1novels Chapter 9 This is simply a fantasy!
Chapter 9 This is simply a fantasy!
In June, the midday sun in Wuhan was like a blazing fire, baking the open-air film set of "The Wind Rises in Chang'an" with waves of heat.
"Action!"
At the command of assistant director Liu Quan, Jiang Xinlan immediately rushed out.
She gave her all to portray the panic and despair required by the script. Even when she was completely exhausted, every movement and every look was precise and accurate, without the slightest perfunctoriness.
But as soon as she crossed the finish line, Liu Quan's "card" came flying at her.
"Cut! What utter garbage!"
Liu Quan slammed the script onto the monitor, pointed at Jiang Xinlan's nose, and began to hurl insults.
"You're playing a noblewoman in distress, not a crazy beggar on the street! Your face is completely expressionless, and you run like a wooden post! Let's do it again!"
Jiang Xinlan closed her eyes, didn't refute, and turned to walk back to the starting point.
Once, twice, three times...
Twelve times.
She ran back and forth twelve times under the scorching midday sun, giving it her all each time, but Liu Quan could always find fault with her.
If her expression is wrong, her gait is wrong, or even the way her stray hairs flutter when she runs doesn't suit his taste, it can become a reason to reshoot.
In the end, Jiang Xinlan leaned against a pillar, bent over, coughing violently. Her lips were as white as paper, and she could barely stand.
The staff on set all looked reluctant to leave.
To be fair, Jiang Xinlan is far superior to Lin Weiwei in both looks and acting skills. Her performance just now was also perfect, comparable to that of a veteran actress.
But because she was stubborn and refused to back down, she was kept out of the company's spotlight.
On the contrary, Lin Weiwei, who was inferior to her in every way, managed to get close to Vice President Zhang by going all out. Not only did she get the lead role, but she also made things difficult for Jiang Xinlan at every turn.
Just because Jiang Xinlan left halfway through yesterday for the sake of her child, she publicly humiliated her.
From the moment filming began today, Lin Weiwei and Liu Quan, who fawned over her, have been finding all sorts of ways to torment Jiang Xinlan.
First, they made her fall repeatedly on the hard cement floor eight times, finding fault with her every time and telling her to stop.
Now they've chosen the hottest part of the day, midday, to make her film a long-distance running scene. It's obvious they're trying to wear her down until she gets heatstroke and faints before they're satisfied.
It's truly a tragedy.
The script supervisor next to him couldn't stand it any longer, so he went up to Liu Quan and said ingratiatingly:
"Director Liu, she really can't hold on much longer. If she keeps running like this, she'll die. Should we let her rest for ten minutes first?"
"Take a break? What break?" Liu Quan glared, shoved the script supervisor aside, and spat as he spoke.
"If you take this pay, you have to do this job! If you can't do it, get out! I think she's just deliberately acting like a diva and doesn't want to film properly!"
Inside the awning, Lin Weiwei was enjoying the cool breeze from the fan, holding an iced milk tea in her hand. Looking at Jiang Xinlan's disheveled appearance, a sarcastic and smug smile curled at the corner of her mouth.
She slowly stood up, walked up to Jiang Xinlan in her high heels, looked her down at her, and spoke with a tone full of schadenfreude:
"Jiang Xinlan, why are you doing this? It's just bowing your head and apologizing. Weren't you quite arrogant when you stormed off yesterday?"
She leaned forward and said in a sinister voice that only the two of them could hear:
"Let me tell you straight, I'm the boss on this set. If you don't kneel down and kowtow three times to apologize today, don't even think about leaving this set. Not just today, but you'll never be able to work in the entire film and television industry in Jiangcheng again."
Jiang Xinlan suddenly raised her head. "Keep dreaming."
"You still dare to be stubborn?" Lin Weiwei's face instantly darkened, and she turned to Liu Quan, shouting shrilly.
