Ji Yan isn't a saint; he just wants a peaceful filming environment, like when filming "I, Nameless" and "Young Love Poems." Song Jing is completely internally conflicted. If he could focus all his energy on the lines and understanding the script, filming for "The Vanishing Murder" might have ended much sooner.
After all, the filming environment is very simple, and it is an ensemble piece, so the role of any particular actor is not actually that big.
At least Ji Yan felt that filming this movie was much easier than filming "Young Love Poems". "Young Love Poems" was entirely centered around the character Gu Shan. Ji Yan often looked up at the stars until his neck ached, or stared in one direction until he cried.
However, Song Jing is now in a dilemma. If he doesn't finish filming the storyline of "The Vanishing Murderer," the production team will naturally issue a breach of contract warning. But if he follows the schedule of "The Vanishing Murderer," the variety show he had arranged to join will have to be canceled.
Song Jing vaguely understood what Lu Ming meant.
As a graduate of the film academy, he knows very well that only acting can solidify a long-term fanbase. Even if he becomes a regular on a variety show, the show's popularity may not be high. There are just too many variety shows of all kinds in the industry right now, and being labeled a "variety show personality" is a sign that a celebrity has faded into obscurity.
Song Jing could only negotiate with her agent again, and in the end, she stayed obediently in the crew of "The Vanished Murder".
He and Lu Ming and Fan Cong had known each other since their student days, and he knew that the other party wouldn't go so far as to kill him. Even though their friendship was completely over, as long as he continued to film "The Vanishing Murder" peacefully, Lu Ming probably wouldn't do anything to him.
The filming schedule was able to continue.
The following plot revolves around the girl Cheng Yuan mentioned.
As is typical of most locked-room mystery movies, everyone invited to the party is connected to the girl's death.
Yu Qian was her teacher. She published the girl's paper under her own name, and when the girl confronted her about it, she only responded with cold sarcasm.
"That was just a misunderstanding. It's normal for our artistic views to overlap."
Tang was her lover, but he turned to the dean's daughter for better opportunities.
"I did not marry Lin Mei. Xiao Xiao misunderstood my relationship with Lin Mei."
On November 7th, Qin Yuan promised to take her to a more distant place, leaving her to wait at the station for several hours.
Xue Song then dragged her to this hotel, destroying the last bit of human value she possessed.
Finally, the moment she ran out, she was hit by Cheng Yuan's car. It was raining heavily, and she couldn't see anything in the dark alley. She was run over and killed, and eventually left this world.
At first, Yu Qiantang and the others were still arguing, but on the very next day, November 7, after the same loud ringing of the bell, they found Xue Song covered in blood at the hotel. They thought Xue Song would suffer the same fate as Cheng Yuan, but when they got closer, they found that Xue Song had stopped breathing.
The group fell into suspicion and distrust of each other.
The key point is that the letter was sent in Xue Song's name, but Xue Song was already dead.
At this moment, Qin Yuan, who always seemed to lack both emotional intelligence and IQ, guessed: "Cheng Yuan, is this your doing? Xue Song is dead, and you are the only one who can send an invitation letter in his name."
As the story unfolds, Qin Yuan's true colors have been revealed. He is not the foolish idol that everyone imagines him to be; on the contrary, he is actually quite shrewd.
The moment his name was called, Cheng Yuan's eyes flashed with fear. He still looked timid and panicked, but Qin Yuan and the others kept their eyes on him, not wanting to miss even the slightest change in his expression.
The standoff between the group lasted for a long time. Cheng Yuan bit his lip, but still couldn't escape the gaze of Qin Yuan and the others. Just then, a smile appeared on Cheng Yuan's lips. Because this smile was so different from the impression Cheng Yuan gave people, when he smiled, the others couldn't help but feel a chill.
At this moment, Lu Ming stared intently at the monitor.
This scene is quite a challenge for the actors. Cheng Yuan's character has already undergone a transformation once during filming, and this time Ji Yan has to subvert his image once again.
“I always thought I was the murderer. For the past few years, I’ve lived with guilt. I could have had the best future…”
Cheng Yuan was just an ordinary student from a farming family. His goal was always to find a better job and engage in deeper development, rather than being driven by a nouveau riche like Xue Song.
But he had no choice. The accident 11 years ago ruined his future, leaving him to live in constant fear, afraid to see anyone, lest he be caught one day.
"Did you kill Xue Song?"
Qin Yuan shouted himself hoarse, but Cheng Yuan just smiled at him without saying a word.
"It's definitely him."
Qin Yuan, Tang Shi, and Yu Qian tied Cheng Yuan up together. Everything was peaceful that day. Although the hotel was still locked, the group managed to get a good night's sleep.
But when they woke up the next morning, they found that Cheng Yuan was also dead.
Suspicion continues.
Qin Yuan became the new suspect.
On the third day, when Tang Shi's body appeared, Qin Yuan and Yu Qian were not surprised at all. The repeated scares in the hotel had exhausted all their energy and made them extremely agitated.
