Hengshi Film and Television City is never short of fresh talent.
Countless young people, full of dreams, flocked to this place like moths, becoming busy worker ants and the cornerstone of this magnificent base.
Only a handful of them will stand out, becoming the chosen ones, the "girl" or "boy" favored by a director or talent scout, soaring to great heights.
Shang Yechu's starting point was even more difficult than in his previous life.
In her previous life, Shang Yechu was extremely ugly, but she was memorable and unforgettable.
In her previous life, the naive Shang Yechu arrived at the film studio, wandering around in a daze. Perhaps it was a case of fools having good fortune, for she was spotted by a director.
The director was a rising star, currently filming a low-budget comedy. Upon seeing Shang Yechu, his eyes lit up, and he coaxed and tricked Shang Yechu into joining the film crew.
That was Shang Yechu's first role, playing an obese, infatuated woman who chased after the male lead. The woman chased him for two blocks before being hit by a car and thrown into the air.
That was all of her scenes.
Looking back now, could it be considered a prophecy?
The movie had lowbrow humor, but it was very dense with jokes. Despite being released during the National Day holiday alongside a bunch of educational films, it unexpectedly achieved decent box office results and became a minor hit. Shang Yechu's portrayal of the infatuated woman even gained some online attention—she was turned into a source of funny memes.
Since then, Shang Yechu has been receiving film offers from time to time. They're all stereotypical roles: a fat, delusional woman in a comedy, a vicious innkeeper in a period film, a ruthless, overweight female boss in a workplace drama, a shrew, a shrew, a mentally challenged person, a simpleton…
Shang Ye accepted all comers. She couldn't distinguish between good and bad scripts, and even if she could, she had no power to choose.
That's how she gained some popularity and became a well-known comedic character in the entertainment industry.
Memories flooded back. Shang Yechu closed her eyes briefly.
It was a shortcut, but also a dead end.
She will never take that road again.
Shang Yechu went to three different film crews, but no director wanted her. The reason was simple: she was short, average-looking, and among the extras, she was of lower quality.
By the time we arrived at the fourth film set, it was already past noon.
The fourth film crew was a period drama crew. After much pleading and persuasion, Shang Yechu finally convinced the production assistant to allow her to go in and distribute bottled water.
The production crew was filming a historical drama, so there were indeed a lot of people. Plus, Shang Yechu said she didn't want money, she just wanted to observe and gain experience, so they turned a blind eye and let her in.
They're filming a war scene right now. It's July, and the scorching sun is beating down on them. The extras, wearing thick armor, are running around, all of them burning with hunger.
"Crack! Crack! Crack!" The executive director wiped his sweat and cursed, "Are they all idiots? We're setting up a formation! Setting up a formation! Run that way! Not that way! Raise the flag! Can't you hear me raising the flag?"
This scene has been filmed more than a dozen times. In historical dramas, large scenes are filmed in two groups, and the assistant director of this group is not as professional as the other group, leaving everyone confused and disoriented.
"Hey director! You just said we don't need to raise the flag when turning left!" one of the bolder extras couldn't help but shout.
The executive director immediately flew into a rage: "Who said that? Who said that? Come out here!"
A tall, muscular extra jumped out from the crowd: "Who's afraid of who! You're not good enough yourself, so why blame others?"
This guy was tall and burly, kind of intimidating. He looked like a reckless fool.
The assistant director roared, "You know what I mean! You know what I mean! Are you the director or am I the director?!"
"Pah! Don't you dare wield your authority like a tiger!" the tall, muscular extra spat. "Who do you think you are!"
"What's your name?" the assistant director called out. "What's your name!"
"Your grandpa doesn't change his name! My name is Huang Feizhang! Go ahead and sue me!" With that, Huang Feizhang ripped off his helmet and slammed it to the ground.
"You think you're Wong Fei-hung?!" the assistant director yelled. "Get out! Don't even think about earning a single penny from this crew again!"
"Who the hell cares about your filthy money!" Huang Feizhang had already ripped off the crudely made armor on the spot and stormed off.
The assistant director was furious, his face turning purple. He yelled, "Film! Keep filming! We won't miss a single one of them!"
The assistant leaned close to the director and whispered, "The number of actors in this scene has been reduced to the bare minimum. That role won't look good if someone is missing."
The executive director said impatiently, "Are you dead? Are there people all over the street?" He then pointed at Shang Yechu, who was putting bottled water on a table not far away, and said, "You, you go up."
The assistant quickly said with a smile, "Director, she's a woman, and she's short..."
"Who can tell the difference between male and female when they're wearing armor?" the assistant director said impatiently. "It's easier to deal with the shorter ones. You, the big guy over there, move forward a few steps and stand at the front of the line! You—"
The executive director glanced at Shang Yechu, who quickly put down her mineral water, picked up the heavy suit of armor, and awkwardly put it on.
"At least you have some sense." The assistant director's anger subsided slightly. "You stand behind that big guy!"
Perhaps it was because her IQ had increased, but Shang Yechu felt that her hands and feet were more agile. After quickly putting on the armor, she swiftly stood in the position the director had asked her to take.
This scene was incredibly exhausting. The director's skill didn't improve much after driving away the troublemaker Huang Feizhang; hundreds of people were still running around under the scorching sun, a never-ending ordeal. I mentally cursed the director to the core.
Shang Yechu was completely soaked. The armor was very thick and not breathable at all. She felt dizzy and her vision was blurring. The food she had eaten that morning had long since vanished. It seemed that even though she had lost weight, her appetite hadn't decreased.
Shang Yechu gritted her teeth. Her highly sophisticated brain allowed her to react promptly to the director's instructions, but her limbs were already sore and weak, and she gradually could not keep up with the rhythm of her brain.
She was almost fainting from the heat.
The system warned: "Host, your health has dropped to 30."
Shang Yechu: "What's wrong with being 30?"
"Generally speaking, only people with chronic diseases will have their health value drop to this level," the system said coldly.
Shang Yechu: "I'm not sick. Don't worry about me."
System: "I'm not concerned about you, I'm concerned about my mission. If you die, I'll leave behind a record of a failed mission."
Shang Yechu turned around, panting, and raised the flag in her hand, ignoring the system's words.
The host was stubborn, and the system couldn't do anything about it. It could only try its best to help Shang Yechu regulate her hormones, giving her the illusion that she wasn't so tired.
Shang Yechu suddenly felt much lighter in her limbs, and the soreness in her neck and shoulders had also lessened considerably.
Shang Yechu asked alertly, "System, what's going on? Am I having a sudden burst of energy before death?"
system:"……"
"Click—"
The director's voice rang out: "That take is good."
"Yay!" A weak cheer erupted from the crowd. Everyone eagerly took off their helmets and fanned themselves with their hands.
The assistant and the executive director whispered to each other for a while. The assistant said something, and the director, feeling that he was in the wrong today, nodded.
The assistant obediently said, "Director Yan said that you can eat as many boxed lunches as you like today! If you need more, just order from a nearby restaurant! Okay! You can all go now!"
"Thank you, boss!" "Thank you, Director Yan!" "Director Yan is so generous!" These voices echoed throughout the venue, much louder than before.
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