Chapter 234 Wishful Thinking
In the coldest months of winter, the biting cold wind howled across the land of Hubei Province.
In December, Wudang Mountain is already gently covered with a thin layer of snow, like a natural ink painting.
The rolling and towering mountains appear even more majestic in the snow.
The morning mist lingers in the valley, adding a touch of dreamlike fairy air to Wudang Mountain, making people intoxicated and yearning for it.
Zhang Jizhong has a unique vision. He immediately fell in love with Wudang Mountain's rare sense of history and beautiful scenery. He went against all odds and arranged for the crew of the new version of "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber" to travel thousands of miles to this place for filming.
Outside the crew, people were coming and going, and it was a busy scene.
After a conversation, the clerk looked at the two people behind Liu Shishi with a curious look on his face: "Teacher Liu, who are they?"
The first sister of Tangren was wearing a snow-white down jacket, which matched the snowy scenery around her. When asked by the staff, she smiled and said, "They are my assistants."
Liu Shishi's attitude was extremely gentle, and she didn't seem unhappy at all because she was stopped outside by the staff due to the freezing weather.
Before leaving, Cai Yinong gave her many warnings, saying that filming outside is different from the past, and she should be more careful with people and things, try to be kind to others, and take good care of herself.
Yijie took Kjie's advice to heart. Since her debut, she has basically only filmed in the crews of Tangren and Tengda. In these two crews, she has always been the little princess who is adored by the stars and has never suffered any grievances.
This time she traveled to Wudang Mountain to make a guest appearance in the TV series "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber". She was unfamiliar with the place and others didn't know her background, so she naturally had to be cautious and try not to offend anyone.
After hearing Liu Shishi's answer, the stage manager subconsciously touched his head and secretly complained that the actress in front of him was really showing off.
He has worked in many film crews, but this is the first time he has seen a star temporarily play a guest role and bring two assistants with him.
But this had nothing to do with him. He had already wasted a lot of time questioning the other party's identity, so he quickly moved aside to make way.
He made a "please" gesture and said, "Teacher Liu, please come in. Producer Zhang and Director Yu are waiting for you. Just walk along this road."
Liu Shishi nodded slightly, and took Jiang Yuanyuan and Lin Xia along the winding path and walked straight into the crew.
Jiang Yuanyuan was very angry because she was stopped outside by the inflexible staff and was exposed to the cold wind for a while.
There was no one around, and he couldn't help but complain: "It's so cold on the mountain. Why would the crew of Yi Tian choose this damn place to film? It's really miserable."
"I guess you're attracted by the unique scenery here. Well, hold on a little longer, we'll be there soon. Yuanyuan, don't complain like this in front of outsiders. You'll just offend them for no reason."
Jiang Yuanyuan pouted, shrank her neck, and rubbed her hands repeatedly, trying to make herself warmer: "Don't worry, I'm not stupid."
Lin Xia came over and said flatteringly, "Sister Yuanyuan, I have a warm baby here, do you want one?"
Jiang Yuanyuan shook her head: "Leave it all to Shishi. It's too cold on the mountain. Shishi will freeze to death if she changes into her light costume."
The three of them talked as they walked and soon arrived at the inside of the crew. Looking up, they saw a man with a full beard standing not far away waiting. The man was none other than Zhang Jizhong, a well-known producer in the circle.
Liu Shishi quickened her pace and hurried forward: "Hello, Producer Zhang, I'm Liu Shishi."
Zhang Jizhong laughed and said, "Welcome Mr. Liu to come and make a guest appearance in the set of Yi Tian. The mountain road is difficult and it must be hard work."
As he spoke, he glanced at Tangren's No. 1 sister and the two assistants behind her. He was secretly surprised at how much Tangren Film and Television valued the girl and actually sent two assistants to follow her closely.
He had just received a report from staff that the guest actress playing the role of Huang Shangnu had arrived. Since he had used his connections to invite her, he naturally had to be polite, so he was waiting here specially.
"Producer Zhang, you're too polite. You can just call me Shishi." Liu Shishi smiled sweetly, with two shallow dimples on her pretty face, making her look friendly and lovely.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Jizhong burst into a hearty laugh, and his heroic voice echoed among the mountains.
He nodded with satisfaction. The girl was very modest and seemed to have a good personality. She thought that a one-week guest appearance would not cause any trouble to the crew.
He was just being polite when they first met. Based on his status in the circle, not to mention a small-time actress, even the top four actresses were not qualified to be called teacher by him.
Zhang Jizhong turned slightly and pointed in the direction of the rest area: "Shishi, Director Yu is busy scheduling on the set right now, you go and have a rest first, and when he's done and sees you, he'll arrange for you to go for a makeup trial. I have something else to do, so I'll excuse myself for a while, call me if you have anything else."
