Spring Night of Misty Rain - Chapter 15

With Qin Zhiyue leading the charge and the entire production crew adding momentum, Shen Zeyu was effectively shoved into the directing and editing team, officially joining their “pirate ship.”

The trio had collaborated for years and shared a perfect rapport. Tasks that would take an ordinary crew a month to complete were settled by them in just three days. Through this frantic pace, they finally managed to complete all pre-production preparations before the end of May.

On May 18th, armed with their filming permit, the crew officially commenced filming at the bustling Jinwu Pier.

During the opening ceremony, Xu Luosu led the group in holding three sticks of tall incense, bowing to the Gods of Wealth from all five directions and to the spirits of Heaven, Earth, and Man, praying for a smooth production.

Once the incense was offered, the unit photographer called out to everyone, “Come on, come on! Teacher Tang, Director Qin, Teacher Liang, Miss Xu… squeeze in, everyone… let’s get a group photo!”

The moment she heard “group photo,” Shen Zeyu, who had been standing in the crowd, turned to bolt.

She had never liked being in front of the camera. In the past, she would escape such activities whenever possible.

Fleeing alongside her was Wang Po, a fellow introvert. The “Little Nezha” ran incredibly fast; the moment the photographer spoke, she shouldered her camera and vanished into the crowd.

Shen Zeyu was a step slower. Just as she lifted her leg to run, someone grabbed her. “Senior Sister…”

Shen Zeyu turned around, looking at Xu Luosu with an expression of pure horror. Xu Luosu gazed back at her, her dark eyes reflecting a quiet plea. “It’s our first collaboration. Please, take a photo with us.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t post your picture on the internet.”

Before Shen Zeyu could argue, Tang Qingyue, standing beside Xu Luosu, chimed in. “That’s right, Teacher Jin Ze, let’s take a photo.”

“Exactly, A-Ze, don’t be so stingy,” Meng Fei added. A group of staff members looked at her with puppy-dog eyes.

Shen Zeyu had no choice but to compromise. “Alright.”

She let out a sigh and stood beside Xu Luosu with an air of resignation.

Once everyone was in position, the photographer raised the camera and counted down: “Three… two… one…”

Everyone flashed a smile. Shen Zeyu smiled too, slightly curving her lips and doing her best to ensure her expression didn’t look like she was at a funeral.

Right then, the hand hanging at her side was suddenly grasped. A wave of warmth traveled through her palm. Shen Zeyu felt like a cat whose tail had been stepped on; every pore on her body seemed to prickle. She turned her head in shock, staring at Xu Luosu with wide, stunned eyes.

The photographer shouted, “Eggplant!” (The Chinese equivalent of “Cheese!”)

Xu Luosu curled her lips into a smile and joined the chorus: “Eggplant!”

With several clicks of the camera, the low-profile opening ceremony came to an end.

On that very same day, the production of Night’s End, Dawn’s Beginning suddenly trended on Weibo, announcing its official start to the world.

As the most popular fantasy-romance work on a major female-oriented novel site last year, it naturally sparked massive discussion. Clicking into the hashtag “#Night’s End, Dawn’s Beginning Opening Ceremony#” revealed a scene of chaotic excitement.

“The male lead really is Zhang Tianyi! The wicked and wild Little Night King, the suave Zhang Tianyi!”

Zhang Tianyi was a rising star who had dominated the historical idol drama scene with his “beauty” in recent years, boasting a massive fan base. In terms of status, he was a perfect match for this drama.

The female lead, however, was a surprise.

“Weren’t the rumors saying it was Tang Qingyue? Why is it Chen Xiaolou? In the original novel, the female lead is a compassionate saint; can Chen Xiaolou pull that off?”

Chen Xiaolou was an actress from the same period as Tang Qingyue. Her type-casting was similar, but her acting was far less nuanced. She played every role using the same template and lacked the depth to carry a complex character.

The original female lead was a multi-layered person—a goddess who had to save the world while also saving the male lead, the ultimate villain boss. It required a wide range of acting skills.

