Chapter 418: Chapter 330: Inside and Outside the Production Crew
When this news spread on the internet, the first to stand up were fans of Meng Ran.
With their formidable fighting power and an overwhelming momentum, they swept through every corner that condemned or ridiculed Meng Ran.
"Spreading rumors is easy; debunking them takes a lot of running around, do you start smearing when you have evidence?"
"Meng Ran is famous for her professionalism, look at what these seniors have to say about her!" followed by an image created by her fan club.
"The crew hasn’t said anything, and who knows how this news got out. Are you crew members? Did you witness Meng Ran leave the set?"
...
Meng Ran’s fans, with their own efforts, blew up this news to the extent that, over time, more and more people became interested in this matter and joined the fray.
When Zhou Yun heard about this, the situation was already out of control.
Neither Meng Ran nor "Warm Little Horse" have come forward to make a statement about the matter.
The silence of both parties gave the rumor room to ferment.
Everyone has their own rationale, and from their own perspective.
Zhou Yun felt it was absurd — without any real evidence, such a topic could be argued about for so long, make it to trending searches, and even remain at the top for half a day.
It just goes to show how popular Meng Ran really is.
And therefore, Zhou Yun realized why the "Warm Little Horse" crew was waiting for Meng Ran.
Although Meng Ran only had a cameo role, her participation in the movie brought a high level of attention.
Even with Shen Yao as the main actor, the importance of popularity in this era is still crucial for a movie.
That night, Zhou Yun was watching a movie in her hotel room.
Liu Yuqian suddenly came knocking at her door looking for her.
Since joining the cast, Liu Yuqian had been seeking her out quite often.
Although Zhou Yun was somewhat reluctant to interact with Liu Yuqian, she couldn’t ignore her when she came knocking.
"Yuqian, are you looking for me?"
Liu Yuqian smiled and nodded, "We have a scene together tomorrow, right? I wanted to go over it with you."
Hearing this, Zhou Yun nodded and agreed.
They spend half an hour going through it twice.
Liu Yuqian asked, "How do you feel about it?"
"Pretty good, we’ll see what Director Wan has to say tomorrow," Zhou Yun replied smilingly.
Liu Yuqian smiled, "Acting opposite you is really comfortable."
"I also feel very comfortable acting with you."
This was no false or mere polite statement. Zhou Yun genuinely enjoyed playing opposite scenes with Liu Yuqian, who knew how to "give" in acting.
In a scene between two actors, it’s easy to end up with one overshadowing the other, one good and one bad, the attention all drawn to just one person. Some may think this showcases the actors’ strengths and weaknesses, and that’s not wrong. But true actors know that such an outcome is not a real accomplishment. The better the actor, the more you will see they don’t hog the limelight but rather interact and counteract, creating a scene on an equal footing. For example, in "Accidental Killing," the stand-off scene at the police station between Chen Chong and Tan Zhuo, was one of the most exciting confrontations in recent Chinese cinema.
Liu Yuqian said, "But Xiao Yun, you’re really incredible. How many plays have you acted in? If I remember correctly, you debuted just two years ago, right?"
Zhou Yun nodded, "Yes, indeed, I haven’t acted in many."
"That’s good, actually from my experience, acting in too many at the start isn’t a good thing, it’s easy to fall into patterns of performance, I was once told by a director that my acting became model-like, laughing and crying were just expressions, thoughtless actions, and it took a long time to correct this issue," said Liu Yuqian.
Zhou Yun didn’t know much about Liu Yuqian’s previous acting roles, and Liu Yuqian wasn’t a very famous actress.
Zhou Yun said, "I also don’t know much, often relying on intuition and study."
Liu Yuqian: "That’s why I say you’re impressive."
Zhou Yun shook her head and modestly smiled.
"Well, I won’t disturb your rest, I’ll get going," said Liu Yuqian.
Zhou Yun saw her to the door.
"Oh, right, Xiao Yun, another thing to remind you. Meng Ran is currently in the eye of the storm, and a lot of people are paying attention to the matter, especially with many journalists and paparazzi outside the hotel, be careful yourself."
Liu Yuqian reminded.
"Okay, thank you," Zhou Yun said.
As Liu Yuqian had said, the number of paparazzi and trackers had indeed multiplied.
Including around the filming site of the crew, their numbers had grown exponentially.
When Zhou Yun got off the car to enter the studio, some people rushed up to ask, "Xiao Yun, is Meng Ran filming with you guys right now?"
Zhou Yun walked away smiling, without speaking.
As if she hadn’t heard.
Luckily, she had anticipated this might happen and had put on headphones.
Just pretend she hadn’t heard.
Zheng Xiaojue and Cao Jun were protecting her on each side.
Among them, Zheng Xiaojue used the advantage of being a young girl, cooing in a spoiled tone, "Could you please move aside? Sister Xiao Yun is in a hurry, she’ll be late! Please make way!"
With that, they entered the set.
Zhou Yun went over to greet Wan Zhiliang and Shen Yao, who were talking.
"Those people outside are pretty annoying, aren’t they?" Shen Yao asked with a smile.
"Yeah, they’re quite annoying," Zhou Yun nodded and replied with a bitter smile, "Has Brother Shen been harassed too?"
Shen Yao said helplessly, "Some of them even tried to sneak in and film the set, but luckily they were spotted."
Zhou Yun asked, "When will Meng Ran be back? It’s not good to keep delaying like this."
Shen Yao sighed without replying.
Zhou Yun dropped the subject, "I’ll go get my makeup done."
Shen Yao replied, "Okay."
After a while, Yan Zhenxi also arrived.
She stayed at the hospital for a few more days instead of being discharged like Shen Yao the next day.
On one hand, she didn’t have much screen time, so her absence did not pressure the crew as much. On the other hand, as a seasoned senior, her recovery was not as quick as Shen Yao’s, and she needed more rest.
After Zhou Yun came out from the makeup room, she happened to see Liu Yuqian bowing and apologizing to Yan Zhenxi.
"I’m sorry, Sister Zhenxi, it’s all my fault."
Yan Zhenxi may have had other thoughts in her heart, but she still patted Liu Yuqian’s shoulder with a smiling face and said, "This isn’t your fault, it’s the unscrupulous merchants."
Liu Yuqian pursed her lips, looking very self-blaming.
"I almost wanted to set fire to their store after the incident," she said, "I really feel terrible about it."
"Alright, child, just be more careful in the future," Yan Zhenxi consoled, "Let’s quickly film today’s scene, and then you can get back to rest early."
Wan Zhiliang clapped his hands and said, "Let’s all pick up the pace, we’ll finish filming quickly and wrap up."