Strange Life of a Cat
Chapter 348 - Chapter 348 Chapter 341 Isnt it just feeding a cat

Chapter 348: Chapter 341: Isn’t it just feeding a cat? Chapter 348: Chapter 341: Isn’t it just feeding a cat? Although Zheng Tan really wanted to make this “Three Kingdoms Mixed Blood” suffer some physical pain, he thought about how injuring him now would delay the entire production crew’s progress, and every day cost money. Bothering himself with personal discontent, Zheng Tan temporarily shelved this idea, he still wanted to finish shooting early so he could enjoy the New Year’s holiday.

Replace the actor?

Since he managed to become the second male lead in this film primarily cast by Yixing Culture through connections, that meant there was an exchange of interests involved. If trouble arose, given Yang Yi’s intelligence, he would definitely have thoughts, and Zheng Tan was also hoping to have Yang Yi send him a red envelope, so physical suffering had to be put on hold for now.

Since he couldn’t directly be harsh now, he could still make things uncomfortable for the other party.

As Zheng Tan pondered how to make things uncomfortable for Ronald, the production crew officially started filming.

Zheng Tan didn’t have any scenes in the first few days, but Yang Yi still called him to the filming site.

All the teams within the production crew were ready, including the photography team, sound recording team, lighting team, and art team, each in their respective places. Unlike the more relaxed atmosphere when Zheng Tan filmed documentaries, the set exuded a tense atmosphere, probably because of Yang Yi’s presence as the boss.

Yang Yi had Zheng Tan come over to familiarize himself with the set and also to observe the other actors filming, and interact more with the other actors. Of course, this task was actually handed to Charlie, and Charlie, when nervous, tended to be chatty. From the moment he entered the set, Charlie hadn’t stopped talking.

“Your first scene is waking up, where the main character wakes up as a cat after a night’s sleep. Don’t think it’s simple. We need to carefully observe how the main actor normally gets up… And the eyes, you need that drowsy, groggy look, you know the blurry feeling? Maybe you should actually take a nap before… and don’t forget to seriously brush your teeth. I heard there’s a close-up shot of yawning, and it’d be bad if there were meat fibers in your teeth. Your teeth need to be white, open your mouth, let me see your teeth…”

A whole lot of considerations kept buzzing in Zheng Tan’s ears.

Yang Yi was busy at the moment, paying no attention to Zheng Tan’s side. Kong Han was also busy, and the several main and supporting actors who had scenes were all occupied with their own tasks.

Normally, after thoroughly studying the script and deciding on the actors, a movie’s shooting would enter the pre-production stage. During this period, the director and actors would rehearse, which is very beneficial for analyzing the characters and preparing for the acting. Through this rehearsal process, the director and actors would study together on how to play the roles more successfully, and often, this type of work would last for several weeks or even longer. However, they were behind schedule this time, it was already September, and delays due to weather would complicate filming some scenes, so there wasn’t much time for the actors to muse and practice, only the main actors had more interaction time with the director. This was also why Zheng Tan and the others hadn’t seen the male and female leads during these few days.

Everyone was busy, only Zheng Tan was enviously idle.

While Charlie held the script, still deep in troubled thoughts and muttering, Zheng Tan sniffed the air and slowly walked in one direction.

“Hey, where are you going, wait, don’t run around, this is a set…” Charlie, unable to say more, along with four others, quickly followed Zheng Tan.

“Charlie, look over there!” Someone elbowed Charlie.

“What’s there to look at? Now’s not the time to be watching the stars.” Charlie didn’t even lift his head, his eyes following Zheng Tan, constantly gripping the script.

“No, look!”

Charlie had no choice but to look up in the direction his companion pointed.

“Damn!” Charlie whispered under his breath.

The spot where Zheng Tan led Charlie and the others was where a large-eared dog wearing a gold necklace squatted, the Pharaoh who had been slapped in the car that day.

The Pharaoh also noticed Zheng Tan, wagging its tail and staring intently this way, probably because its owner had instructed it to sit there quietly and not to bark, hence its obedience. Otherwise, without assurances, Yang Yi wouldn’t easily allow someone to bring a dog into the production crew.

However, there seemed to be a scene involving a dog in this movie, but according to the original screenplay, it should have been a small Yorkshire Terrier, not the large Pharaoh.

As Charlie and the others were thinking about leaving quickly, a voice came from over there.

“Yo! What a coincidence!”

The owner of the voice walked towards the Pharaoh and from seeing the dog wagging its tail and legs vigorously, it was clear it was its owner.

The hearts of Charlie and the others immediately felt uneasy; the person who said “What a coincidence” didn’t show any surprise on their face when they said it, clearly knowing they would come here.

“Exactly, I told you they wouldn’t let it go!” The other two who had gone out with Zheng Tan that day whispered.

“This is bad, he might seek trouble with …ZH,” another said.

As they were talking, Yang Yi called Charlie and the others over.

“Old Wang, are these the people you were talking about?” Yang Yi pointed to Charlie and the others, who looked uneasy, and said to the person petting the dog.

“Yes, you wouldn’t believe it, that cat has such a temper, and so bold, it just slapped across the car window.” Old Wang said cheerily, not seeming angry at all.

“That must have been provoked by you guys,” Yang Yi asserted.

Old Wang just smiled and didn’t argue, but his eyes were still fixed in Zheng Tan’s direction.

