Chapter 32: No One Knows What She's Thinking, And She Doesn't Want Anyone To Know What She's Thinking
This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
"Breaking News! Leading Actress Quits 'Wangchuan River' Drama Crew!"
"A few small things that Qu Xizhi and Gu Xizhi have to say."
"Analyzing the Reasons Behind Qu Xizhi's Departure from 'Wangchuan River' Production."
"Gu Xizhi's discord with Qu Xizhi made Qu Xizhi quit."
"Throwing money away to get out of a drama contract."
....
Zhao Ling was sitting in the large conference room on the 23rd floor of Huayu Entertainment, drinking coffee and admiring today's dazzling newspaper headlines. The sunlight shone in from the glass window behind her as if she had a golden edge on her figure.
Putting down the newspaper, Zhao Ling leaned on the black leather swivel chair and took a sip of coffee, then slowly put down the coffee and said to the other people in the meeting room, "So this time Qu Xizhi's withdrawal from the filming of the TV series is her responsibility, I think what we need to consider now is not what Qu Xizhi wants to do. Huayi Entertainment has a significant share in the casting and production of "Wangchuan River", and it is now being hyped. It can be said that it is already popular. However, having just fame without substance won't suffice. I'm looking for an actor to replace Qu Xizhi's role, someone who won't fall too short compared to her. Feel free to recommend potential candidates."
Soon someone said, wasn't Tang Yu confirmed for this drama before? I think Tang Yu's temperament is well-suited for period dramas.".
Quickly someone retorted, "Tang Yu's contract is about to expire. Giving him such a good role would be like preparing a wedding dress for someone else."
Some people also said, "Since this TV series has received a lot of attention, it is better to use it to promote new artists. With its current popularity, using old actors is just a waste of resources."
Someone else said, "It's obviously inappropriate to use a newcomer as a lead actor. After all, a newcomer's acting skills are a problem. Qu Xizhi leaving already caused a big stir. Introducing a newcomer to him now might lead to the production being completely stopped."
Zhao Ling listened to everyone's opinions quietly, sat up straight from the chair, and kept recording with a pen in her notebook in front of her, "I've decided to go with Tang Yu. If anyone has objections, speak up now."
There was silence in the conference room.
Halfway through her notes, Zhao Ling raised her eyes to look at everyone, closed the notebook in front of her, and stood up, "Meeting adjourned."
Because of Qu Xizhi's sudden decision to withdraw from the crew of "Wangchuan River", the production has become a mess these past few days. In addition to the loss caused by the need to re-do the scenes that Qu Xizhi had filmed before, the absence of a confirmed male lead disrupted the filming process. Director Jiang Tu had lost his temper multiple times. But the production couldn't come to a halt because of one person. So the focus had been on scenes involving the female lead, Luyao, and the supporting characters.
Today's scene is still between Luyao and the supporting roles. The content of the plot is that the Princess saw Luyao holding the Emperor of the Underworld's sword and thought that she stole it, so she snatched it from her, leading to a tussle where Luyao ultimately ended up seated on the ground.
It had been several days since she had seen Lin Mingling who is playing the role of the Princess but her dislike and avoidance of this woman had not diminished by half. Gu Xizhi, who had already acted in several scenes, was sitting in the dressing room waiting for the makeup artist to set the makeup for this scene. Lili, who had been with her all the time, saw that there was no one in the dressing room, and said impulsively, "Xiao Jing, the media has always targeted you, it finally stopped for a while, but now, with Miss Qu’s resignation from the film crew, they're causing a stir again. Everyone is saying that you forced Miss Qu to quit. They are really scolding you on Weibo. Director Zhao has even advised you to clarify the situation. Why aren't you taking any action?"
Gu Xizhi looked at herself with plain makeup in front of the mirror, with a very calm expression, "If she wants to clarify, let her clarify, I won't."
Lili was even more puzzled, "Why? You weren't the type to never listen to advice before.
Gu Xizhi lifted her eyes from the mirror to look at her. "Do you really want to know why?"
Lili nodded, pretending to listen carefully, thinking that Gu Xizhi would analyze a lot of interests to explain her behavior, but she didn't expect she would simply say, "Because I forced her to leave.
Lili blinked blankly and said nothing more.
Since the makeup was just a simple change, Gu Xizhi was already on the set preparing for the scene with Lin Mingling ten minutes later. It's already the beginning of autumn, but the sun is still scorching enough to swallow people up. Lin Mingling wore a gorgeous costume and sat on the set early. Upon seeing Gu Xizhi, she first curved her lips into a smile, then quickly stepped forward with the familiar elegance that the public knew well, ready to face the camera.
Although the change in the middle of filming had infuriated Director Jiang Tu, the only consolation he found was that the lead actress of this drama, Gu Xizhi, had been performing exceptionally well these past few days. Her performance had surpassed the norm and showed a promising trend.
Perhaps due to their rivalry, Qu Xizhi's departure seemed to have an unexpected stabilizing effect on her. There were a few scenes where she had anticipated she would require multiple retakes, but she seemed to have a newfound understanding as if something had clicked within her, rectifying some of the mistakes she used to make.
