Rebirth of Chinese Entertainment, starting with the strategy of 95 flowers to counterattack

Chapter 114 Zhang Ruonan's Grievance and Collapse

In December, winter's chill deepened in Shanghai, with damp, cold winds like fine needles piercing to the bone.

The filming studio for "Cry Me a Sad River" was set up in an abandoned old factory building.

Fragments of old posters remain on the mottled cement wall, rustling as they are blown by the wind.

The shed was deliberately decorated to resemble a dilapidated high school classroom. The faded blackboard read "Strive for the College Entrance Examination," the desks were covered with crooked graffiti, and the rusty ceiling fan hung overhead, making a slight creaking sound even when it was not turned on.

Zhang Ruonan, dressed in a thin school uniform, stood in the corridor outside the classroom waiting to be filmed.

The school uniform was made of rough fabric and had faded a bit after washing, offering no protection against the winter chill.

She held the script, repeatedly familiarizing herself with the lines, her fingers turning red from the cold.

"Teacher Zhang, could you please get us some water? Everyone is thirsty, and I'm really too busy here!"

Xiao Wang, the stagehand, peeked out from behind the prop truck, a cigarette dangling from his lips, but a malicious smile played on his lips.

Zhang Ruonan was stunned for a moment, then nodded quickly and ran to the rest area to get water.

When she returned carrying a large box of water, panting heavily, she found several people chatting and laughing. Xiao Wang was sitting there without moving, not in a hurry to drink water at all.

"Alright, just put it there." Xiao Wang glanced at her, then drawled out the last syllable of his apologetic tone, "Thank you, Teacher Zhang!"

Zhang Ruonan bit her lip, said nothing, silently put down the water, and returned to her seat to continue memorizing her lines.

Just as she opened the script, her newly hired assistant, Yanzi, rushed over, her footsteps echoing through the snow!

The little girl wore her down jacket hood askew, and her glasses were fogged up.

"Sis, why are you being so honest? Didn't you see those people were doing it on purpose?"

She stomped her foot in anger, causing the pom-pom on her ponytail to sway.

Zhang Ruonan breathed warm air into her palm, causing the pages of the book to rustle in the wind: "It's nothing, just a small favor!"

She didn't take it seriously, although she felt a little wronged, but she had experienced too many grievances since she was a child!

What does this little grievance matter?
For so many years, she has relied on herself and taken care of others; she's gotten used to it!

"Oh dear, you're just too honest!" Yanzi hurriedly spun around. "Sister Nan, the crew is all about seniority. If a newcomer like you doesn't have any connections, everyone will bully you."

"How's your relationship with Boss Gu? Should we talk to him? Our company also invested in this movie, didn't we?"

"No, no, no!"

Zhang Ruonan hurriedly waved her hand, her fingernails leaving shallow marks on the script. "President Gu has been busy promoting 'Qingqing's Daily Life' lately, and today he flew to Chongqing to prepare for the start of filming for 'Better Days.' How could he have time to deal with such trivial matters?"

She forced a smile. "Besides, it's really nothing, Yanzi, don't take it to heart."

"Oh!"

Yanzi stared at her lips, which were frozen purple, and suddenly deflated.

Sigh, look at how Nan Jie and Boss Gu's relationship isn't that great either!
Indeed, although Zhang Ruonan has played the role of a boss, the two are worlds apart in status, and she may not even be as good as Zhao Lusi, who just joined the company.

How could Boss Gu possibly care about a nobody like her?

"Attention all departments, filming is about to begin!" Director Luo Luo's voice rang out.

She was wearing a black workwear jacket and a dark scarf around her neck, making her look capable and efficient.

This scene depicts Gu Senxiang being misunderstood by her classmates.

"Zhang Ruonan, your expression is wrong. Gu Senxiang is a gentle and kind school beauty, not a bitter and resentful woman!" Luo Luo raised her voice, her tone full of disappointment.

Filming resumed, and Zhang Ruonan tried her best to adjust her state, but just as she got into the mood, she felt her foot trip and fell forward, her knee hitting the stone slab hard, which made her eyes red with pain.

It turns out that the second female lead, Tang Xiaomi, deliberately stuck out her leg while moving.

"Cut! What's going on? Can we still film?!" Luo Luo was furious and glared at Zhang Ruonan.

Tang Xiaomi ran over feigning concern, "Oh dear, I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention. Are you alright?"

There was not a trace of apology in his tone.

Zhang Ruonan felt wronged, but could only keep apologizing: "I'm sorry, director, I'll do it again."

They reshot the scene, but Tang Xiaomi continued to make small, disruptive moves, either deliberately blocking Zhang Ruonan's shots while moving around or trying to steal her rhythm in her lines.

This scene was filmed again and again, but it just wouldn't turn out right.

Luo Luo's patience gradually ran out, and her attitude towards Zhang Ruonan became increasingly harsh.

Finally, after the seventh take, the director snapped!

She slammed the script on the ground. "Zhang Ruonan, if you can't act well, then don't act at all. Don't waste everyone's time!"

Zhang Ruonan's tears welled up in her eyes, but she desperately held them back.

During her break, she hid in a corner, wanting to drink some water to calm herself down.

Guo Xiaosi walked over with his hands in his pockets.

Despite being only 1.5 meters tall, he walked with the imposing presence of someone 1.8 meters tall.

He was wearing a black turtleneck sweater with a long dark gray trench coat over it, his hair was neatly styled, and he had a scrutinizing expression on his face.

"Zhang Ruonan, what's wrong with you today? How many times have you tried? You still can't get the shot right." Perhaps feeling it was inappropriate to stand in front of Zhang Ruonan looking up at her, Guo Xiaosi jumped up and said.

