After filming began, the crew of "The Vanished Murder" faced its first problem - Song Jing's lines did not meet the requirements of Lu Ming and Fan Cong. Although the film was directed by Lu Ming, the script was designed by Fan Cong, and the core of the story was entirely structured by Fan Cong. Therefore, Fan Cong also had a certain degree of authority within the crew.

Not only did Song Jing not memorize his lines, but his understanding of the script was also superficial, suggesting he may not have put in any effort before joining the production.

The roles played by Ji Yan, He Qing, and Yu Qian were all fine, including Yang Le, whose idol character was initially portrayed as brainless and whose only requirement was to be cool. However, Song Jing's character, the doctor, was different. The film "The Vanishing Murder" brings together stereotypes about various professions.

At least in his first appearance, Tang Shi was portrayed as a rigid and fastidious person.

But Song Jing couldn't portray it.

"Cut." Another take ended, and Lu Ming looked directly at Song Jing, his expression already quite unpleasant. "I just told you, didn't I? You need to grasp this role."

"Sorry, sorry." Song Jing apologized, saying he wouldn't do it again next time, but after the NG, he still perfunctorily glanced at two pages of the script, and did the same thing again during the next shoot.

He Qing felt like he'd worn a patina on his wrist after filming such a simple scene for so long. He thought Ji Yan was going to say something, but when he looked down, Ji Yan was looking at the script again.

He Qing couldn't help but ask Ji Yan, "Aren't you angry?"

Ji Yan looked at him instead: "Why am I angry?"

Song Jing's actions are not the one that has let him down.

He Qing squatted down next to Ji Yan and casually flipped through the books Ji Yan had brought. They were mostly mystery novels set in isolated islands. He Qing patted Ji Yan and said, "Lend me one."

"You can take them all; I've already read them all."

Thanks.

As an actor, he usually deals with scripts the most. He Qing hadn't seriously finished reading a book in a long time, especially a dry professional book. Although Ji Yan didn't have any professional books on hand, He Qing had seen Ji Yan studying those books when filming "Young Love Poems". He found it hard to imagine where Ji Yan's patience came from. Having seen the glamorous world of the entertainment industry, he knew that actors like Song Jing were not uncommon.

...

"start!"

After Lu Ming gave the order to start filming, he stared at the monitor. In the shot, Ji Yan's state perfectly matched Lu Ming's requirements for the role. As soon as he shouted "action," Ji Yan could immediately get into filming mode. There was no trace of a popular star in him. He was just an ordinary-looking programmer who had all his brilliance hidden.

Before filming began, Lu Ming was a little worried. After all, Ji Yan was the only big star in the "Disappearing Murder" crew. Putting aside everything else, if there were any conflicts between crews, tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of fans would rush over, and no one in the crew could handle it.

In fact, Ji Yan is even more dedicated than Lu Ming imagined. Since filming began, he has had a good relationship with the staff and other actors, and there has never been any diva behavior from him.

Conversely, Song Jing...

Lu Ming even regretted inviting Song Jing back then. Even if he had found an actor with no filming experience, he probably wouldn't have been able to slack off like Song Jing.

Of course, inviting Ji Yan also has its downsides. Once such a star-studded actor appears in a movie, the audience will either guess that he is the final boss or that he is the only good guy, which will affect the suspense of the movie itself to some extent.

Of course, if used well, it can also be a smokescreen to mislead the audience.

In the video, Ji Yan looks at He Qing with a helpless expression: "I'm Boss Xue's employee, here to help him solve some technical problems."

His expression was hidden behind his black-rimmed glasses, and compared to the bright-eyed others, there was nothing unusual about him.

“Xiao Cheng is someone I brought back. He’s a student from a prestigious university, Peking University, ever heard of it? He’s a graduate of Peking University.” He Qing, playing Xue Song, flaunted his numerous rings. “I, Old Xue, only studied for half a year in junior high school before dropping out. But so what if you graduated from a prestigious university? You’re still here to work for me, aren’t you?”

Cheng Yuan wasn't annoyed by Xue Song's words; he simply stopped and continued with his work.

Piano teacher Cen Xuzhi showed a disgusted expression upon hearing this. Cen Xuzhi pursued high art, but due to unforeseen circumstances, she was unable to become an artist and could only remain an ordinary music teacher at the university.

She despised nouveau riche like Xue Song.

In the shadows of the camera, in a corner unnoticed by anyone, Cheng Yuan gave Cen Xuzhi an enigmatic look.

"President Xue, I want to be in Director Zeng's film. Can you really help me get in touch?" Qin Yuan is exactly the kind of idol that girls like the most these days. He has a lively personality and knows how to work, but his looks are actually a bit lacking. However, Qin Yuan doesn't care. As long as he finds a few meticulous staff members to turn off the unedited photos and has a few big fans to heavily Photoshop him, even if fans who see him in person are disillusioned, how many fans can actually see his real face?

"No problem, no problem," Xue Song replied casually.

Then, the camera focused on Song Jing, who played Tang Shi.

Tang Shi's very first appearance revealed his obsessive-compulsive nature; he was constantly wiping himself with alcohol wipes, and his overall image gave off a strict but harsh feeling.

Lu Ming's brows furrowed involuntarily.

