Chapter 114: Planning
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
Since she's not leaving tomorrow, there's no need to pack the suitcase. Anyway, the reason Xi Mo brought it out was just for show. After organizing it a bit, she put it back.
The two sat together to discuss some upcoming schedule plans. Before entering Gu Ru’s movie crew, there was still some free time. Ruan Yesheng picked an easy face wash commercial and also agreed to be a guest on one variety show episode.
The show she chose had already aired its first season last year. Even though it wasn't a national hit, the ratings were pretty good, and after a whole season, it gathered a bunch of loyal fans.
Now the show was working on season two. They've already filmed a few episodes. Each episode invites a few guests, including familiar old faces and some new ones. The crew came to ask if she was free to join episode eight.
“This one's okay,” Xi Mo thought it over and said.
Xi Mo usually never joined variety shows, but she also knew how popular they’ve become. A lot of celebrities got famous again by going on them. Ruan Yesheng didn’t have any shows ready to air for now, so she really needed some exposure. With this gap in her schedule, doing variety wasn’t a bad choice at all.
Compared to movies and dramas, variety shows are faster to make and more efficient. This one in particular was almost done filming. The crew planned to air it early next year. It already had a solid reputation, so in terms of timing and quality, it was the best pick out of all the resources Ruan Yesheng had.
But Xi Mo still frowned. “Variety shows aren’t something to rely on for long. That’s not the path you’re supposed to take. Right now it’s just for getting some heat back, letting the audience remember you, and giving future resources a chance to notice you.”
“I know my resources are really limited right now,” Ruan Yesheng said with a smile. “It’s already nice if a good variety show gives me a bit of face time.”
Xi Mo stayed quiet. Maybe it was because the tangerine Ruan Yesheng fed her earlier had left a taste behind. She reached out to the table nearby, picked up a tangerine, and started peeling it for herself.
“Zhang Zhiyin is my friend. She used to treat me really well,” Ruan Yesheng said. “If I can be a guest on her show, I won’t feel any pressure.”
Zhang Zhiyin was one of the regular hosts of the show. You could say the whole variety show was built by her and Ye Ye.
The show’s name was “Me and My Dear Friends.” Zhang Zhiyin was really good with people and had a wide network. Many celebrities were willing to give her face, even some top-tier stars, so her show was full of big names.
After hearing that, Xi Mo paused slightly while peeling her tangerine. She glanced at Ruan Yesheng. “You’re close with Zhang Zhiyin?”
No wonder the production team came looking for Ruan Yesheng. It must’ve been Zhang Zhiyin who recommended her.
Ruan Yesheng nodded. “Back then she wasn’t a variety show star yet. She acted in “Sound of Steps”, and we were in the same crew. Of course we got familiar.”
Xi Mo frowned slightly. She seemed to think for a while before saying, “Zhang Zhiyin was in “Sound of Steps”? I watched it several times, but I don’t remember seeing her.”
Ruan Yesheng thought she misheard. Her eyes lit up. “You watched my “Sound of Steps” several times?”
Xi Mo looked a little uneasy. “I just casually watched it.”
“Oh, so watching it several times is just casually watching it to you?” Ruan Yesheng grinned. “Then if you were watching it seriously, by your standard, how many times would that be?”
Xi Mo: “…”
Ruan Yesheng held back her laugh and explained, “Zhang Zhiyin was the third female lead in “Sound of Steps”. It’s true she’s hard to recognize now. Not many people know it these days.”
Xi Mo finally understood.
Because the third female lead in "Sound of Steps" was a very special role—her face had been disfigured. And the film’s costume and makeup team had already reached top level at the time. You really couldn’t tell what the actor originally looked like.
As for the credits, Ruan Yesheng was listed at the top. Xi Mo only glanced at her name and had no interest in the rest. So of course she didn’t know Zhang Zhiyin was actually that disfigured third female lead in the movie.
"She acted pretty well."
Xi Mo rarely praised people, but now that she knew the third female lead was played by Zhang Zhiyin, her impression of Zhang Zhiyin improved a lot.
Zhang Zhiyin was pretty and already had some fame back then, yet she was still willing to take a supporting role for Ruan Yesheng, who was just a rookie at the time. She even agreed to play an ugly character, which showed how much she gave up.
