MQSP - Chapter 16
Chapter 16
"Baiye, you're here." Su Yu spotted Gu Baiye from a good distance away and hurried over to meet her, giving the young woman a warm welcome.
"Hello, Director Su." Gu Baiye greeted her politely.
"Oh, come on, I told you to just call me Su Jiejie." Su Yu was the type to get friendly fast.
Gu Baiye just smiled without saying anything. Su Yu was clearly around the same age as Auntie Lin. If she called her "sister," wouldn't that mess up the generational hierarchy?
"The makeup artists aren't here yet. Come rest in the dressing room for a bit." Su Yu led Gu Baiye to a communal dressing room on the other side of the soundstage. The one they had used for the audition was Lin Yuqing's private dressing room.
"Is your home far from here? Is the commute convenient?"
"It's okay. There's a direct bus, so it only takes a little over an hour."
"You've finished your exams and are on summer break, right? Speaking of which, I graduated from Chuan Ying, too. That makes us alumni."
"Really!"
"That's right, so you wouldn't be losing out by calling me Senior Sister," Su Yu said with a cheeky grin, shamelessly pushing her point.
"Your scenes won't start filming for about another month. If you're free until then, you can come to the set to observe and learn. It should be helpful for you." Su Yu's tone grew more serious as she turned to business.
"Observe carefully, ask questions when you don't understand something, and you can also talk with the veteran actors or discuss the character with the screenwriter. Opportunities like this don't come around often."
Su Yu's words were exactly what Gu Baiye had been hoping for. She had been planning to ask Director Su if she could come to the set every day, even if it meant just helping out as a crew hand.
"Okay, thank you so much!"
"It's nothing." Su Yu waved her hand dismissively. "The crew members are all very approachable and chatty. Talking with them in your free time will help you get a better feel for the industry."
"Okay!"
"Oh, right, let me ask you something. Do you like kids?"
"Kids? Of course! They're so cute!" Gu Baiye didn't know why Su Yu was asking, but she genuinely did like kids.
"Really? That's wonderful. We have a few little ones on set, and if you like kids, you could help the staff coax them into cooperating for their scenes. I get a headache just looking at them these days."
"Are you talking about the little soldiers of the An Army?" Gu Baiye asked with a smile. She remembered the group of tots in training outfits she'd seen on set the other day, and how one of them had been so scared by Auntie Lin she hadn't dared to make a peep. It was absolutely adorable!
Su Yu had just opened her mouth to say "yes" when a burst of cheerful shouts erupted from outside the soundstage. She slapped a hand to her face. "Speak of the devil."
"Auntie Su, Auntie Su, Auntie Su~"
Su Yu rolled her eyes as four little kids rushed in, swarming around her and chirping "Auntie." What a headache!
"You lot are never this energetic during filming. Why don't you go pester Auntie Lin!" Su Yu protested, hands on her hips.
"Hee hee, Auntie Su, hold me!" Xiao Bao, the actress playing young An Xi, stretched out her arms for a hug.
"I'm not holding you, you little crybaby. Hmph!"
"I'll hold my little An Liang. She's the best-behaved." Su Yu said, scooping up a little girl who was watching her with wide, hopeful eyes. The girl broke into a happy grin.
Xiao Bao pouted, looking displeased.
"So you're little An Xi," Gu Baiye said, crouching down to her level.
"Yep," Xiao Bao nodded. She wasn't shy at all.
"Hello there. I'm the grown-up version of you," Gu Baiye said, reaching out to pat her head.
Xiao Bao's face lit up with surprise. "Wow, so I'm going to be this pretty when I grow up!"
"You're such a sweet-talker," Su Yu said, poking her forehead.
"You're all here quite early today. The stylists haven't even arrived yet." Su Yu set down the child in her arms and went outside the dressing room to chat with the children's parents.
Gu Baiye gently ruffled Xiao Bao's hair. The little girl had a bit of baby fat, with a chubby face and soft pink lips. So cute! Her hair was silky smooth and felt wonderful to the touch.
"Jiejie, do you know how to do hair?"
"Hmm? Yes, I do."
"Will you do my hair for me, then?"
Gu Baiye thought for a moment, recalling the topknots she'd seen the girls wearing before. "I can try."
She lifted Xiao Bao onto her lap and began to carefully gather her hair. The other three tots crowded around to watch, curious. This big sister was so gentle. Her voice was nice, she was pretty, and she smiled a lot. Her smile was beautiful!
In no time, a respectable-looking topknot was done. Gu Baiye held the little girl naturally in her arms, her cheek resting against the child's head as they both looked in the mirror. "How's that?" she asked.
Xiao Bao turned her head from side to side. "It's pretty! Even prettier than when Auntie Zhang does it!"
"I want Jiejie to do my hair too!" Seeing the result, the other children began to clamor for their turn.
Gu Baiye smiled. "Alright, don't worry. One at a time."
When Lin Yuqing arrived on set, she saw crew members gathered outside the communal dressing room, discussing something with looks of amazement. She didn't pay it much mind at first, but then she realized she couldn't find Gu Baiye anywhere. By all rights, she should have been here by now.
