Chapter 03 Chapter 3
"The Last Days Lovers" did not rent a large venue to let everyone break the ice like common dating shows, but instead adopted a more efficient 1V1 in-depth chat to start.
For urban couples who only have time for weekend dates, the most common activities are coffee chats, afternoon tea, or dinner. The director's team reserved a retro neighborhood for three types of pre-production scenes. The executive director first shot a few blank shots, then the six guests drew lots and were randomly paired based on the results.
"Cold start, interesting." The last female guest who finished her interview took out a card from the box with great interest. "But I really don't want to drink coffee at this time—"
She glanced at the card, her expression lightening. "Afternoon tea, fine. But should I better get changed?"
The female guest pointed to the hem of her burgundy skirt, which draped over her long legs, revealing a sculpted silhouette. But even more striking was the large ruby on her chest, surrounded by a halo of diamonds. The reflected luster accentuated the deep V-neck silhouette.
An Jiyue flipped through the comprehensive script and quickly locked onto the sister named Zhu Ling. Every photo in the personal PDF was as alluring as a stunner. She looked at the back of the person who got into the car gracefully and couldn't help swallowing.
In comparison, the male guests seemed to be much less impressive - perhaps with the exception of Lu Ye. An Jiyue secretly gave him extra points in her heart, because at least his appearance was still acceptable.
She turned on her phone and saw that the male guest's lottery results had been synchronized to the group. Lu Ye had drawn coffee chat. An Jiyue's mouth twitched. Lu Ye certainly wouldn't mind. He would sleep late even without coffee.
Lu Ye's partner, Guan Haifu, a soon-to-be-graduated business graduate from a prestigious university, sat quietly and politely in a corner, awaiting the next scene's filming schedule. Due to the outdoor lighting, their shoot was scheduled for the first scene. Lu Ye, glued to his screen, finally closed his computer before filming began and took the lead in introducing himself.
"You look so young, yet you're already a fund manager!" Guan Haifu nervously leaned forward slightly, bowing her head respectfully. "I'll have to learn a lot from Teacher Lu in the future!"
"No, no, no, I just changed jobs to a fund company." Lu Ye was a little embarrassed. "We are all here to participate in the show. Calling you teacher is a bit unfamiliar. What would you like to drink first?"
A colleague from the screenwriter group next to him burst into a twisted laugh, but An Jiuyue couldn't laugh.
It's so true. Before entering the workforce, I exude a naive, student-like air. Especially after a few internships, I'll be wary of calling my mentor, who's been in the industry for six months, "Teacher." Only those who've experienced this kind of slavish life know what it's like.
"But this contrasting pairing is also very cute..." The several screenwriters who had just been making a commotion whispered, "One is mature and the other is innocent. This male guest is well-maintained, and the age difference is not that big, so they are a perfect match."
"Girls are exploring the world in a naive way, while boys are experiencing the world for the first time and miss their school days. Isn't this the end?"
The writers murmured among themselves for a moment, and soon there was another exclamation of joy. "Yes, a new storyline!" An Jiyue turned away unhappily, returning her gaze to the monitor. She'd already felt sick reading the new script this morning; it looked like she'd have to hold several more meetings and debates.
Guan Haifu introduced herself with great trepidation, and the following conversation was full of answers to every question Lu Ye asked, even often listing 1, 2, 3 items. However, the director on duty today seemed particularly obsessed with this amusing drama, concentrating intently, hiding behind the screen with a motherly smile, and the entire coffee chat continued like this.
Seeing that Lu Ye's attempts to ease the atmosphere failed for the nth time, An Jiuyue gave up the idea of helping to slow down the pace and instead enjoyed the awkward scene that was like a job interview with evil eyes.
"Hey, do you have any other hobbies in your spare time at school? For example, I prefer reading--"
"I've made full use of my spare time to develop some interesting skills. For example, in data analysis, I'm now proficient in Excel and SQL, and I'm currently learning Python..."
"So, are there a lot of extracurricular activities? You must have the most time and energy right now, right?"
"I've been very focused on social practice outside of school, and I've had three internships. The first was a three-month management consulting PTA, where I was deeply involved in a consulting project for a catering company, primarily responsible for..."
Lu Ye sighed exhaustedly, and with a bit of desperation, he assumed the role of the interviewer: "So, what are your future plans? What do you hope to gain from participating in this program?"
Guan Haifu crossed her arms over her chest, sat up straight, and reflexively uttered the answer she had memorized: "I believe that careers should be the most important priority for both men and women. I don't plan to have a serious relationship before I'm 35, let alone consider marriage and having children—"
"Cut!" An Jiyue rushed forward and shouted, "Cut this part off!"
She wasn't on duty today, and the on-site handyman, "Xiao An," dressed in understated sportswear, looked completely different from the powerful "Director An" of yesterday. Everyone at the scene froze in their tracks when they saw this anonymous figure giving orders, but no one dared to stop without permission.
At this moment, the director on duty also immediately recovered his composure, grabbed the microphone, and frowned. "Cut! Haifu, you're on a dating show! How can you say something like 'not taking your relationship seriously'? Editor Tang, go help her reframe her words."
