Chapter 454 - 453: What-If: Did the Big Shot Vie for Favor Today? 22

Chapter 454: Chapter 453: What-If: Did the Big Shot Vie for Favor Today? 22

The moment Yan Huoshui returned to his dressing room, he made a call. He got ahold of the director and, with a mix of threats and enticements, demanded he replace the actor. So what if some investor put up money? He would double it. If the actor wasn’t replaced, he’d walk off the show. After all, he was only in the entertainment industry as a hobby—he certainly wasn’t hurting for cash.

The director heard him out and agreed without a moment’s hesitation.

’A patron? Now *this* was a true patron!’

Besides, he was only asking to replace the ’little apprentice.’ The supporting actress could stay, which meant he might even be able to keep a portion of the original investor’s money.

The director rubbed his hands, a wide grin on his face as his mind raced.

At two o’clock that afternoon, the new actor was informed by the director that he was being replaced and had to leave. Even his own patron called to ask if he had offended someone important.

The new actor racked his brain. On the entire set, the only person who always looked down his nose at him was Yan Huoshui. Before leaving, he caused a huge scene, demanding to see Yan Huoshui. He was convinced he was being replaced because Yan Huoshui had tattled on him to the director.

He never would have guessed that Yan Huoshui had paid for it himself. He just assumed Yan Huoshui had used his status as a top-tier celebrity to threaten the director into making the change.

The new actor was making a huge commotion outside. Inside the dressing room, Yan Huoshui was in the middle of getting his makeup done. The makeup artists were all completely silent, not daring to speak for fear of stepping on a landmine.

Xiao Li swallowed nervously and asked tentatively, "Brother Yan, should I go out and take care of it?"

"Heh, no need."

There wasn’t a trace of anger in Yan Huoshui’s expression; on the contrary, he let out a laugh. "Since he wants to see me so badly, I’ll go out and see him. I’ll make sure he understands perfectly."

With that, he raised a hand, signaling for the makeup artists to stop what they were doing. Then, with his makeup only half-finished, he walked out.

Xiao Li followed him out, his face etched with worry. The other makeup artists furtively crowded around the doorway to watch the drama unfold.

The new actor had been full of bluster, but the moment he saw Yan Huoshui, all his bravado evaporated. The words caught in his throat, refusing to come out.

He stared at the costume Yan Huoshui was wearing for *The God*. In the show, the God portrayed by Yan Huoshui was a human weapon, utterly devoid of emotion. He felt little, yet saw it as his solemn duty to protect the mortal realm. A stickler for rules, he took on several apprentices only to pass on his Magic and create more guardians.

He was strict with himself, and even stricter with his apprentices.

In the show, the new actor’s ’little apprentice’ character was a naive simpleton. He’d even been tricked into giving away a life-saving elixir. Consequently, his character was frequently punished by Yan Huoshui in the script. In fact, the scene they filmed just last night was one of those punishments.

As a result, seeing Yan Huoshui in this costume now triggered a conditioned reflex in the new actor, filling his heart with an inexplicable fear.

He had to admit that even though Yan Huoshui had only debuted a little over a year ago, his talent was undeniable. His acting was so convincing he seemed to become the character. The moment he put on this costume, he radiated an imposing aura without even trying to look angry.

Yan Huoshui had been waiting for the tirade to continue, but the moment he appeared, the other man just fizzled out.

’Coward.’

He scoffed. Slowly, deliberately, he straightened his sleeves and explained calmly, "Yes, I was the one who had the director replace you. If you have a problem with it, feel free to have me replaced too—if you have the power."

"Why are you so cruel? I’m just a rookie. I don’t understand why you have to target me like this."

The new actor’s eyes blazed with fury.

Yan Huoshui smiled, in an exceptionally good mood. "If you want to call it targeting, then I suppose it is. But from my perspective, I’m just getting rid of someone who annoys me."

"Oh, and a piece of advice for the future: learn to be more perceptive. I already told you to stay far away from me."

"Shh! No more scolding me, now."

