Entertainment: I just want to be the boss behind the scenes

Chapter 154 Be careful

As a man, it is impossible to escape. Even if you encounter problems, you must face them with a smile.

However, Wang Wei called Meng Bai and told him that the audition preparations for "Forensic Qin Ming" had begun, and asked him to "definitely" come back.

"...I really didn't mean to let you down. As you know, Arclight is at the crux of its development this year. We have several projects lined up for preparation. It's really busy."

On the East Third Ring Road in northern Beijing, Meng Bai was driving while speaking to his phone in a "helpless" tone.

On the other side of the phone, Li Qin, who had just finished a shoot and was taking a break on the set, bit her lip and said with a bit of disappointment, "Well, you go ahead and get busy. Don't forget to owe me a meal, and remember to pay it back when you come to Shanghai."

The filming of the scenes of "The Disguiser" in Hengdian was completed two days ago. After a short break for one day, the crew immediately rushed to Shanghu to continue filming.

Seeing that they were about to return to "their own" territory, Li Qin immediately made an appointment with Meng Bai, saying that this time she must let him experience the real Shanghai cuisine.

Meng Bai naturally agreed and told her to go with the crew first and he would follow soon.

As a result, with this "later", he went back to northern Beijing.

"Don't worry, I remember and will arrange it as soon as I get there."

Li Qin regained her composure when she heard Meng Bai agree.

Faintly hearing other people's laughter coming from the other end of the phone, she asked curiously, "Who are you with?"

"Lao Zhang, Zhang Ruoyun." Meng Bai said, "We are auditioning for a new drama, and it just so happens that we are together."

"Teacher Li, you guys are having this private dinner and you don't even include a share for us?" Zhang Ruoyun's teasing voice came through the phone.

Li Qin smiled and said, "Don't worry, just come along, it's our teacher Meng who's treating us anyway."

As the male and female protagonists of the former "Pendulum Trio", Li Qin and Zhang Ruoyun have a good relationship and he has met his girlfriend once before.

As for the other "big brother" Yu Yi, the age gap between him and the other two is too big, so the relationship is relatively distant.

However, when it comes to his feelings for the work "Soul Ferry", this guy is no less than the creator Meng Bai.

After the finale of "Soul Ferry" was broadcast some time ago, Yu Yi learned that Arclight Films had no plans to launch a subsequent spin-off in the short term. He then took the initiative to find Meng Bai and said that he wanted to develop a stage musical of "Pendulum" - he originally came from the musical stage.

Meng Bai would naturally not refuse the development of this IP-related model.

Arclight Films entrusted the adaptation of the corresponding works to Yu Yi, authorizing him to be the project producer of the stage play "Soul Ferry", and to share the profits in proportion.

Meng Bai asked about this a few days ago, and he learned that this guy is still in the stage of collecting scripts, and has very strict requirements on quality.

In his words, the drama "Soul Ferry" became popular because of its wonderful story content, and he cannot destroy this brand.

Back to the present, after being teased by Zhang Ruoyun, Li Qin responded with a few random words and hung up the phone in a hurry.

"Of course, Lao Meng." Zhang Ruoyun looked at Meng Bai and said in an ambiguous tone: "I have a good relationship with our teacher Li now."

"Well, we are all friends." Meng Bai said casually: "Don't worry, among the three of us, I am still closer to you."

"Fuck you!" Zhang Ruoyun cursed with a smile: "I have a girlfriend."

Meng Bai sighed and said, "Speaking of which, I've heard you mention your girlfriend for a year. When are you going to bring her out to meet me? Teacher Li has met her, but I haven't."

"That can't be helped. It's your fault that you're not on the set all the time."

Like Zhang Ruoyun, his girlfriend is also an actress. When they were filming Soul Ferry 2 last year, she visited the crew.

It’s just that Meng Bai was in Beijing North at that time, so he missed it.

"Let's wait and see when everyone has convenient time. She and I will call you and Teacher Li, and we'll get together." Zhang Ruoyun said.

"Ha, that's..."

Just as Meng Bai was about to say something, his cell phone rang again.

He took a glance and then raised his eyebrows unconsciously.

It belongs to Song Zhi.

He coughed lightly, put on the wireless headphones naturally, and then answered the call.

"Why did you go back to Jingbei without telling me?" Song Zhi's soft and crisp voice came from the headphones.

Meng Bai lowered his voice slightly and repeated the "explanation" he had just given to Li Qin.

