Chapter 37

Rong Yin continued shuttling between the two sets, continuing to cause trouble. Besides the daily matters of eating, drinking, and making things hard for Little Ma, she also messed with the director group.

On the Xianxia drama, whenever the Male Lead changed the script one day, Rong Yin would also change the script the next day. When her creativity failed her, she wouldn’t change the plot, but instead focused on nitpicking details like how to drink water or walk a path. The two leads kept butting heads, turning the set into a chaotic mess.

On the Republican drama, the Male Lead thought about shipping the CP every day, constantly running over to film some intimate behind-the-scenes footage with her. He was her Senior, and the young girl hadn’t completely let loose yet, so every day she endured and cooperated with strong reluctance, perpetually on the verge of an emotional outburst.

Lu Zhi…

Lu Zhi discovered that Zhou Mingming was quickly learning bad habits.

“Want to rehearse lines today?” Lu Zhi proactively asked her.

Zhou Mingming was lying barefoot on the bed playing on her phone, her fair calves swaying very freely. Hearing Lu Zhi’s question, she was clearly taken aback. Turning her head, her face already held the guilty look of a child caught not doing homework by a parent.

“Well… well… filming isn’t about live recording sound right now. The director group uses post-production dubbing. They say there’s no need to be too meticulous, word for word. Just getting the lip sync roughly right is enough,” Zhou Mingming said quietly.

Lu Zhi frowned slightly.

Zhou Mingming, a little uneasy, got off the bed and looked at her, murmuring: “Sister Chen…”

“Is ‘roughly good enough’ really okay?” Lu Zhi asked her.

Zhou Mingming quickly shook her head, looking very obedient.

Lu Zhi knew this laziness came from the working environment, so she didn’t say anything harsh. She simply told her to get her script book and memorize her lines properly.

The next day, Lu Zhi began paying attention to the filming progress of several large-scale productions within Hengdian. She also gradually started distributing Zhou Mingming’s artistic photos.

She had originally thought Zhou Mingming was young and hadn’t systematically studied acting, so she decided to bring her back for some lessons after this minor role ended before taking on more roles. But she hadn’t expected that after just a dozen days on two third-rate crews, the girl hadn’t learned any passion or dedication for acting, but instead quickly picked up perfunctory habits and shortcuts. It made her realize she needed to correct the girl’s attitude first.

Zhou Mingming’s supporting role as Junior Sister appeared in only about a dozen episodes across the whole drama, totaling maybe just over twenty minutes. After filming the annihilation of the Female Lead’s sect, her role was killed off and she wrapped up.

Lu Zhi took her out for hotpot to celebrate. The crew’s Assistant Director, the daily script-mad Screenwriter, a few assistants, and the new friends Zhou Mingming had made during filming all very graciously came.

Little Ma wanted to come, but the thought of Rong Yin finding out that while she ate grass, her assistant was out eating hotpot, would probably kill her. So she had to hide in her hotel room, scrolling through pictures and videos in the phone group chat all evening.

After that, Zhou Mingming seamlessly transitioned into another Xianxia drama crew, “Mountains and Rivers at Sunset.”

If one were to quantify the production team and attitude of the two crews, “Mountains and Rivers at Sunset” would be SSS-tier. The Male and Female Leads were both major players from the film circle. The script was from a wildly popular big IP. The production team encompassed talent from across the straits. Even though filming had just started, it was already slated for next year’s summer prime-time slot on satellite TV.

It was completely on a different level compared to the low-budget Xianxia drama Rong Yin was in—one was in heaven, the other in the depths of the earth.

Of course, being new to the scene, Lu Zhi naturally couldn’t instantly pull strings to get Zhou Mingming a good role in such an excellent film project.

So Zhou Mingming was still playing a minor role, this time as the Little Maid to the villainous Second Female Lead. It was another tag-along role with few lines, requiring little acting skill, but with quite a lot of screen time. Early on, whenever the Second Female Lead appeared, she could hang around as background scenery.

Zhou Mingming was naturally overjoyed. Besides having work again, it was also because this drama was Best Actor Lu Wei’s first time “descending” from the film circle to shoot a TV series.

In the plotline Lu Zhi had received, Lu Wei, as the Female Lead Li Luo’s idol, was naturally a star who captivated thousands of young girls, an A-list actor of genuine skill. It was the same in reality. Since learning she might even have scenes with the Best Actor, Zhou Mingming had excitedly hugged Lu Zhi and spun her in circles. In the evening, Lu Zhi heard her on marathon phone calls with her Dad, Mom, older brother, best friend, and others. Two out of every three sentences was a squeal of excitement.

Lu Zhi had never cared much for the male and female leads in the plotline, but since the kid was so happy, her own mood was pretty good too.

The day before Zhou Mingming joined the crew, Rong Yin happened to leave both crews behind to go run some promotional gigs.

She was now the company’s cash cow. Zhuang Jie had packed this girl’s schedule to the brim—filming, filming commercials, making appearances, and fitting in web variety shows like clockwork.

The company side was Zhuang Jie’s home turf, so Lu Zhi didn’t need to tag along. Little Ma took the people and went back.

Lu Zhi was freed up, so she focused entirely on managing Zhou Mingming.

The new crew was full of big names, and everyone unconditionally served the leads. Zhou Mingming no longer dared to run around when she wasn’t in a scene. She stayed on set all day, ready to be a tool and enter the frame at any moment.

