Shi Jin pulled Yao Jiahong aside and asked, “Why is the mountain sealed?”
Could it be that in this lifetime, there was no one on the mountain? If there was no one, she wouldn’t have to care. After all, an earthquake was something that could not be predicted in advance. If she were to run out and tell others, there would be an earthquake and everyone should leave quickly… Other people would either treat her as mentally ill or as a dangerous person and a harm to society.
After that, even if she proved her theory correct, how could she explain to others how she made the prediction? She had a dream about it?
“No, I heard that a film crew is filming here. Furthermore, this film crew is from Country S. They’ve occupied this mountain for a period of time. However, I didn’t ask about the details.”
The main thing was that this matter had nothing to do with Yao Jiahong. It was useless for him to ask around.
After Shi Jin finished talking to Yao Jiahong, she said to him in a low voice, “I have some personal matters to attend to. Help me handle the livestream.”
Yao Jiahong knew her personality, she wouldn’t act recklessly. However, they were in a foreign country after all. He said, “I’ll follow you.”
“No need. Just take care of this place,” said Shi Jin. She picked up a coat and walked out.
Yao Jiahong greeted the camera and said with a smile, “Shi Jin needs to meet a friend, so she might need to go out for a while. This is a private matter, so it’s not convenient to follow her.”
The film crew expressed their understanding.
Everyone started to speculate. “No way. Everyone else is so hardworking. They are all practicing. Shi Jin didn’t practice and still wants to go out?”
“Manager, you have to persuade our daughter.”
“Yeah, what is she going to do out there?”
“My heart breaks at the thought that she might be going to see her boyfriend.”
“Heartbreak…”
“Sad…”
Yao Jiahong didn’t say anything for a moment. It was an undeniable fact that Shi Jin was in a relationship, and the outside world already knew about it. He would only make more mistakes if he said more, so he simply smiled back at everyone.
The fans were hurt again.
“Sigh, what can I do about my own daughter? I can only pamper her.”
“Forget it, forget it. Bear with it.”
***
Mount Polaport.
At the moment, a production team from Country S was filming here.
This was the latest work by the international director, Ji Hanxue. They had not done any promotions for this film at all.
There was no need to promote Ji Hanxue’s works. After all, he was a benchmark in Country S’s film industry. His works were all acclaimed and sought after. Not only did he conquer the audience in Country S, but he also made it difficult for the entire world to extricate themselves from his works.
He was very strict with his movies. It was because certain scenes were very compatible with the landscape of Mount Polaport that he had brought a large group of people to Poland for filming. He was meticulous when it came to movies.
He was a benchmark in the industry.
The production team had already ended work today. They were waiting for tomorrow to start filming a sunrise scene.
Ji Hanxue was currently inspecting the geographical locations suitable for tomorrow’s shoot. He had his hands behind his back as he looked at the terrain.
At the side, an assistant director was directing a few staff members. “All of you, be careful. Do not let any outsiders enter, especially that Shi Jin. Do not let her and especially the people she brought in.”
Ji Hanxue had already seen the situation. Hearing the assistant director’s words, he asked, “What are you doing? Who are you guarding against?”
“Director Ji, people are attending a piano performance at the foot of the mountain for the past few days. There are a few popular celebrities from Country S among them. One of them is called Shi Jin. She publicly expressed her interest in Mount Polaport during a livestream… If I hadn’t seen a staff member watching the livestream and ran over to take a look, I wouldn’t have known that she was so interested in this place. Not only did she ask about the situation, she even looked like she was planning to come over.”
The assistant director’s meaning was very clear. Shi Jin knew that they were on this mountain, so she might be trying to gain attention.
“She knows we’re here?” Ji Hanxue asked.
“She asked her manager. Her manager is Yao Jiahong, who is very famous in the industry. I think Yao Jiahong must have heard that we are filming here.”
