Chapter 36
Chapter 36
In previous years, GIGABYTE Entertainment collaborated with local television stations, producing many large-scale entertainment programs. They possessed exceptional talent in creating and promoting numerous well-known singers.
However, with the rise of the internet, the returns from record releases have become increasingly lower.
Therefore, GIGABYTE Entertainment changed course, leveraging its previous connections and music copyrights to exchange resources and shift towards collaborating with platforms to produce TV dramas, enabling its artists to transition into actors.
"Seven Stars Align" is a product of this transformation plan.
GIGABYTE Entertainment spearheaded the project, and the Fu family exchanged resources with GIGABYTE Entertainment, taking the opportunity to contribute 30% of the investment under the guise of learning how to film.
But it was agreed at the time that the Fu family would never interfere with the casting process.
These conditions are stipulated in the contract.
Surprisingly, GIGABYTE Entertainment couldn't find a female artist whose age, appearance, and fame were sufficient to play the lead role. In the end, they had to choose Yin Manman, who had no connection with any entertainment company in mainland China.
In order to win the female lead role in "Seven Stars Alignment", in addition to Gu Yifan using various means outside, Yin Manman also put a lot of effort into the shareholders of GIGABYTE Entertainment.
Even though he looked down on Yin Manman's habit of using her body to pave the way for everything, Gu Yifan would not underestimate her determination to make sacrifices.
Yin Manman is already one of the few young actresses who can be considered "good at acting" even now. Despite her fame, she still has to put in so much "effort".
But no one, inside or outside the industry, heard a single word about Jiang Mingyue's "efforts".
Before Jiang Mingyue mentioned the Fu family, even Gu Yifan thought that she had simply gotten a good opportunity and that she had won the role of the third female lead thanks to her excellent acting skills and incredible luck.
He loosened his hands from his chest, placed them on his knees, and carefully looked Jiang Mingyue up and down again, still finding it hard to believe.
This young girl is certainly beautiful.
Perhaps she is more refined in appearance than other female celebrities, and her reputation is more flawless.
But when has the entertainment industry ever lacked beautiful faces and alluring figures? A good reputation can also be built with money.
When it comes to beauty, the only question for the president of the Fu Group is whether he wants it or not; there is no question of whether he can get it.
So, did this girl join the crew with the task of being a middleman from the very beginning?
With his complex thought process, Gu Yifan thought of many things in an instant, and his thoughts turned to the business world, which had nothing to do with acting.
He sat up straight, looking directly at Jiang Mingyue with a serious expression: "President Fu, what aspects of Xingyou are you interested in?"
Jiang Mingyue's smile deepened, her dark brown eyes swirling like eddies, making it impossible for Gu Yifan to see her as a simple little girl anymore.
"Gu Jingji and the Second Young Master have a very good relationship. Gu Jingji helped the Second Young Master with his award-winning film this year, running around and getting the crew up and running. But the Eldest Young Master doesn't seem to like this award very much."
Jiang Mingyue laughed as she talked about the recent gossip news in the newspapers, "However, I think the market can still accommodate some martial arts films."
Both of the He family's young masters were born in wedlock, but not from the same mother.
The first one was born from Mr. He's affair with a wealthy man's daughter, while the second one was born from a business marriage arranged after Mr. He achieved success.
Neither of his wives was easy to deal with, and both of his sons received a good education.
Although Xingyou's health had declined along with that of Mr. He, both sons firmly believed that even a starved camel is bigger than a horse, and neither was willing to take the money and leave.
They all plunged headlong into the family business, determined to achieve something and win the family fortune.
Mr. He suffered a brain hemorrhage a few years ago. Although he survived, he has difficulty walking and speaking.
He always seemed to think he wouldn't die. Even though his two sons were fighting like cats and dogs, Mr. He still hadn't decided who to hand over the company to.
As a result, the company was rife with factions, with each department supporting a different successor and its employees taking sides.
