This celebrity is absolutely wicked.

Chapter 18: Am I not as good an actor as Lu Ran?
Zheng Yunxiang was a little confused about the situation.

According to the script, Chen Mo discovered that the deceased, Zhang Jianguo, had previously worked part-time at this billiard hall, so he came to the billiard hall to investigate and question him, hoping to find any clues.

Lu Jie, the owner of the billiards hall, is definitely not a good person.

But what's with your outfit?

When Meng Yichuan saw Zheng Yunxiang coming over, he called out, "Yunxiang, don't just stand there, hurry up and go do your makeup and change your clothes. When you're done, come over and go over the lines. I'm going to revise the script."

Zheng Yunxiang was even more confused.

Why has the script been changed?
Could it be that Lu Ran is someone with connections?

These days, it's common for film crews to revise scripts for people with connections.

Although Zheng Yunxiang was puzzled, he didn't have any objections.

He's a veteran in the entertainment industry, used to all the ups and downs. Changing a script is no big deal, as long as he doesn't lose money.

He quickly went to change his clothes and put on makeup.

After a while, the people who went to make the banners returned.

After everyone hung the banner on the wall together, the whole billiard hall felt just right.

This is exactly the feeling I wanted!

After Zheng Yunxiang finished his makeup and came out, he saw the banner on the wall and was so startled that he almost tripped and fell.

"Director Meng, what's going on?" Zheng Yunxiang asked.

Meng Yichuan said proudly, "We have to thank Lu Ran for this."

He described what had just happened to Zheng Yunxiang, his words filled with admiration for Lu Ran.

Zheng Yunxiang was stunned.

That makes a lot of sense, but I feel like there's something wrong with your brains too.

He smiled and extended his hand to Lu Ran, saying, "Hello, my name is Zheng Yunxiang, I play Chen Mo, we're from the same company."

Lu Ran shook hands with Zheng Yunxiang and said politely, "Hello, comrade."

Zheng Yunxiang's lips twitched.

You get into character way too fast, kid.

Seeing that everything was almost ready, Meng Yichuan clapped his hands and shouted, "Everyone, get ready. We'll officially start filming in ten minutes."

He gathered a group of actors together and began making arrangements.

The content to be performed later is slightly different from the script.

Zheng Yunxiang's eyelids twitched wildly as he listened.

He always felt that he, as a police officer, could no longer control these criminals!

This person is at the ministerial level, even though it's a billiards hall!
He was just a lowly deputy captain of the criminal investigation team!

Soon, the equipment and lighting in the billiard hall were all set up.

This was Lu Ran's first time acting, and he took it very seriously, memorizing all his lines.

Meng Yichuan first took some photos of the outside, showing Chen Mo dressed in casual clothes, driving to the entrance of the billiard hall with his colleagues.

Chen Mo reacted when he saw the sign for the billiard hall, which read "Weimin Billiard Hall." He then opened the door to the billiard hall, and the camera zoomed in for a close-up.

Then it was Lu Ran's turn to appear.

Meng Yichuan was giving instructions through a megaphone.

Lu Ran was holding a folder and a pen. He was wearing an executive jacket, and his appearance gave people the feeling that he was definitely a good person.

Several extras stood opposite him, all dressed in white shirts, black trousers, and black leather shoes.

It was Lu Ran's first time officially filming a movie, and he still found it all very novel.

Surrounded by equipment and staff, you might have been too embarrassed to stand there if you weren't mentally strong enough.

This reminded him of some films from Japan, where the actors are all ruthless.

At this moment, the script supervisor came up with a clapperboard that showed the shot numbers and number of takes.

Hold the clapperboard in front of the camera so that the camera can clearly capture the content on the clapperboard.

"Scene 1, three shots, first take!"

The script supervisor quickly slammed the clapperboard shut with a snap.

The entire action and sound are matched, making it easy to synchronize audio and video in post-production.

Meng Yichuan shouted, "Begin!"

Lu Ran flipped through the documents in his hands, his expression very serious.

“Some of our comrades have failed to fulfill their primary responsibilities for the work, especially the team leaders. You must give full play to the key role of the critical few and conduct preliminary research on major decisions that affect the overall situation…”

This is Lu Jie's weekly meeting with his employees.

At this moment, Chen Mo pushed open the door and walked in.

Lu Ran's voice stopped abruptly.

Meng Yichuan nodded repeatedly as he watched.

Lu Ran delivered this long monologue in one breath, without any stumbles or hesitations, and his pronunciation was very clear and full of emotion.

"What a talent! Why don't we tell the boss to stop wasting time singing and let him become an actor instead! With that look and talent, he could rise to fame as soon as he finds a sugar daddy!"

The so-called "instant rise" means a meteoric rise in popularity, from obscurity to top-tier fame.

After entering, Chen Mo first glanced at Lu Ran, then scanned the entire billiard hall, lingering on the banner for a second, his expression changing slightly.

Zheng Yunxiang's acting skills are perfectly up to standard, but in this era, good acting skills are of little use.

Some projects don't even include you.

Then, Chen Mo looked at Lu Ran.

Lu Ran put down the folder in his hand and stepped forward to ask, "Excuse me, sir, are you looking for someone or playing ball?"

Chen Mo pulled out his identification from his clothes and said, "I'm a police officer. I'm here to ask you some questions."

