#Ye Manting is arrested [Breaking News]
#Young BEst Actor Qi Zhi Joins "Old Shadows of the Republic" as the Male Lead [Breaking News]
#Full Moon CP Collaborates Again
In just one day, all the entertainment sections of social media platforms were abuzz with the news of the change in the male lead of "Old Shadows of the Republic."
The exposure of Ye Manting's heinous act of drugging a female celebrity led to an instant uproar, with people from all walks of life condemning his actions.
A few female stars, who had previously refrained from speaking out due to Jiaxin Entertainment's power and influence, came forward to share their own past experiences.
As a result, the stock price of Jiaxin Entertainment plummeted due to their artist being arrested for multiple crimes.
【I’m really angry! Fortunately, Qi Zhi went to visit the set; otherwise Mengmeng would have been harmed by this bastard!】Li Mengfu’s fans were filled with outrage.
Some people scorned Ye Manting, who has a sharp mouth and monkey cheeks and is just pretending all day long, saying he deserved to be arrested.
Others taunted Qi Zhi, who has the title of international actor, but was now reduced to bringing money to join a group to film web dramas. This shows how unpopular he was in the entertainment industry.
In an instant, the constant noise and gossip surrounding Qi Zhi grew louder and louder.
*
Ye Qing had been a fan of the veteran movie emperor Jin Shaoji.
Four years ago,when Qi Zhi defeated Jin Shaoji in "Full Moon," Ye Qing was the first to express her disbelief and soon became an anti-fan of Qi Zhi.
She used derogatory terms and nicknamed Qi Zhi. She even led a group of Qi Zhi's black fans, spending her days online slandering and insulting him, finding immense pleasure in it.
That was until the day she and her classmates were at a milk tea shop, badmouthing Qi Zhi and unexpectedly ran into the man himself...
After returning home, Ye Qing's heart couldn't calm down for a long time, fearing retaliation from the wealthy and powerful son of the Qi family.
She was restless all day long and secretly monitored Qi Zhi's activities online for several days.
Not until the news of his sudden involvement as the male lead in the web drama did she find the "Qi Niangniang" black fans group reactivated, discussing how the Heir of the Qi family had stooped so low as to finance a web drama.
Ye Qing couldn't hold back any longer and typed a message in the anti-fan group:
【Jimei, I bumped into Qi Zhi himself a few days ago.】
[集美们 Jí měi - Literally this phrase means “beauty collectors.” In fact, this is a term used by Chinese netizens to mean “sisters,” which they use to address a group of women.]
Her words made the black fans group fall silent for a moment, then the black fans began to flood the screen, all asking if he looked short and effeminate, like a woman?
'Being short and effeminate, like a woman' was a derogatory term used by black fans to caricature Qi Zhi's character in "Full Moon."
At that time, Qi Zhi was only fourteen years old, and his height hadn't fully developed, standing at around 1.6 meters.
He played a teenager with a split personality in the drama, one of whose personalities believed he was a woman, so he spent his days applying makeup and acting strangely.
Half male, half female. That's why Qi Zhi earned the nickname "Qi Niangniang." (Empress Qi)
Ye Qing remained silent for a while before typing four words:
【Quite scary.】
Not because Qi Zhi looked scary, but because she had been caught bad mouthing someone behind their back by the person himself. Ye Qing felt uneasy and restless.
【A Sissy with a Boyish Face】
【Damn Qi Niangniang even scared our Qing Ningmeng; hug hug jpg】(Ningmeng - lemon)
Qing Ningmeng was her username.
The black fans were constantly bringing up his androgynous looks, claiming that his male-female appearance was worse than that of the legal coffee actor Ye Manting.
Ye Qing stared at the screen and fell into silence again.
Among other things... Qi Wei's skin appearance is definitely not bad.
At eighteen, Qi Zhi had a pure temperament and his sharp, cold eyes made him a breathtakingly beautiful youth.
Perhaps, they had all misunderstood Qi Zhi from the start.
People, after all, were strange. They could hurl insults online without restraint. But once they encountered each other in reality, the arrogant and malicious words seemed to become stuck in their throats as if by magic, rendering them speechless.
Suddenly, Ye Qing remembered the day she encountered the refreshing young man in the white t-shirt and peaked cap. When she came to her senses, she began to wonder.
Why had she been so hostile toward a total stranger? What had he done to deserve her online insults?
As she contemplated these questions, Ye Qing's feelings became unsettling.
[Heroes come out of the youth, I believe Qi Zhi will leave a mark in the history of performing arts.] These were the words from the veteran movie emperor Jin Shaoji, congratulating Qi Zhi on winning the International Movie Emperor title that year.
With these thoughts in mind, Ye Qing opened the movie "Full Moon," in which Qi Zhi had defeated actors from various countries to sweep the award.
*
On a summer evening, the twilight and the fiery horizon formed a beautiful painting. The faint sound of cicadas chirping could be heard.
"Cut!" The director on set shouted.
Director Chen watched Qi Zhi through the lens, scrutinizing each frame with great care before nodding in satisfaction.
Having won the International Movie Emperor title, Qi Zhi's acting skills and on-screen presence were impeccable. Changing the male lead wasn't a loss for them.
Due to the change in the male lead, they had to reshoot almost all the scenes with the male lead, making Li Mengfu, dressed in a thick red bridal gown, extremely uncomfortable in the sweltering heat.
During the break Li Mengfu had just sat down when her mother immediately handed her water and fanned her, while the makeup artist rushed to wipe sweat and touch up her makeup.
On the other hand, Qi Zhi sat cool and composed, with only his manager by his side.
Qi Zhi jokingly said with a smile, "Look at your appearance. People who don't know would think it is some bigshot."
