Chapter 21: Filming
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
For the entire duration of the flight, until they got off the plane, got on the car, and entered the production team, Xia Wanyuan behaved calmly. One could even say that she had a sense of propriety. The strange quietness contrasted greatly with her usual behavior and simply made Chen Yun uncomfortable.
But Chen Yun had to admit that Xia Wanyuan’s current state was much more delightful than before.
“Everyone has worked hard. This is the afternoon tea I ordered for everyone. Eat it before you work.” Ruan Yingyu smiled warmly as she distributed the cake to the crew.
Looking at Ruan Yingyu, who was surrounded and fawned over by the crowd in the distance, Chen Yun looked resentfully at Xia Wanyuan, who was reading her script calmly.
“Should we send something to the crew too?”
“There’s no need. My reputation is so bad anyway, so others will only think that I’m imitating others and making a fool of myself if I send something over now. There’s no need to rush to find trouble.”
“…” It was rare for Xia Wanyuan to say something correct, let alone something so insightful. With that, Chen Yun gave up on the idea of sending gifts, but he still couldn’t stand Ruan Yingyu. “We are going to be suppressed by her forever.”
“As long as I act well, no one will care about that cake anymore.” Showing actual skills was always the best way to shut people up.
After reading the script, Xia Wanyuan felt that acting wasn’t difficult. Especially given that she was someone who had spent years trudging through the political quagmire of troubled times.
During that famous meeting where she was able to gain something without risking anything of her own, she dealt with mass forces, faced different people, displayed different personalities, and finally obtained the approval of the allied forces, taking down that critical city in one swoop.
Those wily old foxes all knew how to act. Moreover, they were truly ruthless.
And it was reality.
?????
Chen Yun stood at the side with a face full of question marks. ‘My dear Miss, are you really standing here talking about acting skills? If you had even the slightest bit of ability, you wouldn’t be criticized by the entire internet.’
He felt a little hopeless. It seemed that Xia Wanyuan had not become normal, but had become even more neurotic. Everything that had just happened was just an illusion.
“Haha, I haven’t seen you in a while. It seems that you’re getting more and more confident.”
Xia Wanyuan put down the script and ignored Chen Yun’s ridicule. Instead, she got up and went to the dressing room to change.
“Xiao Ruan, your performance just now wasn’t bad. You got into character very quickly. It’s just that you need to put in a little more effort to show Tian Ying Er’s naivety.”
“Okay, I understand. Thank you, Director. I will continue to work hard.”
Ruan Yingyu, who was wearing a long white dress, humbly thanked the director and crew. Her humble attitude made Director Yang nod in approval. In the entertainment industry, there weren’t many people with such good acting skills and modesty like her.
Especially when the second female lead of the production team was clearly a negative example. Director Yang’s head hurt when he thought of the rich character characteristics of the Heavenly Spirit Princess. In the future, if he had the means and money, he would definitely boycott the act of bringing funds into the production team!
Not only did the director have all sorts of thoughts in his mind, but the other members of the production team were also whispering in private.
“Sister Ruan is indeed a good person. It’s also great that she has good acting skills.”
“Of course, she’s definitely better than a fool like Xia Wanyuan. I think the Xia family is indeed bankrupt, look how low-key Xia Wanyuan is today.”
“That’s right, that’s right. I almost didn’t recognize her when she entered the production team just now. She was too quiet.”
“Well, she’s already been demoted from the first female lead to the second female lead. With her acting skills, I think it’s hard for her to even be an extra.”
The cameraman was still babbling when he realized that his friend did not respond to him at all. Even the people around him had quietened down. He stopped talking in confusion and followed his partner’s gaze. Instantly, he was amazed by what he saw.
The woman in question was wearing a light purple gown with a dark-colored woven brocade belt that wrapped around her slender waist. In her hand was a lantern with a jade rabbit drawn on it.
Due to the need for the role, she wore a veil over her face, making her eyes look even more exquisite and lovely, like the most beautiful ink painting in the misty rain in Jiangnan.
Everyone was stunned for a long time, and they did not realize who it was until the stylist noticed that the clothes belonged to the Heavenly Spirit Princess. Holy sh*t! To think that she was so good at choosing clothes!
“Xia Wanyuan?!!” She couldn’t help but call out. Only then did everyone realize that this stunning woman was the very person they had been scolding for a long time.
“Director, I’m ready.” Xia Wanyuan’s rosy lips parted slightly. Her clear voice was like a stone that finally broke the silence.
Chen Yun, on the other hand, had a calm expression. After all, he knew about Xia Wanyuan’s beauty. What he was worried about were Xia Wanyuan’s idiotic acting skills. Forget it, it was fine if she could be beautiful. At the very least, she could receive less scolding. Chen Yun had already given up.
At that moment, Director Yang was the most delighted. As a director, he naturally had the most sensitive sense about the portrayal of a character. Xia Wanyuan made him truly understand what the original number one beauty, the Heavenly Spirit Princess, looked like.
