Phoenix A has Gone Viral Across the Entire Internet! - Chapter 5

“A—achoo!”

Shen Nian instinctively rubbed her nose and muttered softly, “Who is secretly thinking of me?”

The probability of someone thinking of her fondly was actually quite small; it was far more likely someone was cursing her.

Listening to this bored internal monologue, 432 secretly thought that the Host certainly possessed a great deal of self-awareness.

As a popular “starlet” Alpha, her face had a certain level of recognition. To keep as low a profile as possible, Shen Nian casually put on a pair of leisure sunglasses before stepping out of the car.

She had intentionally left at a different time than Jiang Zhiwan, yet her destination was the same: A-University.

A-University’s environment was among the best of its kind, and its campus was vast. Shen Nian had originally thought she would need to follow navigation to find her way after entering, but she was surprised to find that she seemed to already have an impression of this place.

She raised an eyebrow, feeling a bit surprised, but did not dwell on it.

There were only a few locations at A-University suitable for filming. It was not hard to guess where the crew would be setting up.

Ji Xicheng saved her the trouble of guessing by firing off three rapid-fire questions: [Have you entered the A-University gate yet? Our last scene is being filmed in the auditorium. Can you find it? Do you need me to send an assistant to pick you up?]

Since a certain impatient Alpha kept rushing her, Shen Nian had no time to admire the surroundings. She gave a helpless sigh and walked toward the direction of the auditorium.

Master Ji, stop chanting; I’m coming.

Outside the auditorium corridor, crew members were bustling about, busy with their respective tasks.

In a corner where no one was paying attention, Ji Xicheng was still busy messaging Shen Nian: [Hey, Shen Nian, are you here yet?]

She was terrified of being stood up by that “scoundrel” Alpha.

The reply from the other side was dismissive: [Almost.]

Ji Xicheng raised an eyebrow: [I don’t believe you. Not unless you send a location share.]

The reply came quickly: [ . ]

After they shared their locations, the screen clearly showed that the other party was less than 10 meters away.

Hmm? So close? Ji Xicheng looked up and indeed saw Shen Nian walking out from around the corner.

Perhaps to fit in with the college campus, this person had specifically changed her dressing style. At first glance, she really looked the part.

Ji Xicheng hid the flash of amazement in her eyes and teased with her arms crossed, “What’s this? Had a change of heart today? Not wearing those flashy clothes of yours?”

Shen Nian was too lazy to argue with her. Hidden behind her sunglasses, she unceremoniously rolled her eyes.

Since the filming took place during the student holidays, the venue was mostly filled with staff. Ji Xicheng had only chatted with Shen Nian for a short while before her assistant called her away to touch up her makeup.

Bored, Shen Nian leaned against a pillar and asked 432 about Jiang Zhiwan’s movements.

432 replied instantly: [She’s the lead, so she’s getting her makeup done too.]

The university had specifically vacated several lounges for the crew’s use. Jiang Zhiwan was currently in one of them, with Lisa, the crew’s makeup artist, responsible for her look.

Jiang Zhiwan was naturally beautiful with excellent skin; applying light makeup was merely icing on the cake. A face like this was undoubtedly a favorite for makeup artists—worry-free and effortless. It was no wonder everyone competed to work on her.

Jiang Zhiwan rested with her eyes closed, thinking about the scenes to be presented during the upcoming shoot.

Once the makeup was finished, Lisa signaled for her to open her eyes to check the results, but then several noisy voices came from outside.

The two glanced at each other through the mirror. They didn’t even need to guess to know that Luo Shan was here to intentionally “snatch” someone again.

During the filming period, Luo Shan would pull this stunt every few days, always insisting on the specific artist currently working on Jiang Zhiwan.

Ding Yuanyuan, who was currently assigned to Jiang Zhiwan, naturally put her own artist first. Even though she knew she couldn’t drive this person away, she put on a habitual professional fake smile. “Miss Luo, Teacher Lisa is currently doing my artist’s makeup. How about you look for another stylist first?”

