Chapter 210 Career
Zhejiang Province's film and television city has long been established, and the town has been particularly thoroughly developed. Nearly every new building has been designed with consideration given to the surrounding filming facilities. On the wide avenue, a black nanny car slowly drove towards the restaurant, accompanied by lively conversation within the car.
"There are so many short drama productions like this in film and television studios now," Qin Wan, who had laughed enough, said seriously, "but in my opinion, it's undoubtedly a disaster for actors who really want to act!"
Zhou Xiao leaned sideways, listening carefully. Qin Wan wasn't just an agent at New Town; she also held equity. This was one of the reasons this established company had grown so large and strong within the industry. With equity incentives, employees truly became part of the company, working hard for their own careers.
As an agent in a place like a film and television city, he will naturally try every possible means to discover new talents, even if he already has first-line artists. But who would complain about having too much money?
But after the capital market entered the fray, when Qin Wan had some free time and looked back at the actors she had originally considered for the role, she could only regret that their aura had faded. A large part of the reason for this aura was that these young actors had taken on too many bad productions and had become conditioned to perform in such a stale crew.
"If there is no lack of opportunities, who would be willing to take on that kind of script?" Chen Si said lightly as his agent raised his head and drank mineral water.
Zhou Xiao then noticed that Chen Si's makeup was still on, she'd simply changed into casual clothes. Looking back at the original novel he'd read a few days ago, and seeing the look in her eyes now, he suddenly felt a connection. Zhou Xiao felt that she was even looking forward to the upcoming filming.
Qin Wan didn't seem offended by Chen Si's rebuttal. Instead, she nodded in agreement, genuinely embracing what Chen Si had said. Zhou Xiao saw their mutual rapport as a truly well-matched pair. While this was due to Chen Si's current fame, it also revealed a deep familiarity and understanding between them.
As they spoke, the car had already arrived at the restaurant. Zhou Xiao pushed open the door and got out. She was immediately drawn to the plaque hanging high above the main entrance. The three characters "Hengfenglou" were written in a vigorous and powerful stroke, quite impressive. She had originally intended to get out after turning a corner, but Qin Wan repeatedly persuaded her to stay, so she followed along.
The group entered the restaurant, and Zhou Xiao followed the familiar group of people to the reserved private room. Not long after they were seated, the dishes were served one after another.
However, Zhou Xiao's attention was drawn to Chen Si, who was "nibbling grass" alone at the dinner table. Seeing him take three deep breaths of the aroma and then eat a large forkful of vegetable salad, she vaguely felt Chen Si's true character in private.
As if she had noticed Zhou Xiao's gaze, Qin Wan beside her smiled and explained, "Sisi needs to make up for the photoshoot in the next two days, and then we'll have to take more photos later. It's better to be more restrained now so that she looks good on camera later."
Zhou Xiao nodded. She understood! Just like Ji Shao, he would lose weight for a few days before every event. During offline events, he could be seen pitifully exposing to his fans how the company was forcing them to lose weight every day. Of course, at this time, the doting fans would often yell, "Eat more! You're too thin!"
So, every time there was a dinner party, Zhou Xiao would often catch a glimpse of the battle of wits and courage between Ji Shao and his assistant, Chen Shenju, through his camera lens. This is also why many celebrities, when filming food variety shows, often beam with exaggerated praise when presented with seemingly ordinary food to the average person—it's mainly due to the fact they've been abstaining from carbs for too long.
Dinner ended at the table as Qin Wan and Zhou Xiao discussed the buildings available for viewing at the film and television city. On their way back, Zhou Xiao declined his offer to take her back to the hotel. She had noticed on her way here that the distance between the courtyard and the restaurant wasn't far, and with the streetlights now on, it was perfectly possible to stroll around the film and television city on her own.
Although it was March, the quaint streets were still lined with large red lanterns. It seemed as if they were being reused. After walking for a while, Zhou Xiao heard a frantic noise coming from up ahead. Curious, she stepped onto the cobblestone path. Noticing the noise coming from below, she looked down and saw a film crew filming a night scene.
Zhou Xiao's first impression of the crew was professionalism. Dozens of crew members gathered around, awaiting orders, and there were professional camera equipment and photographers on set. The actors' costumes hinted at a martial arts film. The photographers, despite carrying heavy equipment, nimbly followed the actors' swordplay.
Zhou Xiao, who had originally planned to wander around, felt his feet take root, staring at the photographer in surprise. The movie camera was quite heavy, and while the man wore a vest to help share the weight, maintaining such agility while holding it for extended periods of time required immense arm strength and concentration.
After an unknown amount of time and numerous NGs, the director called a halt, and the crowd below erupted in cheers. While everyone else was celebrating, Zhou Xiao noticed that the cameraman, who had been holding the camera, had slumped against the stone wall behind him after unloading it.
