Rebirth: I became rich by farming

Chapter 616: Chapter 616: Not Too Difficult (5/5)

After scolding someone, An Fang was still furiously pacing, feeling his anger reaching the crown of his head. Yet, after spinning in place several times, An Fang suddenly halted and, sighing deeply, pointed at Ren Li, "You take a break first, adjust your emotions. Zhenzhen, let’s shoot your scene first."

Mei Mengzhen was taken aback, not expecting An Fang’s solution to be to switch scenes for shooting. When cued, Mei Mengzhen immediately stood up. She tensed for a moment as if she were about to enter the execution ground, then quickly adjusted her mindset. It was just a scolding, not as if she hadn’t been scolded before, and then she felt at ease.

But upon hearing about the change in scene and actors, Ren Li’s expression turned uglier than ever before. His gaze instantly shifted in Mei Mengzhen’s direction, substituting his previous admiring look with nothing but disdain and scorn.

After all, if he, someone who had been in the industry for two years, couldn’t shoot the scene properly, how could Mei Mengzhen, a newcomer, do any better on her first try? He felt that no matter who was shooting, it would be the same; they’d still end up getting scolded in the end.

Indeed, in the three days Mei Mengzhen spent learning etiquette to catch up with her, he had already learned about her background from those around. A college student currently enrolled, who achieved the role of the second female lead through An Fang’s connection, without even auditioning. It showed how solid her backing was. So even though there was admiration, it was mixed with several other things. After all, this put Mei Mengzhen and him not that far apart.

However, it wasn’t long before he, who watched Mei Mengzhen’s acting with an attitude of watching a show, was slapped in the face.

Because Mei Mengzhen did indeed outperform him by a bit, shooting only three takes before the scene was approved. And the whole scene, including transitioning locations, took just over an hour. It was simply unbelievable.

Ren Li’s face darkened even more, even incredulously saying, "How is that possible?"

This response wasn’t unique to Ren Li; even Mei Mengzhen herself found it hard to believe.

But truth be told, the main reason was that the scene was relatively simple. It was her character’s first encounter with the male lead, where, invited by her friend, she visits the manor to admire the flowers. On her way there, she’s mesmerized by the flower scenery and pauses to take a longer look. Then a butterfly flutters by, and she starts chasing it with her fan, looking innocent and adorable. In her pursuit, she accidentally loses her footing and falls into the arms of the male lead—who happens to be her friend’s brother, someone she hadn’t met before. They look at each other, their eyes meeting, both capturing the other’s heart, then she shyly leaves but pauses to turn back and exchange glances once more.

Such a plot, she had seen numerous times in TV dramas and movies. Though it might seem outdated by modern standards, in 2009, it was still an attractive script. Aside from the eye contact, there wasn’t much difficulty in this scene, and she had received guidance from an acting teacher specifically for that. A few rounds of instruction, and she could grasp the meaning and thus perform it.

Before the official shooting began, An Fang arranged for Ji Chengnan to rehearse with her, ensuring the quality. From beginning to end, they first rehearsed the scene three times, adjusting as they went, and then acted it out twice more in front of the camera to understand the positioning well. Finally, they managed to shoot it in one go.

Of course, such a filming pace was time-consuming, but although it took time, the shoot went exceptionally smoothly. When An Fang called "Cut!", he himself breathed a sigh of relief, purely because Mei Mengzhen wasn’t a second Ren Li, which made them quite reassured.

But in reality, An Fang and Ji Chengnan didn’t play favorites. They taught Mei Mengzhen just as they did Ren Li. But Ren Li happened to be the kind who neither had the inspiration nor took learning seriously, which wasn’t the scariest part. Not only did Ren Li have a bad temper and behaved like a diva, he hadn’t even memorized his lines and had no professional dedication whatsoever.

But all was well given that Mei Mengzhen posed no issues.

The scene was finished nearly at lunchtime, but An Fang felt that Mei Mengzhen had found her groove, and worried that if they waited until the afternoon and she lost that feeling, it would be a problem. It seemed better to power through and finish shooting her scene straight away, so he arranged for everyone to move locations.

Just as he was about to inform Mei Mengzhen, he overheard her in a seemingly bewildered conversation with Yan Keke, "I feel like acting isn’t that difficult."

An Fang stumbled upon hearing her words, nearly taking a nosedive, but managed to steady himself, which nevertheless drew Mei Mengzhen’s attention.

Seeing her look over, An Fang didn’t hesitate and immediately said, "Zhenzhen, we’ve adjusted some of your scenes. We were going to shoot your part in the afternoon, but now let’s just get your scenes done first. Can you wait for lunch?"

"That’s fine, no problem."

"Alright, then follow us. The next site isn’t far. If we keep up the pace like just now, it’ll take only a bit more than an hour."

Mei Mengzhen nodded. Having said his piece, An Fang left, and just as Mei Mengzhen was about to follow, Yan Keke reminded her, "Zhenzhen, look over there."

Turning her head, Mei Mengzhen saw, and thought, aren’t those members of the Ning City tour group?

Excited, Mei Mengzhen waved and walked over, "Hey, you guys are here? When did you arrive?"

Mei Mengzhen’s costume was truly beautiful. Before she even got close, Tian Sha’s camera was up, snapping photos non-stop along the way until the subject herself arrived. After taking a few close-up shots, Tian Sha finally lowered her camera.

Mei Mengchen wanted to dive into her arms but was stopped by Fan Tianyu, "No, don’t touch your sister. Her costume took two hours to prepare. We’d have to do it all over again if it’s ruined."

He Yiran said, "We just got here a little while ago. This nearby place is a tourist attraction; we decided to visit and also drop by to see you."

"That’s sweet of you, really sweet."

But speaking of Mei Mengzhen’s costume, it was astonishingly beautiful. Fu Rui quickly commented, "Zhenzhen, that costume suits you so well. I didn’t expect you to be such a beauty in period clothing, but you look great in modern attire too."

Just as Mei Mengzhen was about to indulge in a moment of vanity, Lai Xixi spoke up for her, "When has Zhenzhen ever not looked good? Whether it’s modern or period costume, she’s beautiful. Please don’t question a beauty’s attractiveness."

Mei Mengzhen bashfully replied, "You don’t have to praise me so much; I’m blushing here."

It was lunchtime, and Fan Tianhua asked, "Have you finished shooting? Do you have time to join us for lunch?"

"I can’t right now. The crew is moving to the next location. I have to finish shooting before I can eat."

He Yiran asked, "How long will that take?"