Against the Light - Chapter 48
Chapter 48: Trying to Take My Job?
At 9:00 AM sharp, the opening ceremony officially began.
The director, assistant director, producer, and others came forward to burn incense, paying respects to the gods of all directions and praying for a smooth start to filming.
After the rites were completed, the directors moved to the sides, and the main cast, including Gu Xinran, came forward one by one. Following the directors' example, they burned incense and offered three bows.
Finally, the crew members came forward.
The opening ceremony lasted nearly two hours. Everyone wore solemn expressions, and the sense of occasion was palpable.
Finally, everyone gathered for a group photo, declaring the end of the opening ceremony.
The crew was dismantling the platform while the main actresses had their makeup done one by one in the dressing room.
Because the production team had been extremely secretive during casting, Gu Xinran, aside from Qin Qiong, was meeting the other actresses in person for the first time today.
Liu Chang, who played the eldest sister, was a woman of few words. Since they met that morning, she had only offered a greeting before burying herself in her script, saying nothing more. She seemed very composed, and her appearance alone was a perfect fit for the character.
She was already very familiar with Qin Qiong, the second sister.
Ren Wei, who played the third sister, seemed to be about the same age as her. Gu Xinran had heard they debuted around the same time. While Gu Xinran had shot to fame instantly, Ren Wei hadn't been so lucky. However, through hard work and steadily improving skills, she had gradually gained recognition and was now considered a skilled actress.
Gu Xinran sat quietly to one side, watching Liu Chang and Qin Qiong have their makeup applied. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Ren Wei still hunched over her script, her fingers nervously rubbing the pages. She looked a little anxious.
A little curious, Gu Xinran rested her cheek on her hand and tilted her head to watch her for a moment.
"Are you nervous?"
Ren Wei let out a small cry and shot up from her chair, completely startled.
Gu Xinran was taken aback by her reaction as well. Is this girl just naturally jumpy? I just said one thing, and she shot right up…
"Sorry about that. I just saw you looked a little tense and wanted to chat." Seeing the others who were getting their makeup done all look over, Gu Xinran didn't know whether to laugh or cry and quickly explained.
"It's okay, it's okay. I… I'm just naturally… timid," Ren Wei said in a soft voice.
Gu Xinran was silent for a moment. "I don't bite."
At that, everyone burst out laughing at the two of them.
Fang Jinghai heard the noise and ran in. "Sister Ran, did something happen?"
"Do you have any candy? Give me two pieces."
Fang Jinghai handed over two pieces of chocolate.
Gu Xinran gave one to Ren Wei. "Have something sweet to calm your nerves."
Ren Wei said thanks and sat back down.
Gu Xinran found her quite interesting, so she chatted with her for a while, and the two became a little more familiar with each other.
An hour later, they had both finished their makeup, changed into their costumes, and arrived at the studio.
Due to Liu Chang's scheduling conflicts, they needed to film the scenes featuring all the sisters together first. They started with the scene of the sisters' first meeting as adults after their mother had passed away.
Director Yu Hua explained everyone's parts in the scene, then returned to the monitor and gave a signal to the crew.
The crew members all looked on in anticipation. After all, these four were skilled actresses who had been carefully selected by the director after a rigorous screening process. Watching them act off each other would be an absolute treat!
At the director's command, the women quickly got into character.
As the eldest sister, Liu Chang still had an innate sense of responsibility, even though she had been given away by her parents as a child. She looked at the simple-minded Little Four, then at her other two younger sisters, her expression complex. It was clear she was internally conflicted.
The second sister was hot-tempered, full of resentment for the family, and had no attachment to these familial ties. She leaned against a corner with her arms crossed, looking as if it had nothing to do with her.
The third sister was soft-natured and timid, sitting to the side without a word.
Little Four sat on a chair, blinking her big eyes as she looked at each of them, calling out haltingly, "Eldest Sister, Second Sister, Third Sister."
"Don't go claiming relatives. You don't have any sisters here." The second sister glanced at her, her eyes full of disdain.
Little Four lowered her head, repeating the words softly.
"What should we do now?" the third sister asked in a soft voice.
"Send her back. Give her some money and let her fend for herself," said the second sister.
"That's… not a good idea, is it? In her condition, can she take care of herself?"
The eldest was also in a difficult position. "After all, she is our sister."
"Oh, you two, so full of sympathy? When you were sent away, why didn't she stand up and say you were her sister?"
"If you want to raise her, you can. I'm not going to have anything to do with her."
"Cut," Yu Hua called out.
"Qin Qiong, the resistance here needs to be stronger. All of you are focusing too much on the minor details. The conflict isn't strong enough."
The women all acknowledged it and tried to find the right feeling for the scene.
During the second take, the atmosphere of conflict was much stronger than the first time, instantly grabbing everyone's attention. Yu Hua was relatively satisfied.
The scene was filmed four times in total. The crew members on Yu Hua's team were all surprised, marveling at the skill of these veteran actresses.
