Su Qingtang stands triumphantly on top of a pile of papers scattered everywhere and covering the entire floor as she raises a business card triumphantly into the air. She brushes the various paper bits off of her lap as she climbs over the mini mountains and grabs her phone before she makes a call.
She taps a steady rhythm with her slender fingers on the windowpane. As a hint of nervousness bubbles inside her.
"Good Morning! This is Su Qingtang can I please speak to Mr. Qiao?" She asked, nervously. She hid this nervousness as best she could though and left only her darting eyes as a sign of her inner feelings.
"This is Qiao Bifan, how may I help you, Miss Su." A low and deep voice responded lightly.
"Mr. Qiao, I was wondering if the offer for the roll as Qin Shining was still open."
Qiao Bifan was a small director about to get his big break. At 30 he still hadn't made much impact on the film world and his childhood sweetheart his wife had already left him for someone richer. His daughter died of leukemia, the bills kept piling up and so he decided to make his last show before he went under and completely leave the film industry. Little did he know that this show was his big break! Because of the outstanding performance of his female lead and the well sculpted villain he received lots of praise and was even nominated for the director of the year award. Su Qingtang wanted to dip into this giant money basket from early to get a huge push into the film world. She'd be stupid to let such an opportunity pass. But there was a slight risk…
"Host, are you sure you want to start your career by acting as a villain? Don't you know that acting as a villain once is like an inescapable chasm that can even harm you in the future!" The system asked, with an uncharacteristic note of worry in its androgynous voice.
Acting as a villain in one's first job was risky. If one plays the role well there will be more offers for the same roll type until finally, you'll never be anything other than a villain rolls ever again. If you mess up too badly future rolls won't come in at all. Of course, there are exceptions but those are always few and far between. Su Qingtang was determined to become an exception.
As an actor she needed a large repertoire of jobs to be able create a stable footing before she started soaring high. The entertainment industry was everchanging and the internet quickly got bored of someone who isn't constantly where they can see them. This is one of the main reasons behind the saying 'no publicity is bad publicity'. Actors who suddenly rise to fame and don't have a steady foundation in the industry who suddenly strike it famous have to rely on gimmicks to stay noticed which was exactly what Su Qingtang hated most in her life. She preferred growing slow and steady and having loyal fans than having the ballooned number of hype chasers who only are your fans when your popular.
"Don't worry about me, Sys. I definitely know what I'm doing." Su Qingtang consoled the system softly. It wasn't every day the system didn't try to get on her bad side.
"Who's worried about you!"
She rolled her eyes as she ignored the system and focused on talking to Mr. Qiao. "Qin Shining? Girlie are you sure you want this role?" He sounded a bit shocked which was expected. Why would she want this roll as her first one.
After a slights glance as a picture of herself and her family on the wall she resolutely agreed. Her eyes losing the previous nervousness and filling with determination "Yes, I am very sure."
A moment of silence before he responds. "I'll email you the script. Can you come by the set at xxx in xxx on Monday at 4?"
Su Qingtang smiled happily. "Thank you, Mr. Qiao! I definitely won't let you down."
Beep.
Qiao Bifan looked at his phone in a daze for a few seconds before he turned to look at a photo on the wall. A cute little girl around 7 years old clinging to her father's pant leg staining it with the paint which covered her entire body and looking at the camera with pure unadulterated bliss shining in her eyes. A bright pink paint mark on her face and a freshly painted house in the background.
"Dad is worthless isn't he." He laughed mirthlessly as he spoke, his red eyes shining with unshed tears. "I promised to never put this house on sale but here I am selling the house." He placed a glass to his lips and chugged it down. "Look, Dad is drinking again. Wont you come back to scold dad? Please come back. I miss you so much."
The burly man bent over and howled tears streaming down his face, his anguish very apparent before he finally calmed down enough to look up at the photo again. "I've decided to film my last film. The last one I wrote before you… before you left. Dad always told you to pursue your dream but here I am giving up on mine-"
His cellphone ringing interrupted his speech. He looked at the phone in annoyance and hung up. The phone lit up immediately after and he cursed before he answered.
"WHAT!"
"Boss Qiao… We just got a twenty million investment!"
"What?!" Qiao Bifan rose to his feet, his mouth wide open in shock.
While listening to his friend's explanation tears ran down his face again. Finally, when the call ended, he fell to his knees.
"Thank you for being my guardian angel Shining! As soon as someone accepted the role good fortune started rolling in. Shining, dad will make you the best movie for your birthday! Wherever you are I hope your happy with this movie when it's done! I'll be sure to make you super proud!"