The Untamed crew started filming in April. Wen Rou and Lin Yuqing were considered important supporting characters in the storyline, especially the role of Wang Lingjiao. Therefore, they had to join the crew a month in advance for training and script reading sessions.
Through the stories told by Lin Yuqing, the Hengdian know-it-all, Wen Rou learned how important the first script reading was. She had also done some preparation beforehand, as this was her first step into the entertainment industry.
"Rourou, let's go."
"Mhm, let's go, Yuqing."
The two girls hailed a cab early in the morning. Inside the car, Lin Yuqing gave her another thorough warning and reminder, while Wen Rou nodded along.
"Hey, you're so well-behaved, yet I'm worried you'll get bullied. You're so pretty I'm almost jealous."
"Hehe, Yuqing, you're not bad yourself. Besides, with a know-it-all like you here, I feel a lot more confident. Plus, if anyone bullies me, I'll just go home and get my parents to teach them a lesson."
"Hahaha, you're so funny. But thinking like that is right—once you mention your uncle and auntie's professions, who would dare bully you?"
"Haha..."
"You two little girls are certainly lively. Are you off to act in something?" The driver heard them talking about scripts and immediately guessed they were actresses.
"Pretty much. We finally get to play characters with actual names."
"Oh, well congratulations then! You both look so pretty, you're bound to become famous in the future."
"Thank you, driver, I'll take your kind words."
...
Wen Rou had thought she and Lin Yuqing arrived very early, but there were people who had arrived even earlier. The person who caught Wen Rou's eye the most was Xiao Zhan. As a Peter Pan, both a fan of his looks and his career, she naturally spotted him in the crowd instantly.
Although Wen Rou was extremely excited inside, her face showed nothing. She knew the stakes, and this was not the place for starstruck behavior.
Upon entering this circle, Wen Rou addressed him according to its customs: "Hello, Teacher Xiao. Hello, everyone. My name is Wen Rou, and I'll be playing Wang Lingjiao. Please take good care of me from now on."
Lin Yuqing had learned about Xiao Zhan from Wen Rou beforehand, so she also greeted him and introduced herself. Since he was a senior, calling him Teacher Xiao was entirely correct.
When Wen Rou greeted him, Xiao Zhan recognized her. So this pretty fan of his was about to enter the industry too—what a coincidence that a fan and her idol were in the same drama! "Hello. You don't need to call me Teacher Xiao, just call me Xiao Zhan. I never expected you to be an actress in the crew as well. What a pleasant surprise."
"I should. You're a senior. Before this, I was just an ordinary outsider, so using your name was fine, but now that I've entered this circle, I naturally have to follow the rules."
Xiao Zhan chuckled. "Hey, hey, stop with the 'you're' and 'formalities'. You look so young, so I'll be shameless and let you call me Brother Zhan."
Wen Rou smiled inwardly, *Oh my, this is the textbook definition of a successful fan. Xiao Zhan told me to call him Brother Zhan—not bad, this Peter Pan is satisfied.*
"Alright, I was born in '99, so I won't stand on ceremony and will call you Brother Zhan."
Xiao Zhan's eyes widened. "Born in '99? So young, you must still be in college."
"Hehe, I'm graduating this year."
Hearing this, Xiao Zhan gave her a thumbs-up. Clearly, she was an academic achiever to be graduating college at such a young age. It was humbling—here he was, almost thirty, while she was practically born in the 2000s. Impressive.
The other people nearby grew curious and joined the conversation.
"Brother Zhan, you two know each other? Wen Rou, you were born in '99? That's amazing."
Xiao Zhan gave a hearty laugh. "On the day of the auditions, I accidentally bumped into Wen Rou and ended up getting recognized. Then I found out she was actually a fan of mine, so it felt quite unexpected."
"Yeah, an idol and a fan ending up in the same drama! Wen Rou, this has got to be the ultimate fan achievement."
Everyone burst into laughter, marveling at how such a dramatic scenario had played out right in front of them.
"Well, the only thing is that this little fan is about to bully her idol, and my heart hurts a bit at the thought," Wen Rou joked, sensing the good atmosphere.
"Hahahaha, nice one." Everyone laughed, exchanging knowing smiles as they thought of the role Wen Rou was going to play.
Lin Yuqing was somewhat surprised by how quickly the two of them broke the ice. Even though most people here were newcomers, some were genuine seniors, and getting familiar quickly could only be a good thing.
After the group finished laughing and chatting, the rest of the cast arrived one after another.
This was Wen Rou's first experience, and the novelty brought by her second profession was profound. But more than that, it required her to put in a lot of effort to understand this industry and this job.
During the days she was recovering from her injuries, although she no longer practiced dancing, she had done some preparation, consolidating and practicing the acting techniques that the original Wen Rou had learned.
That young girl had already integrated those techniques into her very bones. All Wen Rou had to do now was become more familiar with them and make them truly her own.
Wen Rou was satisfied with the final result. It was as if everything Wen Rou had learned, Wen Ling had also learned. It felt somewhat unbelievable, but she didn't let her guard down. After all, what she needed to do now was get past her own psychological barrier—not to be timid about those techniques not originally belonging to her, but to make them thoroughly her own so as not to let down the expectations of them both.