Fans of the original novel, who had expected Tang Qingyue, were so livid they flooded the comment section with vitriol.

Fortunately, the directing and editing team was solid.

The production was backed by Xinghai and Jintian, both financial powerhouses. The director, Wen Tian, was excellent; many hit roles in recent years had been crafted by her hand. Coupled with the screenwriter Lin Pei, who had worked with her for three years and produced two high-quality works, the public’s confidence gradually returned despite the initial backlash.

People began to harbor a sense of cautious optimism, comforting themselves on forums: “With Wen Tian holding the fort, even if Lin Pei is a bit average, she won’t completely ruin it.”

“If Chen Xiaolou isn’t good enough, just edit her scenes down. Please, I’m fine with just watching the male lead.”

Many echoed this sentiment.

Seeing these comments, Xia Sijue, a veteran former fangirl, began typing furiously on her phone: “With the terrible taste of Jintian and Xinghai, you can’t throw enough money at them to make anything worth watching! Wen Tian holding the fort? My foot! Her cinematography in Zhetian was like garbage!”

“And what kind of dialogue is Lin Pei writing? Half-literary, half-modern—it looks completely uncultured!”

“And that Zhang Tianyi—his face is whiter than a geisha’s. He’s just a pretty boy; how could he ever play ‘wicked and wild’ properly?”

“Don’t even get me started on Chen Xiaolou! Her acting is so bad that no one can save her. Anyone watching her will go blind!”

Xia Sijue had no filter; she attacked everyone equally.

Unsurprisingly, her comments drew a swarm of angry replies.

Since she had nothing better to do, she sat on the beach sipping watermelon juice and working on her tan while instigating online wars.

Mid-argument, someone interjected: “Actually… if it were possible, I think SQC (Shang Qiuchi) would be quite suitable…”

“Me too…”

“Me too…”

“Waaaah, my beautiful, muddled ex-wife…”

The moment Xia Sijue saw those three letters, she exploded!

As a former “big fan” of Shang Qiuchi, she felt nothing but resentment whenever she thought of that woman!

How could anyone be so foolish? To throw away a brilliant future just to marry that old dog Jin Yue!

She hated it!

Xia Sijue gritted her teeth in anger: “Why bring up that woman who lacks all public virtue! She’s married into a wealthy family to raise kids; she won’t be acting for us commoners anymore!”

She was fuming, typing away at her phone.

Yet, as the conversation continued, someone dropped a photo into the chat: “Look, are these Qin Zhiyue, Meng Fei, and Tang Qingyue? Is Tang Qingyue filming a movie?”

Xia Sijue immediately spotted Xu Luosu in the corner of the crowd. She sprang up like a startled fish and dialed Xu Luosu’s number, which was saved under “Eldest Sister-in-law’s Younger Sister.”

Xia Sijue was Xia Siqi’s younger sister. Even within their circle, few knew that Xia Siqi was the girlfriend of Xu Qingyue, the eldest daughter of the Xu family in Nanjiang.

The two families were on good terms, and Xia Sijue and Xu Luosu were childhood friends. However, as they grew up, their interests diverged, and they hadn’t remained very close.

The phone rang a few times before it was finally answered. A voice she hadn’t heard in a long time came through: “Hello? Sijue, why are you calling?”

On the other end of the line, Xu Luosu glanced at the filming in progress. She took a small sip of water from the bottle her assistant handed her and explained softly, “It’s not what you think. I organized a production and invited them to film it.”

Xia Sijue’s eyes widened, and her voice grew excited: “You’ve finally made it on your own!” Heavens, her serious and strict sister-in-law had actually allowed her younger sister to go out and start her own business!

Xu Luosu looked up toward Shen Zeyu, who was not far away.

Under the scorching sun, Shen Zeyu wore a thin, black silk long-sleeved shirt and a pair of rimless tawny sunglasses. She sat behind the camera with a solemn expression.

Xu Luosu smiled and replied, “You could say that.”

Xia Sijue was overjoyed. “Wait right there! I’m going to send you a little gift to liven things up!”