chapter 9
“Director Liu, may I ask if your previous statement was subtly targeting a certain female colleague in the industry?” a reporter pressed.
Liu Ming picked up the microphone and said, “Among all the actresses I’ve worked with so far, Su Jinfan’s acting skills are undoubtedly the best—bar none.”
Leaving behind a crowd of stunned journalists, Liu Ming finished saying what he wanted and then walked away decisively with Su Jinfan in tow.
The reporters left behind began to exercise their full imagination, coming up with all sorts of sensational headlines, with Su Jin Fan, Liu Ming, and Liu Xin undoubtedly as the main characters. However, it seemed Su Jin Fan’s attitude toward the matter was slightly different from everyone else’s.
“When did you ever mention singing the theme song to me?” Su Jin Fan, who had been walking just ahead of Liu Ming, quickened her pace to catch up and pressed the question.
Liu Ming had acted impulsively in the heat of the moment. He simply didn’t want the actress from his own production to be bullied. Having only recently entered the mainland entertainment industry, he had no choice but to confront the strange questions head-on.
“Though it wasn’t discussed before, I think you should be happy now.” Liu Ming didn’t see anything wrong with his earlier actions. As public figures, they had no choice but to face the media’s pursuit, and Liu Ming was merely helping Su Jin Fan.
“Happy?”
Su Jinfan asked somewhat hesitantly, her expression also appearing uneasy.
“Should I be the one to tell you whether you’re happy or not?” Liu Ming curled his lips, then suddenly took a step closer to Su Jinfan.
Backing away, Su Jinfan said, “I never agreed to sing any theme song for you.”
Liu Ming leaned in closer to Su Jinfan once again.
The distance between the two was so close that Su Jinfan could already smell the unique fragrance emanating from Liu Ming. She took a small step back.
“Miss Su, such a beautiful woman—why did you lose the role in Director Fang Hua’s project? I’m genuinely curious about that.”
Su Jinfan’s smile froze for an instant. “So many women want to throw themselves into Director Fang Hua’s arms, but how many actually succeed?”
“There’s calculation in your acting.”
“I could also calculate how to hook up with you to become the film’s leading lady. I would have straightforwardly agreed to sing the theme song, but I didn’t do that.”
“The fact that you can say this so openly means the major investors funding this film aren’t interested in your looks.” Liu Minglian stepped into the elevator with a smile. “As a small-time director, I’ve long found this massive investment puzzling.”
Su Jin took a deep breath, watching the descending elevator numbers, then met Liu Ming’s gaze. “I know the names of all A&R Company’s executives.”
“What do you need these materials for?” He was slightly surprised and glanced at Su Jin Fan.
Su Jin Fan shrugged: “No choice, dealing with smart people is exhausting. I just want to know who the investor behind me really is.”
This unseen force was subtly pushing her forward. Every time she was about to hit rock bottom, Su Jin Fan would always bounce back, as if someone was orchestrating everything behind the scenes.
The recent scandal exposure about Su Jin Fan was conveniently overshadowed by positive news, which further convinced her that the person pulling the strings was no ordinary figure.
No matter what, she just wanted to know what the other party’s true intentions were.
……
At the same time, the cast list for “Chang Ge” was fully revealed online. Within a short time, the video spread across major websites like a bolt from the blue, shocking the entire industry and sparking widespread exclamations.
Liu Xin attended the press conference for Su Jinfan’s movie premiere?
The director boldly declared Su Jinfan as the strongest actress in the industry and invited her to sing the theme song?
Isn’t it rumored that Su Jin Fan and Liu Xin have been fiercely competing for the position of Ding Sheng’s top actress?
As everyone knows, Su Jin Fan and Liu Xin’s movies happened to have similar themes. Some predicted that Su Jin Fan would become a box office flop after her car accident, and the scandal surrounding her accident has remained a hot topic of discussion.
However, just because of this one statement, the internet exploded.
As soon as the news broke, numerous doubts arose, with hundreds of comments appearing online every second. From analyzing the roles Liu Xin and Su Jin Fan have played since their debut to digging up their past scandals in the entertainment industry, it seemed Liu Xin was always at a disadvantage.
Later, netizens even compiled a video comparing their performances in similar roles.
[“Stop joking, that Liu Xin only got famous by selling her looks—she’s got piles of shady history!”]
[“At least Liu Xin is popular. Your ‘Su Jin Fan’ (a derogatory nickname given to Su Jin by haters) was just playing a maid next to Liu Xin three years ago. Are they even on the same level?”]
[“I didn’t think much of it before, but after seeing their acting side by side in the video, I realized how big the difference between them really is.”]
In less than half an hour, Su Jin Fan’s Weibo followers surged from 5 million to nearly 6 million. By the time Su Jin Fan finished her shower and checked again, the number had already surpassed 6.5 million.
Before Su Jin Fan could even respond, A&R Company’s “Big White” promptly and prominently commented and interacted.
