Is This How the Entertainment Industry Works? (GL) - Chapter 33

Although the other people in the cast weren’t very famous, they had all passed their auditions based on sheer strength. Upon seeing Yan Zhen, they were somewhat disdainful.

Only one person ran up, holding a notebook, and handed it to Yan Zhen, stammering, “I… I watched your entire competition. You’re truly incredible! Could I get an autograph?”

Yan Zhen smiled and said, “Of course.”

She took the pen and was just about to sign when she heard a cold snort from Zhao Baoshang. Yan Zhen’s hand trembled slightly, and she finished signing quickly.

The small actor who asked for the autograph still lingered, circling around Yan Zhen. Zhao Baoshang didn’t say a word, but after a moment, she couldn’t hold back anymore and pulled Yan Zhen into a small private lounge.

A man in an overcoat was sitting inside. Zhao Baoshang paused, wondering if she should find another room to lecture her little fan.

The man inside had already noticed them. He turned around to greet Zhao Baoshang, “Zhao Er, you’re here early.”

Zhao Baoshang nodded. Pointing to the man, she introduced him to Yan Zhen: “This is Director Xu Yang.”

Yan Zhen bowed and offered her greetings. Director Xu stood up, looked Yan Zhen up and down, and asked, “You’re playing Qing Zhu?”

“Mhm.”

“Have you read the script?”

Yan Zhen nodded.

Director Xu suddenly spoke harshly: “Then why did you come here with such a plain face? You don’t look like Qing Zhu at all.”

Zhao Baoshang countered on Yan Zhen’s behalf, “We haven’t started acting yet, why put on makeup?”

Director Xu huffed, “You still have to show the right attitude.”

Yan Zhen remained silent. Zhao Baoshang snapped back at Director Xu a few more times, eventually threatening to fire him. Director Xu didn’t dare complain further, but he grew even more dissatisfied with Yan Zhen’s role. He had seen The Most Beautiful Rural Teacher and knew Yan Zhen had some acting skills, but what use was that?

The persona of Qing Zhu was completely different from the mother of the female lead. Just because the previous film was a hit didn’t mean she could get into character for this one. Besides, she was someone who had gotten in through the back door. Director Xu’s impression of Yan Zhen hit rock bottom.

He asked Yan Zhen, “What are your thoughts on this character?”

Yan Zhen said unhurriedly, “Mainly two points: one is being low-profile, the other is being ruthless.”

Director Xu chewed on those two words and felt Yan Zhen was talking nonsense. “Fine, then do as you say and let’s try a screen test.” He turned to Zhao Baoshang. “No problem with that, right?”

Zhao Baoshang’s expression was indifferent as she nodded.

Xu Yang pointed out a segment. It was a scene between the female lead and Qing Zhu. The background: after returning home to find her family destroyed, the female lead is devastated. She buries her family and kneels on the ground without speaking, eating, or drinking until she is half-conscious. She is eventually found by her maid, Qing Zhu.

When Qing Zhu finds her, the lead has been kneeling all night. Her knees and forehead are covered in dried brown blood, and she is mindless, like a walking corpse. This breaks Qing Zhu’s heart. She calls out the lead’s name loudly, but gets no response. Qing Zhu has to carry the lead to a carriage and change her clothes. Once the lead wakes up, Qing Zhu calmly counsels and guides her to live on so that she can seek revenge in the future.

In this segment, the female lead is almost entirely silent. Whether the scene holds up depends entirely on Qing Zhu’s performance.

Xu Yang intentionally made it difficult for Yan Zhen, increasing the challenge: “Although there were supposed to be props, it’s inconvenient to get them now. Just make do and start acting.” He tossed the script to Yan Zhen and pointed at Zhao Baoshang, telling her to sit on the stool and stay still. He left the rest to Yan Zhen’s improvisation.

A photographer happened to walk in. Xu Yang pointed at him and said, “Come over and film this; it’s a screen test.”