Xingyou was already on a downward spiral. After the entire company's employees turned against each other and began to trip up the opposing heir, the brothers' attitude gradually changed from "I want to inherit the family business" to "We can't let him inherit the family business and take everything away."
It's alarming that both sons coincidentally try to poach employees from their own company.
By this year, Star Travel's foundation has been completely destroyed. Apart from its film library, all that remains are a group of martial arts actors and martial arts instructors who are on average over sixty years old.
Only family members know their own affairs.
The young actors that are currently being heavily promoted in mainland China are too lazy to even memorize their lines, and they have virtually no action scenes.
Although these martial arts instructors are still nominally employed by Xingyou, they haven't been able to get any work for a long time.
On the contrary, it's Star Travel's film library...
Most mainland Chinese men aged 35 and above grew up watching pirated videos of Hong Kong-style adult films or police dramas from the Starry Night Film Library.
Gu Yifan was certain that when Xingyou collapsed, these classic old films in the film library would definitely be worth their price.
As a result, President Fu didn't want Xingyou's film library, but instead favored this group of martial arts instructors who couldn't get work.
Martial arts instructors also need to eat. If they knew that the wealthy and powerful Fu family was willing to give them new jobs, they wouldn't need Gu Yifan to do them any favors. They would definitely rush to join the Fu family as soon as possible, despite their old age!
In front of President Fu, wouldn't Gu Yifan be unable to help his second young master at all?
Gu Yifan's face stiffened.
Humans are inherently perverse. If you ask someone for a favor, they will treat you with disdain; but if you need something that can't be accomplished through them, they will actually try to increase their usefulness to you.
Gu Yifan, who thought he had figured out Jiang Mingyue's purpose, began to seriously consider it.
Otherwise, he should talk to Young Master He!
They planned to select films from the film library in advance and sell them to Fu's company—this way, when Xingyou went bankrupt, they could get the biggest slice of the pie and find a new foothold in Fu's film and television companies.
"Don't worry about the martial arts instruction, Miss Jiang. Once you're done with your work, I can take you to visit those old folks."
Gu Yifan quickly put on a warm smile and said humorously, "You don't know, do you? These old guys have all settled down on the mainland and haven't lived in Hong Kong for a long time. Haha, we're of one mind across the strait, and when people get old, they want to return to their roots."
Gu Yifan changed his address of "you" to "you" when facing Jiang Mingyue.
“What Gu Jingji said is that the mainland’s economy is now taking off and its infrastructure is gradually being improved, so there’s no harm in coming back,” Jiang Mingyue said with a smile.
After exchanging a few polite words, Gu Yifan couldn't stand it any longer.
He took the initiative to say, "Ms. Jiang, you've gone to all this trouble. I hope I won't interfere with your filming."
Jiang Mingyue finally brought the matter back to the main topic and brought up the real problem that was troubling her: "Actually, there is another small matter concerning myself that I haven't discussed with Gu Jingji."
"Please feel free to speak," Gu Yifan said with exceptional friendliness.
Jiang Mingyue pouted, all the mystery on her face vanishing completely, leaving only the prim and proper attitude of a pampered beauty her age when dealing with men: "Economic Gu probably doesn't know, but I don't have an agent yet. But since I haven't left the crew, it's not convenient for people to know that I've used my connections with the Fu family. So, if I want to be the female lead in Lan Xu's new album MV, there's no suitable person to help me secure a contract and negotiate terms."
Oh, it was an entertainment contract.
This is his specialty, much simpler than those complicated and convoluted things he just talked about.
Gu Yifan readily agreed, saying, "Ms. Jiang, don't worry. I know how to contact Lan Xu's agent, and I'll take care of this as soon as possible. You just need to go to Hengdian to film, and when you come back, I guarantee I'll put the contract in front of you."
Jiang Mingyue smiled happily: "Then I'll have to trouble Gu Jingji."
After she finished speaking, she stood up from her seat. Gu Yifan stood up as well and casually asked, "Shall I see Miss Jiang out?"
