Bab 35: Chapter 34: I seem to have encountered the wrong cast?!
By the time they came back to the hotel and put their things away, most of the crew had gotten up. The crew prepared the set while the cast gathered in groups of two or three to chat about the film. The atmosphere was completely different from the previously tranquil atmosphere outside.
"Little Xi, you and Goddess Su went out early?! I went to find you but nobody was in your room and you didn't answer the phone. I was so worried, you know?" Li Lingmeng was talking to Lin Yunxi but then went over to Wen Jiexi when she saw them walk in.
"I originally wanted to exercise in my room but then was dragged out by Sister Su for a walk." Wen Jiexi scratched her head sheepishly. They had gone out early but didn't expect they would be gone for more than two hours. Furthermore, she had turned her phone on 'Do Not Disturb' and didn't even notice any messages or calls.
"Please remember to give me a notice whenever you leave next time! Just send a message or a call, but don't give me a heart attack every time I come searching for you, alright?" Li Lingmeng grabbed Wen Jiexi's cheeks and pulled the tender flesh mercilessly.
"Yessh….sworrry (sorry)….itzz hwurts (it hurts)…"
"Speaking of, why do you call our Goddess, Sister Su?" Li Lingmeng released her hands and whispered in Wen Jiexi's ear.
"Eh? That's because Sister Su wanted me to call her that." Wen Jiexi stiffened and then answered Wen Jiexi's question.
"Hehe…I'm cheering for you….you really are something…." Li Lingmeng wiggled her eyebrows, patted Wen Jiexi's shoulder with a smirk, and then ran over towards Lin Yunxi.
"What….wait!" Wen Jiexi scratched her head, what did her friend mean by that?
"Jiexi, why are you staring off into space for? I brought breakfast!" Xue Molin came over with a tray of scrambled eggs, ten meat buns, another large stack of omelets, ten fritters, and a large pitcher of soy milk.
"Come and eat! If this isn't enough we can still get more! These are freshly made so be careful! They might be a little hot."
"Oh!" Wen Jiexi no longer paid any mind to Li Lingmeng's comment about 'cheering for you' and immediately took a seat. She had been up since five and had been starving for hours now. She grabbed a pair of chopsticks and plates as she started piling on meat buns and eggs which she happily stuffed in her mouth.
"Little Su, you should hurry over and eat too. As the female lead, you're going to have many scenes today." Lin Yunxi waved Su Chenyu over.
Shua…..
The chair next to Wen Jiexi scraped against the floor and it was…. Su Chenyu once again.
There was limited seating in the room, with the two crews combined, there were only about two tables for each film. Each table could arguably fit about 10 to 15 people at a time. However, their table had the least people, with only the original six of them gathered there. This was of course because of the fact that three of the most powerful bigshots from Xingle were sitting with them. If the normies sat together with them, wouldn't they be crushed by the overwhelming pressure?
"Sister Su, the meat buns and omelets here are delicious!" Wen Jiexi complimented.
"I see." Su Chenyu nodded and picked up the large pitcher of soy milk. She grabbed two small bowls and poured the soy milk into each one. She then placed one bowl in front of herself and then in front of Wen Jiexi.
"Thanks!" Wen Jiexi happily accepted with a smile and picked up the bowl to grab a sip. En, slightly sweet but freshly brewed soy milk! Delicious!
Li Lingmeng, Lin Yunxi, Wang Anyi, and Xue Molin all stared flabbergasted at the ambiguous atmosphere between the two: What the hell happened while we were gone?!!
In the next half an hour, Wen Jiexi was once again amazed at the amount Goddess Su was able to eat. She herself had eaten three steamed buns, four omelets, three spoonfuls of scrambled eggs, two fritters, and three bowls of soy milk. This was already considered a lot, yet because of her abnormal workout routine, it was expected of her to intake so much.
However, she couldn't hold a candle to Su Chenyu's appetite. She wasn't exactly sure how much the Goddess ate but it was definitely more than her. Su Chenyu ate gracefully with small bites at a time, but her mouth hasn't stopped even once during this entire half an hour…Just how much did she eat? When will she stop?
"Little Su, stop eating! It's time to assemble!" Seeing that the other artists have already left, Lin Yunxi quickly stood up and grabbed their things. Su Chenyu, meanwhile, was not concerned as she slowly wiped her mouth with a napkin and stood up.
