Chapter 212
The dark green stand-up collar and double-breasted Tang suit collides with the silk fabric in the green bamboo forest, and the bright green jadeite on the woman's ear becomes a finishing touch.
Zhou Xiao half-crouched in the tree, capturing the scene quickly. A moment later, Qin Wan and her assistant, who had been swaying the small bamboo forest in the back, returned to the front at Zhou Xiao's call.
"How is it? Teacher Zhou, let me see the film!" Qin Wan wiped her hands clean of the water stains from pushing Cuizhu just now, and quickly walked under the tree and looked up at Zhou Xiao.
She was naturally anxious. The biggest fear in this kind of collaborative shoot was unexpected situations. The male artist was almost here, and if the test shoot didn't work out, they'd have to go back to the shabby lot and deal with it later.
"Wait a moment." Zhou Xiao, who was standing on a branch, measured the height, hugged the camera and jumped directly onto a strange rock in front. Her action scared the assistant who just came out from behind.
As soon as Zhou Xiao said the three words "I'm sorry", the young assistant looked at her with stars in his eyes, and chirped like a little sparrow in the bamboo forest, praising Zhou Xiao's skills.
Qin Wan, who was waiting nearby, was also slightly startled by the noise, but she had just watched Zhou Xiao jump down from the tree. She wasn't in a rush to look at the photos anymore. Instead, she jokingly said, "Teacher Zhou's skills are quite impressive. Much better than those I've seen climbing down trees with someone helping them."
"Isn't that because I'm afraid of heights?" Chen Si's words echoed from behind. Zhou Xiao tilted his head to see him carefully descending the hillside, shoving himself down the bamboo. His movements looked a bit unsightly. This scene… Zhou Xiao suppressed a smile. No wonder the assistant was so excited; it seemed as if she and Chen Si had become a control group.
Handing the camera to Qin Wan, Zhou Xiao quickly asked Chen Si, who was still slowly descending, "Do you need any help?" While filming, she hadn't noticed any fear of heights. Thinking about this, Zhou Xiao began to admire him.
"It's okay, I can handle it myself." Wearing a Tang suit today was a convenience for Chen Si. Unlike her manager, she was somewhat surprised by today's unexpected situation. Although the small bamboo forest Zhou Xiao had found was on a high slope, she was fine with it. In the past, Chen Si would have preferred to stay at the top, but today she was more active than usual.
A few people chatted nearby, even discussing whether they'd like to join in the bamboo shoot digging after the shoot. While the shoot was certainly disrupted, the photographer and his boss didn't take it seriously, and the assistant naturally laughed along. Meanwhile, someone nearby stood there, camera in hand, intently examining the photos.
After looking at all the photos one by one, Qin Wan looked up at Zhou Xiao, who was already talking to Chen Si about a photo shoot he had accepted for a drama, and felt a little regretful in her heart.
In her hand was a photo of Zhou Xiao and Chen Si that she had taken for fun. But from Qin Wan's perspective, the more she looked at it, the more she liked it. The whole photo exuded a casual and carefree air. The seemingly ordinary Tang suit paired with Chen Si's clear face gave off a sense of ease and comfort.
Qin Wan was itching to "catch" Zhou Xiao to take some stills for Sister Si. However, the stills had already been taken by a studio specializing in posters, so now she was just thinking about it.
"Teacher Zhou, please send me these pictures after you finish taking them." Seeing that they had almost finished their conversation, Qin Wan handed the camera to Zhou Xiao and spoke. At this moment, she no longer looked anxious as before, and her face was already stable, at ease and satisfied.
Zhou Xiao had no idea what Qin Wan was thinking. As she nodded and took the camera, she heard footsteps not far away. Along with the footsteps came a flock of startled sparrows, which were now flapping their wings away from the bamboo forest.
They all looked over at once and saw a dark figure approaching from the corner, followed by a man in a plaid jacket. It was Li Zhouye, who was to be filming with Chen Si today, and his agent, Shen Zhi.
"Teacher Li, why don't you call me to pick you up?" An enthusiastic voice came from the side. Zhou Xiao turned his head and looked over. Qin Wan, with a standard professional smile on her face, was already walking towards the two of them.
The man in checkered clothes walking behind also quickly stepped forward and shook hands with Qin Wan, then said, "We met Teacher Chen's driver at the entrance of the bamboo forest. He brought us here."
After saying that, he glanced at the people standing in the field, then shifted his gaze to Zhou Xiao and said with a smile, "Now that they're here, shall we start filming?"
Li Zhouye nodded in agreement upon hearing this. After greeting everyone in the room, he and Chen Si climbed the hill together. Although he felt the venue was a bit small, seeing that his partner, Chen Si, had no objections, he didn't say anything more.
After all, it's still a photo shoot, and they knew about this place before they came, so they hired a popular photographer to take the photos. Perhaps choosing this small spot was a deliberate decision?
Offstage, Zhou Xiao briefly exchanged greetings with Li Zhouye's agent, introduced by Qin Wan. After exchanging contact information and coordinating lighting arrangements, she swiftly climbed up the same tree again.
