Chapter 42 Performance Practice
Due to rehearsals for Fang Yucheng's concert, the program scheduled for today has been postponed.
Upon learning the news, Mu Jiu received a message from MG's contact person confirming with her, asking if she could shoot the advertisement at this time.
This time, the other party was more cautious in their wording, and even emphasized: "Teacher Mu, rest assured, the male lead has been confirmed to be Teacher Ling Zhao, and there will absolutely be no changes."
Actually, whether or not Ling Zhao is the partner in the advertisement shoot is not that important.
But after all, she and Ling Zhao are now considered to be "bundled together," and they know each other well, so it's less of a hassle for them.
After she nodded in agreement, MG worked extremely efficiently and quickly completed the communication and coordination with the production team.
Therefore, today's filming trip to MG was kept completely confidential, and Mu Jiu did not need to face the live broadcast cameras that analyzed her with a magnifying glass all day long.
This made Mu Jiusong much faster.
Aside from "Our Past," this is her first commercial activity outside of work recently.
I don't know if it's a case of things turning around for the better, but recently everything seems to have become much smoother.
Considering the controversial public image of the "original owner" in the past, even if a high-end brand like MG was willing to extend an olive branch, Mu Jiu had secretly prepared himself.
However, I haven't encountered any strange looks, veiled rumors, or even direct harassment on set recently.
A few days ago, her agent, Sister Chen, mentioned that the number of collaboration opportunities approaching her had increased significantly, and there were even several high-profile film and television projects where well-known producers personally requested her to audition.
A few months ago, Mu Jiu would never have dared to imagine such treatment.
Hearing footsteps approaching behind him, he turned his head slightly to look at Ling Zhao and lowered his voice: "Speaking of which, won't your presence here cause any problems?"
A few days after her date with Fang Yucheng ended, rumors circulated online that Ling Zhao's former agent revealed that the agency was considering freezing Ling Zhao's career.
After this news spread, influenced by Mu Jiu's live stream going viral, it has expanded beyond the level of discussion among viewers of "Our Past".
Many bystanders began to speculate about conspiracy theories, with some suspecting that Ling Zhao was creating hype, while others wondered if his agency had initially viewed Ling Zhao as a pawn to achieve some other purpose.
Ling Zhao: "He's always been the same."
His expression was indifferent, clearly indicating that he didn't consider this matter something that needed explanation.
However, after walking a few steps, he noticed that Mu Jiu's pace had slowed down, and he turned around with some confusion.
Those slightly upturned eyes watched him quietly.
"..."
Ling Zhao paused, then subconsciously explained, "They're trying to pressure me because I refused to renew my contract with the company."
"I have a way to handle this. This time, I won't involve you again."
Before Mu Jiu could speak, a loud command suddenly came from not far away.
"Props team! Move the entire set back half a meter!"
Turning around, he saw that the two of them were already waiting on set, and the director's expression became more amiable: "You two come here, let me tell you the key points first."
The conversation was interrupted, and the set began to busily prepare for the official start of filming.
Compared to variety shows, there are far fewer things to consider when shooting commercials.
There's no need to worry about your expressions, actions, or words during filming causing misunderstandings. You don't need to maintain the "ex" persona all the time, nor do you need to deliberately distance yourself from Ling Zhao.
Even if someone with ulterior motives takes a picture, they can always explain it away as a requirement to perform during an advertisement shoot.
At least that's the case for Mu Jiu; the only thing to worry about seems to be...
Director Mao was so angry his mustache almost stood on end. Holding the megaphone, he slammed his fist on the back of the chair in exasperation: "This is the person you like! She's not a man-eating beast! Why are you hiding so far away?!"
Mu Jiu's hair was disheveled and pressed down on the sofa. He watched as Ling Zhao stiffly turned his neck to apologize in the direction of the director, and his expression also became serious.
This scene depicts the ambiguous moment when the male and female leads develop feelings for each other after their first meeting and are unable to resist their emotions during their first date.
We've already filmed a close-up of her spraying perfume on her wrist, and now Ling Zhao needs to portray a state of being bewitched by the fragrance and gradually approaching.
Since it was her first time accepting a perfume advertisement, Mu Jiu had made preparations in advance last night.
Considering that MG chose them largely because of the popularity of their on-screen couple on the show, she was mentally prepared for the necessary close interaction today and had reminded her co-star in advance.
However, even after studying in advance and mentally calculating, she still overlooked one thing.
Ling Zhao, he has absolutely no talent for acting in intimate scenes.
Actually, according to the person involved, he said he couldn't act at all, but during the variety show, Ling Zhao's performance mostly reassured her, plus the fact that the two of them had recently practiced a duet dance.
