Wang Hao: "Okay, you're busy!"
Xiao Shulang sent two new artists signed by his company to audition for supporting roles in "No Clothes". One of them has been selected. Although it is a marginal role with only a few shots in total, he will have half an hour of screen time in a big-budget film, which is much better than his previous role as an extra.
The man also cherished the opportunity and said he would definitely work hard. Xiao Shulang was trying to secure resources for the two of them, since they were artists from his company.
When Xiao Shulang went to the pottery shop to pick up the rabbit, he didn't run into Qin Shuang again this time. However, according to the owner, Qin Shuang had already taken the plate.
During this period, they were both busy with their own things, and the occasional time they met was very rushed. The little time they had was spent discussing the script and acting, and it was hard to say who was the blockhead.
Xiao Shulang also took on some jobs, running around to various venues. He had more and more liquid funds on hand, and he also made money in the stock market. He transferred another 20 million yuan to his brother to help the group support Weifeng Technology's funds.
Before they knew it, it was time for the filming of "No Clothes" to begin. Xiao Shulang packed his luggage, boarded a plane, and headed to the filming location.
Qin Shuang was away on a business trip; otherwise, the two of them could have taken the same flight.
Although they couldn't travel together, the two finally met again while checking into the hotel.
Qin Shuang wore sunglasses on her front as she checked in at the front desk. Because the hotel was located in the film and television city, it was basically booked by various film crews, and the people coming and going were mostly artists, directors, and assistants.
The receptionist was typing on her computer, while Qin Shuang was talking to someone. He seemed to notice her gaze, turned his head, and made eye contact with Xiao Shulang.
After a long absence, Xiao Shulang heard his heart pound twice.
Because they would be staying on set for a long time, they brought two suitcases. Xiao Jiang originally wanted to carry both, but Xiao Shulang insisted on carrying them himself, since Xiao Jiang also had luggage to bring, and quite a lot of it.
Xiao Shulang walked up, pulling his suitcase: "Long time no see."
They've been communicating frequently via voice or text lately, but it's been a long time since they last saw each other.
Qin Shuang's gaze softened: "You've come."
The man who had just been speaking to Qin Shuang also looked over, and upon seeing Xiao Shulang, said with amusement, "Oh, he's the one you were talking about—"
"Ji Jing." Qin Shuang interrupted him, her tone carrying a hint of warning, but she switched to a normal tone when speaking to Xiao Shulang, "Let me introduce you to my friend, Ji Jing."
Ji Jing is an actor and Qin Shuang's best friend. Xiao Shulang knows him and extends his hand in a friendly manner, saying, "Hello, Teacher Ji."
"Just call me Ji Jing." Ji Jing shook hands with him: "Our film crew is also at the film studio recently. Let's hang out sometime."
Xiao Shulang readily agreed.
Ji Jing and his crew had been here for a few days. He waved his hand to indicate that he had to go to work. The two said goodbye to him, checked in, and then Qin Shuang and Xiao Shulang went to take the elevator.
For convenience, when the production team wrote the room assignments in advance, they naturally tried to arrange everyone's rooms together. The two main actors, Xiao Shulang and Qin Shuang, happened to have adjacent rooms on the 20th floor.
Qin Shuang brought two assistants with her this time. Xiao Jiang was only familiar with Xiao Wu. The three assistants looked around and found that their rooms were on the same floor, on the 19th floor.
The assistant needed to confirm the location of their artist's room first, so they followed the two down to the 20th floor. After the door was opened and the luggage was put away, they went downstairs.
Xiao Shulang took out some utensils and put them away, but he didn't close the door in a hurry. Soon, someone knocked on the open door.
Qin Shuang stood at the door: "May I come in?"
Xiao Shulang had deliberately left the door open: "Come in."
Xiao Shulang was putting away his computer and script. The script was getting thicker and thicker as he read it, because it was covered with sticky notes. He was busy, and Qin Shuang quietly watched him.
Xiao Shulang found that his tolerance was getting stronger. For example, he used to feel embarrassed when Qin Shuang stared at him like that, but now... although his ears might still feel hot, he was much more at ease.
He could even joke, "What are you looking at?"
Qin Shuang didn't even blink: "It's up to you."
