Chapter 489
"Su Ruoqing slowly turned his head, and the afterglow of the setting sun fell on his face. Following his gaze, it was University A..." The narration with a bit of melancholy in the tone sounded in the conference room where the mood was low, and directly brought the group of actors sitting around the long table into the world of "Dancing Fish".
The actors who came to the reading this time were invited by Fang Xi one by one according to the order of their appearance in the movie. Seeing his old friend's few words shocking these young actors, Fang Xi, who was sitting in the first seat, couldn't help but nod proudly.
Each seat on the long table had a name tag in front of it. However, these weren't real names, but rather the names of the characters the actors played in the film. There were also several bottles of mineral water, the script distributed before the reading, and several different colored pens.
Ji Shao, seated at the table, seemed completely absorbed in the performance, his expression changing with the narration. Zhou Xiao didn't know how others felt, but at that moment, she and Chen Shenju, who sat next to her in the back row, felt a small sense of pride for Ji Shao.
Especially the glances from the surrounding audience, filled with genuine envy. With his own traffic and investment opportunities, his seamless transition from idol to actor, and even winning the Huacai Award for his debut TV series—if he could continue to shine on the big screen, his future would truly be limitless.
"Teacher Zhou, do you think I should ask Teacher Bai to teach Ji Shao his lines?" Chen Shenju touched his chin and thought. His ears could no longer hear the "background noise" at this time, and his mind and eyes were full of how to help Ji Shao improve his lines.
Apart from anything else, if the film wants to win awards, this line must be practiced meticulously. As for facial expressions, that's something Chen Shenju doesn't have to worry about at all. For someone who has become China's top idol, facial expression management is arguably Ji Shao's trademark.
"You can try, but Director Fang definitely won't agree," Zhou Xiao whispered. "Teacher Bai is Director Fang's line teacher for all the actors in the group. I suggest you go back to Xincheng and ask for a line teacher!"
Besides, Ji Shao's lines are already quite good. Even without the fan filter, everyone can hear Ji Shao's lines in "The Unparalleled General" clearly without any need for dialogue. This foundation is already good enough, and it is entirely possible to improve further.
"Alas, that's such a shame," Chen Shenju said, but his attention was now completely focused on Ji Shao. Seeing that he seemed like a completely different person, he couldn't help but wonder why he had been so discerning back then.
Raising his head and glancing at his colleagues who were sitting densely around him, Chen Shenju thought for a moment, then bent down and motioned Zhou Xiao to go out with him, as if he had something to say to her.
Sitting on the periphery were the actors' agents, assistants, or crew members specially summoned by Director Fang to listen. Even when the two of them were talking, many people's attention had already been on them. Their ears pricked up, afraid to let anyone see their throbbing gossip.
Zhou Xiao was a little surprised that Yu Chen Shen took the initiative to chat with her at the party, but she drove here from the villa with a group of people early this morning and was completely unaware of the things that had fermented on the Internet this morning.
After all, before the reading, everyone's phones, including Director Fang's own, were locked in a cabinet. This was a brilliant move, so brilliant it made people laugh and cry, and it really made everyone's attention focus only on today's reading. Isn't it because they have nothing to do, so they can only find something to watch to relieve their fatigue?
I don't know how many versions of the script Sister Mao revised, but the level of excitement is beyond the reach of ordinary scripts. Some of the quick readers have already read half of it and are reluctant to let go.
"Let's go." Zhou Xiao raised his hand and made a "let's go" gesture, then stood up and went to open the door.
Chen Shenju, who was following behind, was about to close the door when Director Fang gave him a sharp look. He immediately felt like the underachieving student who was dragging the class down. And he was the kind of person who would force a good student to go to the canteen with him during the ten-minute break between classes to recharge his energy.
"Hiss... It turns out that Director Fang's state at work is very different from his usual state." Taking advantage of this opportunity of Ji Shao's first formal cooperation with Director Fang, Chen Shenju now truly understood the precautions that Sister Feng had given him before coming to the film and television city.
When they were working together on the OST for "Flower City," perhaps because there wasn't any acting involved, Chen Shenju always thought Fang Xi had the best personality among the directors. But now, he sees this contrast as quite good. Being responsible and conscientious about your work is the greatest virtue!
…
"Teacher Chen, what's the matter?" Zhou Xiao found a clean wall to lean against and looked at the person in front of him with some confusion. The person's expression had become very serious.
Chen Shenju was certain that Teacher Zhou had no idea what had happened that morning! But not knowing was a good thing, as he could still talk to her calmly about it.
"Teacher Zhou, I wonder if you paid attention to the announcement released by the studio last night?"
Zhou Xiao nodded. She had briefly looked into the matter that morning. Her thoughts echoed those of other fans. Private life was a major issue within the fandom, and the studio's announcement was a deterrent. It signaled a bottom line, which was a good thing.
