Chapter 161

That night, Chen Shu locked himself alone in his room. After burning through an entire pack of cigarettes, he made a decision so wild that even he thought it was insane—

He was going to scrap a third of the already filmed script and rewrite it entirely based on the e-commerce incubation plan Wei Sheng had proposed for Sanchaling Village!

“What? Has Director Chen lost his mind? This won’t work! My schedule is packed—I can’t waste another few months waiting for a new script!”

The moment she heard the news, the film’s female lead, Chen Qingyao, exploded.

“Sister Qingyao, I heard Director Chen only decided to rewrite the script after talking to Wei Sheng. Do you think maybe Wei Sheng is trying to steal more scenes for himself?” her assistant whispered.

Chen Qingyao’s expression darkened immediately.

Truth be told, she had already been suspicious, even without her assistant’s prompting.

From the very start of filming, she’d noticed that Director Chen Shu acted like a complete lapdog around Wei Sheng. Whatever Wei Sheng said, he’d nod along eagerly with endless “yes, yes, of course” like he was serving his own father.

If she hadn’t confirmed that Wei Sheng wasn’t one of the investors, Chen Qingyao would’ve thought he was the real money behind the film.

Now that she thought about it, could it be that Wei Sheng was trying to overshadow her, turning what was supposed to be a co-lead romance into a male-centric story? If that were the case, wouldn’t her role as the female lead become meaningless? Worse yet, she’d be a laughingstock among her peers.

The more she thought about it, the more she couldn’t sit still.

“Director Chen, what’s going on? Why the sudden script change? I need a straight answer. If the script is being rewritten, how long will it take? And in the new version… will the lead roles be affected?” Chen Qingyao confronted Chen Shu, bringing her agent along.

Technically, the two shared a family name, and Chen Shu had always been easy to talk to. Chen Qingyao considered herself a solid B-list actress in the film industry. Agreeing to co-lead with a newcomer like Wei Sheng was already a step down for her, all because the original script had promise. If Chen Shu dared to cut her scenes in the new version, she wasn’t going to take it lying down.

But of course, the thing you fear most is the thing that happens.

Chen Shu nodded, his face alight with excitement as he explained, “Qingyao, hear me out. If we shoot according to the new script, even though both your and Wei Sheng’s screen time will be reduced a bit, the final product will be far better than what we have now!”

“If you don’t believe me, check out that variety show Wei Sheng was on—‘Retracing the Path of Poverty Alleviation.’ Most of the guests were just background noise, but the whole show focused on rural development and poverty relief. And the audience loved it! Every episode had a huge following…”

“Hold on, Director Chen. Are you confused? Qingyao signed on to shoot a movie, not some poverty-relief variety show,” her agent, Liang Aiai, cut in coldly.

“Director Chen, Qingyao is a well-known actress in the film industry. She only takes on one or two films a year to ensure quality and artistic integrity. Her schedule is already tight. Now you suddenly want to rewrite the script without even a heads-up, and on top of that, drastically cut the female lead’s scenes just so she can play second fiddle to a bunch of villagers? That’s not how things are done.”

Her sarcastic tone hit Chen Shu like a bucket of ice water, dousing the fire that had been burning in him moments ago.

Right. How could he forget? Not everyone in this industry is like that foolish kid Wei Sheng, who’s willing to slash his own scenes for the sake of artistic vision.

This was exactly what Chen Shu hated most about the entertainment industry.

In recent years, a toxic trend had taken over. Actors didn’t choose scripts to tell a good story anymore. Instead, they obsessed over status—who gets top billing, who’s second, how many scenes and lines each gets. Every detail had to be spelled out in the contract. Cut half a line, and they’d raise hell online.

Everyone seemed to forget that whether you’re a director or an actor, every role on set exists for one purpose: to tell a compelling story.

Chen Shu knew deep down that it wasn’t entirely the actors’ fault. The real problem was the “connections crowd”—those with backing—who had already broken the rules. To get more screen time and fame, they’d stuff themselves into every scene. In the end, the script would be a mess, and sometimes the maid would have more scenes than the female lead. How could audiences possibly accept that?

Taking a deep breath, Chen Shu opened his eyes again, regaining his composure.

“Qingyao, I know what I’m about to say might be hard for you to accept, but I hope you’ll give it serious thought. I swear on everything, this rewrite isn’t about boosting anyone’s status or giving anyone more scenes. I just suddenly realized—we were going in the wrong direction with the original script.”

“‘New Song of Sending Off the Lover’ shouldn’t just be about a romance between the male and female leads. It should reflect how today’s youth are playing a vital role in the cause of Rural Revitalization.”

“Decades ago, the original ‘Song of Sending Off the Lover’ portrayed the patriotic spirit of young people who sacrificed personal love for the greater good during wartime.”

“Now, in this new era, I believe what audiences want to see isn’t just a brilliant performance by some actor, but how modern youth are making real contributions to Rural Revitalization…”

“Well, that’s fine, Director Chen. You can just give Qingyao more scenes. In the new version, the male lead leaves for the city to study, and the female lead stays behind to lead the villagers to prosperity. If that’s the case, we’ll fully support the rewrite, no matter how long it takes,” Liang Aiai said with a sugary smile.