Zheng Tan wasn’t afraid; as soon as he saw the dog, he knew what to do. Whether the other party had intentionally come looking or not, if they confronted each other now, if the other party insisted on pursuing the matter, Yang Yi might help solve it. If he backed down now, and later troubles came, with no one to help, what would he do? He was a stranger in a strange land.

The Pharaoh’s owner, Mr. Wang, was called “Old Wang” by Yang Yi and although he looked like a nouveau riche and was actually a nouveau riche, he was around thirty-six or thirty-seven, not yet forty years old, and he knew both Yang Yi and Kong Han. From the way Yang Yi spoke to him, it was clear that he had a good relationship with Old Wang. After Charlie came over, Old Wang even chatted with Charlie, which greatly eased the unease in Charlie and the others.

“So, you’re saying the role initially meant for the Yorkshire Terrier has been changed to this Pharaoh now?” Charlie looked at Yang Yi.

“Yes, everything has been discussed with the Yorkshire Terrier’s owner. We will directly let Mika take over. The script has been slightly adjusted. Take a look first,” Yang Yi said.

Originally, this Pharaoh hound was named Michael by Old Wang’s wife, who wanted something fancy. But after calling it a few times, Old Wang, the academically challenged, complained it sounded like selling cards, so it became Mika. Having a dim-witted owner really made things tough for Mika, Yang Yi thought.

So it was just this matter. Suddenly, Charlie and the others felt relieved.

“Heh heh, this is also a case of no fight, no acquaintance,” Charlie commented.

“Indeed.”

Mika was trained, just prone to getting carried away with excitement. That day, when he barked out of the car window, he was just showing off, and now Zheng Tan also knew that outside of training, if anyone stared at this dog for more than fifteen seconds, he would sneeze.

Zheng Tan stared into Mika’s eyes. Ten seconds passed, and the fellow couldn’t sit still any longer. Almost five seconds later, a dog sneeze burst out.

Keep staring, and he kept sneezing, also twisting left and right, and making low whining noises, like he was embarrassed. Of course, this was only a reaction from people watching him with good intentions; if someone had malicious intent, the treatment would be completely different. Barking was nothing; even lunging to bite was possible.

The production crew was also very polite to Old Wang, and the actors too, probably knowing he was a potential investor. Even if he didn’t invest in this film, there might be future investments, so it was wise to be on good terms.

Leaving there, Charlie and the others were chatting in the not-so-spacious corridor when several people walked towards them.

“Excuse us, please.” The person in front forcefully moved Charlie aside, making way for others to pass.

Although the place was narrow, three people could still walk side by side, but that person blocked Charlie and his friends aside, making it difficult for them to move until the group had completely passed.

“Hey, Charlie, who were they?”

“The guy in the middle is Ronald, a pop idol. You two weren’t out that day, didn’t see him.”

“Oh, it’s him. Not much of a big shot, acting all high and mighty,” someone grumbled.

“He’s got connections. Forget it, it wasn’t anything serious, don’t mind it.”

Abiding by the principle of stepping back to broaden the horizon, Charlie continued walking with his group, while Zheng Tan heard what the passing people said.

“That was a bit too forceful just now, and we still don’t know what they’re capable of,” said someone next to Ronald, probably an assistant.

Ronald laughed indifferently, “He’s just a cat feeder, do you really think they have any clout?”

Listen to that, “just a cat feeder,” said with the same tone I’ve seen some silk-clad aristocrats mock country folks as “just some farmers.”

A pure contempt for people.

Looking down on Charlie?

Just a cat feeder?

No capability?

Tsk, just you watch!

The group wasn’t speaking loudly, probably mindful of their image; nobody else knew, but Zheng Tan, who had excellent hearing, made a mental note.

After the shooting began, Zheng Tan saw the two main actors, Wei Wen and Shi Xiaotian.

Wei Wen was now regarded by many young people as a goddess-level figure, her personal charisma need not be mentioned, and Shi Xiaotian, playing the male lead, was the type liked by girls from teenagers to women in their fifties and sixties, a seemingly sunny young man.

Both Wei Wen and Shi Xiaotian understood the rules or, rather, they knew how to restrain themselves and had a clear sense of self-positioning. They were not big stars, didn’t have strong backing, and still needed to work hard to keep improving their impression in the Boss’s mind, of course seeking to showcase their best traits. Within the production crew, whether it was the lighting technicians, prop masters, or some barely remembered extras, their demeanor was quite appropriate, neither humble nor haughty.

Having just chatted with Wei Wen and Shi Xiaotian, Charlie was now exhilarated, sharing the signed mementos with his four companions, while Zheng Tan was much calmer; he saw Wei Wen and Shi Xiaotian walk over to someone fiddling with a camera, addressing him as “Mr. Jiang” and their attitude was polite and slightly respectful.

Meanwhile, not far from Zheng Tan, Tao Qi and Xue Ding were standing by a wall, reciting lines, with Yang Huaixi talking to them softly. If it was just reciting lines for the play, Zheng Tan wouldn’t have paid much attention, but they were talking about the person handling the shooting.

“The man’s surname is Jiang; Tao Qi should know him, he’s responsible for the shooting and also a teacher at your drama school. On set, he has the authority to call ‘cut’.”

Zheng Tan looked at the middle-aged man, whose appearance really didn’t do him any favors, an easily overlooked yet significant figure.

After some thought, Zheng Tan walked over there. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to visit Qidian (NovelFire.net) to vote for it or gift a monthly pass. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.NovelFire.net to read.)