Yan Huoshui gently pressed an index finger to his lips. A smile curved across his pale, foundation-dusted face. "I’ve only made you leave *this* production. If you keep bothering me, whether or not you can get into any *other* productions... well, I can’t say."

He uttered these threatening words in a voice that was almost gentle, low and magnetic. The new actor had originally planned to go online, expose the top-tier star, and play the victim to gain some sympathy followers. But after hearing that, he trembled and instantly lost his nerve. He didn’t dare do anything else and quickly scurried away with his tail between his legs.

After the new actor left, everyone on the set of *The God* tacitly agreed to gloss over the incident.

In the past, everyone had simply thought of Yan Huoshui as cold, aloof, and a bit of a loner who rarely spoke. After this incident, however, they all understood that he was not someone to be trifled with. He even held grudges.

The cast and crew all believed the incident was related to the multiple NGs from the previous night.

Consequently, all the other actors who had scenes with Yan Huoshui made a tacit agreement to thoroughly practice their parts beforehand, striving to cause as few NGs as possible.

As a result, filming for *The God* ended up finishing half a month ahead of schedule. The director, beaming as he collected several large investment checks, was pleasantly surprised by this unexpected benefit.

Meanwhile, Yan Huoshui returned to the dressing room to finish his makeup, the pleasure in his expression plain to see.

Outside, Xiao Li recounted everything that had just happened to Zhang Chen, word for word. He worried about how this might affect Brother Yan’s acting career.

Zhang Chen asked, "What was his tone of voice like? He didn’t curse anyone out, did he?"

"No."

Xiao Li thought back for a moment, then shook his head. "He was even smiling."

As he spoke, he couldn’t help but add in a whisper, "Brother Zhang, I don’t know why, but I feel like Brother Yan is scarier when he smiles like that than when he’s angry."

After all, when he got angry in the past, he never really did anything to them besides a bit of yelling. But today, he had calmly threatened and driven someone away with a smile on his face.

’Xiao Li hasn’t been on the job for long; he probably doesn’t really get it.’ Zhang Chen had seen this side of him before. But usually, Brother Yan wouldn’t take direct action, and he certainly wouldn’t admit to things so openly. This could only mean that guy had truly, deeply infuriated him.

Zhang Chen felt a growing sense that his days of easy money were numbered. He was silent for a moment before saying, "Let’s not worry about it for now. Just keep a close eye on the internet for the next couple of days. If anything negative pops up, we’ll handle the PR immediately. We’ll take it one step at a time. Right now, let’s just wait and see how the other party reacts."

"Okay."

After hanging up with Xiao Li, Zhang Chen let out a long sigh. He closed the stack of contracts in his hands. Two of them were quite good, and the pay was right; it all just depended on whether Brother Yan wanted to accept them.

However, one of them was quite risky: a gig as a special guest mentor for an episode of a music variety show. With that mouth on Brother Yan, Zhang Chen was afraid that one wrong slip and Brother Yan would be saddled with some nasty online nickname, seen as arrogant by fans, and then have to deal with those same fans turning on him.

Zhang Chen pinched the bridge of his nose, a headache already forming. For some reason, the image of that cat flashed through his mind again.

’When in doubt, might as well try some superstition.’

With that thought, he immediately drove to the pet store.

The pet store wasn’t very busy that afternoon. After her bath, Shi Lan was a beautiful little white cat. The pet store owner gave her a parasite treatment and, seeing how well-behaved and quiet she was, even played with her for a while.

The little white cat’s eyes were gorgeous. Several customers who came in couldn’t help but give her a few extra glances. One elegant lady holding a Bichon even asked the owner if she was already spoken for.

When she learned that the cat had an owner, a trace of disappointment flickered in her eyes.

’Seeing this,’ Shi Lan thought, ’I must be pretty high-value on the pet adoption market with my current looks. Finding a meal ticket shouldn’t be hard at all.’

So, when she saw Zhang Chen return for her, a flicker of regret crossed her eyes.