Director Xu asked Yan Zhen, “Are you ready?”

“Ready,” Yan Zhen said.

As the words fell, the black lens focused on Yan Zhen, reflecting a beam of white light. In the next second, Yan Zhen transformed from gentle to tense. Her eyes seemed calm, but upon closer look, one could see a storm brewing within.

Director Xu and the photographer were both stunned. Only Zhao Baoshang sat coldly on the stool, looking at Yan Zhen with a faint smile in her eyes. She knew Yan Zhen would act well. Since the little fan is so obsessed with me, she’ll surely work very hard to act opposite me.

The red light on the camera flashed. Yan Zhen knelt slowly on the ground, gripped Zhao Baoshang’s hand tightly, and whispered, “Miss.”

Zhao Baoshang’s eyes widened slightly. That “Miss,” for some reason, seemed to contain immense emotion. Zhao Baoshang felt as though someone had called her that a long time ago. Hearing it again, she felt an urge to cry.

Yan Zhen began to recite the lines: “The deed is done. I hope Miss will not be too grieved. You must pull yourself together; your parents’ funeral still requires your management.”

There was no response. Qing Zhu was not discouraged. She spoke each word slowly yet powerfully: “Miss, the villains want your life now. If you lose heart, you are falling right into their trap.”

The lead, Ning An, leaned against the back of the chair, looking down at Qing Zhu. Her emotions were hidden. The wind rustled the curtains.

Qing Zhu suddenly squeezed Ning An’s palm: “Miss, answer me!”

Ning An remained silent, looking lifeless. Qing Zhu’s grip grew tighter, almost digging into Ning An’s flesh. Finally, Ning An’s brow twitched. Qing Zhu seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and whispered, “Miss.” This “Miss” was soft and helpless, encompassing a multitude of emotions.

Director Xu was dumbfounded. He knew Yan Zhen was an actress who could grasp emotions, but seeing it in person was breathtaking. The photographer looked at the footage and asked Xu Yang, “Should I delete the screen test?”

“Delete? Delete my foot!” Xu Yang slapped the photographer’s shoulder. “This might become our promotional trailer.”

That talent show champion actually has this much skill. Previous champions were never this good; this person really is a monster.

After filming, Director Xu and the photographer walked out together, discussing how to edit the shot for better promotion. Outside, the extras were getting ready for lunch, and the set was becoming lively.

Zhao Baoshang pulled Yan Zhen into the dressing room, her eyes red. She stared at Yan Zhen for a moment before saying, “My Love Gu is acting up.”

As she gripped Yan Zhen’s forearm tighter, a blush appeared on her cold face.

“How could it just—” Yan Zhen was in disbelief.

“It’s all because of you,” Zhao Baoshang said.

It was because the little fan’s acting was too good; those eyes were completely seducing her. Such an unprincipled little fan. Zhao Baoshang sat on a chair, pulled Yan Zhen into her arms, and looked into her sparkling eyes. Seeing them filled with her reflection, her heart felt full too.

Then she thought: When filming ‘The Most Beautiful Rural Teacher,’ did these eyes look at others with this same watery tenderness? No! The little fan can only look at me!

Zhao Baoshang wore a sour face and said sternly, “From now on, you’re only allowed to film with me.”

Yan Zhen smiled and said, “Alright.”

Hearing this promise, Zhao Baoshang’s face softened. She stroked Yan Zhen’s back, then flipped over to pin her down, using “reward” as an excuse to kiss her face all over.

There was still half a month before school started. Yan Zhen told Director Xu about her schooling, so he arranged to film her scenes first. Before starting, Director Xu asked, “How do you think our movie will do? Will it be a hit?”

Yan Zhen nodded. “Of course.” Director Xu didn’t take it literally but felt much more at peace. “I’ll take your auspicious word for it.”