The night breeze caressed the woman's face, but her bangs were already damp with sweat. Under the crew's headlights, the flush on her face was clearly visible. Standing above, Zhou Xiao observed the scene and instinctively raised his camera to capture it.
The moment she pressed the shutter again, the lights in the venue almost instantly dimmed. Zhou Xiao put the camera down and looked down at the picture. It seemed ordinary. But the woman's vest, the bulging muscles in her arms, and the camera placed nearby—a closer look at it—composed a picture with a strong sense of story.
The people in the field gradually dispersed, first the leading actors who were like the moon surrounded by stars, then the director wearing a hat... After the props on the field were put back in place one by one by the prop team, Zhou Xiao watched the woman in her camera climbing up the stone steps alone with a bag on her back.
While the other person was climbing the stairs, Zhou Xiao quickly imported the photos into her phone and walked towards the stairs. She felt that it seemed necessary to show the photos she had just taken to the other person.
After work, Li Ling grabbed her backpack and left alone. The dozen or so NGs she'd managed to pull off had already drained her energy. Even with her light tool bag on her back, climbing the stairs made her legs feel weak.
But she'd gotten used to it. It was her eczema that made her feel even worse. It often kept her awake, preventing her from resting up for the next day's shoot. Li Ling took two steps at a time, her head lowered as she trudged up the stairs. As she stepped onto the stone slabs, ready to turn left, someone stopped her.
As a photographer, she understood the weight of the photo she was presented with. Shooting from above, she bypassed the camera's obstruction and fully captured Li Ling's focus and dedication during the shoot. Seeing the next photo of herself leaning back and resting, she smiled. This was the look she knew best, disheveled, yet she was stunned by the intense love expressed in the image.
Li Ling was lost in thought. She hadn't gone home with her studio buddies today, hoping to find a place to unwind. The crew's photographers were exhausted, and the actors' states were like ticking time bombs, never sure when they'd finally get into character. Recent filming hadn't been going smoothly, and even behind the large camera, she was beginning to question whether she still loved this profession. She wanted to clear her mind before pondering, and then, suddenly, the answer struck her.
"You're really good at taking photos!" Li Ling said suddenly, before she could even react. "I mean, your lens is very contagious. Thank you for taking the photos. Can you send me these two photos?"
…
Zhou Xiao stood at the stairs, watching Li Ling's steps suddenly become brisk. She looked down at the newly added friend's profile picture on the screen. The other person's profile picture was a photo of him posing with a camera.
Suddenly, a call popped up on the screen: Ster's phone number. Zhou Xiao's thoughts returned to normal, somewhat surprised that he would call at this time. Puzzled, he answered the call and heard the other party's excited voice.
"Zhou Xiao! Are you in Zhejiang Province?" Ster said hurriedly, "I saw you get in Chen Si's car online. Oh my god, that's my goddess! Can you help me get an autograph..."
Chen Si's sudden appearance at the film and television city this evening naturally sparked a flurry of discussion, with many eyes focused on the new drama. The paparazzi at the scene naturally followed closely, but after a night of following and finding nothing, they stopped short of releasing any further information. However, the footage of Zhou Xiao getting into the car was spotted on Douyin (TikTok), presumably by those tourists who uploaded it to the short video platform.
When Ster was excited, Zhou Xiao heard another voice from the other side, "Hey, hey, don't miss the point!"
"Oh! An autographed photo is important! Hahaha, just kidding!" After a few laughs, Ster's voice rose again. "Our company happens to be filming a short drama at the film and television city, and we're looking for a photographer to take stills. Listen, this short drama is supported by a certain Douyin platform, and they invested a lot of money! The client is very generous with the money!"
"Well, I came here for..."
"Hey, Sister Zhou! It's just a short play. We're all family. You can shoot it whenever you want!" Ster knew Zhou Xiao's concerns, but this short play was really generous!
If she hadn't made a lot of money from live PK, she might have packed up and gone to play a supporting role. Seeing that the big piece of the pie was out of reach, she discovered that Zhou Xiao, who could get a piece of the pie, was in the film and television city, and Ster immediately took notice.
"The heroine and hero of this drama are both famous ancient style bloggers. There are so many beautiful scenery at the film and television city. Who knows, you might be able to take a few more orders by the way!" Ster didn't know that taking orders for Zhou Xiao was as easy as picking vegetables in the market. She just simply hoped that Zhou Xiao would not miss this opportunity.
Zhou Xiao was a little tempted at the moment. Of course, it wasn't about the photoshoot. It was that after witnessing Li Ling's passion for photography, she suddenly developed a taste for live action. Considering the skit he'd seen this evening, if he agreed to the photoshoot, it shouldn't be difficult for him to watch, right?
Since we have come to the film and television city, then, since we are here, why not?
Just as Zhou Xiao responded to Ster, the system prompt sounded -
[Ding! Host branch detected, system upgrade in progress!]
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