Rebirth: I made my fortune by navigating the entertainment industry

Chapter 14 Are you expressionless?

The aloof and sophisticated Wu Qian wore shorts and a sun-protective shirt, while the sweet and girlish Yan Qingning deliberately dressed up as a professional office lady, with her hair up, a white shirt, a black office lady pencil skirt, stockings, and black high heels.

Judging from the photos alone, this look of Yan Qingning is quite striking, and her smart and capable outfit never gets old.

Perhaps it was the novelty, but this time Shen Luo's gaze was constantly drawn to Yan Qingning. Her pretty face and figure, honed through years of exercise... were simply stunning.

"Hey, hey, hey, you're drooling."

Zeng Jia waved her hand in front of Shen Luo's face several times, and complained helplessly.

"Really? This isn't drool, it's saliva."

It's easy for people to misunderstand.

But the scientific name for saliva is actually saliva.

"You're telling me dirty jokes, aren't you?" Zeng Jia chuckled. "Even if you're handsome, it's no use, because I don't want to share a bed with my best friend..."

"If you say even one more word, it will be against the rules!"

Shen Luo quickly stopped her, "These are basic terms from traditional Chinese medicine, okay? They're not what you're thinking."

"Give me a break," Zeng Jia waved her hand, no longer bothering with this pointless topic. "Shen Luo, sometimes I have to admit, you little rascal, you really do have a knack for publicity..."

"It's just a little trick. Wu Qian and Yan Qingning are so good-looking, and they're actors in our show anyway, so why not take advantage of them!"

Yes.

Wu Qian's itinerary was leaked, and she was photographed by paparazzi the whole way... It was all Shen Luo's idea; he wouldn't waste a single bit of the traffic he could use.

Moreover, Yan Qingning is also with Wu Qian, so it's killing two birds with one stone, or rather, killing three birds with one stone.

Wu Qian's normal promotion attracted a small wave of traffic.

This will boost the promotional traffic for Gujian Qitan.

And while we're at it, let's give Yan Qingning a quick glimpse of her face.

Invincible.

And just as Shen Luo had expected, the comment section was practically exploding with praise for the two sisters' good looks!

"Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap, it's so good?!"

"Wu Qian's figure is truly unbeatable. It's no wonder that the other post-90s actresses of her generation lost out. Those who are prettier than her don't have her figure, and those who have a better figure aren't as pretty as Wu Qian!"

"To the person upstairs, I want to add something: even if there are people who are prettier and have better figures than Wu Qian, they are not necessarily as successful as Wu Qian in their careers!"

"A woman like that is truly a rare find. If I could have Wu Qian spend the night with me, I'd be willing to drive a Ferrari!"

"You think you can take what you've eaten and leave with it? Don't you have a mirror at home? Do you think you can't pee? Go take a piss and look at yourself. Don't embarrass yourself!"

"Then can I have the one next to mine?"

"Isn't that... the girl sitting next to director Shen Luo at Wu Qian's new drama press conference? I remember during the final photo session, Shen Luo even told reporters that he liked this girl named Yan Qingning's type!"

"Yes, yes, I remember it very well. When Shen Luo said he liked other girls in front of Wu Qian, Wu Qian's expression immediately changed. It cracked me up!"

"Huh? According to the person upstairs, Wu Qian wouldn't like Shen Luo, would she?"

"I don't know, but at least she's somewhat interested in him!"

"Holy crap, that's the press conference for that show! Tell me the name, I want to go see it!!"

"The press conference for the new drama 'Swords of Legends' starring Wu Qian is still available online. You can check it out."

"Huh? Gu Jian Qi Tan has already aired? Wasn't it supposed to start filming soon? Wow, that's fast! I didn't expect this director named Shen Luo to be such a quickie!"

"Damn it, we're talking about the hip joint, and you're talking about the city gate tower—it's the complete press conference video!"

"Oh, I see..."

……

Unsurprisingly, the number of views and plays for the full video of the Gujian Qitan press conference continued to climb under the "guidance" of Wu Qian and Yan Qingning.

Just before Shen Luo went to Hengdian to start filming, he held another script reading, which lasted for three days.

Within three days, Zeng Jia, who was far away at the company, used her financial power as Shen Luo requested, and successfully diverted all the trending search traffic from Wu Qian and Yan Qingning on YouTube to the drama "Swords of Legends".

This also sparked a heated online debate.

However, it is precisely because of this overly aggressive promotion that many netizens have expressed their dissatisfaction, and some have even said "This is a fucking terrible show" before they have even seen the show.

Shen Luo didn't care about this at all.

On the contrary, he was quite pleased with himself.