"Okay, thank you Producer Zhang." Liu Shishi nodded obediently and followed the host's instructions.
After Zhang Jizhong walked away, Jiang Yuanyuan leaned closer and lowered her voice, "Shishi, he is the well-known Zhang Da Huzi in the circle. It is said that he is a strong person. He seemed quite kind just now."
"He invited us to be a guest star. Why would he be so aggressive with us?"
After saying that, Sister Yi looked around and saw that there was no one around, so she whispered, "Zhang Jizhong is very powerful. He used all kinds of hype when he was casting for The Return of the Condor Heroes.
Today he invited this actress to audition, tomorrow he invited that artist to rehearse, and he even invited the movie queen Zhou Xun to join the crew, but in the end he didn't invite her to act. Because of this, he and Zhou Xun had a complete falling out. "
"I've also heard about this. Rumor has it that Zhang Jizhong has very high standards for actors. He felt that Zhou Xun was not suitable for the role of Little Dragon Girl, so he finally chose Liu Yifei through an audition."
"The auditions were all a lie. The role of Little Dragon Girl had already been cast by Liu Yifei, so Zhou Xun stopped interacting with Zhang Jizhong after she found out the truth."
Liu Shishi sneered. Since she entered the entertainment industry, the few auditions she had had were all pre-selected.
I have communicated with Yang Mi and Tang Yan in the crew before, and everyone is well aware of auditions. This is the case with most crews. There are very few crews that can conduct auditions fairly and impartially.
In fact, it is understandable if you think about it. People have invested tens of millions or even hundreds of millions in such a big production, so why should outsiders get the role for free? If you have good acting skills, you can get the role. What is the use of an agency?
"It's already been decided! Isn't that just teasing Zhou Xun? Zhou Xun is a big star in the circle anyway, Zhang Jizhong shouldn't be that bad."
Yijie whispered, "I'll tell you something, and you'll understand. Zhang Jizhong is a shareholder of Red Star Entertainment, Liu Yifei's agency, so you understand, right?"
"This!" Jiang Yuanyuan opened her mouth slightly in surprise. She was not a newbie in the industry and knew some of the tricks in the circle. There was obviously no reason for Zhang Jizhong to give his resources to an outsider.
Lin Xia, who was standing by, was stunned and was amazed by what she heard.
The three of them quickly arrived at the rest shed. Due to the extremely cold weather and howling winds, the rest shed of the "Yitian" crew was specially covered with thick rainproof tarpaulin on all sides, which could effectively block the invasion of cold winds and help keep warm.
When Liu Shishi lifted the door curtain and walked into the makeshift rest shed, she found a male artist inside. He was wearing a theatrical costume, a large and thick fur coat draped over his shoulders, and was looking down at a script.
Hearing the noise, the man looked up, his eyes suddenly lit up, and a bright smile broke out on his face.
When she saw that the person coming was Liu Shishi, she immediately closed the script and said excitedly: "Hello Liu Shishi, my name is Mrs. Li."
Faced with the somewhat outgoing man, Liu Shishi was slightly stunned and subconsciously took a step back. An embarrassment appeared on her face. It was obvious that she was not used to such enthusiasm on the first meeting, and there was a hint of vigilance in her eyes.
Mrs. Li also realized that she was too enthusiastic, and quickly introduced herself: "Liu Shishi, I play Song Qingshu in the crew. What a coincidence, I also graduated from Beijing Dance Academy, one year older than you. I was a little excited to meet alumni just now."
"Hello, senior." Liu Shishi smiled shyly, still with a hint of wariness.
"Sister Liu, please sit down." Mrs. Li pulled over a chair and glanced at the two people following Master Liu. "I'll go get you a cup of hot water. It's freezing cold, so drink some hot water to warm your body."
After saying that, he hurriedly turned around, picked up the water bottle, looked for a cup, and poured water. He was very busy and had a lot of fun. I can't tell you how active he was.
Jiang Yuanyuan beside him chuckled and whispered in Lin Xia's ear: "Xiaoxia, as the saying goes, if someone is too attentive to you for no reason, he is either a traitor or a thief. Believe it or not, he has other intentions towards Shishi."
Lin Xia thought about it and nodded in agreement. Mrs. Li's behavior just now was too enthusiastic, which obviously could not be explained away by just saying they were alumni.
It is customary not to hit a smiling person. Liu Shishi could not refuse the kindness, so she could only take the cup of water that Mrs. Li brought to her. However, she did not drink it. She just let the warmth pass through her palm.
Mrs. Li sat down at the side, seemingly unaware of Liu Shishi's indifference, and spoke to herself, "Junior sister, I am a 2001 student majoring in musical theater at Beijing Dance Academy. I have seen your performance at school... It is fate that we met in the crew."