After all, Director Yu was a perfectionist. They had experienced scenes being shot at least ten times before she would pick the best take.
For it to be flawless after just four takes was undoubtedly a recognition of their acting skills.
In one afternoon, they completed filming for four scenes. One of them was a long take, and the actresses cooperated with such great chemistry that it could have passed on the first try. However, the director, with the mindset that each take could be better than the last, had them shoot it two more times. In the end, she still chose the first version.
Even the crew marveled at their high efficiency.
What surprised everyone the most was Gu Xinran. Although many had seen the variety show and knew her acting was good, seeing it in person was very different from seeing it on TV.
The crew members' opinion of her gradually changed. Even Liu Chang, the veteran actress playing the eldest sister, looked at her in a new light.
During a break, Gu Xinran was a bit hungry and looked around for Fang Jinghai. She found her sitting with Su Yu, the two of them chatting happily.
Extremely curious, Gu Xinran secretly crept closer to take a look. It turned out they were watching a variety show.
"Is this show any good?" Gu Xinran crouched down beside them.
The two of them jumped. "Sister Ran, you walk so quietly!"
Gu Xinran spread her hands in a shrug.
"This is a fashion design competition show. It's pretty good. This person, Ye Ting, is a very famous fashion designer. She founded her own clothing brand and is very popular in the industry. Her haute couture pieces are incredibly hard to get! She's my ultimate idol!" Su Yu said with a proud expression.
"Fashion design? You like it?" Gu Xinran looked at her.
"Yeah." Su Yu nodded. She did like fashion design. When she took the college entrance exams, she had aimed for this major, but her family wouldn't let her study it. So it became an unattainable dream in her heart.
"That's nice."
The two of them continued to chat in-depth about fashion design, leaving Fang Jinghai on the sidelines. She tried her best to join the conversation, but she couldn't understand a thing.
In the blink of an eye, a week passed.
Filming went very smoothly. The main actresses got along wonderfully, their chemistry was excellent, and they even called each other "sister" in private. The set was filled with laughter every day, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.
On this day, Gu Xinran arrived at the set early.
Director Yu walked past her on the phone. Gu Xinran greeted her and accidentally overheard her saying things like, "Take good care of yourself, don't work too hard. It's rare for you to get out, so just relax…" Seeing the gentle look on her face, Gu Xinran instantly realized who was on the other end of the line and unconsciously followed her.
Yu Hua entered the break room while still on the phone, not noticing the little tail that had followed her in. When she hung up and turned around, she saw Gu Xinran standing behind her and jumped in surprise.
"What are you doing?"
"Uh, sorry, Director Yu. Were you just on the phone with Yilan?" she asked, looking at her with anticipation.
"Yes." Yu Hua felt helpless under her gaze.
"Is… is she okay?" Gu Xinran's face lit up, and she quickly asked.
"She's doing well. She's getting along with her friends over there and seems very happy."
"That's good, that's good." Gu Xinran breathed a sigh of relief, her heart at ease.
"Why don't you call her yourself?"
"I…" Gu Xinran choked on her words.
She had thought about this before, but she… didn't quite dare to.
"I'm afraid… of disturbing her studies."
An idea flashed through Yu Hua's mind. She raised an eyebrow. "How about this: you have three scenes today. If you can give me less to worry about, then in the future, when Yilan calls me each week, I'll let you listen in."
"!!!" Gu Xinran's eyes lit up. Instantly, as if she'd been shot full of adrenaline, she turned and ran out to study her script.
Yu Hua stood with her hands on her hips, watching for a moment, then shook her head with a smile.
After interacting with Gu Xinran these past few days, she had shed her previous impetuous nature and become much more composed. She was also very friendly with others and handled situations with a great sense of propriety. She was truly different now.
Most importantly, her acting was consistently on point. Even when she was criticized, she didn't get flustered or impatient but would patiently adjust, and her attitude was excellent.
She had really changed for the better in a short time.
Two hours later, the crew members looked at each other in bewilderment.
A one-take pass? On Yu Hua's set, such a thing was unheard of! However, today, not only did everyone witness it, they witnessed it… twice!
Gu Xinran had three scenes that morning, and two of them were done in a single take! Everyone was stunned. But that wasn't all…
For the other scene, after finishing one take, she felt she hadn't done well enough. She immediately bowed to the crew, adjusted on her own, and performed it again, determined not to trouble Teacher Yu!
Yu Hua stood by the whole time with her hands clasped, unable to get a word in. Whenever she was about to speak, Gu Xinran would just nod at her, indicating that she understood!
After Gu Xinran finished her performance, feeling it was about right, she called for a stop and then looked at Yu Hua with an expectant expression.
Yu Hua glanced at the crew. What? Why are you all looking at me? Is there a problem?
In the end, Yu Hua waved her hand, said, "It's a pass," and then returned to her break room alone, feeling dejected.
I just asked her to act. What is she trying to do? Take my job?
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