"Let's go."
"Fighting, Little Su!" (Xue Molin)
"Sister Su, good luck!" (Wen Jiexi)
"Hehe, Goddess Su, when I have the time, I'll drop by and watch!" (Li Lingmeng)
She nodded at the three people beside her and then followed in the direction of the crew. The moment she walked over, the crowd immediately shifted to let her into the middle. She was then surrounded by a middle-aged looking director, several important actors, and crew members. By the time the entire group left, the entire dining room was empty, leaving behind only a few stray kittens.
"Goddess Su doesn't seem to be full yet!" Li Lingmeng patted her stomach.
"Huh? Not full yet?" Wen Jiexi asked in shock.
"Goddess Su didn't eat this little last time." Li Lingmeng rolled her eyes at Wen Jiexi. Last time she had brought back three days worth of late-night snacks! Yet, Goddess Su had directly eaten a third of it in one go! Fortunately, late-night snacks couldn't compare to proper meals, or else it would've been too scary to watch!
"Relax, Little Yiyi packed up ten steamed buns just now so Little Su won't be going hungry any time soon!" Xue Molin explained as she wiped her mouth,
"Let's go, it's time for us to check in with our crew. In fact, our crew left with the others just now. The only ones left are those who are like us, people with no scenes to act out today. Furthermore, since we don't have to put on any makeup or help set up special effect machines, it will be ok if we leave a little later."
"But where is the meeting point?" Li Lingmeng said in a panic after realizing that their crew really was gone.
"You mean you didn't confirm with the crew yesterday? Hah? Lingmeng, you little brat!" Xue Molin pinched Li Lingmeng's soft cheeks.
"Wuwuwu….sworry…."
"Forget it, forget it. I know where it is, but you have to be better than this next time! Come on, let's go." Xue Molin charged out the room with the two behind her.
It took them about twenty minutes to finally arrive at the location of the crew. By the time they arrived, the scaffold and other set pieces had been erected. Many people went to and fro, hurrying along while the actors/actresses sat under canopies so their makeup wouldn't be ruined by them sweating in this sweltering heat. They wore immortal and ancient styled clothing, which meant clothing that was cumbersome and known for being rather troublesome. There were also many scenes where they were supposed to 'fly' and other machines that were supposed to create special effects.
"Huh? There are even kids here!" Li Lingmeng said in surprise.
"Of course there is. Aren't there a lot of children in this film? Since there aren't many scenes of children in the play, it's better to shoot those scenes first. Not to mention, children aren't the same as adults. The procedure is a little more complicated and the crew is responsible for their safety. It's a troublesome part of a film and usually, they just gather them together and shoot the scenes early. Also, don't look down on them because they are just children. If you go by the definition of seniority in the entertainment industry, these children are your seniors, your predecessors! Even as a child star, one much have good acting skills." Xue Molin said with crossed arms and then pointed at a woman who was wearing a beret and carrying a yellow megaphone. She looked about thirty and was discussing something with a group of people,
"That is the director of this film. You guys can just call her Director Xie. Remember the faces of the people next to her, because those are important members of the crew. If you have any questions, it's best to ask those people over there."
Wen Jiexi looked over…ah, Wang Hao and Xiu Lan are over there! Seems like they're one of the bigshots in charge!
"Alright, let's go, let's go. We don't want to burn in the sun, let's get under one of the canopies." Xue Molin waved for them to the floor.
There were a total of five canopies erected, the largest one was set aside for makeup and costume dressing. The other two were for the technical crew and the other two were a resting area for performers or anybody else who just wanted to rest. There were many chairs in that area.
"Hey, Sister Xue!"
"Hi, Sister Xue!"
"Good morning, Sister Xue!"
Xue Molin was warmly welcomed the moment she walked it. Wen Jiexi froze for a little at the scenes, Since most of the actors/actresses were from Xingle, the atmosphere was lively and friendly overall. The other crew, on the other hand, were mixed with several companies and expected for some hunched whispering amongst isolated groups, the atmosphere was unbearably quiet compared to the Xingle crew.
