After rehearsing with Shi Shan, it was nearly midnight.
Male and female actors spending too much time together in private can give others cause for gossip. Having surveillance cameras in the dressing room to record everything that's kept secret is the best option. It's open and aboveboard.
After several rehearsals, the results weren't very good. Shang Yechu stepped out of the building, her mind heavy with worries. The sky outside was faintly brightening; Shang Yechu initially thought it was moonlight, but when she felt a chill on her neck and face, she realized it was snowing.
Xu Hanwen's weather forecast was accurate; there really was heavy snow "tomorrow." It arrived just after midnight.
Shi Shan followed behind, looked up at the sky, and said, "This snow came just in time."
Shi Shan's assistant, Lao Zhang, yawned sleepily: "Brother Shan, shall we go?"
Old Zhang is two years older than Shi Shan, so logically Shi Shan should call him "brother." However, seniority in the industry is never based on age.
Shi Shan glanced at Shang Yechu, hesitating to speak. Tonight's rehearsal hadn't gone smoothly at all.
With a small servant closely following her, Shang Yechu couldn't say much to Shi Shan. She could only ask a perfunctory question: "You still haven't answered me, what was the meaning of bringing that book today?"
Shi Shan slightly twitched the corners of his mouth, exhaling a little white breath: "I'll tell you after we finish filming this scene tomorrow."
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The snow in Ruguan is different from other places. Southern snow is soft and fluffy, while northern snow is dry and crisp. Ruguan is somewhere in between; the snow falls in large chunks, like loose cotton wool. Yet it melts very quickly, flowing away into the ditches before it can even cover the dark ground.
It's extremely difficult to wait for snow like this to accumulate to a thick layer. The entire crew waited with Xu Hanwen—or rather, with God—all day long, and finally, by dusk, the snow had accumulated enough.
Shang Yechu was putting on makeup in the car. Li Yiming had been worn out by Shen Yanzhi lately, and makeup on someone looking haggard was the hardest to do; one wrong move and he would look like a ghost.
Shang Yechu had been conserving her energy for this scene, and last night she unusually activated forced sleep. She slept very well. As the makeup artist was working on her face, Shang Yechu suddenly heard a commotion outside.
"Xiao Wang," Shang Yechu pursed her lips, "what's all the noise outside?"
Xiao Wang went to gather intelligence. After a while, he returned, looking somewhat conflicted: "It seems that Sister Wan and Brother Song had a conflict."
Sister Wan is Wan Xiaojun, Shi Shan's agent and aunt-in-law. Brother Song is the executive director of "Half the Sky". These two have absolutely no connection, so how did they end up arguing?
Xiao Wang glanced at Shang Yechu's expression and continued, "It seems they're discussing something about using a body double..."
Needless to say, Shang Yechu understood completely.
The snow outside is real snow, and the wind outside is genuine wind. In this kind of weather, if Shishan lay on the snow-covered ground, he might develop a chronic illness.
Shang Yechu had heard Ji Juntao mention that Shi Shan's uncle was a good-for-nothing, and the whole family relied on his aunt Wan Xiaojun, who acted as Shi Shan's agent, to make a living. Wan Xiaojun treated Shi Shan like an ancestor, so naturally she wouldn't allow such a thing to happen.
As for why they chose to argue with the executive director instead of Xu Hanwen, the person in question, it's easy to understand. Xu Hanwen has been unstoppable lately, and nobody wants to get their hands dirty with his insults in the freezing cold.
Shang Yechu smirked: "How do you use a stand-in?"
Xiao Wang said, "Have Brother Shi lie in the fake snow and film some close-ups, and use a body double for the distant shots by the river."
"Is this Shi Shan's request?"
Xiao Wang winked and made faces at Shang Yechu.
The makeup artist and Shang Yechu exchanged a glance, smiled and nodded: "I'll go get some powder, I'll be right back."