A mysterious smile returned to Jiang Mingyue's face.
She shook her head and refused: "Let's go to Gujing first, I need to go somewhere else."
The phrase "other places" was emphasized, giving it a special meaning.
Gu Yifan immediately realized that Jiang Mingyue wanted to meet with President Fu to explain the situation face-to-face—and maybe even get intimate for a while.
He stopped talking and quickly took his leave.
As soon as Gu Yifan left, Jiang Mingyue slumped her shoulders and relaxed against the back of her chair.
She's exhausted!
Although she has played many wicked and treacherous empresses, this is the first time Jiang Mingyue has resorted to such tricks to gain her own interests.
Should we be grateful for Gu Yifan's stereotype that beautiful women are given important positions only because they have given their bodies to powerful men?
If he hadn't misunderstood Jiang Mingyue's decision to get the interview through Fu Xiachuan's connections, Jiang Mingyue wouldn't have been able to mislead Gu Yifan so easily later on.
Jiang Mingyue raised her hand and rubbed her temples for a while.
The dull, bloated feeling gradually disappeared from my mind, and my thoughts became active again.
Jiang Mingyue grabbed her phone, repeatedly deleted and revised the message, and after confirming the content, sent an incredibly long text message to Fu Xiachuan.
After sending the message, Jiang Mingyue got up and walked briskly out of the coffee shop.
What a great day! Not only did he successfully persuade Gu Yifan to run for the female lead in Lan Xu's music video, but he also managed to trick Xingying into revealing that they were really going to shut down the shop and betray the company.
Less than a minute after the text message was sent, Fu Xiachuan, who should have been busy at the company, called back directly.
"Give me your address, and I'll send someone to pick you up now. Your message in the text wasn't clear enough; I need to hear your thoughts on the future of the film and television industry in person," Fu Xiachuan ordered directly.
I wasn't asking her how she specifically deceived Gu Yifan, but rather I wanted to hear her talk about the future trends of popular TV dramas.
Jiang Mingyue was instantly terrified and broke out in a cold sweat.
In the text message, she only mentioned that she was more optimistic about the broadcast of the fantasy drama and hoped that Fu Xiachuan could also buy the contracts of the martial arts directors when he acquired Xingyou.
Fu Xiachuan's business acumen is just too sharp!
Receiving no response, Fu Xiachuan's tone softened, a hint of worry in his voice: "Mingyue, is it inconvenient for you to come out right now, or have you encountered some trouble?"
Jiang Mingyue slowly exhaled the breath that had been stuck in her chest, then adjusted her tone to return to normal: "No, I'm just a little surprised that the CEO isn't in a meeting right now."
A low laugh broke through the speaker and pinched Jiang Mingyue's ear, making half of her face feel a little itchy.
"Most of the time, a domineering CEO is just a highly skilled worker who gets up earlier than the chickens, sleeps later than the dogs, and works harder than a donkey."
Jiang Mingyue chuckled in agreement, not taking Fu Xiachuan's self-deprecating remarks to heart.
She gave her current address and stood quietly waiting at the entrance of the coffee shop.
Less than ten minutes later, an expensive Bentley Arnage appeared outside the coffee shop.
The driver got out of the car, and Jiang Mingyue, who was well-trained, opened the car door, closed it, and then returned to the driver's seat to drive away.
In the back seat, Fu Xiachuan, now sporting a pair of wide-rimmed gold-framed glasses with sharper lines, was typing away at his computer screen with a pained expression.
Besides him, there was another man in a suit sitting in the passenger seat.
The man turned around and greeted Jiang Mingyue warmly, "This must be Miss Jiang. I've heard so much about you. I'm He Rui, your future boss and president of Xingchen Film and Television Entertainment Company."
"Hello, Mr. He." After greeting him, Jiang Mingyue suddenly noticed something was amiss.
He Rui?
He's the second young master of Xingyou, waiting to go bankrupt and sell his company! How did he suddenly become the head of Xingchen Film and Television Entertainment Company?
