Chapter 84: The Beginning of the Scandal

Words : 1297 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

Chapter 84: Chapter 84: The Beginning of the Scandal Just as she hung up the phone, Zhou Lan wafted over like a ghost, suddenly appearing in front of Zhou Yun. "Was it Song Chi calling again?" Zhou Lan asked. Zhou Yun knew what Zhou Lan wanted to say just by looking at her expression. She made a "stop" gesture with her hand. "Sister Lan, after I finish shooting ’Eighth Heartbeat’ in September, don’t take on any more work for me." "What? Why?" This wasn’t the response Zhou Lan was expecting. Zhou Yun said, "Song Chi just told me that the role in ’Heart Inquiry’ is still reserved for me." The expression on Zhou Lan’s face grew even more shocked. "What?" Zhou Yun spread her hands and said, "Sister Lan, I know you are shocked, I am too." "Zhou Yun, it seems Song Chi really has feelings for you," Zhou Lan’s eyes brimmed with intense delight. "Sister Lan, can you not always bring it back to this topic, please?" Zhou Yun said helplessly. Zhou Lan said, "How can I not associate it with this? Song Chi has saved the role in ’Heart Inquiry’ for you. What can I say? He admires your acting skill, thinks you’re uniquely talented as an actress and particularly suitable for the role, so only you will do, right?" If she were not deceiving herself, Zhou Yun actually thought that what Zhou Lan said made sense. But how could Zhou Yun admit to that? "Sister Lan, I’m going to sleep." "Don’t avoid it. What if Song Chi really confesses his feelings for you? What will you do?" Zhou Lan’s questions were always piercing, soul-searing, like a lasso tripping Zhou Yun up. This dilemma surfaced in Zhou Yun’s mind, and she couldn’t think of a way to handle it. "Now, sit down, and let’s have a serious talk about the various possibilities that could occur in the future." Zhou Lan said the most objective and calm words with a businesslike demeanor, but her eyes clearly revealed a gossip-hungry gleam. Zhou Yun, hand on her forehead, said, "I feel a bit dizzy." "All right, no joking around. I am serious. If Song Chi confesses his feelings, what will you do?" Zhou Lan asked, "Will you accept or reject?" Without even thinking, Zhou Yun replied, "Of course I’ll reject." "Is this something you’ve thought through thoroughly?" "Do I need to think it through thoroughly? I’d be crazy to date Song Chi now!" Zhou Yun felt this wasn’t an issue that required consideration. Zhou Lan took Zhou Yun’s right hand and said, "Many people might think, including some in the company, that you’d be crazy not to date Song Chi." "That’s true; after all, the advantages of dating Song Chi are right in front of me," said Zhou Yun with a sarcastic tone. Zhou Lan said, "You see, you understand." "But I’m not willing, Sister Lan. The more it is like this, the less I am willing." "Then, setting aside everyone else’s attitude, what about you yourself?" "Hm?" "How do you personally feel about Song Chi? If you were just an average man and woman, would you like him?" Zhou Yun shook her head, "Sister Lan, I don’t like to make such assumptions. I’m in the entertainment industry, and he is too. Our matters can’t be decided by presuming we’re average people." "In the end, are you scared of Song Chi’s fans cursing you?" "No, I just fear that I can’t have an equal relationship with the person I like." Zhou Lan fell silent. Zhou Yun laughed self-deprecatingly, "Moreover, I still have many unresolved matters." "Then you know what’s in your heart. You should also be clear about your interactions with Song Chi," Zhou Lan caressed Zhou Yun’s face. "Don’t forbid yourself to love and yet helplessly fall into it." Now it was Zhou Yun’s turn to fall silent. Life has never been a game where you can completely dictate your every move. It has no completion requirements, nor game rules. Some matters, after toil comes joy, you pass the level. Some matters, you hit the wall and can’t pass. Sometimes, you don’t even know if you’ve passed or not. It seems like the level itself is a non-issue. You feel like you’re standing at a non-stop crossroads, surrounded by traffic in every direction, unable to find a safe passage to shore. You think you can wait for the red light to stop, and the green light to go. But when you look up, you realize there aren’t any traffic lights at all. Zhou Yun couldn’t find a perfect way to date Song Chi; looking around, it’s all desolate land. If she were to indulge for a moment, all that follows would be torturous wilds. But just as Zhou Lan said, people in the company would be thrilled to see Zhou Yun and Song Chi interact more. Using the excuse of renegotiating with Song Chi’s side, Zhou Lan brought up the play ’Heart Inquiry’ again with He Yong. He Yong’s immediate reaction was, "Didn’t the schedule for this play clash with ’Eighth Heartbeat’? Why is it coming back up?" Zhou Lan said, "Regarding the schedule, the two plays only overlap for a month. I’ve communicated with Song Chi’s side for a long time. They agreed to move Zhou Yun’s scenes to be shot later, so the schedule would be feasible." "Has Song Chi kept the role reserved for Zhou Yun all this time?" He Yong asked sharply. Ordinarily, for such a big production as ’Heart Inquiry,’ it was unheard of to keep a secondary female role open. The secondary female is a role that investors usually like to interfere with. After all, the lead actress still has to carry the viewership data. Even if Su Yan was pushed by others to the top, she is already a top-tier celebrity, and her status is there; only then do platforms agree to support her. If it were a female artist who couldn’t carry viewership data, even with investors’ support, platforms wouldn’t agree so readily. Zhou Lan didn’t want He Yong to know that it was Song Chi who initiated contact with Zhou Yun again, as this might prompt He Yong to entertain some unwarranted thoughts. "I’ve inquired a bit, and it seems like Song Chi had conflicts with his company, the platform, and the investors, so it wasn’t finalized. I heard this news, and I took the initiative to pursue it again, after all, Zhou Yun was recognized by them from the start." Zhou Lan took all the credit for herself. This action actually made He Yong somewhat believe her. "You seem to really care about her," He Yong said with a hint of irony. Zhou Lan just smiled without speaking. "Since there’s no conflict in the schedule, then take it," He Yong nodded, "Now they are artists under the central headquarters’ attention, can we even block her path?" Hearing what He Yong said, Zhou Lan had a thought. No wonder He Yong’s attitude towards Zhou Yun changed so quickly. Was it because someone at the headquarters appreciated Zhou Yun? After leaving He Yong’s office, Zhou Lan went to the rehearsal room in the company to find Zhou Yun. Zhou Yun was practicing some major scenes from ’Eighth Heartbeat’ with the performance coach. She wasn’t formally classically trained, so to improve her performance quality, Zhou Yun made a point of taking lessons with the company’s external acting coach. When Zhou Yun took a break, Zhou Lan told her about the conversation she just had with He Yong. "I’ll communicate with Song Chi’s side as soon as possible to get the contract done, to avoid any complications. Also, do you know which higher-up at the headquarters is supporting you?"

Chapter 84: The Beginning of the Scandal

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