Singer

Chapter 23 - MV

Translator: Lynn

This is Jian Jie’s first time shooting a music video. A music video is commonly known as an MV and can also be referred to as a music movie.

The plot of the “Restart” MV is not complicated, and there are only a few characters involved. It primarily depicts the story of a middle-aged protagonist returning to his alma mater and reminiscing about his innocent first love during his youth. The filming took place at a university, and Jian Jie’s role as the protagonist’s younger self was quite significant. Most of the scenes in the MV revolved around Jian Jie and a female artist who portrayed his first love.

This arrangement can be seen as Ding Jiangyu’s support for Jian Jie. With Ding Jiangyu’s stature, he doesn’t need to collaborate with other singers to gain popularity. Even if he doesn’t make an appearance in the MV, it would still garner attention. However, if Ding Jiangyu doesn’t like the artist he’s collaborating with, he wouldn’t invite them to appear on screen or make them go through the effort of shooting only to be excluded from the final cut. Ding Jiangyu has always been accommodating and has never put newcomers in such awkward situations. Moreover, he is very optimistic about Jian Jie and is willing to support the younger generation, showing his goodwill.

The people at Jian Jie’s company aren’t oblivious to these dynamics. As soon as they received the MV script and saw the substantial role Jian Jie had, they immediately understood Ding Tianwang’s intentions. They promptly asked Jian Jie to express his gratitude to Ding Jiangyu, and both Long Zichen and Tang Xiaohui also made calls to thank Ding Jiangyu for taking care of the newcomer.

On the day of the shoot, Jian Jie arrived at Thunder Company early with assistant Zhou Jia. Regardless of the profession, juniors are expected to work harder and arrive earlier than their seniors. In the film industry, new actors are usually the first to arrive. If you consistently arrive later than the established stars, expect to face criticism from everyone.

Zhou Jia also brought drinks and food for the Thunder staff, aiming to foster good relationships. Inappropriately put, it’s like the saying, “Hell is easy to endure, but little devils are hard to handle.” Sometimes, unknowingly offending a crew member could result in them playing small tricks on you. Even if they can’t harm you, they can still make your experience on set unpleasant. If costume designers, makeup artists, and lighting crew dislike you on a film, be prepared for your image to suffer. Of course, it’s impossible to please everyone, but the company tries to avoid such situations as much as possible.

After exchanging simple greetings, Jian Jie was taken to Thunder’s public dressing room by the staff to have his makeup done. Since he is still young and has good skin, a little powder is sufficient. The makeup artist repeatedly praised Jian Jie’s youthful and delicate appearance, which made him feel embarrassed.

Not long after, Ding Jiangyu also arrived. Naturally, Ding Jiangyu had his own dedicated dressing room. Jian Jie went there to greet him and then patiently waited in the artist lounge.

It wasn’t until Ding Jiangyu finished his makeup and came to the lounge to chat with Jian Jie about records that the female artist arrived late. Upon her arrival, she repeatedly apologized to Ding Jiangyu and the staff present. Ding Jiangyu didn’t even bother lifting an eyelid, clearly disinterested in engaging with her. The female artist chuckled for a while before hurrying to get her makeup done and change into her outfit.

This newcomer was likely forced by her company, and she seemed to think she would become famous just by landing a few advertisements. Ding Jiangyu couldn’t be bothered to pay attention to her. He teased Jian Jie, saying, “I heard from your producer that you’re not good at acting, so I guess they were either being polite or telling the truth?”

“…Well, it’s the truth,” Jian Jie replied, feeling embarrassed. “When I was in the company’s acting class, I was always criticized for having stiff expressions, so I’ve always dreaded taking acting classes. I’m excited and worried at the same time for shooting your MV. The company even arranged for a teacher to train me for a long time.”

Ding Jiangyu couldn’t help but laugh. “Seeing how confident you are when you sing, I never would have guessed that you’re afraid of acting classes.”

“I used to watch TV and think acting was easy, but now I know it’s not. I truly envy superstars like Ding Tianwang who can excel in every aspect. Oh, by the way,” Jian Jie suddenly remembered his promise to his aunt and hastily asked, “Mr. Ding, who did you end up with in the TV series ‘Decisive Battle’? My aunt is a big fan of yours, so let me ask you this.”

“In that case, please thank your auntie for her support!” Ding Jiangyu blushed and then smiled, “I have signed a non-disclosure agreement with the crew, so I can’t spoil it.”

“Really?” Jian Jie expressed disappointment.

“But since it’s you who asked, I’ll make an exception.” Ding Jiangyu pretended to be mysterious, “In the final episode, there’s a scene where my character appears alone in front of a fallen comrade’s tombstone… You catch my drift, right?”

“I understand!” Aunt Shui might not be pleased to hear the news, but Jian Jie secretly hoped they would make a good couple.

