Part 72：don’t be so anxious
The atmosphere was a bit awkward, but Lu's attitude remained firm, as if he wouldn't let it go without an answer.
After a few seconds of silence, Zoe finally spoke, "Director Lu, to be honest, I didn't want to act in this drama at first."
Her words left everyone in the room stunned. Even Liu looked at her as if she had lost her mind. Lu, however, chuckled softly.
"Even now, I'm not particularly eager about it," Zoe added.
Liu's forehead veins bulged as he clenched his fists. "Zoe, what do you mean by this?"
"Mr. Liu, don't be so anxious," Zoe replied with a calm smile. She continued, **"I didn't want to act in The Eighth Crush for a simple reason: I'm very beautiful. I don't want to be seen as just a vase. This drama is a sweet romance, and the female lead is a stunning beauty. I was worried that after the show aired, people would think I'm just a pretty face and that it had nothing to do with the story or the role—just my own insecurity.
"I mentioned to you before, Mr. Liu, that I didn't want to do sweet romances, mainly because of this concern. But now I've figured it out—good actors should be able to handle any genre."**
Lu smiled. "Do you think you're a good actress?"
Zoe shook her head. "I've only been in one drama so far, so I wouldn't call myself skilled. I just don't want to be confined to one image. My last role was also a glamorous beauty. But Director Lu, I understand your point. Rest assured, although I'm new to this industry, I'm determined to become a professional actress. Since I've taken on this role, I'll give it my all."
To her surprise, Lu snorted. "Truly a rookie."
"Excuse me?" Zoe froze, unsure why Lu said that.
"Just hope you can keep that mindset for a while," Lu replied, leaving her unsure of how to respond.
"This drama is something our company, Yuehai Web, values highly," Liu interjected. "The script evaluation rated it as A+, and if everything goes well, it might even get an S-level rating in our internal review. Miss Zoe, with your current popularity and attention, could you spare some time in the next two days to try on costumes and take promotional photos to release some material?"
Lan, sitting beside Zoe, hesitated before speaking. "Mr. Liu, Zoe is flying to Beijing soon. She has several jobs waiting there, and she might not return until next Tuesday."
"That's no issue. We can rent a studio in Beijing, have the costumes brought over, and take the photos there," Liu suggested.
Zoe took a sip of water. "I'll try to adjust my schedule and see what I can do."
Liu pressed on, "Now's the best time to release materials while everyone's attention is still on Miss Zoe." His words barely hid the implication that they intended to leverage Zoe's popularity to boost the drama's visibility. In truth, The Eighth Crush was just an average web drama, with Zoe being the only notable name. If they couldn't capitalize on her fame, who else could they rely on?
However, for Zoe, releasing promotional material at this moment might not be a good thing.
Everyone was still speculating about her and Song. If the promotional material came out now, it would cement the impression that Zoe had landed a female lead role at this particular time, raising endless questions.
"Why is Zoe getting a lead role so soon after debuting?"
"Zoe must've relied on Song to climb the ladder, right?"
"Mr. Liu, since we've only signed a letter of intent so far, when do you think we should finalize the details?" Lan suddenly asked.
"That's no problem. When are you available?" Liu responded.
"Actually, we received the contract you prepared earlier. I had some concerns and submitted suggestions. Have you seen them?" Lan asked.
"Oh, I don't handle the contract details myself; my team takes care of that," Liu said casually. "Let's put that aside for now. With Director Lu and Miss Zoe here, shouldn't we discuss more important matters?"
Lan smiled smoothly. "That's exactly why I brought it up. There are still unresolved details on our end, and without clarity on those, it's hard to move forward with other plans."
Liu finally caught on to Lan's persistence. "What details are you referring to?"
"For instance, the male lead casting, promotional strategies, and the final runtime and screen time for Zoe in the released episodes," Lan said, her hands folded gracefully on her lap. She exuded the composed demeanor of a secretary but spoke with the conviction and fluency of someone unwilling to back down. "We don't intend to interfere with the final product, but since Zoe is a newcomer, we want to ensure that her role as the lead isn't overshadowed by others."
Liu laughed. "You're overthinking it. Situations like that only arise when the lead actress frequently takes time off and doesn't meet the contractual shoot hours, forcing the team to pad the runtime with supporting roles just to reach the episode count."
"Mr. Liu, do you remember a drama called Candy Blower, where actress Qingqing was the lead? The production team prepared two scripts—one where Qingqing was the undeniable lead and another where the second female lead's role was doubled. The final broadcast gave viewers the impression it was a dual-lead drama," Lan said, smiling helplessly. "As Zoe's manager, I have to prevent a similar situation."
"Are you accusing us of using dual scripts to deceive you?" Liu's tone turned sharp.
"Of course not! We trust you completely. But we did request a clause in the contract guaranteeing Zoe a certain percentage of screen time in the final broadcast. Your team hasn't agreed to it, so naturally, I have my concerns. I hope you understand."
"The reason we can't agree is simple. Nobody can predict what might be cut during the approval process. How can we guarantee any percentage?" Liu argued, conveniently forgetting his earlier statement about not handling contract details.
"The percentage we proposed isn't high. If the final cut can't even meet that, Zoe wouldn't count as the female lead anymore," Lan reasoned. "If you're worried about approval issues, we're happy to include a clause for reshoots. Should the production need us, we'll fully cooperate."
Liu's expression darkened. "Anything else?"