I really didn't intend to make a living based on my looks.

Chapter 119 The Second Concert and the Wrap-up of Filming

Life on set continued as usual. Jiang Chen still got up at five in the morning every day to do her makeup, rehearse her lines, practice her blocking, and film the actual scenes.

Lin Yufen maintained his unhurried pace, Chen Zhixi still occasionally urged him to hurry up, and Jing Tian still sought out rehearsals for him whenever he had a spare moment.

Jiang Chen discovered that acting was the best way for him to fall back to earth from the dizzying feeling of being "praised to the heavens".

When the camera pans out, it's not Jiang Chen, it's Professor Jiang.

Having lived for hundreds of years and witnessed countless ups and downs, I won't lose sleep over a few news reports.

March 20, Saturday, 8:00 AM.

A 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Ya'an and Lusan counties in Sichuan Province.

The news exploded like a bomb, instantly sweeping across the entire internet.

Jiang Chen was waiting on set when his phone kept vibrating.

He glanced at it, put it down, and continued memorizing his lines.

During his lunch break, he made a phone call to Zhang Yisan.

"Yishan, please contact Sister Hong for me."

"Brother Chen, are you going to donate?"

"Hmm; 50."

"Okay, I'll call her right now. But, Xiao Chenzi, is it appropriate for me to call her 'Auntie,' and you to call her 'Sister'?"

"You still call me godfather? How is that inappropriate?"

Zhang Yisan:

There is indeed no problem with the generational ranking.

The next day, Han Hong set up a stage in Bird's Nest Square to raise funds.

She stood on the stage, her voice hoarse yet powerful, speaking to the camera and the reporters below.

"Jiang Chen contacted me on his own initiative. He donated 50 yuan, which was the first donation I received from a friend in the entertainment industry."

"Zhang Xinyi also donated 20 yuan. Tan Weiwei also donated 20 yuan yesterday; she's a newcomer to the singing world, which makes me feel quite ashamed. Xiao Qi also donated 30 yuan this morning. They've all done so much for charity. Thank you again!"

It's quite rare for Jiang Chen to update his Weibo.

"Helping isn't just talk; let's all do more together."

Fans responded quickly, making collective donations through the Han Hong Charity Foundation, forming the "Orange Charity Group," and raising funds in just one day.

The donations exceeded 80 yuan.

But the doubts came even faster.

"Zhou Jie donated 100 million, weren't you going to take him down? Why did you only donate 50?"

"Han Geng only donated 20, why did you donate 50? Are you doing this on purpose? Trying to steal the limelight? Hypocritical!"

"To post on Weibo and rally followers is moral blackmail and shameless hype."

"What's 50 to him? He earns that from just one episode of a TV series. How dare he brag about it?"

Jiang Chen was furious!

He knew that whenever celebrities donate money, no matter how much or how little, there would always be people stirring up trouble.

People live under a magnifying glass; they can always find fault with you.

But knowing this is one thing, being attacked like this without thinking is another.

We donate money to show our love and care, and we get scolded by you people who don't contribute a single penny?

——! ! !

He opened Weibo, registered a new account, and named it "Orange Peel".

Then Li Yitong and Bai Mengyan were called over.

"Come on, let's get to work."

Three people, three mobile phones, three alternate accounts, all rushed into the Weibo battlefield.

Jiang Chen adopted a sarcastic approach: "Donating 50 is considered little? How much did you donate? Did you even leave a comment?"

Li Yitong's style is to "present the facts and reason," copying and pasting donation data to refute the logical flaws of the haters.

Bai Mengyan is different.

As her hands flew across the phone screen, Li Yitong felt as if she were witnessing the hand speed of a professional e-sports player.

"If you're so good, then you do it; if you're not, shut up."

"You accuse others of putting on a show? Why don't you put on one yourself and let me see?"

"Jay Chou donated 100 million, that's his intention; Jiang Chen donated 50, that's his intention. Why are you comparing them? Didn't your mother teach you what kindness is?"

"You're criticizing Jiang Chen because Han Geng donated 20 yuan? Does Han Geng even know how filial you are?"

One after another, every shot hit its mark. He cursed one opponent after another, switching opponents so quickly that Li Yitong couldn't keep up.

Li Yitong's eyes widened in disbelief: "Xiaobai, you type so fast! You can insult a whole group of people all by yourself without breaking a sweat? Are you a professional troll?"

Bai Mengyan's fingers paused for a moment, and she almost threw the phone away.

"No way, I'm just fast at typing."

