Rebirth of Chinese Entertainment, the Diary of a 95 Flower

As she spoke, Zhang Ruonan turned her head to look.

Someone from the production crew was squatting in a corner, counting the props.

The makeup assistant wiped the palette with an alcohol swab, glanced at Zhang Ruonan's reaction, and muttered, "Jiang Yang's old-age makeup is amazing, he even drew the veins on the back of his hand."

Jiang Yang was not seen.

Then she remembered that Jiang Yang had other scenes to film, and after finishing her makeup, she had to go to the film set.

On the dressing table were neatly folded clothes, which were what she was going to change into.

Zhang Ruonan's phone vibrated.

I received a group message.

It was a group chat created by Yang Chaoyue, named [Moyu F4]. Yang Chaoyue was the group owner, and the members included her, Tian Xiwei, and Jiang Yang.

Yang Chaoyue sent a message inside: ["Brother Yang, I've woken up. I want to apologize to you. I'm sorry, please don't be angry with me. I was confused at the time."]
Jiang Yang replied: ["Where did I go wrong?"]
Yang Chaoyue sent a message: ["I was very rude when I woke you up this morning. I didn't respect you and made you lose face. I won't do it again next time."]
Jiang Yang sent a message: ["You scared me. You owe me 20,000 yuan."]
The group chat was silent for about ten seconds.

Yang Chaoyue retracted the first message.

Immediately following, another message came from Yang Chaoyue: ["You'll dare to do it again next time!"]
Then came Tian Xiwei's message: ["You'll dare to do it again next time! @Zhang Ruonan, keep the formation."]
Zhang Ruonan shuddered when she saw the message tagging her.

Pretend not to see it.

I don't dare to send messages in the group.

Jiang Yang chimed in the group chat: [“Ruonan, ignore those two. They'll each have ten yuan deducted from their salaries this month. The costumes are in your dressing room. Memorize your lines. I've told you the process. The rest is up to you.”]
Zhang Ruonan felt a warmth in her heart.

I understand Jiang Yang's meaning.

Jiang Yang had actually seen the conversation between himself and his mother.

It's a family scandal.

However, Jiang Yang, concerned about his own pride, pretended not to see it and left early.

She typed back: "Boss, I'll try my best to act well!"
Zhang Ruonan changed her clothes.

After leaving the dressing room, I headed to the noodle shop where I would be performing later.

Not a moment later.

Jiang Yang updated his personal signature: [“There are two women in the company, arrogant and domineering, one is the Goddess of Wealth from Yancheng, and the other is the Tyrant Flower of Chongqing.”]
Zhang Ruonan had already arrived in front of the noodle shop.

Looking up at the signboard, it was a faded red background with white lettering: Lao Liu Ramen.

There was a ceiling fan on the ceiling, and the blades were covered in grease.

The crack in the window frame was taped up, and the character "福" (fortune/good luck) was pasted upside down.

Zhang Ruonan walked in and saw a yellowed menu on the wall that read: Plain noodles 6 yuan, spicy meat topping 3 yuan extra.

It's an old noodle shop.

A note has been pinned to the door stating that Alipay is prohibited in this store.

The greasy blue cloth curtain was half-lifted, revealing the bubbling noodle soup in the iron pot.

The boss, wearing a t-shirt and smoking a cigarette, stirred noodles with long chopsticks, his cuffs covered in flour.

If Jiang Yang hadn't explained it to me beforehand, I would have thought it was just an ordinary noodle shop, with no security cameras in sight.

Zhang Ruonan looked toward the calculator on the cashier's counter.

It has a built-in miniature 4K camera, with the lens pointed at the main dining area, which will be used to film Huang Bo's face later.

There's also a digital clock on the wall, which is actually a pinhole camera that takes close-up shots of people eating noodles.

Diners on both sides of the wall, with black backpacks on the stools containing stabilizers hidden in the side openings, followed and filmed Zhang Ruonan and Huang Bo's interaction for a while.

The kitchen food delivery area is covered by a steamer basket, concealing a rear zoom lens used to capture side profiles of conversations.

Zhang Ruonan sat down in the middle seat, her fingers unconsciously stroking the edge of the table.

Anxiety is in my heart.

