The film and television city starts from the courtyard

The next day.

Zhao Shucheng arrived at the film set early, ready to officially begin filming.

Just as he was directing the crew to get busy, Xiao Mu also arrived at the scene, but stood there dumbfounded.

Zhao Shucheng frowned and asked, "Didn't you tell Yao Menggui that today is the first day of filming?"

"Really? This was all agreed upon beforehand. Filming starts today, and I had the production crew inform them."

"But look at her like this, does she look like she's here for a shoot? She only brought her own executive agent. She's a celebrity, she can't possibly only have one executive agent, right?"

The assistant glanced at Yao Menggui and also felt something was off, but now that the other party had arrived, perhaps that was just their style?
"Director Gu, should I go ask about it?"

"Well, since we're here, we should be ready. Let's start filming in a bit."

After greeting Zhao Shucheng and the others, Yao Menggui got into her van and started making and sending calls and text messages, as if something was wrong.

When Xiao Mu changed into his costume and was about to start filming, he was a little nervous, especially when facing the camera, he was very tense.

"Female lead, relax a bit and draw on your previous experience."

"Director, okay, just a moment, let me get myself ready."

However, Yao Menggui remained nervous and often couldn't find the camera, resulting in a lackluster performance.

"Cut! Let's try again, watch your positioning."

"Cut! Pay attention to your expression and your lines. How did you memorize those lines? No, let's try again."

"A shot, a close-up, pay attention to the expression."

"Do her makeup, touch it up, and then we'll go again."

Since Zhao Shucheng already knew beforehand that Xiao Mu was not the previous star Yao Menggui, he didn't have many demands on Xiao Mu, nor was he angry about it. He simply let her get used to filming.

However, the other crew members were puzzled by Yao Menggui's performance, feeling that it was not how Yao Menggui should behave, and they immediately started discussing it.

"What is Yao Menggui doing? Is he sleepwalking?"

"Who knows? I said before that we shouldn't have cast her. She always plays herself, and even though she's pretty, she's not suitable for this role."

"Stop talking. The director didn't say anything. At worst, we'll just waste a little more time."

Zhao Shucheng said, "Wait a minute, Li Rongjing, come here for a second. This part of the scene should be portrayed like this."

Zhao Shucheng couldn't stand it anymore. The other party had absolutely no acting experience and no one had taught him before he came. He looked like an amateur and needed Zhao Shucheng to give him some pointers so that they could finish work sooner.

Xiao Mu knew he had performed poorly and didn't understand the crew's jargon, so he listened attentively to Zhao Shucheng's words, trying to figure out how to perform to satisfy him.

"Okay, let's do it one more time, just like I said before."

"Okay, Director!"

Xiao Mu steadied himself and immersed himself in the scene, finally allowing Zhao Shucheng to capture the footage he wanted, and nodded in approval.

"Cut! Good, this one's passed. Next one!"

It has to be said that the production team's decision to cast Xiao Mu in this role was a stroke of luck, because Xiao Mu and Li Rongjing share the same feigned politeness and genuine feelings, possessing both traditional gentleness and ambition. This shared sensibility actually allowed the story to be portrayed perfectly.

Sometimes, an actor's natural performance is more authentic, more genuine, and more likely to evoke empathy than a deliberate act.

"Good, keep it up, let's continue filming!"

After a long day of filming, Zhao Shucheng found Xiao Mu and said:
"Ms. Yao, although you performed quite well today, your basic skills are too poor. I don't know how you acted before, but in my crew, you need to show your professionalism. I really don't know what you learned in school. You can't have forgotten it all, can you? If you've forgotten, then study again and find someone to tutor you. I hope you won't mess up next time."

"I understand, Director Gu, I will be careful."

Zhao Shucheng nodded and said, "Okay, I'll give you a week to adjust. We'll film the other crew members' scenes first, but if your performance is still as bad as it is now, I'll have the producer reselect the lead actor."

"Director, I'm sure I can do a good job."

"I hope so!"

Seeing Zhao Shucheng leave, Chen Mo quickly went to Xiao Mu's side and asked:
"Ms. Yao, what did the director say to you?"

"It's nothing, I just want to be a good actor. Please help me find an acting coach to guide me in studying the script, and I hope the filming goes smoothly from here on out."