Song Zhi naturally heard the difference in his voice and asked, "Why, are you busy over there?"

"There is indeed something." Meng Bai said in a gentle voice: "But it doesn't matter, you talk and I listen." On the other side of the phone, Song Zhi's mouth twitched, and he finally couldn't help but burst into a bright smile.

What? This guy is really like this. He is usually very annoying, but he always hits her at some unexpected moments.

After grinning for a while and listening to the breathing coming from the other side, Song Zhi hurriedly said: "If you are busy, I won't disturb you. I will contact you again when I finish shooting here and return to Jingbei."

Her role is mainly concentrated in the first half of the play, which is less than that of other leading actors. The filming will be completed in about ten days to half a month.

Song Zhi glanced at Li Qin who was not far away with a sweet smile on her face, and thought to himself, I'll see what you can do when I return to Jingbei.

After hanging up the phone, Meng Bai took off his headphones.

Zhang Ruoyun on the side looked at him subtly, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

"Just say it if you have something to say." Meng Bai took the initiative to speak.

"Uh, this person just now is..."

"How should I put it?" Meng Bai thought for a moment and said, "A friend with whom I have a complicated relationship."

"How complicated is it?"

"You can understand it as 'Chiyou' and 'Ya'." Meng Bai gave an example.

If it were someone else, they probably wouldn’t understand, but Zhang Ruoyun, the “person involved” in “Soul Ferry”, understood it immediately.

"So, she is now in the same crew as Teacher Li? Won't this be a problem?"

"What could go wrong?" Meng Bai said, "It's just an unexpected collaboration. After the filming is over, we may not have the chance to meet again."

Zhang Ruoyun smacked his lips. This situation was a bit beyond his expectations.

After thinking for a long time, he could only pat Meng Bai on the shoulder and remind him: "Be careful."

We drove along the way and finally stopped in front of the Jiuxian Apartment where I auditioned for "Psychological Crime" last time.

Just like last time, the actor auditions for "Forensic Qin Ming" were also held here.

The two went upstairs together and came to the interview room reserved by Arc Light Films. Wang Wei, Liu Zhi and several other Arc Light staff members were waiting here in advance.

Although it had been decided beforehand that Zhang Ruoyun would play the male lead "Qin Ming", the necessary procedures still had to be followed.

And this cannot be said to be a formality. If any problems are really found during the audition, or if the person is not suitable for the role, Meng Bai will not hesitate to replace him/her.

"Have you read the script I sent you before?" Meng Bai asked.

Zhang Ruoyun nodded: "I have seen it, and I have been preparing for it during this period of time."

After that, he asked again with some doubt: "But when I read the script, it seemed that the image setting of this character was somewhat different from that in Teacher Qin Ming's original work?"

In the original novel, "Qin Ming" is portrayed as a mild-mannered person who brags and jokes with his friends from time to time.

However, in the script adapted by Meng Bai, the protagonist "Qin Ming" became a cold, sharp-tongued person with some obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Or in other words, a "B-king".

"Film and TV adaptations are always different from the originals." Meng Bai said: "The rhythm and style of Mr. Qin Ming's original work are mainly based on reality, but as a web drama, the conflicts and rhythm are a bit weak. Modifying the character settings can enhance the viewing experience in this aspect."

In fact, apart from the character settings, there are many differences between the web drama version and the original novel.

For example, the original work has a simple and realistic style, while the web drama has deepened its funny attributes.

This is also the consensus of most creators of suspense and criminal investigation web dramas. Whether it is the previous "Soul Ferry" or Bai Yicong's "The Darker Side", they all follow the path of "suspense + comedy".

After all, most of the online drama audiences are young people, and genres like those of deep hatred and deep vengeance are not very suitable for them.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that all dramas are like this. "Psychological Crime" is an exception.

The overall style of that drama tends to be repressive and sad, and if it is forced to be funny, it will destroy this atmosphere.

Zhang Ruoyun's audition ended very quickly, lasting only about half an hour.

The result did not disappoint, both Meng Bai and Wang Wei felt that he was very suitable for the revised "Qin Ming" in the play.

"OK, it looks like we have to cooperate again."

Meng Bai and Zhang Ruoyun bumped fists, then remembered something and said, "Oh, by the way, there's one more thing I need to tell you. Before the filming officially starts, the three of you leading actors will have to go to the forensic site to practice for half a month. Is that okay?"

(End of this chapter)