Act 4: The Rival Arrives on the Battlefield
When Qi Jixin and the others returned from their vacation, Bing Jie also finished his official duties and was able to free up some time to join the crew for filming. When he joined the crew again, the atmosphere on the crew had quietly changed -
Bing Jie no longer had much time to chat with Qi Jixin. The new actors kept clinging to her. Less than half a day after Xu Ran joined the crew, his assistant started filming vlogs with a camera. Qi Jixin didn't have any idea about guest vlogging, but Bing Jie didn't think so.
After contacting the lawyer through Qiu Hongbo, within two hours, Meng Jingxuan's representative lawyer arrived at the scene with a freshly formulated regulation.
"What? You mean, the whole scene is confidential and we can't shoot videos here?" Xu Ran had already changed into a gentleman's attire of a suit and tie, but his confusion came completely from his heart, and it was difficult to match the image of the smart and wise second male lead in the play.
Qi Jixin folded his arms across his chest as he looked at him and the lawyer, and then for some reason he looked at Bing Jie in the distance. Bing Jie was also wearing a suit today, but due to the setting of the play, Xu Ran's clothing style mainly highlighted his elegance, while Bing Jie's makeup highlighted his exquisiteness, which was also in line with Bing Jie's character in the play - a handsome little star.
But Qi Jixin was thinking that Bing Jie would look even more elegant in Xu Ran's outfit. Before she could look away from Bing Jie, Xu Ran's cold snort blocked her view. However, he didn't mean to do that. He just took a step back and put the camera behind his back.
"This totally doesn't make sense. Why don't I just not post the crucial parts? Why do you want me to delete the video?" Xu Ran questioned the lawyer angrily. The lawyer remained calm and showed no intention of using violence. He raised his hand in the air again.
"According to the contract, if you don't fulfill it, we can sue you, Mr. Xu. We have no room for negotiation on this matter."
The situation here was tense. Bing Jie just glanced at it calmly. Qiu Hongbo beside him whispered to him whether he should go over to take a look. Bing Jie shook his head and stood up and walked over.
Xu Ran was desperate, but he couldn't bring himself to confront the big boss on his first day on set. However, the boss showed no sign of backing down, leaving him no room to compromise. Qi Jixin didn't want to embarrass him, so she tried to comfort him, "Xu Ran, it's just an apology to the fans anyway. You should just hand the camera over to the lawyer."
With a way out, he reluctantly handed the camera to the lawyer, thinking that the man would return the camera to him after deleting the video, but he didn't expect the lawyer to do something even more ruthless.
"Mr. Xu, I'll compensate you for the camera at double the price. I'm going to take this away."
Xu Ran glared at him angrily and was about to rush towards the lawyer to cause trouble for him. Qi Jixin quickly blocked him with her arm. Bing Jie just walked to her side and looked at everyone with some confusion. Qi Jixin turned around and asked the lawyer to leave. Then she pressed Xu Ran on the lounge chair. Only then did she have time to chat with Bing Jie.
"Good morning." Bing Jie greeted first.
Qi Jixin had just experienced a period of chaos and was amused by his leisurely and sincere greeting. He smiled and replied, "Good morning."
"What happened?" He asked knowingly. Xu Ran gritted his teeth and complained that he had never seen such a domineering crew, and then he started to complain for a long time.
Qi Jixin quickly waved her hand at him, signaling him to shut up. Although Xu Ran was angry, she still kept her mouth shut. She said to smooth things over, "It's not surprising that a crew with a lot of money and little work has all kinds of rules."
Bing Jie was very satisfied with her statement. As long as the true purpose was not exposed, he didn't care what others thought. The entire crew did a very good job of keeping it secret. Only a few people knew the reason, which was that the entire drama would never be released.
Filming the TV show was just a cover. It was his way of recalling the torture Qi Jixin had endured and finding out the truth of that year. Filming the entire process of the two people from meeting, knowing each other, to separation was just a thought Bing Jie left for himself.
As a person who hates to disclose privacy, how could he expose such an important experience to everyone's scrutiny?
This is why he dared to constantly revise the script according to the reality he had glimpsed. This recollection of the past, specially provided to him, would never be fully viewed by outsiders. The staff involved in the production signed confidentiality agreements and received generous compensation. All avenues for leaks were blocked by him.
Today's Xu Ran was an accident, but it was quickly dealt with. Even if he was angry, it was useless.
Bing Jie knew that if Qi Jixin stayed here any longer, she would have to persuade Xu Ran in a gentle manner, and the thought of that scene made him irritated. So, he pretended that the director had asked the leading actor to perform a scene and took Qi Jixin away.
The first two scenes were scenes between the two main characters, and Xu Ran was just watching from the sidelines. After each scene, he was sweating profusely. Although he had received a message from Qi Jixin two days ago and knew that the crew loved long shots, after witnessing it with his own eyes, Xu Ran still felt worried for himself.
Not only do you have to be familiar with the lines, but you also have to pay attention to the movements of each actor, the camera position, and be able to flexibly respond to the improvisations of your co-stars. If there is any problem in any link, the director will directly call "cut"...