Luo Shan naturally refused. “I want Lisa to do my makeup. No one else has that level of skill.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she walked in within a few steps. Her gaze quickly fell on Jiang Zhiwan’s face.

Came too late. It’s already finished.

Luo Shan gave a light “tsk” internally but didn’t forget to give a provocative smile. “Miss Jiang, it’s no problem if I borrow your makeup artist, right?”

Jiang Zhiwan met her gaze, saw the hidden confrontation within, and merely curled her lips slightly into a polite reply. “Of course.”

This punch, as usual, felt like it hit a bale of cotton.

Luo Shan’s status was somewhat special; she had entered the production with her own funding but hadn’t landed the female lead as she wished. It was understandable that she felt resentful.

In her previous life, Jiang Zhiwan hadn’t paid her much attention. There was no need to lose her composure now just because she had been reborn.

However, this nonsensical Omega had indeed caused her a bit of trouble at the wrap party in her previous life. Recalling certain past events, Jiang Zhiwan’s eyes darkened, feeling the whole thing was absurd and ridiculous.

All the main plotlines of Youth Loves You had been filmed. Only a “stinger” scene intended for after the end credits remained before the official wrap could be announced.

Jiang Zhiwan and the others were here today to record this scene.

Although it was the final shoot, the general director, Deng Aiying, did not relax in the slightest. She remained hands-on, instructing each group to ensure the set arrangements were flawless.

After finishing these tasks, Deng Aiying was watching the previously edited recordings when a staff member told her someone was looking for her.

She habitually pushed up the bridge of her glasses. After looking up to see the visitor, she appeared pleasantly surprised and hurriedly stood up to greet her. “Teacher, why are you here?”

Yu Wan-yu smiled at her prize pupil and answered, “I’ve been very busy lately, but I finally managed to carve out a day. Since this is your first time directing, and it’s the final moment, I thought I should come and see.”

When others heard her say “Teacher,” they immediately realized who this was.

The famous director Yu Wan-yu had dominated the film industry for decades, winning multiple “Golden Director” titles at home and abroad. The students she had cultivated were each more outstanding than the last.

That her teacher could come in person was undoubtedly beyond Deng Aiying’s expectations.

Faced with an impromptu on-site review, Deng Aiying felt as if she had suddenly returned to campus. She habitually stood at Yu Wan-yu’s side and asked respectfully, “What do you think?”

“The script is good, and the overall acting is acceptable. But some of the actors…” Yu Wan-yu found it hard to be too blunt and used a more tactful phrasing. “Their alignment with the original characters seems to be somewhat lacking.”

For instance, Jiang Zhiwan’s grasp of her character’s state was very much on point. But the male Alpha, Jiang Xiaoli, who acted opposite her, appeared much inferior in this regard.

The character Jiang Xiaoli played was a typical rebel, but his most charming trait was actually his fearless, youthful spirit. Jiang Xiaoli acted out the rebellious feeling but unconsciously discarded that youthful spirit, turning it into mere arrogance.

From the audience’s perspective, this difference might not be very obvious, but from a professional standpoint at least from the original author’s view, the character suffered from OOC (Out Of Character) issues.

As for the supporting roles, it was easy to see that Ji Xicheng was playing herself; her image fit well enough. Regarding that Luo Shan, Yu Wan-yu had an impression of her; she had entered the industry through her extremely protective aunt, so one couldn’t demand too much in terms of acting.

A movie made like this would not reach the standards Yu Wan-yu herself desired. However, for Deng Aiying, this was her directorial debut with limited resources and connections. Achieving this final result made her a standout among the new generation of directors.

Believing the future was promising, Yu Wan-yu gave her a few sincere, light compliments.

Deng Aiying felt a bit embarrassed by the praise. Checking the time, she saw it was almost time to start filming this scene and invited her teacher to join them.

Yu Wan-yu had this intention anyway, so she stood up and followed her to the central auditorium. Remembering that she had a character in her next project that might fit Jiang Zhiwan, she planned to take the opportunity to observe her more closely.

The final scene was simple: the new students gathering in the central auditorium for an orientation meeting. To create a realistic atmosphere, the crew had specifically invited many college students to act as extras, asking them to improvise freely.

