Is This How the Entertainment Industry Works? (GL) - Chapter 4

She handed the script to Yan Zhen.

Yan Zhen opened it to read.

Lu Ming pointed to a name in the supporting cast list. “It’s this person, Huo Lu.”

Yan Zhen was still hesitant.

Lu Ming pleaded, “Please, just help out. There are only a few people in this whole village. The director said if the movie does well at the box office, he’ll build a railway in the mountains.”

That would be a good deed, a way to accumulate good karma. But would this movie really do well? Yan Zhen thought about it and said, “Okay, fine.”

The two of them looked at the script. Lu Ming, who already knew the story, opened the summary and began to explain it to Yan Zhen.

The story is about a woman who is kidnapped and taken into the mountains. After struggling without hope, she is eventually recognized as the “Most Beautiful Rural Teacher.” This kidnapped woman is the female lead. She was originally a wealthy heiress, but after settling in the deep mountains, she gradually assimilated. Years later, her biological mother finds her, but the female lead doesn’t want to leave. Instead, she conspires with outsiders to steal her biological parents’ money to help the poor children in the mountains, a truly moving and world-changing act.

Yan Zhen asked, “Doesn’t the plot seem a little strange?”

Lu Ming said, “Don’t worry about it. Any script that makes money is a good script.”

She then highlighted the important parts for Yan Zhen: Huo Lu is the female lead’s biological mother. Her character is a cold, strong woman, but she cries her heart out when she loses her daughter. From then on, her deliberately cold demeanor shatters into a fragile desperation. This role doesn’t require many expressions. It’s a convenient role for someone with a stoic face, which Yan Zhen felt was perfect.

She told Lu Ming, “I can play this role.”

“That’s great!” Lu Ming nodded.

The two of them walked to the film studio.

Director Wang poked his head out from behind the blue curtain and saw Yan Zhen. He asked Lu Ming, “Is this the supporting actress you found? The delivery girl?”

“Yes!” Lu Ming said with a smile. “My new good friend.”

Director Wang couldn’t believe it. He sized Yan Zhen up from head to toe with his beady eyes but couldn’t find a single redeeming feature.

“Fine, do a quick audition,” Director Wang said. He chose a scene where Huo Lu argues with her ex-husband. “This one,” Director Wang said. “I’ll be the ex-husband. You read your lines to me.”

Yan Zhen glanced at the script and then closed it.

Director Wang asked, “You don’t need the script?”

Yan Zhen shook her head. Then, in a low voice, she suddenly said, “Enough.”

The tone seemed to lack presence, and Director Wang shook his head.

Then, Yan Zhen shouted, “Enough!”

Director Wang was startled and quickly took a sip of tea to calm his nerves.

In the script, the line was only said once. But saying it twice had a completely different effect. The first time showed suppressed pain, and the second showed an explosion of anger. It was brilliant! This person was extraordinary. Director Wang quickly drank his tea, motioning for her to continue.

Half a second later, Yan Zhen slowly raised her eyes. They seemed ordinary, but if you looked closely, there was a murderous glint, which quickly dissipated, turning into a helpless rage.

Lu Ming, standing behind Director Wang, saw that look and couldn’t help but say, “Calm down…” This was exactly the ex-husband’s line from the script. Yan Zhen was able to move the plot forward with just one look. This was more than enough for an audition. Short and powerful.

Director Wang said, with satisfaction, “I never thought there’d be such a talented person in the mountains. Alright, come on Wednesday morning for the shoot. Remember to read the script and memorize your lines.”

Yan Zhen quickly snapped out of character. “Okay.”

Director Wang took off running to the next film set to eat meat.

Lu Ming stood there, touching her face, which felt a little sore. “You said you couldn’t act?”

Yan Zhen said, “I just haven’t acted before. And what I just did doesn’t really count as acting.” It was more of an authentic performance. In the palace, she often had to act—playing the part of a villain, a loyal subject, or whatever the emperor wanted to see. After a long time, these personas became ingrained in her bones, a kind of second nature.

Yan Zhen was not sure how well she would perform when the real filming began, given she had only spoken four words.

After recovering from her shock, Lu Ming took Yan Zhen on a tour of their film set. The set wasn’t large, but it had many props. At the foot of the mountain were a few tombstones, which Lu Ming walked past without a second thought.

Yan Zhen said, “Be careful.”

Lu Ming looked back. “Don’t worry, they’re just two small stones. They won’t trip me.”

Yan Zhen corrected her. “I’m not worried about you. I’m worried about the stones.”

Lu Ming sighed. “So I’m not even as important as two stones.”

Yan Zhen asked, “Do you know what these stones are?”

“What kind of stones? Fossils? Meteorites?”

Yan Zhen shook her head. “They’re someone’s ancestral graves.”

Lu Ming’s spine immediately went cold, and her perspective of the mountain changed instantly. “This whole mountain isn’t a burial ground, is it?”

“It’s not that bad,” Yan Zhen said, shaking her head. “As long as you’re respectful, these spirits won’t harm you.”

