Chapter 8
That night, the crew worked overnight to edit and upload the character posters. “Ascending to Immortality” was a TV series adapted from a popular online novel, so it came with its own built-in audience. As soon as the Weibo post went up, it was immediately reposted and commented on by a large number of fans.
The male lead, second female lead, and third female lead were all minor celebrities with some fame, only the female lead was a fresh face.
Debuting as the female lead in such a high-profile project, many people became curious about the identity of the actress playing the lead role, Zuo Bian.
Unfortunately, no matter how much they dug, they couldn’t find any information about Zuo Bian’s background. She was as mysterious as if she had appeared out of thin air.
At this time, on a well-known gossip forum, a post titled “Shocking! The female lead and second female lead of the SX drama had an argument on set! The reason is actually!” appeared.
1st Floor: OP, stop imitating UC Shock Department (a clickbait news site), just spill the tea, we’re all waiting for the gossip.
*OP: Original Poster, common abbreviation used on forums and online communities to refer to the person who started a particular thread or discussion.*
2nd Floor: I don’t believe it, unless you show me proof [eating melon emoji].
Then the OP immediately posted a slightly blurry photo. In the photo, Chang Wensi was pointing angrily at a girl sitting in front of a makeup mirror and scolding her. Even in the poorly lit, blurry photo, the girl’s delicate and beautiful features were still evident.
5th Floor: Can’t help but go off-topic, this female lead is really beautiful. Even if everyone guesses that she has no acting skills, I don’t care! I’m here for the visuals! I can handle this face!
6th Floor: Sister above, wake up, shouldn’t we be more curious about what Chang Wensi is scolding her for? Chang Wensi is known for being a little chili pepper, she’s always ready to fight anyone and anything. I really wonder how she was provoked this time.
OP: Here comes the highlight, Chang Wensi is scolding this little fairy for stealing her brother’s girlfriend.
8th Floor: !!!! That’s a lot of information!
9th Floor: What’s going on, do all the young ladies prefer to be with other young ladies now?
10th Floor: Yuri vibes! [starry-eyed emoji]
Originally, it was supposed to be a drama about actresses tearing each other apart, but because of the OP’s revelation, the focus shifted, and it turned into a thread for shipping the female leads. Some people even quickly started writing fanfiction.
Because of this incident, the popularity of “Ascending to Immortality” was boosted. Regardless of the final quality of the drama, there would be no shortage of topics to discuss.
A hot-tempered actress in the entertainment industry versus a super newcomer who stole her brother’s girlfriend, the sparks were sure to fly.
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The next day, filming officially began, and the male lead, Xu Ruisheng, arrived fashionably late.
Xu Ruisheng was a popular young actor. His acting skills were average, but he had a large following and his fans were very protective.
After greeting everyone, Xu Ruisheng threw himself into filming. The first scene was between the second female lead and the male lead. After all, Zuo Bian was an inexperienced newcomer, so Director Chen didn’t dare to let her act right away. Instead, he let Zuo Bian watch how the senior actors performed.
Zuo Bian watched attentively, taking notes in her notebook as she watched. Before coming, she had learned a lot about acting from 555, so she knew that acting also required skills.
Zuo Bian didn’t appear on camera all day. She was constantly learning, and Director Chen also tried his best to impart his knowledge to her, hoping that she could grow quickly.
The male lead, Xu Ruisheng, finished his scenes for the day. He asked Zuo Bian if she wanted to have dinner with him in the evening and rehearse their lines together.
This was a rather obvious hint, but how could Zuo Bian understand? She said directly, “My mother told me not to have dinner with strangers casually.”
Xu Ruisheng’s expression stiffened for a moment. Such a perfunctory answer made him feel embarrassed.
“Miss Zuo, why use such a clumsy excuse to reject me? Just say you don’t want to go.” Xu Ruisheng maintained his hypocritical facade.
‘555, why do these people always jump to conclusions? Is there something wrong with my answer?’
Zuo Bian was away from home filming, and Du Yundong was worried sick about her. She had given her many instructions, one of which was not to have dinner with strangers casually. Zuo Bian was just stating the truth.
【Host, you should stay away from him. This person has bad intentions. I’ll hack into the phone system and give you a call later. You answer the call and pretend that you have something to do.】
‘Mm-hmm.’
Buzz—
Zuo Bian picked up her phone as naturally as possible. “Hello, I understand, I’ll be right there. Sorry, something came up, I have to go now.”
Xu Ruisheng watched Zuo Bian’s retreating figure, a sneer appearing on his face.
Xu Ruisheng got into the nanny van parked nearby. Inside the van, his agent, Lü Deng, frowned at his phone screen.
“Didn’t get any useful photos. This newcomer seems very cautious.”
“There’s plenty of time, there will always be opportunities to get useful photos.”
Lü Deng raised his head and said, “Chang Wensi is the daughter of Chang Group, we can’t touch her, and it’s not easy to do so either. With Chang Wensi’s temper, we probably won’t gain anything from trying to create a shipping scandal with her.
But this newcomer is different. She has no fans and no foundation. We can create some hype and then have the water army guide public opinion, saying that the female lead is clinging to senior actors for fame. We’ll gain attention and be able to wash our hands clean of it.”
