Part 2 of Chapter 66
Please Like Her 17 – <Evil> (practically official announcement) + Tenth episode recording
Most of the doubts about Shang Lu were not about her acting skills but her compatibility with the role.
Sweetie Donut directly shared a compilation of Shang Lu’s acting clips from her debut years.
She played a barber and a housemaid, and although her acting skills weren’t exceptionally polished at the time, she paid great attention to details.
Her timid eyes, accompanied by a gentle and pleasing smile, turned red when scolded by customers, her hands trembled slightly but she couldn’t speak, and she could only wipe away tears quietly when turning away. She lay in the maid’s room at her employer’s house, counting a few red bills tucked inside her English book, dreaming of saving enough money to retake the college entrance exam, with hope in her eyes for the future.
All these roles are portrayed very well, but because the drama itself is not famous, not many people pay attention.
@Sweetie_Donut (V) : [Shang Lu can’t act? It seems like you’re all judging her based on stereotypes.]
The fans also became resolute.
[Wuwuwu, we’ve never been worried about Shang Lu’s acting!]
[An actor’s works and roles are the strongest rebuttal, Shang Lu was selected by the three directors Han Cheng, Yue Qi, and Song Zeqian in a row, what is there to doubt!]
Onlookers also had a change of opinion about Shang Lu after watching this video compilation.
[Shang Lu can indeed act better than I thought… Her performance is really immersive, the scene where she hides money almost made me cry, it feels like I’m seeing a girl’s aspiration for the future]
[I trust Song Zeqian’s casting choices, even if his previous film’s script flopped, the actors didn’t]
[Song Zeqian: Are you being polite?!]
However, among these comments, one seemed out of place, a bit odd.
@Han_Cheng (V) : [?]
Comments :
[Director Han Cheng? What’s this reaction? Is there some drama?!]
[Does Director Han think this casting is not suitable?]
Some haters started to speculate with a sarcastic tone.
[Does anyone remember when screenwriter Yu Qi said she wanted to work with Shang Lu again, but Han Cheng’s new drama is about to start shooting and there’s no news of Shang Lu]
[I bet they regret it now after realizing that Shang Lu can’t act well, and Song Zeqian is starting to use traffic celebrities, the domestic entertainment industry is done!]
Han Cheng quickly posted a reply.
@Han_Cheng (V) : [Last Friday, Shang Lu turned down my new drama. I was frustrated and went to have dinner and drinks with Song Zeqian, asking him if I should try to approach Shang Lu again. Song Zeqian advised me for a long time, telling me that Shang Lu isn’t suitable for my new drama. I listened, and I believe him. But today I found out that this guy had already sent his new script to Shang Lu that very same night 🙃]
The comments were filled with laughter.
[Help, Director Han Cheng, did you feel you were deceived?]
[<Me and My Unlucky Friend>, starring : Song Zeqian & Han Cheng (no particular order)]
[So, Song Zeqian, Shang Lu is the woman you got through scheming, haha]
[Director Han Cheng shows us what it means to choose friends unwisely!]
Regarding this.
Song Zeqian also replied, as cold as ever.
[You’re a director, not an actor, so don’t play any drama. I only gave her a chance to audition in the first place.]
In other words, he simply gave her an audition opportunity, and the fact that Shang Lu ended up being selected for the role was due to her own efforts. But because of the responses from Han Cheng and Song Zeqian, netizens also focused on the key point.
[Someone actually said Shang Lu doesn’t deserve a role in Director Song’s movie. That’s hilarious, isn’t it?]
[Han Cheng doesn’t dislike Shang Lu; he likes her too much, you know?]
[So even if Shang Lu can’t land a role in Director Song’s movie, her backup plan is Director Han’s TV drama. Wow, I can only say Shang Lu is awesome.]
[So most of the main cast are Xiao Taoyan’s guests! Are they there for team building?]
[This is getting more interesting! Looking forward to behind-the-scenes footage!]
On the other side.
At Shang’s mansion.
When Shang An found out that the resources he had sent had all been rejected, he furrowed his brow and asked, “Is she impulsive in her actions, or is her company so foolish?”
With this level of remuneration and endorsement fees, they actually refused?
His assistant lowered her head, hesitating to speak.