"Director Liu! With her attitude, she clearly doesn't want to film properly! I think we don't even need to shoot this scene; just fire her!"
"No problem, Vivi!"
Liu Quan immediately nodded and bowed in agreement, then pointed at Jiang Xinlan with a megaphone and sternly reprimanded her.
"Jiang Xinlan! I'm giving you one last chance! Apologize to Teacher Lin right now! Otherwise, get out of the crew right now! And don't expect your salary!"
The entire venue fell into a deathly silence.
All eyes were on Jiang Xinlan, some with sympathy, some with amusement, and others waiting to see her crushed and bow her head.
But Jiang Xinlan simply straightened up slowly, her eyes showing no fear, and spoke each word with firm conviction:
"I did nothing wrong, and I won't apologize. I can film the scene as required, but I won't accept your deliberate obstruction and malicious reshoots. As for the salary, it should be paid according to the contract, and I'll fight to the end."
Upon hearing this, Liu Quan and Lin Weiwei were both stunned, and then burst into boundless rage.
They never expected that, even at this point, this woman would still dare to stand up to them.
"Fine! Very well!" Lin Weiwei's face turned a deep purplish-red with anger as she pointed at Jiang Xinlan's nose and cursed.
"Get the hell out of here! Right now! I'm calling Boss Zhang right now and having the company terminate your contract immediately, so you'll never be able to make it back in this industry!"
Liu Quan crossed his arms and laughed smugly.
Just then, a series of neat and hurried footsteps suddenly came from the direction of the film set entrance.
Three black vans pulled up in a row at the entrance of the film set. The doors opened, and Zhao Feng, chairman of Xingyao Entertainment, strode in, surrounded by his secretary and bodyguards.
Lin Weiwei's eyes lit up instantly, and a fawning smile immediately appeared on her face as she swayed her hips and went to meet him.
"Mr. Zhao! What brings you here so suddenly? You didn't even give us a heads-up so we could have prepared to welcome you..."
Lin Weiwei swayed her hips and quickly went to meet him, her sweet voice drawn out, and she tried to put her hand on Zhao Feng's arm.
Zhao Feng didn't even glance at her out of the corner of his eye. He walked straight past her without stopping, as if she were just an eyesore on the roadside.
Lin Weiwei's outstretched hand froze in mid-air, her smile instantly fading, and she stood there dumbfounded, her toes awkwardly digging into the ground.
Not only her, but everyone in the room was somewhat surprised.
Everyone knows that Lin Weiwei is the apple of Zhang Qiming's eye, the company's vice president, and the company has recently been investing countless resources to promote her.
At the company, Zhao Feng was usually quite friendly to her.
Why did you completely ignore her today, not even giving her the slightest bit of face?
Liu Quan was also stunned. He quickly put away the megaphone in his hand and tried to greet Zhao Feng by bowing and scraping. However, as soon as he took a step, he was stopped by Zhao Feng's bodyguard and was not even allowed to get close.
Zhao Feng's gaze swept across the entire room, finally settling on Jiang Xinlan.
His originally cold expression instantly vanished, replaced by a respectful, almost humble smile, as he strode towards Jiang Xinlan.
Under the stunned gazes of everyone present, this top-tier figure in Jiangcheng's entertainment industry, whose word was law, bowed slightly to Jiang Xinlan, his tone full of guilt and respect:
"Ms. Jiang, I am truly sorry. It was our company's mismanagement and inadequate supervision that caused you such great distress on set. On behalf of Xingyao Entertainment, I apologize to you."
One sentence, like a thunderclap, exploded in the deathly silence of the film set!
Everyone gasped, their eyes widened, their mouths gaped open enough to fit an egg, and some even pinched themselves hard, thinking they were hallucinating from heatstroke.
Zhao Feng? The chairman of Xingyao Entertainment?!
He actually bowed and apologized to a stuntman whose name few people even know?!
This is simply a fantasy!