When Jiang Mingyue first noticed Xingchen Film and Television Entertainment Company in her previous life, Xingchen had already been taken over by a senior executive surnamed Zhang from the Fu family, who was appointed by Fu Qian.
In Jiang Mingyue's memories of her previous life, as soon as the old man of the He family passed away, He Rui went abroad and devoted himself to the directing industry, giving up the scheming and deceit of the business world.
He has created many works that criticize the realities of urban life, and has won numerous awards abroad.
Jiang Mingyue had never heard of He Rui's business acumen, nor did she know that he had once been in charge of Xingying.
Jiang Mingyue's expression betrayed her true feelings, and He Rui, a shrewd person who had grown up in the circles of power and wealth, immediately smiled: "It seems Miss Jiang knows me."
Jiang Mingyue's smile froze on her carefully cultivated "official smile" curve. "I'm a fan of 'The Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain.' Whenever the TV station rebroadcasts this show, I'll sit in front of the TV and watch it."
"The Flying Fox" is a martial arts film co-produced by He Rui's mother, Luo Yayi, and the mainland. The film brought together the most popular actors from the three regions at the time. Luo Yayi herself also made a cameo appearance as a minor character who was killed off after only a brief appearance.
The film's song and dance numbers and action sequences are outstanding and are still talked about by genre film audiences today.
The news of Luo Yayi's acceptance of a business marriage, childbirth, and divorce was all photographed by Hong Kong media and published in gossip magazines. She often appeared in public with her son, He Rui, and his photos are familiar to those who follow entertainment news.
He Rui turned around and, without any hesitation, asked Jiang Mingyue directly, "Your opinion is very interesting. Lao Si and I both want to hear you explain it in detail. For example, why do you think martial arts films will completely decline in the future?"
Jiang Mingyue answered very bluntly: "Because the actors are no longer good enough."
"Hmm?" He Rui immediately hugged the pillow tighter, his interest piqued even more.
He urged impatiently, "Be more specific."
Jiang Mingyue glanced at He Rui, smiled, stopped answering, and changed her words: "What follows is content that requires payment."
He Rui: "..."
He turned his gaze to Fu Xiachuan and lowered his voice: "Hey, bro, her shrewdness in making money is unlike that of an ordinary person."
Fu Xiachuan readily agreed, pulling out his checkbook: "What price do you think would be appropriate for this explanation?"
Jiang Mingyue reached out and pressed down on Fu Xiachuan's wrist: "Aren't you going to test me first?"
Fu Xiachuan paused in his grip on the pen, then suddenly laughed: "No wonder your acting is so good, it turns out you pay attention to observing life all the time."
One of the most paternalistic behaviors of men is that they always have to say the classic line, "Let me test you." In fact, they really like to test their partners before making a decision, regardless of gender.
Jiang Mingyue's teasing was exposed by Fu Xiachuan, and her face turned slightly red.
"Oh, I know what you two are talking about." He Rui looked at Jiang Mingyue and then at Fu Xiachuan. After thinking for a moment, he realized what kind of riddle they were talking about.
Jiang Mingyue's face turned even redder, and her voice lowered involuntarily: "But it's not like I should agree to pay before I've even said anything. What if it's just a lucky break?"
Fu Xiachuan had already grasped Jiang Mingyue's wrist, placing the unscrewed pen and check clip together in her palm, speaking slowly: "People who speak carelessly will readily and quickly offer a price, while those who have truly thought things through will hesitate because of their thinking. I use this to judge whether you can take responsibility for every word you say."
"Of course, choosing to listen or not to listen is an investment in itself, and my choice is to invest in you."
Fu Xiachuan tapped the check: "Have you decided what price to offer me?"
Jiang Mingyue glanced out the car window. "I've made up my mind, but I can't say it here. Let's find a place where the three of us are alone to discuss it. My answer isn't just about this one question; I think my answer deserves more."
A driver who works for the boss must be someone the boss trusts, so why was Jiang Mingyue so worried in the car?
