Chapter 36: Go with the flow.
Once the theme song was finalized, on the way back, the director showered Sheng Yi with praise, making Sheng Yi blush.
The director laughed and said, "Don't be modest. If it weren't for your sake, Teacher Wei wouldn't be so easy to talk to."
Sheng Yi was surprised. "I think Teacher Wei is quite nice." She even smiled at her as she left.
Everyone in the industry knows that Wei Zhuang's professional skills and personality are completely inversely proportional. Although he's faded from the spotlight in recent years, how could someone his age change his temper? Only this young girl thinks he's some kind and approachable teacher.
The director smiled but didn't expose him. "Get some rest. You have scenes to film tomorrow morning."
After returning, Sheng Yi specifically thanked Wen Shili again. Wen Shili said it was no trouble at all, as Wei Zhuang happened to have nothing to do recently.
Sheng Yi suspected he was talking nonsense. Although he hadn't released many new songs in recent years, those few classic albums should be enough for Wei Zhuang to live on for a lifetime. However, perhaps no one would complain about having too much money?
As the morning light spreads across the earth, a new day begins with hope.
This web series is set in a semi-campus, semi-urban setting. Sheng Yi plays the female lead's friend from high school. Her scenes are mainly concentrated in the first part, and most of the scenes are done with the female lead.
For example, in today's scene, the highlight was the female lead's ability to overcome difficulties and win people's hearts, while Sheng Yi only had two lines of dialogue that went through the motions.
On the monitor, the female lead was arguing with a boy holding a basketball, surrounded by a crowd of onlookers. Sheng Yi stood aside, secretly cheering for her friend.
Everyone was wearing the same school uniform, but at first glance, she seemed to have an extra layer of filter over everyone else. Fortunately, her darker skin tone suppressed some of her clear and lively charm.
Under the blazing sun, everyone's attention was focused on the argument between the female lead and the male lead. Even outside the spotlight, Sheng Yi did not relax for a moment, striving to maintain the proper state and expression for her role.
Behind the camera, the screenwriter looked at the director beside him and said, "How was it? Did you make a profit?"
The director clapped his hands and shouted "Cut!"
"You have a keen eye."
Compared to S City, the weather here is much hotter and more humid. Since she didn't have any scenes to film in the afternoon, Sheng Yi went straight back to the hotel to rest.
The rooms were assigned by the production crew, two people to a room. Sheng Yi shared a room with Li Zitong, the third female lead in the crew.
When she woke up from her afternoon nap, Li Zitong had already returned without her noticing.
Sheng Yi glanced at the time. "You've finished filming for today?"
The other person hummed in agreement, "It's been moved to tomorrow." Then they lowered their head again.
Sheng Yi took out her phone and saw that people in the small group were discussing related news. Due to the high temperature in the afternoon, she was worried about heatstroke, so the filming of the scenes was changed to indoor scenes.
Even in an air-conditioned room, it's easy to sweat if you move around a little. Sheng Yi slowly changed her clothes and went out when it got a bit cooler in the evening.
"Takeout or eat here?"
Sheng Yi turned her gaze away from the roadside and said, "Let's pack it up."
As she walked down the street, she was still wondering if the person she had just seen was Wei Zhuang. His baggy T-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops were a completely different image from the one she had seen last night.
Before I could figure it out, the director called, "Have you eaten? Want to come to Jixianju for a bite?"
Well, what's the difference between having dinner with your boss after get off work and working overtime? Besides, given her current reputation, it's really hard to explain if someone takes a picture of her doing it.
Just as Sheng Yi was thinking about how to refuse, she faintly heard Teacher Zhang's voice coming from the phone again.
Teacher Zhang is the screenwriter of "Fireworks in the Human World," and she just won the Newcomer Screenwriter Award at the beginning of the year. Sheng Yi thought for a moment, "Okay, I'll be right there."
As we crossed the sidewalk, a waiter was already waiting at the door, leading Shengyi upstairs.
Pushing open the door, I was surprised to find that there were other people besides Zhang Meng.
The conversation at the table paused. Zhang Meng stood up with a smile and pulled Sheng Yi to sit down next to her. "Teacher Wei said he just saw you. I didn't expect you to actually be here."
She and the director went out to eat and happened to run into Wei Zhuang downstairs. He said he had already booked a private room and suggested they eat together. He also mentioned that he thought he saw Sheng Yi on the way here and suggested they invite him over if it was convenient.
Upon hearing this, the director readily agreed and immediately called Sheng Yi again.
Sheng Yi was caught in a dilemma. He reluctantly greeted Wei Zhuang, but then thought to himself, "If I had known, I wouldn't have joined in this fun."
Fortunately, Wei Zhuang turned around and started talking to the director again; to be precise, it was the director who kept interjecting with his conversation whenever he could.
Wei Zhuang happened to be sitting diagonally opposite Sheng Yi, and she could catch a glimpse of his face out of the corner of her eye when she looked up. He seemed to be vaguely impatient.
Sheng Yi glanced at the director, who was spitting as he spoke, pursed her lips and secretly suppressed a smile, while also whispering to Zhang Meng next to her.
After sitting for a while, Wei Zhuang received a phone call, closed the door, and left.
The director, who had been speaking fluently, immediately stopped and looked at Zhang Meng beside him, "Did I say too much again?"
Sheng Yi finally laughed out loud. In the past two days, some people in the small group had been privately complaining about the director, saying that he was always so passionate, as if he could start a scene anytime, anywhere.
Zhang Meng was clearly aware of his character and didn't respond at all. She simply told Sheng Yi, "Let's wait a little longer. Teacher Wei has a friend who hasn't arrived yet."