Wu Qian was initially quite worried about this situation, but Shen Luo said casually, "Little Wu, remember this: in the entertainment industry, it's not the fame that's scary, nor the infamy that's scary, but being completely unknown and having no one to even criticize you!"

Being criticized proves that you have traffic and popularity!
Wu Qian had no answer to this.

Because she also went through the path of becoming famous despite being criticized, and was even the originator of this path. From being criticized for her lack of acting skills and being supported by capitalists, to later winning awards and starring in TV dramas with skyrocketing ratings, she could not escape the credit of her group of "haters".

In the days leading up to filming, paparazzi would occasionally sneak in to take pictures of Wu Qian and Yan Qingning, but Shen Luo didn't intend to stop them.

Anyway, filming hasn't officially started yet; at most, they'll just be taking pictures of people.

Until the night before filming officially began.

Wu Qian treated everyone to dinner at the hotel because this was the first drama she produced after leaving her old company and starting her own business. She hoped everyone would give it their best.

Wu Qian is dressed in all black today.

A form-fitting, high-slit maxi dress hugged her hot figure, outlining a perfect S-shape, paired with black boots and long, wavy hair.

She looked both beautiful and cool. Although she wasn't showing anything, she exuded sexiness in every way, and she attracted countless eyes as soon as she got out of the car.

"Sister Qian is so beautiful!"

Wow! That figure! Sister Qian, please teach me how to work out, I really want to have it!

"Having a girlfriend like Sister Qian is worth dying for!"

"What are you saying? Aren't you afraid that Director Shen Luo will make things difficult for you later?"

"Hahaha, I'm not afraid!"

The actors and staff who were waiting for Wu Qian at the hotel entrance joked and laughed.

When Shen Luo heard the last sentence, he laughed and replied, "I really will make things difficult for you all, you know~"

Director Shen, please let us go!

"Ha ha ha ha…"

After another burst of laughter, Shen Luo urged everyone to hurry into the private room to prepare for dinner.

After everyone had left, Shen Luo walked up to Wu Qian and said, "Tsk tsk tsk...Ms. Wu, you're so beautiful~"

Shen Luo didn't hide his admiration and praised her in a very idealistic way. However... Wu Qian didn't appreciate it at all. She smiled insincerely and said, "Then tell me, am I prettier, or is Yan Qingning, the type of girl that Director Shen Luo likes, prettier?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Luo actually thought about it for a moment.

He recalled Yan Qingning's outfit from earlier.

As always, slim-fit jeans and a loose shirt.

Well, if this girl doesn't remind her, she really doesn't like dressing up.

But if you ask Wu Qian and Yan Qingning to compare, Shen Luo really can't make a comparison right away.

But after all, Wu Qian was right in front of him!
So Shen Luo still insisted, "Of course Wu Qian, you're prettier. Is there even a need to compare? Putting everything else aside, just the mature woman's aura you exude completely overshadows Yan Qingning!" "Mature woman? You mean I'm old?"

Is it possible that the mature woman was complimenting your temperament?

"Isn't that still saying I'm old? The temperament of a mature woman... why don't you say it's the smell of an old person?"

"Are you never going to stop?" Shen Luo rolled her eyes. "Praising you is wrong, not praising you is wrong too. So if I praise you for being too naive, too young, too much like a student, would you be satisfied?"

Before Wu Qian could speak, Shen Luo continued, "You still have to think I'm being sarcastic!"

"...If you don't know how to compliment, then don't compliment!"

"Still don't know how to compliment? Then I'll go compliment Yan Qingning! I'll compliment her until she's in bed today!"

There's no need to question Director Shen's words!
Shen Luo's words are very authoritative!
Seeing this, Wu Qian quickly grabbed him, her queen-like demeanor completely gone, "Alright, alright, you know how to praise, okay!"

"Hmph, why didn't you do this earlier? Load up the cargo!"

"..."

Wu Qian then obediently followed Shen Luo into the private room.

There was nothing special about the meal procedure, and even Wu Qian's speech was very standard and polite, but because of her good looks, everyone still listened attentively.

Because filming was scheduled to begin the next day, drinking was definitely not an option, and without alcohol, the dinner naturally ended early.

Shen Luo, on the other hand, thought it was quite good.

We're burning through money every single moment now.

There was no time to lose, so Shen Luo prepared to start filming early in the morning.

In the morning, the sun was shining brightly.

But Shen Luo was really demanding, which made the actors suffer.

"Stop, stop, stop!"

"Makeup artist, come here and touch up Wu Qian's makeup!"

"You need to be serious. This is a period drama, not some urban revenge fantasy. Aren't you famous for period dramas? Is this all you've got?!"

