Chapter 155 Dinner Party
Meng Fanxi not only directed this short film, but he also had some scenes himself. Even Lin Ruohe joked that he set such a high standard for himself for his first formal work.
Every day during filming, new problems arose, and we tried our best to solve them. On the filming location, Meng Fanxi was often seen walking back and forth, taking great responsibility for every frame. Inspired by his attitude, everyone treated this project as if it were their own graduation project.
The scenes in the film studio were relatively mundane. After filming the mountain climbing scenes, the scenes here were actually quite simple, and were completed thanks to everyone's cooperation.
At this point, the cast list for this shoot had been largely leaked by paparazzi. The six members of VIER were as expected, but Zhong Chu's participation was unexpected by many.
Many troublemakers took this opportunity to mock Zhong Chu on the forum.
[Li Tao | What merits does Zhong Chu possess to deserve being paired with VIER?]
1L: Agreed. VIER fans always boast that their group is on a completely different level from other groups that debuted around the same time, but in the end, they are all relegated to supporting roles.
6L: What kind of relationship does Zhong Chu have with Meng Fanxi? Shouldn't his teammate be the main character?
13L: Something felt off back when we were in a regiment-based operation. Meng Fanxi seemed to be paying extra attention to Zhong Chu.
16L: If I were a VIER member, I would make a scene. I kindly cooperated with you to perform your graduation project, but in the end, someone else benefited.
21L: Tsk tsk tsk, I wonder what the other five people in VIER are thinking.
Some fans also refuted this in the post.
33L: Some people are being far too nosy. Why are they comparing the prestige of a simple graduation project? Even the fans aren't bothered; I don't understand why some people are so petty.
36L: Meng Fanxi is really popular. Even when he's shooting his graduation project, people are watching him and nitpicking the whole time.
...
After filming, Meng Fanxi would focus entirely on editing, but before that, he arranged a time for everyone to have a meal together when they were all free.
The six of them could eat together anytime, but Zhong Chu had just moved behind the scenes and was only just starting his career, so his time was limited. Therefore, this dinner was entirely in line with Zhong Chu's schedule.
Considering the need for privacy and freedom, Meng Fanxi and everyone agreed to have hot pot together in the dormitory.
There was not much food left in the refrigerator in their dormitory, so the six of them dressed warmly and went to the large supermarket in the community to buy food.
They often come to this supermarket to buy and stock up on goods. The six of them are tall and handsome, and even through their baseball caps and masks, you can feel their extraordinary aura.
However, this is a very private community, and there are many celebrities living in it. The supermarket clerk suppressed the amazement in her eyes and faced them with a normal expression.
As before, they split up, with Lin Ruohe, Xu You, and Gu Huailang in one group and Zhang Yang, Ren Yuchen, and Meng Fanxi in another. Each group went to different areas to purchase ingredients. This was the first time everyone had gathered together to buy ingredients since Zhang Yang returned to China, so everyone put in their best effort, not only to buy ingredients for hot pot but also to replenish the supplies in their dormitory.
The shopping was completed in less than half an hour. When they got back, the refrigerator was packed full. Looking at the food in the refrigerator, Meng Fanxi felt a sense of satisfaction.
"I promised to treat everyone, so you can all relax and have fun. I'll take care of everything, from preparing the ingredients to plating the food." Meng Fanxi rolled up his sleeves, tied his apron, and struck a pose befitting a master chef.
“That won’t do, I’m planning to show off my skills.” Gu Huailang also started tying an apron, and insisted on going into the kitchen no matter how much Meng Fanxi refused.
During his year abroad, Zhang Yang's cooking skills improved significantly, and he came in to help without hesitation. Ren Yuchen and Lin Ruohe helped set the table, arrange the dishes, and tidy up the house, since this was the first time anyone other than their manager and assistant had come to their dormitory.
Xu You, who was the worst cook and most prone to breaking plates among the six, also had a strong craving for cooking and wanted to help, but was stopped by everyone in unison. So he said angrily, "Fine, since you all dislike me so much, I'm going to record all your 'faces'!"
He started filming with his phone, adding a voiceover as he filmed: "They've gone too far! They won't even let me into the kitchen to show off my skills. Can anyone give me my opinion?"
Meng Fanxi laughed when he heard this, and Xu You quickly zoomed in and said, "Look, he's laughing at me!"
Meng Fanxi tried her best to suppress her laughter, but kept washing the vegetables.
Xu You's incessant chatter filled the air, and every now and then one could hear others asking for a pair of chopsticks or sneaking a small piece of ham. The dormitory, which had been quiet for so long, finally became lively again.
As Meng Fanxi immersed herself in the lively atmosphere around her, the dreaded editing work didn't seem so terrible anymore.
As for Zhong Chu, after the short film was completed, it was like a dream had faded away. He silently treasured the memories of this time in his heart.
After receiving Meng Fanxi's invitation to dinner, Zhong Chu was nervous for a long time. Subconsciously, he felt that he needed to be mentally prepared to have a formal meal with the currently popular VIER, especially since it was to their dormitory. Even though they had been contestants on the same show before, things were different now, and he absolutely could not be late.
