It meant not just fame, but transcendence itself.
--------------------------------
Shock, jealousy. Even now, Rappa could still recall those extreme emotions.
But all that no longer had anything to do with her.
After learning that she had received an invitation from MiHoYo, the people around her instantly changed their faces: from her agent to the other group members, they all put those fake smiles back on.
Even though, just a few minutes before, those same faces had been twisted and ugly.
"Please, let's take the group for one more push!"
They all pleaded like that.
But by then, Rappa had already made up her mind.
She accepted MiHoYo's invitation on the spot, and in a fit of impulse, angrily booked a flight.
Of course, she didn't even check the destination. Rappa just wanted to get away from that place as soon as possible.
And on the plane, a sense of enlightenment rose within her.
Some people need to be saved, but others, don't need it that much.
Don't try to persuade those who insist on walking down a path of darkness; do you really think the sinking goose is just asleep?
After realizing this truth, Rappa felt she had rediscovered herself.
No more inner turmoil, no more overthinking.
She wanted to be herself again.
Thus, after getting off the plane, Rappa looked at the unfamiliar foreign buildings and the sun in the sky, and asked the same question she had once asked when she first entered the underground rap scene:
"Eh? Where… am I going again?"
...
A few hours later, after buying another ticket to fly to her actual destination, and because of a delayed flight, being forced to grab her skateboard to rush the rest of the way, Rappa finally arrived at MiHoYo's gates.
The staff there had already received instructions in advance. Without any surprises, they escorted Rappa into the company.
At this moment, inside the company, Rappa, drenched in sweat, and a neatly dressed man in a suit with perfectly combed hair were led into a lounge by staff.
This spacious lounge had huge floor-to-ceiling windows.
Sitting there, one could overlook the entire campus.
Sometimes, one could even spot people or things seen on TV passing through the corridors.
Rappa felt a surge of excitement. She wanted to work hard, to live up to the kindness of the one who had saved her in her time of need.
"Mr. Rick, Miss Rappa,"
"The boss will be here soon."
"Please wait a little while."
After speaking politely, the staff exited the lounge.
The room instantly grew quiet. Rappa curiously looked around.
Thinking that this was the creative base of Honkai: Star Rail, and that she was about to join it herself, she couldn't help but start an impromptu rap.
"Yo, the sun of MiHoYo shines into the fallen circle."
"Look down and see the Star Rail burning underfoot."
"The ant that once struggled in the mud,"
"Today stands in the hall of giants."
"Hey, flip the script, fulfill the wish,"
"Remember the cigarette burns backstage that locked in dreams."
"The hinges of the contract grind down screaming throats."
"Thanks to the Kamisato family's letter, clearing the thorns of the path."
"The MiHoYo plaque is the seal of freedom."
The rhythmic rap startled Rick beside her.
He turned to look at this eccentric woman curiously, but didn't stop her.
As the performance ended, Rappa even added a long hook.
"Thanks! I bought the wrong ticket but the right direction."
"In the fog, my skateboard rolls out the path of change."
"My rhymes are blades, cutting through walls of lies."
"My name is Rappa… and here I reclaim my crown!"
When she finished, Rappa lowered her hat brim and struck a pose.
Rick couldn't help but clap.
"Wonderful!"
"Though I don't understand what you're saying, it sounds very smooth."
Rick complimented her.
"Eh, thanks." Rappa replied politely, then asked curiously, "I'm Rappa, a rapper. May I ask who you are?"
"Rick. A Director." Rick smiled faintly. "I used to be a professor in a university's film department."
Hearing that, Rappa nodded with understanding.
Rick, dressed neatly with glasses, looked every bit the cultured gentleman.
"Oh, so that means you were also invited by MiHoYo?" she asked.
Rick shook his head. "No, I applied myself."
"Eh? You can apply?" Rappa blinked in shock.
She had thought a place like MiHoYo only recruited by invitation, who knew you could actually send in a résumé?
"Of course!"
