Tang Lingli’s voice had always been sharp, and this scream was truly earth-shattering, nearly piercing through the entire photography studio.
Walking behind Shen Yutong and Tang Lingli were several other male and female supporting actors. Unlike the two girls, they weren’t that urgent, chatting and laughing until they suddenly heard Tang Lingli’s scream from ahead. Startled, they exchanged glances before quickening their pace a bit.
In this area, there were a total of five makeup rooms. Aside from leading lady Xia Xiwei’s private room, there was the number 2 room for the male lead according to unspoken rules. The other actors shared three makeup rooms, including one large room that could accommodate six people and two individual rooms.
At this moment, at the entrance of the individual number 3 makeup room, they saw Shen Yutong’s assistant sitting on a cluttered box in the corridor, clutching their waist and lowering their head. Their expression was unclear, but their body was slightly trembling.
On the other side, through the open door of the makeup room, Tang Lingli’s recently hired assistant, the woman named Zhao Yan, was also on the ground in a disheveled state, with the dressing table behind her knocked into disarray.
When they arrived, Tang Lingli had already rushed over. After helping Zhao Yan up, she turned furiously towards Shen Yutong.
"Shen Yutong, are you crazy, daring to commit violence here!"
"Tang, why don’t you ask what your assistant did first..."
Shen Yutong knew she had been a bit impulsive, but she didn’t really regret it. Even if she had to do it over, she would make the same choice.
She could tolerate being wronged by Tang Lingli herself, but she couldn’t bear seeing her sister bullied.
At this time, Zhao Yan, who had caught her breath, hurriedly spoke with great indignation, "What did I do, huh? I clearly told your assistant that this makeup room was occupied, but she insisted on barging in and fell on her own. Who’s to blame?"
"Shen Yutong, did you hear that!"
Tang Lingli immediately sneered and said, "I tell you, you not only have to publicly apologize to Sister Yan but also compensate for her medical and recuperation costs, or this won’t be over!"
Shen Yutong took a deep breath, first turning to walk over to Shen Yurou. She softly asked, "Sis, are you okay?"
"No, I’m okay..."
Shen Yurou had calmed down by now. She shook her head to indicate she was not seriously hurt.
"Sis, can you tell me what happened earlier?"
Seeing that Shen Yurou was clear-headed, Shen Yutong continued to ask.
She didn’t believe Zhao Yan’s words at all because she knew Shen Yurou’s temperament very well. Being kind and timid, there was no way she would easily get into a conflict with others.
If she were the type, she wouldn’t have married Liu Chao at that time, and she wouldn’t have endured quietly for so many years, maintaining a surface harmony.
"When I arrived, I asked the makeup artist who said these makeup rooms were available. So I just picked the number 3 makeup room. While I was waiting inside, that... Sister Yan suddenly barged in and told me the room was occupied..."
As Shen Yurou said this, she glanced at Zhao Yan, then quickly lowered her head again, softly continuing,
"I refused to leave, and she started cursing at me, and in the end, she even pushed me..."
Hearing this, Shen Yutong realized it was indeed the other party who was reversing black and white. She stood up angrily, staring directly at Zhao Yan,
"So, who is the unreasonable one? It was clearly my sister who was first in the number 3 makeup room. You took it forcefully, then laid hands on her, and later blamed everything on my sister. Do you have no shame?"
By this time, the nearby supporting actors watching the commotion understood roughly what had happened. Even Chen He, who hadn’t spoken much, knew exactly what was going on.
Such issues were not uncommon not only in the entertainment circle but also in the modeling circle.
Aside from Xia Xiwei’s private makeup room and the reserved number 2 room for the male lead, it was clear that the number 3 room was the best among the remaining makeup rooms.
In theory, these makeup rooms were first come, first served. Whoever arrived first got to use the better ones. However, the underlying dynamics were never so simple.
Because, at the end of the day, it involved an invisible yet universally pursued concept in the entertainment industry—
"Status."
Just those two words, like bait on a fishing rod, led countless people to dive in, even at the cost of fighting tooth and nail.
Taking the remaining three makeup rooms as an example, who would willingly head to the public makeup room and squeeze in with others if given a choice?
Getting to use an individual makeup room was a sign of status within the cast.
Ironically, among these male and female supporting actors, in terms of seniority, the most experienced was undoubtedly female number two, Yang Hongni. However, interestingly, Yang Hongni rarely occupied the number 3 makeup room. She usually chose the slightly inferior but still individual number 4 room.
Thus, the number 3 makeup room became the object of tacit competition among the remaining actors.
But generally, there was a relative understanding; the male actors wanted to maintain their demeanor and were afraid of being "beaten to death with random punches" if they were caught in the act, so they rarely competed openly with the female actors.
And among the female actors, although Shen Yutong was the third lead and Tang Lingli was merely the fourth, Shen Yutong was a blatant newcomer to the entertainment industry.
Tang Lingli herself was not a professionally trained actor, only having acted in a few short dramas, but she had the support of a director, naturally giving her an upper hand, never really worrying about Shen Yutong.