Who said this top flow is crazy! This top flow is awesome!

Chapter 294: Filming Begins for the Female Lead; Three Rising Stars Share the Stage

In early November.

XJ, the filming location for "The Martian".

Liu Qi, Guo Chen, Deng Ziman, and several other pedestrians who had recently been signed by Chi Ye Studio looked around at the desolate desert in front of them.

At first glance, it's a sea of ​​blood red, the sand and gravel like a beautiful painting, and looking into the distance, it seems to flow gently like water.

—I've only ever seen scenes like this on TV.

Hmm... I don't think so.

Only by visiting the site in person can one understand just how "serious" the "Mars Rescue" crew was. To prepare for this science fiction film, Ikeno brought in almost all the resources and energy he could currently utilize.

If "Flu" is a top-tier co-production with Taiwan, relying heavily on "foreign aid," it has been fiercely criticized by some trolls and rivals in mainland China.

So the upcoming film "The Martian" is a work created with the "Chi Family Team" as its core.

No one knows the final outcome of this film, nor does anyone know whether Ikeno can succeed in going solo after his "first" time without outside help.

Everyone in the industry is watching and waiting, and the entire core team of the production crew is also working while observing, including newcomers like Liu Qi.

"I heard that this film received technical support from several research institutes and is one of the few science fiction projects specially approved by the higher authorities."

The well-informed Deng Ziman lowered her voice and blinked her beautiful eyes: "The other films in the same batch as this project are the next movies by the big director and Wu Jing and Shen Bin."

"Fuck, so cruel?"

Guo Chen couldn't help but swear.

For these students who have just graduated from university, Wu Jing, Shen Bin, Teacher Zhang, and even Director Lu are all unattainable superstars.

Especially Wu Jing and her team of top figures in the film industry, their influence needs no further explanation.

For nearly a decade, the Chinese film market has been almost entirely dominated and controlled by them. Several of them have box office appeal, and any film they starred in, even those that relied on others, such as "Climbing," ultimately yielded unexpected returns, with box office results exceeding billions of yuan.

"What's so special about this? Boss Chi has a very high status in the industry now. 'Flu' is such a hit. Zhu Yaolin and Lin Xiangqianrui probably don't even have his level of fame right now."

"...The more awesome the boss, the better, so I can have a future."

Guo Chen continued to speak rudely: "I now hope that one day I can really become 'Xiao Chiye'."

"you?"

Deng Ziman glanced at him twice, then curled her lip in disdain: "You probably don't have much of a chance... your face isn't good enough."

Guo Chen wasn't angry when he heard the voice; he just smiled.

Seeing that the two were talking about topics unrelated to her, Liu Qi couldn't help but correct them: "Hey, who do you think is the female lead this time? I heard that Ling Bingbing auditioned."

“I saw her yesterday and even got her autograph.”

Deng Ziman looked smug, then shook her head: "But it doesn't seem to be her..."

"Who exactly is it?"

Guo Chen lowered his voice: "Filming is about to start, but the female lead still hasn't been decided... Is it... not completely settled yet?"

"Could it be Shi Jinwei?"

"Why do you say that?"

"I saw her coming this morning..."

"No way, Shi Jinwei isn't suitable. Besides, Sister Shi just worked with the boss on a TV series. Could it be that these two..."

"Hey, hey, don't talk nonsense. Don't you know that Ikeno Studio's surname is Ima? If you're looking for trouble, don't drag us down with you!"

"..."

As they talked, the conversation drifted off-topic, but not only they, but most of the crew members, including Shi Jinwei who had arrived that morning, were equally puzzled about who would ultimately be cast as the female lead in "The Martian."

Hmm... Sister Pliers is puzzled. She feels that Ikeno's selection this time is not as "decisive" as before, or is it that he is struggling to choose from too many candidates?

As for Ikeno choosing her as the lead actress in his new movie... don't be ridiculous, she hasn't received any news at all, and the script she received only includes a minor role... it's not her at all!

Oh man.

"Sister Shi, are we just going to stand here forever? Why don't we go inside..."

Outside the makeshift room, the assistant stood beside Shi Jinwei, feeling the red sand and dust rushing towards him. He felt that if he opened his mouth, he would get a mouthful of sand, and if he spoke a few words, he might not need to eat dinner—he would be full.

The climate here is indeed quite different from other parts of the country, and is rather unique.

This also shows that "The Martian" really went all out for the quality of this filming.

The entire film crew will be staying here for at least one or two months.

