It was her?
Su He’s brow furrowed slightly as she saw Su Anan, dressed in a white dress.
She had thought that Su Anan would disappear from her sight from then on, never expecting her to end up in the entertainment industry!
Su Anan was chatting with the male actor beside her and hadn't noticed Su He.
Seeing her smile so happily, Su He felt a pang of annoyance.
So, she asked a staff member on set, “What’s that actress’s name? I’ve never seen her before.”
After the crew finalized all the actors, they shot the costume stills.
Su He had received a copy.
Director Zhang had a habit of requiring actors to sign non-disclosure agreements, forbidding any leaks before the drama was completed. At the time, she had admired the photos multiple times. Su Anan wasn’t in them then, so her sudden appearance clearly meant she was added at the last minute.
“Her? She’s Qiao Anan, a new debutante from Yixing Entertainment,” the assistant director answered readily, as he was quite familiar with Su He.
“Qiao Anan…” Su He murmured the name, suddenly recalling that her biological father’s surname was seemingly Qiao.
Speaking of which, after she left the Su family, she had lost contact. She had assumed Su Anan had returned to her hometown with her biological father and would never be seen again.
What a twist of fate!
Su He took a sip of her milk tea and instructed her assistant to investigate how Qiao Anan managed to get into the crew.
Without much digging, the assistant found the answer. “They say she invested in the production to get the role.”
“Oh? Didn’t expect her to have connections,” Su He raised an eyebrow. “What role is she playing?”
“The third female lead,” the assistant replied. “Originally, this role was to be played by Jiang Tiantian. Later, it was changed for some reason.”
Seeing Su He’s interest in this Qiao Anan, the assistant elaborated.
Jiang Tiantian was the nickname fans gave to Jiang Sitian. It was earned due to her sweet appearance and dimples when she smiled. Most of her roles were sweet characters, hence the affectionate nickname.
The third female lead in this drama wasn't a major role, but Jiang Sitian indeed fit the character’s profile. At the time, there was no dispute among the crew about her playing the role.
Su He had also been looking forward to it.
Yet, the actress was suddenly replaced by Qiao Anan, whose demeanor didn’t quite match.
Su He was a bit upset. “Why wasn’t I informed about the last-minute casting change?”
“I just found out too,” the assistant said aggrievedly. “Shall I talk to the director?”
Su He thought about it and decided against it.
Although Director Zhang had considerable influence, those who invested in a production were usually difficult to cross. Moreover, for Director Zhang, who was usually so strict, to make an exception implied that Qiao Anan’s backer was quite influential.
She had a good impression of Director Zhang and didn’t want to put him in a difficult position.
“Let’s wait and see. If she causes any trouble, we’ll find a way to replace her then.” To avoid affecting the filming schedule, Su He decided to endure for the time being.
For several days, Su He went to the set to supervise, fearing that someone might take advantage of the situation and arbitrarily add scenes.
Fortunately, aside from being a bit of a diva, Qiao Anan didn’t do anything else, so Su He didn’t say much.
However, being in the same crew, there were bound to be encounters, no matter how much they tried to avoid each other.
As it happened, Su He had just returned from buying snacks when she bumped into Qiao Anan.
“I don’t want it hot, I want it cold. Didn’t you hear me?” Qiao Anan was accompanied by several people, likely assistants. The entourage made it seem like she was a top-tier celebrity.
Upon seeing Su He, Qiao Anan didn’t seem surprised at all.
She even nodded at Su He and said, “Long time no see!”
Su He felt disgusted.
She couldn’t fathom how Su Anan had the nerve to say something like that. If it weren’t for her instigating things with Su Chenghai and Qin Ruofang, her life in the Su family wouldn’t have been so difficult.
Su He didn’t want to acknowledge her and walked past her.
But Qiao Anan stepped forward and blocked her path. “We’re old acquaintances, after all. How about lunch together?”
“Sorry, I don’t eat with strangers,” Su He refused without a second thought.
Qiao Anan definitely had ill intentions.
Qiao Anan curved her lips, seemingly unfazed.
“Still holding grudges! I’ve already given you back Mom and Dad, what more do you want?” Perhaps intentionally, she suddenly raised her voice.
Everyone around them turned to look.
“Does Qiao Anan know Miss Su? They seem quite close!”
“Qiao Anan suddenly joining the crew, could it be related to her?”
“At first, she said all the right things, no interference with the crew, but look at that, several actors were brought in by her!”
“The original author is so great! Doesn’t understand anything, yet insists on bossing everyone around!”
“I hate people who break their promises the most!”
Many people on set didn't know Su He’s true identity, only that she was the author of the comic. Those with slightly more information knew she was siblings with Su Lin.
Now, with her being connected to Qiao Anan, it was hard to prevent others from forming assumptions.
Qiao Anan was definitely doing this on purpose!
Intentionally causing misunderstandings!
“Is this the outcome you wanted?” Su He’s expression remained calm, not showing the expected explosive rage.
Qiao Anan blinked in surprise. “I’m just stating facts, it’s not illegal, is it?”
Su He chuckled. “It’s not illegal, but you’ve provoked me!”
“Are you going to ask Lu Yanbei to back you up again?” Qiao Anan whispered into her ear with mockery in her tone. “Don’t think too highly of men! If you always rely on others to clean up your mess, he’ll eventually grow weary. By then, you’ll be discarded like worn-out shoes, trampled underfoot!”
Su He was unfazed. “Who says I want his help? I’ll avenge myself!”
With that, she went directly to Director Zhang and demanded Qiao Anan be replaced.
Director Zhang remained silent for a long time, then asked, “Reason?”
“I don’t like her,” Su He stated directly.
Director Zhang looked up in surprise. “Do you have a past conflict with her?”
“No,” Su He replied. “However, her reputation in the past wasn’t good. I’m afraid if her dirt is dug up later, it will bring negative consequences to the production.”
Hearing this, Director Zhang couldn’t help but frown.
This was something he hadn’t considered.
“You’ve seen the situation in recent years. Dramas starring artists with a bad record are often banned. You’ve finally taken on a script, worked hard to finish it, only for it to be shelved. Would you be willing?” Su He appealed to his emotions and reason.
“Are her issues very serious?” Director Zhang hesitated.
“She has a criminal record. What do you think?” No matter how well Qiao Anan disguised herself, it couldn’t change the fact that she had been prosecuted. Furthermore, her own brother was currently in prison. If these scandals were exposed later, this drama would be ruined.
Su He hadn’t intended to be so ruthless, but since Qiao Anan insisted on provoking her, she couldn’t be blamed for being unforgiving.