Translator: Dj2203
Editor: Dj2203
Advance chapters available for patrons on Patreon. And a chapter can be sponsored by buying me a ko-fi.
The press conference for launch of “Poisonous Delicacy” was very grand. The movie was originally aimed at hyping the male and female leads, so naturally they had used all methods on how to capture the eyes of the media. Fengyu Times had invited all the top-ranked media, the announcements and water armies were also prepared, they were just waiting for the movie to start filming. Their plan was to first create a wave of popularity for the movie and the male and female leads.
Yu Siyang arrived at the press conference very early and met Peng Zhigao in the background. Before the hero and heroine came, he was the first to be put on a chair by the makeup artist for doing his make-up.
“Make him look a little mature.” Peng Zhigao stated while looking at his hand held device.
The male and female protagonists of this film acted as if they had facial paralysis. If it weren’t for the investment that Fengyu gave, Peng Zhigao would never direct this film.
Even if he had transformed into a commercial film director, he still had some integrity, and he was definitely not willing to make a really bad film.
The male and female protagonists were already like that. Filming was going to be like taking a hard photo. But Peng Zhigao still had expectations from Yu Siyang’s acting skills.
When Ji Man, who played the heroine, arrived, Yu Siyang had already put on his makeup and followed Peng Zhigao’s staff who told him the full schedule of the conference.
“Director Peng.” Ji Man brought her assistant over and greeted Peng Zhigao with a smile on her face.
Peng Zhigao nodded reservedly, and introduced Yu Siyang to Ji Man: “This is Yu Siyang who plays Fei Qin.” He said to Yu Siyang, “This is the popular little flower who plays Song Zhao, Ji Man.”
“Sister Man, I’m Yu Siyang. Please take care of me in the future.” Yu Siyang politely extended his hand to shake hands.
Ji Man looked at Yu Siyang and didn’t shake his hand, but held his face and chuckled, and said to Peng Zhigao, “Peng Dao, where did you find this small fresh meat, it looks good.”
Peng Zhigao glanced at Ji Man, did not speak to her again, turned his head and started discussing the process with deputy director Wang Tai.
Wang Tai cooperated very well with the process of the press conference for the launch that had been done earlier. He did not want Director Peng to see Ji Man secretly laughing.
Ji Man was one of the most famous vases in the entertainment industry. Her three magic weapons in acting were pouting, staring, and expressing empty expressions. All roles she had done were similar; but none of them was like the one she was playing in the movie. This role was also not similar to her real personality. Ji Man’s kind of acting skills, ordinary people really couldn’t imitate[1].
However, Fengyu Times hyped her, and turned a flower vase into a traffic flower[2].
Peng Zhigao didn’t want to see Ji Man, and Wang Tai didn’t want to see her either.
According to the gossip, Ji Man hooked up with Fengyu’s prince, so she could choose any of the good resources. Even this time when Fengyu was producing its own movie, despite there being several actresses with good looks, acting skills, who were also popular in their company, they still gave Ji Man the female lead in the movie.
Fengyu was rich and powerful, and didn’t care if it lost money.
Wang Tai wondered that with such acting skills, how could she still laugh at a newcomer for having only a good appearance and no acting skills. He really didn’t know where her confidence came from.
If the historical movie shot earlier had not incurred losses, they would not have agreed to shot “Poisonous Delicacy”.
Everything was ready for the launch conference, and it was almost starting time. Yu Siyang, the second male lead had already put on makeup and was helping with the arrangements of the press conference. Ji Man was also ready, but Hong Zhehao, who played the male lead Han Shantian, had not yet turned up.
Peng Zhigao called the assistant and roared, “Why hasn’t Hong Zhehao arrived yet? Everyone is waiting for him.”
“Director Peng, I called Hong Zhehao’s assistant and he said that there is a traffic jam on the road and they will be a little late.” The assistant said with an aggrieved face.
Ji Man pouted with dissatisfaction: “Hong Zhehao’s face is very big[3].”
Ji Man’s assistant pulled the corner of Ji Man’s clothes. There were a lot of people at the press conference. She wanted to remind her that it would be bad if someone used this to blackmail her.
Although Ji Man’s acting on camera was not good, her acting skills off camera were excellent. There was no flaw in her acting of being in a harmonious relationship with other people. After being reminded by the assistant, she immediately put an impeccable smile on her face.
