CHAPTER 1

The scorching sun blazed overhead.

In a small suburban area near Yangcheng, nestled between mountains and water, there stood a red brick villa hidden within a large lychee orchard.

The front yard was filled with various vehicles—vans, cars, and delivery trucks—all parked in an orderly manner.

Staff members moved back and forth in the yard, each attending to their duties and busy with their tasks.

The camera crew was adjusting the tracks, with several cameras aimed at the two actors performing. Above them, a boom microphone hovered.

On the other side, a group of people surrounded the monitors: the director, assistant director, production crew, coordinator, and even the assistants of the star actors...

Everyone was tense and on high alert, and for no other reason—this shot had already been NG (not good) too many times.

At two o'clock on a sweltering summer afternoon, the humid air feels like an invisible steamer enveloping the crowd, making it hard to breathe.

The actors performing were the male and female leads. The male lead was handsome, while the female lead was strikingly beautiful. Both were popular stars. He wore a light blue shirt with beige trousers, and she donned a pure white dress. Without needing to speak, the sight of them standing together was pleasing to the eye, and once they started acting, it was particularly taxing on their memory.

"Take 32!"

"Action!"

This was already the 32nd take...

"Brother Feng, I don't believe you. Do you really have no feelings for her?"

"Yuanyuan, I truly don't like her. You're the only one in my heart, and will always be."

"Really? Then you should..."

"Alright, I swear," the male actor said, pulling the female actor close, leaning down to look into her eyes, softly saying, "Do you remember the first time we met? It was a rainy day. I walked out of the cinema, and you were holding a... red... red umbrella..."

"You were holding a red umbrella, and I saw you at first glance in the crowd. Since then, I haven't been able to forget you..."

Xiang Xiaoyuan, standing a bit away from the group by the monitors, silently joined in the lines while rolling her eyes discreetly.

The male actor did not come from a professional background, so it was expected that his line delivery would be poor. However, after dozens of NGs, he should have been able to remember such a short segment of lines, right? As for the female actor, she graduated from Beiying [a prestigious acting school], yet her enunciation was also lacking. Was that sheepish accent something she was born with or something she adopted later on?

These two can only watch, not speak.

They couldn't even be called actors, at most, they were just celebrities.

......

"Cut!"

The tense crowd suddenly relaxed, and it felt as though the hot air itself let out a frustrated sigh of disappointment.

A head poked out from behind the monitor—brown hair and a sparkling diamond earring. The young director, dressed in brand-name clothes, called out and then jumped up. Tilting his head, he assessed them and said loudly, "Come on, male lead, come here!"

"Male lead, are you confessing your feelings or reciting poetry? You need to show some emotion! You're a man in love, so act like one!"

The male lead, tall and handsome at over six feet, seemed to shrink in stature before the equally tall young director. He fidgeted nervously, a bead of sweat rolling off his brow. He lifted his hand to wipe it away, flustered.

Meanwhile, the female lead took a step back, positioning herself behind the director. Her assistants flanked her—one holding a small fan to cool her down, while the other opened a chilled bottle of mineral water and handed it to her.

The actress, with a rather cutesy name, Zou Yirui [In English, it can be interpreted as "Zou, the first flower bud" or "Zou, the one who is beautiful like a flower."], was the female lead in this film. She had recently graduated and gained a bit of fame from a popular IP drama. Her role in this movie was not due to her talent, but because the director was her current boyfriend.

So while the director was discussing the scene with the male lead, she leisurely took a sip of water, leaning her face closer as the waiting makeup artist gently patted powder on the sides of her nose.

"Director Wei, how was my acting?" she asked, casting a flirtatious glance at the director after he finished speaking. With her delicate features, long neck, and slim waist, she was quite a striking presence even in the beauty-filled entertainment industry.

"Excellent, just keep acting like that." the director replied with a smile, squeezing her shoulder.

Clearly, both of them weren't performing well, but the obvious preferential treatment was too blatant. The crew members all wore expressions of indifference, having seen such things before. Xiang Xiaoyuan glanced at the director, took a deep breath, and someone beside her discreetly tugged at her. She held back her frustration.

"Scene 1, Take 33, action!"