Tang Bian, one of the most enthusiastic screenwriters, rushed forward and unloaded his recent inspiration on the two guests. Guan Haifu nodded with a look of self-blame, while Lu Ye sipped his coffee, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes to rest.
Tang Bian, beaming with joy, was mid-sentence when he suddenly sensed something was wrong with the air pressure. Lu Ye's breathing became increasingly rapid, and the force of his index finger tapping the coffee cup grew heavier. During one of Tang Bian's pauses to catch his breath, Lu Ye suddenly stood up, glanced around, and took a long step in a precise direction.
An Jiyue had just yelled too loudly and was about to gulp down some water when a tall, slender figure suddenly stood before her. She looked up, but half a mouthful of water got stuck in her throat. Before she could even put the cup down, she started coughing violently.
The man was not in a hurry and waited patiently for her to finish coughing. Only when An Jiyue coughed until her cheeks were red and the whole audience was silent did Lu Ye dare to speak.
"You really want me to do this?" His every word was crystal clear, but his face showed no emotion. "Holding hands, casually hugging shoulders, ruffling each other's hair. I need to do these things to someone I have no feelings for, and in front of you. Is that what you mean?"
Although there was still half a meter of social distance between them, his eyes were like shackles, locking her tightly and making her unable to move.
These eyes were too familiar. Whenever they looked at her, a sudden flash of light would appear in their inky pupils. She had never forgotten them since the first time they looked into each other's eyes nine years ago. She had even relived them in her dream a few hours ago.
She had been able to put up a bit of resistance back then, but now she was so weak that she had no power to fight back at all.
She stood there frozen for an indeterminate amount of time, seemingly forgetting to breathe, half-heartedly praying that this moment was also a dream. It wasn't until the director on duty took control and the boombox echoed with "Everyone, take your positions" that the person on the other side finally let her go.
Lu Ye withdrew his attack and returned to the coffee table without saying a word. The empty cup in front of him had been refilled. Guan Haifu, who was sitting on the other side, apologized to Lu Ye softly and tried to adjust her state. He forced a smile and shook his head, saying it was okay.
The shift director turned around and saw a distraught An Jiyue about to leave. He gently called her over, "Xiao An, come here. Sister Li specifically asked me to keep an eye on you before we went on vacation. I've always seen you as a good person, so why are you already having a conflict with the male guest on the second day of filming?"
An Jiyue was extremely confused. No matter how the other party misunderstood the situation, she just lowered her head and listened without answering.
The director on duty continued, "I also heard about the last-minute replacement of male guest number 3, but you can't just stick to the script. You should communicate more with the guest and dig into his true personality before packaging him. I believe you have the ability to do this."
"The guests we invited this time all have some ulterior motives behind them. They provide the sponsorship, and we provide them with exposure and traffic through the variety show. If you accidentally offend someone, and a short essay gets posted on social media, your career at Huayi will basically be over."
The director on duty glanced around quietly at this point, then lowered his voice deliberately. "Think about it, the replacement was synchronized two days in advance, so why didn't anyone tell you before filming started? I've said some things only so far, but you better be smart and don't let anyone secretly trip you up."
An Jiyue shuddered when she heard this. Her soul, which had just left her body, was pressed back into her body. Her brain cells were forced to gather instantly, and she gained some understanding from her confusion.
"Director Zhang, you mean—"
Director Zhang raised his index finger to his lips and waved his hand. "You don't have any filming assignments today, so go home first. I heard you pulled an all-nighter last night? Next time, be more considerate of the guests and colleagues, and don't stay up so late—get ready for the set!"
The coffee chat scene lasted into the evening, with the afternoon tea and dinner scenes significantly sped up. Director Zhang not only wrapped up by 9:00 PM, but also instructed his assistant to order a late-night snack for everyone on set an hour in advance, albeit just a K-Buffet burger combo.
An Jiuyue, who had no appetite, left early. The two-day war-like shooting over the weekend was over, but for her it was like taking one step a day, and every step was accurately stepping on a mine, and the real smoke of war seemed to have just risen.
——
On Monday, the male guest staff were told to take an extra half day off. Bored after a long day of sleep, Xu Mu woke up early and casually opened a work document. He was shocked to see the different colors of highlighter strokes clashing across the script, and the long, overlapping annotations updating in real time in the correction mode.
[Jiyue: Male guest No. 3's clothing style is rather plain, so the details of his outfit need to be double-checked with him.]
Jiyue: The female guests might not be able to pick up on this topic. Give male guest #3 some real-life, relatable topics. Don't be so pretentious.
[Jiyue: Male guest No. 3 is very conservative, so it's best to delete the interactive guidance here.]
The last one appeared for just a few seconds before it was suddenly crossed out in red. The cursor flashed for nearly two minutes before finally jumping up again.
Jiyue: This interaction can be paired with artificial snowfall to create a more atmospheric atmosphere. Communicate with male guest #3 in advance and guide them as much as possible.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