Sitting behind Ji Man, Yu Siyang watched the whole process of her face changing, and silently gave Ji Man a label of “Look from afar but don’t approach” in his heart.
Yu Siyang was a very thorough person who knew how much skill he had and how big a bowl of rice he could eat. So when he decided on a goal, he walked forward without hesitation. To put it bluntly, he was not very greedy.
He was solid, persistent, and had a kind of stubborn energy to achieve his goals. That was his strength.
But he was too focused on doing things, and would not act out. In the workplace rules that promoted “low-key in life and high-key at work” everywhere, he who was “low-key at both life and work” was like a horse without Bole[4].
He couldn’t be pretentious like Ji Man, and he also didn’t appreciate it.
When Hong Zhehao reached the place of the press conference, Peng Zhigao’s face was pulled down and he asked him to go backstage to get ready immediately. Hong Zhehao’s assistant kept apologizing to Peng Zhigao for him until the director’s face started looking a little better.
The protagonists at the launch conference were naturally director Peng Zhigao and main leads Hong Zhehao and Ji Man. Although Yu Siyang, who was an important supporting role in the movie was invited to the stage by the host, he just stood in the background. It was only to let the media at the scene know that there was such an important supporting role.
The media at the scene did not ask Yu Siyang-a newcomer who did not have any significant works, questions deliberately. On the contrary, Peng Zhigao mentioned Yu Siyang in his words, helped him brush up his presence in front of the media, and even spoke out about his role. He said that Yu Siyang’s role was the key to the success or failure of this movie.
The crew of “Poisonous Delicacy” held the launch conference in the morning, and took costume photos in the afternoon. The filming would officially start the next day. Most of the movie is to be shot in the studio, as there are no shots of deep mountains and old forests required in the movie. All shooting can thus be done in Yunzhong City.
When eating at noon, Ji Man walked to Yu Siyang and sat down with a box of lunch. She smiled and said, “Xiao Yu, I can call you that, right.”
“Of course, of course.” Yu Siyang put down the lunch. Ji Man hadn’t given him face this morning. Now she took the initiative to talk to him, it made him a little nervous, not knowing what medicine Ji Man wanted to sell him[5].
“I heard that Xiao Yu, you were personally selected by Director Peng.” Ji Man seemed to be a gossip, “They all said that Director Peng is a very strict director and often scolds people and makes them cry.”
Yu Siyang did not blink his eyes. Looking at Ji Man, his face was ignorant as if saying, “I don’t understand what you said”, so that Ji Man could not say a word anymore.
Ji Man had good person skills. Although insiders and sunspots always called her a “vase”, if she were really a vase with an empty head, Fengyu would not have her cast in this movie.
She was very good at grasping resources, and would approach the famous people in the circle, so as to create good opportunities for herself. She was a good strategist in such ways.
Ji Man was originally indifferent to Yu Siyang. Since she became popular, this attitude toward newcomers was not only directed at Yu Siyang.
However, at the press conference, Peng Zhigao gave a lot of support to Yu Siyang, and he always brought Yu Siyang with him during the talk, and even said that “Fei Qin is the key to the success or failure of this movie”.
Unlike Hong Zhehao’s secret hatred, Ji Man had some guesses about the background of this newcomer, and came over to talk to him while eating lunch. After a few words, Ji Man didn’t find anything, and looking into Yu Siyang’s eyes, she carelessly thought-I really don’t know whether this newcomer is acting stupid or really stupid.
After a while, Yu Siyang was called away by Peng Zhigao’s assistant. Hong Zhehao asked the assistant to take the lunch ordered from the hotel and sat down beside Ji Man. The smile on his face was very good, but what he said was not very pleasant: “Sister Man likes all ages, why, this newcomer has a big backing?”
“It’s better than you, who goes for both men and women.” Ji Man wiped her mouth with a tissue, and let the assistant take away the lunch that she hadn’t eaten for more than a few bites. “Why don’t you ask the newcomer about his background yourself?”
Although the two belonged to the same company, there was no conflict in terms of resources. Logically speaking, even if they were not friends, they should not be diametrically opposed to each other.
However, the two of them had hooked up with Fengyu’s prince one after another, and it became a competitive relationship inexplicably.
