When the Side Character Gets a System and Travels through Difference Worlds-Chapter 80: Chi Mo 34

Director Liu was so angry he could have spit blood. "Get the hell back home, right now! Don’t you dare set foot on this set again until I’m done filming!"

Liu Fei ducked his head. "Okay, okay, I’m going. Uncle, don’t be mad. I’ll just leave, alright?"

’He loved to fool around, but he wasn’t a complete idiot. How could he not realize he’d become Wang Rong’s weapon? If Chi Mo had gone with him, Wang Rong would have gotten a favor for free.’

’And if Chi Mo refused, he’d naturally have his own ways to deal with her. What a brilliant scheme.’

The moment Liu Fei appeared, Tan You knew someone on set had it in for her. ’So who was really behind this?’ With this question in mind, she made a point of observing everyone when she arrived on set the next day.

The production had an on-set scriptwriter, and on one of Director Liu’s sets, the scriptwriter was especially important.

"The female lead’s scenes are a bit redundant. Let’s cut this whole section," Director Liu said nonchalantly as he lit a cigarette.

The scriptwriter thought for a moment before nodding immediately. "I agree. I was against it back when they wanted to add scenes; it doesn’t fit the female lead’s character. Cutting these scenes will make her character profile much cooler and more badass."

Wang Rong’s face contorted, but she forced a pleasant tone. "Director, weren’t the scenes already finalized? How can you just decide to cut them now?"

Director Liu flicked the ash from his cigarette. "They were, indeed. But I thought about it all night, and I still feel it’s better to stick to the female lead’s original character design. We’re all doing this for the film. You want to make a better movie too, don’t you?"

"Yes," Wang Rong agreed through gritted teeth. She knew this was Director Liu’s warning—a warning that she had overstepped. ’But this is too high a price for a warning! All I did was send out one photo.’

As Wang Rong turned to leave, Director Liu added nonchalantly, "Today’s scenes are going to be tough. I expect you to be on top of your game."

A chill ran down Wang Rong’s spine, and sure enough, her fears were soon realized. After one "No Good" take after another, Wang Rong’s composure finally broke. "Director, may I take a short break?"

Director Liu reluctantly agreed. "Fine, we’ll resume in an hour. Next scene, second male and female leads, get ready!"

If Tan You hadn’t understood before, she certainly did now after witnessing this series of confrontations. ’So she’s the mastermind,’ she thought. ’An A-list actress is making trouble for a complete nobody like me?’

Tan You was getting a very direct taste of the entertainment industry’s overt and covert struggles. Of course, this knowledge only strengthened her resolve to stay out of showbiz, no matter what.

Everyone on set witnessed the turbulent undercurrents. After seeing Wang Rong receive such a blunt warning, the others put away their petty schemes. Some even took the initiative to be friendly toward Tan You.

While they were having lunch together, Teacher Xu asked her, "How are you feeling?"

Tan You cradled her lunch box. "I have mixed feelings."

Teacher Xu said, "Director Liu stood up for you. Aren’t you happy about that?"

Tan You replied, "A little happy, yes. But I don’t think his real intention was to stand up for me. He just doesn’t want any external factors to affect his work. After all, to Director Liu, I’m just a stranger. Whether or not I can resist temptation is my own business."

"The only reason he intervened was because the other party was his nephew. Believe it or not, if it had been anyone else, it probably would have been all thunder and no rain."

Teacher Xu’s chopsticks paused mid-air. "You see things very clearly. That’s for the best."

Tan You smiled. "Yes. It’s too complicated here. I’d rather just be a dancer in peace."

Teacher Xu said, "Actually, being an influencer is great for you too. By the way, when’s your next video shoot? You’ll let me do your styling again, right? I love dressing up pretty young ladies."

Tan You thought about the schedule. "How about next week? After we finish filming the third episode, I can choreograph another dance. I was originally planning to use this ritual dance for my second video, but thanks to a twist of fate, I’ll have to choreograph a new one."

Teacher Xu teased, "What? You’re not happy about that?"

"That’s not it. I’m not that ungrateful," Tan You said, shaking her head. "It’s an honor to appear in Director Liu’s film, but in this world, you win some, you lose some. When you get more attention, you also have to take on extra burdens. There’s no such thing as a free lunch, right?"

"I’m not irreplaceable. There are so many dancers who are more skilled than me." Tan You had a very clear understanding of herself. As someone who had never formally studied dance, she knew the opportunities she was getting were largely due to this one ritual dance.

’The remaining twenty percent was probably because of Chi Mo’s face. Her own efforts only accounted for ten percent.’

Teacher Xu’s face broke into a wide smile. "If you always maintain such a clear understanding of yourself, who could possibly hurt you in the future?"

"I won’t give anyone the chance," Tan You said calmly. "I have no intention of becoming someone’s perfectly understanding confidante, nor am I looking for a soulmate. It’s hard enough taking care of myself and my family; I don’t want to take on anyone else’s worries."

"I also have to work hard for my dance career. The truth is, I’m already short on time as it is."

Teacher Xu replied, "Then find someone who can take care of you."

"I’d rather not. We’re all human, so why should someone else have to take care of you? Life is tiring enough for everyone in this world; I don’t want to be an extra burden to anyone."

Tan You said this half-jokingly. ’This has always been my philosophy,’ she thought, ’but who knows what Chi Mo will think later on.’ 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Teacher Xu glanced at Tan You. "With someone like you, I bet a lot of people would want to take care of you. My only regret is that I’m not a man."

The corners of Tan You’s lips curved up slightly. "I’d also love for a male version of me to exist in this world. If I were a man, I think we’d get along great."

"We could talk about makeup together, choreograph and dance together, wear pretty little dresses together... We’d share the same hobbies, so we’d never run out of things to talk about. A pity it’s all just a fantasy."

She used this to change the subject. ’As for finding a partner, I’ll let Chi Mo worry about that herself. While I’m here, I’m going to focus on my career.’ The short videos were off to a good start, and she planned to keep releasing them to maintain the momentum.

Director Liu’s movie release had nothing to do with her, though it looked like he was trying to make the Spring Festival release window. This meant that in the meantime, she needed to release at least four or five more dance videos, on top of her training with the dance troupe and filming the variety show.

When she actually thought about it, she was incredibly busy. Maybe filming the variety show would be a bit more relaxing. At least from now on, the main focus would be on Song Haomin and his ex-wife.

As a renowned director, Director Liu’s strict demands were well-known in the industry. Tan You had originally thought she could finish filming the dance in two days, but who would have known she’d end up spending four full days on set before this side gig was finally over.

After returning to take care of some work, Tan You felt like time was flying. In the blink of an eye, it was time to film the third episode of the variety show.