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Wei Linxuan slammed the table in a rage. "Get everyone from the production and planning teams to the company for a meeting. We'll form our own crew, find a director and screenwriter, and tailor a project specifically for Lu Heng. I refuse to believe Huaxia Imperial Entertainment can't make a leading man out of him!"

Lu Heng looked at the indignant Wei Linxuan, got up, poured a glass of cola, and handed it to him. "The second male lead isn't bad either. I'm a complete newcomer with no experience, after all. It's normal for Director Fang to have concerns."

Wei Linxuan sneered. "If he's worried your acting isn't good enough, then he shouldn't be counting on your popularity!"

After Lu Heng's role had been finalized, the production company of Autumn Dew White actually dared to call and discuss the film's publicity. They hoped Huaxia Imperial Entertainment would mention Lu Heng's participation in Autumn Dew White during his contract-signing press conference, building momentum for the film. It would also raise Lu Heng's market value when he debuted.

It should have been a win-win arrangement. But the more Wei Linxuan thought about it, the worse it sat with him. They had just picked him over, and now they came to take advantage of him? The nerve.

Having worked together for more than a decade in his previous life, Lu Heng knew all too well how unreasonable Wei Linxuan's temper could be when he was defending his own people. Like a lion that had been provoked, he had to find an opportunity to fight before he could vent his anger.

But Lu Heng also knew how to soothe his bristling boss. He nudged the full glass of cola closer to Wei Linxuan and watched him gulp it down angrily before glaring at him. "Aren't you angry?"

"Angry? In the end, it's just anger at my own incompetence." Lu Heng lowered his eyes. His long lashes trembled, casting two fan-shaped shadows. A faintly bitter smile appeared on his face as he said softly, "I'm useless, aren't I? I couldn't even seize an audition opportunity, and I made the company lose face too."

Wei Linxuan: "..."

The fury that had been shooting through the roof was doused by a bucket of cold water. Wei Linxuan coughed awkwardly and said in a low voice, "Are... are you okay?"

"This really isn't your fault! Star Entertainment and Fang Kaizhi have gone too far—"

"Star Entertainment merely gave Director Fang a better option. In terms of popularity, box-office pull, and acting ability, a newcomer like me truly isn't as strong as Zhao Miao. If I were the director or investor, I'd choose Zhao Miao too."

Although Lu Heng was stating the truth, seeing his own person being picked over and rejected like this—especially seeing Lu Heng seemingly prepared to accept it so calmly—

It made him so angry!

Wei Linxuan took a deep breath and asked stiffly, "Then what do you want to do?"

"Of course, I'll take the role." Lu Heng smiled faintly. His bright, gentle eyes fixed steadily on Wei Linxuan as he said with quiet confidence, "Without comparison, no one will ever know who is truly the best. Pulling out now would only make us deserters. Other than making us seem petty and giving people another reason to laugh at us, it would achieve nothing. I may only be a newcomer, but I won't let people think Lu Heng is someone who can't win and can't accept defeat. And Huaxia Imperial Entertainment certainly isn't that kind of company either."

Watching Lu Heng suddenly radiate such powerful presence, Wei Linxuan helplessly realized that he had been persuaded.

"But we can't let them off that easily!" Coming back to his senses, Wei Linxuan said indignantly, "I'll make them pay!"

Wei Linxuan swore he would make the Autumn Dew White crew pay the price. That price was increasing Lu Heng's salary tenfold—from two thousand to twenty thousand yuan.

It sounded impressive enough, but compared to the other starring actors' salaries of several million yuan apiece, even Zhao Miao, who was only making a cameo for a few days, received one hundred thousand yuan because of his status. Seen that way, Lu Heng's twenty thousand was nothing. What was more, that twenty thousand also included the publicity Huaxia Imperial Entertainment would provide for Autumn Dew White during Lu Heng's contract-signing press conference—

Damn it, even standalone advertising didn't come this cheap!

The more Wei Linxuan thought about it, the more cheated he felt. In the end, he simply dragged Lu Heng to the China World Trade Center Building for an all-out shopping spree to ease his frustration.

During this time, Huaxia Imperial Entertainment also got one thing done: Lu Heng's older brother and younger sister had both transferred their school registrations to Beijing. Lu Chi was directly enrolled in the high school division of Yanjing University Affiliated Middle School, while Lu Miao was placed in the same class as Wei Jiayi at Yanjing University Affiliated Primary School. However, with summer vacation approaching, the Wei family only transferred Lu Miao's registration for now. Lu Miao herself only needed to report to school after the summer break ended. Lu Heng, meanwhile, applied to the middle school division of Yanjing University Affiliated High School as a student with special talents.

Considering the Lu family's special circumstances, the Wei family arranged dormitory status for Lu Chi and Lu Miao. Only Lu Heng applied to commute. Huaxia Imperial Entertainment rented Lu Heng a small duplex apartment of less than one hundred square meters in an upscale residential complex ten minutes' walk west of Yanjing University Affiliated High School. Wei Linxuan even specifically asked when Father Lu and Mother Lu would come to Beijing to take care of the siblings.

"We still need to settle things at home," Lu Heng replied with a slight smile.

Following Lu Heng's advice, Father Lu took ten thousand yuan back to J City to establish a logistics company. He still had to contact many of his former comrades and ask them to work as truck drivers. Mother Lu was literate, so she would first handle the company's accounting and logistics. Naturally, the couple also worried about whether their children were doing well in Beijing.

But the eldest son was about to enter his first year of high school and live on campus, while the second son still had to join a production to film. Summer vacation was also about to begin, so the three children would probably have to return to Lu Family Village for the summer. At a time like this, there was not much use in the couple going to Beijing anyway.

Yanjing Film Studio was located on Middle North Third Ring Road in Yanjing City.

The filming of Autumn Dew White was scheduled to begin in September. However, because the film contained several opera-singing scenes, the crew required all principal actors to undergo a period of opera training before filming started.

Lu Heng played the second male lead, young Han Lusheng. According to the script, he had a scene in which he performed onstage. It told of young Han Lusheng's first appearance onstage at thirteen, when he sang The Interrupted Dream and became an instant sensation, turning into a performer everyone flocked to admire. To perform this scene well, Lu Heng, who had no foundation in Kunqu Opera at all, had to study its movements and vocal style with a teacher. Most unfortunately, Lu Heng remembered that the finished version of the film Autumn Dew White had not included this plotline. It seemed to have been cut.