454 Unexplained Confidence
"Yes, right now, even if he tries to find someone else, it will still be too late." Lu Qi nodded in agreement.
"That's right!" Xia Qingyang said smugly, "I have it all planned out. Putting him in a predicament at such a crucial time, he will be forced to agree."
Besides, Ji Cheng had already gone one through several exhausting rounds of talent searches and returned empty-handed.
If he could have found someone else to play the role, the role wouldn't have landed on Lu Qi either.
Therefore, Lu Qi was his last resort. Even if Ji Cheng didn't want to agree, in the end, left with no choice he had to acquiesce.
"Besides, didn't he say he will think about it? He's just buying some time to raise funds! What 'reply to us in two days'? He's just threatened by us and feels rather ashamed about it," Xia Qingyang said pridefully, "Just wait for the good news!"
Xia Qingyang's confidence also rubbed onto Lu Qi, make her.
Although Xia Qingyang might be rather dumb when it comes to other aspects, she was talented at being a gold-digger. So, Lu Qi had quite a lot of faith in her.
Therefore, they blissfully waited for Ji Cheng to increase her pay.
***
Elsewhere, Lu Man had just finished cooking porridge. She then scooped it out into a bowl and brought it to Han Zhuoli.
As she helped Han Zhuoli sit up, she placed her hand on his forehead and found that he was still burning up quite a bit.
Hence, Lu Man fed him porridge slowly by the spoonful and related everything. "Director Sun just gave me a call. He said that Director Ji Cheng's new movie hired Lu Qi as the female lead, but Lu Qi suddenly changed her mind and demanded a pay hike, thus Director Sun looked for me to ask if I would take on the role."
Han Zhuoli huffed and scoffed. "He deserves it! He was blind to look for Lu Qi. If he really dares to let Lu Qi act in this movie, I will make all the cinemas in the country refuse to screen his film!"
Lu Man almost broke out in laughter. She blew on the porridge in the spoon gently and fed it to Han Zhuoli. "He didn't have any other choice either. No one else was willing to take on the role."
"But he still can't look for Lu Qi either." Han Zhuoli was rather unreasonable regarding this.
"That's true." Lu Man smiled.
Han Zhuoli happily drank up the porridge Lu Man fed him. "So why did Sun Yiwu call you? Is it that he wants you to take on the role?"
"Yeah, Ji Cheng couldn't stand Lu Qi, so he decided not to work with her anymore. However, they are just about to start shooting and couldn't find anyone on such short notice, so Director Sun came to look for me," Lu Man explained.
"Why does everyone always comes to find you when they are desperately in need to fill a spot? Are you a professional replacement actor ?" Han Zhuoli was rather unpleasant and getting a bit angry.
No matter what, his Man Man should only take on a role made specifically for her!
What's up with always making her clean up after other people's messes!
Han Zhuoli was already in the hunt for a good writer to make a script specifically suited for Lu Man. He wanted to make a drama film specifically designed for Lu Man.
"I am indebted to Director Sun, after all, if he didn't pick me that day, I possibly wouldn't have chosen to walk down this path." Lu Man explained, "Earlier, I never really sat down and thought about my career aspiration. It was Director Sun who brought me into this industry and made me realize that performance could be so interesting. It's already rare for Director Sun to come to look for me for help, so I agreed."
After feeding the porridge to Han Zhouli, Lu Man placed the bowl aside. "I'm sorry for not discussing this with you before agreeing."
Han Zhuoli helplessly rubbed her hair. "You have already made up your mind, what could I have done?"
The more Han Zhouli behaved like this, the more Lu Man blamed herself. "I'm sorry, this is an exception. in the future, no matter what, I will always discuss it with you beforehand."
Even if Han Zhuoli didn't say outright that he disagreed or that he was unhappy about it, Lu Man still felt that it wasn't right of her to make a decision right away without consulting him first.
Moreover, Lu Man was already used to discussing everything with him first and seeking his opinion.
However, this time, Lu Man really wanted to express her gratitude.
Having thought of something, Han Zhuoli paused for a moment before suddenly saying, "I'll forgive you this time. So then will you also forgive me for lying to you that I was sick, alright?"