At this, Rick's eyes lit up with excitement.
"I was too curious!"
"Aren't you curious?"
"How can Star Rail achieve such quality, with three episodes every three weeks?"
"And both the actors and the filming logic are as if designed perfectly, flawless!"
"How is that even filmed?"
"This completely defies the principles of production!"
Rick's scholarly face now bore an almost mad grin, his whole demeanor slightly deranged.
Rappa wasn't scared, though; she thought seriously and finally concluded, "Maybe… because lots of people work on it together?"
"No, no, no!"
"No matter how many people, it's impossible to maintain such consistent quality!"
"That answer would earn you a zero in my class! But no matter. I'll see it for myself."
"And MiHoYo finally approved my application. Next, we'll meet that great and mysterious director, maybe he'll enlighten me!"
Rick's eyes gleamed brightly.
As a film professor he was deeply fascinated by such things. Ever since MiHoYo appeared, it had captivated him profoundly.
What kind of filming method could achieve such productivity and quality? Perhaps, his upcoming participation would overturn the industry's understanding!
Rappa couldn't quite grasp Rick's excitement.
Just then, the door to the lounge opened.
Xia Wen walked in with Sunday.
Rappa and Rick both grew excited.
"Hello, Rappa. I've heard about you."
"Congratulations on escaping your hardships and joining MiHoYo."
Xia Wen smiled and shook Rappa's hand.
Rappa was thrilled, facing the man in person, even more handsome than in the videos!
No wonder he's MiHoYo's boss, his smile was so sincere!
A bunch of new rap lines popped into her head, but given the setting, she forced herself to hold back.
After shaking Rappa's hand, Xia Wen turned to Rick, shaking his hand as well in his capacity as the boss.
"Mr. Rick,"
"Welcome to MiHoYo."
"Your talents will surely shine brightly here."
Xia Wen said with a smile.
"In front of you, I wouldn't dare say that I'll shine brightly."
As a fellow director, seeing this legendary figure in person filled Rick with indescribable excitement.
It was as if the secret of MiHoYo was slowly unfolding before his eyes.
The three of them chatted again.
The atmosphere became much more familiar.
Xia Wen, of course, was very familiar with the two of them.
After all, they were exactly the same as in the game.
[T/N: Not sure who this person Rick is...]
Just as Xia Wen suggested that the two of them take a good rest and discuss the filming tomorrow, Rick impatiently said, "It doesn't matter, filming itself is the happiest thing. If I can witness and take part in it personally, that couldn't be better. Rest? No, in the face of such an opportunity, that would be a shameful waste of time."
Rappa also nodded and said, "Yo, cough, cough, I mean, if you need me to create some rap, boss, just tell me directly. I'm well-rested and full of energy."
Very good! So energetic! Such enthusiasm for work.
It made Xia Wen very satisfied!
"I was originally planning to let the two of you rest well and get familiar with the scenery inside the building."
"But now, the workload is heavy."
"The shooting plan involving you two is already imminent."
"Since you both have such determination, that truly fulfills my wish."
It wasn't that Xia Wen wanted them to work 996 hours, but that filming really needed to start immediately, otherwise, the audience would be starving for content.
Sunday also stepped forward voluntarily and handed two scripts to them.
As the two opened the scripts, Xia Wen explained the content of Banana Outrage.
Rappa didn't feel anything unusual; instead, she curiously flipped through the script and character details.
"This, this is practically tailor-made for me."
"It's like I don't even need to act."
"I just need to be myself."
"It's completely a reflection of Rappa herself in Honkai: Star Rail."
"This feeling is really amazing."
Rappa thought happily to herself.
Meanwhile, Rick was shocked to the core.
What the hell? You can film like this? What does it mean that all the other scenes have already been filmed,
And they just need to reshoot Rappa's and his parts?
As everyone knows, when filming a drama, all actors must be present, not only for efficiency but also to save money.
MiHoYo is rich and powerful. So Rick could barely understand this method.