When Ji Hanxue was filming, he hated being disturbed. He had worked with talented actors for many years, so he especially hated celebrities who were popular but didn’t have real talent. When he heard this, he couldn’t help but say, “We have to be careful.”
The assistant director got his approval and sent a few more people to guard the entrance, afraid that Shi Jin would come.
Ji Hanxue had never heard of this name before, but internet celebrities were all the same.
He continued to look at the terrain.
Shi Jin reached the foot of the mountain very quickly.
There was no one with her. She had checked the situation on the mountain on her phone on the way here and knew that the place where the people lived was not big. The entire crew was probably in that place.
As for the other places, they were all given to the production team. Currently, there were no other people living there.
At this thought, she felt more at ease.
Before she could approach the entrance, someone shouted, “What are you doing?”
They spoke the language of Country S and was the person sent by the assistant director to guard against her.
One of them was a fan of Shi Jin. She was the one that was discovered by the assistant director when she was watching the livestream. She even repeatedly assured the assistant director that Shi Jin was not the kind of person who would take advantage of other people’s popularity, but the next moment, she saw Shi Jin here…
Shi Jin really came? However, the fan filter was very thick. She ran over to Shi Jin with a good attitude and said, “Shi Jin, we are filming a movie here. Normal people can’t go in, or the director will be very angry. You should leave first.”
Shi Jin smiled at her politely. The fan held her heart. This smile was too beautiful. If it weren’t for the fact that it was her job and she really couldn’t let Shi Jin in, she wouldn’t be able to request any of Shi Jin’s requests.
She was still smitten when Shi Jin turned around and left.
A moment later, a strange stench emitted from Mount Polaport. It was faint, but also unbearable.
“What’s that smell?” someone shouted.
“God, it’s so disgusting. I feel like I’m going to vomit.”
The entire crew was enveloped by this smell.
Many people started to open the windows to take a breather. They turned on the electric fans to try and disperse the smell. However, there was no effect.
Not only that, the smell was becoming more and more strong.
Someone mumbled, “It seems to be coming from the entrance of the mountain. Shi Jin did something there just now, I think she lit something.”
“Could it be because we didn’t allow her to come up, so she deliberately messed with us to make us leave?”
Everyone discussed animatedly, but they were all distracted by this strange smell and couldn’t find the source of it.
Everyone went to find Ji Hanxue.
Ji Hanxue also smelled this scent. Even though he thought that he had strong self-control, he was now holding his churning stomach and starting to feel nauseous.
“Director Ji, what should we do?” the assistant director asked.
If this continued, nobody would be able to take it. However, he couldn’t find the source of the smell.
He felt like he would suffocate if he stayed here for a few more minutes.
Seeing everyone’s faces turn pale, Ji Hanxue said decisively, “Let’s go down the mountain for a while. Leave two people to check the situation. Bring the expensive cameras with you.”
An assistant next to him said, “I heard that the matter has something to do with Shi Jin. She probably got someone to deliberately create the smell so that we could go down the mountain and she could take photos to take advantage of our popularity.”
Many people had the same thoughts. Although they didn’t know how this smell came about, they couldn’t help but feel disgusted when they thought about how current celebrities would do anything to gain popularity.
Ji Hanxue pondered for a moment. “Let’s go down first.”
In this situation, they continue staying here. Even he was going to vomit, let alone others.
The crew moved quickly and soon, everyone came out of the mountain with valuable items.
The group quickly left the mountain.
Only two people were left to check, but when they didn’t find anything, they left as well.
The entire crew had just come down when they saw Shi Jin standing far away.
Everyone was a little angry. Although it was hard to say what exactly she had done, the matter started after she appeared. No one would believe that it had nothing to do with her.
Ji Hanxue glanced over and said calmly, “Forget it. Everyone, find a place to stay tonight. We’ll go up tomorrow when it’s time to begin filming.”
Fortunately, everything that needed to be filmed had already been filmed. There was still a while before sunrise tomorrow, so there was still time.
