A male actor, fresh off a few "CEO romance" web series, truly believed he was a CEO himself. After yet another argument with his girlfriend, and to pacify his "darling," he abandoned a production crew of over five hundred people without a second thought, flying away that very night. The next day, filming was set to begin, but the male lead was nowhere to be found. His hotel room was empty. Dozens of messages were sent, all falling into a void. It wasn't until evening that he leisurely video-called: "Director, I went to appease my girlfriend. Filming is on hold." Director Stone was furious. "Nonsense! All locations, all other actors are scheduled! How can we stop production?!" Hearing this, Lucas's expression was innocent, yet his tone carried a condescending air. "Then what can we do? My girlfriend won't allow me to film kissing scenes with any woman but her." "If you want me back, the female lead must be her." "Even if she hasn't acted before, we’re a couple. We’re the best official pairing." He paused, his gaze sweeping over me, standing beside the director. "As for the original female lead, she can just be my girlfriend’s maid." Director Stone was livid, trembling all over. "Absolutely not! The actress has done nothing wrong, how can I just replace her?" Lucas smiled slowly, deliberately. "If you don't agree, then I won't act." "It's your call." 1. "You! Are you threatening me?" The director’s voice was shaking, his phone nearly crushed in his hand. On the video call, Lucas leaned back leisurely on the sofa in his hotel suite, his posture relaxed. "No, Director," he smiled, "I'm just stating my position." Director Stone took a deep breath, suppressing his anger. "Lucas, we sent you this script a month in advance. If you didn’t want it, you didn't have to take the role." "A month. Couldn't you tell how many kissing scenes were in it?" Lucas shrugged. "I don’t read them. I only look at the lines on the day of filming." "It's your problem. You know I have a girlfriend, and you still gave me a sweet romance script." Director Stone was instantly speechless. "Lucas, you're an actor, isn't this your job?" "Besides, since when did I know you had a girlfriend?" This series was his brainchild, two years in the making. The locations, lighting, and other actors' schedules were all meticulously planned. Now, with the male lead gone, everything had to be scrapped and started anew. Lucas said nothing, just raised an eyebrow. "How about this?" Director Stone remained silent for a long time before finally speaking. "The show is already half-filmed. What kind of example is it to abandon it halfway? And we've already officially announced it." "All the intimate scenes, I'll have them done with forced perspective, guaranteeing you won't touch the female lead at all. How about that?" Lucas frowned. "No," he said, a hint of helplessness in his voice. "My girlfriend keeps a tight leash on me. Not even forced perspective is allowed." "She said as long as I have intimate scenes with another woman, even if they're fake, she won't accept it." Director Stone collapsed. "Then what will it take for you to come back?" "I told you." Lucas smirked, still looking utterly arrogant. "Either we pause for a month until I've pacified my girlfriend." "If I make her happy, maybe she'll let me do the forced perspective scenes." "Or, you replace the female lead with my girlfriend." Director Stone completely slumped, defeated. After a long silence, he struggled to speak again. "Is there a third option?" He looked up at the screen, his eyes red-rimmed. "I searched long and hard for this actress; her acting and image are perfectly suited for this role." "And she's done nothing wrong! I can't replace her. And we absolutely cannot stop production." Lucas's face shifted. He spoke impatiently. "Director Stone, I'm not discussing this with you; I'm informing you." He articulated each word clearly. "If I go back now, she'll break up with me." "If I lose my girlfriend, can you bear the responsibility?" I had been standing by, watching the entire exchange, and finally couldn't take it anymore. "May I speak to him?" Director Stone looked at me, hesitated for a moment, then handed me the phone. I took the phone. The face on the screen saw me, raised an eyebrow, and looked utterly disdainful. I ignored him, my voice calm. "How about this? You both come back, and let her join the cast as my stand-in." "You two can film the romantic scenes. I guarantee there will be no physical contact between you and me." "That way, she can be on set