Chapter 21: A Big Drama

Chapter 21: A Big Drama

A crowd of spectators: "!!!"

Lu Xu himself: “……”

He figured people would think he’d bribed Mu Qian to make things turn out like this.

But he really hadn’t done anything; he had just bought a mountain bike some time ago.

Anyway, the *Rising Sun* set drama took a wild turn, heading in a direction no one saw coming.

Moreover, Lu Xu realized that Mu Qian really did have a terrible temper.

Someone commented, "Is You Zichen’s acting really that bad?" Lu Xu just replied with a [poop] emoji.

Even though his comments were quickly filled with hate, Lu Xu couldn’t help but respect the director’s guts.

He usually just threw some shade at Gu Sinian, so seeing someone drop a [poop] emoji was next-level.

Lu Xu could tell that Mu Qian was absolutely fuming.

He was now very curious about just how bad You Zichen’s acting must be to anger Mu Qian so much.

……

No one saw this coming, and the fans were loving every minute of the drama.

Although—somehow the topic shifted back to Lu Xu.

"Lu Xu is practically a legend—anyone who crosses him lately ends up in hot water."

"Gu Sinian woke up to find the director had bailed! And they were trying to spin Lu Xu as his career boost."

"Seems like Mu Qian didn’t just leave because of You Zichen; Gu Sinian played a part too. Cue the sympathy tears for the poor director."

Gu Sinian: “……”

Gu Sinian now just wanted to hide his phone.

He never imagined that a simple post mocking Lu Xu would lead to the director skipping town.

And if that wasn’t enough, Mu Qian went off on both him and You Zichen before taking off.

Gu Sinian didn’t think his performance was that bad; Mu Qian had indeed pointed out some issues with his acting, which he had carefully corrected.

But no matter how he felt, the director and the scriptwriter had both vanished, and the crew had to be temporarily suspended.

This was his first male lead role, and the script was indeed excellent, carefully selected by his agency.

He had anticipated various possible incidents on the *Rising Sun* set, and he knew Mu Qian was very dissatisfied with You Zichen’s performance, but he had never imagined the director would leave.

His agent looked pale as she grilled him about what he’d done on set.

The execs at Ling Ge were pissed: "You’re all in deep trouble. Just keep your heads down, stay quiet, and don’t stir up any more drama."

*Rising Sun* was a project invested in by Ling Ge Entertainment. The company didn’t just want to focus on artist management but also planned to expand into film investment. The investment in *Rising Sun* was a trial run.

But now the whole project was on hold.

How can we shoot the drama without a director?

A production involves so many people, sets, and props. If production stops today, the props, lighting, and art teams can easily find work elsewhere tomorrow.

If the crew isn't disbanded, so many people need to be fed and accommodated. The daily expenses are astronomical.

Ling Ge Entertainment, scrambling like their hair was on fire, urgently sought a director to save the day. But whether it was Mu Qian’s desperate cries or the overwhelming flood of [poop] emojis, Ling Ge Entertainment reached out to several directors, but none were willing to take on the "Rising Sun" project.

They had no choice but to contact Mu Qian again.

Mu Qian stated he wouldn't do it.

Ling Ge Entertainment’s execs tried to appeal to his emotions and reason with him, saying that the "Rising Sun" script was the heart and soul of the golden scriptwriter. Wouldn’t it be a shame if his close friend didn’t finish it?

If Mu Qian returned to the crew, it would also help Ling Ge Entertainment and Fei Wo Film save some face. After all, they'd have brought the man back.

Mu Qian felt some hesitation regarding Jin Mu, so he set his own terms. He would return to direct, but only if You Zichen was replaced by Lu Xu.

Naturally, Ling Ge Entertainment was reluctant, but unable to sway Mu Qian, they had no choice but to reach out to Lu Xu.

Lu Xu replied, 'I’ve already signed on to another project.'

Ling Ge Entertainment: "..."

Mu Qian: "I’m not doing it, even if I have to pay a fine. No way."

Ling Ge Entertainment had a massive headache. In the end, they managed to find a director willing to take over by replacing You Zichen, but finding an actor to replace him delayed the shooting schedule further.

Gu Sinian wasn't replaced, though. After all, he was one of Ling Ge Entertainment's own, and they could save some salary this way. In fact, after "Rising Sun" was completed, Gu Sinian ended up getting less than half of what he was contractually owed.

Ling Ge Entertainment wasn't worried that Gu Sinian would get angry about this, as they still had dirt on him.

Besides, this wasn't the time when Verse had just disbanded. Back then, Gu Sinian had been a top member of a top boy band, and fans had been quite protective of him.

Gu Sinian probably hadn't realized that he was already on a downward slope.

Because he was so tightly bound to Ling Ge Entertainment and held such strong resentment towards Lu Xu, his chances of breaking free from Ling Ge Entertainment were very low.

However, Ling Ge Entertainment could no longer support him wholeheartedly.

...

Gu Sinian's situation was of no concern to Lu Xu.

Apart from expressing immense sympathy for Director Mu Qian, in his opinion, everyone in the "Rising Sun" crew was a villain.

It was a pity about the good script written by the screenwriter. Although Lu Xu hadn't seen the full script, he believed that the drama could have been of high quality based on the scene he had auditioned for.

But there was no need to regret it too much. There were so many good roles out there; he couldn't possibly act in all of them.

