Chapter 27: You Also Think Too Much
This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
The daylight was very bright, and the two of them stood on the edge of the swing like a log, and the atmosphere was a little weird for a while.
Ruan Yesheng lowered her head, then lifted her gaze to glance at Xi Mo. She saw Xi Mo subconsciously rubbing her hands on the side, seemingly wanting to rub off the sudden awkwardness just now. Xi Mo's face was also quite difficult to describe. Ruan Yesheng turned her head slightly, the waves in her eyes were illuminated by the sunlight, swaying for a moment. However, she still stood there, not speaking or moving, just continuing to use a pair of spring-like eyes to gaze at her.
Seeing this kind of look, Xi Mo's heart trembled. She felt that Ruan Yesheng's eyes were suddenly glued to her body, and her hands felt hot for no reason.
After a while, to break the weird atmosphere, she had no choice but to whisper, "Are you okay?"
Her voice was too low as if it had been forced out. At the same time, Lin Qitang asked loudly through the loudspeaker: "Are you two okay?"
Lin Qitang's high-decibel voice on the loudspeaker naturally overwhelmed Xi Mo's question.
"It's okay, I accidentally didn't pay attention." Ruan Yesheng motioned to Lin Qitang: "Director Lin, let's continue."
Two staff members came over to check the situation, and after confirming that there was no problem, they went down again. Lin Qitang said: "Cut out the short section just now, start with Ding'e's line, and film a bit of the following scene. We'll move on. Everyone, get ready!"
Ruan Yesheng adjusted her clothes and sat back on the swing in a dignified manner. Xi Mo also walked behind her and resumed her previous shooting position.
"I'm fine." Ruan Yesheng lowered her head slightly, and said softly with her back turned.
Xi Mo's face froze, and she immediately understood that this was a belated response to her previous question, but she didn't say anything.
Lin Qitang started talking, and the filming started again.
Both of them are people who can pick up their acting skills at will. Xi Mo had been acting for a long time, so there was no need to elaborate, as soon as the slate snapped, she could instantly get into character. Although Ruan Yesheng hasn't done any work for so many years, it can be seen that she has never been slack. Even if she has no filming, she has always maintained the habit of studying and training. She could quickly immerse herself in her role, and the minor disturbance was swiftly resolved, with filming quickly getting back on track.
Feng Tangtang and the makeup artist sat in a row, while Gu Qisong stood by like a wooden stick. The three of them watched and ate snacks. Halfway through, Feng Tangtang checked her watch and walked away. She was responsible for "Sister Xi's" dinner. Lu Qingming had asked her to arrange meals for Xi Mo, so she didn't dare to be neglectful. She had to prepare each meal ahead of time.
The shooting in the afternoon went smoothly, and all the plans were completed on time. This was also due to the cooperation of Ruan Yesheng and Xi Mo. They rarely re-shot, and the staff were very grateful. The filming ended at 5:30, and everyone went to dinner one after another, all showing signs of fatigue on their faces.
The arrangement given by the coordinator included night scenes, which had to be filmed until eleven o'clock at night. Ruan Yesheng sat on the lounge chair holding the script and preparing for the evening scenes. However, she didn't end up flipping through many pages of the script.
She recalled the incident with the dead chicken during the day, her expression growing more serious as she stared into space.
Could it be someone from over there?
Why would they choose this time? There hadn't been any activity from that side for a long time, and such a dead chicken threat suddenly came, which is a bit naive and not like their usual style. However, that side was known for its unpredictable and secretive nature. Perhaps they were willing to use any strange tactics?
Now that she and Xi Mo have switched bodies, they must be watching Xi Mo.
Ruan Yesheng suddenly felt a little irritable. She is usually a person who doesn't easily show her displeasure on her face, but now she can't help frowning, rubbing her fingertips on the script page, forming shallow wrinkles, her eyes faint cold.
"Sister Xi, it's time for dinner." Feng Tangtang held several stacked food containers and whispered softly.
Ruan Yesheng was lost in thought and casually looked up. As soon as Feng Tangtang saw the frigid look in her eyes, she was so startled that she nearly dropped the lunch box.
Even though her Sister Xi used to be cold, she had gotten used to it, and she had never seen this unfamiliar expression on her face before.
"Oh, Tangtang." Ruan Yesheng came back to her senses and felt a little sorry for scaring Feng Tangtang. Nevertheless, she deliberately maintained a composed expression and greeted her with a neutral tone.
Feng Tangtang: "..."