Lu Ming heard this and thought about her near-fatal fall from the cliff. Could it have been because she disrespected someone’s ancestral graves? This is going to kill me! Lu Ming quickly bowed to the tombstones. When she looked down, she couldn’t help but think, These tombstones look so old and broken.

After passing that side of the mountain, they arrived at another film set. Yan Zhen recognized it as the one where she had delivered food for the first time. Inside, someone was practicing swordplay. The sound of metal clashing rang out.

Yan Zhen asked in surprise, “What kind of movie is that?”

“That’s a big-budget film called ‘General’s Order.’ It’s a magical story about a cross-dressing female general and an empress locked in a fierce battle.” Lu Ming pointed to the poster at the entrance. “Zhao Baoshang and Xu Fengmei are the two female leads. It’s already a hot topic before it has even premiered. Our movie is filming in the same village to leverage their popularity.”

“Zhao Baoshang? Xu Fengmei?” Yan Zhen felt like the names sounded familiar.

“Yep, one is an old film queen, and the other is an up-and-coming film queen,” Lu Ming said. She pondered for a moment and then had a realization. “Your voice sounds a lot like Xu Fengmei’s.”

“Really? I’ve never heard her speak,” Yan Zhen said.

“Well, it’s only for a moment; it doesn’t sound like it now,” Lu Ming said, shaking her head.

As the two of them discussed voices, three or four people walked out of the other studio, talking loudly. One person with a rough voice asked, “Where’s Zhao Baoshang? Where is she?!”

A refined voice said, “Xu Fengmei just arrived. She probably went to find her.”

“Damn it, doesn’t she know her scene is next?”

“What can we do? She’s rich, and she’s a film queen. We just have to put up with it.” The person who complained immediately fell silent.

Lu Ming said to Yan Zhen, “Hear that? Those are the two film queens.”

Yan Zhen nodded.

“Zhao Baoshang is a rich second-generation heiress. Her family has a lot of money, but she’s a fan of Xu Fengmei, so she invested a ton of money into the best resources and became a film queen at the beginning of this year,” Lu Ming said, gossiping with Yan Zhen.

Yan Zhen wasn’t very interested.

“And, I heard that Xu Fengmei is Zhao Baoshang’s lifesaver,” Lu Ming whispered.

“That’s interesting,” Yan Zhen said with a smile. “From their names and a look at their fate, Xu Fengmei doesn’t seem like the type to save someone.”

“You can tell that, too?” Lu Ming was astonished. “But many people know about this.”

Yan Zhen’s curiosity was piqued. “How did she save her?”

Lu Ming said, “Zhao Baoshang went missing a year ago, and Xu Fengmei rescued her in a hail of bullets. Since then, Zhao Baoshang has been deeply devoted to Xu Fengmei and will do anything for her.”

This story sounded familiar. Yan Zhen racked her brain for a long time but could only recall the person she rescued last night and that face that looked so much like the Eldest Princess. She smiled.

Lu Ming saw Yan Zhen’s smile and was momentarily dazzled. How can a plain, un-tanned girl have such a special charm when she smiles? Lu Ming asked curiously, “What are you thinking about? You’re smiling so happily.”

Yan Zhen said, with a straight face, “I was thinking of an old classmate.”

Lu Ming became intrigued. “You have schools here? I’ve been here for so many days and haven’t seen a single one.”

“Yes, but they’re small,” Yan Zhen said, pointing to a nearby gully in the mountains. “And they’re a bit far. There’s one over there with three elementary school classes and two middle school classes.”

Lu Ming asked, “What about high school?”

“High school is near another gully,” Yan Zhen said. She looked around, didn’t see any obvious buildings, and just pointed randomly.

Lu Ming asked, “Why aren’t you in class?”

“Our high school teacher got malaria a while ago and went back to the city,” Yan Zhen said. “So we don’t have a teacher anymore.”

Lu Ming sighed. “That’s a miserable life.”

Yan Zhen said, “It is, but once I earn some money, things will get better here.”

Lu Ming patted Yan Zhen on the shoulder. “You have great ambition, young lady.” She put the script in Yan Zhen’s pocket and instructed her, “Read this carefully. Director Wang might seem kind, but he’s actually very fierce.”

Yan Zhen nodded.

“And the other actors are also difficult. If you don’t act well, you’ll definitely get yelled at.”

Yan Zhen nodded again.

Lu Ming pushed Yan Zhen. “I’ve told you everything. You can go now.”

Yan Zhen touched the script. “Okay, then I’ll be on my way.”

The sun was scorching hot, making everyone feel agitated. Sweat soaked her back, making her feel damp and uncomfortable. Yan Zhen walked a few steps in the direction of her home but unexpectedly ran into Zhao Baoshang again.

Author’s Note:

Zhao Baoshang: Who? Who’s behind me again?!

Yan Zhen (nervous): Eldest Princess, don’t be afraid! I’m not a good person!