Chapter 96

Li Zhong walked up to Zhang Xun, somewhat awkwardly saying, "Um, Brother Zhang Xun, Cheng Youli can't play this role anymore. Let's find someone else."

"What? She can't play it? At this time, where am I supposed to find an actor?" Zhang Xun said, feeling troubled.

"Um…." Li Zhong also felt a bit embarrassed. If Cheng Youli joined, the movie would receive a lot of attention, and even the box office would increase.

"Or, you can find someone tomorrow. I'll pay the fee." Li Zhong really felt embarrassed.

"Forget it, it's fine. Let's prepare to start shooting!" Zhang Xun turned his head, his shoulders slightly trembling.

Li Zhong's guilt grew even more, but this role really wasn't suitable for Cheng Youli; it would ruin her.

Just as Li Zhong was struggling with this, Cheng Youli called, "Brother Li Zhong, I'm leaving. Do well in the movie! I specially asked Director Zhang Xun to add a scene for you, so you'll have to study hard!"

Li Zhong, holding the phone, was a bit confused. What was Cheng Youli talking about? Adding a scene? "What do you mean?"

"Haha, go ask Director Zhang Xun." Cheng Youli hung up the phone and smiled in her nanny car.

Li Zhong looked at Zhang Xun, "What did Cheng Youli say to you? Why are you adding a scene for me?"

"Um, Cheng Youli just told me an interesting plot idea. I thought it was good, so I decided to add some scenes for you." Zhang Xun was already smiling.

Seeing Zhang Xun in this state, Li Zhong could only say helplessly, "Alright, which scene are we shooting?"

"The scene under the bridge where Suda and Hui Mei have a conflict over their secret relationship." Zhang Xun said.

"But isn't Cheng Youli gone?" Li Zhong looked at Zhang Xun, puzzled.

"Haha, Cheng Youli was just fooling you. Who made you so unsentimental? We already have an actress playing Hui Mei. You didn't know because you haven't been shooting." Zhang Xun laughed.

At this moment, Li Zhong realized that the short-haired, pretty girl who had been standing nearby was the actress playing Hui Mei. He had always thought she was part of the crew.

The scene under the bridge was about Suda and Hui Mei on a date. Hui Mei felt that their relationship was too secretive and wanted Suda to make it public, but Suda, considering his celebrity status, argued with Hui Mei, and they ended up parting on bad terms.

It was a simple scene, requiring only two cars. But when Zhang Xun had the staff drive the nanny car under the bridge, Li Zhong knew something was wrong. Was this his added scene?

"Brother Zhang Xun, why did you bring the nanny car? Can't we just use the sedan?" Li Zhong asked Zhang Xun, who was not far away.

"To highlight Suda's selfishness, I modified the plot. I plan to have Suda and Hui Mei have a passionate car scene in the nanny car before the conflict." Zhang Xun explained with a smile.

Li Zhong was stunned, his mouth wide open. What did he mean? Was he supposed to shoot such an intense scene? He had never thought of it.

"Brother Zhang Xun, are you serious? Are you trying to kill me?" Li Zhong cried out. If he did this, the movie's rating would suffer, not to mention his image!

Zhang Xun, seeing Li Zhong's reaction, laughed, "What are you thinking? It's just for show. No need to take off your underwear, just the outer clothes. Hui Mei will sit on Suda's lap and act passionate. Besides, even if you agree, the actress might not."

Li Zhong finally breathed a sigh of relief. At least it wasn't that bad. He would have been miserable, unable to object or refuse.

Even with this simplified shooting, Li Zhong wasn't in his usual form, with multiple NGs. Zhang Xun got angry and said, "If you don't get yourself together, I'll add some bed scenes for you." This finally got Li Zhong back on track.

It wasn't until midnight that Li Zhong finally finished the scene, meeting Zhang Xun's requirements. Li Zhong had already guessed who came up with this idea. He thought to himself, "You wait, when I start shooting, I'll make you suffer. How can I be your oppa if I don't? Cheng Youli, you wait."

Day by day, "The Movie is the Movie" progressed smoothly. As the Baeksang Arts Awards approached, Zhang Xun's movie was almost finished, with less than a week left.

Now, the movie only needed two more scenes: one of Jiang Peixing committing a crime in Seoul's downtown, and the mud battle scene. Su Zhixie had some unavoidable activities these days, and the remaining scenes were all with Li Zhong, so Zhang Xun gave everyone a three-day break. They had been shooting for over a month, and it was time for a good rest.

"How about it, where do you plan to go these few days?" Zhang Xun asked Li Zhong when everyone else had left.

Li Zhong was watching a small clip Zhang Xun had edited and taking notes on areas he thought could be improved, "Where do I have time to go? I'll just stay home and organize the script, find a suitable one for Cheng Youli, or I'll be driven crazy." Ever since Cheng Youli visited the set and teased Li Zhong, she had been harassing him daily, sending the same two messages at the same time every day, rain or shine. Li Zhong was getting annoyed.

During this period, Girls' Generation was busy recording KBS TV's "HiFive," practicing and shooting from early morning to late night. At first, Kim Tae Yeon was always worried about when she might run into Li Zhong, not knowing how to explain it if they met. But so much time had passed, and Kim Tae Yeon had never seen Li Zhong. Only a few times, when she was the last to shower, she heard the door closing on the opposite side when she came out of the bathroom, around midnight.

Kim Tae Yeon thought to herself, "It seems he was right; everyone is so busy, you can't just run into each other. No wonder they haven't met even after living as neighbors for so long."

This day, Li Zhong was at home, carefully looking for a script. He had already planned what genre to shoot, but Cheng Youli's antics had really messed things up. The previous genre had a female lead who was just a decorative role, optional. This time, he couldn't do that; he needed to find something suitable.

Yoon Ah finally got a break and returned to the dorm much earlier than usual. She had a separate job in the afternoon that took longer than expected, finishing around 2 PM. Girls' Generation's next job was at 8 PM, and her agent, seeing how tired she was, allowed her to relax.

In front of the apartment building, Yoon Ah noticed Li Zhong's car again. She always felt she had seen this car somewhere, and it was very familiar, but she couldn't remember where. Could it be because it was always parked here?

Just as Yoon Ah got on the elevator, Li Zhong slowly walked down the stairs, "It feels so good not to be in a rush!" He liked managing his own time.

He got in the car, started it, and planned to go to the supermarket for a big shopping trip; the fridge was empty again. Yoon Ah watched the car drive out of the neighborhood from upstairs, "Why does that driving figure look so familiar?" Yoon Ah wondered. She was increasingly convinced that she knew this person…