Although Sister Xi said in the morning that she would call herself Tangtang in the future, and she already prepared herself mentally, after listening to it now, she felt that it was no different from being lynched.
"Leave it there," Ruan Yesheng casually set the script aside. "Shall we eat together?"
"No, no need, I have dinner, I'll eat it later." Feng Tangtang felt flattered again, and quickly placed the lunch boxes containing various meals in front of Ruan Yesheng, and said, "I prepared a lighter dinner for you. By the way, in the afternoon, I had the kitchen chef buy chicken to stew. It's an authentic free-range local chicken that hasn't eaten any feed at all. It's especially nourishing."
Hearing the word chicken, Ruan Yesheng thought of the horribly dead chicken and began to feel unwell. When Feng Tangtang opened the soup container and revealed the crispy chicken beneath the clear soup, the meat's pale appearance, and the stew's aroma made her feel like vomiting.
Seeing her expression, Feng Tangtang stopped and said cautiously, "Sister Xi, don't you...don't want to eat chicken?"
"No." Ruan Yesheng didn't want to hurt this piece of candy's kindness in her heart. Seeing this chicken soup took a lot of effort, so she could only rub her forehead and say gently, "I'm just a bit tired, thank you for your trouble."
Originally filming and playing Deng Sui was enough for her to be exhausted, but she still had to put on airs to play Xi Mo during breaks. She couldn't escape her split personality for over ten hours a day. At this moment, she felt a bit helpless.
"No, it's not troublesome!" Feng Tangtang stuttered: "There's night shooting tonight, and it will be even more tiring. Sister Xi, you should drink some chicken soup to replenish yourself."
Ruan Yesheng said: "Okay, you can go eat too."
Feng Tangtang nodded, said that she would come to clean up later, and left.
After a moment of silence, Ruan Yesheng looked at the container of chicken soup. She really had no appetite, so she put it aside and ate some other dishes casually.
This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
Working on the set was especially demanding. Dinner time passed quickly, and night shooting was about to begin. The scene was still at the Deng residence. Lighting and prop crews were busy setting up. The lights on the set flickered, sometimes bright and sometimes dim. Ruan Yesheng finished touching up her makeup and leaned against something while silently reciting her lines.
Even though she did not have any problems during the daytime shooting, she looked calm on the surface, but she was still more or less nervous inside, especially when she was acting with Xi Mo. She was mentally prepared, almost overly so, and would read the script whenever she had a moment.
Feeling a shadow approach, Ruan Yesheng lifted her gaze from the script.
The light shone across her face, as well as Xi Mo's long hair, and they looked at each other amidst the changing lights.
"Do you need something from me?" Ruan Yesheng smiled.
In front of others, she has to wear a mask to pretend to be cold, and only in front of Xi Mo, who knows everything, she doesn't need to cover up, and she can smile whenever she wants.
This kind of freedom makes her feel comfortable.
"You asked Feng Tangtang to bring me stewed chicken?" Xi Mo's tone was flat, and she couldn't tell what her tone was, but it didn't sound like she was angry.
Ruan Yesheng pursed her lips and smiled, but said nothing.
Sure enough, Tangtang loves her. She made soup for her "Sister Xi", and she didn't forget to sneak a portion for her.
Unfortunately, Xi Mo ended up receiving the sentiment instead. She seemed quite displeased about it.
Xi Mo said: "She said she stewed chicken for you and gave me a share. Did you ask her to do that? Do you think after I have seen the horror of the dead chicken during the day, I still have the appetite to eat chicken at night? "
With such a good face, she wouldn't say that she almost threw up when she saw the chicken soup.
"Weren't you calm when you were holding the dead chicken? Do you have psychological trauma now?" Ruan Yesheng lowered her head and continued reading the script.
"So you did ask her to come?"
"What are you doing?" Ruan Yesheng took a step back, her eyes shifting around, appearing a bit aggrieved. "You think I did that on purpose? Made you lose your appetite? Are you here to interrogate me? In your eyes, am I such a bad woman?"
Her words were seven points coquettish and three points angry. Anyone with a slightly less steadfast mind standing before her would be charmed by her words.
But Xi Mo's face was not disturbed at all.
I wish I could stuff a chicken leg into her mouth now.
"You're thinking too much." Xi Mo looked at her.
Then, she calmly continued, "If it was you who asked Feng Tangtang to come, I'll thank you for your kindness. However, I saw the dead chicken today, and I truly had no appetite. So, I didn't take a single bite. I gave it all to Yan Tinghuan."
Ruan Yesheng was a little taken aback, paused, and said, "You came to me just to tell me this?"