Sheng Yi touched her rumbling stomach and couldn't laugh anymore.
Her pitiful little expression and the way she dared not speak out made the other two feel both sorry for her and guilty.
Zhang Meng: "It's okay, just eat something to tide you over if you're hungry."
Director Deng Feng also advised, "Let's eat first, they'll probably be gone for a while."
Stripped of her on-screen persona, Sheng Yi in private is more relaxed and energetic. Her cheeks puff out like a little hamster sneaking a bite to eat. When she sees them looking over, she smiles shyly.
Since it's a campus-themed drama, heavy makeup is definitely not an option. Deng Feng actually hesitated for a long time before casting Sheng Yi in this role.
Sheng Yi certainly had an advantage in her impromptu performance during the interview, but frankly, anyone else wouldn't have fared much better. However, for a supporting role, that advantage becomes less significant in the face of the risks involved. If mishandled, it could easily overshadow the lead actress and ruin her image.
In the end, it was Zhang Meng who did the talking to him, saying that the heroine's shining point lies in her grassroots rise to success and her courageous and charismatic personality. With such outstanding friends as a foil, the heroine's character would actually be more well-rounded. Moreover, Sheng Yi doesn't seem to be the type to compete for attention, so she probably won't mind their petty schemes.
After several days of internal discussions, Sheng Yi was ultimately chosen for the role. However, at the same time, she ended up trending on social media again.
His low-budget production team can't withstand the back-and-forth attacks from fans; they could easily destroy his entire production.
Zhang Meng said, "What are you afraid of? It's not like it's a negative trending topic. The wind is blowing in your favor. You just need to go with the flow."
He went to investigate, only to find that the wind was much stronger than he had imagined, and the fragments of Sheng Yi in the news reports paled in comparison to the real person.
Perhaps when she looks back later, he will just be an insignificant ferryman in her life.
When the door to the private room opened, Sheng Yi was halfway through eating a bowl of cold noodles when she turned around and saw Wei Zhuang leading someone in.
She quickly closed the lid and stood up with the director and the others. She watched as Wei Zhuang led the person to her side and pulled out a chair to sit down.
Sheng Yi awkwardly tugged at the hem of her vest, and saw the other person take off their hat and mask, revealing the face that fans had praised a thousand times over.
The private room was too quiet. She thought she heard a gasp, and then the director squeezed in, saying, "Teacher Wen, it's an honor to meet you." He added, "Teacher Wei, thanks to you, we are so grateful." Then came another round of flattery.
Sheng Yi stood to the side, watching the director's passionate performance, and helplessly exchanged a glance with Zhang Meng.
Wei Zhuang also put away his impatient expression and introduced everything to Wen Shili one by one.
Director, screenwriter, and then there's her, this insignificant little role.
The people before her had all their titles and positions listed, but she simply said, "A generous gift."
Sheng Yi's lips twitched. Although she was indeed not quite qualified to be an actress, her name was not as well-known as theirs, where people would immediately recognize her by her name.
She steeled herself and called out "Teacher Wen" as well.
Having already been proven wrong, Sheng Yi didn't dare to act recklessly. Director Deng Feng stared at her for a long time, but after she finished speaking, she fell silent, as if she had received a completely different script from what was rumored.
What happened to our mutual following? What happened to our friendship? Is this all just his delusions? If there were no such prerequisites, how come he's sitting here at the same table as Wen Shili and Wei Zhuang?
Unable to understand what tricks these people were playing, Deng Feng chose a relatively safe topic—praising Sheng Yi.
"Teacher Sheng is known for being a good person and a good actor. He arrives earlier than others every day. Even after work, if there are things we don't understand, we will discuss them together and solve them in a timely manner."
Sheng Yi didn't expect that the director would remember to add more scenes for her after he finished his own performance. Just as she was about to ask him to tone it down, she looked up and met Wen Shili's deep eyes, which were dark and unfathomable.
The director then said, "She told me before that she has always enjoyed watching your films."
Sheng Yi almost knelt down before the director, but Wen Shili seemed to actually believe him. He stared at him intently, as if to say: Oh? For example?
Sheng Yi felt like a fish caught in a net; whether she struggled or not, it wouldn't help the overall situation.
The director talked to himself for a while, but no one responded. He couldn't continue, so Sheng Yi stepped in and said, "Personally, I prefer the film 'A Fleeting Moment of Life'."
The director probably didn't expect her to be so perceptive all of a sudden, and in his excitement, he coughed so hard it shook the ground. Zhang Meng, who was standing nearby, couldn't bear to see this and handed him a glass of water.
Once his coughing subsided, the conversation at the table was diverted. The restaurant manager came in to ask if the food could be served. Wei Zhuang nodded, and then the waiters began to file in.
Sheng Yi narrowly escaped disaster. Still dazed, she listened to them say that Wen Shili had come here temporarily for work and would have to leave later. She quietly picked up her phone and checked Weibo, seeing that her fans seemed completely unaware of what had happened.
But who cares? Whether it's work or visiting friends, just don't cause her any trouble.
Judging from his demeanor just now, she was afraid he would suddenly blurt out, "Who are you?"
To be honest, when Wen Shili debuted, it coincided with her busiest time. Although she had vaguely heard of him and knew he had won many awards, she didn't think she had seen any of his movies. She only remembered him by chance when she came across his name later.
The atmosphere, which had just been a little awkward, was quickly brought to life by the director. Sheng Yi ate her meal in silence, listening as their conversation shifted to their collaboration with Wei Zhuang.
She suddenly remembered a big problem that she had put aside: in the director's eyes, she was still a relative.
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