A Max-Level Film Queen Takes on the Scumbag Alpha Script [Transmigration] - Chapter 22

The Eternal Tribulation was a Xianxia drama. While the main plot revolved around Qingyao City and the Qingyao Sect, the script also contained many subplots that took place in wild forests and mountainous wilderness.

The filming base in City A could not provide the specific natural landscapes the crew needed. If they relied entirely on green screens and post-production keying, the costs would be astronomical, and the final visual effect would look artificial.

Therefore, before filming began, the directing team had notified every actor in the cast that they would later travel to various locations for on-site filming.

Jiang Baihe knew the day for location shooting would come sooner or later, but she hadn’t expected it to arrive so suddenly. However, she raised no objections and nodded in agreement.

This trip for scenery capture would take at least a month. After accepting the schedule, Jiang Baihe felt a bit dejected. She had finally managed to build a decent rapport with Little President Yan, and now they were about to be separated.

Normally, because they were both busy with their respective careers, they were already in a state of “meeting less and parting more.” Once she left City A to film in a few days, it would likely be even harder to see Yan Shu.

However, since she had chosen this profession and this identity, she would work hard to overcome whatever difficulties lay ahead. She always felt that she needed to become better and more outstanding to reach the summit and stand side-by-side with Yan Shu. Before that could happen, she had to pay her dues.

A short separation was inevitable. If she really couldn’t see Yan Shu for a month, then… she’d just have to drive a few hours back home to find her after wrapping a day’s shoot!

If the mountain will not come to me, I must go to the mountain.

Besides, the neighboring city wasn’t that far from City A. With that thought, Jiang Baihe felt much more at peace. She refocused her mind and reviewed the scenes to be filmed today.

She took everything Tang Yuan had told her to heart, not daring to be careless. Given her relationship with Shen Yun—where friction had already occurred off-camera before filming even started—the fact that they were filming an antagonistic scene today made things even more tense.

She remembered Tang Yuan mentioning that Shen Yun’s acting was poor, or rather, non-existent. Based on Tang Yuan’s character, she wouldn’t maliciously smear someone for no reason. If she said someone was bad, they were likely truly bad.

Under this premise, Jiang Baihe expected Shen Yun to be mediocre, but after the cameras actually rolled, she realized Shen Yun was even worse than she had imagined!

They had gone through nine takes already. Shen Yun either messed up her positioning and lines, or her facial expressions were completely off. Not only could she not handle Jiang Baihe’s performance, but she was also maliciously trying to block Jiang Baihe’s shots.

A few times she even tried to trip Jiang Baihe up, but the battle-hardened Jiang Baihe sensed it every time and dodged nimbly, causing Shen Yun to make mistakes and get scolded instead.

Finally, during the tenth take…

“CUT!!”

The voice coming from Song Zhishu’s megaphone was laced with a fury he could no longer suppress. He was so enraged that he ignored the investor backing Shen Yun, stood up from his small stool, and roared at her:

“Shen Yun! If this is all the skill you have, don’t bother coming back tomorrow!!”

“Ten-minute break! We’re doing it again after that!”

Originally, for the sake of the double investment she brought to the production, Song Zhishu had turned a blind eye to her being late and leaving early. However, he hadn’t expected her to be so reckless, even stirring up trouble during these few days of filming.

He had warned her yesterday not to be too arrogant, but Shen Yun had treated his words as wind in her ears, maintaining the same attitude today.

While Song Zhishu valued the investment, he had his principles regarding filmmaking. He would not allow anyone to slack off and waste resources. Was prop money not money? Was the venue rent not money? Was the crew’s time not money? Why should the whole team pay for her incompetence!

If the filming was going to be this difficult, he’d rather just replace the actor! He didn’t believe the show would die just because it lost one investor. The leads, Pei Xingyi and Tang Yuan, had the status and strength to back him up, and Jiang Baihe was an “anchor” herself—not to mention the Sihai Group behind her was a true titan.

Song Zhishu gulped down some cold water to lower his blood pressure while secretly calculating how he could find a legitimate reason to kick Shen Yun out of the crew.

Jiang Baihe, who had been dragged into multiple “N-G” (No Good) takes, returned to the sidelines and sat in her chair to rest. This was the most NGs she had ever had for a single scene in her entire career. She had to admit, Shen Yun was quite the “talent” in her own way.

Tang Yuan, who had been with the second unit, snuck over during the break. Her eyebrows were raised in an “I told you so” expression as she whispered to Jiang Baihe: “So? How does it feel to get stuck? What’s the vibe?”