But thinking of Xia Wanyuan’s acting skills, Director Yang sighed. Forget it, he would just take more shots of her face and not shoot too many details which would only exemplify her bad acting skills.
“Alright, all teams, get ready for the second scene!” Director Yang shouted through the loudspeaker and everyone recovered from their shock.
“Damn, isn’t she too beautiful!”
“Let’s not talk about anything else. Xia Wanyuan’s face is simply too beautiful.”
That day, they were filming the scene where the Heavenly Spirit Princess and the male lead, Lin Xiao, met at the Lantern Festival.
In the original novel, the Heavenly Spirit Princess, who had been trapped in the palace since she was young, snuck out of the palace during a lantern festival. However, someone stole her purse when she was enjoying the lantern show.
During the chase, the male protagonist acted bravely for a just cause, causing her to fall in love at first sight. It was this scene that eventually led to the series of disputes later on.
“Okay! Gaffer, cameraman, take note. Action!”
At the director’s command, pedestrians started to move about on the streets that were filled with all kinds of colorful lanterns. The camera slowly zoomed in, and a light purple figure entered the camera.
That was the first time the little princess had left the palace. She was shocked by the commotion outside, so she looked around curiously at everything that she had never seen before.
Xia Wanyuan recalled the first time she had left the palace. She was somewhat afraid, but also somewhat restless. Like a child, she examined all the things in the world that she had never come into contact with.
“Quick, quick, pull the camera in and take a shot of Xia Wanyuan’s eyes!”
The camera that had been pulled far away was now focused on that pair of butterfly-like eyes.
With a veil covering her face, the camera could not catch her expression, so she could only rely on her eyes to show her current character’s mentality.
Meanwhile, the crew could see the innocence in those eyes. They were an entrancing combinationー hazy, curious, happy, and probing at the same time. The sadness of being trapped in the palace for a long time, and how she could only see the vast outside world occasionally could be seen and felt from her eyes alone.
“…”
Chen Yun’s eyes were about to pop out. Was this Xia Wanyuan?! Her acting skills had probably been remade ten thousand times in the Grand Supreme Elder’s furnace!
The scene changed.
A sneaky thief reached Xia Wanyuan’s side. Taking advantage of the crowd, he quietly took the purse from the little princess.
The little princess, who was about to take out her money to buy a hairpin, grasped at her robe but was unable to locate her purse. She suddenly looked up and saw the thief running away. Fear and grievance flashed across her eyes. Finally, she shouted, “Thief! Catch the thief!”
Everyone watching from outside the scene saw this helpless and wronged gaze and wished they could go up and beat the thief up.
At this moment, the male protagonist, Lin Xiao, appeared on the scene. He was initially waiting on the tree to look at the stars, but he noticed the movement beneath his feet. Upon seeing the little girl being bullied, displeasure flashed in his eyes, and he leaped off the tree.
With a beautiful kick, he easily subdued the scoundrel.
“Here, your purse.”
The actor playing Lin Xiao was the famous actor, Qin Wu. Under the lights, he looked tall and heroic. The distinct eyebrows and gentle smile on his face made the little princess panic.
A hint of shyness, joy, and gratitude could be seen in her sparkling eyes.
“Thank you.”
As the little princess reached out for the purse, she did not dare to raise her head to look at that smiling gaze.
At that moment, a gentle breeze blew past. The veil that had been loosened while she chased the thief was now blown away by the wind.
“Quick, get a close-up!” Director Yang was so excited that his hands were clenched tightly as he babbled in anxiety.
The camera zoomed in for the close-up.
The veil on her face was blown away. The beauty in front of him had jade-like brows and skin that was as far as the snow. Her waist was like a bundle of silk and her teeth were like pearls. Lin Xiao’s eyes flashed with amazement, but he already had a younger sister whom he grew up with. Hence, his eyes flashed with astonishment and a hint of a struggle before finally returning to their original calm.
Sensing that her veil had fallen off, the little princess lifted her head in a panic and looked at the knight in front of her. Was that awe in his eyes? Covering her flushed cheeks, the little princess bowed down in embarrassment to try to hide the hint of happiness in her eyes. In the end, she could not stop the heat emanating from her reddening earlobes.
“Great! This is great! So great! Cut! This scene is over!”
Director Yang repeatedly praised her three times, naturally indicating that Xia Wanyuan’s scene had been completed flawlessly. All the staff present had watched her act and had no words to spare. Who would dare speak ill of her again? Even the way they looked at Xia Wanyuan had changed.
After the director shouted “Cut!”, Xia Wanyuan returned to her normal state. She no longer had the look of a girl who had just seen her first love.
“…”
Qin Wu was speechless at how quickly Xia Wanyuan’s expression had changed.
He cast a probing glance at Xia Wanyuan. Back then, he had almost rejected this script when he heard that Xia Wanyuan’s acting skills were terrible. After all, he did not want to waste time on someone with no talent who was merely a flower vase.
From the looks of it now, the rumors could not be trusted. If not for Xia Wanyuan’s immediate change of expression, he would have really thought that Xia Wanyuan liked him with how shy and lovable she had looked only seconds ago.