The film and television city starts from the courtyard

Mo Xiangwan brought Fan Mei to the premiere, which made the reporters very curious. Had they made up?
Mo Xiangwan brought Fan Mei instead of Lin Xiang entirely because of Zhu He's request, and also to dispel rumors of discord between them.

Fan Mei enjoyed this feeling, especially seeing that Mo Xiangwan clearly disliked her, but had to bring her to the premiere and introduce her to resources.

However, after seeing Mo Xiangwan chatting with Zhao Shucheng, she changed her mind and walked over directly, saying, "Sister Xiangwan, this must be Director Gu, right?"

Mo Xiangwan said, "Director Gu, this is Fan Mei, whom I mentioned to you before."

Zhao Shucheng nodded and said with a smile, "Hello, Miss Fan!"

Fan Mei smiled and said, "Director Gu, hello. I didn't expect to see you again today."

Zhao Shucheng asked curiously, "Miss Fan, does this mean we've met before?"

Fan Mei said, "Director Gu is very busy and may not remember. Before I became famous, I acted in a TV series written by Director Gu. I remember that was four years ago."

Zhao Shucheng suddenly realized and said, "I see. We've worked together before. I hope we'll have more opportunities to cooperate in the future."

"Of course there will be. Sister Xiang Wan said that Director Gu has a new film. I wonder if I will have the opportunity to work with Director Gu."

"Of course there's a chance, but I have high standards for this role. The specifics will depend on the audition results."

"If Director Gu gives me an audition opportunity, I will definitely do my best."

As she spoke, Fan Mei winked at Zhao Shucheng, and seeing that Mo Xiangwan's expression was not good, she laughed triumphantly.

Mo Xiangwan looked at Zhao Shucheng apologetically and said, "I'm sorry, Xiaobai, I didn't expect it to turn out like this."

Zhao Shucheng said, "It's okay. There's no shame in fighting for a role."

Mo Xiangwan glanced awkwardly at Zhao Shucheng, who was focused on the stage. She didn't tell him that Zhao Shucheng was also partly responsible for the conflict between her and Fan Mei.

Mo Xiangwan invested a lot of emotion in Fan Mei and planned a career path for her, preventing her from taking on too many bad roles. However, Fan Mei only saw the benefits, which led to their falling out.

The trigger, however, was the play written by Zhao Shucheng, which Fan Mei had mentioned before. She never expected that Zhao Shucheng, now a rising director, could have written such a terrible script before; he was completely different from who he is now.

As they were talking, the premiere officially began.

The host was interviewing Yao Menggui and Song Ci when Xiao Mushan arrived late and sat behind Zhao Shucheng.

Seeing Xiao Mu's clothes and scarf, Zhao Shucheng asked curiously, "What are you doing...?"

"It's nothing, I just feel a bit cold."

"take care."

Zhao Shucheng didn't say much. In fact, he had already guessed that something must have happened. However, since this was the set of "Under the First Snow," he couldn't ask too many questions. He could only find out the details after the filming ended.

On stage, Yao Menggui spoke eloquently, taking the initiative to talk about her childhood dreams and her understanding of the play. However, these words were not actually Yao Menggui's own thoughts, but rather things that Xiao Mu had said before, which she then used.

Looking at his sister and listening to her attempts to embellish her image, Xiao Mu felt a sense of loss and change.

Seeing the insults directed at me on my phone, and the enthusiastic atmosphere at the scene, I suddenly felt a great sense of irony.

It's clear that I'm the one acting, but because I was originally using Yao Menggui's name, the insults are directed at me, while the praise is for Yao Menggui.

She didn't want such humiliation, nor did she want to hurt her father, or even have anyone disturb their peaceful life. Of course, she was even angrier at the exclusion by her own sister and the betrayal by the person she trusted most.

She understood that if she didn't want things to stay this way, the only way was to learn to fight back and become stronger in order to better protect herself.

The only person who could help him do all this was Zhao Shucheng, after all, he was the one who always chose him and had been helping him all along.

Zhao Shucheng noticed Xiao Mu's gaze behind him and turned around to look, but Xiao Mu quickly looked away.

After the premiere ended, Zhao Shucheng, along with Xiao Mu, saw off their colleagues who had come to support them and prepared to leave.

