Chapter 37: Playing

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Brother Cao beamed when the security guard called him. However, he instinctively glanced at his phone.

“You’re already here and it isn’t even 11 yet.” At the moment, the time displayed on his phone was 10 minutes to 11. The Imperial Productions base was not located in the city center. When Jiang Se called him, it had been 10 a.m., so he thought that she would never have made it on time no matter what.

“Li Yi called me just now to tell me you’d be coming over, but I thought that you’d be late.” He stared at Jiang Se and beckoned her to come over.

The crew members in different teams stayed connected as well. The script supervisor of “Pretense to Reality” had given him a call about a newcomer who would be there for the audition.

This was not a rare occasion between production teams. They were all trying to do each other a favor.

However, Li Yi had showered this newcomer with praises through the phone call. He said that this newcomer, Jiang Se, had given a small demonstration of her impressive skills in Zhang Jingan’s new film. When she joined the “Pretense to Reality” cast, Gu Jiaer had also given her positive remarks. Gu Jiaer even made an exception and used her live audio recording even though she was only a newcomer.

In the beginning, he did not think much about Li Yi’s words. He merely thought that Li Yi had only said what he did to send the newcomer over.

However, when he laid his eyes on Jiang Se, he noticed that Li Yi had not been exaggerating when he described her looks.

“Director Gu was filming at the airport today. It’s not too far from here,” she explained.

The security guard stepped aside and allowed Jiang Se to go in. The man called Brother Cao gave Jiang Se an appraising look, liking what he saw.

“I think Li Yi has told you about the job, hasn’t he?”

This newcomer truly did have exceptional external qualities. The air she carried was special as well. He hoped that she would meet Zhao Rang’s requirements.

“The 99th Love Letter” had already started filming for more than a month, so most of the plot had been already shot. However, though this was an important scene in the film, Zhao Rang’s requirement for the actress had been too high, and it had been put off until now.

There were many actresses who came to audition lately, but none of them could satisfy him. As this dragged on, the crew and the investors started to feel anxious.

Brother Cao gestured for Jiang Se to keep up with him. As he walked, he made a phone call.

His tone was slightly excited. It was obvious that the important back-view character Li Yi mentioned had not been decided, and this made “The 99th Love Letter” crew anxious.

When Brother Cao seemed fervent, Jiang Se calmed down. Since the actress for the character had not been decided yet, this meant that she had a chance.

Brother Cao dropped the call. He called out to Jiang Se and told her to keep up.

This so-called audition was different from the “Pretense to Reality” audition. Brother Cao led Jiang Se into a studio where there were all kinds of pianos. There were crew members standing in twos or threes against the wall.

“Go there.” Brother Cao pointed at the center of the studio where a white piano stood.

The curtains on the French window was half-open. The sun was shining brightly outside, and it fell on the white piano’s stool. It stood out in this studio which was made up of darker colors.

“Be careful. The piano’s borrowed from Shanghai’s Steinway. Try not to hit the keys too heavily,” Brother Cao gave Jiang Se some instructions, “We’ll film you from the back and show it to Director Zhao.”

“It’s alright if you don’t know how to play the piano. Just press some keys. You can stop when we tell you to.”

When Brother Cao finished, he gave Jiang Se’s attire another glance. His brows furrowed. “Your outfit…”

All they needed was to film her from the back. She did not need any makeup, but Jiang Se’s own clothes were slightly too simple.

She had tied her hair with a black band. Her white button-down shirt and jeans were not suitable for her face which seemed to be a special favor from God himself.

“There’s no time.” Someone raised a phone and pointed at the door. “Director Zhao and Brother Xing are discussing the script. We’ll be shooting a scene here at a quarter past 11. If we can film it now, we’ll still have time to show it to Director Zhao. However, if we want to give her a makeover, it will take too much time.”

Brother Cao was also feeling helpless. He could do nothing but sigh as he motioned for Jiang Se to sit at the piano.

A crew member came over and carefully lifted the lid. Then, Jiang Se placed her hands on the keyboard and steadied her breath.

She had two Steinway pianos as well. One of them was in the Feng family’s house in Hong Kong while the other was in the imperial capital. Since she was reborn, she had never touched a piano.

However, she had been practicing the piano since she was six years old. Even though it had been a long time since she touched the piano, after some simple trial and error, she soon found the familiar feeling back in her fingers again.

“Ready!” Brother Cao shouted. Someone raised a phone behind Jiang Se.

This was an awkward situation. Neither had she changed into her costume nor did she even remove her makeup completely when she left the “Pretense to Reality” set. It was clear that her appearance was not befitting of this elegant piano.

The people behind her were strangers who were recording her from the back with their phones. Many others also observed the scene while standing against the wall. This gave her some pressure mentally.

Jiang Se was determined to land this role, so she calmed herself down. She placed her left hand on the keyboard and played a note. Then, she drew her right hand across it.

Her hands seemed to have imbued the piano with magic. Melodious notes came to life under her fingertips. The notes went away as swiftly as they appeared.

The crew on set wanted to remind her to be careful with the piano in case she broke it, but before they could say anything, Jiang Se’s fingers were already flying across the keys.

The newcomers, who had auditioned before Jiang Se, could not help but seem awkward when they tried to be careful with this elegant piano. Their movements seemed restricted but not Jiang Se. She tested the piano out with a natural expression on her face and her movements did not seem ginger.

Jiang Se played “Lyphard Melodie”, a romantic and melodious piece that chimed beautifully on the quiet set. Brother Cao, who had wanted to speak just now, was stunned.

The sunlight fell upon Jiang Se before the piano as her hands leaped nimbly across the keys and produced a wonderful melody.

The young girl’s back seemed youthful. With her hair tied in a ponytail, her elegant neckline was visible. She had her back toward the others and was focused on playing the piano. Her movements seemed to be the fruit of a great teacher’s instructions.

At the moment, Brother Cao seemed to have forgotten that he was still in the studio. The therapeutic and wonderful notes washed against his ears gently like a slow-flowing stream.

There was one single thought in his mind. ‘This must be the feeling Zhao Rang wants me to look for.’

When she reached a certain chord, Jiang Se stopped.

This stanza required a lot of practice which she had not been doing for a long time. Since Jiang Se’s wrists were not strong enough, she would be hard-pressed to finish the entire piece, thus she stopped naturally.

Moreover, “The 99th Love Letter” crew only wanted her to try playing a small section. All they wanted was a recording of her from the back to show the director, Zhao Rang, to see if she was suitable. She was not here to play music.