The male lead hadn't adjusted his mood yet, he looked anxious and, when the shoot resumed, couldn't immediately immerse himself in the character's emotions. He stood there for several seconds before stuttering out his lines.

The result was even worse than the previous take, and this one was also marked as NG.

The onlookers let out another soft sigh, and the female lead said with a 'tch,' "I don't want to act anymore..."

The young director Wei scratched his head and sighed, "Male lead, can't you put in a bit more effort?"

The air suddenly felt a bit tense.

The assistant director, Chen Yunxiu, timely stepped forward and said, "Alright, alright, I can see everyone is tired. Let's take a break for now."

The assistant director was an unremarkable middle-aged man, probably in his early forties, wearing glasses, with slightly graying hair that made him look prematurely aged. He had a bit of a hunch and a quiet voice, yet he somehow exuded a sense of authority.

Those who recognized him knew he was no ordinary person, he was a well-known director who had won several awards for his art films. It was quite surprising to see him serving as an assistant director under this young director.

It was quite unbelievable.

Even more unbelievable was that no one in the crew found it strange, except for Xiang Xiaoyuan.

In Xiang Xiaoyuan's eyes, this young director was a fool.

A fool with a pretty exterior but lacking substance.

He was decent-looking, perhaps even more handsome than the male lead, but he truly lacked any directorial talent. He couldn't guide the actors in their performances, and instead, he hindered their abilities.

The script was about the story of two sisters who were separated and then reunited. The younger sister grew up in the south with their mother, suffering from chronic kidney disease. The mother, in search of a kidney donor for her, found her long-lost elder daughter.

The elder sister had been abducted by human traffickers, leading a turbulent life since childhood, lacking proper education, engaging in theft and deception, and even being taken to the police station several times. The mother and younger sister were much better off than the elder sister. Their reunion was not a joyous occasion, there was a mix of familial love, resentment, and hatred, especially when both sisters developed feelings for the same man later on, escalating their conflicts to a peak.

Zou Yirui played the younger sister, while Xiang Xiaoyuan played the elder sister.

Because Zou Yirui had a tight schedule, they decided to shoot all her scenes first. However, she and the male lead had been filming for two days and were still stuck on the second scene, far behind schedule. Yet the director didn't seem anxious at all and was of no help to the two actors' performances.

Although the female lead lived in the south, did she really need to deliver her lines with a Taiwanese accent? Everyone in the crew knew that she was the director's girlfriend, but he shouldn't be so biased, right?

Does the quality of the movie not matter at all? What kind of director is this?

"Alright, let's take a break. There are mung bean pastries and soda over there, cold, along with fruits. Everyone, take a rest, we'll resume in a while." The advantage of this incompetent director is that he knows how to charm people and has money, funding the movie himself. He's both the director and the producer.

Therefore, the living and dining conditions for the crew were truly top-notch. They were staying in this villa, which was said to be his family's private property, and the crew's meals were prepared by dedicated chefs, complete with fruit and desserts, plus a doctor accompanying the shoot.

Xiang Xiaoyuan wasn't buying into it, she was there to act, not to vacation. After waiting for two days, she had long memorized the script, not only her lines, but she was also familiar with everyone else's lines. Yet she still hadn't gotten to shoot her scenes. The quality of the production was lacking, it was dragging on, and there was no professionalism. When would it be her turn?

At that moment, a cold bottle of Nongfu Spring water was handed to her. "Here, it's hot out, Yuan'er, drink some water."

She took the water and turned to leave, but someone chased after her. "Yuan'er, Yuan..."

It was his assistant, who had round glasses covering his round eyes. His surname was Cai, and he had natural curly hair that he'd had since birth. He was a few centimeters taller than her and caught up to her quickly.

The two gradually walked out of the filming set.

"Cai Juan, I know what you want to say. I finally have a good role, and I need to cherish it!" Xiang Xiaoyuan was tall and slender, walking briskly, quickly leaving her behind. "See, I haven't said a word the whole time, have I? But you also see how ridiculous this crew is!"

Cai Juan was his nickname. He quickened his pace, took the water bottle from her hand, opened it, and handed it back to her.