Curious, she walked over to the dressing room. The crew members nearby automatically cleared a path for her. When Lin Yuqing stepped inside, she was dumbfounded. She saw the seven little kids—who together had the energy of a demolition crew—lined up and patiently waiting for Gu Baiye to do their hair.
The actual stylist, meanwhile, was standing off to the side with her chin in her hand, completely idle. She was free, but the kids insisted on having the pretty big sister do their hair. Did you need to be good-looking to be a stylist these days? Was she about to be unemployed?
Lin Yuqing stood there for a moment with her hands on her hips. Gu Baiye was completely absorbed in doing little An Duo's hair and didn't even look up, totally oblivious to her arrival. For some reason, this irked Lin Yuqing. Since when did she like kids so much?
Could it be that the "idol" she'd mentioned was actually one of these kids? Which one?!
"Ahem…" Lin Yuqing watched coolly, arms crossed. Suddenly, she felt a tug on her pant leg. Looking down, she saw little An Liang gazing up at her timidly.
"Are you waiting in line, too?" little An Liang asked, blinking cautiously.
Lin Yuqing froze. Looking around, she realized she had unconsciously planted herself right in the middle of the line, cutting in front of the little girl…
"Ahem…" A rare blush crept up Lin Yuqing's face. She cleared her throat and quietly stepped aside. "What are you still doing standing there?" she snapped, turning her fire on the stylist.
"Uh, Qing Jie, I'm on it!"
Hearing the commotion, Gu Baiye looked up and saw Auntie Lin's cold expression in the mirror. She quickly set down the child on her lap and stood up to greet her. "Lin… Hello, Teacher Lin."
Lin Yuqing shot her a glance, grunted in acknowledgment, and walked away.
Su Yu walked in just in time to witness this and decided she needed to have a talk with Lin Yuqing. After all, Lin Yuqing had shown far too much hostility toward Gu Baiye during casting.
"So mean," Xiao Bao muttered with a pout after Lin Yuqing left. Gu Baiye heard her and patted her head with a smile. It seemed Auntie Lin's way with kids wasn't just "not great"—it was absolutely awful!
Lin Yuqing was in her dressing room getting her makeup done when Su Yu came in and dismissed the makeup artist.
Lin Yuqing glanced up and saw Su Yu standing behind her, arms crossed, sizing her up with a mischievous expression.
"What is it?" she asked, frowning.
"Nothing much. Just wanted to give you a little reminder. I can't control why you've got it in for Gu Baiye, but now that she's officially on the crew, you should tone it down a bit. Don't target her so much. You two are supposed to be a couple, after all. Besides, she's just a rookie, and she has a good personality. This line of work isn't easy for anyone, as you well know."
"And another thing," Su Yu continued, pulling the "death warrant" from her pocket with a smirk. "If you keep targeting her, don't blame me for being ruthless. The screenwriter has already suggested adding a few more kissing scenes several times."
Su Yu figured if looks could kill, she'd be dead a thousand times over by now…
Still, she had to bite the bullet and continue. "Gu Baiye doesn't have many scenes this first month, so I told her to come to the set and learn. You should talk with her, get to know her, and build up some of that couple's chemistry. Mentor her a little, if you can. She has a lot of potential." In truth, Su Yu wasn't too worried about Lin Yuqing. Once she committed to a role, she gave it her all. The problem was that Gu Baiye was a rookie, and Lin Yuqing's screen presence was incredibly strong. She was worried Gu Baiye wouldn't be able to hold her own in their scenes together. The only solution was for them to build some rapport and get in sync beforehand.
"Mm," Lin Yuqing grunted, then closed her eyes.
But after a moment, she still hadn't heard Su Yu leave. Lin Yuqing opened her eyes again to see Su Yu staring at her with a creepy, lecherous grin. The expression sent a shiver down her spine. "Hey," she snapped.
"Heh heh. Hey, let me ask you something. Do you still have your on-screen first kiss?"
"…" A blush crept up Lin Yuqing's face. "What's it to you?"
"Heh, I was just thinking about it, and I can't seem to recall any. I remember you don't really do romance scenes. So, are you finally going to have your on-screen first kiss in this drama?"
"Do you have nothing better to do with your time?"
"What's the big deal? It's just acting. Perfectly normal. Hey, why are you blushing? Getting shy on me?"
"Get out!"
"Heh, if you're worried you won't be able to pull it off, you could always warm up beforehand. Should I call Gu Baiye in to do your hair?"
Su Yu was chased out of the room, but she was positively giddy. It was so rare to see Lin Yuqing this flustered! Ha ha!
That old fossil can still blush? Wait, why did she blush?
Operating on a "stir up trouble or die trying" principle, Su Yu immediately went to find Gu Baiye. Besides, the part of the drama she was most looking forward to was the development of their relationship in the later stages. If she could get a sneak peek of this couple's sweet moments, wouldn't that be just perfect?
The key was that Lin Yuqing rarely ever did romance scenes. If she created more opportunities for the two of them to spend time together, she could see how the old woman would react. Maybe she'd even get to see her be shy? Heh heh heh!
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