watching you, and you won't have to worry about her breaking up with you." Director Stone looked at me, his eyes full of gratitude. This was indeed the most reasonable compromise we could think of. But Lucas chuckled softly. He looked me up and down, his gaze sweeping over my face, then slowly began to speak. "You? Have my girlfriend be your stand-in?" He leaned forward slightly, as if confirming something amusing. "Do you even think you're worthy?" He leaned back on the sofa, his voice dripping with condescending pity. "You're not as pretty as my girlfriend." "I refuse. She can only be the lead actress, never anyone's stand-in." My grip on the phone tightened. Then he averted his gaze, looking at Director Stone behind me, his voice raising a notch: "Director, if you don't make the change, then I'm out!" "Go find another male lead yourself." "All the expenses and delays will amount to more than just a month!" Director Stone sprang to his feet, snatching the phone and angrily exclaiming: "No! We signed a contract!" "What's a contract?" Lucas laughed, his eyes arrogant. "Don't forget, I'm a trending actor with half a million followers across all platforms." "This show relies on me to attract viewership." "Without me, what are you?" With that, the screen went black. He had hung up. When I tried to call back, his phone was off. 2. Smash— Director Stone, furious, threw his phone to the ground. The screen instantly shattered into a spiderweb. "What an arrogant jerk!" He paced back and forth in the room, gritting his teeth in anger. "If you don't want it, then don't film it!" he yelled into the empty air, then slumped back into his chair, defeated. The room was silent for a long time. After about fifteen minutes, Director Stone looked up at me. His eyes were bloodshot, but he had calmed down. "Jane," he began, his voice hoarse, "the male lead isn't coming. We need a new one." "Do you know anyone? Or have any recommendations?" I paused. A name suddenly flashed through my mind. "Director," I said, "there's an actor. He doesn't say much, but his acting is excellent." Director Stone’s eyes lit up. "Who?" "His name is Ethan Cole." Director Stone frowned, thinking for a long time. "Never heard the name." "He mainly acts in serious dramas, doesn't do many variety shows," I explained, "but his acting is truly superb, and his image suits this role even better than Lucas's." Director Stone mused, "Do you have his contact information?" I nodded. I called him, and he answered quickly. I briefly explained the situation. There was a two-second silence on his end, then he said one word: "Okay." That same afternoon, Ethan Cole flew in. He arrived at 7 PM, dropped his luggage, and went straight to the set. Director Stone had him try out two scenes. After watching, the director was utterly speechless. "His acting..." Director Stone murmured, "it's leagues beyond Lucas's." I stood by, silent. Lucas came from a trending background; no matter what he played, he was always just himself. But Ethan was different. He was the kind of actor who could truly embody a character. The same lines, the same shots — he just stood there, and the entire scene transformed. Director Stone made a decision on the spot: "He's the one." This series had already been filmed for a week with Lucas. All his scenes needed to be reshot. This meant the previous week's progress was erased, and everyone had to work overtime to make up for lost time. Normally, I would finish after ten hours of filming, but this day, we shot for a full sixteen hours. No one complained. This series was Director Stone's passion project, and it was everyone's passion project. Lucas might not care, but we did. At 2 AM, I finally returned to my hotel room. I was so exhausted I barely had the energy to remove my makeup. I collapsed onto the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. My phone suddenly vibrated. I picked it up and saw a message. [How's it going? Your show won't get filmed without my permission.] The sender was Maya Vance. Lucas's girlfriend. And my high school nemesis. In high school, my grades always outranked hers. She was always the perennial runner-up, and I, the perennial first. That's why I got into the top film school. She didn’t. But she never gave up. To make a living through fame, like me, she became a provocative influencer. Later, Lucas noticed her, and they started dating. I looked at that message and suddenly wasn't tired anymore. I typed back: [Yes, you're so powerful. When you can't compete on skill, you compete for a