Caught in Affairs with Superstar

The trending searches on all major platforms were dominated by the words Wei Weicheng’s comeback.

Zhou Yun rarely witnessed such a sweeping momentum.

Of course, behind this were also the machinations of Wu Chengbao and Wei Weicheng’s agency.

In short, all sides were creating a buzz for Wei Weicheng’s return.

Amidst the cheering voices, Zhou Yun saw someone post an update on their Moments—a film magazine editor:

Does He Xuran regret his decision at this moment?

That He Xuran was initially set to star in Conspicuous and Trouble wasn’t a secret; although it hadn’t been officially announced, many in the industry knew.

Such a big project attracts a lot of attention to its leading cast.

Wu Chengbao and Song Chi didn’t specifically hide the fact that He Xuran opted out, so the news naturally leaked out.

Everyone was excited about Wei Weicheng’s comeback at the time, but once that’s passed, people will naturally start wondering which actor Wu Chengbao was referring to as the no-show.

If Wei Weicheng hadn’t taken on the role, truthfully, He Xuran’s backing out wouldn’t have been ridiculed.

This kind of unethical behavior should be critiqued, but it’s not rare, and He Xuran wouldn’t be the only one to be criticized.

His backing out followed by Wei Weicheng’s sudden participation implies that, in Wei Weicheng’s view, the project was good and worth filming.

In others’ eyes, He Xuran had missed an excellent script.

Zhou Yun didn’t know what He Xuran was thinking at that moment, but he figured he probably wasn’t in a great mood.

...

Upon seeing the news, Yin Linglin immediately called He Xuran.

"Have you seen the news?"

"Even if I hadn’t seen the news, all you guys calling and reminding me would have made it impossible not to."

"Did you expect Wei Weicheng to take the role after you dropped out?"

"Who knows where that guy popped out from? He’d been gone for two years, couldn’t he just continue to stay away? Why does he have to pop up and be annoying?"

"That’s just annoying to you. Look how happy everyone is about his return." Yin Linglin chuckled softly, "Now everyone knows you missed out on a script Wei Weicheng was interested in. You can only hope the show doesn’t become popular. Otherwise, every time they recount actors who missed classic roles, your name will come up."

He Xuran was already agitated by the news of Wei Weicheng starring in Conspicuous and Trouble, and hearing Yin Linglin taunt him only fueled his anger.

"Are you calling to laugh at me?"

"Half and half," Yin Linglin teased, "But you know, you’re the one who’s at fault here. You initially reached out to them for collaboration, and now you’re the one backing out. Let’s face it, if you hadn’t formally signed a performance contract, they’d be suing you for breach of contract."

He Xuran frowned.

He knew he hadn’t handled the situation considerately.

But he didn’t regret it.

Between a web series and an international film, even a fool would know which to choose.

If you asked Wei Weicheng to choose between the two, he’d definitely pick the latter too.

He Xuran was very sure of this.

"If you’re just calling to say this, then let’s end the call. There’s nothing more to say," said He Xuran.

"Why are you in such a rush?" Yin Linglin said, exasperated, "What’s the rush for? It’s not like I asked you to admit fault. We were just chatting, showing some concern."

"You’re just repeatedly stabbing me in the heart," He Xuran said.

Yin Linglin: "..."

Okay, she had to admit, He Xuran wasn’t wrong.

"Alright, I won’t drag this on any longer. I’m here to remind you, either grit your teeth and say nothing, don’t respond, and let this pass—after all, people won’t always focus on this. Or, come up with a grand excuse and respond to this situation, as letting news of you ditching spreads is bad for your reputation. Audience impressions are secondary; the main issue is, which film company will dare to trust any intent contract you sign in the future? Once it happens, it’ll happen again. It’s better to nip this risk in the bud now."

He Xuran said, "Are you hinting at something?"

"I didn’t mean any of that, don’t get it twisted," Yin Linglin said. "I’m just kindly reminding you."

"Then why not be kind and tell me, how can I nip this risk in the bud?"