Nan Moxi moved a small stool over and sat down next to her: "What's wrong? Your face is pale. Were you scared by Director Yu? It's okay. He's just strict. Retakes are normal."
Jiang Lai forced a smile: "I know."
At noon, the crew hurriedly ate a few bites of food, then loaded their equipment into the car and headed to the next filming location.
In the afternoon, it was time to film Yu Xin and Jian Ning's first meeting. After the photographer, lighting technician, and others were all in place, Jiang Lai put on her school uniform jacket and walked over.
At the director's command, Jiang Lai quickly got into character and started fighting with the extras.
"Card!"
Director Yu yelled "Cut!": "What's wrong with Yu Xin? Have you ever seen anyone fight with a long face? Let's do it again!"
Jiang Lai apologized repeatedly, secretly encouraging herself.
Jiang Lai thought she was in character, but after being called to stop several times in a row, even the extras were losing patience.
The action director personally came up to correct her movements, and after a series of lessons, Jiang Lai finally passed the take.
The afternoon shoot didn't go very smoothly; Yu Wei really showed his power.
During the break, Xia Fanrou sat down next to Jiang Lai and rehearsed her lines.
"What's wrong? You seem out of sorts. Did something happen that upset you? You can tell me about it."
Jiang Lai declined, saying, "It's some personal stuff. I've already calmed down, and I won't delay everyone's progress."
Xia Fanrou took Jiang Lai's hand, and the latter was taken aback, looking at her with a puzzled expression.
"No matter what happens, I will be with you."
Jiang Lai stiffened and slowly withdrew her hand: "What are you talking about?"
"Pfft." Xia Fanrou flicked her forehead and laughed, "Silly girl, that's your line!"
Jiang Lai smiled awkwardly: "Sorry, I was daydreaming."
"It's okay, let's continue rehearsing."
"good."
Jiang Lai breathed a sigh of relief and picked up the script.
Jiang Lai cursed herself inwardly for judging Ji with her lecherous eyes; Ji was just reciting lines with her.
With Xia Fanrou's help, Jiang Lai gradually forgot about Lin Xi, and the filming went smoothly. Yu Wei stopped getting angry and showed a satisfied expression.
When they finished work, Yu Wei stopped Jiang Lai, gave her a brief overview of tomorrow's scenes, and then asked her about her condition today.
Jiang Lai knew she was wrong, but she couldn't explain herself, so she could only keep apologizing.
Yu Wei lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and exhaled white smoke: "I praised you to Vice President Lin, so don't make me lose face."
"Vice President Lin?"
When Lin Zhi was mentioned, Jiang Lai's eyes lit up; perhaps this is the power of an idol.
Yu Wei nodded: "Keep up the good work, and think about it carefully when you get back."
"Thank you, Director Yu."
On the way back to the hotel, Jiang Lai swayed to the music playing in the car, looking quite cheerful, a stark contrast to her demeanor during the day.
Anna was curious but didn't know how to ask. When Nan Moxi finally spoke, she asked a different question.
"You have a good sense of rhythm. Have you considered participating in a music variety show?"
When she was little, her aunt enrolled her in classes and she received systematic training. She can sing, dance, write lyrics, and compose music to some extent, but she is not interested in these things and never shows them.
She waved her hand in refusal: "Let's forget it, I'm prone to cracking when I sing."
Hearing her say that, Nan Moxi had no choice but to give up. She tried her best to play to Jiang Lai's strengths and avoid exposing her weaknesses on camera.
Back at the hotel, Jiang Lai went straight to her room. Nan Moxi was worried sick about Jiang Lai's upcoming schedule. She was thinking about how to present her image, considering which shows to participate in and which roles to take. But Jiang Lai had brought a script with her as soon as she joined the company, so this kid must have her own ideas.
Why not be more authentic and less formulaic?
For the first time, Nan Moxi was unsure of what to do. Thinking back to the night she met Lin Zhi, the two seemed to have a good relationship, so Nan Moxi called Lin Zhi.
Lin Zhi was looking at the documents in her hand. Kevin and Zhang Zhen were currently working on their original brand. Lin Zhi wasn't involved because the company had a lot of things to do, so she didn't have time to work with them. But if this original brand really succeeded, it could really help the company take another step forward in this industry.
The phone vibrated on the table. Lin Zhi glanced at it, quickly signed her name on the document, and then instructed the person in front of her: "You must be careful during the selection process. Don't be careless. You must investigate everything that needs to be investigated. I don't want to have to use a public relations team."
The man nodded, picked up the documents, and left the office.
Lin Zhi answered the phone: "Sister Nan, what's up?"
Upon hearing Lin Zhi's voice, Nan Moxi immediately stated the purpose of the call: time is money, and they never wasted time on small talk.
"Here's the thing, I've been working on a plan for Jiang Lai recently. Don't laugh at me, but I'm stuck on how to position her. I've watched all her audition videos. She's a great kid. I talked to her before, and she's focused on being a good actress and doesn't want to be overly packaged."
Lin Zhi listened patiently, the image of Jiang Lai appearing in her mind: "Then focus on filming."
"What?"
Lin Zhi explained, "Director Yu's movie will be a great foundation for Jiang Lai, a newcomer. So let's strike while the iron is hot. During the movie's promotion, we'll take this opportunity to promote it on other platforms. Once it gains popularity, we'll choose a good script for her. There's no need for excessive packaging. Let things take their natural course, quietly achieve great things, and let her work speak for itself. Actually, hard work is also a kind of persona. What do you think, sister?"
