The buyer was from the Quan family, the foremost of the four great families in the New District. Chu Rong had a strong feeling that something more was hidden behind this matter.
"Twenty million. I'm not buying your mission failure, but your success. Send the information to her, but downplay the important details," Chu Rong said. If Nightingale failed, the other party would definitely post another commission. It was better to nip it in the bud.
Nightingale simply took the money and did as instructed. "Understood," she said before hanging up.
Chu Rong pondered for a moment, then decided to call Quan Jiu.
Quan Jiu had just entered the film set and was about to put away her phone when it rang.
She hesitated. In fact, ever since her misstep at Shujing last time, she had been deliberately avoiding Chu Rong, leaving early in the morning and returning to her room to work after dinner, having almost no interaction with him.
Grandpa Chu usually slept early, so he didn't notice anything amiss between them. Chen Ma and Old Li certainly wouldn't mention it, so during this period, they lived together like strangers under the same roof.
The phone continued to ring. After much deliberation, Quan Jiu considered that the call at this hour must be for something important, so she answered it.
"Where are you?" Chu Rong asked immediately, his voice betraying his worry.
From yesterday to today, Quan Jiu had been pushed into this situation almost by force. Moreover, her relationship with Chu Rong was unclear, so she hadn't informed him of what she was doing.
"Talking to the director about script collaboration. What's wrong?"
"Is there someone named Liu Zhixi by your side?" Chu Rong asked directly.
Quan Jiu's brow furrowed slightly. "How did you know?" Was he tracking her again?
"She posted a commission on the dark web in the New District, offering ten million to find out your identity and background. Don't clash with her for now. I'll explain everything to you in detail when you get back."
Liu Zhixi. Quan Jiu recalled Liu Zhixi's attitude towards her that morning. She could sense that while the woman was outwardly amiable, she inwardly disliked her.
"Okay."
After hanging up, Quan Jiu went to the filming location. Although she was forced into this, she wouldn't be perfunctory.
Guo Wen saw the two women standing side by side, his satisfaction tinged with a hint of worry. Quan Jiu's aura was indeed good, perhaps too good. While Liu Zhixi was a perfect lead actress on her own, standing next to Quan Jiu, they were like pebbles and jade, the difference was too vast.
Xia Wei also noticed the problem and quietly said to Guo Wen, "Director Guo, when these two stand together, it's just not the same."
If this were broadcast, wouldn't Liu Zhixi's hundreds of millions of fans curse them to hell?
"I've already asked the stylist to redesign the female lead's costumes and styling." If natural talent was insufficient, nurture would compensate.
The assistant director was less optimistic. "After all, she's an outsider with no acting experience. No matter how good her image is, it'll be difficult to manage."
"To put it bluntly, it's that the current second female lead's image fits perfectly, while the first female lead's image is a bit forced," Guo Wen spoke the plain truth. He then walked up to Quan Jiu and Liu Zhixi, holding the script to explain the scene to them.
"This is the scene of your first meeting. Fantian meets the true deity, Luo He. First, she is shocked and disbelieving, because she never imagined that deities truly existed in this world. Then, she begins to scold, because the deity allows her people to struggle in dire straits. Finally, she must beg the deity to save her people. This part is very important. Even when she begs, her demeanor and attitude should be arrogant. She is an empress, don't forget her identity."
Liu Zhixi said with confidence, "Don't worry, Director. I understand. You should explain Quan Jiu's part to her. After all, she doesn't have many lines and relies entirely on expressions. She's an outsider, so it might be a bit difficult."
Guo Wen then said to Quan Jiu, "You are a celestial maiden. You are noble, compassionate, and merciful, but you adhere strictly to the rules of heaven and earth. You don't have many lines; it's mainly about your expressions. Since you haven't acted before, I won't say too much to you. Just perform according to your own understanding. The more I say, the more confused you'll become."
Quan Jiu nodded slightly. "Okay, Director."
"Then you two can rehearse and prepare," Guo Wen said, then went to arrange the camera positions.
The other staff members, who were temporarily free, began to discuss in hushed tones.
"I suspect we'll have to replace the second female lead tomorrow. Look at the expressions of the assistant director and the producer. It's clear that the current second female lead has overshadowed Liu Zhixi. The second female lead has a significant role. Even if it were anyone else, this is Liu Zhixi, a super A-list star. If her spotlight is stolen, we'll definitely be cursed to oblivion."
"But look at Director Guo's attitude. He's clearly very satisfied with the choice for the second female lead. You know Director Guo's personality."
"However, the second female lead is an outsider. I heard she's a screenwriter. A screenwriter acting? Isn't that laughable? If her acting is awkward later, Director Guo will probably consider replacing her."
"Actually, I think after rehearsing, Liu Zhixi might not lose in terms of aura. Because Liu Zhixi has acting skills. No matter how beautiful a wooden beauty is, she's still a piece of wood. It all comes down to acting."
"That's true."
The staff chattered and debated incessantly. On set, Liu Zhixi enthusiastically said to Quan Jiu, "If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me. Have you analyzed Luo He's character?"
Quan Jiu gave an awkward smile. "I haven't looked at it carefully. I only got the script yesterday. It's pretty much what the director just said."
Liu Zhixi snorted inwardly. As expected, she's an outsider. It makes sense. I'm an award-winning actress; beating an amateur is a piece of cake.
You blind ants, I'll show you what absolute domination is later.
Guo Wen had already adjusted the camera positions. Seeing that the time was almost up, he asked the staff to hoist Quan Jiu up with wires. After the wires were secured, he asked, "You're not afraid of heights, right?"
Quan Jiu was numb to Director Guo's "act first, report later" approach. She nodded. "It's okay."
Director Guo sat in his position with the walkie-talkie and announced, "All cameras ready, actors in position... action."
Liu Zhixi, clad in armor and holding a long spear, thrust it angrily into the ground and shouted to the heavens, "Come out! If you truly exist, come out and see this world, see these suffering people. If you truly have compassion, grant me the strength to kill all the enemy soldiers. Deity, come out!"
At that moment, as everyone's gaze shifted, a graceful white silhouette descended from the sky to the ground. Her exquisite beauty truly lived up to the saying: a sight only found in heaven, rarely heard of on earth.
Quan Jiu's face held a smile, her eyes gentle and benevolent, her voice melodious and pleasant. "Everyone has their own destiny. Even heaven cannot control human fate. Since you are the human emperor, you should know that the most inviolable thing in this world is human life."
"Bah! I don't believe it! Are all these people deserving of their fate? Did they all bring their suffering upon themselves? Since you exist, yet cannot save them from their plight, what is the meaning of your existence?" Liu Zhixi confronted her with burning anger.
Quan Jiu remained unmoved, like a secluded orchid standing firm in the eye of a storm, an invisible yet powerful force radiating from within...
The Luo He from the script had truly come alive, standing before everyone. At this moment, everyone seemed to see a deity from heaven. She was powerful yet gentle, noble yet compassionate, loving yet not promiscuous.
The staff off-camera were mesmerized, and even Guo Wen forgot to call cut. Only after a moment did he snap back to reality, shouting "Cut!" and then excitedly stood up, yelling to his assistant, "The contract! The second female lead's contract! Hurry and get it for her to sign, don't let her get away!"