“I’m not here to comfort you.” Chu Meibo opened the script and said calmly, “I’m here for a script reading. Even if the others aren’t here, I still have to finish my work.”
Tangtang stared at her in shock: "You...you're all alone?"
Chu Meibo smiled slightly: "What, is that not allowed?"
She read straight through the first scene, not only his own lines but also those of the male and female leads, and she would switch to different character states each time she read a different character.
Tangtang's eyes widened, completely forgetting her grievances, only feeling excited.
That evening, he posted a message on his WeChat Moments expressing his feelings.
Mom, what amazing acting! I absolutely have to write a better script to match my sister's performance!
Chapter 57
When Shen Huai and Ye Cang returned from work, they unexpectedly ran into Chu Meibo, who had also just returned home.
Shen Huai was somewhat surprised: "Wasn't your schedule today a script reading? It should have been over long ago, why are you back so late?"
Before Chu Meibo could speak, Tong Yun couldn't hold back any longer: "Brother Shen, this film crew is really going too far..."
She told Shen Huai that both the male and female leads were late and absent, and that the director seemed lazy and indifferent.
Shen Huai frowned slightly. The director of this drama was surnamed Li. Although he was not formally trained, he was quite capable. In addition, the script was not bad. Although the male and female leads were somewhat indescribable, it was still much better than other obviously terrible dramas.
But after hearing Tong Yun's story, Shen Huai became somewhat uncertain.
He asked Chu Meibo to take this role so that she could adapt to her new body more quickly, but he didn't expect that the male and female leads would be so arrogant and the director would be so difficult to control. It's easy to foresee what kind of situation the crew will be like in the future.
He looked at Chu Meibo: "What are your thoughts now?" He paused, "If you think the production team is really not up to par, I can still afford to pay this breach of contract fee."
Chu Meibo pressed her temples, her expression also looking somewhat unpleasant.
The first drama she starred in after her resurrection was "The Secret". Although Director Gao had a good temper, he was still very strict about the drama. For example, at the script reading meeting for "The Secret", everyone was required to be present on time and no excuses were allowed to ask for leave.
At the time, the male lead, Chai Junfeng, turned down all his activities a month in advance to focus on studying the script at home.
Chu Meibo always thought that all film crews were like this, until she encountered "Honey".
Chu Meibo thought for a moment before speaking, "No need. Since I've accepted the role, I won't give up halfway. Besides, I chatted with the screenwriter today. Although the plot of this drama is relatively simple, the character Wen Nan is very interesting. This is a role I've never played before, and I'd like to give it a try."
Since Chu Meibo said so, Shen Huai didn't say anything more, but he had already made up his mind.
Ye Cang's situation is relatively stable now; the Golden Melody Award is secured, and the only remaining question is how well the album will sell. On the other hand, while he also believes in the legendary actress's abilities, there are many unsavory aspects to the film crew, and she may not be able to handle everything.
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The next day, Shen Huai handed over Ye Cang's affairs to Xue Chengge, pretending not to see his resentful eyes, and then went to the film set with Chu Meibo.
However, Wen Hanyi did not appear at the script reading session that was postponed to the next day. His assistant apologized repeatedly, saying that something came up and he was held up, but he would definitely come when filming started.
Even though Director Li is very tactful and good-tempered, he was a little unhappy at this point.
Fortunately, Wen Hanyi still came when the filming officially started. He apologized to everyone as soon as he arrived and even had his assistant buy drinks and snacks for everyone as an apology.
Wen Hanyi is handsome and has a refreshing, sunny vibe, like a refreshing summer soda. He became popular right after his debut. Two years ago, he participated in a reality show where he could sing, dance, and be funny. When he was silent and smiling, he was the epitome of a campus sweetheart. Yet, he had no idol baggage and his words were incredibly silly and down-to-earth. The show became a huge hit, and as one of the most outstanding guests, he gained a lot of popularity. Two years later, he remains a top-tier celebrity.
With such a top-tier celebrity and such a good attitude, Director Li couldn't keep pressing the issue.
But what happened when filming actually began was a real disaster.
"Honey" is a sweet campus drama.
Tao Xuanxuan plays the female lead named Meng Shishi, a willful and kind-hearted rich girl. Although Tao Xuanxuan has a bad temper, the character was written entirely based on her, and she played herself, so her performance wasn't too bad.
The male lead, played by Wen Hanyi, is named Qin Shu. He is a cold, poor, academic genius. However, Wen Hanyi's portrayal of coldness is just a blank expression, the kind where he doesn't even move his eyes. Not to mention, he can't even memorize his lines. Even when his assistant puts a script in front of him, he still stumbles over his words.
In the original storyline, he and Meng Shishi met due to a misunderstanding. At first, he was disgusted by this rich and willful young lady, but after going through various events, they gradually developed feelings for each other.
Director Li knew the acting skills of the two leads well, so he didn't dare to start with anything too difficult. But who knew that even for such a simple scene with no more than five lines of dialogue, Wen Hanyi had to do more than a dozen takes.
Finally, seeing that Tao Xuanxuan was about to lose her temper, Director Li could only reluctantly let the take pass, but he didn't dare to let the two of them have any more scenes together. He had to flatter Wen Hanyi: "Hanyi, you should go and rest first. We'll shoot Shishi and Wen Nan's scenes today."
He then said to the production assistant, "Go and call Wen Nan, let's film the scenes with the two of them first."
Upon receiving the notification, Chu Meibo stopped writing the exam paper. The makeup artist touched up her makeup before she rushed to the filming location.
Director Li finally managed to calm Tao Xuanxuan down after she threw a tantrum, and they began filming the next scene.
This scene depicts the initial appearance of Meng Shishi and Wen Nan. The two are best friends, with Wen Nan taking care of Meng Shishi like a younger sister.
When the script supervisor slammed the clapperboard, Wen Nan appeared in the shot, arm in arm with Meng Shishi.
Meng Shishi grumbled unhappily, "What kind of lousy school is this? There isn't even a tennis court, and the school uniforms are so outdated!"
Then she looked at Wen Nan imperiously: "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have come to this lousy school..."
Director Li: "Cut! Xuanxuan, your mood is off. Wen Nan is your best friend, you should be speaking in a coquettish tone."
Tao Xuanxuan shook off Chu Meibo's hand and said impatiently, "This is wrong, that is wrong, why don't you just have the screenwriter change the lines!"
Director Li: "This..."
He figured it out: Tao Xuanxuan doesn't have any real best friends. Even if she does, they're probably just superficial friends. She doesn't have any acting skills, so this is just her true feelings showing.
Director Li had a headache, while Tang Tang, sitting next to him, bit her lower lip tightly.
Chu Meibo's gaze swept over them, but she smiled faintly and said, "No need to change it, we'll perform it again, just do it the way it was before."