Shrine - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The water boiled. Ruan Ruan made a cup of seafood-flavored instant noodles and took it to the living room to eat.

During the 15-minute wait, she used her phone to scroll through the day's entertainment news on Weibo. Not two minutes later, Wu Mei returned, bringing with her the greasy smell of cheap cosmetics. She was carrying a bag of fruit, and her hair was flat, stuck to her forehead in crooked strands—a clear sign she had just taken off a headpiece after a period drama shoot.

Wu Mei was her roommate, nicknamed Wu Mei, or Dark Plum. The two of them shared this two-bedroom apartment. Ruan Ruan had just moved in over a year ago, while Wu Mei had already been living here for three years.

"You got the part?" Wu Mei placed the plastic bag on the dining table and asked Ruan Ruan.

"Yup~" Ruan Ruan smiled, her teeth pressed together, and handed her the call sheet. "Filming starts in a couple of days."

"If you didn't have a role, I was going to ask you to come with me. Since you do, I'll have Xiao Bao come over." After gaining more experience as a working actor in the film city, Ruan Ruan didn't even want to bring an assistant anymore. She could manage everything herself with a single set case. As a result, the assistant assigned to her by the company was often sent to follow other artists. Wu Mei's career was doing even worse than Ruan Ruan's; she usually only managed to get roles as a featured extra or a background actor. Her greatest achievement was playing a young lady's maid in a period drama, who later hanged herself.

Because of this, when she didn't have a role, she would sometimes work as Ruan Ruan's assistant to earn some money and see if there was a chance to squeeze herself into a part.

Wu Mei jumped onto the sofa, sat down, and wrapped an arm around Ruan Ruan's shoulders. "Of course I'm going with you~"

Ruan Ruan wrinkled her nose and smiled, handing her the call sheet. All the things they usually needed on set were already packed in a case, ready to go at a moment's notice.

"This time, I told the director that I've rented a place here, so I won't be staying at the hotel. But the director still said he's arranged a room for me. Didn't you say the air conditioning here isn't great? If you think it's too hot, we can go stay there. But still, I think it's more comfortable at our own place," Ruan Ruan said softly, leaning against Wu Mei.

The "director" an actor referred to changed depending on the context. Sometimes it was the casting director, who was usually in charge during the casting phase. After joining the production, the ones who communicated with the actors were the production coordinator or the assistant director for actors.

The actual head director generally didn't interact with them. If anything came up, they would have the assistant director for actors handle it, and the same went for explaining scenes on set.

"We'll see when the time comes," Wu Mei said, picking up Ruan Ruan's call sheet. As she read it, her brow furrowed. "What kind of schedule did they give you? Makeup at 3 a.m.? Are you waiting for a night scene?"

The noodles were ready. Ruan Ruan sat at the coffee table and ate. "I'm playing the female lead's college classmate. All the scenes are in a dormitory, so we have to wait for them to finish the day scenes before they change the set."

Actual filming that involved natural light had stricter time constraints. Studio shoots were much easier to schedule. Minor actors like them weren't afraid of pulling all-nighters, so the schedule was often packed tight for them.

"But that's usually the makeup time for extras." That's how it was on film sets. The bigger the star, the later their makeup call time.

"This production has a lot of people," Ruan Ruan explained. "Besides, Teacher Zhang is personally doing the makeup for all of us supporting actors."

If someone as old as Teacher Zhang could get up that early to start work, what did she have to complain about?

Wu Mei sighed and put the call sheet on the table. "You didn't slip the production coordinator any money again, did you?"

If she had, her schedule wouldn't be this bad.

Ruan Ruan picked at the dehydrated vegetables in her instant noodles. "There's no need, right?"

Besides, she was short on money. Her mother had undergone heart bypass surgery at the beginning of the year. They had hired a very good specialist, and with the costs of a caregiver and subsequent recovery, it was burning through her savings. If she gave a small red envelope, they wouldn't even look at it, so why bother?

