"Where did you go? Why are you back so late?"
Jian Zhou put his mask back on and said, "I got a call from home. It was too noisy filming here, so I went somewhere else to take it."
Jiang Ling was suspicious upon hearing this.
A call from home? *kuAiδugg*
Could this sneaking around mean An Qiuyan had called, ready to play a big trick on her?
The thought sent a jolt of alarm through Jiang Ling. She smiled faintly and said, "Oh, I see. Work is important, and family needs attention too. It's fine, hand me the water!"
Jian Zhou unscrewed the thermos and poured a full cup of water, handing it to Jiang Ling.
Jiang Ling took a sip and felt her whole body warm up.
In her heart, however, she was strategizing how to counter An Qiuyan's moves and make that little bitch suffer the consequences of her own actions.
Little did Jiang Ling know, the call from home was just an excuse Jian Zhou had made. In reality, Jiang Yushuang had seen through his true identity.
She was like a high school student making a math mistake. Even if the problem-solving process was perfect, a wrong formula meant zero points.
Life imitates art, and art imitates life.
With every drama she filmed and every character she portrayed, Jiang Ling gained some insight.
Throughout the entire "Chun Yuan She Xiang Zhuan," her favorite character wasn't the passionate Hua Fei, nor the adorably clumsy Qi Fei, nor Jing Fei who was always counting bricks and catching adulterers, and certainly not the protagonist Zhen Huan. It was Sister Mei.
The friendship between Sister Mei and Zhen Huan was the best she had experienced in all the dramas she had acted in or watched.
Such a pure friendship, untainted by any impurity, that endured the trials of time and the machinations of the imperial harem, remaining unbreakable, was truly rare.
But why was Hua Fei, among all the female supporting characters, the most popular, rivaling the lead?
Jiang Ling hadn't understood before, but now that she had personally played Hua Fei, she finally got it.
The reason was simple: Hua Fei's extreme personality polarization was truly outstanding.
Her devoted and passionate love for the Emperor was touching, yet her cruelty towards other consorts and framing of the innocent made one grit their teeth in hatred.
Some viewers liked Hua Fei for her intense and passionate love, while others disliked her viciousness.
Throwing Fu Zi into a well, pushing Sister Mei into the water, drowning Chun Er, poisoning a newborn infant, using a plague to harm others... each of these deeds was heinous.
Every time someone praised Hua Fei, others would retort. And those being retorted to would not back down, firing back with even harsher criticisms.
With this back-and-forth bickering, Hua Fei's popularity would surge, and discussions about her would multiply.
The same applied to Xiao Niao An. Some found her pitiable, while others found her detestable. Anything could be forgiven, except for her role in Sister Mei's death.
As her admirers and detractors argued, her topic's popularity also rose.
Conversely, Sister Mei, precisely because she was so good, so flawless that no one could find fault with her to criticize, ended up being less popular than Xiao Niao An.
In the drama, Hua Fei’s role was somewhat akin to Wang Xifeng in "Dream of the Red Chamber."
Sister Feng was a capable manager, a strong woman, witty and humorous, possessing high emotional intelligence and knowing how to please the elder matriarch, Grandmother Jia.
However, she was also ruthless, greedy for power and wealth. For a mere three thousand taels of silver, she broke up a couple, forcing a pair of lovers to their deaths. She also engaged in usury, leading to families being destroyed and lives ruined...
Therefore, characters like Wang Xifeng and Hua Fei often left a lasting impression on audiences, evoking a mix of love and hate, and consequently sparking controversy and discussion.