Director Zhang was not one to blindly believe. After hearing Su He's words, he merely paused Qiao An'an's filming, citing scheduling issues and the need to shoot the leads' scenes first. In private, however, he sent people to investigate Qiao An'an's background to see if she indeed possessed the damning black marks Su He had mentioned.
Having been in the industry for so many years, Director Zhang knew many people, and uncovering Qiao An'an's background was as easy as turning his hand over.
Within a couple of days, her entire history was dug up.
"Adopted daughter of the Su family... Ungrateful, sued for theft!"
"Attempted hired murder..."
"Marriage fraud!"
Director Zhang read through it, his head throbbing.
Each of these incidents could easily make headlines.
Keeping such a ticking time bomb on set was undoubtedly dangerous.
Director Zhang made a decisive move. He was willing to apologize to the investors and unhesitatingly removed Qiao An'an, bringing Jiang Si Tian back to re-shoot the third female lead's scenes.
This time, Lu Yan Bei truly had no hand in it.
With just a few words from Su He, Qiao An'an lost her job.
Later, when they encountered each other again at an event, Su He glared at Qiao An'an provocatively. "Your caliber isn't high enough for my significant other to make a move."
Qiao An'an looked at her with burning hatred, wishing she could devour her alive.
Learning from her mistakes, Qiao An'an didn't appear in public for a long time, as if she had vanished. So long, in fact, that Su He almost forgot her existence.
Would Qiao An'an truly remain quiet? The answer was a resounding no.
She just couldn't understand how Su He seemed like a completely different person after this period of separation, a stark contrast to the doormat she used to be. Moreover, her appearance had changed drastically, seeming even more beautiful and refined than before.
"Damn it!" Staring at the photos sent by the private investigator, Qiao An'an angrily tore them to shreds. "Su He, I won't let this go!"
"Baby, who's making you angry?" As she was throwing a tantrum, a figure suddenly appeared behind her and embraced her tightly.
A flicker of disgust flashed in Qiao An'an's eyes, but her face wore a pitiful expression. She turned and nestled into the man's arms, crying profusely. "Director Zhang kicked me out of the crew."
"Oh, that matter. Director Zhang already told me about it." The man with the bulging belly seemed to already know, and wasn't angry. "He said the role in that drama had too few scenes and he was afraid it would shortchange you. He'll find someone to specifically write a script for you to be the female lead."
Qiao An'an clearly didn't believe him. "There's no such thing! I'm just a newcomer, I know my own standing!"
"He always keeps his word, he wouldn't lie to me." The man's hands roamed her body restlessly, his mind no longer on proper matters.
Qiao An'an was seething with suppressed anger, hardly in the mood for his advances.
Her mind raced, and she said, "Is that so... Then I must have misunderstood Director Zhang... However, Director Zhang must have been instigated by someone to replace me so suddenly!"
"Someone just can't stand to see me do well and is deliberately causing trouble!"
"Who is it? Tell me, I'll get justice for you!" The man had drunk a lot. To please his little mistress, he'd make any promise.
Qiao An'an pretended to sigh. "Alas, forget it. The forces behind her are not small, I'm afraid of causing you trouble."
The more she said this, the more excited the man became. "Whoever dares to bully my woman, I'll strip them bare, even if they are the King of Heaven!"
Qiao An'an leaned into his embrace and whispered something into his ear.
The man slapped his thigh and said, "Isn't she just a singer! With a single word from me, I can make her unable to survive in this industry!"
Qiao An'an lowered her eyes, a smug smile appearing on her lips.
She couldn't move the mountain that was Lu Yan Bei for now, but destroying Su Lin was more than enough.
*
Qiao An'an's revenge came swiftly.
She not only incited her backer to target Su Lin but also deliberately and inadvertently said ambiguous things in front of senior industry figures, stoking their sensitive nerves.
"That author must have done it on purpose!"
"Maybe she found them herself! How much did she bribe them to get through the back door!"
"Director Zhang too, how could he listen to an outsider! If it doesn't do well, whose fault will it be?"
"Tang Xiao Ying is a Best Actress, and she was cast aside. It's truly unbelievable!"
Qiao An'an chatted with her assistant in the pantry, deliberately letting Tang Xiao Ying, who was passing by, overhear.
As the top star of Yixing Entertainment, losing to an unknown dance student was something no one would accept.
Tang Xiao Ying had started preparing for this role long ago. This sudden development was a blow to her pride.
"It was all settled, and then at the last minute, someone snatched it away. Hmph! If I had lost to someone else, I might have felt better. But to lose to a newcomer who hasn't acted before! Now, I don't know how many people are mocking me behind my back!" Madam Tang's face turned furious, her freshly manicured nails leaving gouges in the solid wood furniture.
Her assistant gently placated her, "Sister Ying, there must be some misunderstanding. It hasn't been officially announced yet, and the company is actively communicating with them..."
"What if it's not announced? So many people saw me at the time! Who knows what rumors are spreading!" Although Tang Xiao Ying had won Best Actress once, the ratings of her recent dramas had not been ideal.
Despite having a large fan base, she knew that producers didn't care about your status. If you couldn't make them money, they wouldn't use you again. Furthermore, several international brand endorsements were about to expire, and whether they would be renewed was uncertain. She had to boost her visibility before the contracts ended to maintain her position in the industry.
"Sister Ying, don't overthink it. It hasn't come to that point yet. My agent just messaged, saying Director Zhang will cooperate and say you were visiting an old friend, and there was no audition."
Tang Xiao Ying was clearly not satisfied with this explanation. "Is that all? Not only did I make a wasted trip, but it also delayed my collaboration with other parties! Who will compensate for this loss!"
It turned out that the company had recently received several scripts, and she wanted to choose one. Because she valued the drama "Living with a Big Shot" so highly, she had pushed aside other scripts.
She thought securing the lead role was a done deal, but now Director Zhang would rather cast a newcomer than give her, a Best Actress, face. Now, she had nothing.
She couldn't swallow this insult.
Tang Xiao Ying, without waiting for her agent to arrive, posted a Weibo, pouring out her grievances online. Of course, she didn't explicitly mention any internal dealings during the audition, but rather sarcastically referred to herself as "old" and that she was no match for newcomers everywhere.
Not long ago, during an interaction with her fans, she had expressed great interest in this drama. Netizens were skilled at overthinking, and seeing this, they naturally connected it to the audition.
This caused a massive stir.
The Best Actress still had considerable appeal, with many loyal fans. Naturally, they wanted justice for their idol who had been wronged. Thus, shortly after the crew started filming, it became a trending topic.
This greatly displeased the usually low-key Director Zhang.