Chapter 73: Original Version

Deleted/Changes are in green text. 

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The camera kept running, and every expression and movement of the actors was clearly and completely fixed in the film.

This was already the fifth take. In the previous times, due to poor camera effects, Scarlett Li stopped the two when they were still performing a passionate kiss. The staff had long been accustomed to the complexity and repetitiveness of bed scene filming. They just followed the director's instructions over and over to do their respective tasks.

The same goes for both actresses.

Although the weather in May is gradually getting warmer at night, especially when it is still raining lightly outside the window, the temperature is still not high.

Probably because the number of films gradually increased and Gu Xizhi was lying under Qu Xizhi, Gu Xizhi's body temperature rose little by little. Several times when Qu Xizhi kissed her, she would feel very hot, and this sometimes messed up her makeup.

This was the fifth take, and after the start, Qu Xizhistill lowered her head and passionately kissed her from a high position.

Her kisses were like those of a girl in her early twenties, delicate and cautious. Every time she wanted to stick her tongue in, she would hesitate for a few seconds before deciding whether to go in or not because she was concerned about some unknown thing.

Their lips touched lightly, and the occasional push was mostly due to Qin Shiyu's enthusiasm that infected the two. Qu Xizhi has been calm and reserved all along, only revealing a bit of impatience when Gu Xizhi becomes more passionate, much like the deep and unyielding Yun Xiaoxiao.

It’s obvious that Qu Xizhi’s kiss lacked a lot of skill and provocation due to filming requirements. But being kissed repeatedly, it was difficult to completely immerse oneself into the mood of the character.

Regardless of those skills, she has always been extremely gentle when doing this kind of thing. It is easy to fall into that feeling of being cared for, but Gu Xizhi is not so ambitious. Even though she knows that this is just filming, she still feels lucky thinking she may not be so gentle to someone who has no feelings at all.

Being self-indulgent is an extremely terrible thing. It can make your imagination passionate. Qin Shiyu really likes Yun Xiaoxiao's kiss, but at this moment, this kind of love with an unclear boundary between reality and drama is very embarrassing.

Her body was inseparably suppressed by Qu Xizhi, and their breaths intertwined. Although the posture was a bit stiff for the sake of filming, it didn't hinder the expression of their emotions at all.

After the complete kiss ended, Qu Xizhi's lips gently brushed against her cheek, but did not linger. Soon, it brushed against her ear like a dragonfly skimming the water.

Although the camera couldn't capture it, Gu Xizhi's body turned obviously stiff when she made this action.

Her previous actions are deeply etched in her mind, and fearing that she might think too much, Gu Xizhi hasn't discussed this matter with her. However, her hand has already moved down, and the breath by her ear is getting hotter. Gu Xizhi's body gradually changes from stiff to trembling.

Qu Xizhi nibbled her earlobe, using her breath to tease the base of her already beautiful ear over and over again. In front of the camera, the hand on her chest lowered but the movements can still be seen through the thin layer of the quilt.

The camera needs to show the chest area, and her actions are just right.

Qu Xizhi didn't show any obvious aggressive behavior. She really just carried out the actions required for filming step by step. However, the pink color in Gu Xizhi's ears had spread to her neck due to her continuous movements, and her fingertips were still pulsating on her chest. Suddenly, Gu Xizhi felt that the deliberate avoidance of her actions was no better than what had happened earlier. She might even think that the previous approach, at least, gave her a satisfying conclusion, while this teasing was more unbearable than Lingchi* execution

*death/torture by slow slicing/thousand cuts

She has a thousand ways to torment her, which she had learned three years ago.

The realistic acting of the actresses made the filming scene less boring. Under the camera, the two passionately kissed on the white sheets. Because Qu Xizhi had her back to the camera, Gu Xizhi felt even more pressure in this scene. Despite being said to be a straight woman, Gu Xizhi surprisingly managed to convey an attraction to the same-sex body, making one realize how superb her acting skills were.

The naked back and the girl's slender and fair limbs in the distant view are very beautiful against the pure white background. Under the light, Qu Xizhi's long, satin-like hair falls on Gu Xizhi's body, glowing with brightness. She continued to kiss her, with her breath between her ear and neck, while her right hand gradually moved downward according to the progress.

The temperature of her fingertips felt like it could burn her, and every inch of skin she passed through would bring a different feeling.

As she passed by her waist, Qu Xizhi's hand touched her indicatively, obviously reminding her to spread her legs. In fact, at this point in the filming, Gu Xizhi also knew that the next step was to get to the main point, but when Qu Xizhi's hand deliberately reminded her to spread her legs, she did not cooperate at all.

Although this bed scene focuses on the actors' expressions rather than their movements, the "entering" gesture is a must before the camera fades out. In Qin Shiyu's state, even though it's the first time, any nervousness would diminish in the face of intense passion. Before Qu Xizhi performs the "entering" gesture, she should cooperate enthusiastically. However, at this moment, Qu Xizhi can only repeatedly keep her touch around her waist, using delicate performance to explain to the director the reason for the delay in moving on to the next part."

The zero-distance contact caused the air around the two actors to gradually rise as they rubbed against each other. It also made their bodies scorching. It was evident that continuing like this wouldn't work. Qu Xizhi, while using her hand to touch her buttocks, and through the gap of kissing her ear, said in a very low voice, "Spread it."

With these two concise words, Gu Xizhi was fully aware that all her previous efforts would be wasted if she continued like this, but she was stubborn and did not separate her legs.

Time was pressing, and when Qu Xizhi couldn't get her cooperation, she moved her left hand down to cover her right chest. At the same time, she manipulated her body's changes, all while raising her left leg from the outside with determination, causing a more noticeable curve in her slightly bent left leg in the camera frame.