Big White V@Su Jin Fan【Great acting! Looking forward to your theme song. Everyone, be sure to support #Chang Ge# when it’s released!】
The immediate consequence of A&R Company’s attention and comment was an endless stream of various messages popping up on Su Jin Fan’s Weibo, leaving her overwhelmed. Su Jin Fan, having experienced big scenes before, knew that even posting a single emoji under such circumstances could be blown out of proportion.
The attention from A&R Records and the @ clearly serves as a solid announcement to everyone that all the previous online rumors were true.
Su JinFan’s fans were practically boiling over with excitement, almost to the point of explosion.
After all, in this industry, Su JinFan and Liu Xin have always been compared, and fan wars between their supporters were inevitable. However, this incident clearly shows A&R Records standing firmly behind Su JinFan.
Regardless, Su JinFan’s name has once again made headlines with explosive news, capturing everyone’s attention.
As a result, Su Jinfan remained out of the public eye for the following weeks. Regarding her singing the theme song, netizens could only hold onto anticipation and more anticipation!
Reflecting on the rapid spread of online media, Su Jinfan began organizing the messages on her Weibo account.
First, she politely followed Liu Ming, then the official Weibo account of the movie “Chang Ge,” and casually replied to a few comments along the way.
Su Jinfan @DaBai: [“Thank you for the praise, I’ll keep working hard.”]
The phone kept buzzing incessantly, and Su Jinfan answered it to find Fang Yao on the other end.
“Darling, I never expected you to actually meet your benefactor this time. You’re completely blowing up online right now. The popular variety show ‘Happy Day’ has invited you to participate.”
Her tone was quite playful as she sent over an email. Su Jinfan opened it and couldn’t help but feel surprised, pausing for a moment in shock.
This episode’s theme was “The Beauties of the Qing Dynasty,” and among the guests was none other than Liu Xin.
Su Jinfan remained silent for a long while before Fang Yao replied, “This is a great opportunity for your promotion. I’ll have Tianxin arrange everything for you. Do your best!”
“Happyday” is currently the hottest variety show, where many big-budget films promote themselves. However, its bizarre and notorious prank games are well-known in the industry. Su Jinfan had never appeared on such a program before and felt somewhat uneasy, but she still gritted her teeth and agreed with a soft “Mm.”
“It’s okay, just have fun when the time comes. That show has really high ratings,” Fang Yao continued. “So come to AB TV this weekend. Don’t stress too much about it.”
She hung up the phone and casually opened her private messages on Weibo.
Big White: Hello, Su Jin Fan, how are you!
Su Jin Fan rubbed her forehead, first replying with: Hello
Then she replied with a second message: Thank you for your company’s support.
Big White: You’re quite polite, but aren’t you going to sleep so late?
Before Su Jinfan could reply, Dabai sent a photo of his cat lying sideways asleep. Su Jinfan took a sip of water, snorted, and then burst into laughter.
Dabai: Did you fall asleep? Why aren’t you replying to me?
Su Jinfan felt a bit embarrassed and casually sent a photo of herself asleep in front of her computer. Dabai then said: “Happy Day” needs your best effort, good night!
……
AB TV station, inside the program recording hall.
The girl before me wore an ordinary jacket paired with jeans and canvas shoes, looking quite demure overall, yet her aura stood out remarkably.
Her flawless skin, naturally beautiful without a trace of makeup, was already a masterpiece crafted by heaven, needing no embellishment.
The stylists at AB TV nodded in approval. It was their first time seeing a female celebrity with skin this impeccable. Although Su Jinfan was no newcomer on screen, this was her first time participating in such a variety show.
“Brother Ma?” Su Jinfan noticed the stylist scrutinizing her intently and found it slightly odd. She broke the awkward silence between them by speaking first.
Ma Wen finally reacted and said, “Come pick out your clothes.”
“Okay.”
This variety show didn’t have a script, but all the procedures would be reviewed beforehand. While Liu Xin was still resting in the VIP dressing room, Su Jinfan went ahead to select her outfit.
“If it weren’t for promoting the movie, who would come to this damn show?” Liu Xin’s assistant, seeing Su Jinfan walk out of the dressing room, quickly handed her water, eyes filled with both respect and fear for Liu Xin.
Liu Xin’s role in “Peerless Beauty” slightly overlaps with Su Jin Fan’s. She plays “Ming Yue,” a palace maid who grew up in the imperial court and later catches the emperor’s eye, becoming a low-ranking concubine before climbing her way up step by step.
At this moment, she is dressed in elaborate palace attire, with heavy and intricate headpieces. The cumbersome court garments make her feel somewhat strained, but since she is older, the outfit actually makes her appear a few years younger.
Liu Xin took a sip of water to moisten her throat and stood in front of the mirror, quite satisfied with her appearance, when she suddenly heard unusual noises around her. Instinctively, she turned her head to look.
