Please Like Her 27 – I miss you a little bit
After understanding Song Zeqian’s intentions, everyone looked at the scripts in their hands, and the only word that could describe their inner feelings was ‘admiration.’
This move is truly brilliant.
Ye Lu was deceived, thinking that he was the only antagonist among the five children and was full of expectations for such a ‘challenging’ role.
For the others, they were also looking forward to seeing their own transformations.
Because Song Zeqian allowed them to witness sufferings, whether it was such events happening in reality or Ah Zhi’s courage and determination, it was very inspiring to everyone.
Everyone wanted to do their best to present their best selves.
Next, Song Zeqian subjected them to a week of intensive training.
By the fourth day, Lin Yanyan felt that she was on the verge of exhaustion. Taking advantage of the fact that Song Zeqian was primarily focusing on the scenes between Xu Ze and Jiang Jing, she and Shang Lu rested in their room for a while.
The two lay side by side on the bed.
Lin Yanyan looked up in despair and said, “I feel like my brain is empty right now, except for the lines. It’s so painful; I really want to sleep.”
What responded to her was Shang Lu’s steady breathing.
Just as they had laid on the bed, Shang Lu had already fallen asleep.
Lin Yanyan : 🥺
It seemed like Shang Lu was even more tired than her.
Well, Shang Lu and Jiang Jing had the most significant roles in the play, and Song Zeqian had the strictest demands on both of them in their daily training.
Lin Yanyan remembered that she had gotten up in the middle of the night to find something to eat, and she saw Shang Lu and Jiang Jing were both awake, wrapped in blankets, studying the script on the sofa together. When she woke up this morning, she saw that Ye Lu had already been grabbed by Song Zeqian to rehearse a scene for half an hour.
Lin Yanyan swallowed all the complaints that had been on the tip of her tongue.
She wasn’t the hardest working one, and everyone was putting in the effort.
In fact, what Meng Li said that day also had a great impact on Lin Yanyan. She didn’t want to be the only flaw in this film; she couldn’t drag everyone down.
Lin Yanyan climbed up quietly, covered Shang Lu with the blanket, and poured herself a large glass of iced Americano to drink.
It was so bitter.
But she had the spirit to drink it up.
The door was knocked from the outside, and Song Zeqian’s voice sounded: “Shang Lu, come out. Lin Yanyan, prepare your lines on page 53. It’s your turn in half an hour.”
Shang Lu had been sleeping lightly, and when she heard his voice, she got up and headed outside.
The training was on its seventh day.
The task assigned by Song Zeqian for the day was to have them perform all the scenes from the first day again, putting them together for everyone to watch and compare.
Everyone’s performances had visibly improved since the first day. Their understanding and grasp of the roles had deepened, bringing them closer to their characters.
Song Zeqian, as usual, started by sharply critiquing the shortcomings in each person’s performance, watching as the heads that had been habitually lowered after days of criticism suddenly perked up. He said, “But, you all passed. I admit that you are the most suitable choices for your respective roles.”
After Song Zeqian said this, all the lowered heads lifted up.
Lin Yanyan jumped up from her chair and exclaimed, “Hooray!”
Finally receiving recognition, her confidence grew even stronger.
Shang Lu and Ye Lu also got up, cheering enthusiastically. The atmosphere in the room became more cheerful.
Song Zeqian led them to the second-floor living room, where everyone discovered a sumptuous and delicious meal spread out on the dining table.
Song Zeqian said directly, “I’ve already contacted your agents. They will come to pick you up in two hours. After finishing your meal, you can start packing your bags.”
After spending so much time together in isolation, parting ways was indeed a bit difficult for everyone.
As they looked into the eyes that seemed to want to say something sentimental, Song Zeqian reminded them with an expressionless face, “This will be your last meal here, so be mindful of what you eat. If your weight doesn’t meet the requirements when we start shooting, you’ll all be on a strict water and boiled vegetable diet.”
For actors, the ideal weight for appearing on variety shows and for film roles can be different.