Chen Mo appeared before them and said, "Director Gu, can we talk?"

Zhao Shucheng looked at Xiao Mu, then at Chen Mo, and said, "Alright, this way please!"

Chen Mo saw that the distance was far enough that Xiao Mu couldn't hear him before he spoke:
"Director Gu, if you can't help Xiao Mu, please stay away from her. It's better for both of you."

"So, by what right do you demand that I do this? Are you a paparazzi, a former assistant, or a current company executive?"

“I think no matter what role I play, I’m doing this for her own good, but it’s different for you. You already have a girlfriend. If you get too close to Xiao Mu, it will only bring her negative news, which will only be bad for her career and her family.”

Zhao Shucheng said with a smile, "Can I take that as sour grapes?"

"I do not have."

"Whether it's true or not, you know best. But since Xiao Mu has signed with my studio, I will naturally take care of my employees. As for her personal relationships, I won't interfere. It's her own business how she chooses to act."

"But you haven't handled your work matters well either, have you?"

As Chen Mo spoke, he took out his phone, pulled up the news, and said, "Look at how badly Xiao Mu is being attacked online. Is this the path you planned for Xiao Mu, to make her go down the path of infamy and fame?"

Zhao Shucheng said, "You're wrong. I only just found out about this myself, but I don't think it's all bad. Xiao Mu is still a newcomer, and this is the fastest way to gain attention. Of course, I won't let my employee be bullied, and I will definitely stand up for her. You don't need to worry about that, President Chen."

"I hope you really can keep your word."

"If Mr. Chen has nothing else to say, I need to go back with Xiao Mu to discuss the next steps in public relations."

"Director Gu, please go ahead!"

Chen Mo watched Zhao Shucheng and Xiao Mu leave together, his brows never leaving his face. He noticed that Xiao Mu had changed, especially the way he looked at him and Zhao Shucheng; their expressions were different from before.

After Zhao Shucheng got into the car, he looked at Xiao Mu and said, "Were you bullied?" "No."

"You're still hiding it from me? What's the story behind the news online?"

Xiao Mu lowered his head and said, "Director Gu, have I caused you any trouble?"

Zhao Shucheng said, "No, quite the opposite, you're in luck. Since it's already happened, we can only try to make it work for the better."

"Everyone is saying you're just trying to ride the wave of popularity, and they're criticizing you. But if you clarify the truth, you'll actually gain more sympathy and more casual fans."

Xiao Mu looked at Zhao Shucheng with some disgust and said, "Director Gu, isn't this Chang Ming's usual tactic? Do we need to learn from him?"

"There's no such thing as a good or bad tactic; it all depends on who uses it and what their purpose is. But don't worry, unless the other party maliciously edits the footage, we won't use such methods in the future. After all, it's a double-edged sword, and I don't want you to be exposed or even hated before I've even made you famous."

Xiao Mu breathed a sigh of relief when she heard Zhao Shucheng say that. After all, although she was very dissatisfied with her sister and somewhat envious of Yao Menggui's current fame, she did not want to follow the same path as her.

"Director Gu, um, my dad is about to be discharged from the hospital."

"Really? That's good. Make sure your dad gets proper rest and takes his injections and medicine on time."

Xiao Mu nodded and said, "Director Gu, what I wanted to say was, could you arrange more work for me?"

"Why? What you should be doing now is honing your acting skills and learning more about acting."

Xiao Mu said, "But after my dad is discharged from the hospital, I can't let him go back to his hometown. He'll be all alone, so we'll need to rent a place. Besides, he'll need injections and medication later, which will cost a lot of money. I can't expect the company to pay for it all, can I?"

Zhao Shucheng said, "Don't worry about that. Our studio can afford it. If you really feel bad about it, you can pay me back with interest after you become famous."

Xiao Mu said, "That won't do. People in the company will definitely gossip about it."

Zhao Shucheng said with a smile, "I don't care what others say, but an actor's talent is very important and cannot be easily squandered. What I value is your future, not having you become a supporting actress, or take on some unknown advertisement, or attend some drinking party."

Xiao Mu looked at Zhao Shucheng excitedly and said, "Director Gu..."