Others may not be able to see this kind of thing, but as a director, he has a deep understanding, so even though he doesn't know about the private affairs of Gu Xizhi and Qu Xizhi, Jiang Tu was convinced that these two people are absolutely natural enemies as the outside world says.
The set crew once again arranged the scene meticulously. The deep dark tunnel is like a window leading to the underworld. Lights and cameras are gathered in this place. The extras who play the role of the little ghost in the underworld are already in place. Gu Xizhi follows the requirements of the script, waiting at the entrance of the underworld, Jiang Tu adjusted the camera, signaled to start, and indicated for Lin Mingling, who plays the Princess to start filming, and then glanced at Gu Xizhi before starting. With a strange smile, she lifted her golden robe and hurriedly walked towards the entrance of the underworld. A young maidservant followed behind her obediently, nodding as she moved forward. Gu Xizhi slowly snapped out of her thoughts as Lin Mingling passed by her, and she proceeded to walk out from the entrance after Lin Mingling reached her designated spot.
The two had already walked to their respective positions. the two characters were meant to brush past each other. Luyao didn't seem to notice who was passing by her, and the Princess didn't notice her either. However, as they brushed past each other, the camera zoomed in on the sword hanging at Luyao's waist, then quickly shifted to the Princess who swiftly moved to block her.
At this time, the camera zoomed in on the expressions of the two actress. Luyao was dazed and confused, while the Princess was expressionless but her demeanor clearly exuded a hostile aura. The two looked at each other for a moment. Then the Princess snatched the sword hanging from Luyao's waist directly, and just as she was about to retrieve it, a resounding slap struck her across the face. While the script dictated that Gu Xizhi should take several steps back and fall after receiving this slap, the impact of Lin Mingling's slap was so unexpected that not only Gu Xizhi but everyone on the set was left utterly shocked.
Under normal circumstances, when actors perform scenes involving physical contact like slapping, they usually stop short of actually making contact. While the final edited scene with added sound might appear seamless, during the actual filming, they usually maintain control over the intensity. However, perhaps due to the relatively quiet environment, during the recent scene, when Lin Mingling slapped Gu Xizhi, the sound echoed through the set and even caught the attention of the crew members. The area where Lin Mingling's slap had landed on Gu Xizhi's face had left a deep imprint of her five fingers. Gu Xizhi calmly stared at Lin Mingling without speaking, while Lin Mingling merely smiled and asked, "Miss Gu, is there a problem? The script calls for me to slap you like that."
Gu Xizhi still looked at her and didn't speak, and the other people on the set didn't dare to interfere, only Jiang Tu cleared his throat and said, "Mingling, you don't need to use so much force in the slapping scene, The sound effects will be added in post-production. If you leave marks like this on Miss Gu's face, how are we supposed to film the next scenes?"
Lin Mingling turned around and apologized, saying, "I see, my lack of experience led to this. I apologize to Miss Gu. We'll redo the scene later."
Although she was apologizing, her understated tone did not make anyone on the set feel that she was apologetic. So in this weird atmosphere, Gu Xizhi was dragged away by the makeup artist to cover up the raised five fingerprints, and the scene started again.
Once again, the two characters met at the entrance of the underworld. In the dimly lit setting, the sword on Luyao's waist was particularly eye-catching. As they brushed past each other, Lin Mingling's eyes briefly glanced at the sword, and then she immediately halted and snatched it from Luyao. Gu Xizhi instinctively attempted to retrieve the sword, but Lin Mingling swiftly slapped her again. This time, the force of Lin Mingling's slap was nearly identical to before. However, anticipating the scene's requirements and aiming to wrap it up quickly, Gu Xizhi had mentally prepared herself. She took a few steps back and purposefully fell to the ground.
The camera gave Gu Xizhi a close-up and then cut to Lin Mingling's face again, but Lin Mingling, who was supposed to speak the lines, didn't say anything, but just stood there and looked at her quietly, although everyone on the set knew what was going on at this moment, Lin Mingling, as the daughter of Starlight Media, has such a great background that no one dared to offend her. Even Jiang Tu was silent for a few seconds after seeing the situation and said, "Miss Lin, take another shot!" For the last time, please remember to say your lines, otherwise this scene will be lost.
Lin Mingling said with a smile, "I'll control it, Director Jiang."
Having said that, when Lin Mingling slapped Gu Xizhi's face for the third time, even the actress Yu Yin, couldn't help stepping forward to accuse Lin Mingling.
Because Lin Mingling's slap was too forceful, Gu Xizhi didn't need to intentionally take a few steps back and fall to the ground according to the script but was directly incited by her heavy slap to take a few steps back and tripped over the uneven road.
Although Lin Mingling uttered the last line according to the plot requirements and ended the filming of the scene, seeing Gu Xizhi's swollen cheeks, Yu Yin couldn't help but say, "Miss Lin, the crew won't appreciate you if you do this.
Lin Mingling pretended to be apologetic and said with a smile, "I just wanted to put on a good show, I'm sorry.