The open space on the hillside was originally small, and with Li Zhouye's presence, it began to narrow slightly. However, this wasn't a problem for Zhou Xiao, who had been repeatedly harassed in the system training room.
The black bamboo leaf embroidered Tang suit forms a very layered picture with the lush bamboo forest behind and the dark green Tang suit in front. The two actors have quietly transformed into characters in the play under the camera.
Dappled sunlight filtered through the gaps between the bamboo leaves, falling on the two people. The man in black raised his head and looked upward. The woman's sharp eyes seemed to pierce his heart. Suddenly, a bamboo leaf fluttered down, and the two people in the picture almost sensed its presence at the same time.
The click of the shutter was a first for Zhou Xiao, who felt the silent emotional connection between the actors. The bond between the two suddenly piqued her interest in the drama. Perhaps the recent reshoots helped both actors recapture the feeling of filming. While it was just a spinoff of the series, the emotions imbued in it were clearly no less intense than the main film.
The two-person shoot ended just as it was getting dark. Although both of them had their retakes done separately, they were still a little unfamiliar at first. However, as the shoot progressed, the results for Zhou Xiao improved.
Inside the bamboo forest, the two agents, who had already returned to their cars and found small stools, saw the craftsmen nearby and quickly put away their stools and headed back to the set. Although small, the stools have many uses and are a must-have item in the trunk.
As I approached, I heard people already making dinner plans. While it's common for friends in the industry to share a meal together, to avoid being misunderstood as a promotional duo for the drama, the two parties largely stopped contacting each other after filming concluded. Of course, this also had to do with the busy schedules of both artists.
Qin Wan and Shen Zhi exchanged a glance, then tacitly stepped forward to escort their artists. They could eat, but the timing would need to be negotiated between their agents. They were all influential public figures, so they needed to think carefully before doing anything.
The shoot was arranged by their own side. When Shen Zhi politely asked if he and Li Zhouye wanted to help, Qin Wan immediately persuaded him to go back. The props this time were just two photography lights and a small tool box, so there was no need for more people to join in the fun.
"Zhou Xiao, I'll have the driver take you to the hotel later, okay?" Chen Si, who was squatting next to Zhou Xiao, said as he watched. Chen Si had wanted to help, but after a while, realizing that he was only making things worse, he decided to just stand by and watch.
"Are you guys still going back to the studio?" Zhou Xiao, deftly dismantling the lighting fixtures, didn't immediately agree, but instead asked. Earlier, during a casual chat, Chen Si had mentioned that she had a traditional Chinese variety show to film. She'd mentioned this because she was a little disappointed that Zhou Xiao had to stay at the studio to take some stills, otherwise they could have left together.
"We're free right now. It'll only take you about ten minutes to get there!" Qin Wan, who was passing by, casually replied when she heard Zhou Xiao's question. Then, as if remembering something, she asked mysteriously, "Teacher Zhou, how long will you be staying at the film and television city? If it's almost the end of the month, you can stay a few more days. Maybe there will be a surprise~"
Zhou Xiao's curiosity was piqued by Qin Wan's second half of the sentence; she knew she wouldn't bring this up for no reason. Meanwhile, Chen Si, upon catching his agent's gaze, seemed to have suddenly realized something, and then joined in the riddle.
The prop bag containing the photography light was zipped up. Zhou Xiao paid no attention to the two men's charades. He stood up, picked up the bag, and smiled cheerfully, "Okay, I'll take a look then!"
…
The nanny car parked steadily by the roadside. Zhou Xiaoxian said goodbye to several people in the car before getting out. After standing there and watching the car turn the corner and disappear, he slowly walked towards the hotel across the street.
March is the peak season for film and television studios, so Zhou Xiao checked into the hotel and immediately extended her room until the end of the month. It was Chen Si's assistant who had booked the hotel for a week, which was why her room wasn't already booked.
Zhou Xiao received a few mangosteens from the receptionist and tossed them as he walked towards his room. Although he was a little curious about what the "surprise" was, his focus these days was still on the photos in his camera.
Another reason Zhou Xiao continued to stay was that Zhejiang Film and Television City was exactly what she wanted. While the town wasn't large, it contained replicas of various imperial palaces, gardens, and some of China's historical sites, making it a great place to wander around and explore in her spare time.
As for the previous crew filming observation, Zhou Xiao has also been following the "Spring Day" crew for the past few days. Although she doesn't have much photography skills, it has given her a glimpse into the various aspects of life on the crew.
Catching a tossed mangosteen, Zhou Xiao's thoughts raced. He recalled that when Ji Shao was helping him shoot the official WP photos, he'd mentioned his solo album would be released on the 20th. But now, all the members of NINE STAR were abroad to film the group variety show, and it was still unknown when they would return. He wondered if Huayao would still be released as promised by then.
There were still a few days until the album was released, and Zhou Xiao missed the system, which was still being upgraded. He didn't know if it could be restored. If it were in the past, maybe he could still use it...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
