There had indeed been a slap in the original script, but it was meant to be faked for the camera.
But the moment filming began, Qiao Tang didn’t even wait for Shen Zhi to prepare herself before bringing her hand down for real.
Shen Zhi’s face was slapped to one side. Her ears rang.
Yet Su Hao didn’t call cut.
A flicker of satisfaction flashed through Qiao Tang’s eyes.
When Yu Lingyi had still been around, Qiao Tang hadn’t dared to go too far.
But now, this company belonged to her and her man!
She immediately delivered her line. “At your age, you still haven’t learned how to let go? If you keep clinging to that pathetic little shred of pride, you’ll only make yourself look more ridiculous!”
After saying that, she reached out and shoved Shen Zhi, much harder than she had during rehearsal.
Shen Zhi was wearing high heels. She staggered backward, the small of her back striking the edge of the coffee table. Her brows knitted tightly with pain.
Once the take was over, Qiao Tang instantly dropped her character’s emotions and smiled at the monitor.
“Director Su, how was that take?”
Director Su watched the playback and nodded blandly. “Not bad. You had a lot of explosive emotion. But Shen Zhi, what was that? You’re an actress—can’t you even manage your facial expressions? Look at how twisted your features are. You’re already not young, and pulling a face like that only makes you uglier!”
Shen Zhi’s eyes slowly reddened, and she couldn’t stop herself from crying.
When Yu Lingyi had still been there last week, she had promised to resolve the conflict between Shen Zhi and Qiao Tang.
For a brief while, they really had made peace.
But now it was like this again.
Shen Zhi had entered the best film academy at seventeen. She had ranked first in the academic entrance exams and scored exceptionally well in the arts examination too. The first time her teacher saw her, they told her that there was drama in her eyes—that she was destined to achieve great things.
And for a brief time, she truly had worn the glow of success. Her very first film had won a highly prestigious award.
But later, she refused to entertain executives over drinks. She refused to falsely accuse a married producer and manufacture a scandal for the sake of a role. She refused to go alone to a hotel in the middle of the night to meet a male investor...
And so, one opportunity after another passed her by.
Then wave after wave of newcomers arrived.
She went from theatrical films to online films, from television dramas to web dramas, from web dramas to vertical short-form series.
Step by step, she had been sliding downhill.
Shen Zhi had endured for a long time. Today, having her dignity stripped away in front of everyone, she could no longer hold it in. Tears streamed relentlessly down her face.
Su Hao said impatiently, “Enough. Everyone else, go eat first. Shen Zhi, adjust yourself. Come back to shoot the next scene when you’ve stopped crying!”
Qiao Tang sighed. “Older actresses are such a hassle. One person’s unstable emotions hold up the entire production!”
One by one, the crew drifted away. Even if they sympathized with Shen Zhi, no one dared speak up for her.
Because the entertainment industry was growing colder and harsher by the day. Proper television dramas had been replaced by web dramas, web dramas by short-form series, and short-form series by AI-generated live-action shows...
It wasn’t only countless actors who were struggling to find work. Cinematographers, stunt coordinators, lighting crews, costume and makeup teams, prop departments...
These days, being able to get a boxed lunch on a film set was already something to be grateful for.
When things could be endured, people endured them. If they didn’t, they would starve.
Anyone who dared cause trouble would soon be left with nothing.
The studio gradually emptied.
Only the lights remained, glaring and painfully white.
At last, Shen Zhi dared to sob her heart out alone.
Suddenly, footsteps sounded beside her.
She thought someone had come back to laugh at her again, so she hurriedly stifled her sobs.
But the next second, a slender, fair hand held out a tissue to her.
“Here. Wipe your tears.”
Shen Zhi froze for a moment and looked up.
She had never met Yu Xiaxing before, but from her clothes and bearing, she could tell she was no ordinary staff member.
After a brief hesitation, she accepted the tissue. Her voice was hoarse. “Thank you.”