"Okay, I understand! I'll contact them right away."

Sitting in the car, Xiao Mu thought about how he had dreamed of becoming an actor when he was a child, but due to family reasons, he could only work as a food delivery driver. But now that he had the opportunity to act, and his dream was within reach, he was determined to seize it.

Chen Mo had his own purpose in appearing by Xiao Mu's side, so when Xiao Mu asked him to help her find a performance teacher, he found an art exam teacher for her with a "let's watch the show" mentality.

However, neither Chen Mo nor Xiao Mu expected that this acting teacher was actually Yao Menggui's former class teacher. However, Yao Menggui had been filming outside of school for many years and had not attended many classes, so she was not familiar with Liu Xuefei before, which is why Xiao Mu's impersonation of Yao Menggui was not exposed.

That day, after Zhao Shucheng returned home, Xiaoxue excitedly greeted him and said:

"Xiaobai, Chengzi has made it to the finals of the talent show. Come with me to the venue and cheer her on!"

Zhao Shucheng said, "It's inconvenient for me. You know I don't have any cooperation with their company. Besides, the tickets for the event are already sold out, right?"

"Sigh, that's true. I only managed to get one through Chengzi's connections, so I can be there in person."

As Xiaoxue spoke, she suddenly remembered something and said, "By the way, Xiaobai, after Chengzi finishes her audition, she'll officially be entering the entertainment industry. Do you think we should send her to your film crew to learn acting?"

"I don't have many opportunities right now; the roles are all already filled. Unless it's some minor role or stunt double, but she has quite a few fans from talent shows, so it's best not to do that."

"Sigh, alright. Chengzi is really unlucky. If the talent show had ended earlier, she might have been able to join your crew. You could have taken care of her then." Zhao Shucheng asked, "It seems you and Su Cheng get along well, otherwise you wouldn't have asked me for help."

"You don't understand. I've watched Su Cheng get to where she is today step by step, and it's a feeling that's hard to describe."

Zhao Shucheng said, "What's so hard to understand? It's just a 'trained' star system. Most talent show contestants are like that, except many choose 'trained' boyfriends or girlfriends, and some even have 'trained' children. Your situation is nothing special."

When Xiaoxue heard Zhao Shucheng say that, she looked at him curiously and said, "I didn't expect you to know so much."

"Of course, Xiao Min is also my girlfriend who grew up. I watched her go from selling cosmetics to shooting her first commercial, and then becoming a minor celebrity. I've witnessed her growth."

"That's true. I didn't witness this scene, but I watched Orange get to this point, so I will always support Orange."

"That's good. By the way, you only talked about Su Cheng, why didn't you mention Ye Qiao'er?"

Xiaoxue said, "Ye Qiao only managed to continue participating in the competition thanks to her brother's help, but she only likes singing, so that's a weakness. She'll probably focus solely on singing from now on."

"What about Su Cheng?"

“Orange is different. She can sing, play the violin, and perform well, so she is now a favorite to win the championship.”

"I'm glad you like it. I'll attend your celebration party after the competition, and I can also give Su Cheng the opportunity to work together in the future."

Xiaoxue excitedly hugged Zhao Shucheng and said, "I knew you were the best! Don't worry, Chengzi definitely won't let you down."

"I hope so, and I also hope that she will not forget her original aspirations and will not be blinded by the glamour of the entertainment industry."

"Definitely not, Orange is not that kind of person."

Zhao Shucheng smiled when he heard this. He felt that Xiaoxue was still as innocent and kind as ever, but people are fickle, and besides, he had already gotten involved. No one could predict whether the plot would change too much.

For example, in the original story, Su Cheng got into a lot of trouble with Duan Chengxuan in order to stand up for Ye Qiao'er. She even hit Duan Chengxuan with her car while trying to avoid being beaten by others, and ended up in the hospital because of the accident.

However, the reality is that although Su Cheng and Duan Chengxuan still dislike each other, there was no car accident, Su Cheng was not hospitalized, and the two even had much less interaction.

The next day.

As the finale of the talent show began, Ye Chen attracted the attention of all the female contestants because he had done makeup for many celebrities, but he specifically asked to do makeup for Su Cheng.