"With your hand speed, it's a shame you're not in esports." Li Yitong clicked her tongue in amazement. "Seriously, you're the second person I've ever seen online who can swear this badly."

Bai Mengyan looked up curiously: "Who was the first one?"

"Egret".

Li Yitong gritted her teeth and spat out those two words, "That lunatic, she can curse an entire group by herself, and then she can switch accounts and continue cursing. If you had half her fighting power, we could wipe out that group of haters tonight."

Bai Mengyan's fingers froze on the screen.

Her face turned white then red, then both white and red, finally settling on a complex color.

Jiang Chen watched from the side, unable to suppress the smirk on his face.

"Xiao Bai, keep it up, I believe in you."

On April 23, after filming the last indoor scene, the crew moved on to outdoor shooting.

Our first stop was Wusong Island.

The advance teams from the props and lighting departments have been there for three days.

Wusong Island is located in Wula Street Manchu Town, Longtan District, JL City, and is an island in the middle of the Songhua River.

The production team chose this location because of its rime ice.

In winter, the mist rising from the river sublimates upon cooling, forming crystal-clear ice crystals on the tree branches. At sunrise, the entire island looks as if it has been sprinkled with a layer of broken diamonds.

This kind of scene cannot be created with any special effects.

The problem is that it's late April now, the snow in Northeast China has long since melted, and there's no way there will be any rime ice.

But Chen Zhixi had a solution.

She borrowed two large artificial snow machines from China Film Group and a fog machine from Harbin.

The props team arrived on the island a week in advance and tied simulated ice crystals and frost branches to the tree branches. The lighting team set up six softboxes and arranged them along the riverbank to make the light look artificial.

Two snow machines roared all night, turning the filming area into a winter wonderland.

The film crew started shooting early in the morning.

Jiang Chen stood in the snow, wearing a pure black coat, while Jing Tian wore a white sweater dress with a light gray cashmere coat over it.

There are no lines in this scene.

The two walked side by side in the snow, their footprints extending across the snow.

Jiang Chen stopped under an old tree covered in frost and turned to look at Jing Tian.

Jing Tian also stopped and looked up at him.

As the wind blew, icicles fell softly from the branches.

Jiang Chen raised his hand and gently brushed away the water droplets from her hair, then reached out and pulled her into his arms.

The black and white colors overlapped, resembling a traditional Chinese ink painting in the vast snowfield.

The two of them just stood there, not saying a word, just embracing.

The wind was still blowing, the snow was still falling, and the roar of the snowmaking machine was masked off in post-production; only the sound of the Songhua River flowing could be heard on site.

Behind the monitor, Lin Yufen did not call "cut".

She stared at the screen without blinking.

The script supervisor girl covered her mouth, her eyes red-rimmed.

Everyone's going crazy for them, they're just too good to be true!

Lin Yufen had already thought of a name for their daughter: Jiang Tiantian.

I wonder if Jing Tian will be willing to have her own child when the time comes?

After a long pause, Lin Yufen finally spoke: "Pass. Guarantee one."

Then she turned to Chen Zhixi and said, "If this is broadcast, the audience will go crazy."

Chen Zhixi took a sip of coffee: "They've gone mad."

The scenes on Wusong Island were filmed for three days.

Snow scenes, night snow, morning mist, and strolls along the riverbank are all captured in the lens.

On April 26, the film crew moved to Jinan.

This was something Jiang Chen fought for.

He spent several days negotiating with Lin Yufen and even got Chen Zhixi to act as his intermediary before finally settling on his hometown as a filming location.

The local government showed great enthusiasm when the film crew arrived in Jinan.

The Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism specifically assigned a section chief to coordinate matters such as venue arrangements, security, and vehicle parking.

The Baotu Spring Park management office cleared out the core scenic area a day in advance to reserve the best shooting locations.

Daming Lake Scenic Area also opened a green channel for the film crew, and even adjusted the lighting time of Chaoran Tower to accommodate the film crew's night shooting plan.

In Chen Zhixi's words, "It went even smoother than filming in Yanjing."

Jiang Chen chose these two places.

The first one is Daming Lake and Chaoran Tower.

The corresponding scene is a walk along the lake in Hangang Park in the Korean version.

The original script described a date scene involving a walk by the lake, with the location set in an ordinary city park by the lake.

Chaoran Tower stands on the lakeside, with red pillars and green tiles, flying eaves and upturned corners. When the lights are on at night, the whole building looks like an exquisite jade carving.

The lake is wide, and the city lights on the opposite shore are reflected in the water, making it far superior to the lake view in the ordinary park in the Korean version.

