Married in a Daze - Chapter 61
Chapter 61
It was almost past ten when Qin Zhenzhen arrived at the filming location. Yu Changlin was talking with the production coordinator. The coordinator spotted her and walked over to greet her. "Good morning, Miss Qin."
"Morning. Has Teacher Chen not arrived yet?" Qin Zhenzhen scanned the area but didn't see Chen Feng. The coordinator nodded. "Teacher Chen will be a while yet."
Qin Zhenzhen nodded. Originally, they had a scene to shoot on a mountain, and the location was already chosen. But something suddenly came up for Chen Feng, and he couldn't leave City A, so they had to shoot the later scenes first.
The part being shot today was the scene where she is brought down from the mountain and stays in the hospital.
Qin Zhenzhen held the script in her hand, thinking about last night's conversation with Lu Ruyun. She patted her cheeks, feeling a surge of fighting spirit spreading boundlessly, soaking through every fiber of her being.
"Zhenzhen, have some hot tea." Ji Lu walked over to her side, holding two cups of hot tea. The makeup room was bustling with people coming and going; many supporting actors had already arrived and were getting their makeup done.
"Where's the stylist?" Qin Zhenzhen took a sip of the hot tea, warmth spreading to her heart.
Ji Lu glanced around. "Not here yet. It'll be a while."
Qin Zhenzhen put down the hot tea and lowered her head to look at the script. Not long after, someone sat down beside her. She turned her head to look. It was Zhang Qian, who played Chen Feng's ex-wife in the film.
Zhang Qian met Qin Zhenzhen's gaze and nodded with a smile. The two hadn't met before. She had been abroad yesterday, just flew back this morning. This wasn't her first time working with Director Yu, so she was somewhat familiar with the people in Director Yu's crew.
"Sister Qian, hello."
"Sister Qian."
Greetings floated over. Zhang Qian smiled and acknowledged them. Unlike other celebrities Qin Zhenzhen often saw, Zhang Qian had a very gentle and soft demeanor. In her forties, with exquisite makeup, a few crow's feet at the corners of her eyes from frequent smiling were faintly visible even under the makeup.
Although Zhang Qian wasn't as highly placed in the industry as Tang Ya, she was still somewhat well-known. The staff would respectfully address her as Sister Qian when they saw her.
Qin Zhenzhen had seen Director Yu Changlin's films before and naturally wasn't unfamiliar with her. Compared to Tang Ya's haughty posture, she preferred Zhang Qian; even sitting together felt comfortable.
Not long after, Yu Changlin and Chen Feng walked over. Seeing Zhang Qian had arrived, he quickly walked to her side. "I haven't introduced you yet."
Zhang Qian stood up with a smile. "Are you talking about Miss Qin, Director Yu? I'm not unfamiliar with her."
Yu Changlin nodded slightly. "Right. Zhenzhen is a big star now."
Everyone looked at each other and smiled. Qin Zhenzhen, being teased, could only follow along and smile with the others. Yu Changlin introduced them to each other and then called the stylist over to change their clothes and do their makeup.
The first scene today was in the hospital. They were still in the film and television city, but it was very far from Lu Ruyun's set. This area had modern buildings. Qin Zhenzhen changed into a hospital gown and sat at the dressing table waiting for makeup. A few staff members were chatting and laughing with their heads bowed.
"Really? How can I believe that?"
"Don't believe me? Ask around. If she's not pregnant, why would she go buy baby clothes? Too idle?"
"But..."
Several staff members saw Qin Zhenzhen come out of the changing room and quickly exchanged glances, swiftly moving their chat elsewhere. Qin Zhenzhen sat in front of the mirror looking at her eyelashes. Suddenly, she heard Ji Lu's voice.
"Zhenzhen!"
Qin Zhenzhen's fingers were still pulling at her eyelashes. Her hand trembled, the pain immediately making her eyes water. She let out a pained sound, with a hint of annoyance. "What is it?"
Ji Lu glanced around and leaned close to her ear, whispering.