I didn't know there were so many hidden cameras in the store, so I might have been able to relax a bit.

Knowing that these cameras were filming me made me inexplicably nervous.

Her lips trembled as she gave herself a mental suggestion, following Jiang Yang's previous instructions, to ease her tension, and silently repeated, "I am not Zhang Ruonan now, I am just an ordinary old woman."

"I am no longer Zhang Ruonan; I am just an ordinary old woman."

"I am no longer Zhang Ruonan; I am just an ordinary old woman."

...At the same time, use your thumb and fingers to firmly pinch the Gu acupoint at the base of your thumb and index finger.

Distract yourself with pain.

Stimulating acupoints can induce the body to secrete calming substances.

This is my first performance since becoming an artist.

Even if you're just an extra, you have to take it seriously.

Yang Chaoyue started as an extra on "Go Fighting!" and transformed from a factory worker into a real actress. As a college student, I am sure I can do even better than Yang Chaoyue.

This opportunity is more important than the paycheck I'll receive or my monthly salary.

Perhaps it was a test that Jiang Yang was putting on himself.

Only by performing well can one officially join the film crew to act.

"Boss, I won't let you down."

Zhang Ruonan closed her eyes, her breathing gradually slowing down.

Suddenly, they heard a waiter, disguised as a customer, mutter from the wall, "Huang Bo is here!"

Zhang Ruonan opened her eyes, her heart racing.

Looking up at the owner who was stirring noodles with long chopsticks, he said, "One bowl, please..."

I had just started to sing when I instinctively stopped.

My voice doesn't sound right.

If the makeup doesn't match the age of the person, it's easy for the flaws to be exposed.

Jiang Yang had previously written a script with a tutorial on imitating an old lady's voice, which Zhang Ruonan practiced several times in the dressing room.

She cleared her throat slightly, creating a slight fricative sound to mimic the aging of her vocal cords.

Use diaphragmatic breathing to project your voice from deep within your chest, avoiding a high-pitched, girlish voice, and speak slowly.
"Boss, a bowl of plain noodles, please."

I'm unsure if my voice sounds like an old person's.

My vocal cords feel relaxed, with a slight hoarseness.

That's already the best I could do.

Hopefully, I won't give myself away later.

As the noodles were served, Zhang Ruonan held her chopsticks, about to eat, when she realized that her hands were now wrapped in medical gauze with a small amount of cotton inside, making it look realistic.

She was playing an elderly woman with an injured hand who had difficulty even holding chopsticks and couldn't easily pick up noodles.

Following Jiang Yang's instructions, when holding chopsticks, she kept her ring and little fingers slightly curled, pretending that she couldn't exert any force, and only used her thumb, index finger, and middle finger to barely hold the chopsticks.

Footsteps sounded outside the noodle shop behind me.

And Huang Bo's voice: "I'm not afraid of god-like enemies, I'm afraid of pig-like teammates. Can you stop stealing other people's things? I still have to pay for you. I really can't carry you, I'm telling you... Boss, give me a bowl of plain noodles, with spicy pork topping."

Upon hearing Huang Bo's voice, Zhang Ruonan's temples throbbed, and she immediately lowered her eyes to stare at the noodles.

He lowered his head to hide his panic.

Suppress your heartbeat with a long inhale.

Don't look back.

Then came the voice of another MC guest: "Two bowls! Xiao Bo, you're the third genius, why are you arguing with the third fool? I'm still just a kid."

Hear the words.

Zhang Ruonan's calves immediately tensed up.

An ominous premonition rose in my heart.

As Jiang Yang previously mentioned, the MC guests on this variety show only have one main mission and no script. Even the production team cannot fully predict the guests' movements, and their performances may not be as expected, requiring them to be adaptable.

I actually encountered it myself!
This time, the guests included not only Huang Bo, but also Sun Honglei!

Zhang Ruonan's injured hand rested lightly on the edge of the bowl, her fingertips trembling slightly.

He silently cheered himself on.

This performance must successfully evoke an emotional response from Huang Bo and create a dramatic effect, so that I can get more screen time in the final cut.
-
P.S.: Zhang Ruonan: "It's already lucky to find something you love and work hard for it. Once you have a direction, just keep moving forward... Please vote for me!" (End of Chapter)