Shang Yechu said softly, "Thank you."
After the makeup artist got out of the car, Xiao Wang dared to speak: "Of course, Brother Shi disagreed at first. But then Sister Wan mentioned something about 'the next film'... Brother Shi stopped talking. Later, Sister Wan and Brother Song argued, and Brother Shi didn't show up."
This means tacit consent.
It's common for celebrities to use body doubles; Shang Ye had encountered it countless times. But this was the first time it had ever happened at Shi Shan's place.
Shang Yechu couldn't describe her current feelings.
Disappointed? It seems I have no stance on that.
Getting angry? There seems to be no need.
Feeling lost and disappointed? What's the reason for that?
Shang Yechu glanced out the car window. The snow was falling heavily, like cotton being sifted. In this kind of weather, it's reasonable for any actor to request a stunt double. Even Shi Shan's attitude of not confronting Xu Hanwen and instead trying to smooth things over with Wan Xiaojun is perfectly acceptable in the entertainment industry.
Shang Yechu pondered for a long time, but couldn't figure out why she was feeling so strangely at that moment, so she put it aside and stopped thinking about it.
After finishing her makeup and changing her clothes, Shang Yechu got out of the car. She hadn't walked more than a few steps when she saw Xu Hanwen with a long face, as if someone had done ten takes again.
Now, Shang Yechu had a hunch: Wan Xiaojun's negotiations had succeeded. Xu Hanwen had waited so long for real snow, only to end up being able to take close-up shots of Shishan in artificial snow; he was probably going to be furious.
When Xu Hanwen was in a bad mood, the wisest course of action was to obey orders. Shang Yechu wisely refrained from asking any further questions, remaining rooted to the spot in the snow like a little tin soldier in a fairy tale, waiting for Xu Hanwen to throw her into the fire.
Xu Hanwen scrutinized Shang Yechu with a long face, but couldn't find anything wrong with her. After puffing out his cheeks for a while, he finally managed to say, "You better take good care of yourself when you're filming later."
Shang Yechu nodded. She didn't want to offend Xu Hanwen, but she couldn't resist her sharp tongue and asked, knowing the answer already, "Where's Teacher Shishan? I didn't see him."
Xu Hanwen's face turned green, and he said irritably, "He's still putting on makeup. You can take the pictures first."
It would be impolite to ask again. Shang Yechu wisely stepped aside, letting Xu Hanwen arrange the positions.
The snow was falling even heavier.
"Action!"
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Li Yiming walked with Lu Huaizhang and his group through the wind and snow.
The snow was falling heavily. People's feet crunched on the snow, leaving a trail of footprints, like black sesame seeds pressed into a white pancake.
Perhaps it was because the snow was so still, but the sound of footsteps on a snowy day was louder than usual. The sound of clothes rubbing together was also amplified, and Li Yiming could even hear the cold sound of snow falling on his gun.
Ever since Shen Yanzhi's confession was presented to Chairman Lu Huaizhang, Li Yiming hadn't slept well. Lu Huaizhang hadn't imprisoned her, but that didn't mean he was lenient. Li Yiming's house had been ransacked, and her every move was under close surveillance by secret agents. She had become a veritable living dead.
Li Yiming had been waiting for the sword of Damocles to fall over her head. She wasn't afraid of death, only regretful that she would die before she could even catch a glimpse of the new world. Besides that, there was a sense of relief: Li Ruhui had escaped, the overseas Chinese couple held prominent positions, and Lu Huaizhang dared not touch them. The fact that her comrades wouldn't have to die with her was a blessing she couldn't have asked for.
Until the news came that Li Ruhui's body had been found by the river.
Li Yiming had no idea what was going on. His comrades in the organization would never kill Li Ruhui; according to the information the overseas Chinese couple had gathered, Li Ruhui had only suffered a leg injury, which shouldn't have worsened to the point of being fatal.
Is this part of the organization's plan to rescue her?
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