"Teacher Qin, female celebrity, big shot, go back to sleep, go dream your popularity dream."
Both mocking and criticizing, the other actors and celebrities were stunned silent after hearing this. Yuan Director was really going all out, scolding Qin Wei without giving her any face at all.
And Qin Wei, scared stiff, lowered her head without making a sound.
Chen Xinya also laughed. Having been in the industry for a long time, she had seen plenty of on-camera friendships that were all superficial. This was the real moment, with Qin Wei and Qiao Sixiao's relationship clearly just plastic sisterhood, and her rapport with Su Yang clearly fake affection. When it came down to it, everyone was just watching the spectacle unfold.
This fit with her understanding of the industry.
"Director Yuan, it was my mistake, I was wrong."
Qin Wei also realized she really had been quite lazy, so she promptly stood up and apologized on her own initiative.
Yuan Director had always been like this, not making an exception for her either. Back in school, upon discovering a student had done shoddy work on an assignment, she would directly call them out and criticize them in class, not leaving them any face whatsoever.
Killing the chicken to warn the monkeys, this was something Teacher Yuan was truly an expert at when teaching class.
Yuan Director didn't say anything, but happened to drop her pen on the ground. Without a word, Qin Wei bent over to pick it up and respectfully placed it in front of Yuan Director.
Glancing at her watch, Qiao Sixiao closed up her script, saying to Yuan Director:
"You keep scolding, I'm going to eat. Wei Lai, do you want to come along?"
Wei Lai nodded again and again. As a former innocent performing arts student who had also been fiercely rebuked by Yuan Director, she was far too familiar with this kind of scene, calling up students one by one to rebuke them. It was nerve-wracking, afraid that she would be next.
"Yes, yes, yes! Sure sure! Teacher Qiao let's go together!"
Seeing Qiao Sixiao get up and leave, Wei Lai shot a look at Qin Wei, then hurried after Qiao Sixiao.
That look was as if telling her:
"Good luck."
In this group, only the loyal Su Yang quietly stayed sitting there accompanying Qin Wei as she was scolded.
Mainly because Qiao Sixiao clearly had no intention of bringing him along to eat.
As for the others, some were afraid of collateral damage and used eating as an excuse to flee the scene, while others just wanted to watch the excitement and didn't rush to leave, pretending to read their scripts.
"Teacher Yuan, I know I was wrong, right now I'll go back and read the script, next time I really won't..."
Groveling Qin begging for mercy online.
Yuan Director remained silent, making the atmosphere rather awkward.
With most people taking this cue as the end of the excitement and considerately leaving, only the two of them were left in the huge conference hall, plus one Su Yang.
"That's enough, just don't be so lazy in the future, normally you're so diligent about doing your homework, little Qin you definitely aren't a cunning sneak, come take a seat. As the director, my criticism towards you is finished.
Now as your former teacher, I can still teach you a lesson."
Sitting to the side, Su Yang was shocked speechless. Teachers could be divided into former and current ones too?? Qin Wei, don't you think this phrasing is rather strange?
Qin Wei didn't raise any objection at all to this odd phrasing, obediently taking a seat.
Yuan Director opened up her own email, which contained the storyboards she herself had drawn up.
"This here, is the storyboard for these two scenes I've drawn up, along with annotations for my take on these two scenes. Lately I've been constantly revising and constantly drawing. I feel like I'm going blind."
As she spoke, Yuan Director even rubbed at her eyes.
"I didn't want to send this to you since I haven't finalized it yet. But for now you can take a look, then later review the script while thinking about what you need to express."
Qin Wei was poring over it intensely. Besides all the densely packed text, the illustrations were practically comics. Although the brushstrokes were unrefined, the level of skill with illustration was evident upon inspection, with just one look at her drawings already allowing one to imagine what the filmed scenes would be like.
"Director Yuan is simply a genius!"
Having looked it over, Qin Wei immediately applauded in acclaim.
"Director Yuan is simply a genius manga artist!"
With her chin propped in one hand, Yuan Xintong looked at her:
"I, began learning to draw at six years old, constantly drawing all the way until high school graduation. And in college up until leaving the military, throughout that time continuously drawing. Whether these manuscripts are considered good or bad, they are the product of my efforts bit by bit. Just like how you learned to dance and make music. People aren't born able to do it."
The word genius, that's a denial of hard work. As for directing, the most wearying thing is for others to say that my genius comes as a blessing from my ancestors.
Little Qin doesn't know how to flatter, denying my efforts and praising me on something, either way I'll be mad."
Qin Wei rolled her eyes at her, "Director Yuan is such a nag, why can't you realize I'm just grasping at straws trying to compliment you. And you're actually taking it so seriously. Could it be, are you Song Huan's actual older sister? Your mouth is as annoying as hers too, isn't it?"
Su Yang: "............"
...
Considering the production hadn't officially begun yet, each actor's dining needs and requirements were also different, so the crew hadn't arranged food for the cast. They had to resolve lunch on their own.
Walking out of the conference room, Qin Wei even asked Su Yang, "Su Yang, don't you want pork chop rice?"
Su Yang: "?"
Qin Wei took out her cell and called Li Liang, all the while muttering, "We're just about to start filming, I definitely can't eat a bunch of oily foods. But if you insist on eating it order a portion to split between us... Hello Li Liang, order a pork chop rice for me, also get a side of veggies and soup. Get the soup fresh..."
"Qin Wei." A pleasant female contralto voice rang out.
"Oh right, also get me a veggie salad. Whoops, I won't be able to finish that much. Didn't I say Su Yang is here too and wants pork chop rice, his agent won't let him buy any. So pitiful. I'll treat him to a meal, we're good sisters after all~"
Qin Wei kept utterly calm, having said everything needed already.
Su Yang: "⊙〈⊙..."
"Come back, to your room. I ordered lunch already."
...
At the door, Qin Wei had Su Yang wait while she went to pick up a takeaway meal at the table for him to eat back in his room.
In order to avoid suspicion.
And Su Yang was also perfectly happy to go along with this, taking his lunch back cheerfully while bidding her farewell.
Because he too wanted to avoid suspicion.
The two worked hand-in-hand to diligently avoid suspicion, terrified of negatively impacting each other's radiant futures.
"Wow!"
Expecting it to be a veggie salad, turns out it was black truffle pasta, even with shrimp and steak.
A serving for each person, Li Liang having already finished eating hers.
Qin Wei looked up gratefully at the daddy who was treating everyone to the meal.
Daddy waved a casual hand, "Go ahead and eat up, you've been exhausted these past few days, your little face has clearly slimmed down quite a bit. Lose any more weight and you won't look so good.
Also, just now you were scolded by Yuan Xintong right in front of everyone again. How did that feel?"
Qin Wei glanced up, tossing the question to Xiao Wang:
"Xiao Wang, how did it feel?"
Xiao Wang's face was resolute as he said to Qin Wei, "Firstly, my older sister has great character and would never berate me in public, nor would she give me any sort of look. And in private, what she says is criticism towards me, not scolding. Teacher Qin, there's a difference between criticism and berating someone. Criticism is meant to get you to correct mistakes, urging you to improve.
Thus every time my sister criticizes me, I feel grateful on top of reflecting deeply. Grateful that she is willing to point out my errors, reflecting on how to improve and avoid repeating them next time.
It's due to her strict standards that I've made progress. So aside from feeling grateful, I just feel grateful!"
...
[Xiao Wang's Diary: Dammit!]