Xiang Xiaoyuan glanced at her and took the bottle, taking a sip.

Inside the villa, there was a garden. They walked along the pond, beside which stood an old banyan tree. The tree's shadow danced on the rippling surface of the water, and a cool breeze seemed to come by.

Xiang Xiaoyuan wore a black shoulder-length dress, the costume for her character. She was supposed to have a scene in the morning, had her makeup done at 7 a.m., but now it was still not filmed, and it seemed unlikely that it would happen today.

She simply sat down on the ground.

Cai Juan pushed up his glasses, blinked his eyes, and said, "Yuan'er, if you really don't want to, we don't have to shoot. Don't be upset."

Xiaoyuan glanced at him and replied, "You're trying to provoke me again. Didn't we sign a contract?"

Cai Juan thought to himself, 'You act as if you haven't had a history of walking away from roles you didn't like after signing.' He smiled and said, "You know you like this role, plus the pay is really good. We've been struggling lately, and Brother Zhishi isn't in good health either. Yuan'er... we really can't be too picky!"

Xiaoyuan fell silent for a moment and didn't respond.

Cai Juan sighed, walked over to her, and sat down beside her. "The crew isn't that unreliable. Look, the assistant director is Chen Yunxiu, the head of the photography team is Zhu Qinghong, and the art director is Cao Ping. They are all top-notch professionals, and you know they have won numerous awards. It's just the director..."

"Yeah, right. What's the deal with that director?"

"His surname is Wei."

"And so?"

"Yuan'er," Cai Juan said, somewhat speechless, "besides the script, you should pay attention to other things too."

"I know. Wei Jiaobao directed a movie called 'XX Chuang Jianghu [XX Enters the World]' last year, which did quite well at the box office. But that's just one movie, nothing else worth noting!"

"Wait a moment, give me your phone. I remember the key creators of that movie..." Xiang Xiaoyuan took the phone, checked on Douban, and said, "Indeed, it's the same crew..."

Although "XX Chuang Jianghu" is a commercial comedy film, it had a strong production team, especially since the script was tailored by a top screenwriter. Everything from the script to the costumes and production was first-rate.

The two main theme songs for the movie were produced by industry big names, featuring popular young stars and established singers, making it a huge hit.

From its early preparation to casting, post-production, and its explosive release, Wei Jiabao's name became widely recognized.

Actions speak louder than words. In reality, he's a bit of a fool.

His surname was a bit unique, but it was still easy to remember.

In the past few decades, the film and television industry has flourished, with entertainment companies, film and television companies, and economic companies popping up like mushrooms after the rain, reaching a saturation point. The three major domestic giants in the industry all focus on the development of multi-talented artists. Compared to Warner Bros. and and Universal Pictures, two major giants, Tonghua Media is a relatively young new giant under the Tonghua Group, which made its fortune in real estate. The Tonghua Group consists of four major business divisions: commercial management, cultural healthcare, real estate, and investment.

The current CEO with the most shares is Wei Zhuang, who about ten years ago shifted her focus to the cultural group and has been at the helm since. Her main areas of development are the film and television industry and healthcare. While the medical aspect is set aside for now, in the film and television sector, Tonghua first acquired several domestic and foreign film companies on the verge of bankruptcy, purchased multiple cinemas, developed its own film and television city and theater line, and rapidly expanded, quickly surpassing the market value of the other two giants.

In the past two years, Tonghua has begun expanding into talent agency services, encompassing artists, screenwriters, and directors. As long as they are interested, they bring them under their wing, backed by substantial funds.

"Wei Zhuang, Wei Jiabao, no wonder..." Xiang Xiaoyuan muttered.

It's no wonder such a fool could have such a good team, no wonder those terrible male and female leads had people supporting them, while she ended up playing a supporting role...

On the other side, Chen Yunxiu was discussing with Wei Jiabao. "Director Wei, I think we should skip the scene with the male and female leads for now, and let them find their rhythm first. Let Xiaoyuan and Miss Zou take the next scene for now."

Chen Yunxiu was very skilled in his speech.

