Meng Zhen hurried to the studio. Her feet were bare as she stepped on a snowy white woolen carpet, and it was hard to tell which was fairer of the two.

Beautiful things always inspire creativity. The photographer stood before the young woman, prompting her to strike various poses and pressing the shutter button repeatedly.

“Teacher Meng, lift the hem of your skirt with your left hand to show a little bit of your ankle. Yes, that’s it.”

Meng Zhen was highly expressive and could withstand the scrutiny of various lenses. Soon, the photographer had taken a sufficient number of photos and urged her to quickly change into another outfit.

The second one was a pure white tulle dress without any excessive cuts, only using matching ribbons to outline the waistline. Paired with the young woman’s pure and delicate face, her innocent appearance was enough to melt anyone’s heart.

“Teacher Meng, could you please lie on your side on the carpet and use the tulle to cover half of your face? This half-hidden, coy feeling is particularly good.”

The photographer seemed really excited. In less than ten minutes, he completed the task assigned to him by the director. Later, all that was needed was to touch up any flaws, adjust the colors a bit, and then the photos could be posted online.

At 10 PM that evening, the official account of 《Investiture》 posted an update, 【Newly joined bewitching concubine @Meng Zhen [Image] [Image]】

Upon seeing it, netizens all erupted with excitement.

There was no other reason other than Meng Zhen in the photos was simply stunningly beautiful.

The costume and makeup team of the drama was top-notch. The styling team, too, was first-rate, and they highlighted Meng Zhen’s temperament with the styling they provided her.

Unpossessed by the nine-tailed fox, Daji appeared pure and delicate, but transformed into a spirit, her allure was captivating.

Both styles have their own merits, each stunning in their own way, enough to captivate one’s heart.

【Aaaaaaaahhh, Sister is actually playing Daji! Oh my goodness, she’s perfect for this role, isn’t she?】

【Zhenzhen is Daji, and Hazelnuts are King Zhou. As long as she smiles, we are satisfied.】

【Before, haters mocked Zhenzhen, saying we’re daydreaming. So what? As long as our idol is determined, dreams can become reality. My wife is the best.】

【Hehe, it’s really rare to see this. Now even illiterates can brag about being the best. Meng Zhen’s fans are really shameless.】

The filming of 《Investiture》 immediately sparked tremendous enthusiasm. After all, it was directed by Qian Xubing, with a cameo appearance by Movie King Gu Ting, and even the male lead was the popular actor Lin Yu. It was hard for this drama not to be talked about.

Now that Meng Zhen was playing Daji, it meant she had the most prominent role among female characters, equivalent to the female lead. It would have been strange if this hadn’t attracted attention.

———pr

Once Meng Zhen finished taking her character photos, she didn’t go back to the hotel to rest. After all, Gu Ting’s schedule was tight, and they had to finish shooting all his scenes within three days. The entire crew was working overtime.

After filming the three scenes of ‘teaching guqin’, Meng Zhen felt like she had shed a layer of skin from exhaustion. Gu Ting’s acting was excellent, and every time they performed their scenes together, they smoothly immersed themselves in their roles. However, Gu Ting’s presence was overpowering. Even when playing the gentle and refined Bo Yikao, he exuded a chill that was more intimidating than King Zhou of Shang.

Luckily, despite Gu Ting’s somewhat indifferent temperament, his personality was quite good, and he didn’t deliberately make things difficult for a little-known star like her.

In the blink of an eye, it was time for Gu Ting’s final cameo scene.

Daji finally lost patience with Bo Yikao. Since she couldn’t have this heir of Xiqi, she might as well destroy him.

Based on this idea, Daji framed him in every possible way and used countless means to persuade King Zhou, until finally, King Zhou agreed to kill Bo Yikao.

At this moment, Bo Yikao was locked in a gloomy and cold prison cell, his limbs weighed down by heavy iron shackles. He had just been tortured, his clothes soaked with blood, yet his expression remained calm.

Daji stood before him, gently tracing the contours of his face with her hand. She sighed softly, “Heir, do you regret it?”

Bo Yikao remained silent.

“Even if you regret it, it’s too late. They say Marquis Xibo is a sage of the time, but sages don’t eat meat. I wonder if he can distinguish the taste of his eldest son’s flesh?”

The silver bell-like laughter echoed in the prison cell. Bo Yikao suddenly stood up, hands gripping Daji’s neck, intending to end the enchantress’s life.

Unfortunately, standing before him wasn’t the daughter of Marquis Jizhou, Su Hu’s daughter, but the nine-tailed fox under the command of Nuwa, the goddess, intent on overturning the Shang dynasty. Bo Yikao naturally couldn’t harm her.

His action successfully angered Daji and a trace of fierceness flashed in her eyes. Her sleeves fluttered as she smoothly brushed Bo Yikao aside and ordered the guards, “Chop him into pieces and make him into meat pies, then send them to the Marquis Xibo.”

Qian Xubing had been watching the monitor attentively. Although the two artists were excellent, the lighting in the dungeon wasn’t ideal. Several shots remained unclear even after adjusting the brightness, necessitating reshoots.

Everyone worked from midnight until dawn, and Gu Ting finally finished his scenes.

Director Qian had initially planned to have a meal together to see Gu Ting off, but seeing how exhausted everyone was, he abandoned the idea and instead directly gave Gu Ting a red envelope.

Gu Ting opened it and found only eighty yuan inside, making his eyebrows raise.