After chatting a bit more, the female artist had already changed her clothes, and they headed downstairs to the car to rush to the shooting location. Ding Jiangyu asked Jian Jie to ride in his chauffeured car. It would be impolite to refuse such kindness, so Zhou Jia accompanied Jian Jie to Ding Jiangyu’s car.

Considering Jian Jie’s current position and status, it’s not possible for the MV production company to provide him with a luxury car. However, when he saw Ding Jiangyu’s extravagant car, he couldn’t help but be amazed. The car was exceptionally spacious, with a plush sofa, a kitchen, and even a bathroom. Ding Jiangyu calmly mentioned that this wasn’t even his most luxurious car.

Upon arriving at the university campus and the pre-selected shooting location, the crew began setting up cameras, reflectors, and other equipment while adjusting the lighting. Shooting couldn’t start immediately after the actors were ready. This is the case for music videos, and if it were a TV drama or film, the preparation time would be even longer. This is why the saying “a lifetime of filming and three lifetimes of waiting” applies to situations like these.

While they were waiting, many students gathered around. Upon seeing Ding Jiangyu, the king of heaven, many girls screamed and approached him for autographs. Some excitedly asked if he was shooting a movie.

Ding Jiangyu patiently explained to everyone and fulfilled a few fans’ autograph requests. At this point, the assistants and staff took on the role of the “villains” and sternly told the fans to step back and not interfere with the filming process. Ding Jiangyu helplessly smiled at the crowd, apologizing and requesting their cooperation. The fans were stunned by his smile, and they understood the situation, obediently stepping aside to watch the filming process. Thankfully, the MV shooting didn’t require on-set silence, so a little noise from the surroundings was tolerable.

Naturally, very few people recognized Jian Jie, and he didn’t feel neglected. He positioned himself in the background and observed the scene. The female artist, who was also overlooked, tried striking up a conversation with Jian Jie. While watching the commotion, she enviously remarked, “Heavenly King is different!” She then asked Jian Jie if he was also a newcomer and how many MVs he had filmed.

“This is my first one,” Jian Jie replied.

“This is my third MV, all in collaboration with Ding Tianwang. My first MV was with Diva Ji Langqing.” The female artist couldn’t help showing off, boasting about her experiences. She then asked Jian Jie for his phone number, suggesting they keep in touch and discuss acting matters with each other.

At that moment, all the preparations for the scene were complete. The music for “Restart” played, signifying the start of filming. Jian Jie didn’t bother leaving his contact information for the female artist.

Compared to Ding Jiangyu and the female artist, Jian Jie’s acting skills were naturally the least developed. Fortunately, his role in the MV mainly required him to smile and portray a sunny and handsome image. He had practiced numerous times at the company, so his performance was satisfactory.

Various locations on the school campus, such as the boulevards, library, and classrooms, were selected for the MV scenes. The three actors repeatedly walked around these places, smiling, pondering, and pretending to be adorable. At the end of the day, Jian Jie finally finished his filming work, feeling like his face was frozen from laughing. As soon as filming ended, the female artist hurriedly left, apparently preoccupied with something. She seemed more anxious than the heavenly king himself. Zhou Jia accompanied Jian Jie and the crew to express their gratitude.

Ding Jiangyu insisted on sending Jian Jie back to the company. Unable to refuse, Jian Jie once again got into Ding Jiangyu’s luxury car. Ding Jiangyu said to Jian Jie, “You’ve worked hard today, but I have another favor to ask. Next Sunday morning, I’ll be recording a program called ‘Super Star Interview Show.’ It’s mainly for promoting my new album. Since we’re collaborating, I’d like to invite you as a guest to fill the scene. Do you have any other plans for that day?”

Jian Jie rarely watched entertainment programs and was unfamiliar with this celebrity interview show. However, Zhou Jia was well aware of its popularity. “Super Star Interview Show” was the highest-rated talk show in China, and it only invited non-big-name entertainers once a week. Even though the Xinghuo artists weren’t at the level of big names, being Ding Jiangyu’s accompanying guest was a great opportunity. Zhou Jia was worried that Jian Jie might foolishly decline the offer, so he quickly gave him a subtle signal to accept.

Although Jian Jie didn’t understand the show’s popularity, he couldn’t refuse Ding Jiangyu’s request for help. He glanced at Zhou Jia with an amused expression and nodded, saying, “Okay, Mr. Ding, I usually don’t have any plans on weekends other than attending classes at the company. I think I should have time then.”

“Great,” Ding Jiangyu said with a smile. “We’ll need to review the script and rehearse in advance. My assistant, Xiao Yin, will inform you of the details.”

“Okay,” Jian Jie agreed.

At that moment, Zhou Jia was already cheering internally and couldn’t wait to share the good news with Boss Long, who cared deeply about Jian Jie. When Boss Long was happy, everything would be peaceful, and they wouldn’t have to worry about Long Zichen’s anger for several days.

Please let me know if there are typos/mistakes in the chapter.

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