Pregnant with the Alpha Best Actress's Child - Chapter 20.1

Soon, the pre-production phase concluded, and Lin Jiahe brought Sang Zhijiu into the cast to begin official filming.

Among the crew, besides Fan Wu’s team whom Sang Zhijiu already knew, there were two familiar faces: Fu Xinyan and Zhan Yuerou, both of whom had competed with her for the Omega lead. Although Fu Xinyan had lost the lead, her skills were solid. Liang Shuang gave her a likable supporting role as Chen Yue’s best friend. Like Chen Yue, the friend was a “good girl” who played the piano and had won national awards. However, she was utterly bewildered by Chen Yue’s rebellion into the underground band scene and tried to dissuade her multiple times, serving as a foil to the protagonist.

Zhan Yuerou’s role was even smaller. She played a minor member of the underground band who harbored a crush on Mu Yining (played by Fan Wu). She clashed with Chen Yue early on but was quickly kicked out of the band, leaving her with very little screen time. When she wasn’t filming those scenes, Zhan Yuerou worked as a regular background extra, playing either a student on campus or a patron at the bar.

Since they had met before, Sang Zhijiu took the initiative to greet them when they crossed paths on set. Fu Xinyan seemed a bit shy and was called away by her manager after a brief exchange. Zhan Yuerou, however, was much more familiar. Upon seeing Sang Zhijiu, she waved enthusiastically and ran over to chat. Seeing her associate with Sang Zhijiu, other minor actors on set cast envious glances.

Leaning close to Sang Zhijiu, Zhan Yuerou gazed toward the director’s team in the distance. “Sister Fan Wu is also acting as the director this time, right? She’s so serious.”

Any topic involving “Fan Wu” hit Sang Zhijiu’s sore spot. She gave a non-committal “mm” and added, “At least she puts on a good show of it.”

Zhan Yuerou glanced at her and suddenly asked, “Senior, um, do you know anything about Sister Fan Wu’s relationship status? Is she… still single?”

Sang Zhijiu frowned warily, then replied with some confusion, “I don’t know. Doesn’t the internet say she’s single?”

Zhan Yuerou pouted, looking dissatisfied. “Online news is so messy; no one can be sure if it’s true. Aren’t you and Sister Fan Wu from the same company? Don’t you know her real relationship status?”

Sang Zhijiu offered an awkward but polite smile. “I’m not sure. In Nanlu, we are just colleagues; we don’t pry into others’ private information.”

In truth, even if Sang Zhijiu knew, she wouldn’t leak such important information. Fan Wu’s relationship status? That was the kind of gossip that would trend for rounds the moment it changed! However, this exchange made Sang Zhijiu wary of the seemingly harmless Omega girl. Was Zhan Yuerou a part-time member of the paparazzi? Or did she simply want to pursue Fan Wu? Either way, it was enough to make Sang Zhijiu shudder.

Using the excuse that the “makeup artist is waiting,” Sang Zhijiu bid Zhan Yuerou farewell and left. Zhan Yuerou likely realized she had been too impatient and shouldn’t have asked such things after only two meetings. She nodded politely and watched Sang Zhijiu leave before returning to her own rest area.

Half an hour later, Sang Zhijiu finished her makeup and began waiting for her scenes. A novice stagehand came to deliver notices, peeking around the door of Sang Zhijiu’s lounge. Only when their eyes met did she smile brightly and walk in, looking a bit shy.

“Is it time to film?” Lin Jiahe asked, looking at her.

Fan Yu quickly cleared her throat. “Yes, filming starts in twenty minutes. The director sent me to check on the situation.”

Lin Jiahe sized her up. “We’re ready here. We can head over anytime.”

Fan Yu nodded, fiddled with her phone for a moment, then looked up. “Um, let’s head over in ten minutes instead!”

Lin Jiahe nodded. If Fan Yu weren’t wearing the official staff badge, Lin Jiahe would have suspected she was a fan who had snuck in; since entering the room, her eyes had been glued to Sang Zhijiu. Fan Yu, currently blocked by Lin Jiahe, was worrying about how to strike up a conversation.

Attracted by the girl’s gaze, Sang Zhijiu looked at her and suddenly asked, “Have we… met before?”

Fan Yu’s eyes lit up, and she nodded vigorously. “Half a month ago, at your fan meeting in the neighboring city! We met there!”