"This movie is the result of a lot of hard work from many people. It's not for you to practice on. If you continue like this, think about the consequences."

Zhang Ruonan lowered her head, her eyes reddening, her voice choked with emotion: "President Guo, I know I was wrong, I will try my best to adjust."

Don't let Guo Xiaosi's small size fool you; he has quite a temper on set!
You should know that when Nai Xiao was filming "The Great Dream of Separation", he scolded her severely for changing clothes too slowly.

"If you can't even endure this little bit of hardship, go back to riding in your luxury car and Rolls-Royce. If you can't even do these things, go back to being an idol, don't be an actor, being an actor is very hard."

During the break, Zhang Ruonan went to the restroom.

She had just closed the door and squatted down when she heard the sound of high heels clicking on the ground outside.

"Look at Zhang Ruonan, her acting is so bad, I don't know how she got into the crew." A sharp female voice mixed with the cold wind blew into the cubicle, and Zhang Ruonan froze.

"Maybe they used some back channels, which really affected the filming schedule." Another voice sneered, "That scene today was NG'd seven times, and Director Luo Luo's face turned black."

"Sis, you seem to really dislike her?"

A disdainful sneer came from outside; Zhang Ruonan recognized it as Tang Xiaomi's voice.

"He got in through connections! I wonder which assistant director he slept with!"

“I’m a graduate of the Shanghai Theatre Academy, and she’s just a Taobao model who can’t act at all. Why did she get into this movie and get the second female lead role, putting her ahead of me?”

Zhang Ruonan pressed her back firmly against the cold wall, tears silently falling onto her knees.

Her school uniform skirt was crumpled from being clutched. She thought about how she had to memorize her lines ten times before each shoot, how many sleepless nights she had stayed up to figure out the character of Gu Senxiang, and how her hands trembled with nervousness when she first met Director Luo Luo.

She worked so hard, yet in some people's eyes, none of that mattered as much as a malicious speculation?
The footsteps faded into the distance, but Zhang Ruonan seemed rooted to the spot.

The smell of disinfectant in the toilet mingled with the salty taste of her tears. She bit her hand, swallowing her sobs.

It wasn't until my legs went numb that I shakily got up. In the mirror, my eyes were red and my school uniform collar was stained with a few drops of water, I couldn't tell if they were tears or water droplets splashed from the sink.

She suddenly missed Gu Yang so much!
Her memory suddenly flashed back to that rainy day when she sat next to a fire hydrant and wept bitterly. It was Gu Yang's phone that suddenly rang.

Her voice carried a reassuring warmth, like a ray of light shining into her crumbling world.

At that moment, she took out her phone, staring at the pinned name in her contacts, her finger hovering over the screen repeatedly.

I miss him so much. Just hearing his voice right now would be such a happy thing.

But Gu Yang's schedule popped into her mind again. He had just arrived in the mountain city today and was busy with the opening ceremony of his new drama. He was also going to treat everyone to dinner tonight.

I'm so busy every day that I don't even have time to sleep, so when do I have time to listen to her grievances about these "minor squabbles"?

Moreover, she was extremely insecure!

She's always the one who takes the initiative to share her daily life, shows interest in his schedule, and initiates conversations.

Even that first time, it was she who put aside her pride and took the initiative!

How much does she mean to him?
Does he think I'm a promiscuous girl?
Will he look down on himself?
When people are sad, they tend to overthink and habitually deny everything about themselves.

This girl, who always said "I'm fine" and who had dealt with countless pressures alone late at night, was completely devastated by a few comments.

Tears welled up again. She squatted on the ground, covering her face tightly with her school uniform sleeve. Her sobs and gasps echoed in the empty toilet.

She didn't know how much time had passed when she trembled as she took out tissues from her makeup bag, carefully wiped away her tears, and then repeatedly splashed cold water on her cheeks, trying to reduce the redness and swelling.

The girl in the mirror seemed about to shatter, yet she stubbornly stretched out a defiant arc.

When she returned to the set, her assistant Yanzi immediately noticed her red eyes and slightly swollen eyelids, and hurriedly came over, "Sister Nan, your eyes..."

Zhang Ruonan waved her hand, her voice still a little hoarse: "It's nothing, just the wind."

After saying that, he quickly walked towards the filming area.

Filming continues!

Her condition was very poor, and this could not be hidden from the camera.

The scene was filmed three times without success. Director Luo Luo slammed down the walkie-talkie: "Zhang Ruonan! Where did you lose your mind? Are you even capable of doing this?"

Guo Xiaosi also walked over with a frown: "If you can't hold on, just say so. Don't waste the whole team's time."

Zhang Ruonan kept her head down and apologized repeatedly, "I'm sorry, I'll try again."

They kept filming and kept yelling!
Yanzi stood by the monitor with a thermos in her hand, watching Zhang Ruonan being scolded by the director until her eyes were red, yet she still bowed and apologized. She remembered how kind Zhang Ruonan had been to her in the past.

Although she was her assistant, Sister Nan treated her like a younger sister.

Never mind, I'm definitely going to call Gu Yang and complain!

Even if I, as a mere assistant, called President Gu directly, it probably wouldn't make any difference.

You might even get a scolding!

But she really wanted to do something for Sister Nan!
She hid in a corner, her hands trembling as she dialed Gu Yang's number: "Mr. Gu... Sister Nan Nan, she..."

The background noise of a celebratory opening party came from the other end of the phone, but it instantly fell silent when she began to narrate her story, which was choked with tears.

(P.S.: I got so into it while writing that I cried...)
(End of this chapter)