Liu Shishi did not answer, but just listened quietly, her eyes a little wandering, and she did not care too much about what Li Tai said.
Mrs. Li was very excited and did not back down at all because of Liu Shishi's silence. She talked a lot, from the campus to the crew, trying every way to get close to Liu Shishi in order to get closer to her.
Ever since he knew that Liu Shishi was going to make a guest appearance in the crew, he planned to use his identity as an alumnus of Beijing Dance Academy to get close to and pursue the top star of Tangren.
Liu Shishi and Lu Yi were the two most beautiful girls in Beijing Dance Academy, known as the two beauties. When they were in school, countless men admired them.
Liu Shishi's appearance and temperament are first-class, and it is very proud to be able to pursue her. Moreover, her career is also smooth sailing, and she is a new popular young actress.
It is widely rumored in the circle that Liu Shishi has a close relationship with Tengda Culture and is a well-known resource-rich person. If you can get close to her, you might be able to get some good resources.
"Junior sister, if you have any problems in the crew, you can come to me directly."
"Thank you, senior." Sister Yi said little, with a sense of alienation. The cup of water in her hand was emitting curls of hot steam, which swirled in front of her, making it impossible to see her face. It was as if an invisible barrier separated her from Mrs. Li.
Mrs. Li didn't care about Liu Shishi's cold attitude. It was said at Beijing Dance Academy that she was introverted and a slow-to-warm-up type of girl. Today was the first time they met, so it was normal for her to be a little cold to him. Besides, it was not easy to chase a girl without being thick-skinned.
At this moment, someone lifted the door curtain, and cold wind rushed in instantly, making several people inside shiver.
The visitor took a quick look inside the rest shed and said to Liu Shishi, "Hello, Teacher Liu. I am Jiang Wei, the assistant director of the crew. Director Yu asked me to take you to try on your makeup."
Liu Shishi put down the water cup and said politely, "Please help, Director Jiang."
Mrs. Li volunteered: "Director Jiang, leave this to me. I'll take Junior Sister Liu to the dressing room."
Jiang Wei glanced at Mrs. Li and knew exactly what this kid was up to. He casually said, "You're going to be on set soon. Go to the set and wait. Finish filming first."
The smile on Mrs. Li's face suddenly stopped, and she left for the set in a sullen manner. Before leaving, she did not forget to say, "Junior Sister Liu, wait until I get off the set, and then we can talk again."
Seeing Mrs. Li leaving the rest shed in disgrace, Jiang Wei could not help but sneer, his disdain evident in his words: "A toad wants to eat swan meat, but he doesn't even consider his own weight."
Jiang Yuanyuan and Lin Xia, who were standing by, covered their mouths and laughed secretly when they heard this. They thought that this young assistant director was very straightforward and interesting, and he could see through Mrs. Li's thoughts.
"Teacher Liu, if you have any questions on the set these days, you can always come to me. Ma Xin and I are classmates at the Central Academy of Drama. You should understand what I mean."
Liu Shishi was stunned, but then she understood everything and smiled brightly: "Thank you for your help this week, Director Jiang."
Jiang Wei waved his hand, with a sincere look on his face: "That's not true. You are a distinguished guest of the crew. I may need to rely on you, Mr. Liu, for support in the future."
A few days ago, he suddenly received a call from his old classmate Ma Xin, who asked him earnestly to take good care of Liu Shishi in the crew, and told him bluntly that there was a great god behind her and he could not make any mistakes.
Jiang Wei naturally did not dare to relax at all in response to the serious reminder from Ma Xin, the most successful person in the class in the entertainment industry, so he just sent Mrs. Li away and prepared to personally accompany Liu Shishi to the dressing room.
The two of them walked out of the temporary tent and chatted as they walked. Liu Shishi took the opportunity to ask the assistant director about the crew's affairs.
"In the crew of The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, Producer Zhang and Director Yu are old partners. The biggest stars among the actors are Deng Chao and Ady An, and the other roles are all small and unknown roles in the circle. Producer Zhang invited you to make a guest appearance, which really adds a lot of color to The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber."
Jiang Wei introduced some situations of the crew, and his words showed his disdain for the actors in the crew, while at the same time he cleverly complimented Yi Jie.
It would be a lie to say that he was not envious of his old classmate Ma Xin's current situation. Among the graduates of their directing and editing class, who doesn't aspire to become a director and be in charge of a film crew?
But the reality is often cruel. Except for Ma Xin who was spotted by a noble person and cultivated by Tengda Culture and successfully became a director, most of them are still hanging around in the crew, doing the work of assistant director and stagehand.
Not to mention the relationships behind this person, the fact that he already has considerable popularity and fame in the entertainment industry at this age is already worthy of his attention.
(End of this chapter)
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