Qian Xubing’s face turned a bit red as he coughed and said, “Gu Ting, you’re also an investor in 《Investiture》. Once this drama is bought by CCTV, it will surely make a huge profit. Don’t come squeezing money out of an old poor man like me.”

Assistant Chen Xiao couldn’t help but burst into laughter. “Director Qian, this is too unfair. You called our boss to save the day and only gave him eighty yuan for his efforts. You’re stingier than Zhou the exploiter^[1]archetypal character in a short story; from 《The Cock Crows at Midnight》!”

“Don’t talk nonsense. I’ll add another eighty, but no more than that.”

Qian Xubing gave Gu Ting another eighty yuan, and after the other party’s nanny van drove away, he turned and headed back to the set.

———pr

The day after Gu Ting finished his scenes, a familiar face arrived on set. It was Jiang Lianqin, who had auditioned alongside Meng Zhen for the role of Daji.

Seeing Zhao Baoru’s surprised expression, Assistant Director Li explained, “The actress playing the Jade Pipa Spirit can’t make it due to other commitments, so Jiang Lianqin will be taking on the role.”

Jiang Lianqin smiled at Meng Zhen. She looked very shy, her cheeks slightly flushed, which easily stirred up a protective instinct in men.

“Zhenzhen, it’s a pleasure to work with you.”

Jiang Lianqin warmly held Meng Zhen’s hand, as if the friction from the audition day had never existed.

Seeing her like this, Zhao Baoru shook her head inwardly, feeling that this young woman was too scheming. She resolved to keep her distance from the other party in the future.

Meng Zhen wasn’t used to physical contact with others. Her brows furrowed slightly and pulled out her arm from Jiang Lianqin’s hold, but before she could move away, she heard Jiang Lianqin softly say, “Zhenzhen, Movie King Gu seems to admire you, just like King Lou before. I think you’re amazing. Not only are you a great actress, but you’re also very skilled in social interactions. It’s really admirable!”

Meng Zhen wasn’t a fool. She could naturally sense that Jiang Lianqin had an underlying meaning in her words. While Meng Zhen enjoyed acting, she didn’t want to engage in intrigue with others. At this moment, she felt a bit of a headache.

Fortunately, not long after, Lin Yu arrived at the set.

Compared to Meng Zhen, who was relatively unknown, Lin Yu could be described as extremely popular. Jiang Lianqin’s eyes lit up as soon as she saw him, and she quickly went over to lavish attention on Lin Yu.

Seeing this, Meng Zhen’s tense body gradually relaxed.

Standing nearby, Zhao Baoru couldn’t help but laugh. “People like her have no good intentions at all. Just ignore her.”

“If I ignore her, I’m afraid I’ll be on the hot search tomorrow for being difficult to work with.”

The upcoming scenes for Meng Zhen were not particularly challenging. The actor playing King Zhou was a seasoned veteran, skilled not only in acting but also in his own unique vocal techniques.

He had a high opinion of Meng Zhen, seeing her as sufficiently serious and hardworking. Whenever the director asked her to perform aerial stunts or film underwater scenes, she never complained.

Coupled with Meng Zhen’s good looks, becoming famous was only a matter of time.

Therefore, the veteran actor was willing to form a good relationship and lent Meng Zhen his notebook containing notes on training dialogue. After several days of copying, Meng Zhen’s pronunciation and enunciation indeed became much clearer than before.

———pr

Meng Zhen’s time on the set passed quickly. By the time she finished all her scenes, it was just in time for the National Day.

Having stayed in Hengdian for a full two months, as soon as Meng Zhen picked up her luggage, she saw Lei Yin eagerly waiting at the exit of the airport.

Even though Meng Zhen was wearing a bucket hat and a mask, the girl was still able to recognize her.

At that moment, Lei Yin rushed over quickly, wrapping her arms around Meng Zhen’s slender waist while murmuring softly, “You’ve been in the crew for so long, over two months of filming. I missed you so much!”

Meng Zhen patted her head, smiling as she replied, “I missed you too. How about we go out for a meal?”

“Okay! I want to eat at that Xinjiang skewers place near the school gate. Their food is so authentic, just a bit spicy.”

Meng Zhen pulled her suitcase and followed Lei Yin to take the subway towards the direction of the barbecue restaurant.

At noon, when it was busiest, Meng Zhen stood at the doorway and peeked inside. She noticed a table had just become available in the corner, so she quickly dragged her suitcase over to claim it. Lei Yin picked up the menu and started ticking off dishes with a ballpoint pen.

After spending several hours on the plane, Meng Zhen was feeling a bit tired.

She was slowly sipping barley tea, when suddenly, she heard the girl at the next table mention her name.

“Do you know about that rising female star Meng Zhen? I heard she’s the illegitimate daughter of the Xu Group’s CEO. Now that I think about it, doesn’t that mean she’s the older sister of the school flower^[2]school belle?”

Meng Zhen blinked and quickly guessed who the school flower they were referring to.

Xu Xueruo.

“No way? Meng Zhen is actually an illegitimate child? I quite like her, but a child born out of wedlock carries original sin. I guess I’ll stop being a fan.”

“Oh, I remember Xu Xuero isn’t CEO Xu’s biological child either, right? She seems to be an adopted daughter.”

“An adopted daughter has legal rights and responsibilities just like a biological one, but if CEO Xu were to bring Meng Zhen back home, it would be a different story.”

Meng Zhen scratched her cheeks. She didn’t expect to hear gossip related to Xu Xuero while out for a barbecue.

When the grilled fish skewers arrived, she sprinkled it with a thick layer of chili powder, and after taking off her mask, ate it right away.