"I'm here to confirm. If so, then that's what I wanted to tell you." Xi Mo explained with a serious face: "You specially asked someone to deliver something to me. I didn't eat it and gave it to someone else, that doesn't mean I rejected your kindness, but today's situation is special."
Ruan Yesheng was surprised for a moment, feeling that sometimes the woman in front of her could be serious and stiff as a board, but she was a little cute. Her mood fluctuated, and her expression changed back and forth, and finally burst out laughing.
Xi Mo: "..."
Laughing?! Of course, she's laughing!
Why doesn't your face cramp?!
Wait, that's my face!
Ruan Yesheng laughed for a while before managing to hold back, looked into Xi Mo's eyes, and said softly: "I really did think a little too much."
She put the script lightly on Xi Mo's shoulder, like a superficial touch: "You also think too much."
The lights swept over them again. Lin Qitang had been talking to the crew members on the other side, his voice rising and falling. In this noisy environment, Xi Mo squinted her eyes and moved Ruan Yesheng's script aside.
"It's time to start working," Ruan Yesheng said with a smile.
Xi Mo glanced at her, turned, and left.
The camera seats were ready, the night scene was mostly focused on Xi Mo, and it was the most exhausting for her due to the action scenes.
One of the scenes involved Ding'e's older brother, acting as an assassin who attempted to attack the Deng residence at night. He was captured by Deng Sui's father, Deng Xun. At that moment, suspicion arose in Deng Xun's mind. To test Ding'e, he ordered her to personally kill the assassin. With her brother's tacit approval, Ding'e ultimately ended her brother's life. This scene had been rehearsed when Xi Mo auditioned, so she was quite familiar with it. The actor playing Deng Xun was also a well-known veteran, and he agreed to cameo in a few scenes due to Lin Qitang's influence. His acting naturally left nothing to be desired, and this scene was soon completed.
Afterward, the fight scene was very important, and it could be called a turning point in the early stage. Lin Qitang especially focused on shooting these night scenes in the Deng residence.
The assassins attacked again, this time on a large scale, and the entire Deng residence was in chaos. Ding'e, as a hidden stakecast in the Deng residence, since she was a child, was naturally assigned the most important task. Deng Xun, led by the leader of the assassins, was brought to the outer courtyard. Ding'e killed several assassins and followed Deng Xun to the outer court, joining him to confront the enemy.
The lights were specially dimmed, with a strange bluish-white effect. There were erratic lights and shadows everywhere, making the flowers and trees in the Deng residence sway like ghosts.
Xi Mo sprinted with a sword in her hand, followed by cameras, one of which followed her footsteps for a close-up shot.
Her steps were initially calm, devoid of any hesitation. It was as though, in this moment, Dinge's mind held no distractions—only a clear objective. However, her steps started to grow slightly erratic behind her, for she caught sight of Deng Xun and thoughts of Deng Sui resurfaced. The close-up shots wouldn't solely rely on Xi Mo's facial expressions; her body language would also play a role. For instance, the significance of her steps at this moment was to convey the character's state of mind.
This scene is very depressing, and Ding'e has almost no lines. Xi Mo expresses the complexity of this character solely by expression and body.
The actor who played Deng Xun was stabbed by the male co-star who played the role of the assassin leader. He stood aside holding his chest and shouted: "Ding'e!"
The camera position kept moving, and Xi Mo jumped out of the shadows, fighting with the male co-star expressionlessly.
"Cut!" Within a minute, Lin Qitang interrupted.
This passage was too important, so Lin Qitang was more critical and said, "Ruan Yesheng, you were a little too fast when you came out just now, please slow down here! Do it again!"
Xi Mo nodded: "Okay, I'm sorry Director Lin."
With the camera ready, the lights flickered, and Xi Mo leaped out once again, her cold sword flashing.
This time, she jumped out at the right time, with no problem at all. Lin Qitang didn't say anything, signaling to continue shooting. Xi Mo drew her sword, while the male co-star with a masked face and dressed in nighttime attire raised his sword to engage her.
The martial arts instructor came up to give guidance. Although the movements were slow during the fight, the speed would be enhanced in post-production. However, during filming, the techniques needed to be accurate, the strikes fierce, and the expressions on point. Sometimes, Xi Mo had to be lifted higher for more impactful strikes. She was accustomed to wire work from her previous experience in films, even having to be suspended for an entire day at times. However, the constant back and forth left her feeling dizzy and disoriented.