“Sounds of Steps” had become popular, but it was a pity Zhang Zhiyin did not show her real face in the film. She only left behind the image of a ruined-looking character on screen, so she did not gain much attention from that movie.
"She studied acting at school and has solid skills," Ruan Yesheng said. "Now she is also doing a good job as a host."
Since this variety show had Zhang Zhiyin as the main host, Xi Mo felt more at ease. At first, she had been worried because Ruan Yesheng had only just made her comeback. No matter if Xi Mo had to go in her place or Ruan Yesheng went herself, it would have been difficult. But now, that concern was gone.
"Have you watched this variety show?" Ruan Yesheng asked her.
"I don't really watch variety shows," Xi Mo said. "But I saw the production team reached out, so I went to check it out. The audience feedback seems pretty good."
It was a countryside lifestyle type of variety show. The team would go from one remote town or village to another. Zhang Zhiyin and her friends had to finish all sorts of daily life challenges with very limited resources. The way celebrities handled tough and awkward moments was one of the biggest highlights.
A lot of viewers loved watching the guests try to do things like kill chickens or butcher animals but could not do it and ended up crying for help.
"Shen Qingbie appeared in both Episode 5 and the last Episode 12 of the first season. It was super funny."
Ruan Yesheng mentioned the show and could not help but bring up Shen Qingbie.
"She was really popular in the show. Online, when people voted for who they wanted to see in Season 2, she got the most votes."
After speaking, she carefully looked at Xi Mo, wanting to see her reaction.
She and Shen Qingbie were very close friends, but things between Xi Mo and Shen Qingbie were a little awkward.
However, ever since Shen Qingbie visited the film set last time, Xi Mo's impression of her had changed a lot.
Ruan Yesheng hoped Xi Mo could get to know Shen Qingbie better. If the misunderstandings from before—caused by not knowing each other well—could be cleared up, that would be for the best.
Xi Mo did not show any signs of resistance. She just vaguely said, "I'll take a look when I have time."
"Do you have any plans these next few days?" Ruan Yesheng was happy but also a little disappointed.
"I'm wrapping up in three days. My schedule is packed, and I’ll be on set the whole time. I won’t be able to keep you company. Will you feel bored?"
"Not bored." Xi Mo's voice softened, as if trying to comfort Ruan Yesheng.
"I’ll stay until you finished filming. Then I’ll go back to Shanghai with you."
"Really?" Ruan Yesheng almost stood up from her seat. She quickly calmed herself down inside and barely held back her excitement.
Xi Mo carefully looked at the excitement that was about to overflow from Ruan Yesheng’s eyes and, for no reason at all, felt her mood lift. "Mm. Director Lin said that after your wrap up, there’ll be a wrap up party the next day. The media will be there, and the crew will invite actors who already finished their scenes before. I’ll have to come anyway, and going back and forth in such a short time is troublesome. I might as well wait here."
As she spoke, she neatly started scheduling on her tablet. "A few days after the wrap up party, the variety show filming will start. The schedule’s a bit tight. I have to arrive a day early at the filming location. It’s a remote small town in Sichuan. I’ve never been, so I don’t know what it’s like. I’ll take this time to talk with the production team."
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
She was always meticulous and even checked the weather forecast in Sichuan. "It’ll start snowing soon. It’s cold and slippery outdoors. This episode might be hard to shoot, so we need to prepare."
"There are mostly Yi people in that town. I’m not familiar, so I need to learn about Yi customs and culture." She focused on reading her notes seriously.
Ruan Yesheng sat beside her, staring at her furrowed and focused face, smiling as she watched.
Xi Mo noticed and looked at her. "What is it?"
"You look just like a thorough manager." Ruan Yesheng teased her. "Lining up jobs and planning schedules."
As soon as she heard the word "manager", Xi Mo’s face went cold. She said, "Yan Tinghuan has disappeared again. Her phone’s always unreachable. She’s really doing a ‘great’ job as a manager."
"She’s always like that. I’m used to it." Ruan Yesheng smiled and spread her hands.
"Why did you let her be your manager?" Xi Mo really could not understand Yan Tinghuan’s lack of professionalism. This past few months on set, she had to rely completely on herself.