Xiao Shulang: "Cough."
The devil is always one step ahead; as his endurance increased, Qin Shuang's attack power seemed to have increased as well.
Qin Shuang looked at him and said, "You've lost weight."
"Within the healthy range."
Qin Shuang glanced at her watch: "The crew meets at ten o'clock. We still have an hour. Shall we go out and sit for a bit?"
Xiao Shulang had already packed his things, so he readily agreed: "I just checked the elevator, the sixteenth floor is the coffee and tea room, let's go there."
Chapter 51 I Want to Be His Boyfriend
The two hadn't seen each other for several days, but because they had kept in touch, they weren't estranged.
Over the past month, they have each thought about many things and have already made their plans; they are just waiting for the right opportunity.
They arrived early, and there were other film crews taking a break in the coffee shop. Many of them were in the film and television industry and had met Qin Shuang before, but whether they were close or not was another matter. Therefore, not many people came over to greet her; they just glanced at her discreetly after seeing her.
Xiao Shulang, whom they didn't know before, became a familiar face to these people because of the uproar he caused in the entertainment section.
There were a few tables that were quite far apart, so I made sure they couldn't hear me and started talking quietly.
"Xiao Shulang has been quite popular lately, and has landed several good endorsements."
"He's quietly getting into the film and television industry, and he's with Qin Shuang in the 'No Clothes' crew, right?"
"Even if you have a good relationship with Qin Shuang, you'd be lucky to get a fifth or sixth place among the male leads. Even if Qin Shuang is the top male lead at Qingyu now, he doesn't get to call the shots."
The man opposite him took a sip of coffee: "But I think Xiao Shulang is quite capable. Remember what happened with Young Master Wang? In the end, it was Wu Feiyu who suffered."
The two exchanged a glance, then fell silent, their expressions enigmatic.
One of the artists newly signed by Xiao Shulang, who successfully auditioned for a supporting role in "No Clothes," also came today; his name is He Xiaohua.
He doesn't have many scenes, but according to the director's schedule, he should have scenes to film these few days. The sooner he finishes filming, the sooner he can wrap up. He Xiaohua can also go to another film crew's scenes—although he is also a supporting actor.
After joining Xiao Shulang's company, the resources and treatment he received were much better than before.
He and another person had both signed with unreliable companies, working themselves to the bone only to benefit others. Despite the exorbitant termination fees, they gritted their teeth and took out loans to cancel the contracts. After that, they saw Xiao Shulang's company. Although the company was just starting out and its scale was meager, the contract was reasonable, so they decided to sign it and see how it went.
There are still many debts to pay off, and it's already difficult enough to find a job.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Shulang brought them many surprises. Not only did they have things to do, but they were also good jobs. After struggling for so long, they finally felt that they had come to the right place and saw a glimmer of hope for advancement.
He Xiaohua never dared to dream of getting a supporting role in such a big-budget drama as "No Clothes". He firmly believes that he will be appreciated by more people one day.
Therefore, when He Xiaohua saw Xiao Shulang in the coffee shop, he naturally went up to greet him.
"Boss!" He Xiaohua stepped forward and greeted Qin Shuang, "Teacher Qin."
He Xiaohua had previously been working on press releases in another location; otherwise, he would have liked to come with his boss. To be honest, it was his first time getting a role that required several days of filming, and he was quite nervous about spending more time with the crew.
After all, in the past, they were just extras who were called into the crew by the staff, filmed a couple of shots, and then left. They never had the chance to say a word to the lead actors off-screen.
Seeing that He Xiaohua was nervous and uneasy, and was still standing there, Xiao Shulang asked him to sit down and introduced him to Qin Shuang: "He Xiaohua is a new employee of my company."
Qin Shuang nodded, which meant they had become acquainted.
With another person present, some things became more complicated to discuss. So the three of them talked about the play again. After a while, the director called everyone together in the group chat.
Because they were in the group, everyone knew who would play which role. Although many people were shocked that Xiao Shulang had landed one of the male leads, they had already been shocked before.
The director rented a conference room in the hotel. Everyone got to know each other. In addition to the main actors, all the important supporting actors were also present. There were also people like He Xiaohua, whose shots were higher than extras but lower than main characters, and whose scenes were to be filmed in the next two days.