Ruan Yesheng stood in the distance, silently watching Xi Mo suspended by wires. Deng Sui didn't possess martial skills and relied entirely on Ding'e's protection. Ruan Yesheng didn't have to endure the strain of wire work for this entire drama; that responsibility fell to Xi Mo.
Ding'e subdued the assassin, Xi Mo raised her sword, aiming it directly at the male co-star's throat.
Deng Xun's actor ordered: "Ding'e, kill him quickly! Kill him!"
Xi Mo's eyes slid over to the one giving the command. Suddenly, she extended her palm and struck the chest of the actor portraying Deng Xun.
This was a scripted heart-stopping palm strike to the chest. Deng Xun was caught off guard, about to spew blood from his mouth as per the scene's requirements, and Lin Qitang also requested the visual effect of the blood spray.
As the palm struck, the veteran actor playing Deng Xun widened his eyes in shock, expressing pain on his face. He was supposed to bite into a blood capsule after that and spit out fake blood.
Xi Mo had already prepared for this moment. Since her face wouldn't be visible in the shot, she had to keep her gaze focused. A close-up of her facial expression would be added during editing.
However, the veteran actor struggled with his agonized expression for a while, but for some reason, he couldn't manage to bite the blood capsule successfully, and the blood didn't spew out.
The two of them stood frozen on the set.
Veteran actor: "..."
Xi Mo: "..."
"Cut!" Lin Qitang shouted, "What's going on? Go up and have a look at the props!"
The set returned to chaos as the crew checked the issue and replaced the faulty blood capsule for the veteran actor.
Accustomed to being highly respected in front of others, the veteran actor felt a bit embarrassed. He turned to Xi Mo and said, "Miss Ruan, I apologize for this." With years of acting experience, he knew how hard it was to build up emotions for a scene, and once those emotions were disrupted, it will be troublesome to regain them.
Xi Mo smiled and said, "It's not your problem, Mr. Li. There are inevitably flaws in the props. Let's continue."
The reshoots started and to the surprise of the veteran actor, the actress in front of him quickly immersed into character again.
She was like a split person, one person outside the scene, one person in the, there was no overlap at all.
This time, the blood capsule was successfully bitten, and the blood sprayed onto Xi Mo's face as required. The camera quickly zoomed in for a close-up of her face.
Xi Mo's face was covered with that kind of uncomfortable prop blood. Naturally, Xi Mo felt very uncomfortable, but her state was not affected. She stood in the dim light and shadow, with the wind machine blowing her long hair and clothes. Her face was covered in blood, but even her eyelashes didn't even seem to tremble. In this changing light, she looked cold and numb, as hollow as a sword that had been dead for many years.
Ding'e once told the young Deng Sui that swords had souls because, as her protector, she would be Deng Sui's sword.
But at this moment, when she killed Deng Sui's father, the soul of the sword died.
Ding'e's soul died with it.
Ruan Yesheng was about to make her entrance. She had observed every move of Xi Mo earlier and was truly amazed by her acting skills.
Ruan Yesheng had always known that Xi Mo was a great actress, ever since their university days. She had collected every one of Xi Mo's works, feeling the essence of each character's soul in her performances.
She admired Xi Mo's work while silently learning from her. However, it had been a while since she had been in such proximity to witness Xi Mo's acting in person.
Lin Qitang signaled Ruan Yesheng to enter the frame, She lifted her dress and ran into the scene looking disoriented as if she had stepped into a massacre.
"Father!" She cried in a crying voice with her voice trembling.
The veteran actor lay on the ground, dedicatedly playing the role of a dead body, a sword from the male co-star protruding from his chest.
Ruan Yesheng rushed forward, embracing the "corpse." With Xi Mo's face covered in blood, she stood in the center of the frame. She began to move, and the camera followed her as she approached Ruan Yesheng. She stood above her, gazing down.
Ruan Yesheng raised her head, her eyes were red and tears were about to fall, she only looked at her from the bottom up.
Their eyes met. Xi Mo watched Ruan Yesheng's tearful appearance, knowing it was fake crying. Her heart clenched at that moment, suddenly wondering how this woman might look if she were truly crying.
Ruan Yesheng is good at acting, so fake crying may be the same as real crying, and it may be difficult to tell the difference.
This unexpected distraction made Xi Mo uncomfortable. She knelt slowly and offered the long sword, kneeling on one knee. "I failed to protect the head of the family. Miss, please execute me."
Ding'e lied to Deng Sui at this time, she didn't dare to face Deng Sui directly, so Xi Mo lowered her eyelashes and just looked at the corpse before her.
