Chapter 16: CH 16

A plain-clothed Qin Li came over. Yao Chuan and Fang Zhixing looked at each other and got up in surprise.

Yao Chuan grabbed Qin Li’s shoulder and patted it. “How do you have the free time to come here? Has Old Zheng’s movie finished shooting?”

“Yes, it finished in the early morning. Qi An said your crew was filming nearby so I came to visit you before leaving Hengcheng.” Qin Li looked around and asked with a smile, “Did I disturb you? Is it a break time now?”

In Qin Li’s movie and television career so far, the only television drama he starred in, ‘Workplace Hunter’ was the handiwork of Yao Chuan and Fang Zhixing. That year, he won the Best TV Actor trophy for it.

Yao Chuan remembered the farce just now and he frowned again. “Don’t mention it. This producer Xingyuan is unreliable. He stuffed me with a new actor who is afraid of hardship. He only tried out the wire a few times before refusing to do it.”

“Oh?” Qin Li disliked this attitude to filming the most.

“Come here, please have some drinks.” Qi An walked over on his long legs. He was followed by several assistants, each carrying a large box in hand.

“Thank you, Brother Qi! Thank you, Brother Li!”

“Long live Teacher Qin Li!”

The crew cheered. Qin Li was never a hypocrite in the circle so he accumulated a good reputation and popularity.

Yao Chuan heard the laughter around him and his irritability finally eased completely. “You aren’t in our crew. Why spend money?”

“This is what I should do. It is just a small amount.”

“Shall we go sit and talk?” Yao Chuan asked.

Qin Li nodded and the group went into the director’s tent.

***

Ji Li hadn’t expected that his ‘stand-in’ would be used on the first day. At this moment, he could only sit obediently in the chair and let the stylist play with his headgear.

“Does this level make you feel tight?” The stylist looked at the handsome face in the mirror and her heart blossomed with joy.

She swore that this was the most handsome stand-in she had ever seen. He was so handsome that he could completely replace He Ling!

“No, it isn’t uncomfortable to wear the headgear.” Ji Li smiled politely at her.

The stylist was intoxicated by the smile but she pretended to be calm on the surface. “How did you think of being a stand-in? Based on your looks, you can sign with a company and debut.”

“He Ling and I are from the same company. I’m not filming for the time being so I just followed him to a big crew to see.” Ji Li’s answer was simple.

The stylist nodded thoughtfully.

He Ling’s action of ‘bringing money into the crew’ was already an open secret among the staff. In addition, he acted self-important the moment he came and the stylist didn’t have a good impression of him.

Ji Li was better looking, modest and polite but he was stuck as an unknown group performer.

The entertainment circle was really realistic and cruel.

The stylist thought up to here and inexplicably felt some regret. She tied up Ji Li’s hair and walked around in front of him. “The production assistant hasn’t come to urge me so I’ll give you a good makeup before filming starts.”

“Do you want to put on makeup?” Ji Li put down his script for the time being and was surprised. “I’m just a stand-in and I’ll be wearing a veiled hat in the scene.”

In addition, the stand-in couldn’t directly face the lens. Thus, it was rare for male stand-ins to have makeup.

“It’s fine, just sit down. I’ll do it in a simple manner for you.” The stylist hid her selfishness. In her profession, 10 out of 10 of them were face dogs.

From her vision accumulated for many years, Ji Li was definitely a precious jade. What if she helped him dress up and he was noticed by a bigshot on the crew for a suitable role?

She was doing a good deed. It was a kindness she was willing to do.

It didn’t take long for the stylist to feel ‘surprised’ by her decision.

She took a closer look and realized that Ji Li’s god-sent handsome face didn’t need makeup! His skin seemed to have been soaked in cow’s milk. How could it be so white and delicate? Not a single pore could be seen.

The eyes with their own watery light seemed emotionless but also affectionate. They could easily make people become trapped in them. The lip color was a light red and it was just right. The most unique thing was the mole on the bridge of the nose. It was completely a heavenly stroke!

Due to this, Ji Li’s originally pure, immortal face secretly gained a bit of sexy temptation.

It made people want to commit a crime!

This sentence emerged in the stylist’s mind and she involuntarily took a breath.

“What is it?”

“You are so good-looking it is difficult for me to start.” The stylist sincerely praised him.

Ji Li was amused by her. “Thank you.”