Jiang Baihe raised her eyebrows, looked around to ensure they were alone, and then turned her wrist down, pointing her thumb toward the floor.

Correct. She was telling Tang Yuan that Shen Yun’s acting was indeed trash.

As the two chatted quietly, they failed to notice Shen Yun staring at them from a distance with eyes as poisonous as a snake.

“Sister Yun, maybe you should just focus on acting properly,” Shen Yun’s assistant said worriedly. “I think Director Song is genuinely furious…”

Hearing this, Shen Yun glared at her assistant, making the girl shrink back and hide.

“You think I don’t want to film properly!” Shen Yun hissed, her fingers twisting her costume’s hem.

At first, she indeed wanted to sabotage Jiang Baihe on purpose, making her look foolish during their scenes to prove to everyone that the rookie didn’t deserve the role. But she never expected that Jiang Baihe—despite being a newcomer—had technical foundations even more solid than Tang Yuan’s! After several rounds, she hadn’t managed to trap Jiang Baihe; she had only sabotaged herself.

By the time she wanted to calm down and find her rhythm, she realized her “feel” for the scene was completely gone! Furthermore, her opponent, Jiang Baihe, was experienced, powerful, and completely dominated her in terms of “aura.” Shen Yun couldn’t withstand the pressure and began making frequent mistakes. Her mind and body simply wouldn’t enter a normal acting state.

“No! If this continues, my role won’t be safe!”

Shen Yun wasn’t stupid; she knew how to survive in the industry and maintain her “traffic star” status. She knew her blunders today had made Song Zhishu consider replacement. If she kept this up, she would be the one to suffer. But since she couldn’t get into character today, leaving the set would make her a laughingstock for the entire crew.

She needed a perfect excuse to stop today’s filming—one that would shift the blame for her poor state onto something else.

“You forced me to this, Jiang Baihe!”

Shen Yun bit her lip and beckoned her assistant over. She whispered something into the girl’s ear. The assistant’s expression changed from confusion to surprise, and finally to panic. She stammered, “But Sister Yun, this Jiang Baihe… she seems to be from Sihai…”

“If Sihai Entertainment really wanted to protect her, she wouldn’t have been blacklisted on the trending charts so many times!”

Shen Yun cut her off, pinching the assistant’s arm hard and snarling, “Whose assistant are you! Are you not going to listen to me!?”

The assistant endured the pain in her arm, not daring to cry out. She knew that if she made a sound, a more vicious verbal lashing would follow. She lowered her eyes, a flash of disgust and resentment hidden deep within them, but she complied: “Fine, I’ll go get it now!”

She was sick of these days of being berated and ordered around. Since Shen Yun was being heartless, she wouldn’t be loyal either.

Take 11.

Unaware of Shen Yun’s plot, Jiang Baihe closed her eyes to adjust her state, making sure she wouldn’t be affected by her opponent. In this scene, Jiang Baihe was supposed to grab Shen Yun by the neck and swing her aside. A green safety mat was placed at the landing spot to ensure Shen Yun wouldn’t actually be hurt.

In the previous failed takes, Shen Yun had intentionally let herself fall several times. She wanted to frame Jiang Baihe for being “too forceful” with the neck-grab or the swing—trying to brand her as someone who used work to settle personal grudges.

Unfortunately, her acting was poor. Jiang Baihe saw through her every time. Consequently, Jiang Baihe’s movements looked fierce but actually carried zero force. When they checked for marks during the NG breaks, Shen Yun’s neck was perfectly clean. As for the swing, Jiang Baihe would give the illusion of throwing her, but before the hand even followed through, Shen Yun would throw herself to the ground. The cameras captured everything, and the blame never stuck to Jiang Baihe.

Now, for the eleventh take, Jiang Baihe was on high alert.

As she performed the swing, the crew held their collective breath, hoping Shen Yun wouldn’t drop the ball again. Jiang Baihe saw Shen Yun looking normal and thought she had finally entered the role, so she immersed herself in the moment.

Suddenly, a scent hit her face. It was as if someone had spilled a cup of hot milk nearby, and the smell spread instantly.

Jiang Baihe realized something was wrong the moment the scent appeared. she immediately let go of Shen Yun’s neck and tried to pull back, but it was too late. Shen Yun fell to the ground again, but this time, with tears in her eyes, she looked at Jiang Baihe and said:

“Baihe, I know my performance hasn’t been great today, but… did you really have to use your pheromones to suppress an Omega like me?”

Jiang Baihe, who had dodged a thousand bullets only to be hit by a “black pot” anyway: “…?”