In the original work, Wang Tian, with a series of clever maneuvers, placed An Qiuyan in a niche production as the lead actress.
This arrangement allowed him to fulfill his obligation to Shen Mingjue without offending Elder Shen.
However, no one could have foreseen that this unpromising, niche film would become the dark horse of the Lunar New Year box office that year.
An Qiuyan skyrocketed to fame, amassing a massive fanbase and steadily climbing to superstardom.
Perhaps due to Jiang Ling's transmigration, the originally unpromising film inexplicably disappeared.
To fulfill his duty, Wang Tian slotted An Qiuyan into the cast of "The Romance of the Cloud Sea and the Jade Bow."
In his view, "The Romance of the Cloud Sea and the Jade Bow" was an inauspicious production.
Casting An Qiuyan as Li Shengnan would not only satisfy Shen Mingjue's desire to see her in a leading role but also placate Elder Shen, making it a win-win situation.
Initially, An Qiuyan was extremely reluctant about this arrangement.
Why would she be cast as the lead in such an ill-fated drama? Was she not unlucky enough already?
But when she received the script and saw Li Shengnan's storyline and ending,
An Qiuyan had a premonition that the role of Li Shengnan would be a hit, and if she could seize this opportunity, she was bound to make a dramatic comeback.
It must be admitted that while An Qiuyan's character was questionable, her discerning eye was exceptional.
Even without having read the novel "The Romance of the Cloud Sea and the Jade Bow," she could tell that Li Shengnan was a character who would leave a lasting impression.
Recognizing the potential for this role to become wildly popular, An Qiuyan fully committed herself.
However, she overestimated her acting abilities and underestimated Guan Suyin's high demands for her actors.
Guan Suyin, much like Jiang Ling, deeply cherished Li Shengnan.
Following the reshoot, Guan Suyin raised the bar, stipulating that Li Shengnan had to be portrayed exactly as in the original work, with no room for error.
An Qiuyan's acting skills were, at best, mediocre. She could handle roles with minor emotional fluctuations and low requirements for charisma, such as portraying demure, innocent heroines.
However, when faced with more complex female characters, her acting deficiencies were immediately exposed.
As the soul of "The Romance of the Cloud Sea and the Jade Bow," Li Shengnan was an incredibly intricate character.
An Qiuyan was simply unable to embody such complexity, and her performances on camera were akin to a car crash.
With the production encountering one problem after another, Guan Suyin was already in a foul mood. Witnessing An Qiuyan butcher her beloved character, she exploded, unleashing a torrent of criticism directly at her face.
Being berated publicly, An Qiuyan trembled with anger but dared not retaliate.
This was because Guan Suyin was not only a renowned director in the industry but also the daughter of a multi-billion dollar conglomerate, married to a highly influential figure who held sway in both business and government circles.
Let alone an obscure actress like herself, even Elder Shen and Shen Mingjue would not dare to offend her lightly.
Despite her internal fury, An Qiuyan, with reddened eyes, retorted, "Director, I've only just joined the crew and haven't adapted to the character yet. You're asking me to perform the pivotal scene of poisoning Gu Zhihua and forcing Jin Shiyijue to marry her right away. How am I supposed to act that?"
"Lack of talent is lack of talent; why make so many excuses? As an actor, you should be prepared once you've accepted a role, ready to handle any situation that might arise during filming. Productions have huge investments, and once filming begins, money is burning away every second. Are you expecting me to wait for you to adjust, and then respectfully invite you to set like I'm serving royalty?"