Chapter 41
“I think this is a good idea,” Zhu Yu stepped forward, handed her script to someone next to her for help, and then grabbed the arm of the person she was acting with.
“You push me to this position, and then I’ll swoosh here,” Zhu Yu said, lifting her skirt and pulling at the cameraman. “This angle is good for a shot, from above.”
The director, watching the footage on the monitor, nodded and said, "Okay, this shot angle is good."
As he spoke, he stood up and said, "Teacher, you can loosen the harness a little when you're on it, so that it doesn't feel too obvious that you're being pulled up."
"Zhu Yu, can you do a 360-degree spin in mid-air?"
Following the director's instructions, the two wire workers put on Zhu Yu's equipment and skillfully hoisted her up.
"I'll give it a try." Luckily, I had studied Taekwondo systematically for a while before.
Although it was to be a stunt double back then... Zhang Yuge was right about one thing: martial arts skills are never lacking in the entertainment industry.
Zhu Yu achieved the 360-degree rotation with little effort.
"No, this doesn't feel right." But the director shook his head as he looked at the monitor.
"Something's not right?" The other actors, who had been applauding Zhu Yu from below, gathered around upon hearing this.
Even Zhu Yu, who was hanging in the air, was brought down and someone brought her a tablet to look at.
"I understand!" an actor who plays the villain in the series and is responsible for the action scenes suddenly spoke up.
"The scene was supposed to be Zhu Yu being accidentally injured and knocked away, but in the shot it looked like she was jumping backwards on her own, the acting was too obvious!"
As the actor with the most action scenes, his words undoubtedly carry considerable authority. Seeing that all eyes were on him, the young man cleared his throat before continuing, "It's like this: Master Wu taught me that when you are knocked away, the point of force you generate when you spin is different from the point of force you generate when you spin yourself."
As he spoke, he gestured for the people around him to disperse, and then walked to a soft cushion placed on the ground.
"Hey!" He suddenly flipped over, as if someone had kicked him, and spun around in the air before crashing heavily onto the mat.
"Wow!" Because he is the villain with the highest fighting power in the whole show, he crushes everyone as soon as he appears. It is the first time that everyone has seen his "real kung fu", and they are immediately amazed.
"Here," the boy sprang to his feet, nearly collapsing from the applause, "Hehe, keep it low-key~"
After the applause subsided, he continued his explanation: "Here you were kicked out, so your point of force should actually be the foot that kicked you."
As he spoke, he taught Zhu Yu the same way the martial arts instructor had taught him: "At this moment, you can't let the camera see the force you're putting into your legs."
“Like this,” the boy tugged at the wire on Zhu Yu’s body, “try it again.”
The two wire stunt operators stepped forward to check the safety equipment, and then provided sufficient rope allowance as the boy had requested.
"Okay!" As soon as the boy waved his hand, the wire was pulled diagonally backward the instant Zhu Yu moved, and Zhu Yu was sent flying sideways.
After spinning 360 degrees in the air, it fell heavily onto the mat.
"Watch out!" This fall was quite hard. Because it was their first time working together, the two masters used too much force when pulling the rope, so much so that half of Zhu Yu's body hit the ground when she landed.
Everyone quickly gathered around and helped Zhu Yu up: "Are you alright?"
"Where did you hurt yourself?"
"Master Wang, Master Li, when you land here, you still need to tighten the rope, otherwise it's too easy to get injured."
The minor incident did not affect the filming schedule. After communicating with Zhu Yu about the shots, everyone adjusted the background scenes of all the actors present in this scene based on the changes.
While we need basic costumes, props, and sets, our acting skills and attention to detail cannot be basic.
The scene went very smoothly; from the lead actors to the extras, no one messed up.
Of course, the small number of extras was also a key factor.
Everyone was working with the intention of becoming a dark horse and surprising everyone, so when they acted, they often got so caught up in hatred that they forgot about their feelings.
They would suddenly start acting out scenes, and details that weren't originally in the script gradually came together through the sparks of interaction and collaboration among the actors.
Each character, whether sunny or gloomy, comes to life through the actors' dedication and hard work.
Many years later, when they look back on everything that happened on set, the lead actors, who have all achieved great success and become pillars of society, still feel a deep sense of emotion.
Without the constraints of fame and ratings, they seem to have rediscovered their original passion for acting.
The filming schedule and the broadcast order of the finished drama were different. Zhu Yu's last scene was actually the first scene in which the character appeared in front of the audience.
Pushing open the door, a radiant girl approached, surrounded by a crowd. The sunlight shone directly on her skirt, as if paving a golden road for her.
"Cut! That's a wrap!"
"Zhu Yu, rest first. Don't rush to change your clothes. Let me check the camera."
After receiving her own bouquet of flowers and red envelopes from the onlookers, Zhu Yu obediently sat down next to the monitor and watched the playback with the director.
"Here, whose water bottle is that on the ground?! It's a giveaway!"