man.] She replied instantly: [What are you so proud of? Don't think I don't know you have a crush on my boyfriend.] [You're just not as pretty as me, so you've graciously conceded.] I almost laughed out loud. Have a crush on Lucas? My taste wasn't that bad. Not every guy who came along caught my eye. [Some people aren’t picky,] [Be careful not to upset your stomach.] She fumed: [Don't get cocky! From what I hear, you prepared for that show for half a year, and now it's shut down, so you can't film it either.] [My boyfriend is a top star. Do you really think the director will give up on him?] [Leave him to cool his heels for a month, and he’ll come crawling back begging.] I stared at the screen for a few seconds, which then made me amused. Half a million followers and he’s a "top star"? A high school dropout who got picked by a talent scout by chance to be a web series actor just because he was good-looking. After a few months of acting, he actually thought he was some big shot? No acting skills, no education—only she would consider him a treasure. I yawned, then replied: [Oh really? I hope your wish comes true.] After sending that last message, I closed my eyes and fell asleep instantly. 3. For the next month, we filmed almost in complete isolation. Everyone poured their heart and soul into it, working from dawn till dusk, wishing they could stretch every minute into two. No one leaked a single piece of news. No behind-the-scenes glimpses, no candid shots, no whispers. From the outside, it looked like the production had halted. Lucas probably thought the same. He and Maya were completely unrestrained. In their social media feeds, they were in Miami one day, Vegas the next, then off to Aspen. All sorts of check-ins, all sorts of couple photos, captions dripping with suggestive intimacy. I got tired of seeing their updates every day, so I just blocked both of them. A month later, wrap day. After the last scene was filmed, Director Stone stood behind the monitor, his eyes red-rimmed. "Thank you, everyone," he said, his voice a bit hoarse. "Thank you for staying with me to finish this show." A week after wrapping, I received an invitation to my high school reunion. I wasn't going to go, but the class president personally called, saying it was rare for everyone to be together, and they all really wanted to see me. I thought about it and decided to go. The location was a hotel in the city center. When I arrived, the private room was already full. Seeing me walk in, a few people stood up to greet me. "Jane is here! Our big star!" I smiled, exchanged a few pleasantries, and found a corner seat. Just as I sat down, the door opened again. Maya walked in, arm-in-arm with Lucas. She was wearing an off-the-shoulder red gown, her makeup flawless, her heels clicking loudly. The moment she entered, everyone crowded around her. "Maya! Long time no see!" "Is this your boyfriend? Wow, he's so handsome!" "I heard he's an actor? What has he been in?" Maya smugly lifted her chin, clinging to Lucas’s arm, and said in a sweet voice, "Oh, him? He’s been in lots of shows, they’re all pretty good." Someone asked, "How come we haven't seen them much?" Lucas chuckled, his tone casual, "I mostly do web series. Haven’t gotten into full-length dramas yet." "Oh, web series…" The person nodded, then paused and added, "But web series are pretty good too." "Hey, Jane also does web series. I heard a show called The General's Disfavor recently blew up." "The press conference is tomorrow, let's go check it out!" Lucas froze. He glanced at Maya, then smiled. "That show is mine. It hasn't finished filming yet." Everyone exchanged puzzled looks. Lucas patted Maya's hand, confidently saying, "They definitely know we’re back, and specifically arranged this press conference for us." "After leaving them hanging for over a month, they finally learned their lesson." Maya’s eyes lit up. She leaned on his shoulder. "Really? So I'll be on stage tomorrow too?" "Of course." Lucas put his arm around her waist. "My baby is so beautiful; her first acting role will surely steal the show, much more popular than some others." Someone nearby asked, "Maya is acting now too?" Maya nodded, a hint of shyness on her face. "Yes, I'm the new female lead for this show. I haven't acted before, but Lucas says I have potential." "Wow, a real couple acting together! It must be amazing!" "So sweet!" Everyone showered them with compliments. I sat in the corner, eating my dinner, not saying a word.
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