"I didn’t have a manager anyway, and she kept yelling that she wanted to do it for fun, so I just let her fill the role." Ruan Yesheng did not mind at all.
"Are you planning to sign with a management company later?" Xi Mo asked. "Once you sign, your resources will change. The company will promote you."
Ruan Yesheng looked up at the ceiling and was quiet for a moment before saying, "I haven’t decided yet."
Xi Mo could tell she had concerns, so she didn’t press further.
The room suddenly went quiet. Xi Mo looked away and continued working on the detailed schedule.
"By the way." After a while, Xi Mo remembered something. Her expression turned serious. "I saw Cui Jiayu this afternoon. I heard her talking on the phone with her brother. It sounded like he said something weird."
Ruan Yesheng’s heart skipped a beat, immediately catching the key point. "She’s such a cautious person. How did you hear what she was saying on the phone? There’s no way she’d let you hear it."
She paused, then suddenly realized, "You eavesdropped?"
Xi Mo stayed silent.
Ruan Yesheng knew that meant she admitted it, and her heart began to race. "She’s not simple. You’ve got to be careful around her."
"Do you know her brother?" Xi Mo asked.
"I didn’t know Cui Jiayu before," Ruan Yesheng said, confused. "The first time I saw her was during that hotel room check."
Xi Mo’s brows furrowed even deeper. "Her brother mentioned you on the phone."
Ruan Yesheng looked even more surprised. "Are you sure it was me? Normally, even if you heard Cui Jiayu talking, her brother’s voice would be coming from the receiver. Unless it was on speaker, you wouldn’t hear anything. But someone like Cui Jiayu wouldn’t put her phone on speaker while talking in public."
"I didn’t hear her brother’s voice," Xi Mo said. "But after he said something, Cui Jiayu repeated your name out loud, asking for confirmation, and she looked surprised. Her brother definitely mentioned you."
Ruan Yesheng lowered her head. The confusion she’d felt before when she heard Cui Jiayu’s name came rushing back. She thought for a moment, then said, "I do know someone named Cui Jiashu. If her brother really knows me, it’s probably him. Their names sound like siblings, but it could just be a coincidence. I don’t know if Cui Jiashu has a sister. He’s not a talkative person, and he never mentioned one."
"The Cui Jiashu you know..." Xi Mo asked, "Does he have the power to assign or reassign police officers in Shanghai? Cui Jiayu’s rank isn’t low. She’s a captain at least, but that guy gave her a transfer order just like that. He must have real authority."
Ruan Yesheng shook her head. "I only know Cui Jiashu, but I don’t know what he does for a living. Usually, it’s Tinghuan who stays in touch with him. I only met him because she introduced us. He’s very dependable, and it’s clear he’s well connected. I once asked him to help investigate something."
"Investigate?" Xi Mo’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Then maybe he’s a cop too?"
"That’s possible." Ruan Yesheng pulled out her phone and dialed. "No point guessing. It’s better to just ask Tinghuan directly."
She called, but it didn’t go through.
“No one answered,” Ruan Yesheng sighed, looking like she was used to it. “She’s probably in one of those no-signal places again.”
“Yan Tinghuan goes to places with no signal a lot?” Xi Mo was starting to feel like Yan Tinghuan was a mystery.
“Yeah, the places she goes to are usually super remote, basically no signal, and almost no people around.” Ruan Yesheng recalled how Tinghuan had described it before. “She said those places are really dangerous—either out in the wild or just completely deserted. Like in some mountain ravine, or in a desert, or swamp, or down the side of a cliff on a grassland. She said regular people would die if they went there. There are traps, monsters, and dead people.”
Xi Mo: “…”
Ruan Yesheng kept going seriously, “She also said sometimes the dead people might suddenly sit up and stare at you.”
Xi Mo: “…”
Yan Tinghuan, are you trying to die?!
Stop talking already!
Author’s Note:
Note from Director Jun:
The content in this chapter is very important.
If you're not familiar with the details here, you might not understand the overall plot and timeline later on. This is especially true if you're also reading the “Exploring The Empty Tomb -Modern Times”
So make sure to pay close attention to this chapter. It's very important.
