"Seven, six, five, four, three, two, one..."
Zhou Yachen recited the numbers unhurriedly, while those around him seed unfazed.
The director signaled with his eyes—it was Rong Yu's turn to step in.
Rong Yu tossed the prop book onto the table and spoke coolly, "Filming resus only when the lines are morized."
With that, she turned and walked back to her dressing room, pulling out a few scientific journals to read leisurely.
Only after she left did Zhou Yachen snap out of his daze. "W-what did she just say?"
The crew mbers were equally stunned.
In this industry, "Number Actors" were commonplace—young idols juggling endless schedules, barely finding ti to sleep, let alone morize scripts.
Directors usually tolerated these high-profile stars, allowing them to recite numbers on set and leaving the dubbing for post-production. It wasn’t considered a big deal.
But this was the first ti soone had openly challenged the practice.
The director felt a surge of satisfaction.
The industry had been rotting for too long—it needed soone to shake things up.
Yet, he knew newcors held no sway. This young woman was about to learn a harsh lesson.
Zhou Yachen let out an incredulous laugh. "Who does she think she is? A rookie who hasn’t even properly stepped into the entertainnt world, daring to lecture ?"
"Mr. Zhou, she’s just inexperienced," General Manager Zhao quickly interceded. "Makeup team, touch up Mr. Zhou’s look. I’ll go talk to Miss Rong."
This comrcial had been planned with Zhou Yachen as the lead endorser from the start.
The female idol selected from the audition was rely his supporting act—a secondary role. Never before had a supporting player dared confront the lead.
Newcors were always like this—unpolished, unaware of their place.
General Manager Zhao knocked on Rong Yu’s dressing room door and stepped inside. "Miss Rong, here’s the situation—Mr. Zhou has a fan eting later, and his schedule is packed. There’s no ti to morize lines, so we’re using numbers as placeholders. Post-production will handle the dubbing. It won’t affect anything—"
"His tight schedule isn’t my concern," Rong Yu replied without looking up. "All I know is that professionalism matters. I won’t work with soone who lacks it."
General Manager Zhao was at a loss.
Taking a deep breath, he pressed on, "Miss Rong, this ad must wrap today. Editing and dubbing are tomorrow, and it airs with the show the day after. Ti isn’t on our side—"
"Instead of persuading , why not hire a coach to teach him his lines word by word?" Rong Yu checked her watch. "If he hasn’t morized them by 10:30, I suggest replacing him."
General Manager Zhao froze.
A rookie, daring to make such demands?
Then it struck him—President Ji had personally escorted Rong Yu here this morning.
Was her boldness backed by his influence?
Wiping sweat from his brow, General Manager Zhao retreated to Zhou Yachen’s makeup room.
He found the star engrossed in a mobile ga.
Frankly, he despised these so-called idols—ti for gas, but not for work. They were the ones ruining the industry.
But with their massive fanbases, crossing them was out of the question.
Approaching cautiously, he suggested, "Mr. Zhou, how about this? We’ll trim the script—just three lines for you to morize..."
"What, am I supposed to rehearse lines with so rookie now?" Zhou Yachen's expression darkened. "Just because she placed third in a talent show, she thinks she's hot stuff? Either shoot the scene properly or get out."
General Manager Zhao: "..."
Why was everyone so full of themselves these days?
Stuck in the middle, he was the one left feeling like the bad guy.
Zhou Yachen said coldly, "Let finish this ga first."
General Manager Zhao thought he had co around and smiled. "Alright, I’ll have the crew reset the scene in the anti."
Once he left, Zhou Yachen closed the ga and made a call.
The phone rang for a while before a deep, slightly hoarse male voice answered, "Weren’t you shooting the Ji Group’s comrcial today? Did sothing happen?"
"Bro, it’s a disaster," Zhou Yachen whined, his voice turning pitiful. "The actress I’m working with is throwing her weight around, criticizing my lines, refusing to cooperate. I’ve got a fan et this afternoon, and she’s just dragging things out on purpose..."
The man on the other end replied, "A lot of veterans in the industry have their quirks. As a newcor, you shouldn’t take it personally. Learn from them instead—"
"If she were a veteran, I’d endure it. But she hasn’t even debuted yet, and she’s already acting like a diva. It’s ridiculous." Zhou Yachen gritted his teeth. "Bro, get the Ji Group to replace her."
"It’s not that simple," the man’s voice turned cool. "A comrcial shoot takes a day at most. Just tough it out for the sake of work."
"Why should I be the one to tough it out? What if it makes sick? Who’ll take responsibility then?" Zhou Yachen’s eyes darkened with malice. "You promised Mom you’d take care of for life. Is this how you keep that promise? Watching get bullied and telling to endure it? How is Mom supposed to rest in peace like this?"
Silence stretched on the other end.
"I’ll co over."
---
Rong Yu had finished three magazines in the break room.
Once she started reading, she lost track of ti. Without realizing it, it was already past 10:30—now 11:10.
A few simple lines—how long did it take to morize them?
She stood and walked out, only to find the entire crew still waiting in the studio. Through the glass, she spotted Zhou Yachen lounging in the rest area, playing a mobile ga.
Well, this was a first.
Just as she was about to call for General Manager Zhao, the entrance doors swung open.
A man strode in, dressed in a sleek navy-blue suit, impeccably tailored without a single wrinkle. His presence was magnetic, his features striking—the mont he appeared, all the light in the room seed to bend toward him, and every gaze instinctively followed.
The crew erupted in whispers.
"It’s Yan Ting!"
"Yan Ting, the award-winning actor? What’s he doing here?"
"He’s not just an actor—rumor has it he’s also a shareholder in the Ji Group. It makes sense he’d show up."
"..."
General Manager Zhao froze for a second before hurrying over. "Mr. Yan!"
The man scanned the room, his voice low. "Where’s Zhou Yachen?"
General Manager Zhao quickly pointed toward the rest area.
Zhou Yachen was completely absorbed in his ga, fingers flying across the screen.
The man’s eyes darkened briefly before he asked, "And the actress working with Zhou Yachen—who is she?"
General Manager Zhao pulled Rong Yu forward. "This is Ms. Rong."
Rong Yu studied the man before her, narrowing her eyes.
For so reason…
Had she seen him sowhere before?
She searched through the mories of the original host—it turned out to be the youngest Best Actor winner in history, Yan Ting.
Debuting at the age of twelve, he had remained a top-tier superstar for over a decade, excelling in film, television, and music. He had swept every major award there was...
"Miss Rong, may I have a word with you in private?"
The man's voice was deep yet impeccably polite, drawing gasps of admiration from the female staff nearby.
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