The scene depicts the two walking along the lake, with the lights of Chaoran Tower reflected in the water in the distance. The two walk very slowly, as if waiting for time to stop.

The second is Baotu Spring and the Li Qingzhao Memorial Hall.

This corresponds to a scene at the Incheon City Museum in the Korean version.

In the Korean version, Do Min-joon studies documents from the Joseon Dynasty, showcasing his four-hundred-year-old knowledge.

Jiang Chen moved the scene to the Li Qingzhao Memorial Hall in Baotu Spring Park.

The No. 1 Spring Under Heaven, with its bubbling water, is surrounded by pavilions, towers, and ancient trees.

The Li Qingzhao Memorial Hall is a group of buildings modeled after the Song Dynasty. The courtyard is secluded and the bamboo shadows sway gently, giving it a more scholarly atmosphere than the modern-style municipal museum in South Korea.

On the day of filming, a deputy director of the tourism bureau personally visited the set.

His surname was Meng, he was in his early forties, wearing a dark blue jacket, and spoke with a heavy Jinan accent.

He brought several staff members, carrying bottled water, parasols, and local specialties for the film crew.

"Teacher Jiang, thank you for your hard work," Director Meng said, shaking Jiang Chen's hand firmly. "We're overjoyed that you're back. The locations you chose—Daming Lake, Baotu Spring—are the face of Jinan. Once your drama is filmed, the whole country will see it, which is more effective than any amount of 'GG' we could use."

Jiang Chen smiled and exchanged a few polite words, saying that Jinan was already a good place, and he was just using it as an opportunity to impress others.

Director Meng then asked if the filming was going smoothly and what support was needed. Jiang Chen responded to each question, saying that everything was fine and the government's cooperation was very helpful.

As he was leaving, Director Meng suddenly asked, "Professor Jiang, do you have any suggestions for our scenic spots? We'd like to make improvements."

Jiang Chen thought for a moment and said, "I suggest we prepare more people."

Director Meng was taken aback: "Should we prepare more people?"

Jiang Chen nodded. "Yes, prepare more for ticket sellers, ticket inspectors, and those maintaining order."

"Okay, okay, we've got it. Thank you for your hard work, Teacher Jiang. We wish you a smooth filming process."

Jiang Chen nodded: "Thank you, boss."

Old Meng left with his staff.

Just as he stepped out of the film crew's sight, a young clerk wearing glasses approached him. "Director Meng, do you think we really need to hire more people? Should we talk to HR and start recruiting in advance?"

Director Meng chuckled, waved his hand, and continued walking: "No need. The young man has a good heart and remembers his hometown, so I appreciate that. But he overestimates himself."

"Think about it, how many dramas have been filmed in Jinan over the years? 'Princess Pearl' mentioned Daming Lake, and 'The White-Browed Hero'..."

Both "Gan Shijiu Mei" and "The Grand Mansion 1912" were filmed at Baotu Spring. Last year, "The Grand Mansion 1912" just finished filming, and this year there's "The New Yanzi Li San".

"When 'Unexpected Love' was filmed here, it always came in a big commotion and left quietly. It's just so-so; the number of tourists hasn't increased much. Just take those comments with a grain of salt."

The young clerk immediately bowed and scraped, a fawning smile plastered on his face: "You see things so clearly, sir! Teacher Jiang is, after all, an artist. His ideas are good, but he doesn't understand the ins and outs of the tourism industry. Your experience is real and practical, far superior to his theoretical knowledge."

Old Meng felt comfortable being patted on the shoulder, threw his head back and laughed heartily, then patted the clerk on the shoulder: "Alright, you know how to talk. Come on, back to the bureau, I'll treat everyone to a drink tonight."

The group walked away chatting and laughing.

However, Lao Meng didn't know that in a few months, he wouldn't be able to laugh anymore.

On May 3, Jiang Chen went to Shanghai again.

Mercedes-Benz Cultural Center.

This is the second stop of Jiang Chen's solo concert tour.

The venue can hold 18,000 people, and the tickets sold out on the day they went on sale.

According to data from the official ticketing platform, all tickets sold out in five seconds.

Scalped tickets were being sold for five times the original price, and people were posting "wanting tickets at exorbitant prices" on social media, with a ton of comments in the comments section.

Crying and shouting, "I'll take one, the price is negotiable."

But what really made the Shanghai police nervous was not the 18,000 people inside the venue, but the people outside.

Starting at 3 p.m., crowds began to gather on several main roads around the Mercedes-Benz Arena.

They wore orange T-shirts and held up light boards. Some walked in circles outside the venue, some squatted on the steps and scrolled through their phones, and some sat in groups of three or five by the flower beds chatting.