The stage supervisor came over and said, “Director Ji, there’s no place to stay at the foot of the mountain. There are Ivy League competitions these few days, so all the hotel rooms have been booked. There aren’t even any bed and breakfast places left.”
The stage supervisor glanced in Shi Jin’s direction.
Everyone was furious, but if they were to return to the mountain, the thought of that strange smell made them feel disgusted.
Ji Hanxue put his hands behind his back and looked serious.
On the other hand, Shi Jin walked leisurely towards her villa. After a while, she returned to the villa area.
The fans who were watching the livestream saw that she returned, but only appeared in front of the camera for a moment before she called Yao Jiahong away.
The camera showed a blank screen.
The fans were begging to see Shi Jin in person.
Shi Jin whispered something to Yao Jiahong.
“So Director Ji is filming over there?” Yao Jiahong did not know about this beforehand. “You want me to negotiate with him and bring the whole crew to our villa?”
Shi Jin nodded. Other than that, there was nothing else she could do.
There were no rooms left in the entire city, and the film crew probably didn’t have anywhere to stay.
If they returned to live on the mountain, it would be very dangerous and she would’ve ignited that thing for nothing.
Yao Jiahong rubbed his hands. This was a big problem.
Putting aside whether a director like Ji Hanxue would listen to him and come over to stay, just the livestream here was not easy to handle.
Shi Jin said, “I’ll bring them up to watch me practice and record songs. You go and find Director Ji. Brother Yao, this matter is very important. You must help me settle it.”
Yao Jiahong had no choice but to nod. He would definitely do what Shi Jin had instructed him to do. However, what was Shi Jin’s motive?
She wasn’t an actress, so why is she trying so hard to build a good relationship with Ji Hanxue?
After Shi Jin finished talking to Yao Jiahong, she turned to the camera and waved at the camera. “Does everyone want to see me practice and record songs?”
The comments on the bullet screen: “Yes yes yes!”
“Alright, please follow me upstairs.”
The film crew immediately followed Shi Jin.
When they realized that there was a professional recording studio in this villa, the film crew was stunned.
The fans outside the screen were also stunned. “Oh my god, is this Shi Jin’s temporary residence? There’s even a recording studio!”
“The equipment is also professional!”
“I’m so jealous!”
“So the recording is about to begin?”
Shi Jin didn’t plan to record any songs, so she didn’t bring any sound assistants.
She negotiated with the filming crew in a low voice. One of them was a cameraman who worked part-time as a sound assistant and agreed to help her record songs.
Shi Jin sat down in the recording studio and briefly explained the situation before saying, “Then, let’s record my new song, ‘Legend’ this time. This is a song that has just been written. I was planning to record it back home, but there are ready-made recording devices here, so it’s fine to record it here too.”
“So you only need one sound assistant?”
“What about the other instrumentals?”
“What about the arrangement?”
Shi Jin took out the tape and said to the camera, “I have already prepared the music arrangement and accompaniment. They are all here.”
“So our daughter came prepared. Hahaha, is this a gift for us?”
“Happiness, there’s a new song to listen to.”
“I’m so happy to see Little Stone record a song with my own eyes.”
Shi Jin sat down and gestured to the sound assistant before officially starting the recording.
“Everyone, I’m going to do my homework. I’ll listen to the song after the recording is finished.”
“Yeah, I’m going to cook too. The recording won’t be done so quickly. If I miss this segment, I’ll make it up later.”
“Can anyone tell me when the recording will be finished? I want to download the completed version.”
“Let me explain. Usually, when a song is recorded, if it’s fast, it will take more than an hour. If it’s slow, it can even take a few days. This is related to the singer’s condition and proficiency in the song. It’s normal to take a few hours.”
“Oh oh, then I really have to go and do my own things first. Little Stone, you can do it! I’ll listen to your song when you’re done recording!”
