After signing the contract with the film crew, Shen Yao also signed a contract with An Jiu.
With An Jiu, the agent, present, Shen Yao didn't need to worry about anything else. After all, with An Jiu, a top agent, she figured assistants and the like had already been arranged for the two of them.
Today was their first day joining the crew, though filming had already been underway for some time. Because the male and female leads had very demanding schedules, most of the filming during that period was focused on them.
Those scenes didn't require Mo Xuan and Xiao Jun, which was why their joining the crew was delayed.
This was a Xianxia drama adapted from a novel. Both the male and female leads were popular young actors.
They were both of the type currently in high demand. The female lead was a "white, delicate, and kind" beauty, while the male lead was a "pretty boy" type.
Before starring in this drama, they had both appeared in quite a few works with good reputations and decent acting skills.
The novel told the story of a minor celestial maiden in the Immortal Realm. Due to her exceptional beauty, she was chosen to serve in the Immortal Realm's Crown Prince's mansion.
Because of her appearance, the female lead was ostracized and isolated by many of the palace maids. However, even under these circumstances, she maintained her kindness.
Then, during a perilous situation, she encountered the Crown Prince, and over time, the Crown Prince became interested in her.
Later, the female lead found the Demon Lord, the second male lead, severely injured and helped him heal, aided him in evading pursuers, and even helped him recover in the Crown Prince's mansion under everyone's watchful eyes.
The Demon Lord also developed feelings for the female lead and began a series of forceful pursuits, even making deals with the Heavenly Court, all to possess the female lead.
What followed was the typical push and pull seen in television dramas, followed by the female lead sacrificing herself for righteousness...
Shen Yao felt that while the plot wasn't particularly outstanding, the role of Mo Xuan was indeed perfect for him.
What did it mean to play the Demon Lord? Mo Xuan was already the Demon Lord himself!
"Alright, I've brought them here. I should go," Shen Yao said, reaching out to pat Mo Xuan's head. "Act well."
"I will." Mother.
Just as Shen Yao was about to turn and leave, she saw Qin Xu, the assistant director from the crew, arriving with a middle-aged man.
"Director Chen Zhi, Assistant Director Qin Xu." An Jiu greeted them politely after seeing them, which also served as an indirect introduction for Shen Yao and the other two.
"Hello, Director," Xiao Jun and Mo Xuan said quickly, behaving as obediently as primary school students.
Director Chen Zhi nodded and then his gaze immediately fell upon Shen Yao, his eyes filled with delight.
"An Jiu, who are these people?" Director Chen Zhi clearly knew An Jiu and was inquiring about Shen Yao and the other two's relationship with him.
"These two are the male lead and the male third lead for your drama, and they are also artists under my management," An Jiu replied.
Chen Zhi's eyes lit up upon hearing this. Any artist under An Jiu's management was practically a top-tier star.
Were these two about to become future top stars, having just been signed by An Jiu?
"And this lady?" Director Chen Zhi looked at An Jiu and asked.
"This is Mo Xuan's sister. She's accompanying them to the set today and is not an artist under my management." An Jiu knew what Chen Zhi wanted to ask.
"Ah?"
Director Chen Zhi's exclamation was filled with regret, but he still looked hopefully at Shen Yao. "Miss Shen, are you perhaps interested in playing a role? Rest assured, the remuneration will be substantial, and it won't take up too much of your time."
Upon hearing that they wanted her to act, Shen Yao quickly refused, "I'm very sorry, but I have no intention of becoming an actress."
Hearing Shen Yao's refusal, Director Chen Zhi was not discouraged and began to persuade her.
"Don't rush to refuse. Listen to the role I have in mind first."
It turned out that in this adapted novel, there was a character who was like a "white moonlight" – the most beautiful woman in the Immortal Realm, Luo Sang, who only appeared in a few chapters. She was also the male lead's mother in the story.
Although Luo Sang's appearances were infrequent, she single-handedly caused a century-long war between the Immortal and Demon Realms.
This was because Luo Sang had fallen in love with the previous Demon Lord, but the ruler of the Immortal Realm also fell in love with Luo Sang and wished to marry her.
Ultimately, because the Immortal Lord threatened Luo Sang's clan, Luo Sang was forced to submit to him.
The Demon Lord and Luo Sang were already in love, and how could the Demon Lord bear this?
As the saying goes, the revenge for a stolen wife is irreconcilable, and thus began the long war between the two races.
Luo Sang, however, was labeled a "femme fatale" by both sides because she caused countless casualties.
Eventually, Luo Sang became despondent due to this and, to atone for her "mistakes," jumped off the Zhuxiantai, her spirit and form utterly destroyed.
But what was Luo Sang's real fault? Was it simply because she was beautiful?
Shen Yao was aghast after hearing the introduction.
Mo Xuan, however, looked at Shen Yao with worry. Although he knew it was just a story, what if this story had actually happened?
After a while, just as Chen Zhi thought Shen Yao would waver, he heard Shen Yao say, "Still no, thank you for your kindness, Director Chen."
At this point, Chen Zhi understood that no matter how much he said, Shen Yao was still unwilling to act. He could only shake his head in disappointment. "Alright, I'll go look elsewhere. I apologize for the intrusion."
Shen Yao nodded slightly, indicating that she didn't mind, and then left with the car keys.
"Mo Xuan, why doesn't Auntie want to play Luo Sang? She's the number one beauty in the Immortal Realm. If Auntie played her, she'd definitely outshine everyone," Xiao Jun said, somewhat confused.
After all, in his opinion, only his Auntie was worthy of the title "number one beauty in the Immortal Realm."
"Don't mention this matter in front of Mother or Sister, understand!" Mo Xuan stared at Xiao Jun, his tone very serious.
Frightened, Xiao Jun quickly covered his mouth, promising he would never bring it up again.
Then, the two of them followed Director Chen Zhi directly to the filming location.
Shen Yao drove away from the filming location and only stopped her car in the suburbs. After locking the car door, she leaned back in the reclined seat.
Shen Yao's thoughts began to drift, as if falling into a dream. The events in the dream felt as if they had happened just yesterday.
After a long time, Shen Yao's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden ringtone. It was Xia Zhao.
"Hello."
"Yaoyao? Are you still in Kyoto?" Xia Zhao's voice came from the other end of the phone.
"Yes, what's wrong? Is something happening?" She had been in Kyoto for several days already. She had visited Huanyan just two days ago.
"It's like this, there's a party tonight. I don't know how they heard you were back in Kyoto, but they've all been calling me to invite you to a class reunion." Xia Zhao said helplessly.