Nan Moxi laughed after hearing this: "You really gave me a good child. Looking at the industry now, which artist doesn't hype themselves up? It's always the team behind them who gets exhausted. Okay, I have a feeling this kid's future will be much brighter."
Lin Zhi had wanted to use this approach on Qi Chuan for a long time, but unfortunately, his foundation was weak, and it would be difficult for him to go far without some hype. But Jiang Lai was different. She was a top student at the Film Academy in City A, and that alone far surpassed the persona that others had worked so hard to create.
With the constraints of a persona, artists have to consider many things when accepting roles or variety shows. They have to reject anything that doesn't fit their persona. And who can guarantee that any persona will last a lifetime? What happens when the persona collapses? They're out of the game.
On the contrary, Jiang Lai is less constrained by her public persona, which broadens her acting range and naturally expands her network. Fans are drawn to her performances, making her public persona less important. This is the kind of person who will go further and further on the path of acting.
Lin Zhi hopes the company can have more Jiang Lai and less Qi Chuan.
No one knows how much effort she put into promoting Qi Chuan. Fortunately, Qi Chuan is quite obedient, otherwise Lin Zhi might have given up on him directly.
It's not surprising that Qi Chuan would thank Lin Zhi; many years ago, Qi Chuan was just an ordinary student.
Lin Zhi was deep in thought when Nan Moxi's words interrupted her.
"By the way, Jiang Lai wasn't acting right during filming today. I suspect it's related to her ex. You're about the same age as her, so why don't you go and talk to her? This can't go on."
An artist's romantic history is basically transparent to their agent. Although Jiang Lai did not hide the fact that she had just broken up, she did not say that the other person was a woman. However, she told Lin Zhi everything without reservation.
Lin Zhi paused for a moment, then replied, "Okay."
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Author's Note:
I couldn't bear it, so I'm updating with another chapter! Here's another chapter! Please add it to your favorites, my darlings!
Chapter 12
After taking a nice bath, Jiang Lai lay on the hotel bed, flipping through the script, her long hair casually draped over her shoulders.
The phone that was lying to the side suddenly lit up. Seeing the words "idol" in the contact name, Jiang Lai immediately sat up and unlocked the phone.
[Are you asleep? How did filming go today?]
Jiang Lai replied instantly: [I'm memorizing my lines, it's not going very well qwq]
Lin Zhi had just arrived home when she changed into slippers, hung up her bag, washed her hands, and took her phone out of her bag. Seeing the other person's emoticon, Lin Zhi said she didn't quite understand it but found it cute.
[Is it convenient to make a phone call?]
The other end replied instantly: [Convenient]
That's so convenient, video is fine too.
Half a minute later, Lin Zhi sent a WeChat voice message. Jiang Lai cleared her throat and pressed the answer button.
"Jiang Lai".
"Yes, Sister Lin, I'm here."
Lin Zhi's voice was very pleasant. Jiang Lai liked to hear her call her name, as if she had returned to that unrestrained night.
"Are you getting used to life on set? You must be very nervous playing such an important role for the first time, right?"
Jiang Lai knew immediately that Lin Zhi had found out about her behavior on set today. She felt a little guilty, just like when a teacher tells your parents if you doze off in class.
Jiang Lai got up and paced barefoot around the room: "Teacher Lin, I was wrong."
On the other end of the phone, Lin Zhi unconsciously raised her lips.
When there's nothing wrong, it's Sister Lin; when there's something wrong, it's Teacher Lin. This child really knows how to read people's expressions.
Lin Zhi pretended not to know: "What did I do wrong?"
Jiang Lai confessed everything without being asked; before the other party could even do anything, she blurted it all out.
Lin Zhi took a bottle of mineral water from the refrigerator, held her phone between her fingers, and used her free hand to unscrew the cap. She took a sip and patiently listened to Jiang Lai speak. Only after Jiang Lai finished did Lin Zhi speak.
"Hmm... So you know where the problem lies, but you just can't solve it, right?"
Since the last time the two poured out their troubles to each other, Jiang Lai found that she could talk to Lin Zhi about anything. Perhaps because of the physical intimacy, they had become close in spirit as well.
I just don't know if her idol feels the same way.
To Jiang Lai's delight, her idol didn't lecture her as her boss, but instead comforted her like a friend.
“Jiang Lai, no matter how much she hurt you, it’s all in the past. Your life should have a new beginning. Many people want to act in Director Yu’s films but may not be able to. I don’t know how Sister Nan got you the resources, but Director Yu’s choice of you proves that he has faith in you. For a newcomer, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I can feel that you love this career. I hope you don’t do anything that you will regret.”
Jiang Lai took Lin Zhi's words to heart. She couldn't let down the company and Director Yu's expectations of her because of Lin Xi, and she couldn't let her fans wait for her for so long in vain.
Jiang Lai replied, "I understand."
Lin Zhi sighed. In her eyes, Jiang Lai was just as passionate about this career as she had been. If that incident hadn't happened back then, Lin Zhi would definitely have continued to pursue her dream.
Lin Zhi felt sorry for her. Even Lin Zhi herself couldn't let go, so what right did she have to ask Jiang Lai to let go?
"If you have any good ways to forget, tell me and I'll help you."
Lin Zhi was just saying it casually, but she didn't expect Jiang Lai to actually say it.
"Could you come? When you're not busy... I'm sorry, this might be a bit much of a request."
"Can I go?"
Jiang Lai was pleasantly surprised and couldn't hide her smile: "Yes, it's good that you came, even just for one day, because that was the only night I didn't..."