Sang Zhijiu thought hard, then had an epiphany. “Ah… yes, I remember.”

With that, Fan Yu finally managed to bypass Lin Jiahe and move to Sang Zhijiu’s side. “Jiujiu, you even signed for me then! I didn’t expect you to remember me.”

Sang Zhijiu smiled. “You looked familiar from the moment you walked in. I remembered as soon as you said it.”

Fan Yu’s eyes were practically sparkling with tiny stars of adoration. “Jiujiu! You’re so nice!”

“Are you… a stagehand here?” Sang Zhijiu asked. “You still look like a student.”

“Just graduated!” Fan Yu answered everything without hesitation. “I majored in directing, but I don’t have enough experience to be a director yet, so I started as a stagehand to get familiar with set work.”

Sang Zhijiu nodded. “I see.” Facing her little fan, she encouraged her, “You can learn a lot as a stagehand, but it’s hard work. Keep it up.”

Fan Yu’s face turned red with excitement. “Thank you! I will!”

Lin Jiahe, unable to watch any longer, stepped in to interrupt. “It’s about time. Let’s head over. Arriving a bit early will give you time to adapt to the set.”

Sang Zhijiu stood up. “Alright.”

Lin Jiahe looked at Fan Yu. “Little girl, please lead the way.”

Fan Yu nodded with high spirits. “Yes! Follow me!” She adjusted her hat and took the lead.

After bringing them to the designated spot, Fan Yu went to report back to Fan Wu. Seeing that it was her sister who had brought them, Fan Wu asked, “Why are you the one handling the hand-off with them?”

Fan Yu raised her chin. “I’m a stagehand. This is a normal work assignment!”

Fan Wu wanted to say more, but she was too busy. After a brief acknowledgment, she let it go, watching Fan Yu play her role as a little fan to the fullest, sticking close to Sang Zhijiu during breaks.

After a few days, Sang Zhijiu, who was initially uncomfortable with Fan Yu’s intense enthusiasm, began to treat her as a regular friend as they grew closer. To avoid being judged by other crew members, Fan Yu did not reveal her relationship to Fan Wu. Her badge used her English name, and she only asked Sang Zhijiu to call her “Xiaoyu.”

Fan Wu saw right through her sister’s intentions. She figured Xiaoyu was planning to get closer to Sang Zhijiu before asking whether she preferred Alphas or Omegas. If there were no hard restrictions, she’d likely start her pursuit. For the first few days, Fan Wu was too busy with the start of filming, but now that the set was running smoothly, she finally had the chance to monitor her sister’s progress.

During lunch break that day, she saw Fan Yu carrying her lunch box and happily following Sang Zhijiu to the actors’ lounge to eat together. Alarm bells rang in Fan Wu’s mind.

Coincidentally, Sang Zhijiu couldn’t find the right “state” for an important conflict scene that afternoon, leading to constant NGs. Fan Wu skipped that part of the plot and planned to run the lines with Sang Zhijiu privately that night.

Though Sang Zhijiu still disliked Fan Wu, she remembered the film’s importance. She was already feeling frustrated, so when she heard Fan Wu was willing to sacrifice her own time to coach her, she felt grateful, and her opinion of Fan Wu improved slightly. Consequently, she didn’t take the car home that day; instead, she had dinner on set and prepared to find Fan Wu later.

Lin Jiahe brought her a lunch box, but Sang Zhijiu took one look at it and felt a wave of nausea. She pushed it aside. “What’s wrong?” Lin Jiahe asked.

“I don’t want to eat,” Sang Zhijiu said, propping her chin on her hands.

Lin Jiahe looked at the dishes; though plain, they didn’t include anything Sang Zhijiu hated. “Still thinking about this afternoon? Don’t worry, Sister Fan Wu said she’d coach you. Eat well now so you can focus later.”

Because of her poor performance, Sang Zhijiu was indeed depressed. She mumbled an excuse, “It’s hot, I have no appetite. I’ll just eat some fruit.”

Lin Jiahe was helpless. “Meal times on set are already irregular. Your stomach will have problems if this keeps up.”

Sang Zhijiu used a fork to put a small piece of apple in her mouth, wrinkling her nose as she argued, “Didn’t you eat like this when you were dieting? Don’t lecture me.” Lin Jiahe puffed her cheeks, knowing she had no right to talk, and focused on her own meal.

