MQSP - Chapter 26
Chapter 26
Before they knew it, the young actresses had been training for a week. The past few days had been consistently hot, and the group of kids were exposed to the sun every day. On top of that, they had to learn martial arts moves that were very difficult for them. It was truly exhausting. Several of them got sunburned, though thankfully not on their faces.
Baiye was no exception. The little one was clearly a shade darker. But what pleased Lin Yuqing was that after this week, the girl seemed a bit sturdier. Unlike before, when she looked delicate at a glance, always appearing frail and as if a gust of wind could blow her over. Now, even the way she walked had a bit more strength to it.
Oh, right. Ever since Lin Yuqing had said those words that night, Xiao Ye smiled much more whenever she saw her. This was very satisfying for Lin Yuqing. Hmm, it seems I really do need to give this little one a little sweetness now and then.
"Alright, everyone has worked very hard this week, and I've seen it all," Yang Ping said, gathering everyone for a talk.
"This week of basic training is over. Next week…"
"Does that mean it won't be so hard anymore?" After spending some time with her, everyone discovered that although Yang Ping was harsh and demanding during training, she was actually quite amiable in private. Gradually, they weren't afraid of her anymore and were even willing to joke with her.
"Mm." Yang Ping nodded, not waiting for them to cheer. "Next week, you'll have to work even harder."
"Aah—"
"I knew it." Chen Ying had an expression that said she'd seen it coming.
"Starting tomorrow, everyone is to arrive half an hour early to put on your armor. From now on, all training must be done in costume."
"What!? That armor is so heavy…"
"Yeah, I was drenched in sweat after wearing it for just a little while during the costume fitting. How is it possible to train in armor in this heat…"
"Training in armor… Won't we get a heat rash…"
"What? You think you're the only ones who find it hot? Look at the people filming on the training grounds right now. Who doesn't find it hot? Who isn't wearing it all day long?" Seeing the situation getting a little out of control, Yang Ping let out a roar, successfully silencing their complaints.
"Any other objections?"
No one dared to make a peep.
"Alright then. That's settled. You can go."
Training ended an hour early today, a small reward for their hard work over the past week. These past few days, Baiye had been truly exhausted, so much so that she didn't even have the energy to experiment with cooking, her favorite pastime. Fortunately, Xia Xiaozi was there to handle such things.
Since she got off work early today, a rare occurrence, Baiye went home right away. She made a special trip to a nearby supermarket to prepare a sumptuous dinner for her Auntie Lin!
She didn't know why, but for the past few days, Auntie Lin had suddenly become very concerned about her and was always smiling at her~ Her voice was no longer so cold and icy. Mmm~ This is bliss~~
Just thinking about the way Auntie Lin was now made Baiye happy. Her Auntie Lin had changed!
That evening, the two of them arrived home more than an hour later than usual.
"Xiao Ye, stop what you're doing and come look! Your Auntie Lin bought you new clothes," Xia Xiaozi shouted toward the kitchen as soon as she walked in.
"Okay, I'm coming! Auntie Lin, Auntie, you're back!" Baiye ran out with a smile.
The sight of her radiant smile instantly lifted Lin Yuqing's spirits, and she nodded in response.
"Why did you buy me clothes again?"
"I got you two sports bras. You have to start wearing your costume tomorrow, right? It'll be more comfortable and easier to move around in if you wear this underneath. And this one—this fitted T-shirt is made of a more breathable fabric. It's the same style your Auntie Lin wears. Go try it on in your room and see if it fits." Xia Xiaozi unfolded a white, form-fitting T-shirt that was light and airy.
"Okay. Thank you for your trouble, Auntie."
"Ahem." Lin Yuqing let out a seemingly casual cough. How is she the only one who went to the trouble? Didn't I?
"Auntie Lin went to the trouble too. Thank you, Auntie Lin!" Baiye said with a playful smile.
"Such an old jar of vinegar!" Xia Xiaozi muttered under her breath.
"What did you say? I didn't hear you."
"Aah—Qing Jie, I didn't say anything!!!" Sure enough, her ear met a cruel fate the very next second.
"Auntie Lin, be gentle, or Auntie's ears won't be symmetrical anymore," Baiye said, stifling a laugh.
"Then I'll just have to pull the other one too," Lin Yuqing said, eager to try.
"Brilliant!" Baiye gave her a thumbs-up.
"I doted on you for nothing!" Xia Xiaozi stomped her foot in frustration.
"Hee hee~"
At the film set, the young actresses obediently arrived half an hour early, collected their costumes, and went to the dressing room in a group to change.
"Hey, I heard we're doing wirework today. Have any of you done it before?"
"I have. When you're hanging in mid-air, you feel completely helpless, like your life is in someone else's hands. And the harness is incredibly tight. My legs were bruised purple that time. It hurt a lot!"
"…I'm afraid of heights. How high do they hoist you up?"
"I don't know, it depends. It seems like this drama doesn't have any high-altitude filming. It'll probably just be for some fight scenes, using the pulling force of the wires to show the impact," Chen Ying, who seemed to know a fair bit about this, patiently explained to everyone.
