As Meng Zhen stepped out of the makeup room, she heard sharp intakes of breath around her. Countless gazes focused on her, but she kept her eyes lowered and her expression remained unchanged, as if she had long been accustomed to such attention.

The person playing the scholar was a third-year student from a film academy with limited acting experience. Fortunately, Qian Xubing appreciated this natural and unpolished quality in the student. Despite his status in the film industry, even for a short film, there would have been many well-known actors eager to participate in it.

“Meng Zhen, in the first shot, you’ll be portraying the flower spirit emerging from the painting of the beauty. At this moment, she has just gained consciousness and is different from us humans. Her feelings towards the scholar are a possessive desire typical of beasts. You need to bring out that seductive and unrestrained allure of the flower spirit. Got it?”

Afraid that Meng Zhen might not understand, Qian Xubing meticulously explained and dissected the contents of the script for her.

Fortunately, Meng Zhen was already an award-winning actress who had starred in multiple silent films. Her only shortcoming was in dialogue delivery. However, her sensitivity to the camera was top-notch.

Meng Zhen did not look directly at the camera. Instead, she casually glanced at the courtyard. At this moment, the scholar was not at home, so she didn’t need to make an effort to conceal her presence.

The flower spirit moved gracefully with light steps, swaying towards the scholar’s reading couch. She tiptoed and leaned forward eagerly to lightly bit on one of the willow leaves peeking in from outside the window.

The tender willow leaves brushed against her cheek, causing a slight itch that made the flower spirit giggle coquettishly.

In this scene, there were no lines for Meng Zhen to deliver. She had to rely solely on her imagination to portray the essence of a newly awakened spirit.

The daffodil flower spirit admired the scholar, so she rubbed her face against his robe that was hanging on the wooden frame. She then accidentally knocked down the pen holder, causing it to clatter loudly and startling her momentarily. However, instead of being scared, she couldn’t help but burst into uncontrollable laughter, leaning forward and backward in amusement.

After playing enough by the desk, the flower spirit walked into the courtyard. Her delicate fingertips brushed over the buds of the goddess of the Luo River, just as the scholar used to touch her. However, ever since he acquired the painting of the beauty, he wouldn’t even spare a glance in her direction anymore.

Upon this realization, the flower spirit’s gaze suddenly turned fierce. She forcefully tore off the thriving leaves, which were once a part of her own body. Though destroying them naturally caused pain, it seemed a different kind of pain, somehow lessened.

At this moment, the flower spirit did not yet understand what heartache meant. Before the scholar returned home, she restored the chaotic surroundings to its original state. Then, with a tap of her toe, she vanished into the painting of the beauty.

“Cut!”

Director Qian shouted out, his gaze fixated intensely on the woman in the camera. His eyes were practically burning with admiration. Director Qian had never expected Meng Zhen to possess such talent. Just now, her portrayal of the flower spirit was flawless, conveying her character’s essence perfectly through her eyes and body language alone. Luo Yang had truly discovered a gem!

“This take is good, but Xiao Meng will need to redo it. We didn’t get the angle right when you were playing with those brushes on the desk earlier. Remember to tilt your face slightly to the right.”

Qian Xubing was a very strict and meticulous Virgo. He does not tolerate any flaws in the projects he handles. Seeing Meng Zhen’s potential, he conceived the idea of polishing this raw gem. During breaks in filming, he took the opportunity to coach Meng Zhen on acting.

The actor playing the scholar stood nearby. He was three years older than Meng Zhen and had a professional acting background. He initially believed his training would give him an edge over an idol who debuted through a talent show. However, the reality was evident. Meng Zhen brought the character of Daffodil to life. She not only relied on her appearance but also added a charming aura that earned her considerable praise.

During the filming, Luo Yang sat beside Qian Xubing and brewed a cup of goji berry tea for his uncle. In a low voice, he asked, “Uncle, I remember you were planning to remake 《Investiture of the gods》. Have you finalized the actress for the role of Daji?”

Qian Xubing glanced at him and then looked at Meng Zhen, who was acting with the scholar. He asked, “You seem quite concerned about this little girl.”

“I think she’s a good person with great acting skills, and she’s well-suited for the role of Daji. After all, before being possessed by the Nine-Tailed Fox, Daji was just a young girl of fifteen or sixteen. If you cast an actress in her twenties, even if she’s talented, she’ll be a familiar face and it’ll be hard to bring freshness to the audience.” Luo Yang said earnestly.

Qian Xubing rolled up the script in his hand and used it to tap Luo Yang’s head. He asked, “Do you have feelings for Meng Zhen, kid?”

Luo Yang quickly shook his head, saying, “No! I swear by everything sacred, there’s nothing between us. I’m helping her because she’s a good person and she’s been mistreated by Yunlai Entertainment. Besides, I’m more than ten years older than her, it’s impossible for us. It’s purely appreciation.”

Qian Xubing had watched Luo Yang grow up right before his eyes and knew his nephew’s temperament very well. He understood that Luo Yang would not lie about this.

Since the kid said so, it seemed he truly saw Meng Zhen as a friend. Now that the little girl was in trouble, lending a hand was no big deal after all.

“Alright, I’ll give her a chance to audition. That project has an investment of close to one hundred million, and the crew isn’t solely under my command. As long as she passes the audition, she can play the role of Daji.”