"What?!" Qin Zhenzhen shot up from her seat! The surrounding staff and Zhang Qian, who was getting her makeup done, glanced at her. Qin Zhenzhen cleared her throat softly and slowly sat back down, pretending nothing happened. "When did this happen?"
Ji Lu leaned close to her ear again. "It's already trending. Sister Meng doesn't know the exact situation either. It hasn't been taken down yet."
As she spoke, she placed her phone in front of Qin Zhenzhen. Qin Zhenzhen saw the topic on the screen, transferred from forums to Weibo: Netizens ran into Qin Zhenzhen and Lu Ruyun, discovered them picking out children's clothes.
Qin Zhenzhen clicked into the topic. It already had hundreds of thousands of reposts, nearly a million views. Netizens were still exclaiming: Wow! It really is my Zhenzhen and Cloud Fairy! So are they planning to have a baby?
—Once again tagging Director Zheng and those clueless gossipers. What about the so-called marriage of convenience? Can you explain? Is this what you call a marriage of convenience?
—Wasn't the 'marriage of convenience' thing already proven to be Director Zheng's slander? Now I just want to know, who is pregnant? Ahhh! No, my Zhenzhen just got Director Yu's film, right? Won't pregnancy be very tiring?
—It's obviously Cloud Fairy. Are you stupid? Didn't Cloud Fairy faint from exhaustion on set a while ago? It must be because of pregnancy!
—Right, right. Eighty percent chance it's Cloud Fairy. No wonder Cloud Fairy didn't look well when she was discharged from the hospital. It was because she was pregnant.
Qin Zhenzhen stared dumbfounded as netizens linked two completely unrelated events. She blinked, took a deep breath, and still called Lu Ruyun.
"Teacher Lu, have you seen the trending topic?" Qin Zhenzhen lowered her head, her voice very small.
Lu Ruyun was also on set. She had just arrived and was confused by the stream of congratulations. She had just seen the trending topic when she received Qin Zhenzhen's call. "I saw it."
Qin Zhenzhen heard a beeping sound from the phone. She moved it away and saw Meng Xin's incoming call. She quickly said, "Should I have Sister Meng issue a clarification later?"
"Quick! Get ready! Where's the stylist? Hurry up with the makeup!" The production coordinator entered the makeup room, seeing a stylist standing idly, he couldn't help but shout. Lu Ruyun heard the noise from the phone and said, "You go ahead and film first. I'll let Shuangshuang handle this. Don't worry too much."
"I'll contact Meng Xin."
Qin Zhenzhen still wanted to say something, but the stylist walked over. "Miss Qin, time for makeup."
She held back her words and could only whisper softly into the phone to Lu Ruyun, "Okay."
Qin Zhenzhen hung up, handed the phone to Ji Lu, and the stylist quickly stood in front of her to start applying makeup.
"Everyone ready?" Yu Changlin stood beside everyone for confirmation. Everyone nodded. Qin Zhenzhen seemed somewhat distracted. Yu Changlin frowned slightly. "Zhenzhen?"
"Hmm?" Qin Zhenzhen looked up, seeing everyone's eyes on her. She nodded slightly. "Ready."
Yu Changlin gave her a deep look but didn't say anything, turning to the production coordinator. "Have all departments confirm."
The coordinator quickly returned with confirmation. "Director Yu, all OK."
Qin Zhenzhen was helped by Ji Lu to lie down on the hospital bed.
This scene was the one Qin Zhenzhen had auditioned for—the confusion and disorientation upon waking, the curious exploration of a new world, all blended together. Yu Changlin looked at the scene on the monitor and shouted, "Action!"
The clapper loader quickly snapped the clapperboard. The lens immediately became busy, the tense atmosphere of the hospital filled with various chaotic sounds—children crying, doctors soothing, patients whispering or family members asking questions blending together.
A large TV hung opposite the nurse's station. The TV was playing an interview with a man. He smiled at the host in front of him. "Of course, I'm very grateful for their support. I will also do my part well, with a clear conscience."