This didn't feel like a TV drama, but more like an exquisite stage play. As the first scene ended, he swallowed, unscrewed the bottle of water in his hand, and handed it to Qi Jixin who was taking a break after the show.
"Oh my god, is this how you usually shoot? This is too difficult!"
Qi Jixin took the water and jokingly said, "Why do you say that, old actor?" Seeing that he was getting anxious, he quickly comforted him, "As long as you memorize your lines and the positioning on the scene, you will understand it all after a few NGs."
"Don't worry, this director is a good person and won't scold you for an NG." Bing Jie also came to comfort him, but there was a hidden edge in his words. According to the information he got, Xu Ran had a nickname in the industry: Scarecrow on the Set.
In fact, he can only stand still and recite lines. If the body movements are more complicated, his single-core brain cannot handle it. The reason why he has been so successful in recent years is that his appearance is good, coupled with good marketing. His nickname in the industry is only circulated within the industry, and netizens and fans know nothing about it.
Bing Jie was waiting to see him having fun, so he took the initiative to comfort him. Not long after they rested, the director asked the male and female protagonists to shoot the second scene. The first and second scenes were all about the two of them preparing before the dinner, and the shooting process went very smoothly.
In the blink of an eye, it was Xu Ran's turn to go on stage. He blinked anxiously and listened to the director's instructions on positioning very carefully. While waiting for the camera to start, he was still muttering his lines.
Bing Jie was so happy to see that he was so busy that he had no time to show off in front of Qi Jixin.
"Everyone, take your positions, action!"
The party was solemn and everyone was dressed up. As the new generation leader of the Qi family, Qi Jixin usually wore a well-tailored suit, but today was a special day, so she deliberately wore a pure white strapless dress to match Bing Jie's outfit.
In the second scene, she took Bing Jie's black tie and tied it around her waist, which added a strong emphasis to the whole dress and was also a foreshadowing of the relationship confession tonight.
Qi Jixin and Bing Jie walked in holding each other's waists. The banquet hall was already crowded with people. When the two entered the door, those who were close to her came over to greet Qi Jixin, while some people who didn't talk to her kept looking at the man next to her.
"Ji Xin, you are late today."
"Yes, Mr. Qi, everyone is waiting for you."
"Boss Qi is truly radiant today. This is..."
Everyone, familiar and unfamiliar, came to greet her. Qi Jixin's expression remained decent. She turned her head to look at Bing Jie, who almost hugged her in his arms, and was quite satisfied with his performance without any stage fright.
Faced with those temptations, she was not as indifferent as usual. Instead, she answered them patiently: "This is my fiancé."
There was silence for a moment, and then it became noisy. The sounds of gasps, sighs, and discussions were endless, but Bing Jie could hear nothing. He lowered his head and looked at the person in his arms, so shocked that his breathing became heavier. Just when he didn't know what to say, Qi Jixin gently patted his waist twice, and then raised his eyebrows at him fearlessly.
It almost seemed like she did it on purpose.
Qi Jixin hugged him as they walked into the hall, not forgetting to express her feelings to him: "Being a boyfriend isn't serious enough. I just want to show how much I value you."
Anyone would be moved by this scene. Bing Jie nodded with emotion, his eyes filled with love and tenderness. At this moment, a voice, neither loud nor soft, came:
"Mr. Qi, long time no see." The man raised the last syllable of his voice, his tone was relaxed and a little warm like an acquaintance's joke. The two looked in the direction of the voice and saw Xu Ran, who was dressed in formal attire and smiling, walking down the stairs beside him.
He kept his head down, paying attention to the stairs under his feet. As soon as the forefoot touched the floor, before he could look up, the director called "cut."
"Lines! Remember to say your lines!"
Bing Jie pursed his lips, and Qi Jixin in his arms took a breath in worry. After Xu Ran adjusted himself, he walked up a dozen more steps before signaling to the director that he could continue.
The guests in the hall maintained their original state. Qi Jixin and Bing Jie hugged each other again and looked up at the stairs. Everything was ready, except...
"Mr. Qi, long time no see, this is..."
"Cut!" The director came on stage and repeated the scene again, "Stand still and say 'Long time no see,' then start walking downstairs. On the way down, ask who that person is."
Seeing that he still looked hesitant, Qi Jixin went over to help explain the scene: "Actually, there's no requirement that you can't look at the stairs, but you can't keep looking at the stairs and ignore the camera. Just be more natural."
Bing Jie supported himself on the stairs with one hand, thinking that today was a joke. However, he had not expected that this scene would drag on for so long...
After countless NGs, the director began patiently but loudly explaining to him how to control his facial expressions: "You can't be bitter and resentful. When you meet a love rival, your attitude is disdainful and condescending. Talking to the male lead while walking down the stairs also means you're looking down on him. Do you understand?"
Seeing Xu Ran's serious expression, Qi Jixin leaned against the railing and offered a suggestion: "Director, how about changing the scene and deleting the scene where he goes down the stairs?"
The director looked at Qi Jixin, then locked eyes with Bing Jie behind her, and flatly refused. At that time, Bing Jie just wanted to see the joke, but he didn't expect to be punished by standing there for nearly an hour...
For the next hour, he and Qi Jixin stood there, and everyone in the banquet hall was accompanying Xu Ran, over and over again.
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