Chapter 154 - The Intimidating Shangguan Ning

After Shangguan Ning said what she had to, Shangguan Rouxue felt light headed, as if she would faint.

She had put in way too much effort on this movie. She had assumed that everything was settled and that she was the obvious choice for the leading role of the female protagonist, in the movie. What she didn’t expect was that Shangguan Ning would interfere halfway through and request the director to replace her with someone else.

Wasn’t she just an ordinary employee at Jingsheng Enterprise? All of a sudden, how did she become the go-to person for all decisions that were to be made by the production house?

Both the director and Xu Feng, turned to Shangguan Ning in surprise. Neither of them had any idea why would she feel this way. They were wondering that maybe Shangguan Ning and Shangguan Rouxue were related to each other in some way, bearing in mind the fact that both girls shared their surname, otherwise, what were the chances of two people sharing a surname that was fairly distinct, without being related.

The director jumped at Shangguan Rouxue’s defence instantly, “It is true that Xue hasn’t done any movies before, but her acting prowess is commendable. She is also very famous, so her face already has a connect with the viewers. I wonder why Ms. Shangguan doesn’t want to cast her?”

He sounded gentle, but apparently he was quite upset. He thought that Shangguan Ning, who didn’t know anything about direction, was here just to dole out orders. She never gave him any credit, considering that he was the director of the film and it was his opinion that mattered.

He was quick to realise that Shangguan Ning was the appointed representative of the investors. In accordance to her job profile, she absolutely had the right to replace the leading female protagonist.

He expected that Shangguan Ning would at least give him a reasonable explanation, otherwise, he would see to it that Shangguan Rouxue achieve super stardom, even if he had to quit this movie and start another one.

“How long is the shooting period?” Shangguan Ning asked. It was a random question, totally out of context with the current topic of discussion.

The director was startled but he still replied, “The preproduction will take one more month and it will take another six months before it is fully completed.”

“Oh, half a year? Then, how long has this candidate been pregnant for? Will she be shooting for the movie with a protruding belly? Or have I read the script wrong? I thought this movie was about the younger generation and their fight to follow their dreams. I had no idea that this was a family saga?”

The director was astounded at this revelation – Shangguan Rouxue was pregnant?

“Rouxue, is that true?!” Shangguan Rouxue had promised to him numerous times that she would not get pregnant till they were not done shooting. She also gave him her word that she would not delay the shoot for any reason. She was pregnant already, but wasn’t she unmarried yet? How uncivilised of her, thought the director.

The director was now on the backfoot. He had been a director for more than two decades and he had never been tricked by an actress.

Shangguan Rouxue looked very pale. She forced herself to reply with a smile. “Mr. Director, this is not true. This lady has misunderstood. I am not pregnant, I assure you of my complete dedication, until the movie is completed.”

Xue Feng wasn’t as gullible. He saw through Shangguan Rouxue’s expressions. He understood that she was not telling the truth.

He had no idea how Shangguan Ning knew of Shangguan Rouxue’s pregnancy, but that was not important. What was important was that now they were all in a soup. If she was really pregnant, then it was impossible for her to complete the shooting. Changing the female lead, halfway through the movie shoot would prove to be a disastrous decision, financially. Apart from the monetary loss, they would also have to come up with an excuse to give to Deputy-President Liang.

They were lucky that Shangguan Ning visited them today, otherwise they would have been taken for a ride by this seemingly docile woman.

“Director Zheng, we have had many collaborations in the past, and I recommended you to the enterprise because I trust you and admire your professionalism. I’m sorry to add that if you are not even aware of such important matters pertaining to the main female lead in your upcoming movie, then I think that maybe we need to rediscuss the terms of our collaboration.”

Xu Feng was speechless. Anyone would get very furious if they ran into such a problem, shortly before they were to resume shooting the movie.

“Star Media that belongs to our enterprise, represents many experienced actresses who are equally talented and famous. They are internationally renowned and admired. They may be more expensive, but I would rather prefer Director Zheng to select one of them, as they are relatively more ethical. We are happy to provide additional financial resources, to back your choice.”

