Chapter 7
Rebirth of a Nation's Darling – Prince Charming
Negotiations With Prince Charming
She wasnât going to live for the sake of the name âSi Huangâ. Instead, the name âSi Huangâ would only exist because of her.
Si Huang curved the corners of her lips. She was going to do more than take this name. She was going to slowly take back everything that belonged to her.
âGreat! You got the part, Si Huang!â Director Liu could not conceal the excitement on his face once he smiled.
âHey, Director Liu! Uh⦠I thought we had decided on Siâ¦â The assistant director next to him got up anxiously.
Director Liu shot him a glare. âI decide who will be cast as Mr. Qianji. This was agreed from the very beginning.â
His glare silenced the assistant director.
Whoosh!
The students in the audience exploded into a cacophony of discussion.
âSi Huang! Si Huaâs fraternal twin brother, Si Huang?â
âHow is that possible? Itâs not possible!â
âItâs like a huge makeover!â
Amidst the chaos, Director Liu motioned his head toward Si Huang. âCome with me.â
â¦
In the lounge, Si Huang sat down on a single-seat sofa, facing Director Liu and a middle-aged lawyer.
Director Liu initiated the conversation. âCall your manager and tell him to come over.â
Si Huang shook her head. She remained quiet for two seconds, as if she were formulating the words in her head. Then, she said, âDirector Liu, I donât have a contract with Prime Entertainment.â
Director Liu was stunned. This was clearly the son of the owner of Prime Entertainment and he had a passion for acting. Why hadnât he signed a contract with his own company?
Si Huang flashed a harmless, boyish smile. âIâm not going to keep this from you, Director Liu. I plan on starting my own company and signing a contract with my own company when the time comes.â
Director Liu remained calm. The middle-aged lawyer next to him, however, came alive. His face might as well have the words âAre you kidding?â written on it in huge letters.
âSoâ¦â Si Huangâs expression looked even more sincere. âIâd like to sign an individual contract.â
Director Liu frowned. âWhat about your assistant, your make-up artist, your co-ordinator, and all the rest? What are you going to do about all that?â He was a smart man. A few words from Si Huang were enough for him to understand one thing: Si Huang had no intention of using resources from Prime Entertainment. Why? Director Liu wasnât curious enough to dive into someone elseâs personal affairs.
âI can do it on my own,â Si Huang replied.
âYouâre not a star yet, so your guarantee isnât worth much.â
âI believe in you, Director Liu.â Si Huang threw the ball back in Director Liuâs court.
Director Liuâs face twitched. He stared at the smile on Si Huangâs face bizarrely for a good few seconds. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said, âI will dock your pay.â
âThank you.â Si Huang knew that she had won.
She understood Liu Shu, also known as Director Liu.
He was a passionate and dedicated film director. Although he was stubborn, he knew when to retreat. Besides, he had his own set of rules and limits. He was a perfectionist, but when perfection could not be realistically achieved, he would take a step back. The role of Mr. Qianji in her previous life in a different timeline was a good example. He simply hadnât been able to find the perfect actor for the role, so he had taken a step back and chosen Si Hua. He wouldnât give up on the entire show simply because one of the cast members was not up to standard.
However, once he achieved his envisioned perfection, he would come up with every means possible to solve any problem that came his way. He would daringly fight against anyone.
Not only did Si Huang believe that she was Mr. Qianji personified, but she was 200% sure that she was far better than Si Hua or anyone else.
In her past life, she had not only won the movie king award once, but she had been considered a natural drama king. Furthermore, she had 10 yearsâ worth of acting experience. Even current well-known megastars would not necessarily be a match for her, let alone the greenhorns at this school.
Director Liu certainly wasnât going to give up on her so easily, as she was the most perfect version of Mr. Qianji.
Si Huang personally led Director Liu from the elevator into the underground carpark of Star Youth Academy of Arts and all the way to the door of his car.
Director Liu had a smile on his face. He entered the car after Si Huang opened the door. âYouâre pretty respectful to your elders, kid.â His smile froze in place a second later. âWhy are you getting in?â
Si Huang smiled shyly. âIâm hitching a ride. I forgot to bring cash when I left the house.â
Director Liuâs eyelids twitched. In the end, he did not throw Si Huang out of the car.
Although he had met countless handsome men and gorgeous women, this kid was so good-looking that he defied the laws of nature. Even though he was sure that the embarrassed look on his face was nothing but an act, no one could possibly bear to say no to him.
Si Huang smiled at the driver in the front as she sat next to Director Liu and said, âTo Fragrant View Societal Homes on Coral Street, please.â
The driver paused and waited for Director Liu to speak up. When he didnât, he drove toward the address provided by Si Huang.
Fragrant View Societal Homes was an extremely expensive piece of land in H City. The greenery there was amazing, and the security measures were excellent. A lot of celebrities and plutocrats had property there.
Si Huang was going there because she owned a small villa that she had inherited from her late biological mother, Li Lisi.
Everyone in H City and the entire country knew the name Li Lisi. She had been a singer and a superstar 10 years ago, proficient in five different languages, and hailed as an exquisitely beautiful woman with fairy-like looks and an ethereal voice. If it hadnât been for her early death, there was no doubt that her stardom would have surpassed the land of Z Country. The higher oneâs rise to stardom was, the more mythical oneâs achievements were.
Even to this day, 10 years later, many people in Li Lisiâs generation still regarded her as a goddess deep down. Furthermore, the famous songs that she had once sung were still raking in money for Prime Entertainment and were used for Prime Entertainmentâs shows. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
People said that Li Lisi had died from drug abuse, that she had surrendered to her vices. Si Huang used to believe this in her past life and had only discovered the truth much later. Her mother had indeed died from a drug overdose, but she had been force-fed drugs until they had killed her. She had died when she was one year old.
It had happened simply because she had taken Si Huang to the Master of the Si Family at the time, requesting for Si Huang to be recognized, which she deserved.
That silly woman had no idea that Si Zhihan had used her under the guise of love. He had been courting the eldest daughter of the Bai Family on the side while theyâd been setting up Prime Entertainment together. She had never thought that when she got pregnant and took a temporary sabbatical to rest in a mountain villa, Bai Qinglan would get pregnant too and would publicly announce her romantic relationship with Si Zhihan, rushing into a shotgun marriage with him.
Li Lisi had only discovered this three months after giving birth to Si Huang. Sheâd only managed to find an opportunity to speak to Old Master Si when Si Huang was a year old after being stifled by Si Zhihan. She had asked Old Master Si to acknowledge Si Huangâs identity.
The elderly man had been very old but was particularly loving when it came to his grandchildren. Once heâd made sure that Li Lisi would never set foot in the Si Family home again, he had promised to take care of Si Huang. However, Si Zhihan had refused to have a b*stard at home⦠If the world were to ever find out that this was his b*stard with Li Lisi, it would damage his reputation. Thus, he had an ideaâSi Huang would replace Si Huaâs older twin brother, who was the same age but had died prematurely. She would live her life in public by using that identity.