Mu Jiu originally thought he wouldn't be too nervous during the on-site filming.
But for some reason, Mu Jiu felt that Ling Zhao was much more stiff and awkward when he approached her this time than during their duet dance practice.
After all, they are exes after breaking up, so not being able to show intimacy isn't a big problem.
However, in "I Go", this weakness could still be hidden, especially in commercials where actors need to quickly get into character and portray the product's features.
If this continues, the director may lose patience.
Mu Jiu got up from the sofa, glanced at Ling Zhao, and the two walked to the director together: "I'm sorry, Director Mao, please give us some time. This is Ling Zhao's first time shooting an advertisement, I will help him adjust his state as soon as possible."
Ling Zhao echoed her words and expressed his apology.
Seeing that both of them were sincere, Director Mao's tense expression eased slightly, but he still frowned and waved his hand: "I'll give you ten minutes. If you're still like this after ten minutes, we don't need to film today."
Mu Jiu's expression remained unchanged after hearing the director's words.
When I reached the back of the crowd and found the overwhelmed contact person, I smiled and asked if I needed to use the lounge.
What they urgently need now is performance practice.
It wasn't until they were isolated from the outside world and alone in the room that she felt her partner finally seemed a little more relaxed.
To ensure the guests remained natural during filming of "Our Past," cameras were kept as hidden as possible. However, during actual commercial shoots, the artists still had to face these "long lenses and short microphones."
This time, the advertising script is another scenario that requires both parties to cooperate and get into the right mindset.
Mu Jiu lowered his head and thought for a few seconds before speaking again: "The following performance practice may help you adapt to this scene, but you need to completely trust me."
Time is short, and for now we can only try anything, gambling on the student's comprehension.
The moment he nodded, she raised her hand and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear: "Now, imitate my movements."
Although he didn't know what the effect of doing so would be, Ling Zhao still obediently raised his hand.
However, the movements still looked stiff, with a strong sense of imitation.
In an instant, Mu Jiu completely recalled the memory of the first time he saw the other person's acting video.
However, since the words had already been spoken and the "student" had obediently started practicing, she couldn't dampen their enthusiasm.
Then Mu Jiu immediately began to perform a series of routine actions.
After observing that Ling Zhao's movements were gradually no longer stiff like those of calisthenics, she spread her hands out.
After Ling Zhao did the same thing, she stepped forward and grabbed his hand.
Ling Zhao paused, his previously unfocused gaze meeting her eyes.
She gradually increased the pressure in her palm.
It was like being in a haunted house, and the chain around his neck was being slowly pulled down.
This force is not great.
If he stays put, she has no way to control his actions.
But his steps naturally followed her strength, and he stopped in front of her.
"Don't think that I brought you here."
Mu Jiu recalled what her mentor had said during the performance practice, and after thinking for a moment, she spoke again: "Just like this advertisement, you have to imagine yourself being attracted in one direction, and what attracts you is the scent of perfume."
"Let's try again."
"..."
The temperature of my palms gradually rose.
Although the pulling motion continued, Ling Zhao's thoughts drifted uncontrollably away.
...There was indeed a faint fragrance lingering around the tip of his nose.
Besides the faint scent of perfume that had just lingered on them, there was another pleasant aroma mixed in.
It's like the aroma of coconut carried by the sea breeze on a sunny day.
As the distance closes, this aura becomes stronger and more impossible to ignore.
The lounge was quiet, with no one speaking, except for the faint sounds of staff moving equipment and walking around the filming location outside the corridor.
Ling Zhao lowered her eyes slightly, her gaze falling on the two fingers that were still clasped together. Just as she was hesitating whether she should let go, Mu Jiu's voice came again.
"We have a few minutes left, let's do one last exercise."
Before Ling Zhao could react, he saw her let go of his hand and open her arms wide.
She probably has no idea what she looks like right now.
He also couldn't realize why he couldn't get close to her.
But at this moment, those eyes looked at him with pure innocence: "Don't feel pressured. Let's start by imagining the hug of a long-awaited reunion with a friend. Shall we give it a try?"
Ling Zhao looked away.
"What if you don't have this kind of friend?"
"...?"
After hearing Ling Zhao's sudden rebuttal, Mu Jiu blinked in surprise. Before she could reply, a hint of annoyance seemed to appear on the face opposite her, which always carried a trace of arrogance.
"It's alright, let's begin."
He opened his arms and took a step closer to her.
Mu Jiu came to her senses, and although she was somewhat bewildered, she naturally leaned her body against his chest.
The moment her ear was close, her expression froze.
Bang bang—bang bang—
Along with the warmth of his body, I also heard a series of vibrations in my ears.
That was an irresistible, gradually accelerating heartbeat.
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