"Never mind, we can Photoshop it... Zhu Yu, I think the emotion in the first half of your line isn't quite there, we need to do another take."
Nodding, Zhu Yu placed the flowers and red envelope in her arms on the chair and returned to the center of the filming location.
They were busy until evening. Except for Zhu Yu, the other colleagues who finished filming today were all kept together, waiting for the wrap party in the evening.
"Let's go. I know you're all trying to control your weight, so today's dinner is all vegetarian!"
--
During Zhu Yu's time on set, Shi Ru spent most of her time on Lu Xiaoxiao, except for occasionally visiting the set so that her colleagues would know which company Zhu Yu was signed with.
This girl is surprisingly talented at singing. Although she studied bel canto, give her a song, and she can perfectly replicate it after just one listen.
"Listen to all these songs, pick one and practice it well. There's a singing variety show next week, you can participate then."
Shi Ru rented a studio not too far from Zhu Yu's school. Considering that Zhu Yu was a senior and would move out soon, he also rented staff dormitories.
We're just waiting for Zhu Yu to finish filming and come back so we can move in.
"Variety shows? What kind of variety shows? I don't want to participate in talent shows." In the Chinese entertainment industry, it seems that the only way for a singer to debut is through a talent show.
What Shi Ru got was certainly not the kind of thing that was easy to get but not easy to get, like casting a wide net. Besides, Lu Xiaoxiao is still young and doesn't need to be promoted to a high level all at once.
"It's a short variety show where each episode invites a popular singer and 10 fans. Through some small interactions, the singer has to identify the tone-deaf and singing geniuses among the fans."
"Then perform a duet with your chosen teammates."
Because of tone-deaf singers, if a singer makes the wrong choice, the stage performance can be disastrous. However, due to the reactions of some people, this segment becomes particularly entertaining.
It's arguably the most popular type of online variety show right now.
"So am I considered tone-deaf or...?"
Shi Ru completely missed the subtle humor in Lu Xiaoxiao's words.
"Of course you're going to be the singing god; the spot for the tone-deaf should be given to the real fans."
"Old antique..." Lu Xiaoxiao pouted, seeing that Shi Ru hadn't grasped her humor at all.
However, she had watched this variety show before and was a loyal viewer of the previous seasons. She never thought that one day she would be on it herself.
"But does this show mean I've debuted?"
Although the show features top-tier idol groups and popular singers, they debuted under the name of XX's fans...
Shi Ru shook his head, took out another document from the folder and handed it to her: "Your current level is not high enough for a formal debut. This is a two-year plan I made for you."
This person is so meticulous in their work!
Lu Xiaoxiao was dumbfounded as she accepted this plan, which was far thicker than the contract.
When I opened it, wow—she had even planned out all the elective courses she would take, the clubs she would join, and the competitions she would participate in at school.
"Uh, does the company... also need to manage the academic plans of its employees?" That's too much of a fuss, Daddy... oh no, boss.
Who would have thought that someone who appears so refined and aloof would actually be so patriarchal...
Oh no, she's even more alluring now, what am I going to do!
Lu Xiaoxiao looked at the planning table in her hand, lost in thought, and her ears gradually turned red.
"Ta-da." The person was holding the documents so close to their face that if I remember correctly, they were giving out a business plan, not a face mask.
"Read it carefully, and let me know if you have any comments or questions. If there are no problems, we will proceed accordingly."
Shi Ru's serious demeanor was quite intimidating. Lu Xiaoxiao glanced at his expression guiltily before happily laying the plan flat and starting to read it seriously.
Then that little heart, pounding with the fluttering of a young girl's heart, gradually turned into a frozen dumpling...
Why are homework assignments given after every single class?
Why are there score requirements for each subject?!
She's a college student! A college student! Aren't college students supposed to be okay with getting 60 points and 61 points a crime?
Why is it required that she get a score of 90 or above in every subject?
After reading only the first page, Lu Xiaoxiao felt dizzy and her vision blurred, and she felt like she couldn't see the future.
My hand couldn't help but reach for the contract I had just signed.
"Um... I've been thinking about it, and it's more important to focus on my studies during these years of university, so I'll hold off for now..."
Shi Ru took the contract from her and smiled politely.
"Hehe, I was just kidding... just kidding."
Lu Xiaoxiao timidly withdrew her hand.
Even if she felt that Shi Ru was being too nosy, she wasn't a teenager who couldn't tell right from wrong. Every single clause in this plan was genuinely aimed at improving her own abilities.
Putting everything else aside, just finding someone to help you create such a detailed career plan would probably cost tens of thousands of yuan.
Moreover, this is only the first page, which is enough to show Shi Ru's dedication.
Lu Xiaoxiao was even more moved. No one would be nice to someone for no reason. She was not foolish enough to think that Shi Ru was only being so thoughtful and considerate because he wanted to sign her and promote her to debut.
He must hope that she can reach the point where she stands shoulder to shoulder with him, and then they can walk hand in hand into the future!
Lu Xiaoxiao looked up at Shi Ru with teary eyes.
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