Three days later, the crew of "Emperor Xiang" called Sister Yang, confirming Ye Qiu's casting as Princess Lingjun, with filming to begin in one month.
"Congratulations, I always knew you had it in you." Sister Yang hung up the phone, smiling, as if she could see the bright future of this intelligent, beautiful, and hardworking girl right before her eyes.
"I will continue to work hard," Ye Qiu said modestly and calmly.
"For the next month, apart from a variety show you'll be doing with the 'Palace City' crew, there are no other plans," Sister Yang added.
Ye Qiu closed her history book, looking at Sister Yang: "I got it, I'll delve into the script carefully."
Smart people don't need to say much, Sister Yang nodded in satisfaction. Ye Qiu doesn't need to chase after online traffic and hot topics like other young actresses at the moment. Once the quality of her works improves, she will reach higher positions, and endorsements and popularity will follow naturally. There's no need to rush for immediate success.
The "Emperor Xiang" production team has kept a tight lid on information, and so far, have only released costume photos of Emperor Xiang, the Empress, the Prime Minister, and the Great General.
Emperor Xiang is played by the seasoned actor Dan Ming, the Empress by the movie star Wen Xin, who had faded from the film and TV industry for many years, and the roles of the Prime Minister and the Great General by experienced actors who are familiar faces in many TV dramas, though their names might not be household, viewers always sense their remarkable acting skills whenever they appear on screen.
Even without the hottest stars onboard, produced by the national television network and a cast of veteran actors, it still sparked widespread interest on Weibo.
The character people are most concerned about is the portrayal of Princess Lingjun, given that she was a figure of legendary status in history. Despite her tragic death due to her involvement in a witchcraft case, she was posthumously awarded the title Imperial Princess, buried with the honor reserved for princes – making her the first woman in history to inherit the rights to the throne.
Legend has it that Princess Lingjun was intelligent, beautiful, and greatly favored by Emperor Xiang; even the Prime Minister praised her without reserve, allowing her an unprecedented role in attending court affairs as a woman.
She died unmarried and childless in her most beautiful years at the age of eighteen.
Responding to the public's request, the official Weibo account of "Emperor Xiang" uploaded Ye Qiu's costume photo at eight o'clock that evening.
Welcome our Princess @Actress Ye Qiu.
In the photo, Ye Qiu is dressed in a luxurious red palace gown, wearing a purple-gold phoenix crown, standing on the steps of the Palace City, looking down at everyone with an amazingly beautiful and imposing air.
"I can't breathe anymore." First floor.
"Miss Sister is so beautiful she needs no friends." Second floor.
"No wonder someone ranked Princess Lingjun first on the beauty list. Looking at this costume photo, believe it or not, I'm convinced." Third floor.
"The actress playing the Princess is called Ye Qiu? Never heard of her?" Fourth floor.
"You can check out 'Palace City' upstairs. Miss Sister plays Princess Xuan there, and she's also incredibly gorgeous." Fifth floor.
...
"Mom asked me why I'm kneeling and licking the screen." Fifty-fourth floor.
"Time to change my wallpaper again." Fifty-fifth floor.
...
"Can a newcomer really pull off the role of a princess? Question?" One hundred and fifth floor.
"Never mind the acting, I'm completely smitten with these looks." One hundred and sixth floor.
"Just finished 'Palace City', and Sister's acting was a very pleasant surprise, looking forward to the Princess." One hundred and seventh floor.
...
"Sister Xiao Ye, check it out, the online reviews about you are very positive." After being outsmarted several times, Ji Qing's way of addressing Ye Qiu had changed from Miss Ye to Sister Xiao Ye, not minding that she was nearly three years older.
"Your fan count has also increased by nearly a hundred thousand!" Ji Qing exclaimed excitedly.
"Mm, I know." Ye Qiu was engrossed in the script and could not pull herself away.
"Why do you look so unexcited!" Ji Qing marveled at her own artist's cool composure, thinking that if it were her, she'd be thrilled to no end.
"This popularity is only temporary. Without the support of corresponding works, sooner or later, these praises will turn into criticism. There's nothing surprising about it." Ye Qiu closed her book and took out her phone.
"Ye Qiu is even three years younger than you, and you're thinking so superficially," Sister Yang chuckled and scolded: "But having popularity is a good thing, too."
Then she turned to Ye Qiu and said, "When you have time, reply with a Weibo post, @ the production crew, you don't have to say much, just post 'looking forward to working with everyone' will do."
"I got it." Ye Qiu nodded in acknowledgment.
"In a couple of days, I have to go abroad to discuss an endorsement deal, but I will rush back on the day of the shooting to accompany you to the production crew to meet people."
"Mm."
"Wow, Sister Yang, Bo Da has secured another international endorsement?" Ji Qing was thrilled: "He's quickly becoming our company's cash cow."
"You work hard too, and strive to make this cash cow your own soon, so you can get a raise," Yang Tao said with a smile, nodding in Ye Qiu's direction. When the artists under her are promising, she gets a high commission too; all the hard work is worth it.
Ji Qing giggled: "I have a premonition that Sister Xiao Ye will definitely become a big star."
Hearing this, Ye Qiu also laughed gently: "Then I'll take your auspicious words, and when the time comes, I will definitely give you a raise."
"Then I'll thank Sister Xiao Ye in advance." The three women laughed together.
The filming crew of "Emperor Xiang" operated under a completely enclosed shooting environment, didn't allow actors to stack dramas, nor were they allowed to take long vacations. Ye Qiu asked for a three-month leave in advance from her school. After the department heads learned about her situation, the request was quickly approved. After all, it was a film and television school, and it was normal for students to be involved in film projects. Furthermore, an actress's prime years are numbered, and they couldn't well stand in the way of someone's future.
Plus, this student was very promising, having secured a major beginning-of-the-year drama from the national television station for the next year. Her future fame would also be great publicity for the school, so the department heads granted the leave readily.
During those three months, whether or not Ye Qiu had scenes to shoot, she stayed on set, humbly consulting with all the experienced actors for advice.
After spending time together, everyone grew to like this modest, smart, hardworking girl brimming with spiritual energy. Compared to the current popular young actresses and male idols, she simply had no temper at all.
And her acting skills were quite exquisite. She held her own in every scene and quickly grasped any advice given to her.
"Ye, come join us for a midnight snack," invited Wen Xin, who played the Empress.
"Of course, Empress Mother, your daughter will be right over," Ye Qiu responded, performing a palace-style courtesy playfully, prompting laughter from everyone around.
Wen Xin, having retired from acting for nearly eight years to raise her daughter, truly took care of Ye Qiu as a junior. Inside the production crew, she offered the most help to Ye Qiu, who was the most willing to be close to her.
"Alright, you little rascal," said Wen Xin, tapping her on the forehead.
Ye Qiu was in fact a very calm person, normally not so easily intimate with others, but the laid-back atmosphere in the crew over these two months had completely loosened her up.