Xu Ruisheng impatiently tapped his phone. “Didn’t they say that this newcomer has a powerful backer? You better make sure she’s really an easy target. I don’t want this to backfire.”
Lü Deng smiled slightly and said, “Don’t worry about that. We haven’t been able to find out which family this newcomer belongs to. She’s probably being kept by someone because of her good looks. How could a sugar daddy fight us for a little toy? He’ll probably be tired of her by then.”
“Then I’m relieved.” Although he said that, Xu Ruisheng still felt inexplicably uneasy.
Of course, Lü Deng couldn’t find out Zuo Bian’s identity. In his position, he could only see what others wanted him to see. And unfortunately, he had also guessed Zuo Bian’s identity wrong.
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Zuo Bian hadn’t walked far when she ran into her agent, Zhuo Jing. “Xiao Zuo, sorry, I was called away just now.”
“I just met Xu Ruisheng. He said he wanted to have dinner with me.” Zuo Bian wasn’t completely naive. She could feel that there was something strange about Xu Ruisheng, so she chose to tell this to someone she trusted.
Zhuo Jing was arranged for her by her parents, so she should be reliable.
Zhuo Jing frowned upon hearing this. “Xu Ruisheng… Xiao Zuo, you should try to keep your distance from him in the future to avoid being used for clout.”
“Okay, I’ll remember that.” Actually, Zuo Bian didn’t know what “being used for clout” meant. She planned to look it up online later.
Just like 555 said, the internet in this world was really convenient. You could find out anything you wanted to know with just a phone.
After work that night, Zuo Bian huddled with her phone, searching and learning a lot of fandom slang. Although she wasn’t an expert, at least she wouldn’t be clueless anymore.
At nine o’clock, Zuo Bian received a Q-Q call from Qin Tian. “Good evening, Older Sister Zuo, I’ve finished my homework, so I can play with my phone now. Do you want to come to my house tomorrow? I have a lot of games, we can have a weekend party!”
“Ah, I’m filming now, I probably won’t be able to go to your house tomorrow.” Zuo Bian said apologetically.
“!!! Filming! Are you filming a TV series or a movie? That sounds so cool!” Qin Tian’s face flushed with excitement, and he immediately ran to Qin Ai’s study with his phone.
Zuo Bian heard footsteps and Qin Tian’s increasingly rapid breathing coming from the phone. “Filming a TV series. Xiao Tian, are you running?”
“Mm-hmm! Older Sister Zuo, can I come see you tomorrow?”
Zuo Bian subconsciously wanted to say yes, but then she remembered that the director had said that unrelated personnel were not allowed to enter and leave the set at will.
“Although I really want you to come see me, it seems that people can’t enter here casually.”
“It’s okay, I have my sister. My sister is very capable.” Qin Tian finally stopped. He stood in front of the study and knocked on the door. “Sister, Sister, are you there? Your little cutie wants to see you!”
Not long after, the study door opened. Qin Ai, dressed in a white bathrobe, looked tired. “What is it?”
“Sister, I want to go see Older Sister Zuo tomorrow. She said she’s filming, and I’ve never seen how a TV series is filmed.” Qin Tian looked up at Qin Ai with a sweet smile and bright eyes, as if he was certain that she wouldn’t refuse.
Zuo Bian’s face flashed through Qin Ai’s mind. After a moment of silence, she replied, “Okay.”
“Yay! Older Sister Zuo, my sister agreed! We’ll come see you tomorrow!” Qin Tian excitedly said to Zuo Bian on the other end of the phone.
Zuo Bian was also happy. “Mm-hmm, I’ll be waiting for you to come see me.”
“It’s only nine o’clock now, Older Sister Zuo, let’s play games! I haven’t used up my two hours for today yet. Ah—Sister, put me down.”
Qin Tian kicked his short legs as he was lifted up by Qin Ai like a chick.
“Don’t you want to go see your Older Sister Zuo tomorrow? Why aren’t you sleeping yet? How long do you want to play?” Even though Qin Ai’s voice was pleasant, to Qin Tian’s ears, it was like the whispers of a demon.
Qin Tian drooped his head and said dejectedly, “Okay, good night, Older Sister Zuo, I’m going to sleep now.”
“Good night, go to sleep early. See you tomorrow.”
Then Zuo Bian hung up the phone.
【I didn’t expect the Big Devil’s younger brother to be such a cutie. The contrast is really big. But that’s good, Host, you have another chance to meet the female lead!】
Zuo Bian clenched her fist. “Mm! I’ll seize this opportunity!”
【Review the Green Tea Handbook again before going to bed. It might come in handy tomorrow.】
“Okay.” Zuo Bian sat up straight and solemnly opened the Green Tea Handbook, reading its contents aloud, as if she were reading some profound ancient text.
As she read, Zuo Bian shook her head and sighed. “The contents of this little handbook are truly ingenious. Although I can now understand every word in it, I still don’t quite understand the meaning of some sentences.”
555: …
Actually, these contents were all found online and then adapted by it. It was normal for Zuo Bian, an ancient person, not to fully understand them.