Applause from the audience perfectly merged with the noisy hospital.
The lens zoomed in, focusing on a nurse in a white coat. She wasn't much different from the people around her—medium build, ordinary looks. Her expression was serious as she wrote something, occasionally chatting with the person next to her.
"Has the girl in bed 23 woken up?" She tilted her head and asked. The little nurse beside her shook her head. "Not yet."
She shook her head, quickly finished writing the form in her hand, handed it to the nurse beside her, and turned to walk towards the ward. The camera followed her closely until she stopped at a ward door.
The ward door had 'Beds 23-25' written on it.
The nurse pushed the door open and entered. The girl on the bed hadn't woken up. She performed a routine check, her gaze falling on the girl's features—very delicate, though dirt on her face marred that delicacy. She just looked for a few moments, shook her head, turned, and left the room.
The moment the door closed, the fingers of the girl sleeping on the cold bed twitched.
Very slight, but on camera, it was very clear.
The surroundings were very quiet. The camera moved into the ward. Everyone watching this scene on the monitor instinctively held their breath, afraid of disturbing the sleeping person on the bed.
First, the fingers trembled slightly. Then the girl on the bed slowly opened her eyes.
Long eyelashes like butterfly wings traced an arc in the air. The lens was directly facing Qin Zhenzhen's clean, clear eyes.
"Cut!"
Director Yu sighed at that gaze, took the script, and walked to Qin Zhenzhen's side. The others looked at the frozen frame on the monitor, unable to see what was wrong.
Hearing 'Cut,' Qin Zhenzhen's heart skipped a beat, and her eyes unconsciously revealed a worried expression. Director Yu walked to her side, glanced at her, and comforted. "Don't worry too much. Your performance just now was still good. It's just that this gaze wasn't captured."
What he wanted was that ethereal feeling.
Ethereal, not empty.
Qin Zhenzhen listened to his words and nodded. Director Yu had someone touch up her makeup and patted her shoulder. "Again."
"Okay."
All departments were ready. After the clapper loader announced the start, Qin Zhenzhen continued lying on the bed. The familiar sound of the door closing made her fingers tremble subconsciously. Everyone's gaze once again fixed tightly on the monitor.
Even Ji Lu craned her neck to look.
Qin Zhenzhen slowly opened her eyes.
"Cut!"
Director Yu let out a breath. Qin Zhenzhen jogged over and stood beside him. "Sorry, Director Yu."
Yu Changlin looked at her. "Zhenzhen, are you too nervous? It's okay, don't be too nervous. Just like during the audition that day is fine."
Qin Zhenzhen pressed her lips together. The Weibo matter had indeed affected her mood after all. And this was her first time collaborating with Director Yu, inevitably making her nervous.
Seeing this, Yu Changlin couldn't help but console her. "It's okay, let's do it again."
Qin Zhenzhen gave a soft 'mm.'
A few minutes later.
"Cut! Touch up!"
"Cut! Zhenzhen, your expression is off."
"Cut—"
"Cut! Cut! Cut!"
Director Yu called 'cut' seven or eight times in a row. His face showed a hint of displeasure. Those who had followed his crew knew that generally five NGs were his limit. Unexpectedly, the very first scene today already had seven NGs.
"What's going on? Why the constant NGs?"
"Exactly. At this rate, we won't even finish one scene in a whole morning."
"So that's it. A vase is still a vase. Given the opportunity, still a vase."
"Shh... lower your voice."
Various comments reached Qin Zhenzhen without any attempt at concealment. The staff's whispers, Director Yu's face growing increasingly sour. He stood in front of the production coordinator. "Clear the set."
The coordinator was stunned. "Clear the set?"
Usually, clearing the set was for filming intimate scenes. For such a scene to require clearing the set really left him dumbfounded.
Director Yu sighed, his gaze towards Qin Zhenzhen faintly adding impatience. Was he wrong? Was that day just an exceptional performance? Was she actually not the character he was looking for?