“Am I the only one who wants to stay with our daughter while she’s recording? I want to see what she’s like when she messes up (totally not).”
“Hahahaha, there are bound to be many problems during the recording of a song. Shi Jin is publicly acknowledged as the queen of live shows. I want to know how she fares in the recording studio.”
“I’ll stay with her while she’s recording!”
As Shi Jin made an OK gesture, the recording officially started.
Everyone casually accompanied her, glancing at the screen from time to time and doing their own things.
After all, a song recording session usually would last for a few hours. Even die-hard fans could not afford to spend so much time with her.
However, a minute later, everyone realized that Shi Jin did not make any mistakes. She did not redo any parts and just continued singing.
Two minutes later, the song gradually got better. The fans who heard this song for the first time were also very relaxed. They could catch up and hum a few lines silently.
Three minutes later, everyone realized that she hadn’t stopped once. A few impressive high notes were sung with ease. Four minutes later, Shi Jin made an OK gesture.
On the filming crew’s side, they were stunned. So Shi Jin had only needed to do it in one take?
Those who said that they were going to cook, do homework, and work exploded.
“What’s going on?”
“What happened?”
The film crew cut to the sound assistant, who was wearing a face of confusion.
Shi Jin stood up and said, “We’re done recording.”
The recording was done. She did not stop midway, nor did she try again and again because of problems with her vocals. It was done in one go, very satisfying.
The listeners were also very satisfied.
The sound assistant played the recorded song for everyone to hear.
Everyone had heard the version that Shi Jin had sung directly. They could hear it vaguely, but it was unclear, and there was no music attached.
At this moment, the sound assistant played the entire song.
What everyone heard was the complete version.
The music was complete and the completion rate of the song was extremely high. Shi Jin’s voice and the music blended together seamlessly.
This was a complete song. There was no need for any post-production editing, nor was there any need for autotune.
“My expression right now is exactly the same as the sound assistant.”
“I’m splitting open. The dumbstruck tree has dumbstruck fruits. You and me under the dumbstruck tree.”
“So this is Shi Jin’s capability? One-take recordings? The recording studio is the live show, the live show is the recording studio?”
“No wonder every time our daughter releases a song, it’s extremely fast. With this speed, I could also be fast!”
“Previous poster, so what if we’re fast at recording songs? We still have to be fast at writing songs!”
“Wuwuwuwu, this is the difference between a fairy and a mortal.”
“I… I just opened my bag and said that I would come to listen to the song after finishing my homework. Now that I opened Weibo, I realized that she had already released the song that she had recorded?”
“I just opened the fridge when my Weibo notified me that I’ve received a new song!”
Shi Jin raised her head and looked outside. Yao Jiahong was not back yet. She looked at the time. Less than half an hour had passed since she entered the recording studio, and the recording time was only five minutes.
“How about this? I’ll record another song.” Shi Jin opened her little notebook and searched for songs where she already prepared the arrangement and instrumentals.
“Waiting patiently.”
“Will she finish recording in another four to five minutes this time?”
“I’ll wait for you to finish recording before doing anything! I don’t believe it!”
Shi Jin opened the notebook silently. She felt that it was better to introduce the song first.
***
Outside the villa, Yao Jiahong briefly explained the situation to Ji Hanxue, “So, if Director Ji doesn’t mind, you can stay with us.”
Ji Hanxue didn’t say anything, but the staff behind him rolled their eyes.
Anyone with eyes would know how much traffic Ji Hanxue would bring to Shi Jin if he went over. Everyone chuckled mockingly.
A staff member ran over and said, “Director Ji, the mountain smells even worse. We still haven’t found the reason. I wonder if the air is poisonous after inhaling it…”
When they heard that it was poisonous, a few people raised their hands to cover their mouths and noses. They were here to film and did not want to die from the poison.
Ji Hanxue looked at everyone and said, “Then I’ll have to trouble you, Mr. Yao.”