With those words, Luo Yang felt reassured.

For Luo Yang, this short film was just a brief episode. His focus would undoubtedly return to music. Meng Zhen was a promising actress, and he couldn’t let her talent go to waste.

Compared to the smooth filming with Meng Zhen, when it came to shooting scenes with the other lead actor playing the scholar, Director Qian became increasingly irritable. Perhaps due to his lack of acting experience, the scholar struggled to find his mark, often missing the camera. As the invisible flower spirit moved around him, he became stiff and awkward, resembling more of a wooden figure than a dynamic character.

Fortunately, the young man had graduated from a film academy, so his basic skills were solid enough. After being scolded numerous times by Director Qian, he finally got the hang of it.

The short film was shot over a total of ten days. For the final scene, Meng Zhen, dressed in red, lay in the courtyard. The handsome scholar was beside her, motionless and silent, clearly having lost his life.

Daffodil raised her fingertips slightly, gently touching the scholar’s brow, tracing his now cold features. Seeing no response from him, she seemed somewhat irritated. She stood up, and with her bare foot, she kicked the man’s chest, pushing him away.

After venting her frustrations, Daffodil couldn’t help but feel some reluctance. She knelt in the gravel-filled courtyard, letting the scholar lean against her legs, from morning till night, from spring to winter.

The daffodil in the corner of the wall had also withered away.

“Cut! Congratulations to both of you, we’ve finally wrapped! If we didn’t finish today, you would have driven me crazy.”

As he spoke, Qian Xubing deliberately made a funny face. Despite his age, he had a youthful attitude. He patted the shoulders of the two leads and said, “Let’s go for a wrap-up party. After that, we can all go home.”

After ten days of filming, Meng Zhen had become acquainted with the young man playing the scholar, named Yi Beizhao. He was outstanding among his peers and had nearly one million followers on Weibo.

“Meng Zhen, you acted really well. If I didn’t know you were younger than me, I’d think you were similar to our school’s teachers.”

Meng Zhen smiled. When she wasn’t filming, she had a gentle and calm personality. After chatting with Yi Beizhao for a while, she sat at the dressing table to remove her makeup. Once done, she joined the crew for dinner with a plain face, showing no consciousness of being a celebrity.

During Meng Zhen’s time filming the short film in Qianzhou, Yue Yuanzhao was having a tough time.

His fans bumped into an elderly person at the airport while trying to pick him up, not only failing to assist the elderly person but also falsely accusing him of setting up the incident. The elderly person suffered a heart attack due to the stress, but luckily, airport staff promptly used an automated external defibrillator (AED) to provide emergency treatment, preventing a tragedy.

This incident had a severely negative impact on the fan community, even prompting criticism from mainstream media, directly naming and admonishing Yue Yuanzhao’s fans. This significantly worsened his public image and popularity.

Originally, Yue Yuanzhao was endorsing a domestic skincare brand and was preparing for a fan meeting. However, to mitigate the situation and reduce attention, the fan meeting was suddenly canceled. Many fans who had already booked flights and hotels were furious at the studio, blaming their poor crisis management for causing this outcome.

The incident escalated to the point where Yue Yuanzhao’s manager endured continuous harassment from irrational fans for four to five days. Her phone number was even leaked into a fan group, leading to numerous morally questionable fans persistently harassing her. There were reports of individuals waiting outside her home just to personally insult her.

At that moment, the manager’s face was dark, veins bulging on her forehead. In a cold tone, she said, “We need to keep a low profile for a while. Once the storm settles, the studio will hire people to clear your name. In the age of the internet, information changes rapidly. As long as you don’t do anything stupid again, it won’t affect your future.”

Due to the cancellation of the event, Yue Yuanzhao’s face was tense. He hadn’t applied makeup, so he looked weary, with dark circles prominent under his eyes. It was a stark contrast to the radiant idol seen on stage.

The manager couldn’t stand his disheveled appearance and glared at him, while she asked, “Did you delete your previous post?”

The post she was referring to was the one related to Meng Zhen. Ever since the surveillance footage was exposed by the crew, Meng Zhen had already cleared her name. However, Yue Yuanzhao had his own agenda and stubbornly refused to delete his post.

Back then, the manager went along with him. But times had changed. Now, Yue Yuanzhao was being mocked on various forums online. He also lacked any impressive works to show. If he continued to stir up animosity, he might as well dig a hole and bury himself in it.

Yue Yuanzhao understood that his manager’s words were reasonable, but he couldn’t help feeling frustrated. After all, it was the company’s idea to get involved with ‘that’ person in the first place. By helping her deal with Meng Zhen, he could secure a few audition opportunities, which was a common exchange of resources in the entertainment industry.

So he had acted without hesitation, never expecting such a disastrous thing to happen.

Yue Yuanzhao held a glass of whiskey and gulped it down. The fiery liquid burned his throat, intensifying the rage within him.

The manager said coldly, “I have already asked someone to soothe the fans in the group. You have a few advertisements coming up, which will also increase your exposure. Since you want to pursue an acting career, let’s focus on honing your skills. You can’t rely on popularity forever.”

Yue Yuanzhao nodded silently, the atmosphere in the room eerily quiet.