuan Xi found himself gripped by the sheer intensity and excitement of their exchange.

Without Qi Yunrou holding him back, Yuan Xi truly managed to learn a lot.

However, things didn’t go as smoothly as expected.

The lead role in Beauties in Makeup had already been confirmed for Qi Yunrou. While opinions online were divided, the official announcement made it a settled matter.

Just a few days after Qi Yunrou joined the production, numerous posts suddenly surfaced online, accusing her of using a smaller production team as a stepping stone to secure a spot in a major project.

The accusations were first posted on a small, obscure forum.

Initially, no one paid much attention to the post due to the forum’s low visibility. However, the post’s content was exceptionally detailed, with a clear and organized narrative.

Anyone who happened to click on it was almost immediately convinced by its claims.

Although the post didn’t explicitly name any individuals, Beauties in Makeup was the only high-profile project recently making waves.

Moreover, those who had been following the situation knew that Qi Yunrou had recently terminated her contract with With You for the Rest of My Life under controversial circumstances.

Although the details of the situation were not explicitly disclosed, it was clear that the production team had no intention of publicly falling out with Qi Yunrou. However, observant individuals noticed a significant decrease in interactions between Liang Hao and Qi Yunrou.

Liang Hao’s affection for Qi Yunrou and his efforts to secure numerous resources for her were no secret in the industry.

Even though Qi Yunrou had repeatedly stated in public that she harbored no romantic feelings for Liang Hao, it hadn’t deterred his admiration for her.

Thus, after the contract termination incident, some keen observers noticed a marked drop in interactions between Liang Hao and Qi Yunrou.

Initially, the forum post didn’t attract much attention. But as time passed—especially after Qi Yunrou officially joined the new production—her detractors began stirring up controversy and delving deeper into the termination issue.

The post’s visibility was initially low, and the black fans had done an excellent job of keeping their actions under wraps so by the time the situation exploded, Qi Yunrou’s studio was completely unprepared to respond.

By the time Qi Yunrou became aware of the issue, the narrative of her being an “ungrateful opportunist” had already spread far and wide.

As the female lead, the controversy surrounding her began to severely disrupt the normal operations of the Beauties in Makeup production team.

Director Kong Lilong, upon seeing the latest trending topics, couldn’t relax the deep frown that had settled on his face.

The assistant director stared at the rapidly rising trending topics on Weibo, the deep furrow between his brows so tight it seemed capable of crushing a fly.

“Director, what’s the deal with this Qi Yunrou? There wasn’t a single mention of this mess when we signed her,” he said, his tone edged with frustration.

Kong Lilong shot a mocking glance at the assistant director and let out a cold snort. “And who was the one who insisted on casting her as the lead? Regretting it now?”

Kong Lilong’s words hit like a slap in the face. The assistant director’s expression turned awkward as he averted his gaze, his eyes reflecting a mixture of regret and anger.

From the start, Beauties in Makeup had garnered immense anticipation, and the production team had been extremely meticulous with casting decisions.

Choosing the female lead had been a particularly difficult process. Though Qi Yunrou had a decent level of fame, she had few noteworthy works to her name.

After the audition, her acting skills failed to stand out—in fact, they could even be described as subpar.

Because of this, during the initial casting process, the team deliberated for a long time before ultimately selecting Zhao Qiqi.

However, things didn’t go as planned. Just as filming was about to begin, Zhao Qiqi was injured in an accident. According to her doctor, her recovery period would take longer than the production could afford to wait.

After much deliberation between Kong Lilong, the assistant director, and the producer, they decided to recast the role.

Even so, Qi Yunrou’s second audition still failed to impress the director. In fact, after watching her audition footage, Kong Lilong couldn’t help but question whether the person standing before him was even an actress.

Ultimately, the reason Kong Lilong begrudgingly approved Qi Yunrou as the lead stemmed largely from the assistant director’s influence.

Qi Yunrou may have lacked acting skills, but she had something else—luck. She was dating Fu Yushen, a man with a deeply influential background.

To secure Qi Yunrou the lead role, Fu Yushen personally invested significantly more into the production, which greatly boosted the assistant director’s opinion of her.

In any industry, the one who provides the funding was always king.

And so, the role of the female lead naturally fell to Qi Yunrou.

However, no one could have predicted that such a mess would erupt so soon after filming began.

Although they were aware that Qi Yunrou had terminated her contract with her previous production team before signing on, the situation had been relatively quiet at the time. No one anticipated that the fallout would explode just as their project kicked off.

Sitting in the dressing room, Qi Yunrou scrolled through her phone, her fingers swiping across the screen as she carefully read through the evidence spreading online.

