After Reuniting with My Aloof Movie Queen Childhood Friend - Chapter 14.1

“Do you know who that actress is? What dramas has she been in? I want to go ask for her contact info,” Lin Shan said, pointing at the girl in the yellow dress.

Seeing Fang Ruohan’s complicated expression, Lin Shan guessed, “Wait, is she your friend? Even better! Introduce us!”

Before Fang Ruohan could answer, a girl in a baseball cap walked up to Lin Shan. With a grim face, she made a “hush” gesture and pointed toward the exit with an ominous expression.

Lin Shan understood, if she spoke again, she’d be kicked out.

She was surprised. This set clearly wasn’t recording live audio, yet the discipline was so strict. The sets she invested in had people causing trouble even while filming with cigarettes in their mouths.

Actually, many people noticed three strangers entering the set. The one in the middle, tall with a cold and steady temperament, was the focus of everyone’s attention despite her lack of expression.

Wasn’t that Meng Xingshu?! Why would a superstar like her appear on their tiny, broke set??

The crew was shocked. Many fans of Meng Xingshu were screaming internally.

However, since it was working hours, no one dared to leave their post or ask questions. They could only work harder, hoping to be noticed.

As the script supervisor shouted “CUT,” the atmosphere on set loosened slightly. Loosened, but not disorganized, everyone was busy preparing for the next take.

Ji Youyi pressed the back of her hand against her warm forehead. She took two sips of hot water to steady herself and went back to coaching.

Seeing this, Lin Shan dragged Meng Xingshu and Fang Ruohan over to watch.

Ji Youyi wasn’t particularly tall. To fit Ning Li’s character, she didn’t wear height increasing insoles. Standing in front of the 168cm Wen Yang and 169cm Li Anran, she looked somewhat petite.

Thus, Lin Shan saw the girl who was like a butterfly in the scene turn into a stern teacher, rolling up her sleeves to lecture. The two tall “big sisters” bowed their heads and listened intently, looking like they’d be scolded if they didn’t learn well.

Lin Shan stared at Ji Youyi’s face, unable to look away. She nudged Meng Xingshu with her elbow:

“Look at the one talking. I think that’s Ruohan’s friend, Little Ji. It turns out she’s the director. Isn’t she adorable? I want to grab a meal with her too. You can go see your cherry blossom tree by yourself later. I won’t go with you.”

After receiving no reply for a long time, Lin Shan turned to look and only saw Meng Xingshu’s cold face.

Though she seemed even colder than usual, Lin Shan believed it was just a fluke. She even made a new discovery.

She chuckled. “Did you notice? I’m 173cm, you’re 174cm, and we’re standing a bit back from those two. If the four of us listened to the lecture together, our heads would form a perfect line.”

Meng Xingshu remained motionless, completely ignoring her.

For the second time, irrelevant giggling had sounded in her ear.

Ji Youyi had a fever and a splitting headache, she wasn’t going to let it slide. She turned coldly toward the source of the noise and spoke sharply. “I am coaching the actors. If you want to watch, don’t chat. If you want to relax, go wait at the door!”

Lin Shan’s eyes widened in shock.

She had never been scolded like this on a film set. She was the CEO of a leading domestic film company and the Senior Vice President of the largest streaming platform. Her status in the industry was, if not the highest, at least one where she was treated like royalty wherever she went.

…But the situation was different now. The whole crew was made of “good students,” and she was the only “bad student” talking too much. Fine, she deserved it.

Lin Shan accepted her fate and shut her mouth tight. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Meng Xingshu’s lips seem to curl slightly, she knew that coldness earlier was a mistake.

Ji Youyi’s head was spinning. She hadn’t noticed earlier, but after scolding the person, she realized the face was unfamiliar.

The person wore a well-tailored light colored suit, with short, finely styled hair just past the shoulders. Beside her stood Meng Xingshu and Fang Ruohan.

“Director Ji,” Meng Xingshu nodded to her as their eyes met. “Sorry for the interruption. This is President Lin, the SVP of Filmily. She happened to be free today and came to see the set. You can talk to her regarding distribution matters.”

Lin Shan was puzzled: Meng Xingshu hated talking. Usually, when she and Fang Ruohan were out, Fang Ruohan did all the talking. Why was it that when they met Fang Ruohan’s friend, the roles were reversed?

