CH 33.1

Drunk

Xie Yan: For Egg Noodle Soup, do you put eggs first or noodles?

Su Shen: “……”

She really wanted to laugh all of a sudden. He didn’t know anything, and still wanted to cook noodles all by himself? 

Su Shen: There’s no one else at home?

If there’s no one else, what does he usually eat then? Where’s Zhao Tong?

After a bit, he sent another message.

Xie Yan: The auntie’s on leave today. 

Su Shen was actually quite puzzled. Normally, people would have some food at home. Why did Xie Yan suddenly want to cook noodles by himself in the middle of the night? 

Su Shen: For a simple recipe, put oil in first but don’t heat it too much. Then, put in the water and once it boils, put the noodles in. If you want to eat a poached egg, crack it into the pot directly. If not, then crack it into a bowl and beat it evenly. When the noodles are almost done, pour the egg in and then add an appropriate amount of salt, sesame oil, and chicken bouillon if you want. You can then top it off with chopped green onions. That’s about it. 

After sending the message over, there was no new message from him. Su Shen went to take a shower to get ready for bed. When she came out, she noticed that he had sent a picture over. After looking at it for the longest time, she realized that he must’ve boiled the water dry, leaving a lump of sticky noodles behind.

Su Shen wanted to laugh so much; she typed a few words over. 

Su Shen: If you don’t know how to cook, eat something else for now. 

After sending it, the other party quickly responded. 

Xie Yan: So salty.

Su Shen: It’s like this for first timers. Don’t eat it anymore, eat something else. I’m going to bed, goodnight. 

She had to have dinner with the producer of the modern drama tomorrow. Without her sister this time, it was conceivable that she would be forced to drink again. 

After a while, he replied with an “en”. Su Shen then pulled up her comforter and went to sleep. 

The dinner was in the evening, but Su Shen had to go to the film studio with Liu jie at noon to sign the contract. When they arrived, the producer was still busy with other matters, so Su Shen waited there for a long time. 

“Hearing that Xie Yan’s going to be in it, this drama ended up attracting more investors. This producer’s probably even laughing in his dream now. Guess who’s the supporting female lead in this drama?” LIu jie whispered to her while sitting in the lounge. 

There was no third person in the lounge, and the door was closed. Su Shen blinked with curiosity, “Who?” 

Liu jie smiled meaningfully, “Li Xue.” 

Li Xue? 

Su Shen was shocked for a bit. Although Li Xue’s fame was not as high as that of Yang Zhi and the others, she was also a popular starlet with a strong prospect. In the past, even if she was the female lead of this drama, it was more than adequate. But now, she was willing to play as the supporting female lead? And to be a supporting role for her whose fame was not that high?

“I’ve told you that not only did this drama attract a lot of investors, but the other supporting actors are no small-fry either. Not to mention, the producer also forked out a lot of money to invite a lot of well-known veteran actors to be in it as well. Guess who the third supporting male lead is?” Liu jie smiled meaningfully. 

Su Shen didn’t say anything and merely looked at her with a frown. 

“It’s Luo Han.” Liu jie whispered, “Although I don’t know who the second supporting male lead is, he’s definitely not a newcomer.”

Luo Han was the male lead of her first web drama. His character was not bad, but he was just nodding acquaintances with the original Su Shen. Their relationship was not that good. He had strong prospects before and played supporting roles in several big productions. Su Shen didn’t expect that he would also be in this drama and didn’t know what to say momentarily. 

“Wasn’t Yang Zhi adamant about it before? Why did she suddenly yield?” Su Shen asked somewhat curiously. 

Hearing this, Liu jie sneered, “It’s not the first time you know about the power dynamics in this industry. Look at how this producer is making us wait for so long, if it was Xie Yan, do you think he would let him wait for this long? I heard that Xie Yan’s agent said that Xie Yan didn’t like to act with strangers, so that’s why he recommended you. Else, who doesn’t want to choose Yang Zhi?” 

Su Shen could imagine that. The reason why Li Xue was willing to be in this drama was definitely because she thought her acting was poor and that she could overwhelm her. After all, this was Xie Yan’s first drama and with this lineup, as long as the script was not horrible, the ratings wouldn’t be too bad either. 

Just at this moment, a staff member suddenly came in and said that the producer was free. Liu jie then led her to the neighboring office.

It could be seen that this producer didn’t like her, but he didn’t say anything on the surface. It was just that the terms of the contract were very harsh. Currently, the scripts handed to her were about ¥100,000 per episode, with the highest being ¥ 200,000 per episode. But it was just ¥ 50,000 per episode in this contract and that the script would frequently be revised, so actors must unconditionally film according to the script. The treatment of other things was also very poor. It was conceivable that Li Xue was probably treated better than her—the female lead. 

“Look Producer Luo, we have no qualms about the remuneration. But for the poster, both Su Shen and Li Xue are standing at one side. Isn’t this a bit wrong? This shouldn’t be a drama with two heroines, shouldn’t Li Xue’s position be moved to the back a little? And for the opening of the OST to also show Li Xue, doesn’t this seem wrong?” Liu jie sat there smiling while looking at the bald producer. 

Crossing his arms at the table, the latter sighed helplessly, “I understand what you’re saying, but you also know that Su Shen’s not as famous as Li Xue. If it’s not like this, we’ll be attacked by her fans. We have no choice either.” 

“Then we really need to think it over carefully about this drama. If we cannot compare, what’s the point of acting in it?” Liu jie laughed and looked as if she was about to stand up.   

Seeing this, the producer frowned and waved his hand, “Don’t worry, the matter is still negotiable. When our production crew promotes, Su Shen’s name will definitely be at the front. For the poster, everyone knows that being placed on the left signifies the most importance, and Su Shen’s name will certainly be on the left. Furthermore, Su Shen will definitely be posing with Xie Yan. This will clearly show who the heroine is, even if Li Xue’s standing on the side, everyone will know that she is the supporting female lead.” 

After saying that, he continued, “Moreover, we never alter the scenes of the heroine. You guys also know that the mood of the drama is relatively light, so the audience will definitely know who the female lead is at a glance.” 

This kind of person was usually adaptable and two-faced. Who knew what he would do after, especially when the contract stated to unconditionally follow the revising of the script; who knew what kind of changes he would conjure up?

“Okay, but you guys have to ensure that for future promotions, even if they are side by side, Su Shen’s name will be placed on the left. Additionally, the quality of Su Shen’s costumes and makeup cannot be inferior to Li Xue’s, otherwise the results would not be great. It would also lower the level of this drama, no?” Liu jie said with a smile.

After pondering for a bit, the producer nodded and then asked the legal department to add a few more clauses to the contract.