The female lead, Zou Yirui, was involved with Wei Jiabao and was already signed under Tonghua, being part of the company as well as the director's girlfriend, which made it difficult to directly evaluate her acting skills. The male lead was an artist from a studio under Universal Pictures. For the sake of the film's quality, he was originally supposed to provide some guidance, but he understood this director's habits, others could not overstep his authority, and they had to wait until he finished directing before they could step in to "remind" or "supplement."

"Xiaoyuan? Who's that?" Wei Jiabao raised an eyebrow, sensing a hint of familiarity in Chen Yunxiu's tone. After a moment of thought, he realized, "Oh, the girl you mentioned for the second female lead, right?"

"Yes, her debut was in collaboration with Director He in 'Xiao Wen.' She played the only female role in it and was nominated in the main competition section of one of the three major European film festivals—the Palme d'Or."

"Oh, that sounds good. Which company is she with?"

"As far as I know, she hasn't signed with any company and has set up her own small studio."

"Interesting. What does she look like?"

"...She was just here a moment ago..."

"I didn't notice that. Alright, I'll go talk to Xiaorui and let her know. Once she's rested, let's shoot their scenes first."

Cai Juan sighed softly. Their studio only had three people. When Xiaoyuan graduated from Huaxi [a prestigious acting school], several companies were interested in signing her, but they were all rejected by Brother Zhishi.

To be honest, there were some decent companies, but none were suitable for Xiang Xiaoyuan. To put it nicely, she was passionate about acting and only wanted to make good films with great scripts. To put it bluntly, she was stubborn and headstrong.

Among the offers they received, the best one came from Jiaxing Entertainment, which offered a B-tier contract.

The contract term was eight years, a full management agreement, with a 60-40 split for film, commercial performances, and advertisements—40% for the artist and 60% for the company. There was a guarantee of at least one film within the second tier each year and more than three television dramas, with no guarantees on leading roles. Only starting in the third year could she expect to have leading film and television resources. Additionally, she had almost no decision-making power regarding her work, meaning she couldn't veto the scripts the company chose for her or select her preferred scripts and roles. There was absolutely no room for negotiation on this point.

Brother Zhishi, being Xiaoyuan's biological brother, understood her personality very well. Naturally, he was reluctant to let her sign such a contract, so they decided to start their own studio. However, the resources of a small studio were limited, making it a tough start.

Xiaoyuan's breakout role had a high starting point, but due to its sensitive subject matter, it took a year and a half after competing in Europe to finally receive the Dragon Seal [It refers to a certification mark in China that indicates a film has passed certain censorship requirements and is approved for public screening.].It was a low-budget art film, and it had a poor release period, clashing with popular films, resulting in limited screenings and ultimately a dismal box office performance.

Due to various reasons, even though Xiang Xiaoyuan's acting in "Xiao Wen" was outstanding, she never had the chance to become well-known to the public. Only a small number of industry insiders had a faint impression of her name, and most wouldn't recognize her appearance at all.

Later, she starred in a movie, but luck was not on her side this time. The lead creator of the production was embroiled in a scandal during the promotion period, which directly led to his scenes being cut. This, in turn, affected Xiaoyuan, who had the most scenes with him.

From then on, she became even more cautious and selective. The scripts their studio could get were already of low quality, and Xiang Xiaoyuan became even more particular. She refused to act in TV dramas, brainless commercial films, or comedy genres she wasn't interested in, among other things. There was even one time when she was unhappy with the director and screenwriter for making unauthorized changes to the script, and she outright canceled her contract and refused to act.

As a result, she was becoming increasingly difficult to please, and gradually, they fell behind. In reality, the studio was already struggling financially.

This time, they got the script through the assistant director's connections. The initial draft of the script was about twins, requiring the lead actress, Zou Yirui, to play both roles. However, during filming, it became evident that Zou Yirui was finding it too challenging, so the story was altered to feature two sisters instead, necessitating the last-minute addition of another actress to save the production. Upon receiving this news, Brother Zhishi immediately called Chen Yunxiu, who personally interviewed Xiaoyuan and was quite satisfied with her, eventually granting her the role.

"I hope this little troublemaker can smoothly complete this script without causing any more trouble." Cai Juan thought of the various past incidents, nearly making a cross on his chest to pray.

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