Chapter 73: Chapter 73: Sudden ChangeChapter 73: A Sudden Turn of Events

    Huang Wankai stood on the set with his arms hanging by his sides, seething inwardly. He couldn’t understand—he had clearly performed without issue, so why wouldn’t the director approve the take?

    Before joining the crew of *Silent Battle*, Huang Wankai had worked on several TV dramas and films. Wherever he went, weren’t those directors and producers always showering him with praise? No one had ever questioned his acting skills, and he’d never been forced to NG this many times.

    Huang Wankai felt humiliated. Every gaze directed at him seemed to accuse him, a feeling that had been lingering this past month. It was as though everyone was saying his acting was subpar, completely crushed under Lin Qin and Meng Chao.

    Meng Chao was one thing—after all, he was a fifty-billion-box-office emperor. But who was Lin Qin? The films he starred in hadn’t even been released in theaters, while Huang Wankai had led two or three movies that grossed over five billion each. Sure, maybe he hadn’t won any awards, but in terms of commercial value, he was confident he outmatched Lin Qin. So why was Lin Qin constantly overshadowing him?

    The seed of jealousy had been planted long ago, and when Lin Qin crushed him once again tonight, that jealousy exploded, leaving him unable to regain his acting state.

    It was a vicious cycle. The anger inside Huang Wankai grew stronger and stronger. When the director finally uttered the word "break," he shot Lin Qin a venomous glare. That glare was like poison—sinister and chilling.

    Lin Qin felt baffled, but Huang Wankai was already storming off.

    Chu Hong walked over with a coat and draped it over Lin Qin. Lin Qin adjusted his collar and said to Chu Hong, "I didn’t provoke him, did I?"

    Chu Hong knew the "him" Lin Qin was referring to was Huang Wankai. When she had come over with the coat just now, she had also caught Huang Wankai glaring at Lin Qin.

    "Ignore him; he’s just acting out of jealousy." Chu Hong’s tone was filled with disdain.

    Jealousy, indeed. He had no real acting skill, wasn’t as good-looking as Lin Qin, had a difficult personality, and was the subject of gossip within the crew. To pin all of that on Lin Qin? Clearly, something was wrong with him.

    Lin Qin thought about it and agreed. There really wasn’t a need to bother with that kind of person. Wearing his coat, he walked over to Meng Chao, who immediately handed him a cup of hot coffee. "How are you feeling?"

    Meng Chao had already finished shooting all his scenes and could have left to rest, but he had chosen to stay to support Lin Qin.

    In front of others, Lin Qin would say he was fine. But when it came to Meng Chao, he didn’t hide his feelings. He took a sip of coffee and said softly, "A little tired."

    Meng Chao casually pulled over a chair and told Lin Qin to sit. "Take a seat; I’ll give you a massage." S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Lin Qin didn’t stand on ceremony. Holding the coffee, he sat down, and Meng Chao placed his hands on Lin Qin’s shoulders, massaging with just the right amount of pressure.

    Perhaps Meng Chao’s massage technique was too good, because not long after, Lin Qin dozed off. But his mind was occupied with thoughts of the shoot, so his sleep was restless. Before long, he was stirred awake by a commotion. Groggily, he opened his eyes.

    Meng Chao was sitting beside him, keeping watch. Lin Qin stared in a daze for a moment before turning to Meng Chao and asking, "What’s going on?"

    Meng Chao’s expression wasn’t pleasant; there was a hint of anger. "Huang Wankai left."

    Meng Chao felt deeply for Lin Qin. All night, Lin Qin had endured Huang Wankai’s repeated NGs, sacrificing his own energy and time. Now Huang Wankai had just upped and left without so much as considering others’ efforts. He was both reckless and insufferable!

    "He left? He hasn’t finished filming, has he?" Lin Qin was now fully awake. This was the final scene, and for Huang Wankai to walk out now—what about the crew? How could someone be so irresponsible?

    Even with Lin Qin’s generally good temper, this situation made him angry.

    Yet it wasn’t just Lin Qin or Meng Chao who were furious—practically the entire crew was outraged. The director was so enraged he smashed the loudspeaker. "Call Huang Wankai. If he isn’t back in ten minutes, we’re recasting this role!" It didn’t matter if he was the investor’s preferred choice. The director had already compromised for the investor’s sake quite a bit; there was no way he’d tolerate this any longer. In all his years in the industry, he had never encountered anything so ridiculous!

    Huang Wankai’s agent was shocked when they received the call and immediately apologized profusely while cursing Huang Wankai inwardly.

    What a fool. As soon as the *Silent Battle* male second lead role opened up, everyone had their eyes on it. Renowned director, big-budget production, and two lead actors who were international best actor awardees—this film was bound to be a hit!

    Now Huang Wankai had embarrassed the entire *Silent Battle* crew. Did he really think he was that important?

    After a long string of apologies, the agent promptly dialed Huang Wankai’s number. The phone rang endlessly with no one picking up. The agent desperately wanted to drag him back and give him a good scolding.

    Did he really think just because someone was willing to promote him, everyone had to cater to him? Those previous directors only flattered him because of the investors. As for those box office numbers—if Huang Wankai didn’t know how much water had been injected into them, he was delusional. Did he really think he was a superstar, throwing his weight around in a prestigious crew?

    The agent grumbled inwardly for what felt like forever before the call finally connected. He shouted into the phone, "Huang Wankai, get back here and apologize to the director immediately, then finish filming the last scene like a professional!"

    Huang Wankai, speeding in his sports car, merely sneered in response. "I’m done with this movie!" He figured—so what if he quit this film? There were dozens of upcoming projects lined up, begging for him to star. Why should he care about anyone else’s expectations?

    The agent gritted his teeth and threatened, "If you don’t come back, be prepared to face the consequences!"

    Huang Wankai shrugged indifferently and hung up the call.

    From the very start of his career, he had been backed by someone powerful. Everything had gone smoothly for him. Who didn’t defer to him when they saw him? And now, after enduring this much humiliation in the *Silent Battle* crew, was he not allowed one moment of recklessness?

    If the *Silent Battle* director begged him to return, then maybe, just maybe, he’d consider wrapping up the final scene. But to go back of his own volition? Huang Wankai wasn’t about to grovel!

    Still, *Silent Battle* was undoubtedly a valuable project. If he hadn’t been pushed to his limit, he wouldn’t have chosen to act this way.

    Back at the *Silent Battle* crew, ten minutes passed, and Huang Wankai still hadn’t returned. The director instructed his assistant to call Huang Wankai’s agent again. This time, the assistant’s tone was calm, providing a specific time and place to discuss contract termination. This was an artist they simply couldn’t work with.

    However, replacing the actor at the last minute meant reshooting all of the male second lead’s scenes—a tremendous and time-consuming effort.

    For the moment, a heavy tension hung over the entire crew.

    Just when everyone thought the matter couldn’t escalate further, another wave of trouble arrived.