Then 555 heard Zuo Bian say, “This Green Tea Handbook is concise and practical. 555, I will study it carefully and put it to good use. This new life is hard-won, I won’t let down your kindness and waste what you gave me!”
The more Zuo Bian spoke, the more guilty 555 felt. It wasn’t the one who gave her this life, but at this point, it could only bite the bullet and accept it.
【Then Host, work hard, I’m cheering for you! This Green Tea Handbook is indeed too profound for you now. I will give you hints when appropriate.】
“Thank you so much! 555.”
The more it was thanked, the more guilty 555 felt. Wuwuwu, it would definitely be better to the host in the future.
Zuo Bian slept soundly and woke up early. Today, she finally had her first scene. In this scene, Zuo Bian, playing the female lead, along with several junior disciples, rode a vulture with their unreliable, drunkard master to join the Qingyun Sect. On the way, they encountered annoying red-eyed bees.
This kind of scene was, of course, filmed with the help of powerful fans and later edited with CGI and special effects.
Originally, the director was worried that Zuo Bian, a newcomer, would need several takes for her first scene without real objects. Unexpectedly, Zuo Bian performed surprisingly well.
This was thanks to the fact that Zuo Bian was originally a cultivator and had experienced similar scenarios before, so acting wasn’t difficult for her at all.
Zuo Bian’s acting skills might not be as good as a professionally trained actor, but her advantage was that it was close to her true personality, and she had actually been a cultivator.
Hu Miaofu, who was said to be professionally trained, on the other hand, couldn’t seem to find the right feeling. Zuo Bian taught Hu Miaofu some small techniques, and soon the scene was completed. However, the director’s gaze towards Hu Miaofu was already showing some displeasure. Hu Miaofu kept bowing and apologizing, saying that it was her fault for wasting everyone’s time.
Hu Miaofu had a pure and innocent appearance. At this moment, with tears welling up in her eyes, she looked particularly pitiful, as if she had been bullied.
The second male lead, Zhong Xin, felt pity for her and took the initiative to comfort Hu Miaofu during the break. Hu Miaofu said with tears in her smile, “Senior Zhong, you’re so kind, thank you.”
Hu Miaofu, a delicate and weak little white flower, could easily arouse Zhong Xin’s protective instincts.
“But Miss Zuo doesn’t seem to like me very much. Just now, during filming… it’s nothing.” Hu Miaofu forced a smile and shook her head.
However, the more Hu Miaofu acted like this, the more certain Zhong Xin became that Zuo Bian had made things difficult for Hu Miaofu during filming.
“Xiao Fu, I believe in your acting skills. You couldn’t have made so many mistakes for no reason. It must be that Zuo Bian did something to you, right?”
Hu Miaofu still shook her head, but as she shook her head, crystal clear tears kept rolling down her cheeks, clearly showing that she was holding back her grievances.
“I heard that Zuo Bian was forced into the production by the investors, who knows what methods she used. How could her acting skills compare to yours, a professionally trained actress? If it weren’t for her connections, she wouldn’t have gotten the female lead role!”
Although Zhong Xin was good-looking, he had no highlights in terms of personality or acting skills. Without a background or connections, he was often replaced for various reasons, so he looked down on people who brought money into productions.
“Senior Zhong, don’t say that. Actually, actually, Miss Zuo’s acting skills are not bad.” Hu Miaofu weakly defended Zuo Bian.
Zhong Xin scoffed. “Acting with someone like her is a waste of time.”
“Senior Zhong, thank you for your comfort, you’re so kind to me, I don’t know how to thank you.” Hu Miaofu looked at Zhong Xin with adoration, making him unable to resist.
After a fifteen-minute break, the next scene was about to be filmed. This scene was between Zuo Bian and the second male lead. It was just a simple conversation, nothing difficult.
However, every time Zuo Bian spoke, Zhong Xin would impatiently shout “Cut!” “Director Chen, Zuo Bian’s line was too flat, I can’t hear any emotion in it.”
At first, Zuo Bian thought it was really her acting that wasn’t good enough. After all, she was still inexperienced, and it was normal to have shortcomings in emotional control.
But after several times, even Zuo Bian, as slow as she was, could sense something was wrong.
“Mr. Zhong Xin, are you a broken record? Why do you always say the same thing?” “Broken record” was a new term Zuo Bian had learned online last night, and she was putting it to good use today.
Zhong Xin’s expression changed, while Director Chen turned his head to stifle a laugh. It was obvious that Zhong Xin was making things difficult for Zuo Bian. Director Chen was a smart man, how could he not see it?
It was just that they weren’t filming any intense action scenes, so he turned a blind eye to it.
“Zhong Xin, your state is a bit off today. Pay attention to adjusting your mentality.” Director Chen spoke up, implying that Zhong Xin should restrain himself.
“Let’s do it again, everyone get ready.”
At this moment, the production assistant received a call. He whispered something to Director Chen and then went to pick someone up with two assistants.
The investor dad was coming to inspect, they had to be on their best behavior.
This drama had two investor dads, one was the Zuo family, and the other was the Qin family.
