Please Like Her 17 – <Evil> (practically official announcement) + Tenth episode recording
That afternoon.
Shang Lu was originally taking a nap when suddenly she received a call from Meng Zhichuan, who said that there were two endorsement opportunities bundled with resources for a drama series being offered to her.
The drama series was an adaptation of a well-known novel IP, with a production team that could guarantee at least a moderate level of success.
Initially, Shang Lu considered the offer, especially since she had never played the female lead in this type of idol drama before.
However, when she saw the two endorsement deals that followed, Shang Lu began to feel uneasy.
After doing a quick search on Baidu, she discovered that these were indeed businesses related to her own family.
So, it was clear that the female lead role had also been arranged by them.
Although Shang Lu didn’t understand what had happened on Shang An’s fiftieth birthday, she still decisively turned down the offer.
Meng Zhichuan sounded puzzled, “Why? Why don’t you consider such a good opportunity?”
Shang Lu didn’t want to bring up her family’s troubles again, as she herself was still unclear about the situation. She simply said, “I don’t have the time. I should be joining a production next month, and there’s training to do before that.”
Meng Zhichuan’s voice trembled, “Didn’t you already turn down Han Cheng’s drama? What production are you joining next month? Why don’t I know about it? Do you have a new agent behind my back?”
These questions left Shang Lu speechless.
Wait a minute; she felt like she had forgotten something recently.
Before going to audition for Song Zeqian, Shang Lu was worried that she might not be selected, so she didn’t make a big deal out of it and didn’t inform Meng Zhichuan.
After successfully passing the audition, she was so thrilled that she got busy with script preparations every day and forgot to tell Meng Zhichuan.
Shang Lu could only explain, “I don’t have a new agent. I accepted a job myself. It’s…”
Meng Zhichuan became agitated on the other end of the phone, “You accepted it yourself? What job? Which production? Is it reliable? Did you sign a contract? Don’t make impulsive decisions and sell yourself short. Can’t you discuss things with me first… cough, cough!”
Seizing the opportunity, Shang Lu said, “It’s Song Zeqian’s production.”
Meng Zhichuan : “…”
*Beep, beep…*
The call was abruptly disconnected.
Shang Lu : “???”
One minute later.
Meng Zhichuan called back, this time via WeChat video.
Shang Lu lay on her bed, yawning, and asked, “What are you doing?”
Meng Zhichuan said seriously, “I need to make sure you’re really Shang Lu and not some scammer. You’re not going to tell me next that you need to pay millions in training fees before joining Song Zeqian’s production, right? Even though you’re Shang Lu, or maybe you’re not, they say scammers can now fake videos…”
Shang Lu rolled her eyes.
Meng Zhichuan stopped his incessant chatter, wearing a very familiar expression. Most people couldn’t roll their eyes as deeply with such a profound sense of mockery from the depths of their soul.
But Meng Zhichuan still patted his head to make sure he wasn’t dreaming before asking, “Is it Song Zeqian’s new movie, <Evil>? Are you one of the five main characters?”
Shang Lu nodded and said, “I play the youngest sister.”
On the other side, Meng Zhichuan had already jumped up from the sofa in excitement.
As someone who had seen the synopsis, he naturally knew that Shang Lu’s character was practically the main character among the main characters. Although they didn’t have a ranking mania, it was still Song Zeqian’s movie! The main character among the main characters! What did that signify? Once the film festival nominations were announced, Shang Lu would be the best actress, and her achievements would directly overshadow all the young actresses of her age group, and even few stars from five or ten years above could compare with her.
Meng Zhichuan had thrown the fairy-tale-like idol drama mentioned before out of his mind. Even if they added two endorsement deals, it seemed unattractive. It was indeed a good resource that the young actresses would fight for, but compared to Song Zeqian’s movie, it was nothing! Anyone with a brain knew how to choose!
The next second, the call was abruptly disconnected.
Shang Lu : “?”
Why was it disconnected again? What was it this time?
Meng Zhichuan quickly sent a message on WeChat.
[I made a wish to the Buddha at the beginning of the year that your career would be smooth this year, and it seems like it’s really coming true! I’m off to make an offering!]
Shang Lu lowered her head, her lips curled into a smile that didn’t hide her happiness.
She would definitely put in all her effort.
She wouldn’t disappoint Song Zeqian’s choice, nor would she let Meng Zhichuan down. She would make her fans who liked her even prouder. She wanted to become, and she would become, a good actress.
Song Zeqian had always been low-key and didn’t like publicity.
Not to mention official promotional photos, his movies usually barely released one just before the premiere, and there might not even be a shot of the main character in the frame.
Since the establishment of the official account for his new movie, it had already caused a huge sensation online. Countless media companies were eyeing this juicy piece of meat, wanting to slot their own artists in, even if just for a cameo.
At such times, Shang Lu finally fully realized that what Song Zeqian had said during the recording of the first episode of <The Most Hated Her and Him> wasn’t arrogance; he really had the power in the film industry.
But this is also a crucial challenge for Song Zeqian. His previous achievements were brilliant, and if this movie doesn’t meet expectations, it might be time to bring him down from the pedestal.
This is like Song Zeqian’s ‘do-or-die’ battle. He can only win, not lose, and everyone has high hopes for this.
On Friday night,
Song Zeqian’s studio posted on Weibo, saying that he would be absent from the recording of the tenth episode of <The Most Hated Her and Him> due to scheduling reasons.
Although the schedule was not explicitly mentioned, netizens had a pretty good idea.
[Because Director Song is busy with casting! This means that the new movie is really coming!]
[I’m so excited that tears are about to flow, Director Song, the film industry is relying on you to save it!]
[Director Song’s works that have been brewing for years, I will definitely buy tickets no matter what.]
Some people were curious about which actors would be involved in Song Zeqian’s movie this time.
In the comments section, people speculated based on the recruitment posts from the official account of <Evil>, mentioning outstanding newcomers from the film academy to potential award-winning actors.
And at this moment, the number of followings of official account of <Evil> suddenly turned from zero to four, which naturally attracted the attention of countless people.
Followings (with notifications turned on) : @Song_Zeqian, @Shang_Lu, @Jiang_Jing, @Xu_Ze.
Marketing accounts immediately reported it.
@Entertainment_Daily (V) : [<Evil> had four new followings, and they are the actors selected for Song Zeqian’s new movie! (image attachment)]
Netizens : [!!!]
[Is it what I understand? Is it true?]
[As a long-time fan of Director Song, I can tell you that there won’t be any official announcements for his movies until the release date is confirmed. Usually, besides leaks, the official account’s followings list is the cast.]
[So, is this the cast list? Jiang Jing, Shang Lu, Xu Ze? They are all familiar faces!]
Some questioned Shang Lu’s suitability for the role.
[Jiang Jing, I can understand, her talent speaks for itself. Xu Ze should also make a transition; he had a rural TV drama before, even though he had only a few episodes, he did a good job, and my dad loved watching it. As for Shang Lu… I’m not saying she’s a bad actress, but she might not be the right fit.]
[She’s just a born princess, how can she play these working-class characters well?]
Feels a bit exaggerated that Song Zeqian didn’t even bother with promoting his movies because that is one of the most crucial part of it. The movie John Carter ended up cancelling all of its sequels due to box office flop despite being a good movie, it was the result of terrible marketing