"Wow, are these new actors really that good at acting?"
"I'm totally immersed in it. The most captivating characters are the beautiful, crazy villains."
"My God! Who says newcomers can't act?! She'll be the Best Actress at next year's Magnolia Awards!"
"I thought Chen Liuying's acting skills would crush the newcomers, but it turns out she got completely outclassed by them."
"As expected of the person Yingjie chose, they are really too strong!"
"..."
Their hushed conversation reached Liang Shi's ears, and she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, all those years of hard work haven't been in vain.
Those days and nights spent practicing lines in front of the mirror to better portray a character, those screenwriting books read to understand the script and the characters, and those days spent running around on set.
The sweat and tears shed on this road are all part of the accumulation.
She looked at Zhao Ying first, and Zhao Ying gave her a thumbs up.
//
The slap scene with Chen Liuying that followed was a camera trick, but Chen Liuying couldn't deliver the effect the director wanted each time.
After six takes, Liang Shi, without consulting Chen Liuying, slapped her across the face. The crisp sound stunned Chen Liuying.
But Liang Shi directly performed her own play. Her lines were fluent and full of emotion. Every line she delivered was infuriating. After insulting the other party, she even showed a cold smile, which was a bit sinister and made people's hair stand on end.
After filming wrapped, the director praised him, saying, "Liang Shi, I never imagined you were such a promising actor."
Liang Shi humbly replied, "No, it was all improvisation."
“This is the Versailles,” Zhao Ying said casually from the side, but with a hint of stirring up trouble. “You acted so well on the spot. What will those who have been acting for months and still have to be outdone by you think? They’ll cry.”
Liang Shi: "..."
She glanced at Chen Liuying.
Chen Liuying covered the side of her face that had been hit, "Liang Shi, you did this on purpose, didn't you?"
"I did my best so that you could finish filming sooner," Liang Shi said calmly.
Chen Liuying: "..."
"Alright, it's all for the sake of the play." The director mediated, and took the flowers handed to him by the production assistant. "Congratulations, Liuying, happy wrap-up."
Chen Liuying was furious, but she couldn't retaliate.
After all, I'll still be working in this industry in the future.
However, in the car on her way back to the hotel after filming, she cursed at Bai Weiwei in front of her, "What kind of person is that! Does she really think she acted well? Is it just because the character suits her? A spoiled young lady who is arrogant and domineering, she must have done this kind of thing a lot! She actually slapped me, she's so vicious."
"No trace was left." Bai Weiwei said wearily, "It was a sacrifice for art."
“But we agreed to use a camera angle to fake it,” Chen Liuying said. “She just doesn’t like us. She’s been waiting to get revenge on you for taking Xu Qingzhu to Huayue International that time!”
"Chen Liuying!" Bai Weiwei scolded angrily, "We agreed not to mention this."
Chen Liuying suddenly paused, shrank back in her seat, and sneered, "You treat her like a best friend, but does she treat you like a best friend? What has she done besides encouraging you to break up? You really are a silly girl."
Bai Weiwei pressed her throbbing temples, "Zhu Zi doesn't know that Liang Shi is out acting."
"So what if she finds out? She'd probably be happy that his wife beat up your girlfriend." Chen Liuying said sarcastically. "Haven't they been like this since school? She's always been one step ahead of you. You think her wife is trash, but she might think you've found an actress."
“Zhu Zi isn’t that kind of person,” Bai Weiwei said. “Stop talking.”
"Heh, you can know a person's face but not their heart." Chen Liuying shrugged. "Anyway, think about it carefully. Why did she have Liang Shi answer the call, but you had Zhao Xuning answer it?"
"I told you I wouldn't bring this up again." Bai Weiwei glanced at her sideways. "Are you never going to stop?"
"I just want to remind you that even if Liang Shi is trash, he's still Xu Qingzhu's wife. She's always been on the inside," Chen Liuying said. "Only a silly girl like you wouldn't protect your girlfriend. She got slapped and you still think she's innocent."
Bai Weiwei turned her face away, not looking at her.
//
Liang Shi and Zhao Ying's scene is in the afternoon.
We ate boxed lunches on set at noon. The food on set was pretty good, three dishes and a soup.
Liang Shi was happy to be on set, so he took a picture of his lunchbox and posted it on his WeChat Moments.
Shortly after, Zhao Xuning commented: "[This is the kind of boxed lunch even pigs wouldn't eat on set?]"
