Jiang BaiYan recently acted in a family drama, which was about a remarried family with divorced parents, each bringing a child. The stepfather, stepmother, stepbrother and stepsister needed to adapt to live together.
The agent didn't look favorably upon this drama at first, and inclined to another grand costume drama instead.
But Jiang BaiYan rejected it.
Firstly, the other party offered a second male lead role, which was fine, but the character was somewhat lovestruck, without much personal charm. Secondly, he was still young. His future acting paths would only become wider, so consolidating his acting skills was most important.
The big agent had many artists under him, not just him alone. If Jiang didn't want the role, there were others who did. He then recommended another male artist for it, warning him, "Don't regret it."
But Jiang BaiYan just laughed. "I know Sister Chen won't ignore me."
"You little flatterer," the big agent scolded, but still helped negotiate the family drama for him.
They spread the news, and the fundraising for that drama suddenly improved. The director also used his connections, inviting two middle-aged actors with high national popularity to play the parents.
They were almost fifty years old. The scripts they were offered were mostly parent roles, with highly similar characters, shuffled between pushy parents and greedy in-laws.
Compared to those, this family drama was half a lead role with a full, rich character. So they were willing to take it too.
The little sister role went to Cai Tonger.
Jiang BaiYan was a bit stunned at the time. What was this lady, who could get in without even an audition, doing by taking this role? Sister Chen made some inquiries, and found out her original role had been stolen by someone else, leaving her schedule open.
Her company thought it over, and realized this was a perfect chance to hype up a CP! They spread news of the male and female lead, built up anticipation, then switched it to stepsiblings - keeping the hype but avoiding risks.
Cai Tonger was very satisfied too.
She wasn't great at acting. She looked good in costume dramas, but was always criticized for poor skills. Playing a girl her age was natural for her, so it probably wouldn't be an issue.
Then they could praise her acting improvements in the press release - perfect!
As for the director...sigh, these days, when faced with a little princess who brought her own funding, few could insist on their ideals. They'd just have to make do, even if Cai Tonger was at best a topic-popular little flower who relied on her pretty face.
Behind the scenes, Sister Chen grumbled a few complaints, but this was common in the industry. What could they do?
So shooting started.
Family dramas didn't have many outdoor scenes, mostly shooting in the studio. Progress moved forward steadily day by day, everything normal. Until half a month ago.
That day was Cai Tonger's birthday. Her fans sent many gifts and a big cake over. Everyone from the crew came to celebrate, and they ate the cake together.
For lively events like this, Jiang BaiYan had to participate, even if he didn't want to. He had no parents or big shots backing him. To get ahead, he had to get along with others. How could he afford to be temperamental? So he happily congratulated her as well.
But the next day after filming, when he returned to his hotel room, he saw a few blood-red words on the mirror.
Don't talk to her.
Sister Chen sucked in a breath of cold air in fright. Her assistant bravely went to touch it, and relaxed. It was just paint.
This could potentially become a big issue, but it could also be small. Sister Chen calmed down and quietly checked the surveillance footage herself. But the cameras were broken and she couldn't find anything. She just switched hotel rooms and considered it handled.
A few days later, they started the pivotal scenes between the stepsiblings. This was the emotional climax of the whole drama. The director took it very seriously and urged Jiang BaiYan early on to rehearse more with Cai Tonger.
Jiang BaiYan's face immediately soured.
Cai Tonger could sing and dance her way through scenes, but had no talent for acting. She could luck her way through cheerful, lively scenes, but knelt at inner emotional conflicts.
She knew it herself. Before Jiang BaiYan could make an excuse, she kept thanking him as she shoved the rehearsals on him.
He could only agree.
After rehearsing, his coffee tasted strange the next day.
Jiang BaiYan kept his cool and handed it to Sister Chen for testing. The result was that detergent had been added.
In the middle of the night, a slip of paper was slid under his door.
You will regret it.
Now Sister Chen could no longer stay calm. "We have to get to the bottom of this."
Jiang BaiYan looked at her, silent.
Sure enough, Sister Chen called the big agent, but was told not to make a fuss: "If this gets out, it doesn't look good for the crew. It would also damage relationships over there."
When Jiang BaiYan ran into trouble, fans would blame the crew for sure. That was understandable since it was the crew's job to keep intruders out.
But it involved Cai Tonger now. If handled poorly, this could blow up.
Sister Chen was frustrated, but Jiang BaiYan said, "I understand. I'll handle it myself."
Then he called Jian Jing directly to ask for her help.
Sister Chen didn't expect him to make this move and grew suspicious. "Why ask Teacher Jian over?"
"The Demon's crew is right next door." Jiang BaiYan said. "If she drops by to chat, no one will be suspicious."
Sister Chen stared at him. "That's it? You should know the company doesn't want you to have romantic issues right now."
Male artists relied on female fans for their career. Moreover, Jiang BaiYan was young. Dating would undoubtedly be career suicide. Not only would fans be upset, but the company would likely freeze him out afterwards too.
Jiang BaiYan nodded. "I know."
"So why Teacher Jian?" Sister Chen didn't understand.
"Because she's amazing." Jiang BaiYan's eyes curved into crescents, his dancing fingers sending a message.
[Jing Jing, please come save me!]
*
Jian Jing knew Jiang BaiYan's crew was near the Demon Doctor's. She gave Director Huang a call, greeted him, and said she had finished the second book. Hearing shooting was underway, she asked if she could visit and observe, since she had never seen the filming of a TV drama before.
