novellhall Chapter 84 The Difficulties at the Meeting
Chapter 84 The Difficulties at the Meeting
"Shishi, there's an empty space here!"
In the hall of the media conference, Li Siya, holding a camera, squeezed into a relatively empty space.
Liu Shishi and Yang Mengmeng followed closely behind her and sat down after finding seats.
"It's true that having connections in the court makes things much easier. Luckily, Xu Jingxing provided the tickets, otherwise we would have ended up like those fans outside the door, all stopped from getting through."
Li Siya still felt a lingering fear when she thought about the group of crazy fans outside the door when she came in.
"Siya, didn't you say you didn't like Fan Bingbing?" Liu Shishi asked.
"It's easy to say, but in reality, who wouldn't want to rush up and shamelessly ask for a photo?"
Li Siya held up her camera towards Yang Mengmeng, "Mengmeng, didn't you study photography? Help me take some nice pictures later!"
"Okay!" Yang Mengmeng replied, but in her heart she was thinking that no matter how good the photo was of her taking with Fan Bingbing, she would still be outshone.
"As expected of a big-budget production's fan meeting, the scale is truly impressive," Li Siya remarked.
Yang Mengmeng glanced at the fully armed media workers around her and sighed, "I've attended a meet-and-greet with a senior from the Beijing Film Academy before, but the scale of this event is nothing compared to this."
"When we came here, I heard that the building nearby with the name Tianyi Pavilion was built by the film crew themselves. A film crew with that kind of resources can't be compared to those small workshops."
Li Siya fiddled with her camera for a moment, then handed it to Yang Mengmeng, saying, "I borrowed this camera from Senior Brother Liu, but I don't really know how to use it."
Yang Mengmeng took the camera, pressed the power button, and then said disdainfully, "You don't even know how to use a point-and-shoot camera. I need to change how I describe you now; you're not even as good as a fool."
"Yang Mengmeng!"
"how!"
The two immediately started arguing again.
Liu Shishi was completely oblivious to the two playfully bickering beside her. Her gaze was fixed on Xu Jingxing's name card. After a moment of distraction, she pulled out her phone and sent Xu Jingxing a message:
[Jingxing, we've arrived!]
One minute later, Xu Jingxing sent a message:
[It'll be a bit busy right now, but I'll take you out for something delicious after the meet-and-greet.]
[good!]
After replying to the message, Liu Shishi sat quietly in the audience, waiting for Xu Jingxing to appear.
......
Backstage, all the main actors were already in place.
Huang Lei walked up to Xu Jingxing, patted his arm, and said:
"Among the main cast this time, you are the only newcomer. Although most of the media present were notified in advance, it is possible that some reporters might suddenly ask some unusual questions. Don't be nervous, just answer normally."
"Okay, Director Huang, don't worry, I've memorized the interview transcript and contingency plan you gave me before."
Unlike the previous "Investiture of the Gods" event, where Xu Jingxing wasn't even qualified to attend the media conference, he only symbolically answered a few questions at the opening ceremony.
"Relax."
Huang Lei massaged Xu Jingxing's shoulders with both hands, and then followed the staff to make final preparations.
Mao Xiaotong, who had been following Xu Jingxing, noticed that a patch of his makeup was blurry due to sweat, so she quickly took out some cosmetics from her prepared multi-purpose bag and touched it up for him.
After all, she had been by Mei Youji's side for almost a month, and she was quite good at improving the existing makeup and styling.
"Brother Jingxing, have some water."
After touching up her makeup, Mao Xiaotong took a cup with a straw from her bag and handed it to Xu Jingxing.
"You've prepared quite a lot of things." Xu Jingxing took the water glass and drank a few sips.
"I told you I would take care of him meticulously." Mao Xiaotong chuckled a few times, then took out a handheld fan from her bag and started blowing on Xu Jingxing.
The fan brought a refreshing coolness, and Xu Jingxing's heart gradually calmed down as his body cooled down.
"Everyone, please make the final preparations!"
The host checked the time and gave a final reminder.
The meeting officially began at 3 p.m.
Huang Lei led the way, followed by screenwriter Han Wei, with Yi Li, Fan Bingbing, Xu Jingxing, Liu Dekai, and Li Jie following in turn.
After the host gave an introduction, Huang Lei, as the director, screenwriter, and lead actor, began his speech.
When it was Xu Jingxing's turn to speak, all eyes in the room instantly turned to him.
He picked up the microphone:
"Hello everyone, my name is Xu Jingxing. I play Lin Shaoqing in 'The First Drop of Water.' It is a great honor to participate in such an excellent work and to work with so many outstanding seniors. I will try my best to play this role well and live up to the trust of the director and all the teachers."
Xu Jingxing spoke modestly, but his eyes revealed a calm confidence, which made Huang Lei nod in satisfaction.
In the past few days, Xu Jingxing has practiced a lot in front of the mirror, striving to make the best first impression.
The effort clearly paid off, and applause erupted from the audience as soon as he finished speaking.
The applause was particularly intense where Liu Shishi and the others were sitting.
The reporters in the audience first asked a few standard questions, which Xu Jingxing answered one by one. Then, a reporter holding a sign that read "Big Star" found an opening and asked a question:
"Hello Mr. Xu Jingxing, I'm a reporter from 'Big Star' magazine. I have a question for you. I've noticed that since 'Investiture of the Gods' and recently, with that certain brand GG that was quite popular online, this is your third consecutive collaboration with Fan Bingbing. Is there any untold story behind this?"
This question, though seemingly polite, actually carries the implication of probing personal relationships or even creating scandals or exclusive inside information.
Xu Jingxing was very familiar with this weekly magazine, which was one of the earliest mainland weekly magazines to systematically report on candid photography.
Back in 04, director Feng Xiaogang's home address was exposed by this weekly magazine. Feng Xiaogang also angrily rebuked the reporter during an interview with the magazine. This incident was used as material for many short videos in his previous life. In addition, the name of this weekly magazine was also quite unique, so Xu Jingxing had a deep impression of it.
"First of all, thank you for the question from Big Star."
Xu Jingxing sat up straight and replied:
"My collaboration with Ms. Fan Bingbing is a normal, repeated collaboration within the industry. Ms. Fan Bingbing is a very professional and influential actress, and brands and production teams naturally consider suitable partners when choosing collaborators. I am honored to have worked with her several times in a row, and I have learned a lot from her each time. So I hope everyone can look forward to my collaboration with Ms. Fan Bingbing in 'The First Drop of Water,' which will surely create even more wonderful sparks."
This is a very official response. First, thank you for your attention. Second, let's make our collaboration public to avoid evaluating each other individually. Finally, let's bring the focus back to the work itself.
Fan Bingbing also chimed in:
"Jing Xing is an actor I noticed a long time ago. I discovered him as a promising and hardworking actor from our collaboration on 'The Investiture of the Gods'."
"I also started as a newcomer. I know what an opportunity and a significant collaboration mean to a new actor. So as long as the role is suitable and the team supports it, I am very willing to recommend these opportunities to truly prepared newcomers. Jingxing did not disappoint my recommendation. The casting was a joint decision made by the director team, and his image and acting skills are very suitable for the role of Lin Shaoqing."
Huang Lei also affirmed Xu Jingxing after Fan Bingbing finished speaking.
After listening to the question, the reporter knew that he wouldn't get any useful information, so he lowered his head and continued to prepare for the interviews with the next few actors.
The group interview continued, and after asking Xu Jingxing a few routine questions, the reporters shifted their focus to the next actor.
......