Chapter 124: What a Pity Not to Ship This CP
Shen Xiumo was first surprised, then incredulous, and finally, shocked.
“Huo Qingyan, I’m telling you, you have a dark mind. That business with Bai Mu was a big deal in the industry back then. Those guys were later sent to prison by their rivals…”
The entertainment industry was a deep and murky pond, and many people were willing to debase themselves to climb to the top.
Although the details of what happened to Bai Mu were public, it caused a huge stir in the industry for a while. Later, the people involved were taken down by their competitors and ended up in jail.
After that, Bai Mu disappeared for a time. He later re-emerged quietly, started acting again, and slowly began to make a name for himself.
Huo Qingyan paid no mind to Shen Xiumo’s opinion. He retorted, “Are you sure they were sent to prison by their rivals?”
“What else could it be?” Shen Xiumo pondered for a moment. “You seem to have a lot of hostility toward Bai Mu.”
Huo Qingyan couldn’t be bothered with him and got up to leave.
Shen Xiumo followed, persistently wanting to argue the point.
“Is it because Bai Mu is close to Jiang Su? Are you jealous of him?”
“Think about it, what right do you have to be jealous?”
“Besides, Bai Mu and Jiang Su are around the same age. It’s perfectly normal for people of the same age to hang out…”
Huo Qingyan, walking ahead, suddenly stopped.
He turned to look at Shen Xiumo and said coolly, “Are you finished?”
“Almost…” Shen Xiumo found Huo Qingyan’s demeanor quite intimidating and felt a little scared.
“Heh.” Huo Qingyan sneered. “The hotel you were planning to acquire is mine now.”
Shen Xiumo had recently been planning to acquire a hotel and had been talking about it with Huo Qingyan on their way here, explaining everything in great detail.
Huo Qingyan had rare moment of kindness and offered him a couple of tips to help with the negotiations.
Because of this, Shen Xiumo had decided to bury the hatchet with Huo Qingyan.
And now Huo Qingyan was going to snatch the hotel from him!
Shen Xiumo put his hands on his hips, fuming. “You deserve to have no friends!”
The friendless Huo Qingyan showed no sign of remorse at Shen Xiumo’s words and simply walked straight ahead.
Shen Xiumo’s arms grew tired from being on his hips, so he lowered them and followed along. “Where are you going?”
Huo Qingyan uttered two words without any emotion: “The set.”
“I knew you were acting strange for a while. You said you were on vacation, but you really came to see Jiang Su, didn’t you? You didn’t have the guts to admit it, so you used me as an excuse…”
Shen Xiumo glanced at Huo Qingyan and muttered under his breath, “Coward!”
Huo Qingyan turned back. “What did you say?”
“I was saying, friends are meant to be used, right?”
Shen Xiumo grinned, showing a row of pearly white teeth. “Just don’t compete with me for that hotel. We’re friends, aren’t we?”
Huo Qingyan: “Mm.”
Shen Xiumo: “…” He agreed just like that? He had been preparing for a long argument with Huo Qingyan.
On the set…
Once everyone had gathered, the director announced that Gao Xinlin would no longer be playing the male lead.
Though everyone was surprised, there was more of a sense of secret satisfaction.
Gao Xinlin was a diva who delayed the shooting schedule. The rest of the shoot would surely have been a nightmare, affecting the entire crew.
Someone asked, “So who’s the new male lead?”
The director replied, “The new male lead will be chosen from the backup list. He should be here in the next few days.”
The morning’s scenes were between Jiang Su and Bai Mu.
Before filming, the director pulled them together to go over the scene, rehearse their lines, and build some chemistry.
Bai Mu was already a fan of Jiang Su, and they had known each other for a while, so their chemistry was a given.
When Huo Qingyan and Shen Xiumo arrived, Jiang Su and Bai Mu’s scene was just beginning.
They were of similar age, tall and long-legged. Setting their acting skills aside for a moment, just seeing them stand together was a feast for the eyes.
Shen Xiumo’s professional instincts kicked in immediately. “It’s such a pity not to ship this CP…”
Huo Qingyan shot him a look and said slowly, “The hotel…”
Shen Xiumo’s face instantly turned serious. “Shipping CPs is wrong! We must resolutely boycott it!”
Huo Qingyan looked away, his gaze falling on Jiang Su.
This was the first time he had seen Jiang Su act.
To fit the role, Jiang Su had gotten a buzz cut before joining the cast, a hairstyle that was a true test of one’s looks.
A buzz cut is hard to pull off, but that only applies to ordinary people.
The haircut didn’t diminish Jiang Su’s good looks at all. Instead, it made him look even cleaner, sharper, and more righteous.
It even had a bit of a de-aging effect.
It reminded Huo Qingyan of the Jiang Su from before their marriage.
Everything was back on track.
He had made a mess of Jiang Su’s life, but thankfully, Jiang Su’s life was now back on the right path.
This was what brought Huo Qingyan the most comfort.
Huo Qingyan was mesmerized watching Jiang Su. He stood there, motionless and silent.
Shen Xiumo, however, couldn’t stay still. After standing next to Huo Qingyan for a moment, he wandered off somewhere else.
After some time, during a break, Jiang Su turned around and immediately spotted Shen Xiumo sitting next to the director.
If Shen Xiumo was here, then Huo Qingyan must be around too…
Should he go ask Huo Qingyan about the Gao Xinlin situation?
“President Huo!”
Jiang Su turned at the sound of the voice and saw Gao Xinlin’s manager, Du Tianxiao, as well as Huo Qingyan.
Huo Qingyan was standing under the bright sun, his expression calm and indifferent, looking as if he had been standing there for a long time.
Du Tianxiao had been searching for Huo Qingyan for a while and was out of breath. “President Huo, hello, I’m Gao Xinlin’s manager.”
Huo Qingyan started to walk away but was blocked by Du Tianxiao.
He lowered his voice and said quietly to Huo Qingyan, “President Huo, it’s our Xinlin’s fault. I’ll have him apologize to Jiang Su. However you want him to apologize is fine, I’m begging you, please don’t replace him…”
Huo Qingyan frowned in annoyance. He looked up and saw Jiang Su standing not far away.
From this distance, he knew Jiang Su couldn’t hear what Du Tianxiao was saying.
But for some reason, he felt a surge of panic.
If Jiang Su found out that he had replaced Gao Xinlin because of him, he would definitely think he was being nosy.
At this thought, Huo Qingyan cut Du Tianxiao off with a cold expression.
“Someone who can’t remember his lines, isn’t punctual, and only knows how to cause trouble on set, dragging down the entire crew’s progress—if I don’t replace him, should I let him stay and waste my money?”
Huo Qingyan deliberately raised his voice. “Do I look like an idiot?”
Du Tianxiao was momentarily stunned.
He had never dealt with Huo Qingyan before and only knew him as an extremely intelligent and career-driven man.
The investment in this drama was a trivial amount to Huo Qingyan.
He wouldn’t personally order Gao Xinlin to be replaced over such a small sum of money.
No matter how Du Tianxiao thought about it, he felt that Huo Qingyan was doing this because of Jiang Su.
As Gao Xinlin’s manager, he was well aware of his client’s flaws. Because of Gao Xinlin’s popularity, most directors would put up with it, and investors didn’t care whether Gao Xinlin was professional or not.
This was the first time he had encountered an investor like Huo Qingyan, and he had no idea how to handle the situation.
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