Chapter 354: Truly ironic

Xie Zhiyun, everyone can see your behavior—either apologize to that young man now, admit your lewdness, and swear you won't do it again, or consider quitting the role.

Lin Meng stared unblinkingly at Xie Zhiyun, thinking that if she dared to do these petty things under her nose, she'd better prepare for sanctions.

Xie Zhiyun was overcome with shame and anger; even her thick makeup couldn't hide her flushed cheeks.

Back on set, she always got her way—wind when she wanted wind, rain when she wanted rain—when had she ever suffered such humiliation?

Last time on the dating show, too—she was supposed to be the biggest‑name female guest, yet all the buzz went to Lin Meng shifting to Chen Yuqi, and she got zero discussion, completely reduced to background filler!

The director, seeing the situation, hurried out to smooth things over.

Although he also had many complaints about Xie Zhiyun, replacing the female lead now would take too much time; although her behavior is indeed lacking, she has many fans.

These days wuxia dramas are declining and the script isn't top‑tier, so we can only invite traffic stars to act, which at least guarantees box‑office returns.

So the director chuckled and said:

"Miss Lin, Xie Zhiyun knows she's wrong—Jia Kai, please forgive her this once; let's get filming."

Seeing the director speak up for her, Xie Zhiyun had no intention of being replaced; she felt a bit proud, lifted her chin at Lin Meng as if saying:

"Look, I'm the leading lady—how could you possibly shake me?"

Lin Meng gave a cold chuckle and said:

"For the director's sake, Xie Zhiyun, apologize sincerely to Zheng Jia Kai—I'll let this slide for now, but don't get cocky; I'll keep an eye on you."

Xie Zhiyun truly didn't want to lose the role, so she reluctantly gave Zheng Jia Kai an apology.

Zheng Jia Kai knew he had little influence, so he naturally accepted the apology and let it go.

The set finally started rolling; Lin Meng watched from outside, obeying the rules the whole time and never pulling out her phone to shoot randomly.

Song Zhi recognized Lin Meng and was about to go over to greet her.

But she had just finished a scene with the male lead, her emotions were spot on, and she was completely immersed in her role, so she didn't go look for Lin Meng.

After the morning shoot ended, Song Zhi hurried over to Lin Meng, beaming with surprise and said:

"Miss Lin, how did you end up here?"

Lin Meng smiled at Song Zhi; the elaborate costume and heavy headpiece would have overwhelmed anyone else, yet Song Zhi bore it as if nothing were wrong.

By contrast, Xie Zhiyun acted like a helpless rich miss—though her outfit was light, she had five assistants trailing her every move.

A glance was enough for someone to bring her water, which she drank straight from the assistant's hand.

The water temperature had to be just right—too hot or too cold wouldn't do—and she'd berate people as if no one were there, swearing freely.

Just moments ago, after the final scene wrapped and the director called a break, Xie Zhiyun immediately demanded water as if she'd been talking nonstop all morning, even though she had hardly any lines.

The little assistant sprinted a hundred meters with the water bottle to Xie Zhiyun in just a few seconds—breakneck speed—yet she could still snap at him.

"How can you be so slow? Didn't you eat?"

The little assistant didn't dare utter a sound, his expression numb—clearly he'd grown used to Xie Zhiyun's spoiled‑miss attitude.

She took just one sip and then went on cursing.

"You trying to freeze me to death? Heat the water, you idiot!"

The crew kept their eyes on their noses and noses on their hearts—most everyone knew Xie Zhiyun had a nasty temper.

Song Zhi couldn't help but sigh and said:

"Miss Lin, Xie Zhiyun is narrow‑minded; everyone in the circle knows she's hard to get along with, especially loving to bully newcomers. You just put her on the spot in public—she's likely to seek revenge, so be careful."

Lin Meng nodded at the words and gave Xie Zhiyun a sharp look.

"Don't worry, she's no match for me."

Song Zhi thought it over and didn't add anything else.

She remembered that Chen Yuqi's trouble came after his falling out with Lin Meng, but she dared not dwell on the connection.

As for Chen Yuqi's downfall, she was completely in favor of it.

If it really was Lin Meng's doing, she ought to be grateful to Lin Meng.

Song Zhi knew full well what would happen if she rejected Chen Yuqi's invitation to her.

Now that Chen Yuqi has fallen from grace, to her it feels like a redemption.

"Miss Lin, the other night on the dating show, I really thank you for helping me out of a tight spot—Chen Yuqi has backing behind him, I……"

Song Zhi felt helpless; she was too insignificant to stand up to someone like Chen Yuqi, who was hypocritical and shameless.

Lin Meng waved a hand, indifferent:

"Don't take it to heart—we'll never mention that sort of scum again; even saying it leaves a bad taste. You've worked hard—was that midnight sword practice for this role?"

Song Zhi blinked at the words, then gave a wry smile and shook her head.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Miss Lin—I was actually the original auditionee for the female lead; though my literary and action scenes were approved by the crew, my star power wasn't enough, so the director and producer preferred someone who brings built‑in traffic."

"But I ended up with the second‑female role because of it, and I'm grateful and cherish it."

Lin Meng's eyes flickered at the words, and she let out a quiet sigh.

It's true—many industries work this way; the capable don't always rise to the top.

Take Xie Zhiyun for example—her conduct is poor, her acting is stiff, and she's far from professional, yet she can still rely on packaging and persona to carve out a huge following online.

Once she's got the traffic, she can easily dismiss all of Song Zhi's efforts and snag the lead role without breaking a sweat.

But just now Lin Meng also saw that, out of the dozen or so actors on screen, Xie Zhiyun was the absolute worst.

And yet she has the highest billing—how ironic.

Lin Meng thought for a moment, then offered comfort and encouragement to Song Zhi:

"Don't lose heart, miss—I have high hopes for you. Your acting is solid, especially your eye work, which is superb; your action moves are crisp, and even high‑difficulty stunts come easily to you."

"Believe me, netizens and viewers aren't all blind—someone will notice your sparkle."

"Believe that every effort will eventually see its dawn."

Song Zhi never expected Lin Meng to think so highly of her; hearing those encouraging words, she couldn't help but feel her eyes well up.

"Thank you, Miss Lin, you are truly a very powerful, very warm person."

Lin Meng smiled and didn't speak again.

She normally isn't that idle; she rarely goes to comfort others.

But seeing Xie Zhiyun like that, she felt a stifled anger in her chest.

In this world, how many people like Xie Zhiyun are there—untalented yet in position—and how many like Song Zhi are there, who silently devote themselves, constantly on the road, always striving yet achieving nothing, among dreamers?

Xie Zhiyun was surrounded by five assistants, putting on quite a show.

Seeing Lin Meng looking at her, Xie Zhiyun provocatively raised her middle finger at her.

Lin Meng narrowed her eyes, danger flickering in the depths of her gaze.

Just then, the director suddenly grabbed a loudspeaker and said:

"Please have all the actors for the next scene gather at the practice field, and run through your fight scenes once more before filming!"