Don't Want to See You In The Next Life (Volume 2)

Chapter 19

"Time to eat." 

Li Mo's voice came from the dining room, pulling Ji Qin out of his thoughts. 

"What are you thinking about?" Li Mo asked casually.

"Nothing." 

Ji Qin twitched the corner of his mouth unnaturally. He suddenly felt distressed for Li Mo but Li Mo never said anything about his past so Ji Qin didn't ask too much. 

As soon as the two sat down around the dining table, Ji Qin's cell phone rang.

"Xiao Ji . . ." 

Ji Qin heard the hesitant voice of the director on the other end. 

"I'm sorry, the producer called me this morning and said that the male number one role has been taken so..."

Ji Qin's heart sank.

"Brother, can I ask...who has taken the role?"

The director hesitated but told him truth.

"You'll know it sooner or later anyway. It's Gu Lixuan."

"It's him?"

Ji Qin was a little surprised and glanced at Li Mo consciously.

Li Mo didn't know who he was calling but when he noticed Ji Qin's gaze, Li Mo raised his head and gave the other party a questioning look.

Ji Qin didn't care about giving him any response for the time being. He only continued listening to the director's rants on the phone. 

"I didn't believe it at first but the producer said it was Gu Lixuan's assistant who called him first. It's true so......"

"It's okay, I understand." Ji Qin took a deep breath, concealing his disappointment. "I have nothing to do with the crew. Brother, don't take it too seriously..."

The director replied, "I called you to ask you if you are interested in trying for this show's second man? My second man is still undecided."

When Ji Qin heard that there was a turnaround, he hurriedly responded with a smile. The two of them made an appointment for another audition and then hung up the phone. 

Li Mo asked aloud, "What's wrong? Did the crew changed their minds?" 

Ji Qin didn't intend to hide what happened from him so he simply relayed what the director said.

Li Mo was silent. After a while, he said, "Grabbing resources halfway and stealing roles, Gu Lixuan has done these things before. It's the same this time. I felt that he was here for me but for some reason, he ended up grabbing your role. "

"Maybe he's not pleased to see me?" Ji Qin seemed a little indifferent and shrugged his shoulders. "But I'm really curious, what's with his hatred with you? Why didn't he hesitate to lower his net worth to grab resources from unfamiliar little actors like us?"

Li Mo shook his head, "I have never figured it out. I used to be in the same class as him. I had a good relationship with him when I was still studying at the Academy of Film and Television. During our last year in the academy, a director was recruiting film actors. When I got the news, I took him to the audition out of good intentions but the director took a fancy to his appearance and asked him to be the leading actor. I only managed to win a male role who didn't even have a serious name. "

"I didn't care about it at that time. I regarded him as a good friend. He developed better than me and I was very happy for him. After the movie was released, the box office was not high but the reputation in the circle was acceptable and soon, he was signed by a good brokerage company. During that time, he would often call me to complain about the difficulty of working in the show business circle. I would try my best to comfort him and encourage him."

"I don't know when it started. I felt that he gradually changed and his attitude towards acting was not as simple as before. In order to gain exposure and better resources, he did all shameful methods. I tried my best to persuade him several times but he wouldn't listen. We had several disputes about that."

"I became more and more disappointed in him. He also felt that he had nothing to say to me. After a year, we gradually became estranged. Later on, I also signed with a small company. The agent brought more than a dozen newcomers but can't take care of everyone. I'm a person who has a relatively slow personality and is not willing to take the initiative to please them or fight for it. Although I have had several opportunities to act, they are all small roles." 

"At that time, Gu Lixuan gradually intervened with my life and work. He repeatedly asked me to quit the show business. I asked him why but he refused to say. I ignored him and continued to film my own scenes. His attitude became tougher and if I failed to persuade him, he began to threaten me saying that if I won't withdraw from this circle, he would have various ways to force me to withdraw."

"At that time, I didn't care. I just thought he had a problem with his brain. He already became a star but always meddled with me, an 18th-line young actor. But later, he proved that he was not joking. He started to go around disturbing my auditions and prying my resources at a low price."

"I couldn't bear it and had a big fight with him. After that, he stopped for a while and I also picked up a second male lead role of an idol drama. I devoted myself to filming with the crew for a few months. I thought I could finally succeed with that project but I didn't expect that after the crew was completed, my company suddenly replaced my agent."

"When the drama was airing, the main actors followed the crew to promote and increase the exposure rate. I was the only one who did not receive any notice. The agent who took me was even less reliable than the previous one. I couldn't make a phone call for a week. Later, I realized that I was hidden by the company."

Ji Qin was very displeased when he heard it and couldn't help but interject and ask, "Could it be that Gu Lixuan is doing tricks behind your back?"

Li Mo slowly nodded, "I didn't expect him to be so powerful. At that time, I only thought that I accidentally offended a leader in the company. Afterward, I really had no choice but to terminate my contract but the company took the contract and asked me to pay the full liquidated damages."

"I was forced into desperation. Fortunately, Xia Liang reached out in time and helped me. He originally wanted to help me win the lawsuit but such lawsuits in the entertainment industry often dragged on for several years. Fighting is very detrimental to me and Xia Liang was still at the critical moment of the transformation of their family business."

"One year later, I found out that my previous company had already been acquired at a high price by the company where Gu Lixuan worked and that Gu Lixuan also took a stake in it. He offered  to buy shares if the company can force me to terminate my contract."