Against the Light - Chapter 5
Chapter 5: A Hellish Start
Xiyuan Film Base.
Gu Xinran stood in front of the film base, a little surprised. She picked up a tourist map, glanced at it briefly, and was utterly shocked.
This film base covered an actual area of nearly twenty square kilometers. The scenic areas it encompassed ranged from ancient palace courtyards to modern old streets and commercial buildings, from ethereal celestial palaces under a dome to bustling foreign cityscapes, and more.
Compared to the film studios she had known in her previous life, this place was more than three times larger!
She looked at the map again and again, took a deep breath, and suppressed the excitement in her heart. She didn't know why, but whether in her past life or this one, whenever she came to a place like a film studio, her heart always stirred with excitement.
“Miss Gu, here to film again? Please use the side entrance. This gate is only for tourists.” A security guard recognized her and explained with a smile.
“Alright, thank you.” Gu Xinran nodded her thanks. Following the guard's directions, she found the side entrance and saw crew members carrying equipment inside from a distance. Gu Xinran watched for a while from afar. Seeing those young people, drenched in sweat but full of energy, she smiled. She had never thought a day like this would come, when she could once again become one of them.
In her past life, she had also clawed her way up from the very bottom. She had been a stagehand, an extra, and even a stunt double who specialized in taking beatings for others.
Looking back on it now, she didn't feel it was bitter at all. To be able to strive and sweat for one's dreams was a blessing.
Gu Xinran was lost in thought for a moment. After all the staff had gone in, she followed behind them, entering the park discreetly.
She followed the group of staff carrying equipment. Before she had walked even a hundred meters, she saw a film crew. The staff carried the equipment over, began setting up camera positions, and got busy with their respective tasks.
Gu Xinran watched from across the street. It was a filming location set on a modern old street, with courtyard houses and old buildings that had a strong sense of history.
After walking a little further, she saw another crew filming at a garden villa with a distinct Republican-era charm. An actress in a white Western-style dress was performing with great intensity.
Gu Xinran strolled along, looking around. Ever since entering the film base, a faint smile had been playing on her lips, something she herself hadn't even noticed.
It had to be said, the place was enormous. There were also many crews at work, and numerous tourists were sightseeing at the various locations, making it incredibly lively.
Some tourists recognized her and greeted her with pleasant surprise. She smiled, nodded, and quickly walked away.
After walking for nearly two hours, she was exhausted. She found a shady spot and sat down on some steps to rest.
She had been wandering for so long and had seen quite a few film crews, but she hadn't encountered anyone particularly familiar or retrieved any useful memories. She now felt that perhaps she had oversimplified things. The film studio was so big, and there were so many crews—how could it be so easy to run into someone she knew? Maybe she should have started with the company first?
She sat for a while longer when she suddenly heard a wave of synchronized shouts. The sound was deafening, even echoing, and it didn't seem far away. It was probably a crew filming a crowd scene. Judging by the sound, the scale of it had to be large.
Gu Xinran got up, dusted off her clothes, and followed the sound. From a distance, she could see many tourists gathered behind a yellow line, excitedly taking pictures with their phones.
Ahead was an ancient manor, covering a vast area and complete with a training ground. At that moment, over a hundred soldiers in heavy armor stood on the training ground, while a man dressed as a general was drilling them from a commander's platform.
The soldiers' movements were perfectly synchronized, clearly well-trained. Following the general's commands, they proceeded with the drill in an orderly fashion. Each move carried an overwhelming momentum that was thrilling to watch.
Gu Xinran stood among the tourists, watching with interest for a while, when she suddenly frowned sharply!
Filming for the TV drama Flowers Falling at Grain Rain was proceeding on schedule. The fake director, Ming Zhen, sat behind the monitor, staring at the screen. She appeared to be carefully observing the actors' performance, but in reality, her mind had long gone blank.
“Director, was that okay?” After the actor finished his scene, the director didn't respond, forcing the actor playing the general to run over and ask himself.
Ming Zhen ignored him, staring intently at the screen. After a long moment, she sighed softly, shook her head, and said, “Again.”
“Could you at least tell me what's wrong? You don't say anything, just keep calling for another take. We've already shot this four times. Even if I'm not tired, the extras can't take it anymore.”
“Because,” Ming Zhen paused, glancing at him, “I'm the director.”
“???”
“You!”
“Alright, alright, don't argue.” The assistant director, Jin Shuang, couldn't stand it anymore and stepped forward to intervene. “This take was great. Let's go with it. Brother Chen, you go rest first. Everyone, take a break. It's time for lunch.”
“Alright.” Everyone cheered and dispersed.
“Yilan, being a director isn't fun at all. They don't listen to me.” Ming Zhen stretched, lazily crossed her legs, and pouted, acting aggrieved first.
“My goodness! If he performed badly, you could say so. But he clearly did a good job, and you kept making him redo it. Who would be happy about that?” Jin Shuang was so exasperated she had to laugh.
Ming Zhen shot her a sidelong glance. If it weren't to keep Yilan company, I wouldn't have come to this godforsaken place to suffer like this.
