Chapter 132: Zhu Qin

Once this Weibo post was published, Zhu Qin’s husband immediately reposted it.

Zhu Qin’s husband is a well-known "rich second generation," and naturally, he has many friends. Seeing him speak up for his wife, they, of course, had to offer their full support. Birds of a feather flock together; the friends of this wealthy husband were, unsurprisingly, also wealthy second-generation heirs. However, while Zhu Qin’s husband was a man who cherished his wife, that did not mean the others were the same. In fact, aside from him, the rest were essentially the archetypal rich kids—wealthy and fond of play. Oh, and they were quite handsome, too.

Given this, there were naturally many stars, young models, and business owners who wanted to cling to them, befriend them, or even sleep with them—or who had already done so. Like pulling a radish out with a clump of mud, this chain reaction eventually propelled Zhu Qin’s previously ignored post onto the trending list.

The publicity team for the drama *Starry Skies* saw it at a glance. On the principle that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend," they did not hesitate to repost it. The official account for *Starry Skies* already had millions of followers, and this move pushed the post even higher in the rankings. Once the official account had spoken, how could the drama’s actors remain silent?

Guo Kai and the others immediately reposted it. Song Wan did not hesitate either, and those close to them—such as Hua Yu, Zhao Meng, and Sun Xia—all chose to share it. After all, the fame of celebrities far exceeds that of wealthy socialites. With this, Zhu Qin’s post shot directly into the top three, nearing the second spot.

Yet, even so, many people remained indifferent to Zhu Qin. When netizens clicked on the post, they were baffled: Who is Zhu Qin? Has she ever starred in any TV shows or movies?

Holding her phone, Song Wan’s gaze rested on Zhu Qin’s name, her expression somewhat dazed. "Zhu Qin? Why would she come out at a time like this?" We are currently at the center of a storm; isn't she afraid people will suspect she is chasing clout, or preparing for a return to the entertainment industry?

Although others had reposted her message, their expressions were tinged with concern. Zhu Qin was a good actress and a principled one, which made her admirable. But by surfacing now, even if those in the circle understood the reasons behind her voice, the forgetful netizens certainly did not. It was hard to say what she might face.

Song Wan was even more worried. Having worked with Zhu Qin before, she knew her well and was fully aware of the ins and outs of the past incident. Whether then or now, the overt and covert rules of the industry were never kind to pure actors like Zhu Qin. Song Wan lowered her head, unable to help but sigh.

The feud between Han Sen and Zhu Qin began with the very drama that catapulted Han Sen to fame. At that time, however, Han Sen was still an unknown nobody. Others might not be clear on the details, as Han Sen only entered the public eye because of that role, but Song Wan knew the history of his "rise to success" all too well.

The drama was titled *Record of Seeking Immortals*. The script was penned by Wu Gou, a golden screenwriter who was at the height of his career, having polished the work for nearly five years. The director was Huang Ke, the "father of xianxia dramas" and Wu Gou’s legendary partner. The female lead was Zhu Qin, one of the top actresses in the country, and the male lead was Ai Li, a household name whose status remains unparalleled to this day. The supporting actress, Yang Qing, while not quite as famous as Zhu Qin, was only a hair behind her—she is now a reigning queen of film, on par with Tang Su, though at the time she was only known as a "popular young star." And the supporting actor? He was on par with Yang Qing, a talented performer among the流量 (traffic) stars named Fu Qi.

Although he has since vanished from the industry to go into business, he was known at the time as the "best onscreen couple" with Yang Qing. Yes, Han Sen had no place in the role of the second male lead back then. Whether in terms of looks, physique, temperament, or fan base, he was nowhere near Fu Qi. To put it bluntly, back then, Han Sen wasn't even fit to carry Fu Qi’s shoes.

However, a month before filming began, a tragedy struck Fu Qi’s family, forcing him to withdraw from the production that was destined to be a hit. As for Han Sen at the time, he had just cheated on Tang Su and, with her help, had played a few minor roles in other productions. While he had become a familiar face, he remained an obscure, eighteenth-tier actor.

Logically, even with Fu Qi’s departure, the role shouldn't have gone to Han Sen. But time was tight; other actors of Fu Qi’s caliber had no availability, and the production team struggled to find a suitable replacement. While there were a few actors in the industry with both acting skills and looks, they were few and far between, and half of them were women. The cast and crew had already tasted a feast; how could they settle for plain porridge? They had to compromise, but by then, other actors who had hoped to land the role had already signed other contracts after being turned away by the director.

