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Chapter 28: By Fate

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Dai Jia sat for a while longer. She stretched, stood up, and announced, “I’m off.” She went away as suddenly as she came.

Jiang Se saw her passing through a door to the makeup room where there were more people.

She thought that the day’s schedule would be postponed. She was even prepared for the possibility whereby the two lead characters would only be there much later. However, to her surprise, the stage manager made an announcement with a loudspeaker shortly after that.

The director and the two lead actors must have arrived. However, none of the lead characters could be seen on the temporary set.

Many of the newcomers were standing on tiptoe to take a look at the lead actors. Some of them asked the people around them, “Do you see Hang Yuyi and Zhao Ruoyun?”

Someone snorted, “Who do you think we are? It’s impossible for Hang Yuyi and Zhao Ruoyun to share the same makeup room as us. They’ll be coming from another path. They have their own private resting rooms and makeup rooms here to avoid being disturbed by other people.”

The lead actor and actress were popular young stars. The others were talking among themselves softly when the crew members clapped their hands. Zhao Ruoyun was finally done with her makeup and had arrived on set.

The first scene depicted the female lead of “Pretense to Reality”, Wang Qianqian, who she portrayed, having an argument with her mother. The crew members had set up a room beforehand while the other actors were in place as well.

Since this was a rare opportunity to observe a professional at work, the other actors and actresses in the cast were observing the filming from afar.

Jiang Se stood at the side as well. She saw Zhao Ruoyun communicating with the actress who played the role of her mother in the film.

“Pretense to Reality” began with an emotional scene, the kind that Gu Jiaer was most skilled in filming. It was a story in an urban setting about a man and a woman trying to flee from their respective families pressuring them to get married. The lead characters went to France for different reasons. They met each other on the airplane, eventually got to know each other, and fell in love.

Wang Qianqian was a romantic woman who longed to go to Paris. She was 26 but never had a boyfriend. Her mother was worried that she would never get married. She practically urged her about this every day. This gave Wang Qianqian the wild urge to just resign from her job and head to Paris.

After a short conversation with the actress who played Wang Qianqian’s mother, Zhao Ruoyun, made an “okay” sign. The director nodded from behind the camera, and the script supervisor began giving instructions loudly.

Zhao Ruoyun was about 24 years old. She looked lovable and cute in her lilac home attire with her hair tied up in a bun. When the script supervisor announced the start of the filming, she sprawled on the couch and moved her legs about in the air as she hummed a tune. She flipped through a picture album that had been prepared by the production team.

With the camera focused on her, she maintained her actions. Another camera was focused on her from afar from a different angle.

Although Jiang Se had never learned anything about performing and had only one prior experience, she felt that Zhao Ruoyun’s naivete seemed too affected.

The film camera produced detailed images to the extent that even the pores on Zhao Ruoyun’s face could be clearly seen. Her performance did not satisfy Gu Jiaer. The camera had barely begun rolling when the director shouted, “Cut!”

Zhao Ruoyun sat up on the couch. Her makeup artist and stylist swarmed toward her to patch her makeup and adjust her clothes.

“Wang Qianqian should be showing some anticipation here. She’s decided to quit her job and give chase to her dreams in Paris. She won’t be like you, flipping through a picture album, waiting for Gao Xiaoming to feed you lines.”

Although Jiang Se had auditioned and joined the cast of “Pretense to Reality”, this was her first time seeing Gu Jiaer in person.

Gu Jiaer was about the same age as Zhang Jingan and had shoulder-length hair. However, he exuded a completely different feeling from Zhang Jingan.

If Zhang Jingan was a lion that glared at its prey on set, Gu Jiaer was a Tyrannosaurus Rex that showed a full display of its wrath on its face. With these sentences, he made Zhao Ruoyun blush with shame. “Let’s do this again.” As Gua Jiaer waved in the air, nobody on set dared to breathe loudly.

Zhao Ruoyun fell onto the couch again. She took a deep breath and tried to get herself in the right position with the picture album in hand.

“You’re not young anymore. Why aren’t you dating yet? What good will writing and drawing with that picture album do for you when that’s all you do at home after work?” Wang Qianqian’s mother was portrayed by Gao Xiaoming, an experienced actress. She picked up the scattered clothes from the floor and nagged her daughter who was sprawled on the couch.

Zhao Ruoyun remembered Gu Jiaer’s critique before this. She tried her best to picture herself as Wang Qianqian who wanted nothing but to quit her job and fly to Paris. She was humming a tune when she heard Gao Xiaoming recite her lines. She responded immediately, “You don’t get it...”

She was barely halfway through her line when Gu Jiaer called for a cut again.

The director’s expression was slightly sour. It was clear that the script supervisor and the other crew members knew about the director’s temper when he was filming, so they kept their mouths shut tightly. They did not want to be in the line of fire in such a situation.

“I told you that Wang Qianqian is determined to quit her job and give chase to her dreams in Paris.” Gu Jiaer was wearing a serious expression as he stared at Zhao Ruoyun. “Did you bribe your way through your cultural lessons or something?”

When the students from the Film Academy heard this, their necks shrunk into their shoulders. Jiang Se, however, felt an urge to laugh.

Zhao Ruoyun was confused after being yelled at so often. However, Jiang Se could roughly grasp the meaning Gu Jiaer wanted to express.

When he said that “Wang Qianqian is determined to quit her job and give chase to her dreams in Paris”, he meant that currently, Wang Qianqian should be devoting her time and effort to making her trip to Paris happen. She should have been distracted from everything else, so she should not have been able to react to her mother’s nagging right away.

Zhao Ruoyun was eager to speak with Gao Xiaoming. Although she had read the script, the performance was based more on the external display instead of charm.

“I told you, if she’s hell-bent on quitting her job and going to Paris, she wouldn’t be feeling the urge to argue with her mother. Her heart and mind should’ve been in Paris by now!”

Zhao Ruoyun managed a smile. “Okay, I’ll try it again.”

Gu Jiaer frowned and heaved a deep sigh. He grabbed a bottle of mineral water and shouted with a cold expression, “Again!”

Although the set was air-conditioned, the machines and lights scattered about the set and the two NGs made fine beads of sweat burst out on Zhao Ruoyun’s forehead.

The shoot did not start out well. The makeup artist came up and patched her makeup again before Zhao Ruoyun sprawled herself onto the couch again.

Zhao Ruoyun was not an amateur when it came to acting. With her experience of failing twice and the direct tips Gu Jiaer gave her, she got into character.

When her mother nagged at her again, she stared blankly at the picture album. She stroked it gently with her fingers. The camera shifted its focus from her face to the picture album. It was a picture of the Louvre.

Her mother nagged at her for a long time but inspired no response from her daughter. She tapped her shoulder with a look of disapproval on her face.

As expected of an experienced actress. Gao Xiaoming did a great job of managing her detailed facial expressions. Her eyes and brows were full of emotions. Through her outward display of maternal love, the viewer could still tell that she was worried about her daughter’s marital life. This made it easier for Zhao Ruoyun to get into character.

Wang Qianqian entertained her mother’s nagging while she was distressed about telling her mother that she wanted to quit her job and head to Paris.

“Just look at my former colleagues who are about the same age as I am. Their children...”