"Go in? No."

Pliers raised an eyebrow, lowered his head to adjust his mask, and his pair of sapphire blue eyes surveyed the distance: "I'm going to see who he chooses in the end today."

"...Sis, are you jealous?"

"?"

Shi Jin glanced back at her assistant and asked, "Jealous? Who?"

The assistant remained silent for a moment: "...I'm jealous."

"...You don't need to memorize this; it has nothing to do with jealousy."

Her pliers were getting harder with practice, and since she had just finished working with Chi Ye, she was in a good mood, so she answered this "sensitive" question with a rare smile: "I'm just curious, Sister Shang didn't choose, and Jin Xia... Jin Xia didn't choose either, is that reasonable?"

"Sister Shang and I are out of the question. He didn't even choose us this summer. Ling Bingbing's audition yesterday seemed like she was just there for fun... So, who do you think will end up with this?"

"...Now that you mention it, I'm a little curious too."

The assistant was incredibly anxious, then suddenly had a thought: "Wait, could it be...it's..."

"Who?"

Shi Jin asked in a low voice.

"Stevie?!"

Shi Jinwei: “?”

"Besides you guys, Chi-ge is closest to Shi Daifu, and Shi Daifu is also very beautiful and has such a great figure, I think..."

Just as the assistant was rambling on, a commotion suddenly arose among the crew members not far away.

Immediately afterwards, a figure that was both unfamiliar and familiar walked over.

She is tall, with long hair, slightly chubby, and has a gentle face and large eyes. She is very beautiful, but she doesn't have the aggressiveness of the Empress Dowager or Shi Jinwei. She is slightly chubby, but unlike Shang Jie, who is all fat, she has muscle fat.

Her overall temperament is very outstanding, with a pure yet mature charm.

This is……

Shi Jin opened her mouth slightly, surprised: "Li Qian?!"

"Weiwei?" Li Qian, who was greeting the crew members and being surrounded by her team as she walked over, was slightly taken aback when she saw Shi Jinwei. She then gave a bright smile and said, "Hello, are you here for a cameo?"

"Uh……"

Shi Jin paused for a moment before realizing what was going on, her eyes filled with complex emotions: "You're the female lead?"

"Yeah, I came here for an audition before, and I didn't expect to actually pass."

Li Qian gracefully extended her hand: "Please take care of me."

Shi Jinwei shook hands with her, inwardly scoffing: What good is it for me to look after you? You should ask Jin Xia to look after you instead.

Despite her complaints, from the moment Li Qian came out, she roughly understood Chi Ye's meaning and choice.

It seems that this film is indeed the first time that Ikeno has fully utilized the "Ikeno Team" since his debut, and at the same time, it also has a bit of a formal entry into the "market".

Because Li Qian is the "princess" of the Northwest circle. Although she is not a top-tier star, she is close to being a top-tier star.

At the same time, she has impressive qualifications and awards, including a Golden Horse Award for Best Actress.

While a few people in the Northwest Circle felt that Ikeno acted too independently, compared to the Beijing Circle, they had never had any direct conflict with Ikeno.

In fact, not only were there no conflicts, the Grand Master and Jin Xia collaborated several times, and he had also tried to collaborate with Chi Ye on several occasions.

In addition, the Northwest Circle now holds a very high status within the circle.

Therefore, if they want to officially enter the market, the Northwest Circle is clearly an excellent partner.

"Shall we go in together?"

Li Qian didn't know what Shi Jinwei was thinking, but she had been in a good mood lately, especially after receiving Chi Ye's notification; her joy was indescribable.

Despite the respectful treatment she receives within the industry, Li Qian's career and status are far from what the industry claims. Outside the industry, she is practically unknown.

Since when?
Well... it's probably because after she started dating Ji Heming, she became a bit of a love-struck person. Before they were officially in a relationship, she was fine, but once they were, she would wholeheartedly be good to a man.

The result... well, the rest is history.

Ji Heming approached her purely for her RT and background. He was a completely different person on the surface and in private. The things he did behind her back were outrageous, which led to her being "sent" to prison by Chi Ye.

After that incident, Li Qian gradually "retired" from the entertainment industry. Although she would occasionally participate in works in Northwest China, she was no longer the dazzling, almost top-tier actress she once was.

—To reiterate, she's just a hopeless romantic. After all, she invested so much of her heart in the relationship, and coupled with her previous failed relationships and her increasingly plump figure as she gets older, the daily barrage of insults from netizens, including those directed at her, has plunged her into feelings of inferiority and anxiety.