Hearing his teasing, Li Mengfu looked exasperated and scolded him, "The bridal gown is finely made and very thick. Considering it's summertime, it's unbearable."
Seeing her like this, Qi Zhi chuckled.
After the incident with Ye Manting, Li Mengfu belatedly got scared, and it took her several days to recover. Only when she heard that he was the new male lead did her mood improve.
"Take a good rest and prepare for the next scene," the assistant director shouted during the break.
After only a few minutes of rest and a quick sip of water, they had to resume shooting. Although Li Mengfu appeared a little fatigued, she obediently returned in front of the camera.
Both Qi Zhi and Li Mengfu had just finished their college entrance exams (gaokao), and apart from the time wasted by Ye Manting's delay, they only had two months of summer vacation left.
The time was tight, so the director often urged the actors.
Qi Zhi was energetic, and he had been filming since early in the morning, showing no signs of fatigue. However, Li Mengfu's condition gradually worsened.
Around nine in the evening, Li Mengfu's face, beneath the ghastly ghostly makeup, could hardly conceal her exhaustion. She had been stuck on an NG streak for a while, and the surrounding crew members worked overtime to assist her.
After yet another NG, the Director Chen's tone became stern. "Mengfu, what's wrong with you?"
"Are you not feeling well tonight?" NG thirteen times in a row.
The director's questioning put the already low-spirited Li Mengfu into a slightly more oppressive state.
Li Mengfu's mother quickly approached, smiling apologetically to the director. "I'm sorry, Director Chen. Mengmeng has probably been tired. She just finished her college entrance exams a few days ago, so she may not have fully recovered."
It was almost 9 PM, it was normal for Li Mengfu's body to be exhausted.
She blinked her eyes, nervously fidgeted with her sleeves, and felt genuinely tired but didn't dare to speak up, fearing that people would accuse her of putting on airs.
When she was filming scenes with Ye Manting earlier, they still had ample time. Director Chen was also relatively considerate, not insisting that they complete a particular scene before calling it a day. Night scenes would typically finish around 8 PM, unlike the high-intensity filming they were doing today.
Qi Zhi noticed her actions and spoke up to diffuse the situation: "Let's call it a day for now? Everyone seems tired."
Director Chen looked at Qi Zhi and, after a moment's thought, considered that Li Mengfu was only seventeen after all, perhaps her energy couldn't keep up. Moreover, continuing the shoot may not yield good results either. Although it was just a web series, Director Chen still hoped to shoot a quality work as much as possible.
He eased his furrowed brow and gestured to wrap things up, saying, "Alright, Mengfu, take some time tonight to rethink the scene. We'll reshoot it tomorrow."
With this command from the head director, the tension that had gripped the staff began to dissipate.
"Everyone has worked hard today."
Qi Zhi's manager spoke up loudly, "Xiao Qi has prepared some late-night snacks for everyone. Let's have something to eat before resting."
This comment from Qi Zhi's manager revived the atmosphere, and people on the set thanked him, without complaining about Li Mengfu's many NGs.
After the crew dispersed, Li Mengfu let out a soft sigh. She massaged her temples, blinked her dry eyes, and tried to regain her composure.
Qi Zhi saw her condition, patted her shoulder comfortingly, and his clear, youthful voice echoed in her ear, "Have something to eat and then go home to rest."
"Uh-huh." Li Mengfu obediently answered.
The filming location was in Shangjing City, and Li Mengfu was all set to return home for rest.
She approached the makeup artist to facilitate the removal of her makeup.
In a matter of moments, Li Mengfu's pure, slightly tender face was revealed.
As the heavy makeup was wiped away, she felt her every pore breathe freely and expand. Li Mengfu patted her face a few times and puffed out her cheeks left and right to exercise her facial muscles.
"Enough playing around; come and eat," Li Mengfu's mother handed her a bowl of porridge.
"Oh, okay."
Qi Zhi casually took some snacks and sat beside her, eating in a relaxed manner.
Li Mengfu restrained her playful movements and drank her porridge obediently. She ate with great concentration, and the bite-sized mouthfuls left her cheekbones slightly plump, and the moist, rosy tip of her nose grazed the steam rising from the porridge.
Qi Zhi watched her adorable actions, his eyes growing softer, and for a moment, her image overlapped with Jingyue in his mind.
Perhaps it was Qi Zhi's intense gaze, but after swallowing a spoonful of porridge, Li Mengfu looked up with a puzzled expression, "Is there something on my face?"
When Li Mengfu was young, she would occasionally spill food a little when eating. As a child star, when eating out, she dared not eat hastily for fear that her table manners would be unseemly and would be caught on camera by the media.
"No." So cute.
Qi Zhi gave a gentle smile, and the reflection of Li Mengfu reflected in his tender, light-colored pupils.
Li Mengfu was caught off guard when their eyes met, and when she noticed his pupils reflecting her own reflection, her heart skipped a beat.
Boys always seemed to grow faster than girls.
She remembered that when they first met, Qi Zhi was already half a head taller than her. Today, working together, she noticed that she now came up to only at the level of his shoulders.
"Oh," Li Mengfu responded and continued to sip her porridge.
She realized that Qi Zhi had become more handsome recently, not in terms of appearance but in terms of his aura. It was an inexplicable feeling. He was the same boy with exquisite features and a neat short haircut, but there was a subtle change in his gaze when he looked at her.
Lately, Qi Zhi's gaze on her always seemed so gentle, unlike before when they vaguely revealed melancholy and other emotions she couldn't understand.
If Li Mengfu didn't know him so well and wasn't aware of his slightly paranoid and melancholic personality, she might have misunderstood that Qi Zhi had changed his temperament and developed a newfound affection for her.
Qi Zhi finished the last bite of his food and said, "Come over early tomorrow morning, and I'll explain my views to you."