Especially considering that VIER and the others have never been late during these days of filming, he absolutely cannot be late for this dinner party either.
Zhong Chu arrived at the entrance of the residential area twenty minutes early, carrying gifts for visiting VIER's dormitory. He thought that arriving early might be helpful. With Meng Fanxi's guidance, he successfully arrived at their dormitory.
As soon as he entered, the members of this group, who were considered the most popular and unique by outsiders, greeted him wearing matching aprons. He asked somewhat absentmindedly, "Is there anything else I can help you with?"
"No, please sit down and have some fruit." Meng Fanxi invited him to sit down, and when she saw the many gifts he was carrying, she quickly said, "It's too much of an exaggeration to bring so many, Zhong Chu, you're being too polite."
Then the other members of VIER also expressed their disagreement, and Zhong Chu suddenly felt like it was Chinese New Year. Why were they all so down-to-earth?
Xu You led Zhong Chu on a tour of the house. Each room was uniquely decorated, and you could tell at a glance who the owner of the room was. Although the whole house had a business style, it was exceptionally warm and cozy, and you could see the traces of everyone's careful use and care in every place.
This is the first time he has reminisced about the days when he was in the group since he chose to work behind the scenes.
Before participating in "Group Camp", several members of Fancy also lived in the same dormitory, understanding and tolerating each other's living habits, and aiming to debut. That time suddenly became clear again, but then gradually changed.
Xu You noticed that Zhong Chu was in a low mood, so he took him to the restaurant, had him sit down, and said that the ingredients were almost ready and they would be able to eat soon.
Zhong Chu was drawn to the delicious food in front of him and pulled himself out of his previous emotions.
Once the hot pot started bubbling away, their meal officially began.
They chatted naturally about everything around them. Although Zhong Chu and the others didn't have much in common, Meng Fanxi always managed to find topics that everyone could participate in.
As she spoke, Meng Fanxi raised her glass and looked at Zhong Chu: "Thank you for being willing to participate in my work. At the same time, I am also sorry for causing you a lot of trouble during this period."
During the time when Meng Fanxi was busy with his graduation project, he didn't care about the outside world's views and comments at all. Recently, when he finally got a chance to breathe, he saw some people questioning Zhong Chu with bad words. He has submitted screenshots of the relevant remarks to Wei Ye, and the company's public relations department will handle it.
Zhong Chu quickly waved his hands: "It's okay, it has no effect on me at all. The outside world is just worried that I will gain popularity and develop in the entertainment industry, but time will tell."
Lin Ruohe asked, "Are you really not planning to go public with your career? Your acting is very natural, and you have a real talent for acting."
Zhong Chu shook his head. "I feel very at ease in my current job. I may really not be suited to be a public figure."
Perhaps to avoid any ambiguity, he explained, "But I was really surprised and delighted that you invited me to participate, Fanxi. Just having the experience of filming is enough for me."
Seeing that he was truly loyal to the choice he had made, Meng Fanxi admired him and said, "I wish you continued success in the work you want to do."
Zhong Chu drank it all in one gulp. Perhaps his greatest luck was to meet Meng Fanxi on that show.
On the day he submitted his graduation project, Meng Fanxi felt as if the sun was smiling at him, the world was incredibly beautiful, and he felt an unprecedented sense of ease.
He didn't care whether this work would be selected as an outstanding graduation work. He only knew that he had captured the scenes he had set in his mind, which was worthy of his four years of study.
A week later, Meng Fanxi went to the review room for the defense. Professors from two other schools also attended the defense. Before the defense began, the judges had already seen each work and had certain expectations in their minds. The defense was to further understand the creative background, ideas, etc. of the works.
Meng Fanxi answered fluently, he knew his work better than anyone, he was clear about every detail, and he was not at all nervous. The judges had high expectations for him after watching the short film, and after the defense, they praised him repeatedly after he left.
"Climbing to the Top" was unsurprisingly selected as one of the best works and was broadcast online and offline along with works from two other schools.
Among the graduation works of several celebrities who had previously attracted much attention, only two were selected, and most of them only reached the passing line.
After the online results are announced, all outstanding graduation projects will be uploaded to the school's official website at once, while one project will be showcased on the official social media platforms each day.
The official websites of all three institutions uploaded the videos, and fans and onlookers rushed to check the Yunxi website to see if Meng Fanxi's works were on it.
The official website's server crashed for 20 minutes, and everyone was able to get in gradually after Yunxi started maintenance.
Good news: Meng Fanxi's graduation project is prominently displayed on the homepage.
Bad news: Several celebrities from the same class were not nominated and will be criticized by their fans again.
Meng Fanxi's work title has also sparked much discussion, with the first reaction being: So straightforward? We know your group wants to reach the top, but there's no need to be so direct, even using this as the title for your graduation project, right?
Driven by curiosity and a desire to explore, everyone clicked on the short film "Climbing to the Top".
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