Song Jing's performance still felt off; he seemed detached from the script. In his performance, Lu Ming saw more of Song Jing as a person than of Tang Shi as a character.

"Song Jing, come here for a moment."

Filming has been suspended again.

Overall, the filming of "The Vanished Murder" was not complicated, because the scenes in the script were mostly filmed in a hotel, unlike "Young Love Poems" which had a lot of outdoor scenes. So the filming schedule wouldn't be too long, and it would have been finished in a little over three months at most. However, Song Jing delayed the entire crew's filming schedule.

Lu Ming never expected that the problem would arise from him.

Not long after Song Jing was called in, Ji Yan and the others were drinking water and eating fruit on the side. But after a while, the noise inside got louder. At first, only Lu Ming's voice could be heard, but later Song Jing's voice also became louder and louder.

"Who cares about your film? You're never satisfied no matter how many takes you make. Who do you think you are, Li Xiang or Luo Yi?"

"You're begging me to take your picture, why wouldn't I!"

Song Jing looked at Lu Ming with a mocking gaze: "I will have my agent find a lawyer. Director Lu, I can refuse to film, but please give me the compensation written in the contract."

Song Jing didn't think much of Lu Ming's movie. The only reason he accepted the role was because Ji Yan was the lead actor. After all, Ji Yan had both popularity and talent, and it wouldn't hurt to work with him and get some exposure.

Although Song Jing is currently developing his career in television dramas, even if he were to make a movie, he would only consider productions with a budget of over 100 million yuan. The budget for Lu Ming's movie might not even be enough for a web series. Song Jing is currently on the rise, and he feels that his presence here is already a great honor for Lu Ming.

But over the past few days of filming, he has been criticized for one thing after another. Song Jing doesn't think there's anything wrong with his performance. He thinks that Lu Ming is deliberately trying to embarrass him because he knows him and is easy to bully!

"Your filming is completely inconsistent with the script."

"Then see you in court." Song Jing slammed the door shut. "You'd better give me a clear account of the impact you've had on my time, energy, and mental well-being."

The crew: "..."

Lu Ming was young and somewhat unable to control the situation. Before filming began, the crew was worried that this situation would occur. However, the others did not cause a rift with Lu Ming. Instead, it was Song Jing, who was initially on his side, who started the conflict.

“Um…” Ji Yan suddenly spoke up, “I know a lawyer who is good at this kind of work. When I was filming ‘The Long Ballad,’ Director Chu Yunquan fired Wen Xiang. The situation was similar to what’s happening now. Wen Xiang had to pay hundreds of thousands or millions of yuan in compensation. I happen to have Director Chu’s contact information. Do you need my help?”

Song Jing: "..."

Song Jing, who had just been raging, suddenly fell silent.

Song Jing has been working in the TV drama industry for many years, and he is familiar with the names Chu Yunquan and Wen Xiang. Chu Yunquan is a director that Song Jing can't even get in touch with now. As for Wen Xiang, before Wen Xiang completely flopped, he could play the second male lead or even the male lead in major idol dramas, but now his best resource is only the fourth male lead.

If Ji Yan really gets Director Chu's contact information and then helps him promote the show, his reputation in the entire TV drama industry will be ruined.

Song Jing's top male star also acted in "The Long Ballad of Tears," and even he couldn't get a significant role. If he leaves a bad impression on Chu Yunquan...

There's also the conflict between Ji Yan and Wen Xiang...

Because Ji Yan seemed too relaxed on set of "The Vanishing Murder," Song Jing almost forgot that Ji Yan was definitely not someone to be trifled with. He had Ji Ruan before him and Wen Xiang after him. Upon closer examination, "The Vanishing Murder" was a film that Ji Yan had helped to make.

"I said...do you need any help?"

Ji Yan asked again.

Although his voice wasn't loud, his expression at that moment was enough to show that he didn't "sincerely" intend to help.

"No need." Song Jing lowered her head. "I'll finish filming properly."

"Whether you can finish filming or not is none of my business. I just happen to know that lawyer." Ji Yan's expression remained calm. "One more question: can the number of takes be less than three?"

"At least for now, my time is worth more than yours, am I right?"

Song Jing didn't say anything, but sat down to the side and started reading the script carefully.

The crew: "..."

Ji Yan, who had been keeping quiet all along, suddenly lost his temper.

He Qing silently gave Ji Yan a thumbs up.

Ji Yan blinked, waited a moment, and then walked over to Lu Ming: "Director, I have a suggestion I'd like to share with you."

He felt that Lu Ming's temper was too good.

It's true that some directors can't control their actors, but Ji Yan has worked with three famous directors before: Li Xiang, Zhu Shuguang, and Chu Yunquan. Chu Yunquan has a good temper, while Li Xiang and Zhu Shuguang have terrible tempers. Their daily work is to push actors to their limits and turn the impossible into possible. They can be called pioneers of the Spartan world of directing.

Moreover, even a director known for his good temper like Chu Yunquan can kick someone without hesitation. He not only kicked Wen Xiang, but also made Wen Xiang pay a large sum of money.

Chu Yunquan's good temper is based on the premise that the actors are obedient. If there were an actor like Song Jing on the set, Chu Yunquan would definitely slap him.