Jiang Ling nodded heavily, "It was hard enough to turn things around, there's no way anyone's replacing me."
Two hours later, the plane landed at Modu Airport.
Huang Jing and his assistant, following the map sent by Sister Sa, arrived at Jiang Ling's home.
"True beauties need no excessive embellishment of jewelry and ornaments. I didn't expect Miss Jiang's casual attire to be so stunning."
Huang Jing, being an old hand in the film and television industry, knew how to praise people, especially beautiful women.
He saw Jiang Ling dressed in casual home clothes, her hair down, meeting him without makeup, yet still breathtakingly beautiful, which surprised him.
Many handsome men and beautiful women in film and television dramas are sculpted through lighting, makeup, and filters.
Away from the camera, their looks are reduced by at least 20%, some even by more than 50%.
He hadn't expected that even without makeup or adornments, Jiang Ling's bare face was so striking.
Indeed, true beauties are always captivating whether they are lightly or heavily made up; they look good with makeup and also without.
"Director Huang is too kind. I'm still a newcomer in this circle. The so-called beauty is fleeting. Those seniors who have amazed time and bloomed eternally are the truly beautiful ones."
Jiang Ling did not feign modesty.
The beauty of many people in the current entertainment industry is truly fake.
With uniform sharp chins and eyes like bells, they are all beautiful in the same way.
Unlike the actresses of ten or twenty years ago, who were beautiful in their own unique ways, like a hundred flowers blooming in competition, creating a vibrant spring scene.
To borrow a phrase from a netizen's complaint: "Beauties of the past were like fairies descending to earth; beauties of today are like a dance of demons!"
Huang Jing noticed that Jiang Ling seemed to be reminiscing about the old film and television industry and spoke in line with her thoughts.
Before discussing formal cooperation, their conversation turned to the glorious figures of Hong Kong cinema.
As they chatted, Jiang Ling sighed, "When it comes to remaking martial arts dramas now, many viewers complain that they are not as good as the Hong Kong versions. Aside from some having childhood nostalgia and pre-existing biases, we must also admit that the actors chosen back then, whether protagonists or supporting roles, had genuinely good acting skills. Unlike now, where acting is like playing house, and it's hard to get into the scene no matter how you look at it."
Huang Jing recalled those years and said slowly, "Ten or twenty years ago, Hong Kong's film and television industry was highly developed, but there were few viewers. The competition within the industry was fierce, and the pay actors received was pitifully low. Sometimes after working all day, they couldn't even afford their own meals. Many actors, to support their families, would guest star in over ten crews a day. Their acting skills were honed through thousands of scenes, big and small, bit by bit. On the other hand, the mainland market is vast. No matter what kind of drama is filmed, people will watch it, and all sorts of shoddy productions are bought. The demands on actors naturally became lower."
Seeing Jiang Ling lamenting that current actors, in terms of looks and acting skills, were not as good as in the past, he followed up by discussing actors' remuneration and treatment.
Jiang Ling also understood the implicit meaning but simply smiled, not following his lead.
"Miss Jiang, I heard you are very interested in my new drama. Are you hoping to play Murong Xian?"
Despite Jiang Ling's mature and seasoned acting skills, the body she currently inhabits is only seventeen years old.
In the parallel world of Long Country, after economic development, it also faces more severe aging and declining birth rates than in the previous life.