Caught in Affairs with Superstar

Chapter 625 - 458: Surprise Premiere Broadcast (Part 2)

Whether he was married or not, the media paid attention to it every year, but no one had ever dug up any real information.

It was all speculation.

Zhou Yun harbored doubts in her heart, of course, she didn’t dare to rashly ask Liang Yuanpu directly, she was merely curious.

The next day the filming continued and finally it was Zhou Yun’s turn.

Compared to "Life", the filming of "Two Tigers" was much more precise. Precision here means that Wen Bing did not let Zhou Yun improvise like she did in "Life"; before Zhou Yun even started acting, Wen Bing already had the desired effect in mind.

For instance, when Zhou Yun stood in front of the counter and pretended to nonchalantly look back at Liang Yuanpu, Wen Bing gave Zhou Yun NG ten times straight, leaving Zhou Yun stunned.

It had been a long time since she was given so many NGs.

Because her performance did not achieve the effect Wen Bing wanted.

Zhou Yun was at a loss; she didn’t know how to act.

Wen Bing, calm and unperturbed, told Zhou Yun, "I want it to be casual, but within that casualness there should be a hint of unconscious sexiness and languor. In reality, you are observing Liang Yuanpu, with a purpose in mind, yet that slight motive absolutely must not be perceived by others."

Zhou Yun thought to herself, "..."

She took a deep breath, exhaled, and started over.

NG.

And then she did it again.

Zhou Yun hadn’t experienced this kind of torment in a long time.

But during the repetitive NGs, she understood why Wen Bing was so demanding about this shot.

Because this was her first appearance in the film, with that glance, Wen Bing hoped she could captivate the audience’s souls with just one look, rather than relying on post-effects.

Zhou Yun retook the scene again and again, adjusting her micro-expressions, regulating her emotions, practicing until the fleeting look achieved the so-called effect of lazy shrewdness, an innocent shrewdness, while still graceful and beautiful.

Makeup had been reapplied seven or eight times already.

By the time Wen Bing called "cut," Zhou Yun didn’t know how she’d gotten through it.

She was called over by Wen Bing to watch the final take she performed.

The moment she turned her head, every strand of her hair exuded a noble, elegant grace and sexiness.

A true once-in-a-lifetime glance.

Zhou Yun shivered.

She bet that even if she tried one more time, she couldn’t produce that same look.

It was completely down to luck and coincidence, irreproducible.

To capture that shot was not Zhou Yun’s own merit, but because Wen Bing knew exactly what he wanted, so he waited for this shot.

Zhou Yun nodded, gave Wen Bing a thumbs up, and said, "Your aesthetic is truly awesome, unparalleled."

Wen Bing broke into a smile.

The time spent filming on set made Zhou Yun feel truly pure.

Zhou Lan understood her very well and didn’t bring her any bothersome matters during her time at the set, virtually moving all her work schedules aside.

During that period, two shows she had previously recorded were aired, and she properly cooperated with the production team for promotion, landing on the trending searches twice.

These were routine maneuvers.

If it hadn’t been for the sudden broadcast of "Dingfengbo," Zhou Yun guessed she would have stayed in the crew until she wrapped up.

"Dingfengbo" set its premiere date, and as Chengqian Film and Television’s flagship production, naturally it required the utmost promotional resources.

Zhou Lan couldn’t block the company’s plans and after some bargaining, ended up scheduling Zhou Yun for two shows to promote "Dingfengbo."

What was frustrating was that the second female lead in this drama was Xu Siyao; Zhou Yun had no choice but to appear on-screen alongside Xu Siyao.

"Dingfengbo" was not a particularly special TV series for Zhou Yun. She hadn’t left a particularly deep impression on herself while filming it; although she had given her all in each performance, there wasn’t a significant breakthrough like her role in "Heart Inquiry" as Liu Rusu, which was etched in her heart.

But this drama was the headlining drama for Chengqian Film and Television, and it was also the key move that He Yong made to save his empire from collapse.

He Yong would not allow this drama to fail, even if it meant buying ratings or trending searches, he had to push it to success.

Not to mention, the drama had two trump cards, Li Ci and Zhou Yun.

On the premiere day, due to the sudden announcement of its release, lacking time for proper promotion, Chengqian Entertainment’s artists were encouraged to promote on social media, making a significant push to inform everyone that this show would be broadcast that night.

Zhou Yun posted a Weibo status, cooperating with the drama’s promotion.

Riding on the momentum of "Heart Inquiry," the main promotional efforts for "Dingfengbo" were focused on Zhou Yun.

Of course, Xu Siyao wouldn’t miss this opportunity. While Zhou Yun was filming on set, Xu Siyao wasn’t, so on that night, she started a live stream to watch the premiere with fans, creating quite a buzz.

The premiere performance was very good, with a rating of 0.8, which was a very commendable figure.

One trending search followed another, besides those bought by the company and broadcasting platform, there were also genuine trending topics.

For example, Li Ci’s acting was cringe-worthy.

Many cine-bloggers said that they hadn’t felt Li Ci’s acting was this lacking before, but set against Zhou Yun and Xu Siyao, he seemed like a soulless puppet, merely reciting lines.

The audience wasn’t too impressed with Li Ci, which angered Li Ci’s fans, who countered everywhere.

They provided plenty of evidence to prove their idol’s acting was excellent.

Similarly, no one expected that the character portrayed by Xu Siyao, the second female lead, received unanimous praise.

Xu Siyao’s character in "Dingfengbo" was Zhou Yun’s rival; in the first two episodes, she was purely a villain, doing many bad deeds, both bitchy and annoying.

But Xu Siyao’s acting was indeed good, bringing out that energy so potently it seemed to seep through the screen, earning an unexpected thumbs-up.

Some even felt Xu Siyao’s intensity more refreshing than Zhang Hua, portrayed by Zhou Yun, who started off rather bland, making people impatient, wondering why she allowed herself to be so easily bullied.

This left Xu Siyao quite pleasantly surprised.