Wu Mei couldn't persuade her. She went into the kitchen to wash the fruit and told Ruan Ruan to stop eating instant noodles since filming was about to start.

She had already switched into assistant mode, supervising the artist's diet.

Ruan Ruan turned on the TV and continued watching the variety show she hadn't finished last time. It ended in five or six minutes, and the recommended video below happened to be the one she had filmed with Shi Ran two years ago.

"Watch this, watch this," Wu Mei said, walking out with the fruit.

"Again?" Ruan Ruan said, but she still clicked on it. "We've already seen it."

"This was the peak of your career. Watch it, ignite your fighting spirit." Wu Mei took a bite of an apple and handed one to Ruan Ruan.

It was true. Ruan Ruan was even more of a flop now than she was two years ago. Right after the show aired, she had been a little famous. Sometimes her "iconic scenes" would pop up on Xiaohongshu. Back then, her Weibo comments were numerous, and the company didn't even need to buy paid commenters.

Now, when she posted on Weibo, the numbers looked decent, but one click was all it took to see that most of the comments had been collapsed by the platform.

She had been a flop for so long that the quality of the paid commenters her company bought had hit rock bottom.

The entertainment industry was just that realistic. Whether it was the assistant being called away or the paid comments being collapsed, every little thing was a declaration: you are not worth spending money on.

The company Ruan Ruan had signed with was a small workshop, the kind where everyone shared a single manager. No one in the entire company had expected her to land a role in Director Luo's drama. The boss sent a red envelope in the group chat and said: "Congratulations to Ruan Ruan for successfully joining the cast of 《Mystery Guest》. Confetti.jpg, Rose.jpg, Happy.jpg."

It was like a real estate sales group chat, and the boss's ambiguous wording made it seem as if the company had secured the role for her.

On the TV, the variety show began. Wu Mei propped up her face with her hand as she watched Ruan Ruan and Shi Ran act out a scene. "Hey, she's asking you why you don't call her 'Shi Shi'."

"Hey, she smiled at you."

"She's so beautiful when she smiles."

As Wu Mei watched, she also smiled, her eyes like stars, the corners of her mouth like the crescent moon.

"Tell me again about what happened during those two days of filming." Wu Mei's tone had completely changed.

What peak of her career, what igniting her fighting spirit—her Sima-Wu-Mei intentions were plain to see.

"I've already told you eight hundred times, Mei Mei." Ruan Ruan sighed. "We didn't have much contact. We were just solving the case. We didn't say a single word to each other in private."

"You didn't even say hello?"

"No." Ruan Ruan had been sent to the set as soon as her makeup was done, and that was the first time she saw Shi Ran.

Shi Ran was wearing the outfit prepared by the show's crew and drinking a bottle of mineral water. When she saw Ruan Ruan arrive, she didn't put the water down. She finished drinking at an unhurried pace before finally saying, "Hello."

"Hello, hello, hello, hello." At the time, Ruan Ruan had said "hello" four times in a row.

She had been really nervous. It was only after the show aired that she realized she had said "hello" four times to everyone. The production team had edited it into a loop for comedic effect. And Shi Ran had smiled inadvertently, tapping her fingers on the sofa four times, her expression full of meaning.

And just a tiny segment like that was enough for the shippers to latch onto.

They edited it, added some romantic music, adjusted a few of Shi Ran's gazes and shots of Ruan Ruan blushing, and it actually created quite an atmosphere.

Wu Mei had found it online. The post was already two years old. She had excitedly shown it to Ruan Ruan with a knowing, motherly smile. "You two are actually pretty sweet together."

Ruan Ruan watched it seriously and got goosebumps. She shrank back and went to take a shower, looking like a little chick with its neck pinched.

That night, Ruan Ruan was in bed memorizing her lines while doing some simple toning exercises. Wu Mei opened the door and came in with a face mask on, saying the air conditioner in her room was acting like an old jalopy again, sputtering as if it were about to die. She had come to squeeze in with Ruan Ruan.

Ruan Ruan shifted to the side to make room. Wu Mei expertly lay down and began doing stretches with her legs.