"Ahah, isn't this Jiexi? So you're the new artist who signed with Sister Xue?!" The bright and sunny boy, Lan Yuyan came bouncing over with a smile. He had changed his outfit and now wore a dark red robe, a long wig, and exquisite makeup…overall, he had a…how to say it…a cold and icy look that was quite contradictory to his smiling face.
"Little Yan, I've told you that you shouldn't make any big moments. Your makeup artists will have to fix it for you again." Yan Haocheng also came over and pulled Lan Yuyan over to him. His own makeup made him look younger than even Lan Yuyan and combined with the plain black costume he was wearing, his entire demeanor was now clean and neat.
"Heh, it doesn't matter!" Lan Yuyan stuck out a tongue and then turned to Wen Jiexi,
"By the way, Jiexi, since you don't know the other cast members too well, let me introduce you to them." Saying so, he then dragged Wen Jiexi over to a group of actors and actresses.
"Hello, this is…a newcomer, just like me!"
"And this is our senior!"
"And this is…."
And so, Wen Jiexi was introduced to every single person in the room. She couldn't believe that Lan Yuyan could remember so many people. Furthermore, with his character, it wasn't hard for him to mingle and converse with the others. While everyone was laughing and talking, a woman in white robes with a long sword attached to her waist and a soft smile on her face walked over. She immediately attracted everyone's attention.
"Sister Heling!" Lan Yuyan was the first to step forward and greet the woman with a smile.
"Yuyan, you're still this energetic even right before the filming starts?" A flash of helplessness appeared in the woman's eyes.
"Hehehe, Sister He Ling, I would like to introduce you to Wen Jiexi! She is the new artist under Sister Xue! Jiexi, this is Chu Heling. Sister Heling is the most famous amongst our cast and she's playing the heroine role! She's a really good person! A gentle older sister!" Lan Yuyan smiled happily and then reached up to scratch his face but had his hand swatted away by Yan Haocheng.
"You little rascal, is that how you're supposed to introduce someone?" Chu Heling didn't know whether to cry or laugh as she turned towards Wen Jiexi,
"Hello, I am Chu Heling. I hope we can work well together. If you have any questions you can ask me. Ah, you call me Sister Heling like Yuyan does if you want…"
"Nice to meet you, Sister Heling! Please take care of me!" Wen Jiexi shook Chu Heling's outstretched hand. Wow! The cast is so much nicer than I expected! Wait, if Sister Heling is the heroine, who is the male lead?
"Is the actor for the male lead still putting on makeup? Isn't the shooting about to start?"
"Eh? Did I not tell you? Ah-Cheng is the male lead!" Lan Yuyan said in genuine surprise.
"Then you are…"
"The Demonic Sect's leader! The final boss!" Lan Yuyan patted his chest proudly and then continued excitedly,
"Don't you see the costume I'm wearing? So bloody and domineering!"
"????" Wen Jiexi's eyes widened if she remembered correctly…
The male lead was supposed to be a demon who was open and cheerful, yet bewitching and aggressive! However, looking at Yan Haocheng….
And the heroine is supposed to be clear as ice and clean as jade [1]. Since she was an immortal cultivator, she abandoned her seven emotions and six desires. Her face should always be calm and indifferent….but Sister Heling is a warmhearted person who has such a gentle smile.
Then there was the Final Boss, the cold-blooded and ruthless villain who never had an expression on his face. He would only smile a weird smile when he murdered people and there was a madness in his cold eyes. Yet, Lan Yuyan had a cheerful and sunny disposition and always had a confused look in his eyes.
Just how did they decide to choose these roles? Are they trying to break some sort of human limit? Wen Jiexi cried in her heart.
"The shooting is starting! All actors in the first scene today, please get on set!"
A crowd of actors moved forward, with a few child stars running at the front.
"You two should watch from the side, I'll be here if you need me." Xue Molin directed Wen Jiexi and then sat down while taking out her phone.
"Lingmeng, are you going to stay here too? I'm going to watch them." Wen Jiexi looked at the armful of bags Li Lingmeng was carrying.
"Eh, I want to watch too!"
"Then put those next to Sister Xue." Wen Jiexi nodded.
"Ok, ok! Wait for me!"