"Officer, please have a seat. Xiao Zhang, go make some tea," Lu Ran said.

Li Quan stood behind Meng Yichuan, watching Lu Ran's every move. He hadn't expected Lu Ran to act so well on his first try.

It should be noted that Lu Ran had not received any professional training.

He completely immersed himself in the role of Lu Jie.

He wasn't acting; he was embodying Lu Jie.

"really not bad."

Meng Yichuan's eyes were full of satisfaction.

The fact that he was able to perform like this has completely exceeded his expectations.

Lu Ran's acting gave off a feeling that made it clear to everyone that he wasn't a bad guy.

If it weren't in a billiards hall, people would think it was two people from the government working together, having tea and chatting.

In the second shot, Chen Mo is sitting in a chair with a pot of tea on a small table, while Lu Ran is sitting in another chair next to him.

Chen Mo's posture was a bit slouching, while Lu Ran's posture was upright.

Meng Yichuan shouted directly, "Cut!"

Lu Ran and Zheng Yunxiang both looked at Meng Yichuan.

Meng Yichuan shouted, "Yunxiang, watch your posture! You're here to investigate Lu Jie, but the way you two were sitting just now, I felt like Lu Jie was investigating you!"

Zheng Yunxiang thought it was Lu Ran's fault, so he pointed to himself with a puzzled look.

"Yes, it's you!" Meng Yichuan shouted.

Zheng Yunxiang thought about it and realized that veteran actors like him are prone to falling into mental inertia, meaning they always play the same role in the same way.

He just made a mistake; he leaned back in his chair and became lazy.

Zheng Yunxiang's stubbornness also kicked in.

How could he be inferior to a newcomer?
"Come again!"

After filming resumed this time, Chen Mo's attitude became much more upright.

After he asked Zhang Jianguo, Lu Ran slowly said, "Wait a moment, I'll go get our personnel files."

He went to the bar and pulled out a blue folder with the words "Personnel Files" written on the side label.

Zheng Yunxiang couldn't hold back his laughter and tried his best to suppress it.

Who would have thought that a small billiards hall would have personnel files, especially since it's also a billiards hall that lends money at exorbitant interest rates?

Lu Ran opened the personnel file and sat down to review it.

A few seconds later, he handed the folder to Chen Mo.

“Comrade Chen, look, Zhang Jianguo came to work part-time for me on May 3rd. He said he was very short of money, so I let him stay. This comrade is a very hard-working person, but unfortunately his education level is not high enough to become a full-time employee. Here, you need at least a high school diploma to become a full-time employee.”

Chen Mo took the folder and began to read it carefully.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with this file.

The deceased, Zhang Jianguo, did indeed work part-time at a billiards hall.

At this moment, Meng Yichuan shouted "Cut!" again.

"Yunxiang, you're a police officer, how could you laugh like that!"

Zheng Yunxiang said seriously, "Director Meng, I have received professional training. No matter how funny it is, I will not laugh unless I can't help it."

After saying that, Zheng Yunxiang couldn't hold back any longer.

He truly never expected that he, a seasoned actor, would be defeated by Lu Ran today.

Doesn't Lu Ran find these things funny?

After Zheng Yunxiang finished laughing, he said seriously, "Director Meng, this time I won't make the same mistake!"

Meng Yichuan didn't waste any more words and turned the machine back on.

This time it went much more smoothly. After reviewing Zhang Jianguo's file, Chen Mo also went through the entire personnel file.

Lu Ran showed no sign of tension.

"We are a legitimate business, and we hold weekly meetings. Everything we do at Weimin Billiards Hall is for the people. Billiards is great; it can meet the entertainment needs of the masses."

Chen Mo stood up and said, "You don't mind if I take a look around your billiards hall, do you?"

Lu Ran extended his hand and said, "Please."

He took Chen Mo for a walk around the billiard hall.

Chen Mo discovered a clue here, but did not reveal it.

Just as Chen Mo was about to leave after the scene was filmed, Meng Yichuan called out "Cut!" again.

Zheng Yunxiang couldn't hold back any longer and asked directly, "Is it my fault again?"

He realized that Lu Ran really was fine.

Meng Yichuan waved his hand and called out, "Come and see for yourself."

Zheng Yunxiang walked over and watched the replay on the monitor.

Meng Yichuan happened to see a cleaner sweeping the stairs outside the billiard hall, so he called the cleaner in.

After the cleaning lady came in with a broom, Meng Yichuan pointed at the monitor and asked, "Auntie, come and see, who do you think is the policeman and who is the owner of the billiard hall?"

The older woman looked at Lu Ran and Zheng Yunxiang in the picture and said, "Neither of them looks like a policeman. If I had to say one, this one looks like a policeman."

The older woman pointed to Chen Mo on the screen.

Zheng Yunxiang breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself that this older woman still had good taste.

The next second, the old lady pointed at Lu Ran.

"This person doesn't seem like a billiard hall owner to me. He seems like the police officer's superior. He has a lot of presence, and he must be at least a department-level official."

Zheng Yunxiang's expression froze instantly.

Is the manager of a billiard hall also at the level of a department director?

Thank you to Changling Yungui and Dongzhi Sishi for the donations.
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(End of this chapter)