Chen Shu: “…”

Do you not understand plain Chinese? I just said it clearly—the new script will be an ensemble story! Both leads will have fewer scenes! The focus will shift to the villagers of Sanchaling Village and their journey out of poverty, not the romance between the leads!

He knew changing the script midway through production wasn’t exactly professional, but a mistake is a mistake. And since only a third of the film had been shot, rewriting now would cost more and delay things by two months, sure—but if it meant creating a classic on par with the original ‘Song of Sending Off the Lover,’ wouldn’t everyone benefit?

Why couldn’t they see that in the original film, the supporting characters had just as much screen time as the leads? Yet what stayed with audiences was the poignant love story between the protagonists. There were no kissing scenes, no bed scenes—they didn’t even get married—but that love story still became a timeless classic. Even with limited screen time, the leads went on to land role after role.

So what if you have more scenes? If the audience doesn’t care, if the box office bombs, even if you carry the whole film yourself—what’s the point?

Chen Shu had practically talked himself hoarse, but the moment Chen Qingyao heard that she’d go from female lead to just another supporting role, with screen time on par with the villagers, her pretty face turned to stone. Her agent, Liang Aiai, didn’t bother hiding her displeasure either.

“Director Chen, the number of scenes and lines are clearly written in our contract. If you change the script now and we don’t agree, that’s a breach of contract.”

The word “breach” hit Chen Shu like a punch to the gut.

He knew then—Chen Qingyao and her agent weren’t going to agree to the rewrite.

What now?

Chen Shu, who had been so fired up about creating a film to rival the original ‘Song of Sending Off the Lover,’ suddenly felt like a balloon that had been popped. All the energy drained from him.

When Wei Sheng heard that Chen Shu’s attempt to rewrite the script had been shut down by the female lead, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.

After Chen Shu left, he thought it over from the audience’s perspective, and honestly, he was pretty curious about this new version of the script too.

That said, he couldn’t really blame Chen Qingyao and her agent for how they handled things. From their standpoint, the contract with the production team was already signed, and a third of the scenes had been shot. Bringing up a script change at this point didn’t just mean wasting the past month’s work—it also meant waiting on a new script that might take who knows how long to finish. More importantly, the new version would significantly cut down the male and female leads’ screen time, which was basically a disguised demotion. For an actor, that kind of blow to their status could be devastating.

No one would praise you for sacrificing for the sake of art. Given the current trends in the entertainment industry, people would just start wondering if Chen Qingyao was falling out of favor. Otherwise, why would the director dare to treat her like this? Just cutting her scenes without a second thought—it would look like a clear sign that she was losing relevance. If that impression stuck, she might start getting lowballed when negotiating future roles. Any actress with career ambitions would find that hard to accept.

Since the production had paused for two days, Wei Sheng, bored with nothing to do, decided to gossip about the situation with Zhou Mingxing.

But after a brief silence on the other end of the line, Zhou Mingxing suddenly said something unexpected.

“Tell me what this new script is about. Just give me the gist.”

“If it’s really that good, maybe there’s no need to force a rewrite in this production. I’ve actually been thinking about finding a solid script. Our company’s planning to make a film next year…”

Wei Sheng: “…”

Seriously? Isn’t our company the kind that won’t even spend more than thirty yuan on a boxed lunch? Since when do we have money to invest in a movie?

“You don’t get it. This is what it means to put your best resources where they matter most!” Zhou Mingxing declared righteously.

When Chen Shu heard that Zhou Mingxing was considering investing in the new script, he was so thrilled he nearly jumped for joy. He immediately grabbed his phone and ran off to call his investor daddy and strengthen their relationship.

Back in the makeup room, when word got around that Chen Shu was no longer pushing for a script change and filming would proceed with the original version, Chen Qingyao, for some reason, felt even more uncertain.

“Aiai-jie, do you think… maybe we should wait and see about the new script? What if it really is better than this one?”

After years of struggling in the second tier, Chen Qingyao dreamed of landing a breakout role in a film that was both critically acclaimed and commercially successful. Her current standing in the film industry was awkward at best. Put nicely, she was a second-tier leading lady. Less kindly, her films either lost money but won awards, or made money but tanked with critics.

She was getting anxious. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have agreed to star in something like New Song of Sending Off the Lover, a mainstream propaganda film with little profit potential. Female actors already had shorter career spans than their male counterparts. If she didn’t break through soon, in a few years she’d be stuck playing nagging mother-in-law roles.

“What good is a great script if your role gets cut down to a glorified extra?” Liang Aiai poked her twice, clearly frustrated. “Once you break the rules, what director is going to trust you with a lead role again?”

“Why don’t you ever learn? Those directors are all slicker than foxes. You really believe what they say? I’m telling you, Director Chen just wants to promote Wei Sheng. He’s trying to give him more scenes, but can’t do it openly in the current script. So he’s feeding you this ‘new script’ nonsense. In the end, it’s all just a ploy to boost Wei Sheng’s profile. You were right to stand your ground and refuse the change!”

“Really?” Chen Qingyao lowered her head, frowning in thought, then finally decided to go with her agent’s advice.

Aiai-jie was right. No matter how good the script was, if her role didn’t shine, the film might win awards, but she, the lead actress, wouldn’t get any of the credit. Was she supposed to play second fiddle to a newcomer?

(End of Chapter)