So Song Zeqian had specified the required weights for each of them based on their characters.
Jiang Jing needed to gain weight, while everyone else needed to lose weight.
Lin Yanyan’s face instantly fell, and she said, “Director Song, can you be an angel for a little longer?”
Song Zeqian smiled at her but didn’t say anything, his expression saying it all.
However, the meal didn’t go smoothly.
Just as everyone had taken their seats, Song Zeqian’s phone started ringing.
Song Zeqian didn’t answer the call but kept hanging up. He furrowed his brows in annoyance only after seeing one of the callers and eventually answered the phone.
I don’t know what was said over there, but Song Zeqian’s face became much worse. He directly said, “I understand.”
Then he hung up the phone.
Everyone realized that something was wrong.
Jiang Jing asked with concern, “What happened?”
“Nothing,” Song Zeqian denied directly, but his expression clearly conveyed ‘there is something.’
Shang Lu took a bite of his steak and asked vaguely, “Aren’t we a team? What secret can’t be shared?”
Others nodded in agreement.
A pair of worried and concerned eyes fell on Song Zeqian, and eventually, he relented.
Song Zeqian calmly said, “It’s not a big deal, just that an investor said they have other options. Don’t worry, focus on your acting, I will handle everything for you.”
Song Zeqian’s new movie had been planned with the team and investors for a long time, and it couldn’t be changed easily.
Ye Lu, who was originally slow to catch on, had a sense of the situation.
A few days ago, Song Zeqian had briefly given them access to their phones to call their families, and Ye Lu saw that his Weibo had been flooded with messages related to him.
The biggest controversy in the public eye right now was the fact that his idol had turned into an actor and was going to star in Song Zeqian’s movie.
Because everyone knew that the original choice for this role was Meng Li.
Replacing Meng Li with him was like a change from heaven to earth.
At first, netizens had high hopes for this movie, expecting it to bring Song Zeqian back to the peak of his career. Now, they were starting to ‘predict’ that this movie might lead to Song Zeqian’s downfall.
People were saying that Song Zeqian didn’t care about his reputation and just looking for traffic by hiring traffic celebrities. Now he even brought in Ye Lu who had never acted before. Some even mocked Song Zeqian, wondering if the hype about him was all talk and no substance. In reality, the script was so bad that no serious actor wanted to be a part of it, and only the cast of Xiao Taoyan agreed to help him save the day.
In short, there were all sorts of opinions, and what was initially a highly anticipated movie had turned into a subject of criticism and controversy. This was likely the reason an investor wanted to pull out; Song Zeqian’s production had a high entry threshold, and this kind of risk was something they couldn’t afford to take. After careful consideration, they decided to withdraw.
Everyone fell into a momentary silence.
Lin Yanyan sneered, “How much do we need they withdrawn? My Dad can cover it.”
Song Zeqian looked at her and exposed the truth directly, “Your family doesn’t support your acting career.”
There’s no way to ask her family to invest in the movie she’s starring in.
Lin Yanyan’s expression froze, but she still said, “I’m the only daughter in my family. If things get really bad, I can resort to crying, making a scene, or even threatening suicide. I can still get the money.”
Shang Lu, on the other hand, calculated for a moment and gestured a number to Song Zeqian, “I can contribute this amount. Will it be of help?”
Upon hearing this, Lin Yanyan immediately began calculating her own assets and even mentioned, “My Dad gave me several properties, all in prime locations. Selling them should yield a substantial amount of money.”
Others also expressed that they could contribute some money, and everyone could pool together.
Song Zeqian seemed to be amused by them, saying, “I’ve already said that you guys just need to focus on acting well. There’s no need for actors to crowdfund for the movie. Even in the worst case, I can sell my own house, so there’s no need to sell yours.”
Ye Lu lowered his head, and his usually arrogant face now showed some self-blame as he said, “It’s all because of me that they don’t have confidence.”
When Ye Lu said this, the lively atmosphere in the room suddenly became somewhat quiet.
Hubby to the rescue