"Ruan Ruan," Wu Mei called out once Ruan Ruan had more or less finished memorizing.

"Hm?"

"Tell me, what did it feel like back when you were famous?"

"I was never famous."

"A little, just a tiny bit. Right after your variety show aired."

Ruan Ruan thought for a moment, then smoothed out the face mask on her face. "Back then, people came to pick me up at the airport. A lot of people, maybe a few dozen."

After she said it, she smiled, a little embarrassed, and pressed down on the corners of her mouth to keep the mask from wrinkling.

Right after her talent show ended, people had come to the airport too, but their show had flopped. Excluding the media, there were only about ten fans who showed up. And back then, it wasn't like now, with flight information flying all over the internet.

"What did they say to you?" Wu Mei chuckled along with her.

"Um," Ruan Ruan blushed. "They told me to take care of my health, and, um, they also wrote me letters. They're all in my closet. One fan said she wanted to be a manager in the future and would come work for me after she graduated."

She wondered how that fan was doing now.

Wu Mei thought about it with a happy sigh. The two of them lay side-by-side on the bed, legs raised to reduce swelling.

Suddenly, she rolled over and propped herself up next to Ruan Ruan. "Why didn't you try to ship a CP with Shi Ran back then?"

"Me?" Ruan Ruan was stunned, then repeated, "Me?"

Then she started laughing, and Wu Mei laughed too. The two of them just looked at each other and laughed, finding the idea absurd.

Wu Mei laughed so hard she could barely contain her saliva. When she was done, she rested her chin on Ruan Ruan's arm and blinked. "Seriously, though, Shi Ran is in this production. Do you think she still remembers you?"

"I don't know. She probably does, right? It's only been two years," Ruan Ruan said, tilting her head in thought.

"You two were on a show together. You should try to cozy up to her on set," Wu Mei suggested earnestly, her voice low. "You're never willing to do this stuff. I mean, who's like you? You've been in the industry for so long, you had something right in your hands, and then you let it go. Do you really not want to be famous?"

No one didn't want to be famous. Being famous meant a 9 a.m. makeup call, a private dressing room, and a personal chef.

Ruan Ruan rested her head on the back of her hand and said nothing.

"Sigh." Wu Mei nudged her shoulder.

"Hm?"

"Filming is about to start. Go light some incense," Wu Mei reminded her.

"Oh, right, right." Ruan Ruan got up in her nightdress, tying her hair back with one hand while slipping on her slippers with the other.

In her haste, she put her slippers on the wrong feet. She switched them and laughed again. "Sigh, people would laugh at us if they found out, wouldn't they?"

Film productions usually held an incense-burning ritual at the start of filming, but it was done at the opening ceremony by the main cast and crew. Ruan Ruan and Wu Mei had never participated, because they had never been the lead or an important supporting character. Once, Ruan Ruan and Wu Mei had been standing under a tree, watching another production's opening ceremony, when Ruan Ruan casually remarked, "When will we ever get to participate in an opening ceremony and light some incense?"

Wu Mei's mind worked fast. "We can do it ourselves at home," she said. She figured they were always such flops because they probably didn't pray to the gods enough.

So she had acquired a small shrine and placed it next to the dining area. Every time one of them started a new project, they had to pay their respects.

Later, this small ritual became a habit, a vessel for the piety and longing that minor actors held for their craft.

Ruan Ruan lit a stick of incense as Wu Mei stood beside her, smiling and wishing her well.

"May the filming of 《Mystery Guest》 begin with great fortune."

Below the stage, the sounds of camera flashes and shutters were incessant. A face as cool and clear as white porcelain lifted through the curling smoke. After three bows, Shi Ran inserted the incense stick in her hand into the censer.

Behind her was a backdrop three men tall, displaying the names of the main cast and crew and the massive title of the drama. On stage, Director Luo and the female lead, Shi Ran, stood side by side. Below, a dense crowd of people craned their necks to watch the opening ceremony.

"May the filming begin with great fortune," Shi Ran said with a cool smile.

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