Rebirth: I became rich by farming

Chapter 637: Chapter 637 Finishing the scenes (2/2)

Mei Mengzhen returned to the set early in the morning. She hadn’t even had time to get her makeup done when she received a newly issued, last-minute notice.

Her remaining six scenes were to be completed within two days due to the rushed schedule. She felt a bit anxious. Finishing early was a good thing since she would have more free time afterward, but could her acting skills withstand three scenes a day?

With her doubts, Mengzhen planned to talk to An Fang after her makeup was done, only to find that An Fang had already come looking for her.

Watching Mengzhen getting styled, An Fang said, "Zhenzhen, the scheduling for these two days is a bit tight. We’ve got scenes both during the day and at night. But we don’t really have a choice on our end; we’ve already delayed too much here. We need to finish shooting this location quickly and move on to the next set as scheduled. Your scenes are only in this location, so we have to compress your schedule."

Mengzhen replied, "That’s okay. It’s only two days after all, but I’m somewhat worried. I haven’t formally studied acting—can I really handle three scenes a day? The scenes coming up are more challenging than the first two, and that’s what concerns me..."

An Fang was actually more confident in Mengzhen’s abilities than she was, "You’re a quick learner. I’ve asked your acting teacher. If it weren’t feasible, I wouldn’t have arranged it this way. Just shoot as before. The teacher will instruct you, and you follow along. Learn while performing. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. As a newcomer, you’re doing very well already. Your acting is spirited and you have talent. You need to believe in yourself; I’m sure you can do it."

The talk of spirit and talent weren’t to be taken to heart, but Mengzhen truly didn’t feel burdened. She hadn’t yet realized it might be problematic to have an acting teacher with her on set. In her eyes, not knowing how to act and lacking prior experience meant that it was her responsibility to learn and perform simultaneously, for the sake of the crew and everyone involved.

If she were to film without care, knowing her acting was subpar, and cause repeated retakes with a ’cut’ each time, that would truly be irresponsible to the crew and everyone else.

Of course, these were the expectations for a newcomer. If she wanted to continue in this profession, she certainly needed to study in advance. At least if she intended to pursue acting, the attitude had to be there.

Mengzhen nodded, resigned that for now, she could only film and learn at the same time. If it really didn’t work out, she would have to work overtime to make it right. She wasn’t so lacking in ability that she couldn’t improve even with extra work.

However, An Fang’s method of encouragement was really quite CX.

After a brief conversation, An Fang didn’t linger and hold up Mengzhen’s styling any longer, and went on to start his day’s work.

Once the styling was done, Mengzhen quickly ate in the car and began discussing acting skills with her acting teacher.

In truth, out of Mengzhen’s eight scenes, there was only one that was particularly challenging—her cursed scene.

In this story, the second male lead is smitten with the female lead, who in turn loves the main male lead. After falling for the second female lead at first sight, the main male lead uses tricks to make her marry him. The first female lead is secretly heartbroken, and the second male lead, unable to bear her sadness, abducts the second female lead. He then swaps her with the first female lead, who has been drugged unconscious. It’s not until the wedding veil is lifted that the main male lead realizes the switch.

The main male lead, of course, demands to know where the first and second female leads are, but the first female lead has been muted and can’t speak. After he unseals her mute point... In short, it’s all a misunderstanding. By the time they both find the second female lead, she’s nearly dead, tormented cruelly by the second male lead, who allowed her to witness her body wasting away. The harrowing part to film was here, where she has to exhibit fear, panic, and despair—all with her eyes. For Mengzhen, this was very difficult.

After being tortured nearly to death, the main male lead finds her, and she dies in his arms.

The main male lead naturally blames the first female lead for everything. In the ancient times depicted, no matter who you intended to marry, once the ceremony was completed, there was no going back. Thus, without intention, the first female lead’s wish was fulfilled, but the main male lead embarked on a quest for vengeance against the second male lead... The story becomes increasingly tangled, and ultimately the second male lead is caught and killed by the main male lead, and the first female lead commits suicide. The twist is after her death, the main male lead realizes he might have grown fond of her, which is rather messed up.

This film is definitely a suspense movie, with plenty of crime-solving elements. Moreover, the investigative plot is intertwined with the love triangle of these four people. All in all, it’s a complex web. But for Mengzhen, it’s essentially still a romance movie at heart.

But if the audience enjoys it, then there’s nothing much to fuss about.

For two straight days, Mengzhen was incredibly busy, with even her spare moments devoted to studying acting. It has to be said that professional teachers are different; the skills taught over these two days were solid and extremely practical.

By the end of the second night scene, Mengzhen’s filming was indeed wrapped up.

Mengzhen finally felt a sense of relief. After saying her goodbyes to the people in the crew she knew, she went to have a late-night meal with An Fang.

This late-night snack was also her farewell to An Zhi’s team. An Fang said, "Our film won’t wrap up until November, and it probably won’t be released until next year. Next year, you’ll have to join us for publicity, as it’s all written in the contract. I’ve told you about this before."

Mengzhen nodded, "Yes, I remember all of that."

An Fang continued, "After we finish the movie, there will also be a Wrap-up Feast. Everyone gets together for a meal. But the Wrap-up Feast is usually held in Beijing. I’ll notify you when the time comes. If you’re free, you should make the trip. It would also be good for some early publicity to take a wrap-up photo or something. Oh, and you have Weibo and such apps, right? You young people are into the latest trends. Whatever’s new, you’re on it. We’ve got contracts with agencies that will promote on Weibo, and since you’re the second female lead, you definitely need to be part of it."

"I have them all." Mengzhen had already been asked about this before, but it hadn’t been finalized. After asking again, An Fang had his assistant immediately follow Mengzhen’s Weibo.

But speaking of Weibo, she and An Fang had one thing in common—their Weibo accounts weren’t managed by themselves.

As soon as An Fang’s assistant went to follow her, Yan Keke immediately pulled out her phone and said, "I’m managing Zhenzhen’s Weibo for her. You can search for this one."

An Fang was somewhat surprised to find that Mengzhen was already this professional; her Weibo wasn’t even in her own hands.