After she finished speaking, she left, and many staff present immediately helped Gu Xizhi aside to rest, while Yu Yin sat beside her and complained, "How can Miss Lin do this, it's too much.
Gu Xizhi didn't speak and just covered her face with ice cubes and towels.
Meanwhile, Lili applied a facial mask for her and asked, "Did you offend her?"
Gu Xizhi pondered for a moment and replied, "Sort of."
Yu Yin said, "It would be great if Miss Qu was still here. If she were here, Miss Lin wouldn't have the chance to slap you a second time and a third time."
Gu Xizhi slowly raised her head to look at her.
Seeing her gaze, Yu Yin smiled and said, "I know you two are actually good friends. You don't have to hide it from me, Sister Xiao Jing."
Gu Xizhi remained silent.
This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
After finishing the afternoon shoot and while removing her makeup, Gu Xizhi received a social engagement call. As someone who couldn't handle alcohol, Gu Xizhi detested any form of social obligation. However, being an actress often meant being compelled into various situations, and this was her first social event since joining the cast. With countless persuasions from the production team, Gu Xizhi reluctantly agreed to attend.
When she was about to leave the set, Gu Xizhi remembered that she had left her things in the dressing room, and hurried back to get them, but before she opened the door of the dressing room, Gu Xizhi unfortunately overheard a conversation about her.
"Didn't Gu Xizhi usually avoid these parties? Are you sure she's going today?"
"It seems she can't avoid it today"
"She didn't attend the previous ones. I thought she was quite bold to not care about the producers' face."
"It's Qu Xizhi who's impressive, not her. Qu Xizhi's mother is a powerful figure in the disciplinary department. Many officials in the broadcasting industry treat her like they would treat the queen mother. Those seeking wealth wouldn't want to offend such people."
"She's truly fortunate, isn't she?"
"She is."
"Do you think Gu Xizhi has a bad life? A few times ago, the producers wanted to find Gu Xizhi to have a meal with him, but Qu Xizhi blocked them. That person surnamed Liu was rejected so many times. After getting drunk, he even asked me about the relationship between Gu Xizhi and Qu Xizhi."
"Do you know what their relationship is?"
"I don't know what kind of relationship they have!"
An urging phone call sounded, and Gu Xizhi didn't have time to enter the dressing room to retrieve her belongings. She turned around and left directly.
Before seven o'clock in the evening, the private rooms in the hotel were full of people of all kinds. Although Gu Xizhi couldn't warmly welcome these men in suits and leather shoes, she couldn't put on a bad face either. Wine was being poured on the table, and Gu Xizhi, who never drank on such occasions, ordered tea as usual, but after the cup was filled with tea, a boss sitting beside her said, "Miss Gu, you've come all this way, how can you not drink? Quickly get a glass, I'll pour you some wine."
Gu Xizhi quickly prepared to decline, but another gentleman spoke up, "Miss Gu, it was our Mr. Wang who initially proposed for you to be the leading actress in this drama. We even negotiated with President Sun back then. If you don't let him pour this glass of wine for you, it really wouldn't be appropriate!"
"That's right, Miss Gu, don't be impolite. If you can't even have a drink, how can you still be the leading actress?"
Under normal circumstances, Gu Xizhi might have turned around and left after hearing these words. She would rather offend others and insist on not drinking, but Director Zhao has reminded her twice that she must finish the filming of "Wangchuan River" smoothly, or there could be potential complications with Sun Tingyou, and she couldn't afford to take such risks.
Using nearly all her acting skills, she managed to smile and agree to the other party's offer of pouring wine, but after this step, Gu Xizhi realized she had made a complete mistake.
Perhaps because all the female actors present were quite capable drinkers, nobody paid any attention to the fact that there was a girl at the table who truly couldn't handle alcohol. Faced with the continuous toasts and invitations, Gu Xizhi had been doing her best to avoid actually touching the wine, but after raising the glass too many times, she couldn't help but absorb some of the inevitably diminishing alcohol. Apart from the familiar sensation of dizziness, the high-proof alcohol made Gu Xizhi feel several times that she couldn't hold on any longer. Yu Yin, who was also present, noticed that Gu Xizhi's complexion had turned somewhat pale. Unable to restrain herself, she patted Gu Xizhi's shoulder and said, "Sister Xiao Jing, if you're not feeling well, you can go to the restroom for a while."
Gu Xizhi listened to her words and went to the restroom with an excuse, but the sensation of nausea overwhelmed her. Without any warning, she found herself leaning over the sink, vomiting uncontrollably.
The hotel was bustling with people, performing their duties, and the noise covered all corners, only the small restroom had a corner of peace. Gu Xizhi threw up, hunching on the edge of the sink. The sound of rushing water covered the sound of discomfort. Perhaps it was because of the uncomfortable physical feeling, once she had calmed down, Gu Xizhi found herself crying in front of the restroom's large mirror. These tears didn't subside as time passed; instead, they welled up uncontrollably, fueled by snippets of memories that flashed through her mind.
After a long time, Gu Xizhi was still standing in front of the sink, quietly facing the mirror.
No one knows what she's thinking, and she doesn't want anyone to know what she's thinking.