The contestants all gave it their all, hoping to achieve better results, but Su Cheng could sing and play the violin, and her performance was not as stiff as the others, so she got the highest score and won the championship of the talent show.

Of course, Ye Qiao'er was not bad either. Although her performance was not very good, she still won the Most Beautiful Voice Award.

As the saying goes, fame brings trouble. Su Cheng won the championship by beating others, so naturally some people were jealous of her. While she was taking the trophy to the dressing room, a girl deliberately stepped on Su Cheng's skirt, causing her to lose her balance and almost get disfigured, but Ye Chen caught her in time.

Su Cheng hadn't expected Ye Chen to save her life, so she quickly stepped back and thanked Ye Chen for his repeated help, but she also acted somewhat awkwardly.

Just as Ye Qiao'er was preparing to celebrate with Su Cheng, hoping to become a famous singer in the future, Ye Chen refused to allow Ye Qiao'er to sign a contract with the organizer and even wanted to send her abroad to continue her studies.

"Brother, is it wrong for me to like singing? We clearly agreed on something, why are you going back on your word? Brother, I don't understand, didn't you already promise me?"

Ye Chen said, "Qiao'er, I'm doing this for your own good. You have no idea how complicated the entertainment industry is. Letting you participate in the competition is enough. Go back when you've had your fun."

"I'm not joking, I'm serious."

"Signing a contract? It means officially entering the entertainment industry, Ye Qiao'er. Let me tell you, don't test my bottom line. After you graduate, I will arrange a suitable job for you in China."

"That's enough. I hate everything you arrange for me. You might as well live for me, fall in love for me, get married for me, and have my children. I, Ye Qiao'er, am your golden puppet."

As she spoke, she slapped Ye Chen and hurriedly ran out, almost bumping into Xiao Xue.

Seeing Ye Qiao'er like this, Xiaoxue asked curiously, "Qiao'er, what's wrong? Didn't you win an award too? You could have signed a contract."

"My brother won't allow it. With him in this company, I won't have a chance to sign a contract. I really love singing, what should I do?"

"What's the big deal? Xiaobai has a studio too. You can just sign with Xiaobai first, and then sign with a big company once you've made a name for yourself."

"Will this work?" Ye Qiao'er was somewhat skeptical.

"Of course, no problem. Xiaobai can definitely agree to this request."

Zhao Shucheng had already driven to the competition venue. After Ye Qiao'er got in the car and said she wanted to sign a contract with him, Zhao Shucheng looked at her, then at Xiaoxue, frowned and remained silent.

"Xiaobai, it's just signing a singer, is it really that difficult for you?"

Zhao Shucheng said, "Xiaoxue, you don't understand at all. I run a film and television studio; our main business is producing movies and TV series. We don't have a record label. Even if she signed with me, I wouldn't have any channels to source songs for her. Would she just be freeloading?"

"I won't take a free meal. I'm willing to work on a film set, but if there's a chance, could I sing the theme song or an insert song for the film?"

Ye Qiao'er wasn't completely clueless. Although Zhao Shucheng's company didn't have this business, both TV dramas and movies had theme songs and incidental music. If she could sing them, it would be a roundabout way to achieve her goal.

Zhao Shucheng was taken aback when he heard this. He looked at Ye Qiao'er and said, "I'll think about this. At least I need to discuss it with the studio's management."

"Oh, what management? It's just Sister Shanli. I'll talk to her, and she'll definitely agree."

Xiaoxue didn't think it was a problem at all, since Shanli took good care of her best friend and wouldn't refuse her small request.

Looking at Xiaoxue's confident demeanor, Zhao Shucheng felt that she should be taught a lesson so that she would know that not everything can be done according to her own ideas.

Su Cheng had already removed her makeup and completed her contract signing with the company. Arriving at the parking lot, she saw the three people chatting and asked curiously, "What were you talking about just now?"

"It's nothing. By the way, Orange, you've already signed the contract, right?"

"Yes, I signed the contract. The company's terms are pretty good, and besides, I didn't have any other options, so signing the contract is the best choice."

As Su Cheng spoke, she suddenly remembered something and asked, "Wait a minute, Qiao'er, why didn't you sign a contract? I was just thinking of signing with you." (End of Chapter)