"As long as they don't hoist us up high, it should be fine."
"Don't be too optimistic. The pulling movements are also very difficult. Sometimes, if you're not in sync with the wirework instructor, it's easy to get hurt. For example, if I punch you from the front and we need to show the effect of you being sent flying, you'd make a backward jumping motion, and the instructor would pull the wire. If you don't coordinate well with the instructor or accidentally fall, you'll end up being dragged when they pull the wire. Just thinking about it, you know it's dangerous."
"Hiss… that sounds painful…"
"Are you little ones done yet?" Su Yu knocked on the door from outside.
Chen Ying looked around. "All set," she answered, opening the door. The seven of them walked out in unison, heads held high. The surrounding crew members were stunned. Lined up in their armor, the girls looked completely transformed, their eyes glinting with a heroic spirit.
Su Yu was grinning from ear to ear. She circled the young actresses, looking them over and over, nodding incessantly.
"Yo, not bad. You look sharp. You're starting to look the part," Yang Ping said cheerfully, walking over for a look.
"Alright, let's begin. Grab your weapons and practice the previous moves. I'll check on each of you," Yang Ping commanded. The little ones took their leave as ordered, looking like well-trained soldiers.
After the initial novelty of wearing the armor wore off, everyone clearly felt its inconvenience. Not only was it heavy and restrictive, but it was also incredibly hot…
Normally, they would only sneak a short break after an hour of practice, but now they couldn't even last half an hour. Everyone was grumbling, but Yang Ping turned a deaf ear, continuing her meticulous one-on-one instruction.
From the bottom of her heart, Baiye admired her Auntie Lin. How on earth did she manage to make such cumbersome armor look so light and graceful…?
After a week of this hellish training, Baiye's progress was obvious. Although her spear thrusts still lacked power, at least her form was correct, and her movements were much steadier. Unlike at the beginning, when she'd thrust the spear out and couldn't even hold it steady, letting it wobble.
She went through a set of moves, each one precise and basically correct. Yang Ping didn't nod, but she didn't scold her either, only telling her to practice a few more times.
The little one let out a sigh of relief. She had been scolded quite a bit these past few days.
From a distance, Lin Yuqing found a moment to come and watch. Seeing that Xiao Ye seemed to have passed, she quietly turned and left.
In the afternoon, the wirework equipment from a shoot hadn't been put away yet, so Su Yu had the little ones try it out.
Using two sets of wire rigs, the young actresses lined up to take turns. The moment they were lifted, some already started screaming. They weren't hoisted very high, only about two meters, but it was difficult to even maintain balance, let alone perform any moves. Yang Ping shouted herself hoarse from below, telling them to do the moves they had learned, but no one listened to her. Some even just squeezed their eyes shut and shrieked.
Baiye also tried the wirework. Two straps were fastened tightly around her thighs, and a belt was secured at her waist, binding her body tightly. As soon as she had it on, Baiye felt a sharp pain in her waist. She had heard that wirework was painful, but this was an exaggeration.
Even though she had mentally prepared herself, the moment she was lifted, Baiye couldn't help but cry out in pain. It wasn't just the constricting pain from the straps on her upper thighs; a sharp, stabbing pain shot through her waist, as if the belt was digging into her flesh. It hurt so much she shuddered, subconsciously biting her lip and grabbing the steel wire above her head, trying to alleviate the pain in her waist. To make matters worse, she couldn't keep her balance at all. The slight back-and-forth swing of the cable intensified the pain, causing her to struggle even more.
"Don't grab the cable! Let go, relax, you'll be fine!" Yang Ping shouted urgently.
"Maybe you should let her down," Chen Ying said from the side, seeing how much she was struggling.
After waiting for another half a minute and seeing that she really couldn't adapt, Yang Ping had the crew lower her.
The moment her feet touched the ground, Baiye slumped into a heap on the floor, eagerly trying to undo the harness at her waist. Chen Ying came over to help. "You're such a wimp. I thought you weren't afraid of heights?" she laughed, seeing the sweat on Baiye's forehead.
As the belt was unfastened, Baiye shivered and sucked in a sharp breath, reaching back to clutch the right side of her lower back. For some reason, it was hurting terribly.
Chen Ying smiled and was about to hand the harness to a crew member when her fingers brushed against something sharp. She glanced down and froze. Her fingertip was somehow stained with blood!
She carefully inspected the harness in her hands and her heart sank. A thumbtack was stuck in the belt, its point protruding about half an inch from the inner side!
Chen Ying instinctively looked back and saw Baiye walking alone toward the lounge. She quickly covered the thumbtack with her hand and refused to give the belt to the crew member.
Chen Ying's mind raced. She had worked as a stunt double on other sets before and knew that shady things sometimes happened. This incident could be major or minor, and it was still unclear whether it was intentional or an accident. However, there were two harnesses, and Baiye wasn't the only one to wear this one. The person who wore it before her didn't react at all, so why was there a thumbtack there just for her? To call it an accident seemed a bit too coincidental!
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