Fu Xiachuan subconsciously looked up and glanced at the driver in the rearview mirror, meeting the driver's gaze as he peered back.
Fu Xiachuan continued to stare at the rearview mirror, his gaze gradually becoming stern; the driver's expression changed from awkward to tense as he met his gaze, and finally he hurriedly looked away in a panic.
Afterwards, Fu Xiachuan turned his gaze back to Jiang Mingyue and replied softly, "Okay, let's talk at the entertainment company."
The Fu family owns many businesses, but nowhere is a meeting room more suitable for discussing issues.
Fu Xiachuan brought Jiang Mingyue back to Xingchen Film and Television Entertainment Company.
From the reception area onwards, the entire lobby features a minimalist design in pure white. The receptionist, dressed in a dark gray suit and trousers, exudes professionalism under the lighting, making the lobby of the Xingying office building appear very clean and bright at first glance.
Even the interior design styles were so different when Fu Qian was managing Xingying.
"How is it? I specifically had someone refer to the style of high-end beauty salons; it's clean and gentle," Fu Xiachuan explained, noticing Jiang Mingyue's curious gaze.
But his answer only made Jiang Mingyue more confused: "Beauty salon?"
Fu Xiachuan answered without any hesitation, "Yes, humans can never escape stereotypes. People look more beautiful under brighter, softer lighting."
"What film and television companies sell is the beauty and professional skills of their artists. In fact, beauty is even more important than skills. So when they negotiate contracts for their artists in an environment like a beauty salon that enhances their appearance, buyers are more likely to recognize the power of beauty itself and are more willing to pay for it."
Fu Xiachuan pushed open the door to a small conference room and instructed his assistant, "One cup of coffee and two bottles of purified water."
The secretary immediately brought over drinks.
After the three of them sat down, Fu Xiachuan unscrewed the bottle of water and placed it in front of Jiang Mingyue, then urged, "Miss Jiang, you can tell me your opinion now."
Holding the water bottle, Jiang Mingyue organized her thoughts and said, "The country's infrastructure is getting better and better, and the internet speed on mobile phones is getting faster and faster. People's mobile entertainment has also changed from text chatting to text reading, and then to reading comics."
"At the current rate of development, I believe that within five years, network transmission speeds will be sufficient to enable real-time video communication between people."
"The clarity of images from mobile phones and computers can be greatly increased. Along with this, beautification technology will also improve, creating many 'stars' among ordinary people."
The first part of the content was consistent with the views that Fu Xiachuan had previously expressed, and He Rui couldn't help but look at Fu Xiachuan.
Fu Xiachuan nodded to him, then suddenly interrupted Jiang Mingyue's description, questioning what she was saying: "According to your current description, it should be that these 'ordinary celebrities' are squeezing out the survival positions of artists, causing artists to work harder. Why would you say that artists have become worse?"
Jiang Mingyue shook her head: "The scope of work for artists is not entirely the same. For example, those who play the ideal woman and those who specialize in comedy are not in the same category."
"Those 'ordinary celebrities' who have gained popularity through the internet can lower their standards without any limits to cater to the audience and entertain them when facing a mobile phone camera. But if you put these people on the screen—whether it's the big screen or the small screen—to play a role, the audience will only feel that they cannot get into the plot. It takes a lot of time and press releases to transform their image into that of an artist, so no matter how famous an 'ordinary celebrity' becomes, it is difficult for them to influence an artist."
Fu Xiachuan typed Jiang Mingyue's explanation into his notebook, summarizing the key points: "So, you mean that the result of internet development is the popularization of entertainment and the segmentation of artist categories."
Jiang Mingyue: "Artists who want to take the superstar route need to maintain a certain distance in front of the camera. They shouldn't be like gossipy people, posting all their personal lives on the internet. They should maintain a proper sense of mystery in front of the public."
"However, this matter has its pros and cons. As a result, it will be even more difficult for artists who only have acting skills but are not eye-catching; while 'stars' with personal charm and the ability to attract the audience's attention will get more opportunities and be elevated to godhood by fans."