While the "Rising Sun" crew was searching for a director throughout the entire entertainment industry, Lu Xu had already reported to the "Son of Heaven" production.

His scenes hadn't officially started yet, but Liu Chunfeng and Qin Yu both knew he was free — after the contract was signed, the director and the screenwriter both added Lu Xu's WeChat and brought him into the production group.

Once he joined the group, Lu Xu stopped staying up late.

Because the average age of the actors in "Son of Heaven" was relatively high, every morning, Lu Xu was woken up by middle-aged emojis in the group chat.

Liu Chunfeng and Qin Yu would occasionally ask Lu Xu about his preparation progress, and in doing so, they came to understand Lu Xu's dull daily routine—unlike other actors, he didn't have many events to attend and spent his days at home pondering the script.

The two of them simply brought Lu Xu to the crew. After all, reading the script at home was no different from reading it at the studio.

The lead actor Cheng Yun and the other cast members of *The Son of Heaven* were not particularly well-known, but they all had deep experience and were familiar faces to audiences.

Historical dramas have not received much attention in recent years, and investors have been cautious when funding such projects. Liu Chunfeng and the producer worked hard to secure a certain amount of funding for the shooting.

These funds were sufficient for the production, but not enough to hire internet-famous actors.

This was one of the reasons why Liu Chunfeng gave up on casting them from the start.

The return on investment would have been too low.

The actors he chose, Liu Chunfeng dared to guarantee, were at least fitting for their roles.

After joining the crew, Lu Xu became increasingly busy.

He read the script while observing other actors' performances.

Though he felt a bit guilty about the *The Noble Son* crew, Lu Xu had to admit that both the quality of the script and the caliber of the *The Son of Heaven* crew were far superior.

Qin Yu's script had a grand layout. Although there were some areas that needed adjustments during filming, these were only minor tweaks to the details. The script wouldn't be drastically changed because of a particular actor, nor would anyone get excessive additional scenes.

The actors also had a sense of responsibility as part of the crew. For example, the lead actor Cheng Yun, who had the most scenes, was always earlier than Lu Xu every time he came to the set. He would review the script and memorize lines as soon as he arrived.

Cheng Yun's lines were already very proficient, but he always said that he was getting old and his memory wasn't as good as before, so he needed to review more.

Lu Xu truly admired actors like this.

He could proudly say that he had been this type of actor in his past life, and of course, he would be in this life as well.

……

It was about a week after Lu Xu joined the crew that his first scene came up.

As one of the few young actors in the crew, Lu Xu stood out because he successfully landed the role of Qin Zhao.

According to historical accounts, the heroic *Emperor Cheng*'s greatest regret was his estrangement from Crown Prince Qin Zhao. He once mocked previous emperors for their failure to raise their children properly, leading to sibling rivalry and estrangement, yet the same happened to him.

On the day of Lu Xu's first scene, most of the cast showed up.

Rumor had it that Cheng Yun and many others in the crew praised Lu Xu's acting, claiming that it would surely surprise everyone.

Lu Xu: “……”

This added to his mounting pressure.

But the middle-aged and veteran actors in the crew actually agreed, saying that if Lu Xu's acting wasn't up to par, Liu Chunfeng would never have let him into the crew. They all knew that Liu Chunfeng had been searching for the right actor for Qin Zhao for a long time.

Lu Xu: “……”

The pressure on him grew even more.

Luckily, his first scene was fairly straightforward.

It was just a scene where the emperor falls ill.

The *Cheng Emperor* was overwhelmed with state affairs and didn't restrict his private life much, so he suddenly fell ill.

Even though it was just a small illness, it caused considerable worry throughout the palace.

As the eldest son, Qin Zhao visited his father, the Emperor. The father and son conversed for a while.

The Crown Prince wanted to personally administer the medicine to the Emperor, but the Emperor said it wasn’t necessary. Instead, he asked how the Prince’s studies were going, what the Imperial Tutor had said, and what his views were on recent state affairs.

"Action!"

Lu Xu, now in costume, began to immerse himself in the role of a Crown Prince worried about his father’s health, his footsteps hurried.

An attendant was administering the medicine to the Emperor. Qin Zhao reached out, intending to take the bowl—his movement was casual. Feeding his mother medicine had become second nature to him since her passing; Qin Zhao was a devoted son.

"No need," came the Emperor’s voice, neither high nor low, along with a seemingly inadvertent glance.

His gaze carried a profound significance.

Sweat immediately beaded on Qin Zhao’s forehead. "Father, I..."

His eyes darted away, fearing suspicion from his father, and he became flustered.

This reaction actually softened the Emperor’s expression a little. "What have you been reading recently?"

"The *Zizhi Tongjian*."

The Emperor asked Qin Zhao to recite a passage from the *Zizhi Tongjian* and also requested his comments on recent court matters.

Qin Zhao responded nervously.

The Emperor’s expression remained inscrutable. After the Crown Prince withdrew, he told Qin Zhao to read another book. After the Prince left, he asked the eunuch, "Does this son resemble me?"

This scene lasted only a few minutes. After Liu Chunfeng shouted "Cut," Cheng Yun smiled and said, "Didn't I tell you?"

Lu Xu had captured Qin Zhao’s delicate predicament flawlessly. This apparently straightforward scene demanded meticulous attention to the character’s dialogue and movements.

The son feared his father, and the father was wary of his son. Together, they formed the most estranged father-son pair in the world.