Jin Shuang felt helpless. This drama was originally supposed to be handled by Director Bai, but after what happened six months ago, she had been unable to move on. A person who used to be cheerful and loved to laugh had become gloomy and melancholic, always looking exhausted and lacking the energy for anything. Especially since she also…
Young President Ming was afraid her condition would worsen if she stayed at home any longer, so she brought her to the set, hoping it would help her regain some energy and rediscover her passion for work.
She had entered the directing circle at the age of twenty. She once said that the film set was the battlefield she loved! But ever since she arrived on set, she had just been sitting there, indifferent to how the actors performed. She even let Young President Ming deliberately cause trouble and torment people. It was as if no one and nothing had anything to do with her. That attitude of disregarding everything was truly heartbreaking!
“Yilan, are you hungry? What do you want for lunch? I'll order it for you.” Ming Zhen tilted her head and looked at Yilan, who was sitting there quietly, serene and detached, like a piece of ancient porcelain. The sunlight spilled onto her white trench coat, casting a faint glow and outlining a thin, frail figure.
The profile of her face was exquisite and well-defined, with a high-bridged nose and thin, slightly pursed lips. Her expression was indifferent as her right hand gently stroked the silver ribbon on her left wrist.
Ming Zhen sighed inwardly. She had often been in this state recently, which was very worrying.
Ming Zhen moved closer to her. “Time to eat!”
Bai Yilan looked at her, then leaned back slightly, keeping her distance.
“What were you thinking about just now? You were so lost in thought.” Ming Zhen rested her chin in her hand, curious.
Bai Yilan didn't answer.
“Fine, you definitely weren't thinking about me, anyway.”
“Mm.”
Ming Zhen lowered her head. You didn't have to say that!
“Let's go, time for lunch.” Ming Zhen stood up and tried to take her hand, but she dodged it.
Ming Zhen tapped her forehead, cursing herself for being forgetful. Ever since that incident, Yilan had refused all physical contact with others. By her analysis, any physical touch probably reminded her of that scumbag ex-wife, so she instinctively resisted it.
Just thinking about that scumbag made Ming Zhen furious, her chest tightening with anger.
After Yilan got together with Gu Xinran, she treated her with all her heart. But what about Gu Xinran? She was always accusing this person of having feelings for Yilan, or that person of looking at Yilan the wrong way, forcing a green hat onto her own head. She pressured Yilan into giving up her career and returning home to become a housewife. And in the end? She only got worse, even daring to cheat and ruin Yilan's reputation!
Yilan had been in the industry for ten years without a single scandal or negative story. This Gu Xinran was the one stain on her life that could never be washed away!
Even yesterday, when Gu Xinran got on the hot search for hitting someone, many meddlesome netizens were still tagging Yilan!
When they divorced, their respective fanbases had furiously attacked each other online. Yilan had suffered greatly from it and quit Weibo. It had been over half a year, and those netizens were still stirring up trouble for no reason!
“Sister Lan?”
Just as Ming Zhen was fuming, she suddenly heard a very sweet voice. She turned her head, and her brow furrowed. Luo Bing?
Ming Zhen looked down on her from the bottom of her heart. Setting other things aside, after Yilan got married, she wrote some kind of love song for her and publicly confessed her feelings in front of the entire country. That was blatantly trying to interfere in someone else's marriage. For that reason alone, she wasn't worthy of anyone's affection! Not to mention the suspicion that she was deliberately creating a scandal to generate buzz!
“Hello, Young President Ming.” Luo Bing was slightly surprised to see Ming Zhen.
“Weren't you beaten up? Discharged from the hospital so soon? Looks like it wasn't that serious,” Ming Zhen said with a smile.
Luo Bing's expression was awkward, but she managed a smile.
“What are you here for?”
“Uh, I… I came to see Sister Shuang. I recorded a demo of Falling Flowers that I wanted her to hear. If she's satisfied with it, I can sing the theme song for this drama,” Luo Bing said with a sweet smile.
Ming Zhen frowned. “Got it. Leave it here and go.”
Luo Bing was particularly annoyed by her dismissive tone, but she really couldn't afford to offend this second young miss. The Ming family was an existence that could make the entire fashion world tremble with a stomp of their foot; they weren't someone a minor singer like her could go up against.
“Alright, I'll be going then. Sister Lan, you… you have to take care of yourself.”
“Stop with all the nonsense!”
After the crew took a break, the crowd of onlookers gradually dispersed. Gu Xinran, however, remained standing where she was, staring blankly in the direction the figure in white had gone.
Her eyes gradually turned red.
That face… it was the face of her deceased wife, the one she thought of day and night, longed for constantly, and had hoped countless times to see in her dreams!
The moment she saw Yilan, she finally understood. This person, who had the same face as her wife, was actually the original owner's ex-wife!
She desperately wanted to run after her, to look at her for just one more moment!
But, with her current identity, how could she possibly walk up to Yilan? How could she say to her, “I've missed you so much”?
Comments
Post a Comment