Chapter 255 - 217: Rise Phase: 53

Words : 1281 Updated : Sep 29th, 2025

Chapter 255: Chapter 217: Rise Phase: 53 What Zhou Yun didn’t expect was that news of her filming "Life" quickly spread on the fourth day of shooting, and once it hit the internet, it attracted a wave of mockery. The main reason for the mockery was that "Life" was merely a movie with an investment of three million yuan. "A movie made with three million yuan, that might have been okay in the last century, but in this day and age, even the investment for an online film would be more than that." "Is this the hot celebrity that her fans have been raving about? This kind of project, even an eighteenth-tier artist wouldn’t deign to take on." "And with a newbie director who used to shoot commercials, what was Zhou Yun thinking to take on such a low movie?" ... Comments like the ones above were as numerous as locusts passing through. Zhou Lan didn’t want Zhou Yun to see these negative comments, but Zhou Yun kept her phone with her, so it was impossible to isolate her from the outside world. She urged the PR department of the company to find ways to reverse the direction of public opinion and control the negative online narrative about Zhou Yun. However, those who mocked Zhou Yun were tirelessly continuing their attacks, seemingly determined to push Zhou Yun down and keep her from bouncing back. The filming team for "Life" quickly became aware of this as well. After all, Zhou Yun was the only major actor in this film. Yes, the film didn’t even feature lead actors or supporting roles; it was solely a one-person show by Zhou Yun. Many chose not to speak about it, but they knew one thing in their hearts. If not for Zhou Yun’s agreement to star in it, the film might not even have gotten a million yuan for production. They were all newbies, and no production company would risk investing several million yuan on them, fearing it would evaporate. If the production company hadn’t been impressed with Wen Bing’s directorial talent and wanted to sign him, a film with such strong personal style and poor commercial appeal would not have been greenlit. When the external voices reached their ears, they didn’t get angry but instead felt a sense of awkward guilt. Because they also felt that Zhou Yun actually could have chosen other projects. She had many other options, but because she chose "Life," she ended up being subjected to public ridicule and sarcasm. ... Zhou Yun didn’t expect things to turn out this way. The relentless mockery and satire had a push behind them that wouldn’t let the tide of opinion recede. She even noticed some of the crew members looking at her in a strange way; they were unusually attentive to her, as if trying to "compensate" her in their own way. When Zhou Yun realized this, she felt even more guilty inside. It was a very comfortable crew. The crew wasn’t large, neither was their equipment, but everyone was dedicated, sharing jokes and making fun together when resting. Zhou Yun wasn’t very close with them, but also wasn’t a stranger. They were all young and held some idealistic views. Otherwise, they wouldn’t participate in such a low-paying project. Yet now they felt embarrassed because outsiders said she "stooped down" to a "shabby crew" to film, as if they indeed shortchanged her. Zhou Yun was angry, and after some thought, contacted Zhou Lan, saying, "Sister Lan, do you think I should respond to this on Weibo?" Zhou Lan said, "If you don’t want to escalate the conflict, I suggest you don’t respond to anything. Just let it pass. It will settle eventually. Once the movie is released, those sarcastic comments will naturally be slapped in the face." "Order some coffee for me tomorrow, this matter has also affected everyone’s mood, and I feel quite sorry about it," said Zhou Yun. "Because of me, we only had a twenty-day shooting schedule, which is really tight. Everyone is tired from filming every day." "It’s all worth it. This movie won’t be bad; it will definitely become your signature work," said Zhou Lan. "I believe in you." "Who knows? It feels like New Shield doesn’t take this film seriously," Zhou Yun said. "Maybe they won’t even arrange for it to be released." "That’s unlikely. New Shield focuses on business films, and controlling costs is what they care about most. Honestly, three million yuan to make this movie, in my opinion, is more than enough," said Zhou Lan. "There aren’t many scenes, nor a need to hire more actors. It’s just you alone, with another boyfriend character who is just a voiceover done by Wen Bing himself. How much more money would it need?" Zhou Yun: "My pay alone makes up a good chunk of it." "Miss Zhou, can you stop feeling sentimental? To have you in a movie for such a small fee, New Shield should be laughing in their dreams," said Zhou Lan. "If it wasn’t for the tight schedule making time coordination difficult, and we hadn’t really been optimistic about this movie, I would’ve at least doubled your pay." Zhou Yun: "No worries, I’m not relying on this movie to make money." ... Amid the noisy voices from the outside world, Zhou Yun, unlike before, no longer acted impulsively. She simply handed her phone over to Zheng Xiaojue to keep, and she immersed herself calmly into He Yun’s world, whether it was filming or studying the script. On the seventh day of shooting, Zhou Yun suggested that she might as well live on set. The so-called set was actually Wen Bing’s apartment. As a place of residence, it was completely unproblematic. However, both Wen Bing and Xu Mingyue were quite surprised. "You want to stay here? Is there a problem with the hotel room?" Xu Mingyue asked immediately. "If there’s any issue, tell me, I’ll go talk to the hotel." Zhou Yun shook her head and said, "No, it’s not that. There’s nothing wrong with the hotel, I just don’t want the hassle. After all, He Yun is always in this apartment, so I’ll just stay here, which can help me maintain the right state." Xu Mingyue turned to Wen Bing. Wen Bing said, "But I sleep here at night." "You can go squeeze in with the others," Zhou Yun said. "The guys are abundant, and haven’t you guys rented other apartments upstairs and downstairs?" Wen Bing: "..." He didn’t know why Zhou Yun suddenly became so assertive. "Well, okay then." Zhou Yun smiled and said, "Thank you." Filming gave the illusion of time passing inexorably in the mountains. When Zhou Yun finished shooting this film, the moment she wrapped up, she felt somewhat bewildered. Is that a wrap? Is it all finished? To be honest, she found the filming of this movie unusually smooth and comfortable without any sense of hindrance. She was essentially performing authentically. Wen Bing talked behind the camera, and she gave her most honest and natural reactions. To use Wen Bing’s later words, no matter how Zhou Yun acted, it was right, it was good. When Zhou Yun left, she embraced everyone in the crew. "Director, remember to find me again for the next film." Wen Bing said, "Next time, I need to make a commercial action movie." "I can do action too." Wen Bing said, "But it’s all male roles." "Then you should seek me out even more," Zhou Yun insisted. "There can’t be a movie without a single female character, right? Never mind, it’s up to you, but remember, anytime you need me, I’m willing to act in your films."

Chapter 255 - 217: Rise Phase: 53

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