Filming officially began. In the script, Ning An was originally a girl who hated studying, constantly opposed her parents, and loved nothing more than eating and playing—she was raised like a bratty boy. One night, her family was slaughtered, leaving only Ning An and her maid Qing Zhu, who had escaped by exploring the mountains.

Ning An vowed revenge. She narrowed it down to three suspects. Because she was kind-hearted, she didn’t want to take revenge on the wrong person, so she visited various people in Qing Shan City to find clues. A teahouse owner, a tailor, a beggar… six people provided different fragments. She pieced together the truth and identified the killer. However, the killer was powerful and highly placed. To get close, she had to win the title of Martial Arts Alliance Leader. For this, Ning An constantly studied medicine and martial arts in secret. Just when she thought she was succeeding, the clues shifted again…

The scene to be filmed today was Qing Zhu accompanying Ning An to the mountains to steal bird eggs. The two got up early. Qing Zhu put a grey outer coat on Ning An and tied a burlap belt, dressing her like a servant.

“Miss, I spoke to Que’er this morning. The back gate is open; we can go at any time.”

Ning An nodded. “Well done.”

The two walked toward the backyard. The cloth shoes were a bit uncomfortable on the stone path. Ning An walked two steps and hopped onto a stone bench. Qing Zhu immediately knelt, asking nervously, “Miss, are where are you uncomfortable?”

Ning An’s brow furrowed tightly. “My feet hurt.”

Qing Zhu lifted one of Ning An’s feet onto her knee. “I’m afraid the shoes are too small.”

Ning An’s expression dimmed. “Mhm.”

Director Xu and the assistant director were stunned. The assistant asked, “That’s not in the script, is it?”

Director Xu mused, “It definitely isn’t.”

“Is Zhao Er improvising?”

“Let’s watch first,” Xu Yang said.

In the backyard, Qing Zhu took off Ning An’s shoe, supported her calf, and pressed her sole to massage it. Ning An looked down at Qing Zhu, her expression dazed, as if she were remembering something.

Qing Zhu looked up to meet Ning An’s gaze. “Miss played with those commoners yesterday and might have strained your muscles. How about we don’t go to the back mountain today?”

Ning An didn’t answer. Qing Zhu’s hand grew tired from massaging. “Miss, change feet.”

Ning An dazed for a moment, then said to Qing Zhu, “You… look up at me again.”

“Miss?” Qing Zhu looked up in confusion.

Ning An looked at Qing Zhu as if she had never truly looked at her in this lifetime. The more she looked, the warmer her heart felt. Just as Qing Zhu was about to ask something, Director Xu stood up and roared: “STOP!! Stop, stop, stop!”

Zhao Baoshang stopped and turned her face toward Director Xu, looking cold enough to explode. Yan Zhen trotted over. “As long as the general plot doesn’t change, it’s fine, right? We’re going to the back mountain in a bit.”

“Fine my foot!” Director Xu almost jumped. “You’ve been massaging feet for ten minutes! Are you going to go to heaven to steal bird eggs later?!”

Zhao Baoshang looked up at him. “That’s not impossible.”

Director Xu was so angry he nearly spat blood. “You’re crazy!”

Zhao Baoshang was haughty: “I bought the script.”

Director Xu was furious: “I truly believed your nonsense!!”

Yan Zhen felt bad for Director Xu’s throat and handed him a candy. “It was indeed a bit long. I don’t know why it turned out like that,” she said apologetically.

Director Xu’s anger was stuck in his throat. He looked at Yan Zhen, then at Zhao Baoshang, knowing Zhao Baoshang had led Yan Zhen astray. But what was Zhao Baoshang trying to do? He couldn’t understand it.

“Follow the script!” Director Xu commanded.

Yan Zhen agreed, and seeing her agree, Zhao Baoshang reluctantly complied. They filmed all morning. Because they followed the script and their skills were evident, many shots were done in one take.

“You’re actually quite good when you take it seriously,” Director Xu praised them. “Go touch up your makeup after lunch. We’re filming the fight scenes this afternoon.”