When she appears in the public eye, she usually looks haggard and overweight, and she always ends up trending on social media for negative reasons.

Therefore, the fact that she was able to get Chi Ye's "help" and land this big role in "The Martian"... has changed the attitude of those in the Northwest entertainment circle, including several of Li Qian's relatives—

If you can help Sisi regain her cheerfulness, you are my god!

"Let's go then."

Shi Jin looked at Li Qian, who seemed to have regained her vitality, and remained silent for a while before nodding and following her into the house.

At the same time, he couldn't help but think to himself, "Ikeno, Ikeno, I advise you to talk to yourself. You've already provoked so many people, so stop provoking other women..."

Li Qian is a woman with very bad luck. Since her debut, she has never had a smooth relationship and has been cheated on countless times.

She heard that when things got really bad, Li Qian had self-harm tendencies... If she were to work with Chi Ye once and find out that Chi Ye only had eyes for Jin Xia, she'd probably be stuck with Yu Yu for life.
As for why Yu Yu took so long...

Shi Jin asked herself honestly. As an observer who had watched Chi Ye go from an unknown to his current status, almost never "losing" and rising higher and higher, she felt that someone with Li Qian's personality definitely couldn't handle it.

Hmm... not exactly a jerk, but he's already worse than a jerk.

"Weiwei, I heard that Shang Youshu is going to make a cameo appearance this time?"

Li Qian took Shi Jinwei's arm and said, "This is quite a big production. It's the first time I've seen all of you together making a movie."

Shi Jinwei: "...Someone has a lot of energy, huh?"

You mean Ikeno?

Li Qian blinked and let out her signature laugh: "Haha, that's true, he's really amazing. The first time I met him was on a variety show. I didn't really notice him then, I just thought he was a good-looking guy. I never expected... Oh, now that I think about it, he's so talented, it's no wonder he's so popular."

Shi Jinwei: "..."

Oh no, she's already acting like a fangirl before filming even started! Imagine what it'll be like after spending months together...

Hey, she probably doesn't have that many scenes, right?

Sister Pliers felt a little uneasy and couldn't help but remind her, "Maybe she'll make a cameo appearance this summer too."

"So the three of you are going to combine into one?!"

Li Qian exclaimed in surprise, "Just thinking about it is exciting!"

Shi Jinwei: "..."

The two walked into the room while talking. Chi Ye had already heard the sound outside the door and stood up: "Welcome, Boss Li."

"Mr. Chi, you're too kind."

As soon as Li Qian entered, she straightened her posture, and her team assistant hurriedly stepped forward to greet her: "President Chi, I'm so sorry, I was ten minutes late because of traffic. I apologize."

"It's alright, as long as they're here."

Chi Ye glanced up at Shi Jinwei, who was standing there silently with her arms crossed, looking at him with displeasure: "What are you standing there for? You're already here, so don't just stand around. Didn't you see that Boss Li has come in? Go and pour him a cup of tea."

"...?"

The pliers opened their mouths, pointed incredulously at themselves: "You..."

"No need, no need, I can do it myself. I just bumped into Weiwei outside the door. She's been traveling all day too. I can manage on my own."

Li Qian quickly stood up.

Shi Jin glanced at her, gritted her teeth, and her assistant's eyes darted around before she turned to pour tea, casually asking Xiao Liu, "Where are the tea leaves?"

Xiao Liu suppressed a laugh: "Hmm...it's in the third drawer...I'll get it."

"Thank you, Sister Liu... I'll do it."

"Why are you so polite to me?"

Xiao Liu knew that Chi Ye was teasing Shi Jinwei, so he couldn't really let the guest do the work and got busy himself.

"It's alright, please sit down."

Chi Ye gestured for Li Qian to sit down, then looked at Shi Jinwei who was still standing: "I told you to come last week, why are you only arriving now?"

"..."

Shi Jinwei hesitated for a long time. Seeing so many people around, she didn't want to embarrass Chi Ye, but she also didn't want to "back down." She frantically signaled to her assistant with her eyes.

"...Brother Chi, Sister Shi worked three consecutive nights straight to finish all her gigs..."

"..." Chi Ye paused, noticing the undisguised weariness on Shi Jinwei's face, and said nothing more, only saying, "You just finished filming and then took on so many jobs again... Alright, I'll let it go this time, but don't do it again."

(End of this chapter)