Her first scene with lines was following the Foreign Tribe Princess’s—the Second Female Lead’s—order to summon the Heavenly Lord, played by the Male Lead. The Little Maid, Zhou Mingming, dressed in a pink gauze palace gown, stood with her head lowered amidst the intricately carved railings and painted pillars set up by the on-site staff. There were hundreds of people around, yet it was so quiet you could only hear the whirring of the machines.

“Insolent.”

Two simple words struck with overwhelming, heavy authority. The Male Lead, who came from a major drama stage background, pronounced each word with perfect enunciation, a natural mix of a superior’s intimidating force and an all-knowing casualness.

The Heavenly Lord stood up from his desk, casually shaking out his sleeves. He had a commanding presence, as still and imposing as a mountain, like a great emperor of mountains and rivers from an archaic era. He instantly drew all the dramatic focus and camera lenses to himself.

Zhou Mingming stood perfectly still, a tiny, invisible figure, head lowered, listening to the Heavenly Lord’s reprimand for two minutes. When she got off-set, her palms and forehead were sweaty, and she seemed a bit dazed.

Lu Zhi was quite satisfied with her reaction. In the evening, besides continuing to have Zhou Mingming read the original physical novel, she also printed out screenshots of reader interpretations of the Second Female Lead from various major forums, as well as the text of featured, in-depth reviews, for Zhou Mingming to reference. She made sure the girl understood whom her character was meant to serve and not to dismiss her role just because the dramatic focus wasn’t on her. Even being background scenery required serious effort.

After these few scenes, Zhou Mingming had witnessed true acting skill. The excitement of meeting her idol for the first time quickly settled. She began very carefully noting these details.

Occasionally, Lu Zhi would also give her small tips, showing her famous supporting maid roles from past TV dramas and teaching her how to flesh out her own character within just a few precious lines.

By the time Rong Yin finished her promotional gigs and returned to Hengdian, Zhou Mingming had already written several short essays, thoroughly mapping out her new character’s life from birth to death according to the plot.

At first, Rong Yin didn’t care that Zhou Mingming was still at the hotel. That was until Zhou Mingming had to go on location with the “Mountains and Rivers at Sunset” crew.

As Zhou Mingming’s Agent, Lu Zhi naturally had to go with her. She finished discussing this with Zhuang Jie over the phone and then started handing over duties to Little Ma.

“On location?” Rong Yin overheard this while passing by and asked: “What location shoot?”

Little Ma said: “Mingming’s crew is going to do on-location filming. Sister Chen is taking her there and won’t be in Hengdian for a few days.”

“Zhou Mingming? She has location scenes?” Rong Yin’s eyes widened. All the dramas she’d filmed in recent years were entirely within Hengdian. Scenes involving scenery were almost all done with green screens. She’d only gone on location a few times, very rarely.

“What’s she playing now?” Rong Yin asked, a little curious.

“Mingming is currently with the ‘Mountains and Rivers at Sunset’ crew, that Xianxia crew next door, the one Lu Wei is starring in. I think she’s playing one of the lead’s maids, and she has quite a lot of screen time,” Little Ma said casually, her tone carrying a hint of happiness for Zhou Mingming.

Using work perks, Lu Zhi had gotten several signed photos of the Best Actor from Lu Wei’s staff and distributed them to everyone. These young men and women were thrilled, and their impression of Zhou Mingming improved by association.

Rong Yin was stunned when she heard “Mountains and Rivers at Sunset.” She naturally knew about this highly anticipated TV series in the industry. Big production, big investment, an unprecedentedly luxurious cast. A Traffic Star like her, if cast even in a third or fourth female lead role, would likely be mocked by netizens for dragging the show down.

Conversely, the crew had a good handle on netizen sentiment. For similar roles, they would rather choose newcomer actors than open doors to Traffic Stars with mixed reputations.

Of course, Splendid World Entertainment wouldn’t let their Big Sister go there to be humiliated either. They’d previously only thought about squeezing a few newcomers in for minor roles to build their resumes, but all efforts had been fruitless.

“Chen Qihua arranged this herself?” Rong Yin’s delicate brows furrowed slightly.

Little Ma nodded: “Sister Chen took Mingming for an audition. I think our Assistant Director knew the Casting Director from that other crew and acted as a go-between to let Mingming try out. Anyway, it’s a small role, no big issues, so they kept her on.”

Hearing this, Rong Yin pressed her lips together and didn’t speak for a long moment.

When they returned to the hotel that evening, she unexpectedly broke the norm and invited Zhou Mingming to the 21st floor to hang out, casually asking about her role.

As a long-successful Senior in the same company, Rong Yin was naturally someone Zhou Mingming didn’t guard against. She explained her part in detail and even brought out her short essays and reflections to ask for advice.

Rong Yin read them very carefully, twice over. Her feelings were complex and sour. Past two in the morning, she suddenly got out of bed, and fished out that small web drama she’d acted in when she first debuted on her phone.

The next day, Rong Yin’s group still went to the Xianxia crew to rush through filming. In the afternoon, the weather suddenly turned gloomy, the sun hiding away early. Realizing it might rain, the crew urged everyone to hurry and shoot the scenes at hand. Everyone went through the motions like wooden puppets under the director’s commands.

After five o’clock, it indeed started to rain. Everyone had to stop work, and Rong Yin took the car back to the hotel.

Little Ma had recently been nonstop busy following Rong Yin, so exhausted the bags under her eyes almost drooped to her chin. After dinner, she went to Rong Yin’s room and saw she was already asleep, so she went back to her own room to rest early, feeling at ease.

Just after eleven, however, she was awakened by thunder. She got up to check, and whoa—Rong Yin was actually gone.