Chapter 356

What? Ye Family Group? Why didn't you say so earlier!

Lin Meng's eyes lit up instantly, and she had an idea.

This director really is something, not saying it earlier; if he had, she wouldn't have had to worry about this and that.

She kept thinking that stretching her hand too far wasn't good; what if Xie Zhiyun was an actor designated by the investor's father? As an outsider, she had no reason to interfere.

But the biggest investor in this film turned out to be the Ye Family, so she didn't need any psychological burden.

An actress like Xie Zhiyun, not to mention her lack of character, her professional ability is extraordinarily poor.

In other dramas, she can act however she likes; there will always be brainless fans to support and praise her.

But the current film market is not good; if she bombs, she could lose everything, even her underwear.

Of course, Lin Meng didn't think Ye Chenjing would take such a scale of investment to heart; it was probably just a tiny grain among his many investments, and he might not even know whether it was a loss or profit—just a cold line on the group's annual financial report.

But Lin Meng didn't want the people who had worked hard for this drama to have the whole thing ruined by a single bad apple.

Some people, after years of struggle, finally get this chance; others, to get a role, even get up in the middle of the night to practice swordplay.

And Xie Zhiyun?

On set, aside from flirting with male stars, she just waited like a big shot to be served; she had no grasp of the role, acted terribly yet refused to admit it, even saying it was normal to use a stand-in.

Such a person doesn't deserve to be the female lead.

Upon hearing the director's words, Xie Zhiyun was also greatly startled.

She only knew the backer was strong, but when she asked the director and producer, they didn't tell her; she never expected it to be the Ye Family Group's.

Xie Zhiyun was a bit excited for a moment and suddenly had a bold guess.

Could it be that Master Ye, after finding out, specially requested her as the female lead?

Actually, she herself hadn't intended to compete for the female lead; it was the director who approached her.

According to her usual practice for taking roles, she wouldn't accept a script with insufficiently glamorous makeup and little emotional drama.

But the other side offered high pay, and it was a martial-arts film aiming for awards, so she agreed.

Now thinking about it, maybe Ye Chenjing was secretly backing her behind the scenes!

Lin Meng narrowed her eyes at Xie Zhiyun, wondering if this woman was just fantasizing about some melodramatic plot, hence her smug expression.

Thinking this, Lin Meng couldn't help but snort, and said:

"Xie Zhiyun, don't tell me you're thinking that your female lead position was given to you by Ye Chenjing, right?"

Upon hearing that, Xie Zhiyun immediately puffed out her chest like a victorious rooster, becoming proud in front of Lin Meng.

"Admit it, Lin Meng, you're just jealous of me, never expecting Master Ye to back me so strongly? You guessed right—the drama is invested by Master Ye, and this female lead role of mine is actually specially reserved for him!"

Lin Meng: "..."

The director beside her was full of question marks; choosing Xie Zhiyun for the female lead was a joint decision by the production's producer, screenwriter, and a few others—actually the reason was simple: Xie Zhiyun has both popularity and free time.

Although Xie Zhiyun has many fans and is active in fan circles, her acting skills are obvious, so in fact hardly anyone would actively invite her for good scripts.

Their pre-selected few suitable candidates couldn't come due to scheduling, so Xie Zhiyun was merely a fallback.

They originally thought, at least she's a traffic star, usable enough, but they didn't expect to run into the family.

The director now regrets it to death; burning incense and praying before filming was wasted—this Xie Zhiyun not only acts poorly, but is also hard to please.

Now she openly lies, putting gold on her own face.

But she's invoking Master Ye's name; if he finds out, the whole crew might not even be allowed to exist.

"Lin Meng, don't really think that just because you've had a few contacts with Master Ye you're special? Don't be foolish—how would Master Ye even look at you?"

In Xie Zhiyun's eyes, Lin Meng has no background or identity, no real skills, hasn't been seen in any profession, isn't an elite figure, and just idles around all day.

The Ye Family is a true aristocratic clan; Lin Meng can't even get hired as a maid.

Lin Meng blinked, unmoved.

She took out her phone and said to Xie Zhiyun:

"As for you, you just have a glib tongue; elsewhere you're really nothing. I won't waste words with you—I'll just call Ye Chenjing and find out."

After speaking, Lin Meng decisively dialed Ye Chenjing's number.

Only two seconds later Ye Chenjing answered; Lin Meng immediately put it on speaker and said:

"Ye Chenjing, did your group invest in a martial-arts film? Do you have the authority to decide on casting?"

Ye Chenjing had originally wanted to exchange pleasantries with Lin Meng, but hearing that, he was stunned.

He immediately gestured to Sun Yao and whispered:

"Check it right away."

After instructing Sun Yao, Ye Chenjing then replied to Lin Meng:

"I had Sun Yao check it; wait a moment—normally for such a small investment I don't personally get involved; it's decided by the people below."

Lin Meng guessed as much, then lifted her head to look at the deathly pale Xie Zhiyun and raised her eyebrows, saying:

"Did you hear that? Master Ye said he doesn't bother with such small-cost investments—what did you mean by those remarks just now? Being exposed by the boss is too ridiculous."

The looks of the people around Xie Zhiyun kept changing; daring to spout such lies, not only shameless but also unusually bold, even daring to casually use Ye Chenjing's connection as a pretext.

By now Xie Zhiyun's legs were already weak, her lips and teeth trembling.

She forgot how she always ends up suffering like this—Ye Chenjing is someone she could never hope to climb onto.

But she just isn't willing to accept it—why should that lowlife Lin Meng be able to call Ye Chenjing anytime, anywhere?

Moreover, she could clearly hear that Ye Chenjing's tone when speaking to Lin Meng was different from how he talks to others; they definitely have an unusual relationship.

At this moment, Xie Zhiyun felt her heart turn to ashes, her spirit completely shattered.

On the other end of the line, Ye Chenjing furrowed his brows and said:

"Who are you talking to? Where are you? Which blind idiot is bullying you? I'll come find you right away!"

After Ye Chenjing finished speaking, Lin Meng laughed and said:

"No need, no need, nobody can bully me. I just went to find Fifth Master's martial arts coach to come over and learn some kung fu. Who would have thought I'd run into a film crew shooting, and then run into Xie Zhiyun again."

"Again, this brainless woman! Can't she still control her mouth? I'll have someone pull out her tongue later!"

"As for Xie Zhiyun, Ye Chenjing already had an impression of her—just because this woman likes to oppose Lin Meng, and the things she says are filthier and stinkier than a cesspool."

"Just thinking of Lin Meng being badmouthed by this woman, Ye Chenjing's inner anger flared up."

"His words were spoken exactly as they were, and everyone heard them, including Xie Zhiyun."

"Now Xie Zhiyun completely lost her composure and spirit; her legs gave out and she collapsed to the ground, trembling uncontrollably, tears streaming down her face, yet no one sympathized with her—not even her assistant, who watched coldly."

"At that moment, Sun Yao spoke."

"General Manager Ye, we've found out that this year the group's subsidiary investment company participated in a film investment; we are the biggest investor, with the right to decide the actors' fate, and we can withdraw our investment at any time!"