"Alright, that's settled then. Focus on your studies. What I said to the media before wasn't a lie. The script I need you and your sister to act in is finished, and we'll need you both to star in it. You don't want to be completely outclassed by your sister, do you?"

"I understand. I will definitely work hard."

Seeing Xiao Mu's high spirits, Zhao Shucheng nodded in satisfaction. As for Xiao Mu's other thoughts, as long as they hadn't been revealed, Zhao Shucheng could pretend not to know.

A few days later, Zhao Shucheng's film crew held auditions for the public.

Because Zhao Shucheng is now somewhat famous, quite a few actors still come to audition, but most of them are minor actors, or those who are virtually unknown in the entertainment industry.

The first one to gain some fame was actually Xiao Mu from Zhao Shucheng's studio. However, her temperament and acting skills weren't enough to carry the lead or second lead roles, so Zhao Shucheng gave her a supporting role as the third female lead.

Fan Mei's arrival surprised the crew, especially the studio staff. Among the people they had worked with before, besides Song Ci and Yao Menggui, Fan Mei was the most famous.

"Our director has really made it big now, being able to work with so many stars. Maybe in the future we'll actually be able to work with award-winning actors and actresses."

"Didn't the director work with Yao Menggui before? You guys look like you've never seen the world before."

"What do you know? The previous collaboration was because the director stepped in at the last minute. The lead cast had already been decided, and the director was just a tool with little say. But this time it's different. Fan Mei is here to audition. The collaboration will be entirely because of the director."

"But what do you think we should do about our boss's wife? She was the lead actress before. If Fan Mei snatches her away, won't she cause a scene on set?"

"Stop talking, the director is looking over here."

Zhao Shucheng had actually overheard their whispers, but he didn't care. Besides, he did have his own ideas about Mo Xiaomin.

Although Mo Xiaomin had already gained fame from her previous films, and many production teams were even contacting her, Zhao Shucheng also arranged a role for her. However, it wasn't the female lead, Ye Lanqiu; instead, it was the second female lead, the villain Chen Ruoxi.

However, Zhao Shucheng hasn't told Mo Xiaomin about this yet. He plans to tell her the script and his thoughts after she comes back, and see if she wants to take the role.

Although Mo Xiaomin's face is mostly suited to the leading lady in chick flicks, playing a villain like this could broaden her acting range and bring a different experience.

Xiao Mu had actually been at the audition the whole time. She had already secured the role, and now all she had to do was observe the performances of others and learn from them.

Although Fan Mei knew that this was a deal between Mo Xiangwan and her boss, she also knew that Mo Xiangwan couldn't influence it too much, so she made serious preparations before coming.

Originally, Zhao Shucheng wanted to audition her for a scene involving complex emotions, but Fan Mei took the initiative to audition for a scene where emotions erupted, which was also the scene where Ye Lanqiu broke down after learning about her illness.

After watching Fan Mei's performance, Zhao Shucheng nodded. Although there was some difference between her performance and Ye Lanqiu's actual performance, she conveyed a completely different feeling, which made Zhao Shucheng very satisfied.

"Great, Fan Mei, Ye Lanqiu is yours. However, filming starts in a month, so I'm wondering if your schedule is suitable?"

Fan Mei frowned when she heard this, because she knew very well that she was going to join the crew of "Embrace Me" to film a drama. It was Director Chen Zhong's first drama after switching to television. Not getting the female lead role before had already put her in a very passive position.

If Chen Zhong finds out that he has taken on other roles that conflict with his schedule, he might have to replace Chen Zhong in the role.

But she really wanted to act in Zhao Shucheng's movie. She could tell that although Zhao Shucheng's movie wouldn't have a high box office, it would definitely generate a lot of buzz.

"What's wrong? Are you having a hard time?"

"No problem, I'll discuss it with my agent and adjust the schedule."

"That's good. I can give you time to think it over. Your agent can come and sign the contract when the time comes."

"Okay, Director Gu!"

After Fan Mei left, Xiao Mu came to Zhao Shucheng's side and asked in a low voice, "Director Gu, why did you insist on confirming her schedule?"

"What do you think?" Zhao Shucheng countered. (End of Chapter)