Due to Fan Wu’s other arrangements, two hours passed after dinner before their scheduled time. Carrying her script, Sang Zhijiu walked lightly to Fan Wu’s room and knocked. Fan Wu opened the door quickly.

They sat on the sofa and read through the script several times. Fan Wu frowned. She had found the root of the problem. “Your attitude toward Mu Yining is strange. It doesn’t look like you love her or want to be with her; it looks more like you treat her as a rare friend or an idol. The feeling of admiration is there, but there’s almost no romantic love.”

Sang Zhijiu realized it but then frowned. “I… I’m trying very hard to like Mu Yining… but the result doesn’t seem good.”

Fan Wu was silent for a moment. With a bit of personal motive, she asked, “A personal question: do you currently like Alphas or Omegas?”

Sang Zhijiu was stunned. When she was a Beta, she naturally liked Omegas. But now that she was an Omega, continuing to like Omegas… seemed inappropriate. Two Omegas being together would involve a lot of suffering due to pheromone issues. But the reality was that Sang Zhijiu hadn’t shifted her orientation yet. After a few seconds of silence, she sighed. “It seems I still have a better impression of Omegas.”

Fan Wu’s heart skipped a beat. But she maintained a serious facade. “That’s it then; that’s likely the root cause. In your eyes, an Alpha cannot be your partner. You view Alphas as friends or even a gender you need to compete with. In this case, how can you show Chen Yue’s love for Mu Yining?”

Sang Zhijiu bit her finger nervously. For the first few days, they had filmed simple scenes, so this issue hadn’t been exposed. But now that they hit a real hurdle, she realized there would be a massive flaw in her characterization for a long time. This role was her ticket to choosing her own career path!

“What should I do then?” Sang Zhijiu asked, looking at Fan Wu. “Is there a solution?”

Fan Wu wasn’t like Sang Zhijiu’s acting coaches; her theoretical knowledge couldn’t compare, but she had practical experience they lacked. In this emergency, theory wouldn’t catch up in time; the solution had to rely on practical experience.

Fan Wu rubbed the bridge of her nose. Truthfully, this was a headache for her too. Even ignoring her personal concerns regarding Fan Yu, purely for the sake of the film, she had to solve this. Sang Zhijiu knew she was underperforming and stayed quiet.

After a while, Fan Wu looked up. “The only way is to try and change starting now. Actually, you’ve grasped Chen Yue quite well—her unique pride, her curiosity about a free life… Now, you just need to fill in her love for Mu Yining, and you’ll be set.”

Sang Zhijiu nodded like a chick pecking at grain.

Fan Wu wanted to laugh but kept a straight face. “But this aspect happens to go against your nature. You need to start trying to deceive… or rather, convince yourself. You must believe that you can be moved by an Alpha and that you truly love the character Mu Yining. It can’t be you saying you love her while secretly competing with her in your eyes.”

Sang Zhijiu nodded thoughtfully. She had long ago prepared herself to set aside all prejudice against Fan Wu for the sake of this film. Fan Wu’s suggestion was similar to the “Immersive Acting” she had studied. She found it very reasonable but also felt immense pressure. She was someone who couldn’t hide her feelings; her thoughts were written on her face.

Fan Wu saw right through her and gave detailed advice: “You usually take a car back to central Y City at night, right? Stay with the crew for these few days. I’ll clear as much time as possible to run lines with you. You can follow me around when you’re free and find inspiration from me.”

Sang Zhijiu breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay!” Looking at Fan Wu, she said sincerely, “Sister Fan Wu… thank you.”

Fan Wu raised an eyebrow. It had been a long time since Sang Zhijiu addressed her that way. Her hand felt an itch, and she couldn’t help reaching out to rub the top of the other’s head. In the script, Mu Yining initially shows disdain for Chen Yue, calling her “Kid” instead of her name.

With the atmosphere being just right, Fan Wu instinctively blurted out, “Kid.”

Sang Zhijiu froze, and a faint blush appeared on her cheeks. She didn’t know if it was because they were alone in the room, but when Fan Wu called her that on set in character, she only felt anger. Right now, however, she wasn’t angry at all; instead, she felt a trace of shyness and secret joy.

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