As for how the final product would look, even the director couldn’t quite predict.

Since the extras weren’t strictly recorded, Ji Xicheng simply pulled Shen Nian over to play a cameo role.

However, because the decision was so last-minute, Shen Nian didn’t have a uniform like the other students. Consequently, she was stopped at the auditorium entrance by someone who looked like a student officer.

Ji Xicheng was about to explain when Shen Nian signaled her not to. Ji Xicheng crossed her arms, wanting to see what trick this Alpha was up to.

Shen Nian leaned against the doorframe, looking like a slacker as she faced the student officer. “During your student days, did you ever see ‘bad’ students?”

The student officer didn’t understand. “I have, why?”

“It seems quite reasonable for a bad student to not wear the required clothes once or twice. And I…” Shen Nian raised an eyebrow and leaned in closer, lowering her voice. “I am that kind of bad student.”

After saying these provocative words, she ignored the other person’s reaction, raised her eyebrows, and walked in with Ji Xicheng.

She had no idea that her improvised performance as an arrogant troublemaker had unintentionally caught someone else’s eye.

Yu Wan-yu felt Shen Nian’s face looked familiar but couldn’t recall the name, so she asked Deng Aiying.

Deng Aiying recognized her. “That’s Shen Nian. She’s not part of the crew; she’s probably here to visit Ji Xicheng.”

“…Shen Nian?” Yu Wan-yu mused. The girl was quite different from her rumored image.

Shen Nian was completely unaware she had made an impression on Director Yu. She was currently sitting in a corner, listening to Ji Xicheng complain about various actors in the crew.

“I’m telling you, that Alpha playing the male lead is so ‘strong.’ If there’s even a speck of dust on his chair, he wipes and wipes it…”

Ji Xicheng rattled on for a long time before concluding, “This lead role would really be better off played by me.”

Shen Nian gave her an unreadable look and exposed her directly. “That’s the real point of everything you just said, isn’t it?”

Ji Xicheng had a mysterious obsession with playing lead roles, yet she was always assigned supporting characters. Wanting what she couldn’t have was heart-breaking for her.

Ji Xicheng gave a light scoff, then raised her eyebrows. “What are you eating? Give me some.”

What was she eating? Crispy, fragrant chocolate beans, of course. Shen Nian had grabbed a bag from home.

Ji Xicheng was tempted to eat some too, but Shen Nian refused to give them to her directly. She insisted on tossing a few with her own hand to see if Ji Xicheng could catch them with her mouth.

Once that cursed Alpha competitive spirit flared up, Ji Xicheng didn’t care about anything else. She actually caught every single one without dropping a single bean.

Just as she was feeling smug, she caught a flash of laughter in Shen Nian’s eyes. She realized instantly and became exasperated. Damn it, this bad Alpha is clearly treating me like a dog!

Ji Xicheng was about to start cursing when she was interrupted solemnly by the other woman. “Shh, don’t talk. The freshman representative is about to start speaking.”

This meant the formal filming had begun. Ji Xicheng actually swallowed her words and looked toward the podium with a serious expression.

Yu Yixi, played by Jiang Zhiwan, calmly began reciting the freshman address. “Respected teachers and students, it is an honor to stand here as the freshman representative…”

Her speech had only just begun when it was interrupted by a sudden, loud “Bang!” from the door.

In the hall, almost everyone’s gaze instinctively moved toward the entrance.

A young Alpha with a crooked tie stood there, coughing pretentiously and apologizing with a tone that lacked any remorse. “Sorry everyone, I’m late…”

When he looked up, his eyes met those of the cold-eyed Omega on stage. After a brief moment of stunned silence, a careless, bright smile blossomed.

This was the first meeting between Yu Yixi and Su Yu.

At that time, neither of them could have imagined that in the days to come, a thousand threads of connection would grow between them, leading them to understand and protect each other while sharing a youthful love.

The recording of this stinger bridged the beginning of the entire drama, proving to be a perfect touch.

Perhaps because the wrap was imminent, the filming proceeded exceptionally smoothly, reaching a “cut” after only one take.

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