Celebrity Girl Is My Wife

Chapter 861

After breakfast, Ning Ran and Nan Chen sent their kids to school. Then, the driver dropped Nan Chen off at the office before chauffeuring Ning Ran to meet up with Wang Xiaoou and the rest of the crew.

Nan Chen exited the vehicle and took a few steps before retracing his path. “If anyone dares to bully you during the filming, you can retort no matter who that person is.”

Ning Ran was momentarily dazed before she grinned. “What if it's Sir Chen who bullies me? Do I retort too?”

Instead of answering, he merely waved his hand, gesturing at the chauffeur to drive the car away.

Ning Ran mulled over Nan Chen's words along the way, but she couldn't fathom his intention.

Upon meeting up Wang Xiaoou and the rest of the crew, they departed for the airport together.

On the way to the airport, Wang Xiaoou said to Ning Ran solemnly, “I have a few things to clarify to you regarding the work this time.”

Wang Xiaoou had always been a serious person, even on regular days. Hence, Ning Ran would feel a sense of foreboding whenever Wang Xiaoou behaved more formally than usual.

“Please, go on, Ou. I'm listening.” Ning Ran was a humble person. Even with Nan Chen backing her, she had never put on airs around Wang Xiaoou.

“Firstly, Shi Jie's fans are relatively young, so they are also comparatively immature. Therefore, you may be boycotted since you'll be participating in the filming of his music video.”

Ning Ran was well aware of that, so she wasn't surprised.

In fact, not only Shi Jie's teenage fans were irrational, as most celebrities' followers behaved unreasonably.

After all, chances for a truly sensible and well-grounded person to go nuts over a celebrity were extremely slim.

“I got it, Ou. I'll just turn a blind eye if they scold me on Weibo,” Ning Ran chirped.

Wang Xiaoou smiled as well. “It is unavoidable for artists to get criticized. Your attitude is commendable. Secondly, Director Xie, the director in charge of filming this music video, is infamous for his ill temper in the entertainment industry. Moreover, he's very picky about the artists' performances. He even berated some celebrities until they cried.”

That was something out of Ning Ran's anticipation. “Is he really that scary?”

“Affirmative. However, his skills are undoubtedly top-notch. Let me put it this way. Almost eighty percent of the local A-list celebrities would want him to direct the filming of their music videos. He and his team are specialists in making short music videos. His name itself is a vouch for high-quality products. Although they would have to endure his scolding, many celebrities are still adamant about collaborating with him. Naturally, there were frequent occasions when the artists would argue with him. These celebrities usually badmouthed him on Weibo after they were done filming their music videos, and he would immediately respond by chastising them. Because of this, Xie Dazui is notorious for his harsh remarks and unwillingness to yield.”

Ning Ran laughed. “This sounds interesting. Does that mean I'll most probably get scolded by him?”

“Not necessarily. I have faith in your acting skills. However, Xie Dazui does uphold a very stringent set of standards. I heard there were even times he would reshoot the same scene over a hundred times,” Wang Xiaoou replied.

“Oh my goodness. Over a hundred times? Is he that crazy?” Cheng Xiangyun, sitting at one side, cried out.

Ning Ran pondered. Nan Chen must've heard about this Xie Dazui's demanding personality, so he deliberately told me I could retort to anyone who bullies me. He's such a scrupulous person. I can't believe he even instructed his men to investigate an insignificant job like this so thoroughly.

“That's all right. Only by maintaining high standards can we produce first-rate products. I'm not afraid,” Ning Ran uttered cheerfully.

“Mr. Chen told us he would hold us accountable if someone bullied you during our outstation work. That's why I'm notifying you in advance.”

That was Wang Xiaoou's intention in telling Ning Ran all those things. She was worried the latter might be unable to endure Xie Dazui's harsh criticism and ended up complaining to Nan Chen after getting into a conflict with Xie Dazui. Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

In truth, Ning Ran wasn't someone like that. She thought it was normal for one to feel a bit aggrieved and discontented at work. Even an elite like Nan Chen has to cope with a lot of pressure, isn't it?

“Don't worry, Ou. I have great endurance, and I'll do my best to tolerate Xie Dazui no matter how difficult he is.”

The filming location for the first scene of the music video was set at an acting school.

Young students made up most of the celebrities' fan clubs, especially an artist like Shi Jie, who was primarily supported by teenagers. He was all the more admired and idolized by students from acting schools.

After all, it was every acting school student's dream to be well-known internationally, indulging in fame and fortune.

The school even announced a special holiday on that day to ensure the filming could proceed smoothly.

Although it was a holiday, most students stayed back at the school when they heard Shi Jie was visiting for filming as they wanted to meet their idol and see him in action.

Thunderous cheers erupted the moment Shi Jie's car arrived at the school's entrance.

Even though a large number of security guards were assigned to maintain order, the situation at the scene was still close to getting out of control.

Fortunately, Shi Jie had high emotional intelligence. He requested his assistant to hand him a megaphone and took the initiative to interact with the students.

“Thank you for your fervent support, everyone. I'm here to record my music video today, so I hope everyone can lend me a conducive filming environment. I also wish the ambiance of this school could be better presented in my music video. Thank you, all of you. Please do not surround the filming location. Thank you!”

The students calmed themselves significantly after listening to Shi Jie's speech.

Xie Dazui's crew had finished setting everything up at the filming location by the time Shi Jie entered.

That was also the first time Shi Jie collaborated with Xie Dazui, so he approached the latter, bowed politely, and uttered humbly, “Good day, Director Xie.”

“Why did you replace the female lead who was initially selected?” Xie Dazui, a man with a fierce appearance, questioned Shi Jie directly and uncourteously.

Originally, Ning Ran was indeed not the female lead. Instead, the role was filled by an actress who had just graduated from a film academy. Rumor had it Xie Dazui recommended the actress as her temperament was well-suited for the female lead's role.

Xie Dazui was a man with high standards in the first place. Needless to say, he was enraged when Shi Jie requested for the actress he had nominated to be replaced.

Shi Jie explained patiently, “I became acquainted with Ms. Ding during the previous show's recording, and I felt she's more suitable for the role, so I suggested to the production team to let her take up the role. Ms. Ding also agreed to my proposal with alacrity. Don't worry, Director Xie. I'm confident Ms. Ding will do a superb job.”

“Are you adept at shooting music videos? How can you be sure she'll do a splendid job?” Xie Dazui chided.

Shi Jie was rendered speechless. He was indeed clueless, but he was simply fond of Ning Ran's beauty and friendly mien.

Most teenagers would harbor secret affection toward members of the opposite sex who were older than them, including seniors at school, teachers, or even older colleagues.

Shi Jie's music video aimed to deliver that bitter yet genuine emotion ambiguously. In his opinion, Ning Ran epitomized every teenager's fantasy of a beautiful senior.

However, he didn't know how to express his thoughts to Xie Dazui, so he could only flash a wry smile. “Be patient, Director Xie. When Ms. Ding shows up, you'll realize she's the perfect candidate for this role.”

“Is that so? But I heard she's just someone with no skills who managed to force her way into the industry by relying on a capitalist's sponsor. She won the affection of a wealthy man, so the man expended a vast amount of resources to support her. I've met countless female celebrities like her. They are incompetent and put up insipid performances. Even after reshooting over ten times, I couldn't even film a scene I'm satisfied with!” Xie Dazui responded sternly.

Shi Jie was displeased by how Xie Dazui was disparaging Ning Ran. However, he didn't dare to snap back at the latter as he knew Ning Ran would suffer more if Xie Dazui were in a foul mood when she arrived.