No one organized it, no one directed it, but the orange color just spread out in patches, stretching from the subway station exit all the way to the riverbank.

Staff put up metal barriers at the entrance, but there were too many people, so they had to send in more security personnel to maintain order.

Looking at the dense crowd outside, an older man checking tickets said to his colleague, "Isn't the inside packed? What are all these people doing out there?"

My colleague didn't even look up: "I couldn't get a ticket, so I'm listening outside."

Uncle: "—"

At six o'clock, it got dark.

The number of people outside the venue did not decrease; in fact, it increased.

Some people brought picnic mats, some brought small stools, and some were handing out support banners.

Delivery drivers from nearby milk tea shops rode their electric scooters, slowly weaving through the crowded streets, shouting "Excuse me, excuse me!" A large bag of packaged milk teas hung on the handlebars, all ordered in advance by fans and delivered to the venue.

The concert started at 7:00 PM sharp.

Inside the venue, Jiang Chen, dressed in a black sequined jacket, rose from the platform, illuminating the entire stadium with a sea of ​​orange lights.

Outside the venue, thousands of people looked up in unison, though they could hear everything they saw.

Some people started singing along, and then more people joined in, until a chorus of thousands of people resounded outside the venue.

Extremely impressive!

Inside the venue, Jiang Chen stopped to drink water after singing his third song.

He glanced at the sea of ​​orange below the stage and said, "Many friends have come today, thank you all."

"And to our friends outside, can you hear us?"

A scream erupted outside, and it could be heard through the walls.

He chuckled. "I heard you. Take it easy on your voices, you have to go to work tomorrow."

The audience burst into laughter.

The guest lineup tonight is impressive.

Zhang Liangying, wearing a silver sequined dress, rose up from the platform and sang a duet with Jiang Chen called "Painting Heart".

Her dolphin-like high notes stunned the entire audience, and the fans applauded wildly.

Zhang Liangying said with a smile, "Thank you Jiang Chen for inviting me. When he asked me, I agreed without hesitation. He writes great songs, sings great songs, and is handsome too. It would be a fool not to come."

The audience screamed.

Wei Cheng then went on stage and sang "VSpace".

After finishing his song, Wei Cheng said to the audience, "Jiang Chen and I are on good terms, so don't be jealous."

Someone in the audience shouted "Jealousy!" He smiled and waved his hand, "Jealousy is useless."

Next up was the Yu Quan duo, who sang "Cold to the End".

The sea of ​​orange lights below the stage swayed even more violently.

These concert guests were not invited by Jiang Chen; they came on their own initiative.

When you're famous in the entertainment industry, everyone around you is a nice person; everyone is easy to talk to and everyone wants to be your friend.

What is Jiang Chen's current popularity level?

In addition, he has original songwriting ability, so how many singers wouldn't want to curry favor with him?

Even if you can't get the songs he wrote, just being able to perform on the same stage as him at his concert will bring you enough exposure to make countless people envious.

To put it bluntly, this concert is considered a top-tier event by industry insiders; anyone who attends it is guaranteed to generate buzz and attention.

If Jiang Chen reciprocates the favor and is willing to sing a few songs at their concert, their ticket sales will increase significantly.

The last guest was Xue Zhiqian.

At that time, Xue Zhiqian was far from the fame that would later make him a viral sensation online.

Eight years after his debut, his song "Serious Snow" became a hit across the country, but he has never been a household name. He suffers from a lack of resources and limited exposure, and can only barely support his musical dreams by running his own hot pot restaurant and streetwear store. He is in a semi-transparent and semi-marginalized state in the industry.

For him, performing at the Shanghai home concert of a singer of Jiang Chen's caliber was an incredibly rare opportunity, a top-tier exposure that would allow him to be seen by audiences across the country, enough to change the course of his career.

He first sang his hit song "Serious Snow" a cappella. The gentle melody evoked memories for countless people.

After finishing his song, he seized the opportunity to publicly perform his new song, "Ugly Monster," which had not yet been officially released, for the first time.

The unique musical style and poignant lyrics instantly captivated everyone's ears.

As the concert ended, Xue Zhiqian was visibly emotional backstage, his eyes red-rimmed, and he almost knelt down before Jiang Chen.

"Brother Chen, thank you, thank you so much."

Jiang Chen reached out to support him, "Old Xue, you're a grown man, why are you being so polite?"

"From now on, if anything happens, just say the word!"

On May 16th, filming for "My Love from the Star" officially wrapped up!

(P.S.: I reached 10,000 words today!)

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