To keep the filming schedule on track, the director was forced to hand the casting over to the producers, who represented the investors. The role immediately caught the eyes of major agencies. In the end, Mingcheng Film and Television prevailed, securing the role by virtue of being the project’s largest investor.

Even then, Han Sen shouldn't have gotten the part. Mingcheng Film and Television, while perhaps not as powerful then as it is now, was still a major player. They had no shortage of contracted artists—actors who were better, more talented, and better looking than Han Sen, not to mention far more famous. Even Han Sen himself had never dared to dream of that role.

However, Tang Su had already hooked up with a high-level executive at Mingcheng Film and Television and was in the "honeymoon phase" of their relationship, where the executive would give her whatever she asked for. So, she asked for the role for Han Sen. No one knows why that executive agreed to give such a role to his mistress’s lover, but the result was that, to the astonishment of everyone in the industry, Han Sen joined the crew and successfully landed the part.

That was Han Sen. But what about Zhu Qin? If she was so famous back then, why does almost no one know her now? Song Wan knew, and everyone else who had been through that incident knew: the reason for Zhu Qin’s downfall was Han Sen and Tang Su, and if possible, their agent Qin Fei, along with the agency behind them.

Zhu Qin came from an ordinary background, but her talent and exceptional acting skills made her a favorite among directors and investors. Yet, she viewed herself strictly as an actor. Moreover, Zhu Qin was quite willful; whether she was at the peak of her career or in the depths of despair, she would only accept scripts and roles she liked. This offended many investors and directors, though it earned her the love of those in the industry who genuinely cared about film and acting. Had she remained a top star, she certainly would have continued on a smooth path.

That was indeed the case; before joining *Record of Seeking Immortals*, her life and career were smooth sailing. That was until Wu Gou approached her with the script. *Record of Seeking Immortals* was, both then and now, a rare masterpiece. Although Song Wan noticed that the hit drama actually had significant flaws, the fact that it was such a massive success despite them only highlighted the quality of the script. Zhu Qin, not being blind, saw it too. She was captivated by the script and, loving it so much, even agreed to a pay cut to play the female lead. With Ai Li as the male lead, the drama was a hit before it even aired.

But no one expected that after Fu Qi’s accidental withdrawal, an obscure actor would get the second lead—an actor with abysmal acting skills. The entire cast and crew were so infuriated by Han Sen that they nearly took to Weibo to vent their rage. However, Han Sen had backing and a company, and that company was the drama’s largest investor. For the sake of future cooperation, they couldn't kick him out. Fortunately, while his acting was terrible, Han Sen’s personality and image—or at least the persona he faked—were somewhat similar to the character, so the crew barely managed to tolerate him.

But who could have known that while the crew could endure him, the insufferable Han Sen could not endure them? Perhaps it was because Song Wan had discovered his affair with Tang Su during that time and had dumped him without hesitation, which affected his mood. Regardless of the reason, the result was that Han Sen complained about the crew to Tang Su.

Tang Su was also a popular star at the time, but with her powerful backers and a highly capable agent, her status at Mingcheng Film and Television was exceptional. Most importantly, Tang Su was not someone to be trifled with, and she had the cunning to match her position. Her acting was also decent. Even if she couldn't improve Han Sen’s acting, she knew plenty of tricks to help him steal the spotlight. She even incited her backer to seize the edited footage of the drama and, without notifying the director or the other producers, hired a different editor to deliberately emphasize Han Sen’s scenes. Because the editor hadn't cut much of Han Sen’s screen time and the backer knew nothing about the drama, the "re-edited" version was sent directly to the television station.

The result was that Han Sen exploded in popularity, while the rest of the cast, including the male and female leads, were viciously attacked by the public. The others were fine; even though they suffered a setback, they had agencies to clear their names and help them make a comeback. But Zhu Qin could not. She had no agency, never used hype, and had offended many people... And so, she faded into silence in the entertainment industry.

Zhu Qin was a principled person, and Qin Fei and Tang Su would never give her a chance to rise again. They kept sabotaging her until she was forced to marry, have children, and retire from the industry entirely. But this does not mean that Zhu Qin has forgotten her hatred for what happened back then.