WBSGVS Chapter 224 V2

When Ye Qiong came to visit the set, she was filled with curiosity.

She was stunned when she heard her old friend had become a director, and once she had the time, she rushed over to check things out. If it didn’t seem promising, she figured she could introduce a more experienced director to help out.

But when she arrived, what she saw was nothing like what she’d expected.

A slender woman holding a megaphone was directing the crew, calmly giving orders for set arrangements. If anything was out of place, she noticed it from a distance.

Without lifting a finger, just by speaking, she had the entire team moving in sync.

Everyone knew exactly what they were supposed to be doing.

A stagehand came over carrying a flower pot, intending to place it on set as part of the scene decor. Just as he approached, Qingli’s voice rang out through the megaphone: “You with the rose pot—don’t place that here! That flower had a close-up in Scene 36—it’s supposed to be in the Young Marquis’s courtyard!”

The stagehand scratched his head sheepishly and quickly ran off to swap it out.

Ye Qiong was stunned.

Since when had Su Qingli become so impressive?

Soon, the set was fully arranged and filming began. Qingli stood by the monitor, megaphone in hand, calling out: “Young Marquis, look down!”

At that moment, the female lead was teasing the Young Marquis after realizing his feelings for her. The actor, face flushed red as if flustered, quickly lowered his gaze. The camera zoomed in, capturing his fluttering lashes, his expression tense, perfectly portraying a young man in the throes of first love, nervous and vulnerable before the girl he liked.

After wrapping the close-up, they moved on to wide shots and coverage.

At Qingli’s every command, the entire crew moved like clockwork.

It took ten takes to get the scene right.

When it was finally done, Qingli took a short break, got up, and began strolling around. Upon noticing Ye Qiong, she quickly walked over.

It was only then that Ye Qiong snapped out of her daze. She stepped forward to greet her, the worry that had clouded her face earlier now replaced by a bright smile. “You’re amazing! You look like a real director up there! And you picked a great lead pair, too!”

Qingli looped her arm around Ye Qiong’s, smiling proudly. “Of course—I’m the mom, after all.”

Ye Qiong tilted her head, studying her. Her smile deepened. “You look so much healthier now. That puts me at ease.”

Qingli batted her lashes. “Since you’re here, don’t even think about leaving right away. I’ve got a scene this afternoon that needs a princess. Wanna help me out with a cameo?”

“Sure!”

Laughing and chatting, the two walked over to the rest area. Spotting only a few main cast members nearby, Ye Qiong lowered her voice and said, “Today’s the launch day for Imperial Power. The gossip accounts have been shading Phoenix Slaying all morning. But you haven’t made a move at all?”

Qingli smirked mischievously. “You think I haven’t made a move?”

Ye Qiong looked puzzled.

Qingli opened her laptop and handed it to Ye Qiong, showing her a pre-edited video. “Here.”

Ye Qiong clicked play. After just a glance, her eyes lit up.

—

Imperial Power launched on September 11th.

Two months later than Phoenix Slaying.

But because of the complicated history and overlapping teams behind both projects, on Imperial Power’s launch day, the gossip blogs all began churning out posts, whether paid or just trying to ride the hype.

—Today marks the official launch of Imperial Power! Lead character stills were released ages ago—stunning visuals! Real actors with real training. Even the stills radiate chemistry! 📷]

—[Imperial Power began filming today at H City Film Studios. The show boasts an original script written by a team of top screenwriters. The political, palace, and family intrigue rival that of Phoenix Slaying!]

—[With a strong lead cast and a powerhouse creative team, Imperial Power is already shaping up to surpass Phoenix Slaying.]

Say something often enough, and people start to believe it. Though Imperial Power didn’t have an original script, and the public didn’t know much about its plot, with all these marketing accounts comparing it to Phoenix Slaying and claiming its creative team was superior, the conclusion seemed obvious: Imperial Power would come out on top.

Fans of Su Yan and Zhao Muyun, along with confused bystanders, started cheering.

When behind-the-scenes launch photos surfaced, Su Yan’s handsome visuals and Zhao Muyun’s cool beauty became the new fan obsessions, and the topic shot to the top of the trending charts.

[Ahhh, our boy is so handsome! Way better styling than the other show!]

[Zhao Muyun is so gorgeous! Goddess level!]

[Imperial Power forever! Makes the other crew look like an amateur workshop. Their leads don’t even have a single iconic role—zero star power!]

Phoenix Slaying fans initially ignored it—until they saw 8 out of every 10 comments trashing their show. That’s when they snapped and fired back with screenshots from the previous teaser:
[Open your eyes—Ning Xi’s not handsome? Kong Li’s not pretty? Way better-looking than your faves!]

Fans of Su Yan and company responded:
[Those screenshots are ancient! Who knows what the show even looks like now?]

Angered, Phoenix Slaying fans flooded their own official Weibo account, begging for some leaks.

Ever since filming resumed, Phoenix Slaying had run a tight ship. Not even paparazzi could get any material.

Fans had been asking for behind-the-scenes updates for weeks, but the show’s official account was so quiet it felt abandoned. Everyone assumed this time would be the same.

But then, just as Imperial Power was gaining serious momentum, a 90-second teaser dropped out of nowhere.

Within ten minutes, it shot to the top of the trending charts, kicking Imperial Power out of the No.1 spot:
[#StunningTeaser#]

Phoenix Slaying fans went wild, tagging everyone who had argued with them earlier:
[Come on over! Come see what a real show looks like when it’s made by its own mother!]

[I can’t! This teaser is cinema-level quality! You’d never guess this was a rookie director’s work. Could it be that He Tianzhuo didn’t direct the original scenes—was it the screenwriter, Liuli, pulling the strings behind the scenes?!]

[Where’s all the trash talkers from earlier? Come say something after you’ve watched this!]

One user—who’d just been arguing fiercely in defense of Imperial Power—quietly commented:
[Still here. Just… let me watch it two more times first.]