But she understood that Chen Shenju had specifically called her out, and the focus was definitely not on this announcement. So what was going on?
Chen Shenju sighed, but thinking about the reason for calling Zhou Xiao out, he decided to share the reason for releasing the announcement last night. Although Ji Shao had not pursued the matter further, considering there were still fans who refused to listen this morning, it was better to prepare for a rainy day.
"What?!"
Zhou Xiao was really shocked when he heard Chen Shenju say that Song Xiao caught two illegitimate fans who secretly installed surveillance cameras in the corridor of Ji Shao's hotel room last night.
"The person who installed the surveillance camera looked young. Brother Song went to the police station with him in the early morning to record a statement, and only then did he find out that they had an offline group," Chen Shenju said helplessly. "They said that because we were minors, the people in the group arranged for the surveillance camera to be installed."
Because he was young and inexperienced, he was clumsy when he was tricked into doing illegal things. When Song Xiao discovered something was wrong, he immediately contacted the hotel and asked them to check the surveillance footage in the corridor of the room.
Also because Ji Shao was so famous, the hotel manager took the initiative to adjust the surveillance footage of that section after learning the specific situation and reporting to his superiors. Otherwise, he would have to wait for someone from the bureau to come and see it.
"Teacher Zhou, you may not know that there were still a few fans waiting outside the hotel after the announcement was made this morning." When he said this, Chen Shenju's wrinkled face was almost as wrinkled as a pumpkin.
This happened on the first day of the reading, and those fans were in such a dense crowd, surrounded by experienced people, that a stampede could have happened at any time. Because he was worried about their safety, Ji Shao asked security personnel to escort them out safely before getting in the car.
Thinking of this, Chen Shenju once again felt that Ji Shao's mentality was truly stable. From the two events that happened last night to this morning, during the reading in the conference room, he was completely "Su Ruoqing" himself, without any signs of being affected.
"We discussed this on the way here," Chen Shenju said seriously, looking at Zhou Xiao, "Teacher Zhou, we'd like to hire some security personnel for you."
Ask for security for me?
Zhou Xiao looked a bit bewildered, seemingly confused as to how he could be discussing illegitimate children one second and then being called for security the next. Chen Shenju said this wasn't just some random discussion.
"Teacher Zhou, your role is quite special. You're both a fan club member and the director of Group B for Dancing Fish. We're mainly worried that some irrational fans might turn to you after running into a wall with Brother Ji."
This is very likely to happen.
In fact, the issue of sasaeng has been going on since Nine Star moved into the villa together. Staff have spotted someone scouting the area more than once. Not only do they often run into familiar faces, but trash left behind is also frequently rummaged through. It's so brazen that someone would just throw something into the trash can and then someone would take the bag away right in front of everyone.
It wasn't until the members collectively moved out of the villa, and Huayao staff moved in for a while, that the issue completely disappeared, seemingly at a break. Sasaeng fans are a terrifying bunch. During their peak, every assistant and manager would walk around the car with a detector and then discard a large number of tracking devices before getting in the car with the members on tours.
Zhou Xiao pondered for a moment. After hearing Chen Shenju's words, she didn't immediately reject his kindness. However, considering the upcoming filming schedule, Zhou Xiao decisively shook her head.
Seeing Chen Shenju getting anxious, Zhou Xiao quickly said, "My future schedule will be arranged with the crew. During the reading phase, I've been staying at the director's house. The security there is quite strict."
Although Fangxi's house is some distance from the film and television city, a large number of people who buy houses there are actors, directors, etc. Because they spend a long time shooting in the film and television city and don't move away, security is naturally the first priority. The security of the villa is also one of the strictest in the province.
As for the official start of filming, whether staying at the film and television city or in Licheng, Zhou Xiao would be surrounded by a large staff. Combined with the practice in the system training room, Zhou Xiao estimated that he could single-handedly defeat two or three... um... Chen Shenju in front of him without any problem... right?
After all, the camera is not carried in vain!
"Thank you for considering this for me," Zhou Xiao's expression became serious. "I'll be more careful too. If you have any questions, please communicate with Director Fang in a timely manner. As far as I know, Director Fang has also been contacting the security company recently."
Contacting security is naturally to protect the equipment and props used in filming, but Fangxi has a wide network of contacts, so Xincheng can take the initiative to communicate in this regard and choose a security company that is good for both parties.
After hearing Zhou Xiao's well-organized response, Chen Shenju also felt that it made sense. At worst, he could just ask security to pay more attention to her. Suddenly, he felt relieved and felt much better.
"By the way, Teacher Zhou, who are we going to ask to take the official photos of "Dancing Fish"?" Feeling relaxed, Chen Shenju seemed to remember something and suddenly rubbed his hands and smiled flatteringly.
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