The stylist didn’t dare to ‘destroy’ this face too much. She just added simple foundation and some eye makeup.

Ji Li had just changed into the costume when the production assistant came over. “Is it okay?”

“Yes.” The stylist smoothed Ji Li’s hair and smiled. “Brother Lin, what do you think?”

The production assistant saw Ji Li in ancient clothes and froze for a moment.

It was obviously the same appearance but Ji Li and He Ling had very different temperaments.

He Ling’s modern appearance was very outstanding but after he put on the ancient headgear, his original face became elongated. Combined with the anxious expression of ‘everyone owes him money’ and he looked completely like a dandy.

Meanwhile, Ji Li’s white outfit looked expensive. His delicate facial features were very gentle and a bit of sharpness overflowed from the corners of his eyes. This gave him the ‘King Jin’ feeling of being both righteous and evil.

It was a pity that he could only be a stand-in despite him fitting with the role image.

The production assistant came to his senses. “Don’t waste time. I talked to the assistant director. First, try the wire action a few times to determine there are no problems. Then find Director Yao for official shooting.”

The next shoot couldn’t go wrong and upset the director.

“You have seen He Ling’s situation. Try and get the official shooting in one take, understood?” The production assistant asked.

Hanging from a wire was a common thing for Ji Li so he nodded calmly. “Yes, I understand.”

After saying this, Ji Li put on the veil and followed the production assistant to the shooting point.

In the makeshift sunshade tent, Qin Li was chatting with Yao Chuan and the others. Suddenly, he noticed a white figure in the distance in his peripheral vision. “…Which actor is that?”

Yao Chuan couldn’t remember for a moment. “What is the stand-in’s name?”

“I don’t know. He is the stand-in brought by He Ling.” Fang Zhixing explained casually while looking at Qin Li. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I’m just asking.” Qin Li hid his thoughts. Since this was a stand-in actor, it shouldn’t be the person he was thinking of.

Within a few minutes, the assistant director ran over. “Director Yao, the test is almost done and someone has gone to call Sister Miao. Do you want to start the official shoot?”

“Yes, time can’t be delayed.” Yao Chuan nodded and walked quickly toward the monitor.

Qin Li and the others didn’t speak. They just followed to watch the excitement.

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Xu Miaomiao, the one playing the heroine, fixed her makeup and came in front of Qin Li with a rare smile of shyness. “Brother Li, long time no see.”

She was Qin Li’s sister fan before she made her official debut.

“It’s been a long time.” Qin Li smiled slightly but his response was extremely distant like he wasn’t familiar with her.

Qi An stood on the edge. He watched silently without saying anything.

His friend was a typical warm-faced, cold-hearted person. The entire entertainment industry praised him for his good nature but few people could walk into his inner circle of communication.

“Miaomiao, you go and get ready for filming first.” Yao Chuan interrupted and brought it back to business.

“Yes.” Xu Miaomiao walked back to the tree trunk and was tied up by the props master.

Her wrists were rubbed by the thick rope again and she couldn’t help frowning. “Is this stand-in reliable? Don’t let him NG a dozen more times or it will be my turn to be unable to tolerate it.”

“Sister Miao has worked hard today.” The props master hurriedly comforted her. “The stand-in just tried it out very smoothly. There should be no problem.”

At this point, Ji Li already had the wires on him and he was leaning against the tree trunk. His eyes hidden under the hat were closed as he brewed the emotions of the character, waiting for the sound of the clapboard.

The on-site adjustment was very fast and everything was ready in less than 10 minutes.

***

In the forest, the mountain breeze stirred up a bloody smell.

Xiao Ke’er, the heroine played by Xu Miaomiao, had red eyes as she stared at the corpses of the bandits on the ground in shock.

Not long ago, she strayed into a trap in the forest. These bandits were so excited that they wanted to bully/humiliate her on the spot. At the critical junction, several dark red crossbow arrows fired from a high place, piercing the forehead of these bandits and killing them on the spot.

She was glad that she escaped but this was followed by a greater sense of panic.

She wasn’t sure who the hidden killer was. She was even more afraid that she would be the next one to die.

Xu Miaomiao held back her tears as she warily watched the surrounding environment. “Who… who is it?”

There was a clear tremor and her bound hands were struggling.

The camera captured the real red marks on her wrists. Yao Chuan saw this from where he was sitting in front of the monitor and a glimmer of praise flowed in his eyes. 