The two made their way over to the set, where a destitute thatched hut stood promptly. There were a child and an adult standing in front of the hut. This first scene is during the time period where the male lead, who originally was a half-demon, was stuck in the mortal realm due to some sort of turmoil in the demonic realm. His demonic blood was sealed and so as a child with no power, the male lead was picked up by a drunkard. The male lead could only rely on and live with the drunkard but if he did not make money or bring home food, the male lead would be beaten up. His neighbors saw such tragedy every day and none of them tried to step forwards and stop the abuse. After all, during that ancient time period, it was already good enough if you could focus on providing food for your family. Who has the time to care about other people's business?
The adult actor wore coarse clothing, his face painted to give him a constant drunken blush. In one hand he shook a bottle of wine and in the other, he held a wooden stick. The ten-year-old child star next to him had messed up hair and ragged clothes.
The male lead was not a character who cried easily. As written in the script, the male lead was an optimistic, cheerful, and strong-willed character. Other than for the time the heroine was injured for his sake, he never cried no matter how many times he was punched and kicked, insulted and berated. And because of this attitude, eventually, the drunkard would discard the male lead in the forest and then create an opportunity for the male lead to meet an immortal.
"Action!" Director Xie yelled.
"You little bastard! This old man worked hard to raise you and yet you bring home only this little every day? How is this showing filial respect! Do you want to starve this old man to death? I'll kill you, I'll beat you to death you little ungrateful bastard!" The drunkard waved his stick, striking harshly against the child on the ground. The child did not make a single sound, he only held his head as he received the beating. He bit his lips tightly, his eyes full of determination as he endured silently.
Seeing the child's reaction, the drunkard increased his strength. Furthermore, when he noticed a few onlookers watching, he felt he had lost face and began to beat even harder. He even kicked the boy, sending him falling as he fell heavily. The child's head slammed into the wall and his eyes immediately grew blank as the hands holding his head slid down. It seemed he had lost consciousness.
"Pei….wretched calamity…" The drunkard had no plans to check on the boy but walked back into the thatched hut instead.
"Damn! This piece of scum!" Li Lingmeng mumbled under her breath as she watched the abuse with swollen red eyes. She had half a mind to just rush forward and stop the man.
"Little Meng, calm down! They are only filming! It's all fake!" Wen Jiexi pulled back the furious Li lIngmeng, restraining the crazed woman. However, she also felt a bit of a shock in her heart. So this is what real acting looks like.
Despite being an extra actor, the man acted almost like a real drunkard. The most amazing one, however, was the child star. His acting was really amazing, so much so that it made Wen Jiexi feel ashamed. Although the child star did have several years of experience, she was still an adult. If she can't even compare to a child, then she can only feel shame…
"But the little boy was kicked in the stomach and flew into the air!" Li Lingmeng growled. If the child even flew into the air, how can he be ok? Unless somehow the boy suddenly gained the powers of flight?
Some of the nearby crew were attracted to the commotion and Wen Jiexi nodded in apology as she pulled her friend to the side.
"The boy's stomach has a cushion protecting it and the man only used the instep of his foot. Not to mention, the place where the boy landed has long been cushioned with some soft padding. He is not injured, and if a child does get injured then it will instead cause a lot of unnecessary drama the crew is trying to avoid."
"Is…is that true?"
"Hey, are you two also here for the shooting?" At this moment, a female voice sounded out behind them. They turned their heads to see a sweet-looking girl, roughly one or two years younger than them. The girl looked around with a sheepish and guilty look,
"I was supposed to come and watch my seniors' acting today since I'm not working until tomorrow. I am a newcomer and wanted to come to watch but I accidentally overslept." The girl said in an embarrassed tone.
"Hello, I am Wen Jiexi. I only start the day after tomorrow. This is my assistant and friend, Li Lingmeng. I am also a newcomer affiliated with Xingle."
"Really? I am also from Xingle. My name is Wen Ting. [2] Ah, I had thought that there were only going to be seniors here and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get along with any of them. I feel so relieved now." Wen Ting patted her chest and sighed in relief.
"Actually, there are quite a few newcomers in this film. It's not just me, see, even the final boss is also a newcomer, and…" Wen Jiexi pointed out the newcomers Lan Yuyan had introduced to her earlier,
"They're from our company, but I don't know about the rest."
"I didn't expect there to be so many of us!" Wen Ting exclaimed happily.
"Good! Cut!" Director Xie shouted, waving her arms.
"We'll continue this scene later in the evening, onto the second scene!"