Soft whispers filled the air around her, every word inevitably revolving around the same accusation: that she was an ungrateful opportunist.

Qi Yunrou stared at the so-called evidence on her phone, her expression growing darker with each passing moment.

The content of the post was disturbingly detailed. From the intricacy of the information, it was clear that the person leaking it had to be someone from the With You for the Rest of My Life production team.

Only someone on the inside would know that Qi Yunrou had started scouting for her next project before her contract had even been terminated.

At the time, the publicity department had chosen to protect the show’s image and hadn’t disclosed the real reason for the termination.

Yet the post outlined in vivid detail how Director Yu had reacted upon discovering that Qi Yunrou wasn’t fully committed to her work and had been secretly in contact with other productions.

Without insider knowledge, no one could have known that Qi Yunrou was only forced out of her contract after being caught negotiating with other teams during the filming period.

Most directors despised actors who juggled multiple projects simultaneously. Running between sets disrupted schedules and was a major inconvenience for all involved.

However, contacting other productions during an active shoot and neglecting the script of the current project was a far graver offense—an unforgivable breach of professionalism in the eyes of any director.

Actors like this were typically blacklisted and found themselves with few, if any, future opportunities in the industry.

Qi Yunrou watched as her name climbed higher and higher on the trending topics list, panic bubbling in her chest even as she forced herself to maintain a calm façade.

She knew she was in the wrong this time, but having just signed on as the lead in Beauties in Makeup, she couldn’t afford to lose the role over this scandal.

Because of the controversy surrounding her, the Beauties in Makeup production team had temporarily halted filming. All the senior staff gathered for an emergency meeting to discuss their next steps.

Sitting in the dressing room, Qi Yunrou stared at her reflection, already fully made up, and reached out to touch her face.

“No matter what, I can’t lose this role,” she murmured to herself.

The turmoil caused by Qi Yunrou didn’t just disrupt the Beauties in Makeup team; it also dragged With You for the Rest of My Life —the root of the issue—into the spotlight.

With the trending topic gaining momentum, the previously overlooked With You for the Rest of My Life suddenly found itself in the public eye.

Upon noticing the buzz, the director of With You for the Rest of My Life immediately contacted Liang Hao.

Liang Hao glanced at the trending topic on his phone, the word “scandal” glaring back at him but he showed no visible reaction.

Under the director’s watchful gaze, he looked up calmly and asked in a steady voice, “Aren’t we filming yet?”

After confirming that Liang Hao had no intention of getting involved in the matter, the director finally breathed a sigh of relief.

No matter how the situation unfolded, it wouldn’t harm their production. If the accusations against Qi Yunrou were fabricated, they’d present evidence to expose her.

And if the buzz played out naturally…

Well, free publicity was always welcome.

When Qi Yunrou arrived at the With You for the Rest of My Life set, fully disguised, she was greeted by an atmosphere of complete serenity.

The crew showed no signs of being troubled by the trending controversy. In fact, even after Qi Yunrou entered the set, no one stepped forward to greet her.

Relying on her memory of the layout, Qi Yunrou made her way to the shooting location.

She arrived just in time to see a scene between the male and female leads. Liang Hao and Hong Xue, both in full costume, were deeply immersed in their roles.

Qi Yunrou’s departure from the project had rendered all previously shot scenes featuring her as the female lead useless. As a result, after Hong Xue joined the cast, she had to reshoot all those scenes.

The first thing Qi Yunrou saw was Hong Xue performing the crying scene she herself had been harshly criticized for in the past.

Although Hong Xue’s acting wasn’t top-tier, she skillfully used subtle movements to compensate for her shortcomings during emotional scenes.

Qi Yunrou stood in the corner, her gaze fixed on Hong Xue’s profile. Her teeth clenched tightly, her expression twisted with a mix of rage and madness.

“Why? Why does it have to be Hong Xue? This is just a small production—why would she lower herself to play the female lead here? Ha! Who would’ve thought Hong Xue would one day pick up the role I discarded!”

Anna glanced at Qi Yunrou, immediately noticing her unsteady demeanor. Without drawing attention, she discreetly took a few steps back.

Although Qi Yunrou and Hong Xue shared the same manager, Qi Yunrou harbored a deep-seated hostility toward Hong Xue.

This animosity was something only those close to Qi Yunrou were privy to.

When the scene wrapped and the cast took a break, Qi Yunrou took a deep breath, smoothed out her outfit, and composed herself. With a practiced smile, she made her way toward Liang Hao.

=^_^=