After writing down a few words, Fu Xiachuan stopped and raised an eyebrow: "So you mean that 'personality cult' will make artists complacent and unmotivated?"
"That's close to the point." Jiang Mingyue nodded first, then shook her head. "Where the audience's attention is, that's where the money is. In order to get these stars who can attract the attention of the audience and fans to obediently play roles, the production company will only lower and lower the requirements for the stars. In the end, not only their professional skills, but even their appearance will be lowered."
"Furthermore, the lack of their own platform, or rather, the lack of a platform that can reliably bring completed films and television dramas to the audience's view, will also put enormous pressure on the production company." Jiang Mingyue stopped talking after finishing her sentence.
"Mr. Fu, how much compensation do you think my analysis deserves?" She looked at Fu Xiachuan and He Rui with a smile, her fingers tapping lightly on the checkbook.
This is the future that Jiang Mingyue is certain will become a reality.
If Fu Xiachuan truly had foresight, then by believing him, Jiang Mingyue would gain the right to communicate on equal footing with this billionaire CEO and receive a substantial reward; but if he didn't believe him…
He had no choice but to believe it; Jiang Mingyue needed him to trust her judgment and live well as a tool to suppress Fu Qian.
Jiang Mingyue smiled and looked directly at Fu Xiachuan, waiting for the man's answer.
Fu Xiachuan pointed to the checkbook under Jiang Mingyue's finger: "Give it back to me, but the check was indeed handled carelessly—Jiang Mingyue, what you just said almost points to the future of the entire industry. I think your talent may not be limited to acting."
Jiang Mingyue sat up straight: "What does Mr. Fu mean?"
With his hands clasped together, Fu Xiachuan rested his chin on his hands and smiled as he extended an invitation: "Let's revise the contract. For the next five years, you will make decisions with us, and the money you earn for the company will become your investment in purchasing company shares."
Fu Xiachuan stood up and extended his hand to Jiang Mingyue: "How is it?"
Jiang Mingyue had already gripped Fu Xiachuan's hand tightly: "I'll have to trouble Mr. Fu with the next contract. Once it's finalized, I'll offer more ideas."
"So Miss Jiang had a trick up her sleeve!" He Rui interjected with a smile, and the three of them laughed in unison.
Reputable companies never lack legal counsel. Within two hours, Jiang Mingyue had signed a new contract, directly pointing Fu Xiachuan to a clear path to quickly make his artists famous.
"If all the TV dramas you invest in next are period dramas, don't bother with those who aren't famous in school right now. Go straight to those who study opera, have them participate in talent shows, quickly buy publicity to create hype, and then send them to the production crew." Jiang Mingyue hurriedly left these words before returning to the production crew.
Jiang Mingyue returned a little later than the time the production assistant told her, but her own scenes were already finished, so she only needed to make sure she didn't disturb anyone else when she came back.
But the current situation is not quite right.
As soon as Jiang Mingyue reached the top floor, the production assistant, who had been pacing back and forth, grabbed her and rushed her downstairs: "You're finally back! If you hadn't come back, we would have cut the scenes we just added for you!"
Did they just add some plot points for me?
Such a niche language, it's really hard to understand.
Jiang Mingyue was pulled by the production assistant to run to the film set.
She asked clearly, "What's this about adding scenes for me? And what's this about cutting the added scenes?"
The production assistant, exhausted from running around, slowed down and explained breathlessly, "Director Liu, Director Zhang, and Director Jiang reviewed the final cut together last night, and they were all dissatisfied with the filming of the scene where the female lead brings you to the male lead for the first time."
Jiang Mingyue could hardly believe her ears. She pointed to herself and said, "You're not satisfied with my performance? Maybe I misunderstood the plot."
Surely not? Sang Zhuo and Yin Manman were both inappropriate for their performances, so how could her acting be subpar?
The executive immediately waved his hand: "No, it's a problem with the script's scene design."