But Meng Xingshu really was a “good student.” This excuse was perfect, she could never have come up with it herself.

She quickly joined in: “Hello, Director Ji. I’m Lin Shan. Sorry for interrupting your shoot. I’m just looking around, don’t mind me.”

Ji Youyi had realized the moment she saw them that these people were influential. She immediately dropped her cold facade and switched to “social mode.”

A television drama isn’t finished just because it’s filmed, the most important part is “distribution”, selling it.

Whether an investment in a film project makes or loses money depends entirely on this step.

The buyers for web dramas were simply the major online video platforms.

Among them, Filmily was a leader in terms of user base, content library, and industry influence. It was the “Sugar Mommy” that countless producers dreamed of. To sell a film at a good price, people would usually flatter them endlessly.

And just now, Ji Youyi hadn’t flattered her, she had scolded the Vice President in public… Uh, but the other party didn’t seem to mind.

She narrowed her eyes and extended her right hand, wearing her most brilliant business smile. “Hello, President Lin. You can just call me Little Ji.”

Lin Shan indeed didn’t mind at all.

She had a carefree personality and appreciated people who took their work seriously. Plus, she felt Ji Youyi’s criticism was perfectly valid, causing her liking for Ji Youyi to increase rather than decrease.

The two shook hands and exchanged contact info. Ji Youyi had the crew bring them chairs and water, but Lin Shan didn’t want to sit.

In the past, when she visited sets, she was usually led by the Chief Producer or Executive Producer to understand the overall progress. As a businessperson, she didn’t actually care about how the film was made.

But now, standing next to Ji Youyi and observing the filming process of a TV drama up close, she found it fascinating.

Having switched modes, Ji Youyi was quite patient with her future “Sugar Mommy.” As long as she was free, she answered whatever Lin Shan asked. Not only was her service attitude good, but she also provided plenty of emotional value.

“This is the monitor, we usually call it the ‘Big Monitor.’ It has many ‘little sisters’ called ‘Small Monitors.’ Any crew member who needs one can have one, they’re very convenient to hold, though I don’t personally like using them.”

Ji Youyi spoke, her voice dropping lower, her tone pained and aggrieved. “Because I once accidentally dropped one and had to pay back a lot of money.”

“They are wearing three ways headsets, used for multi-channel communication. Usually, several filming groups wear them for easy communication. If it were up to me, I’d still prefer walkie-talkies.”

Ji Youyi leaned into Lin Shan’s ear, whispering with a smile, “Because if you think about it, wearing them all the time makes it easy to forget they’re on. What if I’m secretly scolding someone one day and forget to turn off the mic?”

“And that…”

Meng Xingshu sat at the edge of the set, her eyes as dark as ink, fixed on the two laughing people nearby. Her slender fingers tightened unconsciously, squeezing the unopened water bottle in her hand.

“Lin Shan.” Meng Xingshu watched for a moment before speaking calmly. Her volume wasn’t high or low, just enough for Lin Shan to hear.

“What’s up?” Lin Shan thought Meng Xingshu had something to say. She stood up and walked over, the smile still lingering on her face.

It was obvious she was in a great mood, so good she could practically fly.

“That is a C-Stand, that is a butterfly net, that is an apple box, and that is a dolly.” Meng Xingshu casually pointed out several pieces of equipment. “Is there anything else you want to ask?”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Weren’t you curious?”

“I don’t want to hear it from you. It’s not fun when you say it.” Lin Shan turned to head back.

“She is very busy filming; don’t keep bothering her.” Meng Xingshu’s face was calm, her voice as light as usual. “Also, mind the time. The 10:00 AM meeting.”

Lin Shan pulled out her phone. “You’re right. How did time go by so fast? I’ll go say goodbye.”

In the center of the set, “Teacher Ji” had already returned to the podium and was lecturing the actors for the next scene.

Meng Xingshu withdrew her gaze and looked at Lin Shan. “Don’t go over. She’s busy. When she’s free, I’ll tell her for you.”

“Okay… wait,” Lin Shan realized something was wrong. “How are you going to tell her? Aren’t you going to the meeting too?”

“Yes. So,” Meng Xingshu’s lips quirked up slightly into a faint smile as she looked at her, “If you would, President Lin. I’d like to request a leave of absence.”

Lin Shan: ????