Yu Xiaxing looked at the slap mark on her face. “Does it hurt?”
Shen Zhi sniffed. “Getting slapped is nothing. Everyone in this line of work gets pushed around sometimes. What I can’t stand is the constant emotional humiliation. They’ve turned the entire crew against me and isolated me.”
Yu Xiaxing nodded. “Have you considered changing careers?”
Shen Zhi had been so lonely on this production that, with someone finally willing to talk to her, she found herself saying more than usual.
“It’s hard for actors to switch careers. The sweet-talkers who know how to work a room can move into livestream sales. But I’m too rigid... I couldn’t sell anything, and I don’t have a fan base.”
The more she spoke, the more she felt that a person’s place in life was not determined by hard work, but by personality and connections.
Only worldly, socially adept people could go far.
Those who kept their heads down and worked hard would only be gradually left behind by society.
Yu Xiaxing took out a business card and handed it to her. “I’m a trustee at St. De. I’m starting an arts entrance-exam prep program there. Right now, I’m looking to recruit actors with real-world experience—people who are good at acting, have won awards, and graduated from accredited film academies—to teach the students. Are you interested?”
Shen Zhi stared at her blankly. “Y-You’re Trustee Yu Xiaxing?”
The Yu family's little miss who had recently caused such an uproar at the school?
The Yu Xiaxing who had hit Yu Lingyi so hard that she’d become self-destructive and stopped caring about the competition?
Seeing her lost in thought, Yu Xiaxing added, “I’m not offering out of pity. I genuinely want actors who performed exceptionally well in school and have won prestigious awards. You happen to fit the bill.”
Shen Zhi had long known that her personality would never get her to a higher position in this industry, but... could she really become a teacher?
She asked tentatively, “Would teaching mean having to flatter students or market the courses or something?”
Yu Xiaxing smiled. “No. Of course not. Just do your job well and don’t give a damn about anyone else.”
And if you manage to offend the parents, I’ll like you even more!
Even as Shen Zhi asked the question, she had already vaguely expected that answer.
After all, judging from the things Yu Xiaxing had done online, she clearly wasn’t the type to swallow her anger in silence.
Shen Zhi really wanted to go work for her right away.
But after a moment of silence, she lowered her head again. “This production is only halfway through. If I leave now, I’ll have to pay a penalty for breaching my contract. It’s embarrassing to admit, but my pay is very low. I haven’t had a proper agency all these years, and I also had terrible luck—I bought a house when prices were at their peak. Now I’m tied down by the mortgage. I really can’t afford the penalty...”
Yu Xiaxing’s eyes lit up. “How much is it?”
Shen Zhi answered quietly, “About eight hundred thousand.”
Yu Xiaxing’s gaze dimmed again.
Damn it. Only eight hundred thousand.
Oh well. She could save the remaining 9.2 million for more troublemaking.
Yu Xiaxing said, “Don’t worry. I’ll pay it for you.”
Shen Zhi’s heart began pounding with excitement, but she still couldn’t help doubting herself. “But I’ve never attended a teacher’s college, and I’ve never taught students before. I’m afraid I only know how to act, not how to teach…”
Yu Xiaxing’s smile widened. “I’m looking for someone exactly like you—an experienced actress who graduated from a proper film academy…”
What she valued was precisely the fact that Shen Zhi had only acted and had never taught students before, with no experience whatsoever.
They could offer the students and their parents a free trial class.
Once the parents brought their children over and saw that all the teachers only knew how to perform but had no idea how to teach, they would surely wave their hands and leave.
Ten million yuan would be lost in no time!
Of course, she couldn’t say that to Shen Zhi. Wouldn’t that be too discouraging?
So she put it in a more respectable way. “These days, a lot of instructors at training schools haven’t even attended a proper film academy, yet they still dare to start their own classes. You’re far more qualified than they are! You can even tell your students about the pitfalls you encountered on your own journey as an actress!”
“Well? Why don’t you come work with me?” Yu Xiaxing coaxed.
