Xiao Wenqiang then cleared her schedule according to Director Wang Lei's request. She also went to the production studio for costume fitting and styling, where she coincidentally met Qiao Jie, the costume and styling artist who had worked with her on the set of "Yi Hua Lu" as a body double for Hua Li.
"Qiao Jie, we're in the same crew again, this is fantastic!" Xiao Wenqiang still remembered that it was Qiao Jie who recommended her to the "Forensic Files" crew, and she was still very grateful.
However, afterwards, she and Qiao Jie were busy working in different crews and didn't have time to meet, only exchanging greetings and updates on "Weibo."
"Yes! The last time I saw you, you were still a bit-part actress, and now you're the lead. You've progressed so quickly!" Qiao Jie also sighed. Although she knew Su Ling was no ordinary person back then, she never expected that in just three years, she would have won the Golden Dragon Award for Best Supporting Actress.
"It's all thanks to Qiao Jie for giving me a hand back then." Xiao Wenqiang sincerely thanked everyone who had helped her on her acting journey.
"I didn't do much; it's mainly your own talent. If your acting hadn't impressed the director, my recommendation would have been useless," Qiao Jie said while doing her styling, chatting with her. "Little Su, can I still call you that?"
After receiving Xiao Wenqiang's affirmative reply, she continued, "I believe that with your talent, it won't be long before the Golden Dragon Award for Best Actress is yours!"
"Haha, thank you, Qiao Jie, for your encouragement. I will definitely work hard to film," Xiao Wenqiang said, not being modest.
Qiao Jie also liked her personality, "I'm not just saying this! From the first time I saw you act, I knew you were a good actress who truly dedicated herself to refining her craft…"
Since two roles were still undecided, Director Wang was meticulous with every character. Therefore, after the costume and makeup were finalized, Xiao Wenqiang unexpectedly had some free time again.
During this period, her first TV series as the lead actress, "The Fox Demon Chronicle," premiered.
Su Ling now had many fans. As soon as the show started, the bullet screen was already filled with enthusiastic viewers.
〈Haha, I'm first, claiming the couch!〉
〈Looking forward to it, my little Ling'er has a new drama to follow~〉
〈Su Ling, Su Ling, I love you, Nightingale will always support you!〉
〈Fans of the "Ling Chen Duo" send their congratulations from the front line~〉
〈This is Su Ling's first drama as the lead, so I definitely have to support it!〉
〈I heard the lead actress in this drama is the "Best Supporting Actress" from the Golden Dragon Awards, so her acting should be good~〉
...
"The Fox Demon Chronicle" had a total of twenty-six episodes, with two episodes aired daily, concluding the entire series in thirteen days. On the day the finale aired, several trending topics related to the drama appeared on the "Weibo" platform.
#TheFoxDemonChronicle! Heartbreaking! Heartbreaking! Heartbreaking!#
#Fang Xiaoxiao's ending is too tragic#
#Fang Xiaoxiao and Chen Zilong's past and present lives#
#Su Ling's fox demon is super charming#
#Su Ling and Zhao Tianhao are so well-matched#
Under each trending topic, netizens left numerous comments. Su Ling's performance in this drama made her even more famous, and it also generated many CP fans of her and the male lead, Zhao Tianhao.
〈If we're talking about being well-matched, I think Situ Chen and Su Ling are more so~〉
〈Right, right. One Best Actor, one Best Supporting Actress, aren't they a match made in heaven?〉
〈Shouldn't the Best Actor be paired with the Best Actress? I'm not arguing~〉
〈Situ Chen and Su Ling's romance in that drama wasn't one-on-one, but this one with Zhao Tianhao is at least one-on-one~〉
〈This is a love story spanning past and present lives, but sadly it's a tragedy~〉
〈The director and scriptwriters are too cruel, sniffle~〉
While everyone was passionately discussing "The Fox Demon Chronicle," Xiao Wenqiang had already packed her bags and was preparing to join Director Wang Lei's crew for "Mother's Love."
This movie mainly tells the story of Liu Lirong, a divorced mother raising her child alone, who, upon learning that her only daughter Liu Xuan committed suicide, gradually uncovers the truth behind her daughter's death, only to discover that her daughter was driven to suicide by cyberbullies.
Later, the police discovered several more homicides in the area, with the victims being stabbed and their ten fingers severed. The police formed an investigation team and eventually discovered that the killer was Liu Lirong, the grieving mother from the beginning.
Liu Xuan was a university student. On her mother's birthday, she ordered a local express delivery to send a birthday gift to her mother, who worked as a kitchen assistant in a restaurant. The delivery driver was someone who frequently delivered food to their school. Upon learning that Liu Xuan was sending a birthday gift to her mother, he thought she was very filial and offered to deliver it for free.
Liu Xuan also thought the delivery driver was a very kind person, so she posted about it in the local forum's "Good Deeds" section.
Initially, it was a positive event, and many netizens praised the delivery driver and Liu Xuan. Then, a local cyberbully began to verbally abuse Liu Xuan, calling her disgusting and hypocritical for using someone else's hard-earned money to express her filial piety.
Subsequently, a few others surprisingly agreed with this viewpoint, jointly condemning Liu Xuan and even doxing her information. They then embellished the story, removing context, and posted it on larger platforms.
Liu Xuan was thus subjected to online bullying by people across the country who were unaware of the full story. She received an overwhelming amount of abuse on various communication platforms daily. Unable to withstand the pressure of public opinion, Liu Xuan, who had not yet entered society, chose to commit suicide.
Her mother, Liu Lirong, found evidence of her daughter being cyberbullied on her daughter's social media accounts. Following various clues, she tracked down the initial cyberbullies through the internet. To avenge her daughter, Liu Lirong used various methods to enter the homes of those keyboard warriors who wantonly insulted others from behind their keyboards, killed them, and then severed all ten of their fingers.
After filming for a few days, one evening Situ Chen contacted Xiao Wenqiang, stating that his own crew had a day off the next day and he wanted to visit her on set.
Xiao Wenqiang naturally did not refuse.
When Situ Chen arrived, the crew was in the middle of filming. So, he quietly walked behind Director Wang Lei's monitor and watched them film without a word.
Liu Lirong (Xiao Wenqiang) was finally apprehended by the police and was being interrogated by Officer Wang in the interrogation room.
"On August 23rd, August 30th, September 2nd, and September 5th, were the four murder cases with the severance of ten fingers of the victims that occurred in this city all committed by you?"
"Yes," Liu Lirong (Xiao Wenqiang) replied expressionlessly, her head bowed.
"Why did you do this? They were all young lives, the youngest even only nineteen years old!" Officer Wang was furious.
"Why? Because they all deserved to die!" Liu Lirong (Xiao Wenqiang) suddenly looked up and glared at him fiercely, "You're defending them, so you're not a good person either!"
"You, a serial killer, are talking to me about being a good person?" Officer Wang was speechless.
"I was just avenging my囡囡." Liu Lirong (Xiao Wenqiang)'s gaze shifted from madness to a gradual softening, "囡囡, I'm sorry. There's only one more left. Mother couldn't kill all the people who harmed you. Mother is sorry for you!"
For a moment, the interrogation room was filled only with the weeping of Liu Lirong (Xiao Wenqiang), the mother...
"Good! Cut!" Director Wang was very satisfied and praised Situ Chen, who was standing nearby, "How was it? Not bad compared to you, right?"