Liang Shi: ...
Liang Shi: Well said. Don't say it again next time.
When she switched back to the chat interface, she found that Zhao Xuning had taken a screenshot for her.
The contact name is Zhao Ying, who also posted a picture of the same lunchbox on her WeChat Moments. The caption reads: "Even pigs wouldn't eat this."
Liang Shi: "..."
She even thought it tasted pretty good.
However, she tentatively asked Zhao Xuning, "Could you send me your cousin's WeChat ID?"
Zhao Xuning: [Aren't you two together?]
Liang Shi: [There were too many people on set; if I went over to ask for their WeChat, it would seem like I was trying to pick them up.]
Zhao Xuning: [...]
Liang Shi: [After all, I have a wife, so I must keep myself pure.]
Zhao Xuning: [...]?
After a while, someone took the initiative to add Liang Shi.
The profile picture is exactly the same as the one Zhao Xuning just screenshotted.
Liang Shi immediately approved the request and then sent a cute emoji: "Hello, Sister Ying."
Zhao Ying: [Hello! Have a good performance this afternoon!]
Liang Shi: [Yes!]
After adding Zhao Ying on WeChat, she received another message: a transfer of 200,000 yuan from Liang Xinhe.
Liang Shi: "..."
Liang Xinhe: [Our family isn't so poor that you'd have to eat coarse food.]
Liang Shi: [Second Brother, the crew's boxed lunch is pretty good.]
Liang Xinhe: [...It looks so unappetizing.]
Liang Shi posted six dots.
She simply doesn't understand the world of the wealthy.
She was used to being on set. Although she could usually eat lavish meals, that was basically how it was on set.
Some actors did get special treatment, but Liang Shi never did; he always ate the same boxed lunches as the extras.
There's no point in worrying about how delicious the boxed lunches are; efficiency is key. The faster you finish eating, the more rest you can get ready for the next shoot.
Want to eat well and sleep well? You don't have those kinds of conditions.
However, Liang Shi did not transfer the 200,000 yuan back. Instead, she kept it in the account for future use, or to return it to Liang Xinhe when she needed it.
I filmed with Zhao Ying in the afternoon.
When Liang Shi was researching Zhao Ying's background, he found out that Zhao Ying was a well-known drama fanatic, and everything she did was for the sake of the play.
She has played a woman of the night, a great general, a housewife, a career woman, a high school student, and someone's mother, so Zhao Ying is well-regarded in the industry.
Moreover, her acting is excellent, and there are very few people in the industry who can match her acting skills.
Liang Shi was nervous before filming, but Zhao Ying said, "Little sister, don't be afraid, I'll hold back."
They took good care of us.
Liang Shi smiled and said, "Sister Ying, let's try it out first. You should give it your all and let me see how I need to adjust."
Along with the tension came a sense of anticipation.
She had also watched Zhao Ying's cuts online, and every clip was very moving. She was very much looking forward to what it would be like to act opposite someone like that.
Liang Shi was considered a good actor in the past, but he was still young and needed more experience over time.
However, he is already a typical example of someone who is blessed with good looks.
When she acted opposite Zhao Ying, she didn't quite catch up the first time.
But the second time, she was already getting into the swing of things.
By the third time, he was on par with Zhao Ying, though there were still subtle differences.
For a good actor, even the slightest mistake can have disastrous consequences.
On the third take, this scene was completed.
In the following scenes, Liang Shi had adapted to Zhao Ying's acting rhythm and kept up with her pace, and almost all of them were completed in one take.
Everyone present was stunned.
Some staff members couldn't help but whisper among themselves, "I remember the last actress of the same age who could act opposite Sister Ying like this was Yang Shuyan."
"This is amazing! It's even more exciting than the clips I watch on Pixiv."
"This segment is so big that it could become a viral hit if it airs."
"I thought I would be blessed with good fortune, but I never imagined that God would be chasing after me to feed me."
All I can say is that there are differences between people.
"It's all thanks to Sister Ying's guidance. Chen Liuying was still the same old Chen Liuying after four months, but this one can already act with Sister Ying in less than half a day."
"I'm really impressed. I really want to see them act in a period drama with a love-hate relationship, like two villainous female leads."
"I can already picture it in my mind."
"Add Yang Shuyan as well, the kind of person you can click to watch with just one glance."
"..."