"Which one is the male lead? Which one is the heroine? Which one is the final boss?" Wen Ting asked curiously and then pointed at Lan Yuyan,
"Is that the male lead? The male lead is supposed to be a happy and cheerful young man, right? It must be him,"
"No…unfortunately he is the final boss…" Wen Jiexi smiled wryly.
"Huh? Isn't he the final boss? That iceberg face over there?" Wen Ting pointed at Yan Haocheng in disbelief.
"That is…the male lead.' Wen Jiexi looked away, sighing softly in her heart. Finally, someone who also understood her doubts. She then pointed at Chu Heling,
"And she is the heroine."
"What…."
Seeing Wen Ting's chin almost fall to the ground, Wen Jiexi patted her on the shoulder,
"Don't worry, you're not alone."
"This is because the male lead, heroine, and final boss were picked by the screenwriter. They said they would only allow the drama to be shot if they personally selected these three roles." Xue Molin, who appeared out of nowhere, explained while startling the three.
"Sister Xue, does that mean this was planned by the screenwriter? Will they personally visit the shooting site?" Li Lingmeng asked curiously.
"I don't know if she will come or why she chose these people. However, the people she chooses are not bad, they all have good acting skills. Take Lan Yuyan, although he is a newcomer, he has good acting talents. That's why no one refuted the author's choice in the end. However, the crew has privately discussed and guessed what the author's main criteria are for choosing this cast list." Xue Molin said slowly as she swept her gaze across the room with folded arms.
"What is it?" Wen Jiexi asked.
Xue Molin turned to the three people with a strange expression and then spit out thwo words:
"Good looks."
"…."
"…."
"…."
"I think I may have come onto the wrong set…." Wen Ting lamented.
"Don't be sad, this is only speculation after all. At least the acting skills of the male and female lead are all acceptable. You can see that for yourself." Xue Molin lifted her chin and motioned for the three to watch the scene before them.
The current scene included the heroine. As the eldest disciple of the first branch within her sect, she was obsessed with practice. During one of these practices, her master saw a strange star appear in the south. His divination indicated that the demonic aura coming from the direction of the star would affect the entire Immortal Realm. The heroine is then sent by her Master to find this demon and have him enter their sect. If the demon falls into the hands of the Demon Realm and the Demonic Sect, then the consequences will be unimaginable.
"Disciple." The gray-haired old man sat at the highest position of the slope, a cane in his hand as he used the other hand to help him stand. He seemed to have heard movement behind him as he slowly turned around. His eyes landed on Long Yichen (the heroine's name) with satisfaction.
"Master, your disciple is here." Chu Heling, playing the role of Long Yiuchen, no longer had a gentle smile on her face. Her expression was now aloof and distant. Like a real immortal cultivator who had abandoned their seven emotions and six desires, she showed neither joy nor sorrow. Standing there quietly, the wind gently blowing her clothes, she was fully immersed in her role.
From there, the scene proceeded almost perfectly and Director Xie had a satisfied smile on her face.
"See, your personality doesn't mean you can't play a certain role. To act is to break through your limits. To transform yourself into someone else and present your best efforts to the audience." Xue Molin said with a shrug and then turned around to go back to her seat.
"Is this what they mean by, you can't judge a book by its cover?" Wen Ting said quietly, rubbing her chin in contemplation.
"Probably." Wen Jiexi could only respond with a bitter smile to Wen Ting's musings. At the same time, she realized that even after being taught by Teacher Bai Wei for so long, her thoughts were so narrow-minded. Unless actors and actresses tried to restrain themselves purposely, the future of any acting career was uncertain. She had only learned to imitate acting, she still needed to hone her skill and ask for advice from her seniors.
"If you feel dissatisfied with yourself, let's consult the seniors together! I think the seniors will guide us with enthusiasm."
"Hehe, you just said what I was thinking." Wen Ting sheepishly scratched her head and smiled brightly at Wen Jiexi.
T/N notes:
[1] clear as ice and clean as jade: an idiom for someone is incorruptible and righteous.
[2] Wen Ting (温婷): The surname Wen is different than the Wen in Wen Jiexi's name. While Wen in Jiexi's name means 'multicolored clouds' the Wen in Wen Ting's name means 'warm/soft/tender/etc.' Also, Ting means 'graceful and tall'.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone