Chapter 33: The Meeting

I don’t even know what kind of aura I have that attracted Li Guoli…

Fang Ning in "Clothing the World" is even tougher and more tragic than Bao in "The Strange Hero Yizhi Mei"…

She had both legs broken!

And on her wedding day, she was snatched away by the male lead, Lin Mufei…

Damn, do I really look like the second male lead who gets his bride stolen?

That kind of treatment is usually reserved for Zhang Wei!

Tsk tsk, could it be that Shen Yan is very suitable to play Linghu Chong?

The past is like smoke, a smile erases all grudges.

The junior sister is married, but the green hat remains in the heart…

However, Fang Ning’s ending was quite good. To protect her lover and friends, she embraced the villain Zhao Zhe and tumbled down the cliff together, dying!

Not a bad ending!

Heh, Shen Yan only got his own script…

After filming, "Clothing the World" was renamed "The Weaver Girl at the Horizon," with a plot that’s hard to understand…

The couples pairing was all over the place.

At first, the female lead Huang Qiao’er was infatuated with the general’s son, who was also the male lead Lin Mufei.

Lin Mufei was both cultured and martial, handsome and upright.

In everyone’s eyes, Huang Qiao’er and Lin Mufei were a perfect match. In fact, they truly had a sweet past filled with mutual love.

Then, Qiao’er was persecuted by the villain Zhao Zhe; later, Fang Ning’s legs were crippled while saving Qiao’er, and everything quietly changed.

Out of gratitude, Qiao’er married Fang Ning. After becoming disabled, Fang Ning once lost himself and tried everything to drive Qiao’er away, but she never abandoned him.

Unfortunately, Fang Ning ultimately embraced Qiao’er’s enemy Zhao Zhe and fell off the cliff together, perishing. Since then, Qiao’er has remained alone…

Yes, alone for life!

Because Lin Mufei, having lost Qiao’er, eventually fell in love with the second female lead, Princess Zhao Jiayi, and they wandered the world together.

Yes, wandered the world…

Because the Song Dynasty had fallen, Lin Mufei felt saving the country was hopeless, so he took the princess far away from the mundane world…

Meanwhile, Shen Yan received notice: Huang Qiao’er was played by Zhang Junmi, Lin Mufei by Yuan Hong, and Princess Zhao Jiayi by Liu Shishi…

Originally, Shen Yan thought there would be a script reading before filming…

No need. Tangren’s filming style completely adopts the TVB approach—just start shooting!

They really just started right away!

…

In fact, the scripts were handed out gradually.

Most actors couldn’t see the full script before accepting their roles; usually, they only got the first three chapters, at most a third of it.

Of course, big stars and bigger roles were different!

Usually, top-tier actors could see the complete script.

Some productions that value the script would provide the full version before filming began.

Shen Yan clearly didn’t have that privilege…

He only saw the full script after joining the crew…

Really wanted to complain…

Oh, joining the crew meant joining the filming team, which was nice at least—no hotel expenses!

The hotel was quite nice; he had a 50-square-meter deluxe room to share with his assistant…

Pretty good, with an office, bedroom, bathroom, and living room!

Much better than where the supporting actors stayed!

All of this was in the actor’s contract.

By the way, according to the filming agreement, the shooting period was three months…

Tsk tsk, during the hottest time in Hengdian!

While Shen Yan was flipping through the script, his assistant knocked on the door: "Brother Yan…"

"What’s up?"

"I just bumped into Teacher Yuan Hong. He said he’d like to invite everyone to dinner tonight!"

"...Invite us to dinner?"

Shen Yan put away the script: "Hmm, it’s about time to meet… have a chat. I don’t even know what Zhang Junmi looks like…"

Communication is vital for actors!

As actors in the same production, especially those with scenes together, frequent communication prevents awkwardness during filming.

Chen Xu glanced at him: "...Shall we change clothes?"

"...Alright!"

Shen Yan was wearing big shorts and a tank top, which was definitely not suitable for going out.

Why did Yuan Hong want to meet Shen Yan?

After all, he played the second male lead…

Though Fang Ning didn’t have many scenes, he was the female lead’s devoted admirer!

A classic second male lead setup!

Nowadays, they’re not so particular about billing; otherwise, Xiao Zhengnan wouldn’t be missing from the promotional posters of the original "The Weaver Girl at the Horizon."

Actually, Shen Yan thought the script for "The Weaver Girl at the Horizon" was quite lame.

The first part was mostly palace intrigue…

But the core of the drama had nothing to do with palace scheming…

Maybe they wanted to show Huang Qiao’er’s life, unable to control her fate…

But the palace intrigue was too much, almost overshadowing the main theme!

Trying to imitate "Dae Jang Geum," but forgetting Huang Qiao’er was neither a palace maid nor a consort—truly a case of "trying to paint a tiger but ending up looking like a dog."

…

Shen Yan was never nervous…

No matter who he met, being confident and polite was always right!

So, when he met Yuan Hong in the lobby, he greeted politely: "Teacher Yuan Hong…"

"...Are you Shen Yan?"

"Yes."

"Really young… Which school did you attend?"

Shen Yan felt embarrassed: "...I never went to a professional academy…"

Yuan Hong was surprised: "...Ah? Then you are…"

"I auditioned, and Director Li Guoli asked me to come…"

"Have you signed with our company?"

"...No…"

Yuan Hong wanted to ask about Shen Yan’s background, like whether any relatives knew Li Guoli…

Otherwise, why would a newcomer with no professional training be cast in such a major production as "The Weaver Girl at the Horizon"?

Surely it was nepotism…

He held back from asking—after all, it was their first meeting…

Shen Yan pulled out a cigarette and rolled one, lighting it for him. Yuan Hong took a puff and asked, "Hey, have you acted before?"

Most actors smoked; many on set said actors were more punctual about smoking than meals.

Even if you didn’t smoke, being around smokers gradually taught you the social necessity!

"I was a supporting actor before, following Director Zhang Li’s 'The Road to Prosperity'…"

"...A supporting actor?"

"Basically an extra, but more stable than extras!"

"I see…"

Shen Yan nodded, lit another cigarette, and as he smoked, remembered something: "By the way, Teacher Yuan Hong…"

"Don’t call me teacher, call me Old Yuan…"

"Oh, Old Yuan… Do you know our female lead, Teacher Zhang Junmi?"

Yuan Hong smiled: "...I know her, but she might not know me!"

Shen Yan was surprised: "Huh?"

"I only know she’s a Taiwanese actress, acted in 'White Tower' and 'Black & White'… I’ve never met her!"

"...So this is her first time working with mainland actors?"

"Probably…"

Shen Yan nodded and fell silent…

"What’s wrong?"

"...Nothing. After I got the role, I just never had the chance to get to know her…"

"What have you been doing these days?"

"Memorizing the script!"

As they were chatting, two ladies appeared… Liu Shishi and Zhang Junmi!

Yuan Hong courteously greeted Zhang Junmi, "I’m Yuan Hong, pleased to meet you…"

Shen Yan followed suit, "Shen Yan… nice to meet you!"

"Zhang Junmi…"

"Liu Shishi…"