But the problem was, the little girl next to him was actually one of the main actors in the story? And she had only joined the company today!
Not to mention whether her acting skills were up to standard or if she needed time to adjust.
And Banana Outrage was apparently a series scheduled for release next week!?
So extreme?
"Director Xia, haven't you considered the possibility that the actors' performances might not be up to par and they keep getting retakes?"
"How is it possible to film so much content in just one week?"
"And still maintain that level of quality?"
"Is that really doable?" Rick was dumbfounded, a string of questions flashing through his mind.
"I think there's no problem."
"I can definitely produce the result you want, boss!"
At that moment, Rappa, having finished reading the script, spoke confidently.
"?"
"So confident?"
Rick looked at Rappa in shock.
How could that be possible?
No matter what, Xia Wen would surely explain the scene to Rappa later, right?
As a director and teacher, Rick had filmed many short videos himself.
He had met talented actors before, but generally, they still needed the director to guide them in order to understand what kind of performance was desired.
Yet Xia Wen just nodded naturally and praised:
"Excellent! I knew you could do it."
"No time to lose, let's head to the set now."
?
Huh? One dares to say it, the other actually believes it?
What kind of special filming method is this? Rick was utterly shaken.
...
An hour later.
Inside MiHoYo's studio.
Rick stood among a crowd, staring blankly at several high-end cameras surrounding the set.
Rappa was acting out a scene.
In the middle of the set, she directly began rapping the lines from the script.
And her scene partners, were a group of staff members dressed in green suits.
Rick was familiar with this.
Those green-suited staff would be transformed into monsters through post-production effects.
Normally, when actors encounter such scenes, they have to rely on imagination to recreate the scene in their minds.
After all, they're performing in front of a bunch of people wearing silly green suits.
It demands a very high level of belief from the actor.
Inexperienced actors usually need several days of retakes.
However, a strange feeling emerged.
Rappa stood there, rapping her lines fluently.
And Rick suddenly recalled the description in the script.
If he imagined the described scene projected onto Rappa, her performance was absolutely flawless.
"No way?! How is she doing that?"
"Rappa clearly isn't even a professional actor!"
"How can she so naturally express exactly what the script wants, even in such an environment?"
Countless questions filled Rick's mind.
And as time passed, the reshooting speed was unbelievably fast.
This progress completely overturned the directing theories Rick had built up over years of teaching.
Damn it. You can film like this?!
There must be some kind of knowledge or theoretical system behind this that he didn't yet understand.
Perhaps it was hidden in Xia Wen's seemingly casual directing and coordination.
As time passed bit by bit, Rick felt his accumulated directing theories and practical experience being shattered by this seemingly spontaneous filming process, and then being reconstructed naturally in his mind.
He began carefully studying the positioning and layout of the green-screen scenes.
He began carefully observing Rappa's performance, which didn't even look like acting.
Finally, his gaze landed on Xia Wen.
Xia Wen rarely called "cut", most of the time, he said "good."
This was completely different from ordinary directors.
Rick felt a chill down his spine.
Each nod, each "good," from Xia Wen, wasn't a command, but a confirmation!
A confirmation that the performance matched the scene in his mind.
This absolute certainty, combined with the uncertainty of possibly being cut off mid-performance, naturally built a sense of trust and safety in the actors, allowing them to act freely without hesitation.
"I've got it!"
At that moment, Xia Wen stepped down from the camera platform and walked up to Rick. "Phew, what a tough shoot. So, Director Rick, what do you think of the filming?"
"I think it was great, it's reached the peak of its potential."
Rick, eyes bloodshot, stared at Xia Wen and nodded seriously: "Also, I'm now a company employee, please don't call me 'Director' anymore."
"Huh?" Xia Wen was stunned. He felt that after just one day on set, Rick had become a completely different person.
Still immersed in his realization, Rick didn't think there was anything wrong with his words. He said directly, "I learned a lot on set today. I feel that compared to my former self, I've become several times stronger."
"I think I've evolved into Rick 2.0."