The script was finalized a long time ago, and the male and female leads were always quite satisfied. How could a problem suddenly arise?
Jiang Mingyue's curiosity was immediately piqued; her eyes widened, and her face was filled with curiosity.
Her appearance made the stagehands laugh.
The production assistant explained in a low voice: "In the original scene you filmed, the female lead brought you in, the male lead said you were a demon, the female lead said she had already accepted you, and the male lead stopped, right? Director Liu felt that this part of the scene was too superficial."
Oh, so that's what it was.
The plot issues are indeed quite significant.
The male protagonist is portrayed as a righteous character who cannot tolerate any injustice. Since Hu Lili is not bound by any spell, he naturally cannot allow her to move freely in areas frequented by ordinary people.
The female lead's character is not as famous as the male lead's, but she is extremely approachable, kind-hearted, and has a strong ability to empathize. She has believed in countless monsters who are feared by humans, which moved them to become her subordinates.
Hu Lili had almost lost her life at the hands of the male lead when she was drunk. When she reunited with the male lead, they were enemies and she was extremely jealous. How could she not take revenge?
When the three met, Hu Lili bared her teeth and threatened the male lead, who was immediately grabbed by the shoulders and verbally attacked by the female lead, ending the conflict.
Jiang Mingyue immediately felt that there was something wrong with this scene. The whole plot had a crude and absurd feel to it, with the female lead exuding a domineering aura that immediately subdued the male lead and many righteous people, who then bowed down in submission. However, she was just a minor female lead with few scenes, and the screenwriter, director, and two lead actors had no objections, so it was not her place to speak.
It's great that the director has now discovered the problem and wants to reshoot it to achieve perfection.
The production assistant continued, "After Director Liu and the other two finished their meeting with Sang Zhuo and Yin Manman and confirmed that both of them could accept adding an extra scene, they urged the scriptwriters on set to start rewriting the script. They started memorizing their lines at 2 p.m., and you're the only one left. Look, it's almost 6:30 p.m. now. If it's any later, the scene we just added might not be able to be filmed."
The entire film and television industry is rife with superstitious ideas, and everyone pays great attention to "auspiciousness".
If something fails the first time, no one else who handles it will give it another chance.
"Let's hurry up then."
Jiang Mingyue dared not rest any longer. She grabbed the production assistant's wrist and ran all the way to the film set.
*
The situation was much better than Jiang Mingyue had expected. The staff were all busy with their own work, and the terrible situation of the entire crew stopping to wait for Jiang Mingyue did not occur.
Of course, given her status, she doesn't think she deserves such treatment.
Jiang Mingyue made a fist-and-palm gesture to the production assistant, then quickly and silently approached Director Liu, who was looking at the camera, and whispered, "Director Liu, I'm back."
Director Liu, without taking his eyes off the camera, grunted and said, "Hurry up and get your makeup done, memorize your lines, and learn the fight scenes you need to do from the martial arts instructor. Your scenes start at seven."
"Okay, don't worry, I'll learn it right away."
Adding scenes at the last minute is certainly not as simple as Director Liu makes it out to be. At least from what the production assistants revealed, there are scenes where Jiang Mingyue fights the male lead, which she and the male lead need to hear together; and there are also issues with the on-set positioning and movement that need to be resolved.
To be honest, Jiang Mingyue didn't feel any tension at all on set.
This situation is quite strange.
Jiang Mingyue looked around and became even more certain that her feeling was correct.
Yin Manman was playing on her phone with her head on Fu Qian's shoulder, while Sang Zhuo was slowly learning the moves from the martial arts instructor. There was another stuntman standing next to Sang Zhuo, who was about the same height and build as him.
Since a large number of the actions were performed by stunt doubles, Sang Yue didn't need to put in any effort.
Fu Qian suddenly turned to Jiang Mingyue, and like a smug wolf, reached out and put his arm around Yin Manman's shoulder, raising his chin.
What's going on? Are they trying to provoke her?
