Chapter 621: Don’t Embarrass the Term, Actor
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“So, it’s not your call, huh?” Although her eyes mirrored rage, Li Jingran tried to get her act together as she did not want to give these leering b*stards something to talk about. “Go and find someone who can then. Call Screenwriter Cloud Seven over. I want to ask him how keeping my hair would impede the filming!”
Cloud Seven had the nerve to decline calls and communication from her. Li Jingran was curious as to what they would do if she refused to work!
How dare they leave her hanging. Well, she had all the time in the world to play the game with them. They were the ones who were out of time as the first episode was to be filmed this week for next week’s release.
“Hold on, Ms. Li. I’ll ask Mr. Cloud Seven.” Caught between a rock and a hard place, Hu Zheng was the punching bag of both sides.
Hu Zheng never met Screenwriter Cloud Seven, but from the scanty exchange he had with the screenwriter, Hu Zheng could tell that Cloud Seven was dominant and assertive. There was no turning back once he had decided.
Li Jingran was not one to mess with either. Besides, what could he do if the actress refused to shave her hair? It was not like he could tie her up and run the razor down her head.
Shen Xi had just stepped into the broadcasting studio when she received a call from Hu Zheng. She frowned. “I got it. Hand the phone to her. I’ll talk to her.”
Hu Zheng was relieved by the reply. Yahoo! It was not easy to get Screenwriter Cloud Seven to say the magic words. He had contacted Chairman Yuan and his assistant, Wei Feng, multiple times in the past two weeks instead of the screenwriter directly. Hu Zheng informed them of Li Jingran’s situation and asked them to relay the same to Cloud Seven.
However, the answer remained the same – Hu Zheng was left to figure it out on his own.
As the director, he should be the one to smooth things over. Nevertheless, the production team was met with a special circumstance. All crew, be it the director, cast, filmmaker, producer, or sponsor, would answer only to Screenwriter Cloud Seven.
Li Jingran stayed where she was when she picked up the call. She wanted to show to these buffoons who was the boss in the showdown between her and the screenwriter.
Shen Xi changed her voice to a deeper tone of a young man. “Hello, Ms. Li. I am Cloud Seven.”
Li Jingran was expecting the screenwriter to be a girl since it was widely rumored to be so. The male voice caught her off guard, but the polite tone was pleasing to the ear. “Hello, Screenwriter Cloud Seven. My name is Li Jingran.”
Shen Xi courteously asked, “Can I ask why you’re refusing to shave your head?”
Swallowing her fury, Li Jingran kept a mellow tone. “Screenwriter Cloud Seven, I have confidence in my acting as a seasoned actress. Do you think a difference in shaving my hair or not would influence my acting?”
Shen Xi smiled. “Does shaving your hair affect you in any way?”
Li Jingran replied, “Of course. It will ruin my image. On the contrary, props can have the same effect even if I don’t shave. We live in a high-tech world, I’m sure it can also be taken care of during editing. For you to force me into shaving my hair, do you have a problem with me?”
“That’s a harsh thing to say. As the screenwriter, I aspire for better and realistic visuals.” Shen Xi turned blunt. “I have to disagree with you about ruining your image. I didn’t give you the role of a mistress who steals someone’s husband and replaces the first wife by getting pregnant, nor will you be the reason behind the first wife’s tragic death. How am I ruining your image?”
Shen Xi emphasized the “replacing the first wife by getting pregnant” bit.
Color washed off Li Jingran’s complexion as a mental picture of Shen Xi calling her a husband-stealing mistress with a finger up her face was painted. Rage took over her every being. “No matter what, I’m not shaving my head.”
“Are you an actress?” Shen Xi scoffed. “You call yourself a seasoned actress, but you give nothing of that sort. Don’t embarrass the term ‘actor’. I’m ashamed for your sake.
“Gong Zhi gained 15 kg in two weeks for her role in Mother. She was willing to jump in the river naked at -40 degrees Celsius for Snowland. She never used a double in her twenty years in the business. She was able to win an international award and earn global recognition because of her respect for the word ‘actor’.”
Li Jingran had always been put on a pedestal during her years in the business. She was the queen and the princess. The unprecedented humiliation saw her face turned ashen and lips trembling. “What are you trying to say, Cloud Seven?”
Gong Zhi, Gong Zhi, Gong Zhi. The whole world often drew comparisons between her and Gong Zhi. Gong Zhi, that b*tch, was ugly and a poor actress to be her equal. With looks like Gong Zhi’s, of course, she had to work harder to get a foothold in showbiz.
Recognizing that fact, the ugly duckling needed to put in the effort to prove herself, while she, Li Jingran, was a natural beauty and actress. Everyone should listen to her and let her have her way!
However, the god*mn Cloud Seven must think he was all that to berate her!
Shen Xi grinned. “What I’m saying is, you don’t deserve to be an actress. You have a choice not to get on with the program – just terminate the contract and leave. If you still want to be on the series, then do as I have instructed.”
Li Jingran was about to lose it. “You…”
“Ms. Li, as an actress, you should know you’re in the service of the role, not the other way round. I don’t need someone who can act.” Shen Xi’s lips remained curled as she added, “I also don’t need someone who disrespects the term ‘actor’.”
The call was on speaker. Li Jingran deliberately put the call on speaker so that everyone, especially Lin Chan, could hear who was the most superior and the boss in the production team. Even Screenwriter Cloud Seven had to answer to her.
Yet, it never occurred to Li Jingran that Cloud Seven would be so curt to shoot her down in public. To make matters worse, he threatened her with contract termination.
At present, everyone on-site was overwhelmed with complicated feelings. They gazed at Li Jingran and her phone, imagining Screen Cloud Seven in all his glory.
Lin Chan was the happiest of the bunch. Screenwriter Cloud Seven was definitely an oddball to call Li Jingran out on the phone. Well done to him for telling Li Jingran to terminate the contract and leave. The look on Li Jingran’s face was most uplifting..