Shen Luo was really cursing; he pointed at Wu Qian's nose and started yelling and cursing...

Not only was Wu Qian stunned by the scolding, but everyone else in the crew was also completely dumbfounded. Everyone looked at Shen Luo as if he were a monster.

Are you kidding me? You're really going to curse me out? And so harshly?
But eventually, everyone in the crew got used to it.

At first, the actors and staff of the crew thought that Shen Luo was making an example of Wu Qian to establish his authority in front of them.

But later they discovered…

No, this guy dares to curse anyone.

If anyone makes a mistake, they'll be immediately scolded.

Even Li Yimiao, the male lead who was brought in by Shangshi Pictures, was scolded. In one morning, Shen Luo scolded almost all the actors who had started filming.

However, because Wu Qian showed no sign of resentment after being scolded, the crowd softened.

As for why Wu Qian didn't object...

That was purely because that little bastard Shen Luo hit the nail on the head; she didn't even have a reason to retort.

From the moment she saw the script, Wu Qian, who has many years of filming experience, understood that the biggest challenge in playing the female lead in this drama was the dual pressure of character development and filming conditions.

In terms of the character, Wu Qian's character "Feng Qingxue" has a very pure personality and a rich emotional range. In the early stages, she needs to show her innocence and naivety, but she also needs to lay the groundwork for the heavy sense of responsibility she will bear later.

To put it simply...

It means that the level of subtlety in acting is very high.

It is necessary to accurately grasp the character's emotional changes.

Then there are the filming conditions, since it's a period fantasy drama.

Being suspended by wires is commonplace; in addition, there are even more exaggerated fight scenes, and most importantly, the weather conditions…

In the sweltering summer heat, when body temperature soars to 38 or 39 degrees Celsius, wearing a thick layer of ancient clothing can be deadly.

The scene filmed this morning was an outdoor wire stunt.

Filming has been going on since this morning, and Wu Qian has been suspended by wires for almost two hours. Her ancient costume is completely soaked with sweat. When Shen Luo saw this, he hesitated for a moment, but finally let her down.

Wu Qian thought Shen Luo felt sorry for her.

I felt a little happy.

But I didn’t expect…

"Have the costume designer bring over another one. This outfit is completely soaked, and it's affecting the photoshoot!"

Wu Qian was stunned when she heard this.

"Wu Qian, go touch up your makeup, then continue."

"I've told you many times, you can act playful, but not too much. You still have to maintain that composed demeanor. Otherwise, if the character suddenly changes later on, do you think the audience will accept it?"

"So you're just giving the audience a chance to criticize, huh?"

"Can't you try to be more assertive and get them to praise you too?"

His outburst left Wu Qian speechless.

Damn it, Shen Luo, you're not taking this opportunity to get back at me for personal reasons, are you? All I did was lie to you about being able to cook, all I did was pretend to be an expert in front of you! Is this really necessary?!

Although she was exhausted, she still had to persevere.

Damn it, Shen Luo died! I'm not having it!

After a quick change of clothes and touch-up, Wu Qian was hoisted up again, while Li Yimiao, who was acting opposite her, appeared tired but was secretly enjoying himself.

Acting alongside Wu Qian!
How could I not be happy?!
This is a top female celebrity in the entertainment industry!
It's still the male and female leads' scenes!
He even started fantasizing about developing feelings for Wu Qian while filming and having dirty thoughts about them going to a hotel together...

But just as he was feeling pleased with himself, Shen Luo immediately snapped at him with two sentences: "Can you even take pictures?"

"Huh?" Li Yimiao didn't react at first, his mind was still on Wu Qian, and he didn't realize that the sentence was about himself.

"I'm asking you, can I take the picture?"

"What's wrong director?"

Li Yimiao was quite obsequious to this director he trusted!
Putting everything else aside, just look at his performance at the press conference, and the attitudes Wu Qian and Zeng Jia had towards him… This guy is no ordinary person!!
Have you had plastic surgery?

"Huh? No!"

"And what about your expression?"

"Ah, isn't my character the kind who never smiles and whose expressions are almost always the same?" Li Yimiao tried to argue, because he had been so focused on Wu Qian that he had completely forgotten to make any expressions.

"No expression doesn't mean I have facial paralysis, do you understand?"

Li Yimiao was truly stunned by the insults.

Wu Qian, who was hanging there, almost couldn't help but laugh.

She was acting opposite Li Yimiao, and although there was some distance between them, she could see very clearly because of their different positions. Li Yimiao was truly expressionless... When he spoke his lines, apart from his mouth moving, he didn't move anything else.

But Shen Luo is really sarcastic; he immediately asked if the person had undergone plastic surgery or if they had facial paralysis...

(End of this chapter)