He then turned towards Shangguan Ning for her suggestion on the matter. “What do you think, Shangguan Ning?”

Shangguan Ning nodded in agreement. “For the movie, we will only choose the best, Director Zheng. You are a prestigious director and we will certainly use an equally prestigious actress for this project. A lethal combination like it, is sure to pull in the crowds. Honestly that would be the very reason why I wouldn’t pick Shangguan Rouxue as the main female lead, even if she wasn’t pregnant. If you still insist on casting her, then I think that we would need to recall our investment.”

Her words were full of confidence and conviction that came from being sure of what she wanted. She was someone who would definitely walk the talk. Xu Feng was quite impressed with Ning and her no-nonsense attitude.

He always thought that Shangguan Ning wasn’t a competitive woman. She came across as someone who had a very gentle personality. She would not be able to handle a film crew. He didn’t expect her to be so intimidating!

“Director Xu, your suggestion is excellent. Our Department of Media will make a list of actresses for the director to choose from. Only those actresses who suit the role will be part of the list. We have also cultivated many new actors. If the Director would like to use new actors, he may choose from that list. My suggestion is that we use the new actors for supporting roles only. For the main lead we need someone who is already established and has a good body of work to back them.”

Xue Feng answered instantly, “I agree.”

What Shangguan Ning had said made perfect sense. It was impossible for the Director to find a fault with her logical suggestion. Instead, her point of view had even made the director question his own line of thought.

He nodded and said, “Then we will go with your suggestion.” It was understood that the director was speaking to Shangguan Ning, even though he refused to look at her. “We will use an actress who is better fit for this role and hold another audition for it, in the next few days.”

They settled the matter amongst themselves, totally ignoring Shangguan Rouxue.

Rouxue was so upset that she clenched her fists in anger. Her fingernails pierced into the delicate skin of her palm, yet she felt no pain. All she could do was watch them bump her off a role that she had only dreamed of. All of this because of one sentence said by Shangguan Ning and Rouxue could do nothing to undo the damage. Only she knew of how many people she had to plead with, even beg, in order to get an opportunity to even audition for the role. Now that she had been selected, her joy knew no bounds, but Shangguan Ning had taken it all away from her, in a jiffy.

Seeing that the group were done with their discussion and were about to leave, Rouxue went up to Ning and said in a pitiful tone, “Sister, please don’t leave. I was wrong to have been spoiled, but I cherish this opportunity very much. Please don’t use this movie as a means to settle your personal vendetta against me. You can beat me or swear at me all you like, and I won’t say a word in protest but please don’t ruin my entire life.”

Both Xu Feng and Director were surprised. So Shangguan Rouxue and Shangguan Ning were sisters after all.

Judging from what Shangguan Rouxue had just said, it seemed as if Shangguan Ning didn’t like her too much.

Shangguan Ning turned towards Shangguan Rouxue. She played the role of a victim, to perfection. She looked sad and innocent. Shangguan Ning ignored the looks on the faces Xu Feng and Director, because she was used to people sympathising with Shangguan Rouxue.

Shangguan Ning had seen this drama innumerable times in the past. She was calm and maintained a professional attitude. She said, “I had wanted to spare you our little discussion but I see that now you have left me with no choice. All your efforts at showing me as the villain will go to waste if I don’t act a bit more intimidating. I mean the situation demands it. So here goes…!”

“Director Xu and Director Zheng, you two have heard that I am avenging my personal vendetta against Shangguan Rouxue by ousting her from the movie. So now let me make it very clear. Jingsheng Enterprise will absolutely not back any project that uses Shangguan Rouxue as the female lead. Please make note of that!”

She continued, “Also, Director Xu, isn’t it true that our Enterprise is still in collaboration with most popular TV channels? Please make it known to them that if Shangguan Rouxue is not replaced from all TV soaps, with immediate effect, then all of our collaborations with that particular channel will be terminated.”