The director held a script discussion meeting, and the opening ceremony was held this afternoon. Filming will officially begin tomorrow.
The director told everyone that the first scene to be filmed would be the wedding scene of the two main characters.
Everyone was stunned.
In the drama, neither Chu Beiyao nor Hua Che were favored when they got married. Hua Che was not married as the principal wife with all the proper betrothal rites, so she was simply carried into the side gate of the Prince's Mansion in a sedan chair.
There's no need to even hold a banquet.
In many dramas, weddings are grand occasions, but this drama is different. It's about marriage first, then love, so the wedding ceremony doesn't need to be extravagant.
However, Hua Che's final act of resistance in this marriage was to abandon the sedan chair, resolutely ride a horse, leaving the others behind, and ride alone to the main gate of the Prince's Mansion, regardless of whether it was an auspicious or inauspicious time.
So when the two main characters met, it was early morning, in the hazy light of dawn, to be more specific, around six or seven in the morning.
To capture a sky like this, you need to set up, prepare, and do makeup. If you're shooting this scene, everyone's wake-up time would be—
Director: "Get some rest after setting up the venue today. We need to get up at four o'clock tomorrow morning. Everyone needs to be punctual."
Upon hearing about bedtime, those who had just arrived at the film studio and were planning to go out to explore immediately gave up. Once you're on set, you're in work mode, and you really have to stick to the schedule. The director just needs to make the shooting schedule reasonable, and he's also very efficient in his work.
Xiao Jiang felt a toothache when he heard it was four o'clock, but Xiao Shulang was already mentally prepared and patted him on the shoulder, comforting him instead.
Although it's definitely not necessary to get up this early every day, it's filming, and it's a TV series, so there are scenes in the early morning and at night, and there's no way to adjust the schedule.
The next morning, most of them struggled to get out of bed. Although Xiao Shulang got up cleanly and neatly, his mind was not fully awake. He felt like he could fall asleep if he closed his eyes for a while while being made up and dressed.
To get his brain working as quickly as possible, he could only close his eyes and slowly think about the plot he was about to film.
It actually works quite well; my eyes are clear when I open them.
When an unfavored prince marries a illegitimate son from a powerless noble family, there is no grand procession or fanfare. The most meaningful aspect of the wedding is probably the wedding attire worn by the bride.
The wedding scene was originally scheduled to air in the first episode, and a lot of effort was put into the wedding attire for their stunning appearance.
The costumes, makeup, and props in this drama are, if not absolutely amazing, definitely deserving of a high score.
Although it's a fictional story, it's meticulously researched where necessary, and because it's fictional, it allows for more creative development.
For example, when designing wedding clothes for Hua Che, there's no need to insist on making it seem like a poor son of an illegitimate child. Just make it look good first. If you have to explain it, you can use the excuse that he's marrying a prince.
There's no grand ceremony, but the wedding dress has to be beautiful!
Red silk and brocade woven into a brocade robe, golden cranes flying among flowing clouds.
Layer upon layer, exquisite and gorgeous, especially since the people wearing it are Xiao Shulang and Qin Shuang.
The wig's crown was also very beautifully made. After the makeup and styling were completed, Xiao Shulang looked in the mirror and felt that he almost didn't recognize himself.
He was elegant and handsome, with bright eyes and white teeth, a bright red lip, and a striking red dress, making him incomparably charming.
Xiao Shulang was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at Qin Shuang.
Qin Shuang also turned to look at him, and their eyes met, each reflecting the other's image in their pupils.
It seems that every time they think the other person is good-looking enough, they are always surprised by the next stunning moment.
The thrill of first meeting, and the lingering affection of long-time acquaintance.
Qin Shuang stepped forward and gently brushed a strand of Xiao Shulang's long hair behind his shoulder. He leaned in quite close, and although it was just a simple brush, Xiao Shulang felt as if his heartstrings were being touched.
"Let's go," Qin Shuang smiled, "and get married."
Xiao Shulang snapped out of his daze, a smile playing on his lips, and the two of them walked out of the dressing room together, amidst a chorus of "wows" and gasps of surprise.