Chapter 515: Chapter 392: A Lesson Learned
Shi Luoqi’s meeting with Zhou Lan lasted about an hour.
An hour later, the two women emerged from Shi Luoqi’s office, their conversation and laughter still in the air.
Shi Luoqi personally escorted Zhou Lan to the door, an act witnessed by two passing staff members who spread the word.
Various rumors spread through the crew like startled little mice scattering in every direction.
Zhou Yun was waiting for Zhou Lan at the hotel.
When Zhou Lan arrived, Zhou Yun was lounging on a long chair reading a book, bathed in sunlight streaming through the window, looking very much like springtime.
"You sure look comfortable and at ease," Zhou Lan commented with a laugh as she walked in.
Zhou Yun put down the book and said, "What else can I do? Have you met with Shi Luoqi yet?"
"Yep, I’ve met her," Zhou Lan nodded, sitting down on a single sofa, looking at Zhou Yun, and continued, "According to the hospital’s feedback, if Luo Zhiheng’s recovery goes well, he could be discharged in about a month. However, because it’s a head injury, we can’t say for sure how his recovery will progress. If we resume filming in a month, there’ll still be about forty days before shooting ’Two Tigers’ in March. If we push hard during that time, we should be able to complete most of the scenes."
"So, we’re shutting down for a month?" Zhou Yun asked in surprise, "Is that okay?"
"That’s the preliminary plan," Zhou Lan said. "Shi Luoqi also mentioned that if Luo Zhiheng still can’t return to the set after a month, the crew can’t wait any longer and will replace the actor. During this month, Shi Luoqi will find an actor to play Meng Fanyan and another as a standby for Luo Zhiheng. If we can’t resume filming after a month, our performance contract with the production will automatically become void, and we will no longer have the legal obligation to perform."
"Forty days isn’t enough to finish filming this movie, is it?" asked Zhou Yun.
Zhou Lan replied, "We can’t finish, but we can get most of the crucial parts done. However, this means you won’t get any breathing space between your two films. I am actually worried about this. You’ve been going from one film shoot to another for the past two years without a break, and you’ve never really rested. I’m afraid you won’t hold up."
Zhou Yun shook his head: "I’m fine, really. I haven’t felt too exhausted, and I manage to get decent rest every day. I’m just worried that if we rush it, the quality of the film will suffer."
Zhou Lan commented, "With all the issues this movie has encountered, I’d be grateful if we can just finish filming it smoothly."
"I still hope they can get enough time to finish filming. Sister Lan, since I don’t have a major role in ’Two Tigers’, just a cameo, could you help me talk to New Shield and push back my filming schedule?" Zhou Yun asked.
"Xiao Yun, you’ve still got New Shield’s ’Four Killers’ to shoot after that. If we push ’Two Tigers’ back, you won’t have time to prepare for ’Four Killers’, and that’s a major production." Zhou Lan pointed out, "You have a fair amount of action scenes in ’Four Killers’, and you’ll need to join the crew early to train."
"I’ll do what I can," Zhou Yun said. "If we can restart filming in January, I’d really prefer to finish this movie in one go without any interruptions. It’s uncomfortable to break off and come back; it’s hard to get the emotions right."
Hearing this, Zhou Lan sighed and said, "This way, you won’t have a single break for the entire next year. Just think about how many movies you have lined up. The first half of the year is packed with ’Four Killers’ and ’Two Tigers’, and in the second half, you still need to shoot Zheng Xiaowen’s fashion drama and our company’s ’Luoyan’ spin-off series. If you keep going nonstop, your health really will suffer."
"No, really, I’m fine, Sister Lan. I’m still young after all."
"That has nothing to do with whether you’re young or not," Zhou Lan firmly rebuked. "Xiao Yun, don’t think acting is an easy job. You’ve only just started and have played in only a few films. Going nonstop, jumping from one character to another, crying, laughing, raging, cursing... 365 days a year, you endure such huge swings in emotion. Do you think this isn’t a tremendous strain on you? At your age, girls can feel weak and feverish after a few days of crying over a breakup. Do you think you can simply detach from such intense emotional fluctuations once the director yells ’cut’?"
Zhou Yun was taken aback.
"Do you forget how on your first day shooting ’Falling Leaves’, we finished at seven but you went straight to bed when you got back to your hotel? Why? Because acting is exhausting. Loving your job doesn’t mean you’re Superman and don’t get tired," Zhou Lan explained. "That’s why I’ve always insisted that there must be a break between films. It takes time to detach from a character, especially since you’re not the type of actor to just recite lines mechanically. If you were, I wouldn’t bother with you."
Zhou Yun didn’t expect Zhou Lan to be so concerned about her.
"Actually, I really don’t feel as tired as you say," Zhou Yun weakly remarked. "Sometimes, when I feel exhausted, a good sleep fixes everything."
"That’s because you’re young and can handle it," Zhou Lan said. "But if you keep abusing yourself like this, not to mention reaching forty, you’ll struggle even at thirty."
Zhou Yun: "..."
"Having seamless transitions between projects once or twice might be okay, but continuous without stopping is out of the question. I won’t agree," Zhou Lan stated decisively. "If we can’t finish in forty days, we’ll have to do additional shooting later."
Zhou Yun slapped her forehead with her hand.
"Alright then."
Having received a lengthy lecture from Zhou Lan, what else could she say?
"Don’t ignore me, I’m serious. We’re in this for the long haul. Don’t burn yourself out. How long do you think you can last? The production has its own issues, and we haven’t made trouble for them or demanded extra pay for the shooting delays. I haven’t even hassled them about it. We have done what we should," Zhou Lan advised.
"Sister Lan, the thing is, it was an accident," Zhou Yun said.
"An accident that happened to the production, not caused by you," Zhou Lan glared.
Zhou Yun: "Alright."
Once Zhou Lan finished lecturing Zhou Yun and she stopped arguing back, Zhou Lan’s expression and tone softened. "I know you want to help Shi Luoqi and Xue Qin, giving the production more time for shooting so that they are not so rushed. But filmmaking is like that, it’s never perfect. It’s always better to be up-front about things rather than discuss them afterwards. If you now tell them you can give them another ten days or so, and then you can’t deliver because something comes up, they won’t see it as additional time you gave them; they’ll see it as you breaking your word. Only if they truly can’t wrap up on time and need a few more days from you, and you agree to it, will they truly be grateful and see you as a good, shrewd person. Be savvy when it counts; don’t rush forward waving a good person flag."