"I'd love to learn more." She said.
Director Huang had worked well with her, though he worried she would nitpick. Still he agreed, "Of course, you're welcome anytime."
So Jian Jing informed Kang MuCheng she was heading to set.
These days, filming was either at dedicated studios or soundstages. Demon Doctor was no different, mostly indoor scenes, so they chose a studio.
It was Jian Jing's first time visiting a crew and she saw many new sights.
Studios were all in the outskirts, converted from large factories. But reporters and fans always camped outside the gates, waiting to catch stars coming and going, snapping a few shots.
Jian Jing had just gotten out of the car when someone came over, "Which crew are you visiting?"
"How did you know I was visiting crew?" She asked, puzzled.
The person said, "One look is enough."
Then a smoking uncle leaned out of a car window, scrutinizing her before breaking into a smile. "I know, you're here for the Demon Doctor crew."
Jian Jing raised her brows. "You recognize me?"
"You're Teacher Jian." The middle-aged uncle smiled, sounding rather proud. "I recognize all the publicly known faces in the industry. Teacher Jian is quite popular recently, of course I'd recognize you."
Jian Jing just smiled, not taking it seriously, and pretended to be curious. "What are you all doing at the gates?"
"Working, what else?" Uncle said. "No one would run to these desolate outskirts otherwise."
Jian Jing lifted her chin at the groups of girls in the distance. "Are they working too?"
"Che, those are fans." Uncle casually pointed them out. This was for some little flower, that was for some fresh meat. He knew them all like the back of his hand, as if they grew in his own backyard.
Jian Jing noticed most reporters and fans were blocked outside by security, but some girls got in after making a phone call.
"Why do they get to go inside?" She asked.
Uncle acted like it was nothing unusual. "You can get in too if you have connections."
Just as he finished speaking, Director Huang's assistant jogged over. "Teacher Jian, this way, this way." He scanned his access card and brought Jian Jing inside. "Sorry to make you wait."
"No problem, I just arrived. Thanks for making the trip." Jian Jing was equally polite.
Inside, there were rows of large factory warehouses. Equipment was piled everywhere, people in ancient, modern, and futuristic clothing walked about. It was bustling with life. Along the way, she could also see lounges, bathrooms, shops, all built like a park.
"This is Teacher Jian's first time visiting crew right?" The chatty assistant introduced everything. "Actually filming is just like a construction site, all chaotic."
The Demon Doctor's soundstage wasn't far. They had set up hospital interiors. Director Huang was directing a scene.
While the scriptwriter Xu sat on a folding chair to one side, legs crossed, flipping through a script and making edits here and there. In this world, scriptwriters held a high position and bore great responsibility, usually following the crew in order to adjust the script at any time.
"Scriptwriter Xu." Jian Jing greeted him.
"Jingjing, you're here." Xu the scriptwriter shared a bond with her from fleeing Evil Doctor Villa together, and later participating in the adaptation of Evil Doctor, so their relationship was quite close. "You've come at just the right time. Today we're shooting the murder scene for Evil Doctor."
The hearts eaten by the evil doctor must belong to evildoers, so before each murder there was a purification ritual, listing the victim's transgressions to prove the "food" was clean - one of the classic scenes in the drama.
Jian Jing smiled. "What great timing for me then."
She didn't disturb Director Huang, just stood to the side to watch.
The lights came on, the clapperboard clacked, and the set instantly fell silent as the actors entered their roles.
"Perhaps you're confused about your circumstances, don't be afraid, dear lamb..." The actor playing the evil doctor had long, slender fingers that traced over the edge of the scalpel, smiling gently like a priest.
Jian Jing was immediately captivated by his performance, only coming back to herself after the actor had finished the line: "He acts so well."
Xu Scriptwriter laughed heartily: "Can Old Huang's picks lack acting skills?"
Director Huang was somewhat dissatisfied though. Hearing Xu Scriptwriter's voice, he turned to look and beckoned them over: "Old Xu, Jingjing, come here."
He replayed the previous clip and asked them: "What do you think?"
Xu Scriptwriter said: "Not bad."
But Jian Jing said: "I don't know, you're the director."
Director Huang had asked sincerely, but was satisfied with this answer, giving her an approving nod: "Alright then."
And they moved on.
Not wanting to disturb their work, Jian Jing made a sign to Xu Scriptwriter and the two went to a more secluded area to talk.
Xu Scriptwriter praised her: "You did well, once bitten by a snake, Old Huang will fear ropes for ten years. In the future when we work together again, if there's nothing urgent, just avoid finding him."
"I understand, creators don't like being nitpicked." Jian Jing took no offense, and after a moment's hesitation said softly: "Actually, there's something I wanted to ask your help with."
She concisely explained Jiang BaiYan's troubles, asking him to make an introduction to avoid arousing the other's suspicions.
This was no trouble at all, so Xu Scriptwriter readily agreed. But rolling around in the entertainment industry all these years, he'd never heard of getting a writer involved in an investigation, so he couldn't help prying a bit: "You came all this way, you and Little Bai are close?"
Jian Jing blinked. "This matter... is quite interesting."
Seeing her expression didn't seem fake, Xu Scriptwriter murmured: "Perfect timing, I know Old Mao next door too, let's go pay them a visit."