Qin Yuan and Yu Qian are both selfish people at heart, so they were convinced that the other must be the murderer hiding behind the scenes. In the end, the older and thinner-looking Yu Qian grabbed Qin Yuan by the throat.
Looking at Qin Yuan's face, which was gradually turning pale, a sense of pleasure flashed through her heart.
At that moment, she also obtained the key to open the hotel door from Qin Yuan.
Sunlight gradually streamed into the hotel. At this moment, Yu Qian no longer possessed the elegant demeanor of a piano teacher. Her hair was disheveled, and her expression was panicked, just like the fleeting expression on the face of the girl named Xiao Xiao when she came to find her years ago.
The mirror was empty, making the entire hotel appear even more empty.
As Yu Qian reminisced about those days, another face appeared in the mirror, behind her.
"It's you?"
"It's me."
...
According to Lu Ming's original estimate, the filming of "The Vanished Murder" should only take a little over two months. With editing and post-production, if things go smoothly, it might be released before the end of the year. However, the filming period took much longer than he expected, and the investment also exceeded the budget. Ji Yan paid for it out of his own pocket.
He wasn't doing charity work, of course. The production team signed a contract with him, and he would receive a share of the profits based on the film's box office revenue after its release.
“You have to pray the movie actually makes money,” Lu Ming joked with him.
"It's okay to lose money."
Lu Ming then remembered that Ji Yan was one of the wealthiest people in the entertainment industry. Losing money on one movie, "The Vanished Murderer," or even ten movies wouldn't have much of an impact on him.
Ji Yan felt that his mindset was influenced by Lu Yu. Lu Yu and Zhu Shuguang had worked together for so many years, and every film they made showcased how to lose money in various ways, making them a model investor.
Moreover, Ji Yan has a lot of faith in the quality of "The Vanished Murderer". The plot is not complicated, but there are many noteworthy details in the filming process that viewers may not be able to discover if they do not pay close attention.
Of course, opinions vary, and Ji Yan himself really liked the film.
Although he encountered trouble with Song Jing on set, he got along quite well with Yang Le and He Qing. The group formed a group chat and often went fishing together. They would also analyze various details in the script in the group. He Qing and Yang Le's agencies were both in City A, so it was usually easy to meet up with them.
For Ji Yan, finishing filming meant the end of a major task, and he felt completely relaxed.
He and Ning Wei had been chatting on WeChat, but they hadn't seen each other for a long time. As soon as filming ended, he immediately asked Ning Wei out.
"Teacher Ning, wanna go out?"
Ning Wei sent an OK emoji.
...
Ji Yan went back to the apartment first. He hadn't been back much during the filming of "The Vanishing Murder," but he would chat with his friends every day to keep up with the latest news about "Wings."
"Welcome back a super handsome guy!"
"I didn't see it."
"Don't be jealous of me just because I'm handsome." Ji Yan was a little excited. "I've finally finished filming the movie."
"I can tell how tired you are, Teacher Ji." Fang Yu glanced at him. "You really look thinner."
"Because dealing with people is really tiring," Ji Yan sighed. "I still prefer a simpler film crew."
That's because you've met a weirdo.
Fang Yu and the others were also speechless about Xianyin Entertainment, feeling that the company was like a piece of chewing gum that they couldn't shake off.
"Their company has recently been recruiting artists who all claim to resemble a certain celebrity."
“They already have a small Fangyu Island.” Lu Wei chuckled to herself. “I specifically looked at the photos the other day, and it really does look quite similar.”
"...Please don't say it." Fang Yu felt a headache coming on just thinking about it. "Fang Yu hasn't even made a name for himself in the entertainment industry yet, and little Fang Yu has already shown up."
Lu Wei added insult to injury: "That Fang Yu even changed his age; his actual age should be older than Dayu's."
Fang Yu jumped onto the sofa and slumped down, saying, "I, Fang Yu, refuse to accept this."
However, the questionable actions of String Sound Entertainment did not bring many opportunities to its artists. Take "The Long Ballad" for example. After the series was released, Zhou Xingyuan was almost at the bottom of the entire cast. When the veteran actors appeared, the plot was full of bloodshed. Even if it was just a verbal exchange, the audience could still see the swordplay.
But when Zhou Xingyuan appeared, the audience could only feel one thing – utterly deflated.
It's not fair to say that Zhou Xingyuan's acting was terrible; his acting skills are sufficient for idol dramas, but in a major historical drama like "The Long Ballad," he stands out as the most awkward actor.
This is something that the gravitas created by the plot cannot compensate for. Even though Zhou Xingyuan's makeup and styling perfectly blended into the "The Long Ballad" production team, the audience could still tell the difference between him and truly outstanding acting skills.
Ji Yan's portrayal of Qin Xin garnered widespread praise, but when "The Long Ballad" aired, Ji Yan was still filming "The Vanished Murderer," and he only retweeted one Weibo post related to "The Long Ballad."
Despite this, his name still appeared on the trending topics list on the day the scene of Qin Xin's death aired.
Fans were promoting Ji Yan under the video of Qin Xin crying, using the same phrase Zhou Xingyuan had used: "One day, the world will know you."
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