She was like a real actor, unlike someone like He Ling who used a stand-in for his first scene.

During this brief loss of mind, a warm and pleasant voice entered everyone’s ears. “…Sorry, it seems I was abrupt and scared you?”

This drama used the dual mode of live sound plus late dubbing. The moment this line appeared, it completely attracted the attention of Yao Chuan and Fang Zhixing.

It was a sentence that seemed simple and ordinary but it was particularly accurate for the character.

King Jin Xie Yan was someone who looked gentle on the outside but who actually had a deep heart.

It was mentioned later in the script that these bandits were Xie Yan’s subordinates in disguise. This encounter was planned deliberately by him with the goal of gaining the trust of the heroine and using it as the entry point to ‘enter the protagonist group.’

His subordinates thought it was just acting but Xie Yan took advantage of their loyalty to kill them.

He had obviously just killed people but he could speak soft words of false affection. Even the ending sound was filled with a faint smile. People who didn’t know the truth would be fooled by this voice.

Could a stand-in actor have such line skills?

Yao Chuan suddenly became interested and focused the camera lens on Xie Yan.

Ji Li saw it was the right time and jumped off the tree with the assistance of the staff. His back was straight and his posture of jumping down was very relaxed and natural. He seemed an expert at the light footwork skill and people couldn’t pick out any mistakes.

The mottled shadows of the tree fell on him and the clothes were gently lifted up by the mountain wind.

Ji Li landed steadily on the ground, right in the perfect place of light. Just then, the white gauze that was as light as a cicada’s wing was blown up by the wind, revealing the enviable side profile hidden under the veil.

Before everyone could see clearly, the handsome face was once again covered in white gauze.

The staff at the scene were in a trance for a moment. They suddenly found it itchy and intolerable. Fu*k, this stand-in was too incredible! That second was too amazing!

It was more than that.

It was the living Xie Yan!

Surprise filled Fang Zhixing’s eyes. As the screenwriter, he knew more than most people about Xie Yan’s charm.

The appearance of King Jin Xie Yan must be stunning, even deified. It was only in this way that it could form a contrast with the final tragic ending and arouse a stronger resonance from the audience and readers.

He wasn’t just an emotionless villain. He was a tragic figure with strong colors.

In just one second, other people only saw Ji Li’s side profile but Xu Miaomiao was in front of him and could see his whole face clearly. She maintained her emotions of the scene but she was already howling in her heart.

Ahhhh, why did this stand-in come to the stage with his own halo?

This wasn’t the crew’s deliberate attempt to ‘shock’ her, right?

“This girl, are you okay?” Seeing that the director didn’t stop it, Ji Li continued to immerse himself in the character. He leaned forward slightly and reached out to untie the thick rope around Xu Miaomiao’s wrist.

The white gauze of his hat inadvertently brushed by the side of Xu Miaomiao’s face. She instinctively looked sideways at the figure close to her.

The face hidden under the white gauze was faintly visible, giving people unlimited space to imagine.

“Okay, it is fine.” Ji Li stared at the abrasions on her wrist, his gentle voice enchanting. “Does this wound hurt? Do you need my help?”

“…It hurts.” Xu Miaomiao unknowingly blushed. “No no, I’m fine.”

The two of them met for the first time, Xie Yan secretly teased and deliberately got close to her while the rescued Xu Miaomiao was attracted by him.

The performance of the two actors was just right. Within a few seconds, Yao Chuan shouted, “Cut! It’s over!”

The staff gathered around them and Ji Li sighed with relief. He retreated two steps and kept his distance from Xu Miaomiao.

Xu Miaomiao regained her mind. She quickly followed her assistant to the lounge and covered her vaguely hot cheeks.

She blushed due to a stand-in! She was too unpromising!

Qi An approached his friend quietly and asked in a low voice, “How long has it been since we’ve seen him? Why did Ji Li run to Director Yao’s crew as a stand-in?”

They sat in front of the monitor and recognized Ji Li the moment the white gauze lifted.

Qin Li shook his head imperceptibly while his eyes stayed on Ji Li’s body.

Yes, he was so good. How could he be wronged enough to be a stand-in? Could it be that someone in the company was targeting him?

The moment the wire pulling sensation disappeared, Ji Li let out a sigh of relief. He took off his hat and glanced in the direction of the director’s monitor.

The next second, he accidentally encountered a pair of deep and familiar eyes.

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