The next day was another sunny day.
Director Zhu and his entourage arrived at the Qingshantun Brigade Headquarters in a grand procession. Unlike yesterday, this time they brought many people and a lot of things.
Xiao Jiang and his assistant set up the tripod, lighting board, and other shooting equipment one by one. The props team carried a large box out of the car. When they arrived at the hall, the box was opened, and the antique ornaments were displayed.
Upon seeing this, the captain exclaimed, "No! These are illicit items; they could cause a major incident!"
Director Zhu quickly explained, "Captain Zhao, don't worry, I've already applied for permission to borrow these items temporarily for filming. It won't cause any trouble."
The captain was skeptical; he didn't want to get into big trouble over venue fees.
Seeing this, Director Zhu said, "My film studio is state-owned, so you can rest assured. If anything happens, it has nothing to do with you or Qingshantun. I will take care of it."
"Don't drag Xie Wazi into this," the captain added.
Director Zhu laughed and said, "Definitely not."
Xie Yuyao felt a warmth in her heart and gently comforted her, "Captain, don't worry, nothing will happen."
The captain was relieved, and Director Zhu and the others valued Xie Yuyao even more.
They knew that many educated youth sent to the countryside had a great deal of estrangement from the local people and frequently caused trouble. Young and beautiful female educated youth like Xie Yuyao were even more likely to suffer hardships and setbacks.
Her comfortable life in Qingshan Village is inseparable from Captain Zhao's protection. Otherwise, no matter how capable she was, she would only be used and then discarded.
Captain Zhao is wholeheartedly devoted to the people, and his consideration for Xie Yuyao in such a small way is definitely not out of self-interest. Xie Yuyao is also not the type to flatter or fawn. This shows that she is beautiful, capable, and of good character. Such a girl is hard to find.
"Yaoyao, come and see these costumes." Director Zhu called out to Xie Yuyao when he saw the makeup artist carrying in a box.
The makeup artist put down the box and opened it, and a strong smell of mothballs wafted out.
The box was full of dazzling silk garments, none of which had faded with time. Even Xie Yuyao, who had seen many gorgeous clothes, was amazed.
Director Zhu rarely saw Xie Yuyao show such girlish behavior, so he smiled and said, "Take a look and see which one you like?"
Xie Yuyao took out the clothes from the box and looked at them. Every piece was exquisite. The film studio was really rich and powerful!
Finally, she chose a sky-blue long cheongsam, which was very narrow at the waist but fit her perfectly, as if it were tailor-made for her.
The veteran makeup artist stared at Xie Yuyao's face, feeling for the first time at a loss as to where to begin.
As the ancient text says: adding an inch would make her too long, subtracting an inch would make her too short; applying powder would make her too white, applying rouge would make her too red; her eyebrows would be like kingfisher feathers, her skin like white snow; her waist would be like a bound silk ribbon, her teeth like pearls; with a charming smile, she could bewitch Yangcheng and bewitch Xiachai.
In other words, in terms of figure, if she were even an inch taller, she would be too tall; if she were even an inch shorter, she would be too short. In terms of skin color, if she were to wear makeup, she would be too pale; if she were to wear vermilion, she would be too red. Her eyebrows were like the feathers of a kingfisher, and her skin was as white and clear as snow. Her waist was as slender as if it were wrapped in a white silk cloth, and her teeth were as neat as a string of small shells. Her sweet smile could completely bewitch the people of Yangcheng and completely captivate the people of Xiachai.
Xie Yuyao, sitting in the chair, waited with her eyes closed for quite a while, but the makeup artist still hadn't started, so she asked in confusion, "Why aren't you doing your makeup yet?"
"Your face shape and complexion are so perfect, I don't even know where to begin."
The makeup artist smiled as he looked closely at Xie Yuyao's flawless face, her skin so smooth and flawless.
In the end, she only trimmed Xie Yuyao's eyebrows. After she finished, her eyes and brows seemed to be shrouded in a hazy, mysterious mist.
Silky smooth and beautiful hair was transformed into an exquisite and elegant hairpin by the makeup artist, and finally, a thin layer of bright red lipstick was applied to the full red lips.
The hall has been transformed through renovations, making it seem as if time has reversed, returning to the prosperous days of the family.
A new phoenix-tail vase, filled with double-petaled hydrangeas, has been added to the existing flower stand. A bronze incense burner sits by the windowsill, from which wisps of smoke rise gently.
A gold-embroidered cushion covered the chair, and Xie Yuyao leaned against it, her long cheongsam with crescent-white trim hanging down to her calves. Beneath the high collar, her snow-white swan neck was faintly visible, unable to conceal her charm.
The camera kept shooting Xie Yuyao, and Director Zhu would occasionally give her acting instructions. When she encountered something she didn't like, he would point it out with a smile and ask her to persevere and do it again.
Sometimes a single shot had to be filmed five or six times, and Xie Yuyao gradually lost patience, her face becoming increasingly tense.
She knew that as an actor, taking multiple takes was perfectly normal, and she also knew that Director Zhu's pursuit of perfection was essential to creating a great production.
But she was just doing it for fun and never intended to change course, so naturally she didn't have much patience for reshoots.
If Director Zhu had issued a harsh and authoritative reprimand, she could have easily refused to work. But since he was all smiles and gentle, Xie Yuyao, who was always more responsive to gentle persuasion than force, couldn't bring herself to be ruthless. She could only try to understand the character's mindset more and more.
When Director Zhu once again asked Xie Yuyao to reshoot the scene of pruning the flower branches, she picked up the scissors, examined them for a few seconds, and then suddenly and ruthlessly destroyed the flowers, cutting them to pieces. She then threw the scissors into the fish tank next to the table, startling the two goldfish inside, which swam away quickly, their thin tails swaying.
Xie Yuyao's breathing quickened slightly. She suddenly looked up and stared directly at the camera, a hint of smug satisfaction in her cold expression.
Everyone present was stunned. Director Zhu was a national-level director. On the film set, in his territory, who didn't treat him with utmost respect? There were many actors who were scolded by him and were in pain on the spot, even some popular actors. After crying, they would wipe their faces and continue to reshoot. Xie Yuyao actually dared to provoke him in public!
"A girl with flesh and blood, confined to a small backyard for a long time, living a monotonous life day after day, even a clay figure would have some temper, right?" Xie Yuyao looked at Director Zhu with a half-smile.
Director Zhu said blankly, "Ah! Yes, you're right. Everyone has worked hard. Let's stop here for the morning."
*
On the way back to the commune, Yao Qian said to Director Zhu, "I knew it all along. Xie Yuyao is beautiful, but she's really arrogant and hard to manage. Look at her attitude, what kind of behavior is that!"
Photographer Xiao Jiang spoke up for Xie Yuyao: "Isn't Shen Jingwan just like that? She was suppressed by dogma and etiquette, and finally exploded in silence. I think today's flower-cutting scene can be put into the script."
Fang Yuan patted his chest exaggeratedly: "That scissors she threw just now really scared me. I thought she was going to smash it in Director Zhu's face."
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