He waved his hand with a headache, telling the coordinator to start clearing the set. The staff filed out one after another. Yu Changlin cleared his throat and walked to Qin Zhenzhen's side. "Don't be too nervous. I had Xiao Meng clear the set."
Qin Zhenzhen's voice was slightly low. "Thank you, Director Yu."
Yu Changlin couldn't even manage a smile, his face stiff as he gave an almost inaudible 'mm' before turning to leave.
Ji Lu hurriedly jogged to Qin Zhenzhen's side. "Zhenzhen, what's wrong?"
"Nothing." Qin Zhenzhen shook her head. "Where's the script?"
Ji Lu placed the script in her hand. Qin Zhenzhen lowered her head to look at the notes on it—written by Lu Ruyun last night. It contained not only annotations for this scene but also Director Yu's personal filming habits.
Qin Zhenzhen knew about Director Yu beforehand—a typical perfectionist, meticulous in filming. Even Tang Ya would get NGs when acting with him. So she hadn't minded the first two NGs. She just didn't expect several in a row.
This made the irritation she had just suppressed start churning up again. Qin Zhenzhen set the script aside.
"Ready?" Director Yu called from not far away. The production coordinator ran to her side. Qin Zhenzhen responded, "Ready."
The lens pushed forward. The sound of a door closing was heard. Qin Zhenzhen's fingers moved slightly. Everything proceeded in an orderly manner. The people in the ward were mostly cleared out. Yu Changlin's gaze was fixed on the monitor.
The person on the bed moved their fingers. Eyelashes traced an arc. On the screen, Qin Zhenzhen slowly opened her eyes, revealing a pair of bright eyes.
"Cut!"
Yu Changlin sighed deeply, his voice somewhat hoarse as he shouted. Hearing this 'cut,' Qin Zhenzhen lowered her eyelids. Everyone instinctively fell silent, awaiting Director Yu's wrath.
"Miss Qin, could you tell me what you are thinking right now?" Yu Changlin's somewhat cold voice exploded in the ears of those remaining. The few remaining people exchanged glances and wisely retreated from the ward.
Ji Lu gritted her teeth, braced herself, and jogged to Qin Zhenzhen's side.
Yu Changlin's face was ashen, his voice carrying a chill. Qin Zhenzhen was speechless, letting him berate her.
"What exactly are you thinking about?"
"You can't even get through one simple shot? Miss Qin, please don't give me the feeling that I misjudged you, okay? Please be professional! You are an actor. No matter what you were considering before, you need to know that as long as you appear in front of my camera, you are an actor. Do you understand?"
Although Yu Changlin's voice wasn't a roar, each word felt like a knife stabbing Qin Zhenzhen. Her face paled momentarily. She lowered her gaze. "I'm sorry, Director Yu."
"You're not sorry to me. You're sorry for your own efforts. If you just want to do street snaps every day, strike poses, or film cliché bubble dramas, then I'm sorry, Miss Qin. I think our collaboration should end here."
Qin Zhenzhen still kept her head bowed. Ji Lu stood behind her, wanting to speak up for her but only opening her mouth, unsure what to say.
Deep disappointment filled Yu Changlin's eyes. He was about to turn away but thought better of it and turned back to Qin Zhenzhen. "Miss Qin, do you remember what you said to me back then? You said you were willing to make any transformation for a role."
"Your current performance tells me you were just spouting empty words. You don't even have the most basic professional ethics of an actor."
"I'm starting to think Zheng Shaoyuan was right. An entertainer should first consider improving their acting skills, being a down-to-earth actor, not just knowing how to hype, with acting skills like a vase."
After saying this, he left without looking back. Ji Lu walked to Qin Zhenzhen's side, just about to offer comfort when she saw Qin Zhenzhen wave her hand. "You go out first."
Ji Lu held back, then went out. Qin Zhenzhen sat alone on the hospital bed, thought for a long while, then lay down on the bed, closed her eyes, and opened them again.
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