That's so childish and ridiculous.
Jiang Mingyue immediately looked away, and under Fu Qian's gaze, she took the arm of the makeup artist Xiao Liang who came out to greet her, and said with a grin, "Thanks to Sister Liang, I got an extra scene."
After speaking, she walked into the dressing room with a smile.
Fu Qian's face darkened immediately. He pushed Yin Manman's head away and accused her harshly, "You're so heavy, you're as heavy as a pig."
After saying that, Fu Qian turned and left. Yin Manman took out a mirror in disbelief to check her makeup.
While quickly dressing and combing Jiang Mingyue's hair, Leon said in a low voice, "You're lucky today. When Director Zhang said that the scene where the male and female leads reunite was not good and needed to be reshot, Yin Manman got upset. She complained that in the scene she insisted on adding, she wasn't the focus, all the spotlight was given to the male lead, and it was a waste of her time."
"So how did you solve it?" Jiang Mingyue asked, feigning surprise.
Gossip with an audience is the most interesting, and Leon immediately raised his brush excitedly: "Guess what happened? She called her agent, trying to make things difficult for the director, but her agent gave her a good scolding and said that he couldn't handle a piece of trash like her, so he resigned from Gigabyte."
"Gu Yifan really did that?" Jiang Mingyue's eyes widened immediately.
Leon looked incredulous: "Yeah, isn't that amazing? There haven't been many big-name actresses in recent years, and Yin Manman is considered quite popular. Once this movie is released, Yin Manman's value will definitely skyrocket."
"Gu Jingji suddenly resigned from GIGABYTE because Yin Manman didn't want to act in the added scenes. Everyone spent the whole afternoon speculating whether something happened within GIGABYTE that triggered Gu Jingji, or whether Yin Manman had some inappropriate news about to break out."
Gu Yifan's hands and feet are too fast.
Gu Yifan truly lives up to his reputation as someone who has risen through the ranks of shrewd individuals. Once he has identified a promising path for future development, he can immediately abandon everything he has to pursue a better future.
It seems she needs to shine even brighter to be worthy of the team she's chosen.
"You'd better be careful. On set, Yin Manman can't take her anger out on actors who are more famous than her. She might target you."
"Don't worry, Sister Leon, I will definitely be more vigilant." Jiang Mingyue nodded repeatedly and quickly seized the time to start memorizing her lines.
After putting on her costume, she went to the set to ask the martial arts instructor about the moves she needed to perform.
Sang Zhuo shrugged and made way for her, joking as if he had never mentioned the "researching the script at night" request to Jiang Mingyue: "Alright, you can have the seats. I'll start with a sword-flipping motion, and the rest are yours."
The martial arts instructor pushed Jiang Mingyue back to the entrance and pointed to where his apprentice was standing: "See? After you enter, you have a few lines, starting with 'Give me back my tail.' You raise your hand and make a clawing motion, then rush over. Someone will try to stop you on the way. You defeat them, snatch their twin swords, and start attacking the male lead. All the fight scenes will be on you."
Ah, I understand.
Jiang Mingyue performed impressive and expansive martial arts scenes, while the male lead only showed expressions like "This vixen doesn't know what's good for her," "What can you do to me, vixen?" and "I'm going to teach this vixen a lesson today," making it easy to edit his face and the stuntman's movements together.
No wonder Sang Zhuo, who was theoretically the most exhausted after the added scenes, didn't object at all!
However, Sang Zhuo's micro-expression control wasn't that strong at all. By the time the filming was actually finished, Sang Zhuo was probably just standing there expressionless while Jiang Mingyue attacked him with beautiful dance moves.
Jiang Mingyue realized with absolute clarity that Director Liu and Director Zhang were well aware of Sang Zhuo's abilities, so they were just giving me more screen time!
The directors were determined to sacrifice the male and female leads to bolster Jiang Mingyue's reputation as an "acting genius."
What merit does she possess?
It seems Fu Xiachuan was behind it all.
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