This time the two co-operated for “Poisonous Delicacy”, which was a transformational work for both of them. It completely depended whether they could switch from small screen to big screen on this movie, so that their value could rise further.
Two people who hated each other had to work together and help each other. It was really illogical.
Where Hong Zhehao was present, even the air was poisonous[6].
Ji Man made no secret of her dislike for him, stood up and adjusted her clothes, squinted at Hong Zhehao, and said, “There is no media here, and there is no need to make a good face, it will affect your appetite.”
Hong Zhehao’s face was distorted for a moment, but he quickly controlled it, with a standard smile on his face, and then gritted his teeth and cursed in a low voice: “Bit*h.”
The assistant buried his head in the box meal, acting as if he didn’t hear it.
The costume photos in the afternoon were taken very quickly. After all, it was a modern drama. It was not thus troublesome to change the clothes. Ji Man and Hong Zhehao both had a lot of experience in taking such photos. Thus, the makeup artist took a little more care of Yu Siyang. The face of the teenager which had not fully matured was made up to look like a young man, and then putting on a dark suit, and just like this, a handsome and gentle young man was created.
After taking the costume photos, Peng Zhigao and Yu Siyang talked about the shoot time the next day and then Peng Zhigao let him leave.
Yu Siyang stood outside the studio and looked down at his mobile phone to check the bus route.
Ji Man was about to get in the car and leave. When she saw him, she beckoned him to come over: “Xiao Yu, are you alone? Your agent is not with you?
“He has something going on.” Yu Siyang shook his head.
Ji Man asked: “Then how are you going back?”
“I’ll take the bus, it will take me directly to the neighborhood where I live.” Yu Siyang shook his phone, and found the number of the bus to go back home.”
“It’s a lot of trouble to take the bus,” Ji Man invited him: “I’ll give you a ride.”
“No, no, the bus is very convenient.” Yu Siyang stepped back and muttered. This elder sister who was still rude this morning suddenly became so kind in the afternoon.
“Don’t act so polite, it’s on my way anyway.”
While the two were talking, a black Bentley stopped in front of him, then Lao Lin got out of the car and walked to Yu Siyang with a smile, “Xiao Yu, luckily I caught you, there was a heavy traffic jam on the third ring road today.”
Yu Siyang looked sad when he saw Lao Lin, “Lin Bo, why did you come here?”
“Didn’t you say yesterday that you are going to be filming here today? I came here to pick you up.” Lao Lin said naturally.
Did I say this yesterday? Yu Siyang frowned and thought hard, always feeling that he had never said that he would come here to film today.
Lao Lin pulled Yu Siyang’s hand, interrupting his recollection, and urged: “Let’s go, let’s go, there will be a traffic jam again if we are late.”
Yu Siyang said “Oh” and said goodbye to Ji Man: “Sister Man, I’ll go first, see you tomorrow.”
Ji Man nodded and watched him sit in the back seat of Bentley, wondering about his background.
“The newcomer’s background is indeed not small.”
The Bentley had already driven far away, when Hong Zhehao walked over slowly, and said sarcastically: “Unfortunately, Sister Man’s courtesy is something the newcomer doesn’t appreciate at all.”
Ji Man didn’t even look at him. She got into the nanny car at a glance, treating him directly as air.
Hong Zhehao stared at the nanny car driving away with a sullen face, and said viciously: “Sooner or later, you will regret this and cry in front of me.”
T/N: Guys, there are a lot of under currents going on in this chapter, I have tried to explain them to the best of my ability. SO bear with me.
Guys please follow me on WordPress, Twitter and Ko-fi. You will get to know of any updates I make or any new novels I plan to start translating in the same before even NU is updated….Guys this is a humble request.
Please support me on ko-fi if possible: https://ko-fi.com/midnightrambles
If you support me, I would be able to provide more chapters….
Previous • Table of Contents • Next
[1] They are being sarcastic that she is so bad that even ordinary people can’t act as bad as her.
[2] Somebody with decent acting skills. Fengyu has hyped her to create this image.
[3]Ji Man is trying to say that Hong Zhehao thinks too much of himself.
[4] He basically means that people do not appreciate him since he does not flaunt the work he is doing.
[5] Basically how Ji Man wants to manipulate him.
[6] Ji Man is saying that she feels suffocated being in the presence of HZ.