Shang An sneered and said, “It’s just about saving face. Go there a few more times and give her an opportunity. An actress of her caliber will find it hard to access better resources than this, right?”
Shang An had also gained some understanding of his daughter lately. She had recently been cast in supporting roles, and she had even played the second female lead in a movie. Presumably, that company hadn’t given her many good resources either.
The assistant gathered her courage and said, “It seems like Miss’s new movie has already been confirmed. The director is highly respected in the industry, so… I don’t think Miss will really take our drama.”
Shang An naturally didn’t believe it and just asked, “Who is the director? Can’t we offer her something better?”
The assistant replied, “It’s Song Zeqian. We approached him five years ago for a film investment collaboration, but… we were rejected at the time.”
Shang An’s expression turned cold, and he looked at the medicine on the table. After a long pause, he only said, “Get out.”
Online discussions about Song Zeqian’s new movie were heated. The next day, during the recording of the tenth episode of <The Most Hated Her and Him>, Song Zeqian was absent due to casting issues. However, his three main actors had arrived early and were discussing the script even before the official recording began.
Ye Lu grinned and said, “Lin Yanyan, you’re in trouble! Look at this! They’re excluding you!”
Lin Yanyan didn’t hesitate and threw a cushion at Ye Lu, saying, “Get lost! You’re the same!”
Ye Lu remains proud and confident, uttering the famous line from the first episode of the recording, “I am an idol, not an actor.”
[Hahaha, so is Ye Lu the only one in this show who hasn’t forgotten their original intention?]
[Not necessarily, you know, flags are meant to be toppled. I bet Ye Lu will eventually act.]
[Director Song’s flag fell a long time ago. In the first episode, he said that no one except Jiang Jing would appear in his drama, and he would never use such traffic celebrity. But now, not only did he use one, but he used two at once! Hahaha.]
[Director Song : Fortunately, I didn’t come to this episode.]
[The real reason why Director Song didn’t come is found!]
Lin Yanyan : “…… 😱 ?”
*Sob*, what Ye Lu said actually makes sense.
So, surprisingly, what Ye Lu said is correct; she is the only actor here who was not selected by Song Zeqian.
Lin Yanyan actually took a look at the script for <Evil> as well. She liked it, but she also knew that it was impossible for her to be cast in it.
Since the filming of <Sweet Cherry> ended, she had hired her former teacher to come back and guide her acting, but… it seemed a bit late.
Most of the time, Lin Yanyan’s attitude toward entering the entertainment industry was just to find some fun as a hobby. At this moment, she started to truly regret wasting these years. Even though she knew Song Zeqian now, she couldn’t even muster the courage to say, ‘Give me a chance to audition.’
It’s not that she’s afraid of failure; she never even thought about success. But she still felt embarrassed compared to others, just trying out seemed embarrassing enough.
Lin Yanyan pursed her lips, clearly feeling a bit down.
Shang Lu noticed and walked over, holding Lin Yanyan’s hand, saying, “Next year, there’s a drama festival in City A. Do you want to go and play some small roles? It should be a lot of fun.”
Hearing Shang Lu’s words, a glimmer of hope appeared on Lin Yanyan’s face. She also held Shang Lu’s hand and asked, “Can I really do that?”
Shang Lu said, “Of course you can, but they are just small roles, and there won’t be any pay.”
Lin Yanyan nodded vigorously, “It doesn’t matter, I just… I want to act.”
Lin Yanyan thought of her family, her father didn’t approve of her entering the entertainment industry, and he even said that he hoped she would hit a wall and return home to study finance.
Lin Yanyan had always felt somewhat rebellious, but because she had been spoiled since she was a child and knew that her father was only talking and wouldn’t actually interfere with her choices, she didn’t pay much attention to it.
<Sweet Cherry> has already released several different trailers, and Lin Yanyan has also seen online comments about her performance.
Many fans and passersby praised her improved acting skills, and even those who didn’t like her before said they were somewhat interested in this drama and would watch a few episodes before making a final judgment. This made Lin Yanyan incredibly happy.
It turns out that hard work is recognized, and progress can bring such great satisfaction.
She felt happier than… when being praised for her beauty. This feeling is really good.