Gu Xizhi was probably stunned by her unplanned move. She was like a puppet at her mercy for a moment. She only knew that following her wishes would make it possible to salvage this scene. Yet, she had no idea what Qu Xizhi was doing, and even less why she could so proficiently control her body.

Qu Xizhi continued to kiss her, but her right hand was already groping for her safety pants, ready to start the most important and symbolic action of this scene.

Due to the inexperience of both, the focus of this scene is not on **, but on determination. According to the previous agreement, separated by a thin quilt, she only needed to perform the actions of searching and entering their respective positions. As for how to more vividly make the audience aware of what was happening at this moment, it couldn't be seen directly through the thin quilt. It depended entirely on the actors' expressions.

After Qu Xizhi lifted her legs, she stopped kissing, looked at Gu Xizhi, leaving her entire face to the camera, and expressed an expectant, curious, and nervous expression.

The same goes for Gu Xizhi under the camera.

The close-up camera captured their expressions and recorded them on the film. Under the thin quilt, Qu Xizhi's hand rested on the waistband of her safety pants, caressing tentatively.

Because it was necessary to see obvious changes in front of the camera through a thin layer of quilt, Qu Xizhi's movements were not small, and she deliberately increased her movements. At first, Gu Xizhi thought it would be a happy cooperation if it continued like this, but as time went by, the changes in her movements made Gu Xizhi completely despair.

Besides the feeling of despair, due to overwhelming fear, her hand around her neck gradually began to tighten, and her breath began to stagnate.

Feeling her hand gradually moving up from the base of her leg, Gu Xizhi still looked at Qu Xizhi, her expression filled with the character's current unfamiliarity with the situation. However, under the camera, her tense body repeatedly shrank upwards, almost to the extent of being discovered by the lens. Besides, her cheeks were redder than ever before, almost to the point of bleeding.

Qu Xizhi's actions were ultimately more free than hers, despite her significant efforts. She couldn't escape her fingertips.

Qu Xizhi easily found the position she wanted. It was unclear whether she wanted to embarrass her or seek some answer, Qu Xizhi pressed down gently.

She pressed down little by little, and Gu Xizhi kept looking at her. The shame brought Gu Xizhi's reason to the edge of collapse, and the blush seemed to penetrate her skin and reach deep in her bones.

There was a feeling of complete doom spreading wildly, and Qu Xizhi still watched her, with emotions concealed like Yun Xiaoxiao, as if she had not discovered anything.

She is as professional as a cold-blooded animal and makes no mistakes when facing the camera.

Although she was on the verge of giving up, perhaps to save face or to prevent this torture from happening again, Gu Xizhi suddenly became calmer than ever.

She relaxed her body and no longer clung tightly to Qu Xizhi's neck. In fact, she seemed to treat Qu Xizhi's hand as if it didn't exist, meeting her gaze with the emotions Qin Shiyu should have at this moment.

In front of the camera, Gu Xizhi blushed and tilted her head slightly, vividly expressing a girl's shyness and timidity in addition to her curiosity and expectation. It was completely like a young girl's first feelings.

The assistant standing in front of the monitor stared in astonishment at the changing scenes, and finally couldn't help but whisper to Scarlett Li, "Why does it seem like Miss Qu's hand…"

Before the words were finished, Scarlett Li signaled to keep silent.

The assistant looked at the two people on the monitor and then paid special attention to Gu Xizhi's expression. Inexplicably, he felt that his face was also turning red, and he quickly cooled it with his hands.

T/N: note that the gender of the assistant wasn't clearly stated, so I just used the default 'he'. Will change it later if it's otherwise.

Qu Xizhi's fingertips stopped moving. Instead, she lowered her head and kissed Gu Xizhi's lips. When she raised her head again, her fingertips pushed upward slightly.

In the camera, Gu Xizhi displayed a sense of tension and a fear of pain as a result of her actions. Afterward, Qu Xizhi's actions stopped, and she kissed her once again. This time, the pushing motion was more thorough.

According to the performance order, Gu Xizhi clenched her teeth tightly as she moved, and quickly raised her neck and kissed her lips, their cooperation was quite tacit.

As the two love each other, the camera gradually fades out at this moment. They continued to kiss closely, and the process from clarity to blur was exceptionally slow. A long time later, on the monitor, only the fuzzy image of the two women kissing remained. The simple scene appeared as if it could last forever.

According to common sense, the director should call a stop at this time. After all, the actors will not stop unless the director calls for it, and the entire shooting session would be considered unfinished. But as if she felt something was wrong between the two, Scarlett Li just stood still, lost in thought and speechless in front of the monitor.

Gu Xizhi continued to kiss Qu Xizhi passionately, but a sense of embarrassment grew heavier with the movement of her fingertips.

Finally, even the lighting engineer couldn't stand it anymore. He cleared his throat and looked at Scarlett Li, who, in turn, looked up at him and then belatedly called a stop.

The moment Gu Xizhi heard the stop, she pushed away Qu Xizhi. The assistant handed the clothes to the two actresses and closed the partition curtain. Soon, Gu Xizhi put on her dress. Though her cheeks were terribly red, she didn't say a word, just hung her head low and got off the bed.

The moment she walked out of the bedroom, Lili draped a long coat over her and helped her to the changing room. At that time, Qu Xizhi was still sitting on the bed. The spring breeze, carrying the moisture of the rain, drifted in from the window. Just one curtain away, the lighting remained bright. She raised her right hand and, under the light, looked at her middle finger for a moment. It seemed as if she wasn't entirely sure of something and gently wiped it with her thumb.