Xie Yuyao glanced at the photos that Director Zhu had taken out. She never expected that her momentary leniency towards Reporter Zhu would attract a famous director with the same surname as her.
She brought back a photograph, only to learn that Zhao Honghui was about to leave. In the days that followed, she threw herself into medicine, so busy that she had little time to savor the pain of longing, and forgot about the photograph being submitted to the competition.
A few months later, reporter Zhu visited her in the countryside, presented her with a large red envelope, and told her that she had won first place in the competition.
Xie Yuyao sighed for a moment, then confirmed once again that her photos would only be published in a magazine sponsored by the photography association, and then stopped paying attention.
Who would have thought that Director Zhu would see her photo in a magazine and travel all the way to invite her?
"Comrade Xie, I heard you wanted to refuse the role. Is there something you're worried about?" Director Zhu asked gently, not forgetting her attitude.
"No, I can't act, and I'm busy with other things, so I don't have time to join a film crew," Xie Yuyao explained.
But Director Zhu is not one to give up easily: "Just play yourself. As for the time, I'll arrange intensive filming and try to finish it within three months."
Xie Yuyao shook her head again: "I'm sorry, why don't you go to the performing arts troupe and see if there are other more suitable people there."
Let alone three months, even one month would be a struggle.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the national college entrance examination will be reinstated by the end of this year. Although she had already gone through numerous examinations in her previous life and prepared well in advance, she didn't want to be distracted by current events and her medical studies.
More importantly, she herself has secrets to hide and desperately wants to keep a low profile, so why would she agree to that?
Since Xie Yuyao refused to agree no matter what, Director Zhu and his team returned empty-handed.
On the way back, Yao Qian complained, "Director Zhu, Xie Yuyao is so tactless. You invited her so warmly, and she still acted all high and mighty."
"Don't say that. She really didn't want the banquet, and besides, she has the right to be arrogant." Even though she didn't get what she wanted, Director Zhu wasn't in a bad mood.
Yao Qian then said, "She absolutely refuses to agree. Are we supposed to have to be like Zhuge Liang, visiting Zhuge Liang three times to get her to agree?"
"Hey! That's a good idea. Let's come back tomorrow."
Yao Qian was taken aback by Director Zhu's words and cautiously advised, "Director Zhu, I was just saying it casually. Xie Yuyao clearly has no interest. Why don't we go to the art troupe to select people? They are somewhat famous and have some acting skills."
"But Xie Yuyao's image and temperament are almost exactly the same as the female lead, Shen Jingwan, which is really rare." It would be a great pity to miss her.
However, another male assistant, Fang Yuan, was not so optimistic: "We've seen plenty of pretty girls auditioning. Those inexperienced people stutter and become stiff in front of the camera, like wooden dolls. Let's choose people from the performing arts troupe instead."
“Even if there isn’t a performing arts troupe in this county, we can go to other troupes nearby. Since we’re already here, let’s wander around,” Yao Qian suggested.
But Director Zhu had already made up his mind: "If you ask me, the fact that she has never acted before means she has more talent."
Fang Yuan was somewhat worried: "But she has refused. If we force her to join the crew, it may have the opposite effect."
"I have a plan. Shen Jingwan is the perfect candidate." Director Zhu smiled, having already made up his mind.
The next morning, Xie Yuyao and Yang Shumei ate breakfast together and went to the clinic as usual.
Inside the clinic, she was chatting and laughing with Zhao Hongqin and Zhao Guangliang, who had just started their shifts, when suddenly a group of uninvited guests arrived outside.
A member of the community led a few people in and said with a smile, "Xie Zhiqing, we have guests looking for you."
It was Director Zhu and his group.
Director Zhu, with his hands behind his back, smiled and said to Xie Yuyao, "Comrade Xie, I really hope you will be my leading lady. You've come all this way, and I can't bear to leave like this."
Xie Yuyao shrugged: "I can understand your difficulties, but I made it clear yesterday that I really have no interest in filming."
"Two months!" Director Zhu flashed a peace sign. "These two months will be dedicated to filming your scenes. You can't possibly not have that much time, can you? Besides, you've never made a movie before, so you don't know the fun of it. Why not give it a try and experience life for yourself?"
Xie Yuyao looked helpless and raised the banner of studying: "Director Zhu, to be honest with you, I want to pursue a career in medicine. I am currently studying hard for my certification exams and hope to go to university for further studies."
After listening to her words, Director Zhu nodded kindly: "Since you have plans for the future, I can't force you to pursue an acting career. It's just that this role is really perfect for you, which is why I took the liberty of contacting you again. After this is done, I'll give you a scholarship to Shanghai Medical University."
Xie Yuyao smiled, shook her head and said, "I would rather rely on my own abilities. As you know, being a doctor is different from other professions; it's all about ability."
Director Zhu sighed, "That's true."
"Thank you for your understanding." Xie Yuyao felt that with that, the conversation was basically over.
But Director Zhu brought up another matter: "We came here to find you on a business trip paid for by the company. If we come back empty-handed, we can't explain it. Since you really don't want to make a movie, can you at least cooperate with us to take a set of photos? Let me at least prove that I found the girl in the photos, so I can finish my job."
Xie Yuyao knew the truth was not so simple, and frowned as she refused: "I'm really sorry, I don't want to take pictures."
"Why? We won't use it for commercial purposes," Director Zhu asked, puzzled.
"No matter where it's used, I just don't want to. Please leave."
Director Zhu was speechless. This was completely different from what he had imagined. Which girl wouldn't want to have her picture taken, to freeze her prime years in time?
Seeing that Xie Yuyao was telling him to leave, Director Zhu quickly came up with another idea: "I'll give you all the photos and negatives after I finish shooting, so it won't cause you any trouble."
"Then what are you after?" Xie Yuyao asked, puzzled.
“Your brigade headquarters has an antique feel to it. I’d like to take some photos of the old house as source material,” Director Zhu explained calmly. “I’ll ask you to be my model so that you can inspire my creative ideas during the shoot.”
Seeing Xie Yuyao deep in thought, Director Zhu pressed on: "What I want is the process; as for the result, you can keep everything to yourself."
"What do you want me to do?" Xie Yuyao was a little curious. Isn't the director just supposed to shoot according to the script? Why does it seem like Director Zhu also has to do the scriptwriting?
“It’s very simple. You just need to walk around, and our photographers will take pictures,” Director Zhu said. “In addition, I will pay for the use of the Qingshantun Brigade headquarters’ space. I’ll go back and organize my current ideas first, and I’ll tell you the story outline tomorrow.”
Xie Yuyao did not immediately agree: "If we really want to film, I also need to have the right to stop and withdraw at any time."
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