You were supposed to have a fake marriage with the diva, so how did you become her father?

Chapter 55 Xu Manxue

Although Lu Ran said it with a smile, Tan Yu could still sense that Lu Ran was serious.

Indeed, long-running dramas cannot be made as casually as short-running ones; producing a high-quality long-running drama requires a considerable amount of funding.

In particular, Lu Ran plans to film a period martial arts drama, which will require significantly more investment in styling, costumes, and sets compared to urban dramas.

Tan Yu patted his chest and said, "Leave it to me! My dad would definitely support a script of this quality!"

Recently, Tan's father has been very impressed with Tan Yu's changes and has been full of praise for Lu Ran, whom Tan Yu has mentioned.

So Tan Yu wasn't just boasting; he really could get a lot of sponsorship from his father.

"However," Lu Ran changed the subject, "many important roles in 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes,' especially Guo Jing, Huang Rong, Yang Kang, and Mu Nianci, require careful casting. We can't just find the right actors internally. We need to hold open casting calls."

"Of course, if you want to act, you'll have to participate in the auditions," Lu Ran said solemnly.

"We understand," Tan Yu and the others replied solemnly.

"Oh, right," Lu Ran suddenly remembered something, "the fight scenes in this script are also a big project, and we'll need your help to hire a martial arts director."

"Don't worry, I'll contact them right away," Tan Yu replied readily.

...

At the same time, in an ordinary residential area on the other side of the city.

Xu Manlin, wearing sunglasses and a mask, got out of the taxi in front of No. 101 Xingfu Road.

She looked around warily, making sure there were no paparazzi before quickly slipping into the stairwell.

The third floor is a simple two-bedroom apartment.

The person who opened the door was a young girl. Her eyebrows and eyes were about 70% similar to Xu Manlin's, but she looked thinner and her face was somewhat pale.

"Xiaoxue, how have you been feeling lately?" Xu Manlin asked, pulling her younger sister down to sit with a gentle expression on her face.

"Much better." Xu Manxue smiled. "The doctor said that my vocal cords are recovering better than expected. Although I won't be able to sing like before, I can speak normally without any problems."

Upon hearing Xu Manxue's words, Xu Manlin's eyes darkened.

My younger sister loves music even more than I do.

Three years ago, Xu Manxue was a trainee at Legend Entertainment, possessing a beautiful voice that was praised by many producers.

At that time, Legend Entertainment focused on creating this legendary duo of sisters, and even prepared songs for Xu Manxue.

If nothing unexpected happens, Xu Manxue will definitely become a superstar, and may even surpass her sister Xu Manlin.

But an unexpected event still occurred.

Xu Manxue's vocal cords were severely damaged due to overtraining in the practice room, making her unable to withstand the singing intensity of a professional singer in a short period of time.

The songs that the company originally prepared for Xu Manxue were later given to Shen Yuege, a newly signed artist.

One of them is "Rebirth," the song that made Shen Yuege famous.

Upon learning of this, Xu Manxue was heartbroken and wept uncontrollably, which worsened the damage to her vocal cords, eventually leading to a permanent problem and forcing her to leave the music scene forever.

"Sister, you lost again this time, didn't you?" Xu Manxue asked softly, her gaze falling on her sister's tightly clenched hands.

Although Xu Manlin was reluctant to admit it, she still nodded: "Although her album hasn't been released yet, it seems I'm going to lose again. Shen Yuege's new album is of such high quality, that Tomorrow is just too strong."

Xu Manlin's voice was filled with resentment and guilt.

Xu Manxue held her sister's hand: "Sister, let it go. You've done enough for me. All these years, you've lived with hatred for Shen Yuege, and it breaks my heart to see that."

Xu Manlin looked up, her eyes welling up with tears, but more than that, they were filled with resentment: "But Xiaoxue, your dream... is it really just going to end like this?"

"My dream? My dream is still here." Xu Manxue smiled and pointed to the full-body photo standing in the corner, which was an artistic portrait that Xu Manxue had specially taken some time ago.

"I want to achieve my dream in a different way."

Xu Manlin got up and took out several registration tickets from the drawer.

"Next month, Xingyao Entertainment is recruiting new actors, and I've already applied. The teachers at Xingyao have read my resume and have given me high praise. They said that although I can't sing, I have excellent diction and my emotional expression is spot on."

"Besides, many other film crews have been recruiting recently, and I'd like to give it a try."

Xu Manlin looked at her sister in surprise: "You want to act?"

"Mm." Xu Manxue nodded, her eyes shining with hope. "Although it's a pity I can't sing, I can still tell stories through acting. Sister, you know what? Acting is actually more fun than singing."

"Shen Yuege took everything from you, took away the queen of the sky that should have been yours, I'm not reconciled," Xu Manlin said through gritted teeth.

Hearing Xu Manlin say this, Xu Manxue said softly but firmly, "Sister, I don't want to be a burden to you. You've fought with Shen Yuege for so many years for my sake, that's enough. Actually, you know in your heart that it wasn't her fault that she got those songs, it was the company's arrangement, otherwise you wouldn't have left Legend Entertainment."

Xu Manlin stared blankly at her younger sister. At that moment, she felt that her younger sister was a stranger.

She suddenly realized that she seemed to have never truly understood Shen Manxue, this seemingly weak but actually sensitive younger sister.

Over the years, she transformed all her guilt towards her sister into hatred for Shen Yuege, believing that as long as she defeated Shen Yuege, she could avenge her sister.

But now he realizes that his younger sister has already emerged from the shadows and found a new direction.

"Xiaoxue...okay, I support you." Xu Manlin's voice was a little choked up.

Xu Manxue rushed forward and hugged Xu Manlin tightly: "Sister, it's time for you to live for yourself. You are Xu Manlin, the proud queen of the entertainment industry, not anyone's tool for revenge."

"If you still truly love music, then promise me you'll keep singing forever, but please, from now on, sing only for yourself."

Xu Manlin burst into tears.

Over the years, Xu Manlin seems to have walked into a dead end, with only one goal in mind: to defeat Shen Yuege. She has even forgotten the pure love she had for music in the first place.

"Do you need my help with the drama club auditions?" Xu Manlin asked, wiping away her tears.

Xu Manxue smiled and shook her head, saying, "No need. This time, I want to rely on myself! But... if I really become an actress in the future, you have to come and watch my performance, sister!"

"I'll definitely go see it."

The two sisters smiled at each other, and the room was filled with a long-lost relaxed atmosphere.

When Xu Manlin left her sister's house, her steps were much lighter.

She took out her phone, scrolled to Shen Yuege's Weibo homepage, and looked at Shen Yuege's latest post, a teaser for the song that would be released tomorrow.

After hesitating for a moment, she commented two words under Shen Yuege's Weibo post: "Keep going!"

At this moment, she truly let go of her hostility towards Shen Yuege.

...