Chapter 12: Satisfied

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The cameras were focused on her once more. Jiang Se’s weak knees slowly gave way and met the ground. There were two more gunshots. She bit and broke the bag of blood in her mouth. The props master had told her that Zhang Jingan had strict requirements and wanted the shot to be as realistic as possible. Therefore, the bag of blood inside her mouth was not ordinary honeyed water with food coloring like the ones used in television shows. Instead, they had imported these bags of blood. The props master wanted her to be mentally prepared.

Despite being prepared, when the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth, Jiang Se almost retched.

She fell to the ground with her eyes half-opened and she tried her best to empty her mind.

She could hear the patter of footsteps around her as the invader, Gao Rong, walked up to her. She seemed reluctant to lower her head before this invader. She moved her bound legs as if she wanted to get up.

However, all that was caught on camera were her legs moving feebly.

Zhang Jingan made an excited gesture. He instructed the camera to slide closer to Jiang Se along the tracks. The camera was lowered.

There seemed to be a defiant look in her eyes as if she was clinging to life. At this moment, it seemed as if she had truly gotten into character. When Gao Rong recited his lines, she gave another weak “pah” at his feet.

The blood from her mouth splashed onto Gao Rong’s ankle, taking him by surprise while he was still reciting his lines.

This scene was not part of the script. Fortunately, Gao Rong was an experienced actor. Although he was shocked, he did not slow down when reciting the rest of his lines. Instead, he lifted his leg angrily, playing along with Jiang Se’s performance.

It should have been Gao Rong’s time to shine in this scene. However, Zhang Jingan did not instruct the camera to adjust its angle. It was focused on Jiang Se’s face instead.

In this scene, the newcomer’s performance was on par with Gao Rong’s. There was no sign of her paling in comparison to him.

Although the scene of her second “pah” while spitting blood was not written in the script, Jiang Se’s improvisation had made it better than planned as the character was immediately brought to life. It matched her reluctance to yield before Gao Rong’s threats in the scene before this.

The light in Jiang Se’s eyes seemed to fade slowly. Zhang Jingan stroked his chin, appearing troubled.

“Liu Ye, you’re right.”

His brows were tightly knitted together. He tapped the ground with his left foot, making soft sounds.

“This newcomer is interesting. Her performance has brought the character to life. I should give her the role in Daqing Village.”

However, now that Jiang Se had already shown her striking features besides performing well, Zhang Jingan would not be satisfied if this scene was cut and another actor were to be used.

At this moment, in his mind, Jiang Se was the Zhou family’s maid who had died by Gao Rong’s hand. The maid with the exceptional charisma could be portrayed by none other than her.

“If she’s caught your eye, she’ll have plenty of chances in the future.” Liu Ye removed his shades and looked at the young girl on the screen.

Before this, his impression of her was that she was just another pretty face. However, she now seemed more interesting to him. “She’s young, she’s got looks, she’s patient, and she’s got some skills. Even if she’s not in the Daqing Village film, I know that if a girl like her has ambition and is smart about it, she will surely have other opportunities coming her way.”

Zhang Jingan was still lamenting the loss. He spread his fingers and clenched his fist. Then, he brought it down onto his chest and nodded. “That’s the only way.”

After he said that, he got up. “It’s getting late. I’ve been here for half a day. Let’s go.”

Liu Ye stood up as well. He glanced at Jiang Se who was lying on the ground nearby. Although he found her interesting, he eventually decided to crush his own intentions after considering his own popularity and status. He put his shades back on.

The shooting ended smoothly, so the famous director was ready to leave. He was clearly surprised and satisfied with what he found after coming here to inspect the shooting on a whim. He left with a smile on his face. Even his tone was gentle when he addressed the executive director.

Jiang Se was helped to her feet. The crew untied her hands and gave her some mineral water to rinse her mouth.

Since it was getting late, after the filming, the crew gave the extras their packed lunch. Lu Baobao grabbed hers and ate it on a round table under a beach parasol with Jiang Se.

She clearly had a hard day. There were still streaks of makeup lingering on her face while her neck and ears were red from being under the sun.

The executive director naturally headed to somewhere else for his meal as the other crew members sat down in small groups. The other extras found shaded spots, squatted down, and ate their lunches.

Although this scene was completed, it did not mean that the job for the extras was over. They merely appeared for an instant on-screen. After completing this scene, they would have other scenes to film in the afternoon.

Gao Rong sat among the crew members as if trying to get in touch with the common folk. He raised his packed lunch toward himself and spoke with a smile, “Little Jiang, how old are you?”

Although he was not extremely popular in the entertainment industry, he did gain seniority from all the years he had been working and the crew members did regard him with some level of respect.

When Gao Rong was finished with his question, Jiang Se did not even have the time to answer when Lu Baobao said with a smile, “Senior Gao, Sese is 17, a year younger than I am. We’re still in grade 12, and we’re classmates.”

This young girl had a scheming mind and would not withhold any information.

The others bombarded her with questions. They soon learned virtually everything they wanted to know about Jiang Se from her. Naturally, Lu Baobao told them about the original Jiang Se’s intentions of making it big in the entertainment industry.

However, nobody laughed at her. After all, Jiang Se was gorgeous. Heaven definitely favored her in this aspect. With her looks, body, and bearing, it would be easy for her to enter the industry in the future.

Moreover, a famous director such as Zhang Jingan had been satisfied with her performance even though she was not an arts major. Jiang Se clearly had the talent for this, thus it would not be surprising if she became a superstar in the future.

“Little Jiang, you did well in the shoot today. I almost let my own emotions be influenced.”

When Gao Rong mentioned the day’s filming, Lu Baobao beamed and nodded repeatedly. “It’s true, it’s true.”

Jiang Se truly did a good job today. During the filming, Lu Baobao felt as if she had been pulled into the world of the script. “I knew she’d be fine. Still, I couldn’t help but worry about her.”

The others laughed and Jiang Se smiled as well. However, her thoughts were elsewhere.

After lunch, Lu Baobao had another assignment. However, nobody called on Jiang Se to be an extra anymore.

The industry was like a concentrated cocoon of the human condition. She looked on as Lu Baobao changed into different costumes over the course of the afternoon and portrayed different characters while being drenched in sweat. However, because she had earned the personal praise of Zhang Jingan, Jiang Se was left to wait by the side with some water. Nobody came to order her around anymore.

A few shoots and a break later, the crew filmed a scene by the river at dusk. Jiang Se overheard some of the crew members say that Li Mingyuan was coming.